LITTLE MISS VAN ZANDT COUNTY

There is a queen among us!! As if she ever lets us forget. She is already treated like royalty by all of her grandparents and great grandparents but just to make it official Aubree had to get herself a crown. A couple of weeks ago Aubree was in the Miss Van Zandt County Pageant and did such a good job. She was so big on stage and hit every X all by herself. She is a ham and ate up all the attention and being center stage. It was so cute how she waved and blew kisses and pranced around. We have it on video if anyone ever needs a good laugh. Its hilarious how much personality this chic has. I love it...could be because I am her mother but I will proudly say she is a beautiful doll any day of the week. I curled her hair on hot stix for the first time before the pageant and that was so "cool" to her. I think those are the same hot stix Malena used to curl my hair sophomore year of high school for the Favorite's dance and those babies still worked like a charm. The curl held all day. Her hair was so pretty, too. During the crowning she was so sweet and so proud. She clapped for all the girls and even for herself when they crowned her Little Miss Van Zandt County. She loved her trophies, flowers and crown so much! She wanted to carry the trophies everywhere, even to church the next morning. She was so happy and that made me so happy too.

What a beautiful time of year!

We are loving this beautiful spring weather! Thanks to day light savings I now can almost cram everything I need to get done into the day. Almost! Aubree is loving playing outside lots, too. It's just beautiful! We had a delightful Easter weekend. Friday afternoon Aubree and I met a friend at First Monday Trade Center and enjoyed shopping out in the sunshine. It was a perfect day and we enjoyed the leisure time together. Saturday we did some good ole fishing at Tuttle ranch and then went to the community egg hunt and play day at the ranch. Bree loved it all. She is such a lil fisherman. She is not scared to grab the bait or fish either one. She also enjoyed the egg hunt. This year she is not bashful. She found a bucket full of candy. The highlight for her though I do believe was the horse back riding. She loved it!! She also enjoyed participating in the egg races, obstacle courses, bounce houses and other games they had set up. It was a perfect day to spend out at the ranch. That evening we went out for delicious Mexican food and then called it a day. A wonderful day indeed.
Resurrection Sunday was a wonderful day as well. We rushed out of the house in our Easter best and enjoyed worshipping with all our family in Christ. I had organized a breakfast for our Sunday school class and it turned out flawless.(If I do say so myself.) Thanks everyone for chipping in and making it a success. After a very heartfelt worship we went to Kerry's parents to spend time with some of his family. It was a delicious meal and a great time spent with my other family. We arrived at my great Uncle Bobby and Aunt Nadine's at 4pm just in time for the traditional egg hunt. It is always so much fun cuz the "young" adults hunt along with the 2 little girls. This year it was all about Aubree and Finlee, my cousin and bff's lil doll. The girls are great friends and cared more about being next to each other than actually hunting. Although they both managed to snag a basket full of goodies. Bree is a fast learner, she would shake the eggs and if they didn't jingle she threw them down. It was hilarious!! The girl is a toot I am telling ya. Funny thing is she would rather have change than dollar bills. Oh well, her loss was Finlee's gain. We ate supper with my family and then visited for a while before we made another round by Kerry's parents. It was a busy day!! But such a blast and Bree got to have another egg hunt at Gramp's and Bebe's before the sun went down. It was such a blessed and beautiful day to celebrate the rising of our Savior. Oh and I almost forgot to mention the 4 new members of our family that were Bree's early Easter present from us. Last week Kerry and I took Aubree to get 4 baby ducks. They are so cute and messy all at the same time. The idea is to raise them inside until they are big enough to live out on our pond. We will see if I can stand them that long. LOL! Actually they aren't so bad, but they are noisy and messy. However, Bree is crazy about them. She holds them and sings to them and reads to them. It's adorable!! She wakes up and the first thing she says is "Can I hold my ducks?" She has named them all by herself. Cinderella(that's her favorite duck), Belle, Daisy and Donald Duck. It is really fun having them around....most of the time.

