Peanut Butter and Poptarts

Best Friends Forever...

2012-01-28T13:41:00.003-06:00

She's got moves...

2012-01-23T21:11:00.002-06:00

Not quite sure where Lucy picked this up...but, it's awesome. She likes a good beat!

15 Months...

2012-01-20T11:30:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it? I can't.

15 Month Stats:
Weight: 22 lbs 8 oz (50%)
Height: 31.75" (86%)
Head Circumference: 46.99 cm (80%)

We've had so much fun watching Lucy grow over the past few months. She has changed so much! She is officially running all over the place...in to everything...and wants to touch everything! She is very curious about her surroundings and is showing a lot more independence. She plays well by herself (especially in the mornings) and is very comfortable around people she is familiar with. It takes less and less time to warm up to knew faces and places, which is so nice! Very rarely does she cry anymore when we drop her off at school on Tuesdays and Thursdays or at the nursery on Sundays. She babbles, squeals and "talks" all day long...it's very entertaining....but, she is not saying too many words yet. Words she can say are dog, duck, dada, mama, hi, up, uh oh, and milk. Her favorite word is dog...everything and everyone is a dog. We're working on that one. :) She loves to give hugs and kisses and has recently starting blowing kisses! Lucy loves to "help" me around the house with laundry, carrying things, cleaning up her toys, feeding the dogs and checking the mail. She's always carrying something whether is be her sippy cup, snack cup or baby dolls. She loves her baby dolls. She'll hold them, rock them, kiss them, pat them, feed them and make sure they have their paci. She's an organizer...shocker...she definitely gets that from me! One of her favorite activities when I'm cooking is taking food items out of the fridge one at a time and lining them up on the rug under the sink. She also likes to line up her baby dolls and teddy bears. That's my girl! She has also gotten so much better about getting dressed (it use to be a battle)....but, now she actually helps me dress her and she doesn't mind wearing jackets now!

Lucy is sleeping in a bit later now, which is nice. Most days she wakes up between 8 and 8:30am. She is still taking 2 1.5 hour naps....typically from 10:30am-noon and 3-4:30pm. Bedtime is between 8 and 8:30pm. She is wearing size 12 to 18 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She's still a great eater (all table foods) and drinker (completely transitioned to the sippy cup...no more bottles).

Happy 15 months baby girl! We love watching you grow and learn new things. You add so much JOY and laughter to our lives. Mommy and daddy love you so much....words will never be able to describe it. Don't ever forget that, sweet one.

Feeding the dogs...

2012-01-10T09:29:00.003-06:00

Since we've been home from Colorado, Lucy's new favorite activity is feeding Kaci and Chloe....one piece at a time. She loved feeding the deer in Colorado!

Colorado Christmas 2011...

2012-01-04T20:10:00.001-06:00

We made our annual trip to the cabin after Christmas and this year The Simmons and The Brazeals joined us! Since the kiddos were with us we didn't do much, but we really had a great time hanging out and enjoying the beautiful mountain views!

We finally made it after a long day of travel....the girls/kiddos flew and the boys drove all of our stuff! Corinne had an awesome dinner ready for us when we arrived!

Babies asleep, monitors out! So happy to be at the cabin!

Good morning...

And hello deer...lots of deer!

Lucy was in deer heaven....or "dog" heaven. She was a little confused.

Here's the video proof....actually, everything/everyone is a dog right now...even me! ;)

A few of the deer would eat straight out of our hands!

Big buck...

Lucy and dad on the porch...

Corinne decked the house out for Christmas...it really looked beautiful!

Opening presents...Lucy knew exactly what to do!

She loves her xylophone!

And I was super excited about her North Face Fleece...Lucy, not so much. She really doesn't like wearing jackets right now.

Owen and Larkin got presents too! Owen was a big fan of PaPa Billy and Nana...it was so funny! He asked for them all of the time and followed them all around the house!

Family shot...

We did a lot of this...