Feeling So Blessed

In the past few weeks we have enjoyed lots of wonderful blessings. Some with our family and some with friends. One of my favorites was spent with a group of 10 of our dearest friends enjoying a night at Shoguns, our favorite Japanese Hibachi grill. We had such a wonderful time. The food was fabulous and the night was filled with good times. A short week later I was star stuck as we were sitting at Chili's in Lindale and realized we were sitting next to the entire crew from Extreme Makeover Home Edition. They were all there and even came over to our table to talk to us. Such kind, down to earth people who do an amazing job in helping those in need. What a cool experience that was. We also survived our 2nd annual garage sale. These sales are not something I enjoy, however I am amazed at how well baby/kids clothes sale. We had our sale with 4 other families in a great location and I am still in awe at how well it did. I got rid of a lot of unneeded stuff and put some extra cash in my pocket. Gotta love that! Sunday I indulged in Red Lobster's Lobster Fest and it was oh so good. Lobster tail, crab legs and shrimp...MMMM...makes my mouth water just remembering how good it was. Following our delicious lunch we spent the day shopping. Kerry looking for a new tv for our bedroom and me mainly enjoying all the cute lil girls clothes that are out for spring and summer. Aubree loves to shop with me and is so cute picking out the things she likes. She is set for spring and I can't wait to see her in all the darling outfits we got her.
Just when I thought life couldn't get any better, it did. We went on Tuesday to Medical City Dallas for Aubree's yearly follow up on her renal reflux. She had to have a sedated VCUG and renal ultrasound. This was very stressful for Kerry and I as we hated to see Bree put to sleep and we were prayerful that God would take care of her and make her reflux better. It had previously been graded as a 2-3 out of 1-5. As the VCUG was underway the doctors were amazing and were talking us through the procedure again. But as they neared 8oz of fluid being injected this time there was no reflux seen. YEAH!! It was officially gone. Only 20% of kids outgrow renal reflux and thankfully Aubree is in that 20%. It never crossed my mind that it would be completely gone. All this time we were praying for it to have improved, just for it to not be worse. Last year they had told us that some outgrow it by the time they are 5 yrs old and if this didn't happen or if it got worse she may need surgery to correct it. All I could think was please don't let it be worse and don't let there be any kidney damage. But God is so good!! He cured her and took the reflux away. For us that was such a peace of mind and meant no more prophylactic antibiotic daily for Bree. What an AWESOME day!! As a treat for Bree's day we had promised when it was over to take her to Chuck E Cheese. However, she asked to go to McDonald's and play on the playground instead. And since it was her treat we let her decide. We compromised and stopped at Chic-fil-a to play since it was on our way home. Aubree had a great time and played like such a big girl. It was a great day and again, I could not ask for more. I feel so very blessed to have the life I have. God is so GOOD!! To top off my great week my raise at work went into effect this week and I got back payed what I was owed. Yippee!! I truly feel on top of the world and owe it all to our amazing God. Thanks to everyone who prayed for Aubree and for all of our family and friends for their amazing love and support. XOXOX to all!!

We were so blessed this past week with a beautiful snow. In east Texas snow like that is rare and it was such a delight to see it falling and sticking, if only for a day or so. On Thursday I was sitting with Jennifer Stewart having lunch at La Waffalatta in downtown Mineola and it felt as if we were sitting in Manhattan. Through the huge glass windows we could see large snow flakes steadily falling. It was amazing. Through out the day it continued to snow and by the afternoon the ground was covered. I was able to attend Aubree's Valentines Day party at parents day out and then we went home to enjoy the snow some more. Bree was confused a little. She kept asking me"Where is the grass?" Her mind just couldn't figure out where it had went. That afternoon Jennifer brought the girls over to play and we enjoyed watching the snow from the warmth of our living room. Kerry made homemade chili for us all to enjoy and we took lots of fun pictures in the snow. It was a great night with great friends. The snow fell all through the night and by Friday there were probably 10 inches on the ground. It was the prettiest thing ever. Due to the snow my office was closed and I got to spend another day at home with my wonderful family. We had snow ball fights and made snow angels and had such a blast playing in the beautiful snow. Just as we were almost frozen we loaded up and went to Kitchens for breakfast by the fire place. We were too late for breakfast so we had an early lunch instead. It was a great time, however the snow had caused our electricity to go out so we spent the day in town at Gramps and Bebe's house. There we made snow ice cream and enjoyed the cold winter day. It was so fun sharing this experience with Aubree. Our electricity was out until Saturday afternoon so we enjoyed a day of shopping and leisure with Bebe. Then we had a great italian dinner at the lake with Gramps, Bebe, Nona and the three of us. The snow was all almost melted by Sunday and although I was sad to see it go, it was nice to see the grass again. Sunday was a very special day. Not only was it a day of love, but our oldest nephew, Parker was baptised at church. My heart is always moved when a child accepts Jesus but it was even more precious since it was our dear Parker. After church we enjoyed a great lunch and then my two loves(Kerry & Aubree) and I and Bebe and Gramps enjoyed seeing Valentine's Day at the theater. It was a great day filled with lots of chocolates, kisses and love. I could NOT ask for more. XOXO to all!

Too cute not to archive....