And a lot of playing! Lucy and Owen loved the tent that Papa Billy and Nana gave Owen...

Owen was so sweet towards Larkin and Lucy! Kisses for Larkin...

And hugs for Lucy!

The girls + Larkin...

Playing the snow!! The weather was beautiful while we were there...actually pretty mild for December. We didn't get any snow, but there was a lot on the ground!

Lucy had fun walking in it!

Snow bunnies...

The Simmons Fam...

Owen feeding the deer...

Lucy could not get enough of the deer...

She had a lot of fun playing in the feed...

How cute is that hat?! My mom got it for Lucy for our trip. Lucy really doesn't like wearing hats, but she was so consumed with the deer that I was able to sneak it on her a few times!
Family pics on the back deck...
Chris, Owen and Marina...
Larkin, Elizabeth and Jordan...
Group shot! What a fun trip....lots of fun memories made for sure!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T15:57:00.001-06:00

Christmas Day 2011...

2011-12-31T20:20:00.001-06:00

We spent Christmas morning at home in our pj's playing with Lucy's toys from Santa and eating Pioneer Women cinnamon rolls (definitely a new tradition)! It was such a relaxing and fun morning!

Santa came!!!

The ball popper toy was a HUGE hit!
She is slightly obsessed with her teddy bear!
Bubbles!
Opening presents from Jewelz...
Yummy cinnamon rolls...they were so good and made the house smell all warm and Christmassy!
Playing with daddy...
Jewelz and Lucy...
After Lucy's morning nap, we went over to The Rives for lunch...

Santa came to see Lucy at G and Pops house too!

Silly girl...

We all enjoyed a nice afternoon nap and then had The Rives over for chili and tamales on Christmas night. It was the perfect ending to a fun-filled day!

Christmas Eve 2011...

2011-12-30T19:34:00.000-06:00

On Christmas Eve we ate an early dinner, went to the 6pm Christmas Eve service at church and enjoyed desserts and presents at G and Pops! We had such a great time, but we missed being with all the Houston crew on Christmas Eve. Miss Lucy had so much fun opening all of her gifts...and playing with them too!

Tearing into the first package...
A zebra backpack from Aunt Leisa!!
She loves her baby doll from Granny!
Pretty purple Converse from Grandad...
Crazy Uncle Wes gave her a Star Wars pop-up book...
She wasn't quite sure what to think about it...I'm sure she'll appreciate it in a few years!
Radio Flyer wagon from G and Pops...I was excited about this one too! :)
Lucy and Mom...
We forgot to get a group shot, but Wes, Jake and my mom were there too!

From our family to yours...

2011-12-23T21:48:00.002-06:00

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Kisses...

2011-12-22T08:29:00.001-06:00

Visiting Santa...

2011-12-19T17:38:00.002-06:00

Today we went to see Santa at The Galleria with Karen, Dot, Eleanor and Tripp! Lucy was all smiles until it was her turn to take a seat on the fat man's lap!

"Patiently" waiting in line...

Eleanor kept telling Lucy "no, no" to the ornaments! :)

E and T went first...no drama...just a nice visit with Santa!

And then it was Lucy's turn...it really doesn't get much better than this! So classic...

Lucy's official 2011 Santa picture...

What a difference a year makes!
2010...

Eleanor and Lucy 2011...

E and LK 2010...I think Santa got his teeth fixed since then...thank goodness! :)Merry Christmas!!!!

Christmas Wish...

2011-12-18T21:45:00.003-06:00

Instead of exchanging gifts with mom, Jimmy, Jill, Kalie and Cole, we all decided that we would bless a family in need this Christmas. We chose a family through KLTY's Christmas Wish program. There were hundreds of wishes to choose from, but for some reason this family stood out to me. The sweet lady who nominated them did such a great job at telling their story. They are a precious family who have had a rough couple of years and didn't know how they were going to provide Christmas for their 3 children...the youngest was born about a week ago! Last Sunday, we spent the afternoon shopping for them and wrapping all of the presents...we had so much fun, especially Kalie and Cole!

Today, we loaded everything up and went to meet the family!

Mom and Jimmy's cars were full of gifts!

And now, their tree that did not have a single present underneath it when we arrived is overflowing with blessings!

My favorite part was meeting the family and seeing their faces light up as we were bringing in all of the gifts...especially the little girl who was just too cute for words! The parents were speechless and so appreciative. After we prayed over them, the father played Silent Night for us on the piano. What a sweet, sweet time. It truly is better to give than receive!

Weekend away...

2011-12-16T16:33:00.000-06:00

This little lady is taking a weekend road trip to Houston with her G and Pops! They left at 2pm today and I honestly don't know what to do with myself...It's way too quiet around here! I know Lucy is going to have a blast visiting family and Josh and I are really looking forward to hanging out with each other! We're going on a date tonight and tomorrow night we have Josh's work Christmas party. I can't wait!

All packed up and ready to go!

Waiting for G and Pops to arrive...

Man, I'm going to miss her!

Happy weekend before Christmas!!!

5th Annual Christmas Dinner...

2011-12-12T11:05:00.002-06:00

On Saturday night we hosted our annual Christmas dinner with our dear friends, The Rectors, Simmons and Brazeals. We look forward to this night every year....it's one of our favorite Christmas traditions!

I think this is the 3rd time in over 6 years that I've used my china and Waterford! For dinner I served homemade lasagna (a family recipe from a friend), Caesar salad and garlic bread. I made spinach artichoke dip from the Our Best Bites Cookbook for an appetizer and this for dessert. Everything turned out great!

Our gift exchange is always so fun! Our limit is $20 so we have to be a little creative! I had Elizabeth...
Josh had Chris...
Chris had Karen...
Marina had BJ...
BJ had Jordan...
Karen had Marina...
Jordan had Josh...
And Elizabeth had me...
Check out this AMAZING drawing that Liz did of Lucy!!! Best give EVER!!! It looks just like the picture...Liz is so talented!
Lucy at 11 months...
The Brazeals...
The Simmons...
The Rectors...
Us...
The girls...
The guys...
The whole gang...after many funny and somewhat awkward attempts with the timer on my camera! 5 years and 5 babies later...
A trip down memory lane!
2010

2009

2008
We all look so young in this picture!

I can't find the pictures from 2007, when we first started this tradition in our little one bedroom apartment in Dallas...it was pre-blog. :(

Toddler Christmas Brunch...

2011-12-10T14:25:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, we went to Mel and Zoe's house for a Christmas play date and brunch. We had a great time playing with our friends....and having a little mommy catch up time!! I love these girls and their kiddos so much...just wish we could see them more often!!

Lucy and the Lion....she loves anything she can push!

Craft time! Mel made edible play dough with applesauce and cinnamon. Lucy had fun eating it and I had fun making some ornaments with it!

Sweet Zoe was getting upset that I was taking pictures!

Lucy loved playing with all of the ornaments on Mel's Christmas tree!

Giving some sugars to CeCe!

The future Mr. and Mrs. Max Scott! :)

This is the best shot I could get of all 3 of them....I think they are looking at Liz and Larkin arriving!

Lucy and Larkin...

How precious is he?!

What a fun time celebrating the Christmas season with our friends! We missed Marina and Owen (Owen was not feeling well) and Karen, Eleanor and Tripp (Karen keeps using the excuse that she just had a baby 2 weeks ago)! ;)

Bass Pro Shops...

2011-12-07T16:26:00.000-06:00

Today we went to Bass Pro Shops with a couple of friends from our playgroup. They have lots of fun activities for kids including a free 4x6 photo with Santa and a free carousel. Lucy loved everything but Santa...you'll see the proof below!

Checking out the lights on the tree...

Meeting Santa...not so bad here.

And then she explodes!

Looking at the fish...

Running around the store...

Will's new ride...

Waiting to ride the carousel...

Kate and Will...