I use this blog as a way to keep a lot of our events archived and there were a couple of cute comments made by our darling Aubree that I want to make sure never get lost or forgotten. First off, Kerry and I love to watch sports. From football to basketball to hockey to baseball to UfC and Nascar. We enjoy all sports and most of the time don't miss an event. The same goes for my Mom and Grandparents. They are usually watching basketball or whatever sport is in season. My mom especially loves to watch the Maverick's basketball. She doesn't miss a televised game. Well Miss Bree has joined my mom in her passion for the Mav's and will cheer them on every time they are on the big screen. It is really cute to hear Bree say "Go Mav's!" or "Go Dirk!" Yes, she has learnt who most of the players are from my mom. She is very interested in this particular sport. Which I think she gets naturally cuz it is a sport that both my grandparents loved to play and from what I hear were very good at playing. The love of basketball was passed from them down to my mom and her brother Curtis and even to myself. I loved that game and still today enjoy playing and watching basketball. Well to get to the point, Pa and Mema and Bree were watching the Mavs and Bree ask, "Where is Dirk?" and teasing her, as Pa always does, Pa replied, "He's probably off with his girlfriend." And as serious and innocent as can be Bree replied back, " I am Dirk's girlfriend!" It was the cutest thing ever and she was so serious its not even funny.
On another note, this is a story that just melted my heart. I put this on face book so some may have already heard this, but for my Dad who I know isn't on fb I wanted to share this. Our cat Blue has a sore place on his back leg that we have no idea what has happened. We think it is a bite of some sort but aren't sure. Well the place started to get bigger and is bleeding more and has us all concerned. So we have been doctoring it and Bree has been pretty worried about it. Well out of no where the other morning she said to Kerry, "We need to talk to Jesus and ask Him to make Blue better." What a brilliant idea! I was so proud that at such a young age she already knows to go to God with her worries and ask him for help. This was a priceless moment for me as a mother. What a blessing that Bree is to our lives and to know she does understand the concept we are trying to teach her about having a relationship with God and talking through prayer to Him. It was just the sweetest thing and I wanted to share this joy with everyone, but my dad especially who always conveys the importance of having a relationship with God to me. And who always reminds me to turn it over to God, and although it may not be the answer I am wanting, it will be what God wants. And after all that is what we are here to do, seek God's word and live the life God wants for us. Hope these stories will warm your heart as much as they did mine and be a blessing for you all. XOXO

The month of January....

We have been enjoying this beautiful weather but know that the cold front is back on its way in. Last week I enjoyed running outdoors and it gave me a lil taste of what I have been missing on the treadmill. I love to run! It is relaxing and calming and a time when I can think and collect my thoughts. However, it is not nearly as refreshing when done indoors and not outside. I am not trying to rush things but I loved the 70 degree temps last week and am anxious for spring to get here. I am starting to think Bree has the same love for running. Every day she wants to see how fast and how long she can run. She runs up and down the living room, going full throttle the whole time. It is cute seeing her try so hard. I hope she grows up loving to run like I do. As a child I use to go out in the pasture with my Dad and we would have races through the woods and all over his land. We would see who could run the longest before they had to stop. Chasing each other all over, up and down hills and thru the creek. We went everywhere. It was always lots of fun and is a very good memory I have of time spent with my Dad. He always encouraged me and kinda planted a seed in me that has really flourished. As an adult I have participated in numerous charity events, marathones and half marathones, all sorts of runs and running organizations and hope to continue this well through my adulthood. I hope that I can do this with Bree someday(I can invision us chasing each other all over our land) and it is my dream to run mother-daughter events with her when she is big enough. I sure hope she loves it like I do. Her health is very important to me and I want her to enjoy exercising. I want it to be something we can do together. We have spent a lot of the month of January trying to slow down and spend more time enjoying each other, our home and allowing Bree to play with her toys and things. We have stayed in a lot of days and cooked our meals and eaten at the table together as a family instead of going out as we were so accustomed to before. We still enjoy a good meal out too dont get me wrong. It has just been fun planning our meals more and grocery shopping as a family has become one of our favorite things to do. We all enjoy cooking together and love how much more connected we feel after spending our time at home together. Our lives were so chaotic during the holiday season that this time of rest and relaxation was very needed. Plus I am constantly reminded of how fast Aubree is growing up and don't like looking back and wondering where the time went. Its inevitable I know but at least I can say that I am spending as much time as possible enjoying everyday with her and nurishing her mind and soul. One of our favorite family games that we have been enjoying is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse bingo. Bree got this as one of her gifts from Nona and we all enjoy playing it. Plus it is teaching her shapes and colors. Colors she has known for a while but there are a few shapes which she is really learning for the first time. Bree is really a lucky bingo player too. I have always enjoyed playing bingo on the cruise ships we go on and have been pretty lucky there too sometimes. I am sad to admit this but Bree usually beats Kerry and I most of the time. However, it's a fun time for us all. Bree has become quite the pajama girl. As soon as she comes home for the day she ask if she can put her jammies on. Normally it is fine and she spends the rest of the day comfy in her jammies and house shoes. And much to her delight she will enjoy "pajama day" at Parent's Day Out this Thursday. She is overflowing with personality. Always making us laugh. The other day she was very clear on informing Bebe that she wants to be called Aubree instead of Bree. I am not sure if she is sincere or if that was only for the time being but I have gotten in the habit of calling her Bree. I sure hope it doesn't last too long. Hopefully it is just a phase. She enjoyed a slumber party last week with her 1st cousin Kate at Gramps' and Bebe's house. I heard they had a lot of fun and while doing so I got to enjoy a date night with Kerry. So it was a win-win situation for us all. Well maybe not for Bebe. The girls kept her up most of the night and I sure bet she must have been exhausted. We spent last Saturday celebrating Bree's other cousin Lilly's 2nd birthday. It was a fun Elmo party and Lilly loved it. The party was great and we enjoyed spending that time with Clay, Tori and Lilly. Last night we were out to dinner with Gramps, Bebe and Papaw and when the waitress brought us Kerry's to go order Bree said to us, " I don't want Daddy to go to school." Made my heart melt. I knew it must be hard on her cuz she doesn't see her Daddy as much when he is in class but this was the first she had every said about it. She loves her Daddy so much and he is so amazing with her. He is a great Daddy and it makes me sad that she misses him so. I reminded her that he loves her and going back to school is a sacrifice he is making for all of us. So that one day he can be home more, enjoy his career and provide more for us. I am not sure if she understood but seemed to be comforted by what I said. God love her soul!! Precious little darling! Makes me even more ready for the relaxing weekend we have coming up. I cant wait to spend some time home together as a family enjoying each other's company. Every one should try it. It is great to slow down and plan on spending more time as a family, bonding and relaxing together. XOXO

After 12 wonderful Christmas parties and a very busy vacation, I am finally sitting down to blog about our wonderful holidays. This year Bree really enjoyed unwrapping her gifts and those of everyone around her that was willing to let her help them. The magic of Christmas was definitely present in our home. Bree's laughter was priceless and filled my heart with joy on Christmas morning as she discovered all the joys of being a child at Christmas. We are so blessed and it was great sharing this time with our families. I have started a tradition of making breakfast casserole on Christmas morning and having both our parents over. We all enjoyed watching Bree play with her toys. She loved every minute of it. A couple of her favorites were the outdoor trampoline, that of course came with the padding and enclosure and her talking spring horse and the musical sit-n-spin, easel desk and stuffed Dalmatian puppy that has a stroller and accessories. She had such a blessed Christmas and received so many cool gifts that she loves. Kerry and I both exchanged stocking stuffers and agreed to build a shop/workout bldg/ storage as our gifts to each other. My Mom gave us professional grade garment steamer to share as well as a LL Bean jacket for Kerry and shirts and 2 yearly subscriptions to outdoor and gardening magazines that he had wanted. Mom gave me a pink Ipod to use when I run and some really cool knee boots. From Kerry's parents we got a Vita Mix 5200. For years we have seen the demonstration at the State Fair of Texas and admired how "MEAN" they are. For like 2 days straight we lived on smoothies and have been amazed at how good they taste. Maybe they will help us both to get more veggies and fruits in our daily diets. The cool thing is u can fill it w greens and not even taste them when they are mixed in with the fruit. It also makes warm soups as well. We just dumped in the ingredients for tortilla soup (including fresh, raw vegetables)and in a matter of minutes had warm soup. Fascinating huh? My Mema got Mom and I an awesome gift that I am supper excited about as well. She got us season passes again this year to Splash Kingdom.(The local water park that we spent like every Friday of last summer enjoying.) Well now we are all set for this coming summer and I just cant wait. Bree has so much fun there and will be able to enjoy even more of it this year. Thanks,Mema! We received way too many wonderful gifts from our families to list everything but now u have an idea of some of the great things we were showered with. We thoroughly enjoyed all the time we got to spend with our families and friends during the season. As for vacation, I was off from work for 12 wonderful days. We spent a lot of the time relaxing at home. We hardly ever get to just spend down time at home just the three of us. So I enjoyed pajama days the most, more than I would have enjoyed any trip for sure. I spent most afternoons out on the trampoline with Bree. She loves to play 'break the egg' the most. We also do a lot of chasing each other in circles too. While Emily and Josh were in town we also enjoyed a fun night of bowling with Kerry's parents and family. This was Bree's 1st time to bowl and she absolutely loved it! The kiddos had a lane all to them selves with the bumpers on and had a blast. She keeps asking to go back and I keep promising cuz I must admit I had forgotten how much fun it is myself. Kerry was the ultimate champ and beat us all but I did have a great time too. Now if I can just get my house back in order and get all of Bree's new things organized. We may have to add on to our house just to accommodate all her gifts. Thanks to everyone for all u did to make our holidays so outstanding. We are all so blessed! XOXO