Lindsey and Leni Kate...

Bass Pro Shops is a great indoor activity for kiddos during the Christmas season, and since we went during the week there was hardly anyone there!

The Gaylord Texan...

2011-12-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

It's been a rainy and gloomy weekend, so yesterday we took LK to The Gaylord Texan to see the Christmas decorations and to get some energy out! The Gaylord looked beautiful (I'm sure it's even more magical at night) and it seemed like everyone else in Dallas had the same great idea, because it was packed! Well worth the trip though.

Lucy pointed at everything...

Whoever is taking the picture is the one she wants....so most of our pictures lately end up looking like this! :)

We took a break and enjoyed a gingerbread man cookie!

And then we were off again! She definitely wore herself out running all over the place!

Makeshift Ball Pit...

2011-12-03T10:29:00.002-06:00

Grapevine Sea Life Aquarium

2011-12-02T22:25:00.000-06:00

Last week Kate and Will invited us to the Sea Life Aquarium at Grapevine Mills. It was our first time to go and Lucy absolutely loved it! I ended up buying an annual pass because it pays for itself in 3 visits and it will be a great indoor activity for Lucy on the cold winter and hot summer days. We can't wait to go back! They don't allow flashes, so my pictures didn't turn out that great. Nonetheless, Lucy had a great time looking at all the fish and sea creatures!

Visiting Tripp...

2011-11-27T20:15:00.001-06:00

We had so much fun visiting The Rector Fam today....I just can't get enough of baby Tripp. He is just perfect!!!

Lucy was not very thrilled that I was holding another baby!

But she warmed up quickly when daddy was holding him and decided that baby Tripp is pretty cool...

Lucy had a lot of fun exploring the hospital room too...
Caroline and Helen were in town for Thanksgiving, so we all met up at the hospital to love on Tripp and catch up for a bit!
We love Tripp!!!

It's a Boy!!!

2011-11-25T20:00:00.003-06:00

William Joseph Rector III "Tripp" is here!!!

11.25.11 | 11:20am | 7 lbs 14 oz

Tripp, Mommy, Daddy and Big Sister Eleanor are all doing great! Welcome to the world sweet baby Tripp! We love you so much!

Truly thankful...

2011-11-25T10:55:00.009-06:00

This year we did Thanksgiving a little different and went to DFW Airport to serve Thanksgiving lunch to soldiers that were deploying overseas. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Words will never be able to express my gratitude for these brave men and women and their families. My heart was so heavy as we served them lunch, sat and ate with them and sent them off. I really can't image being in their shoes or the shoes of the moms, dads, wives and children who are left behind. My eyes and heart were opened up in a whole new way yesterday to the tremendous sacrifice that they make. Our freedom is truly a gift, and this year I am more thankful than ever for it. I will never forget their faces and will keep them in my prayers as they selflessly serve our country. May God bless them and keep them safe until their families are welcoming them HOME!

Julie was interviewed by WFFA...she's included in this clip that aired on the news yesterday!

Soldiers Serve with Heart is the organization that put on this event.

Thanksgiving Day Cupcake...

2011-11-24T21:13:00.003-06:00

The National Dog Show...

2011-11-24T21:01:00.005-06:00

Our dog Kaci (aka: Chuck, Chucky, Chuckles) has a love/hate relationship with the TV. She goes absolutely nuts when she sees other animals on it, especially dogs. Today was a big day for her....The National Dog Show! She loved it....and so did Lucy! Lucy is obsessed with dogs. Everything and everyone is a dog to her these days....even me! :)

Once Best is Show was awarded, Kaci was pooped. She wore herself out!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T15:36:00.001-06:00

Sliding...

2011-11-23T20:43:00.001-06:00

Boxes...

2011-11-23T20:30:00.003-06:00

I recently organized Lucy's toys into storage boxes that fit inside our living room cabinets. It has made such a huge difference (mostly for me)....because all of the toys on the living room floor were starting to drive me CRAZY! Lucy is loving the new organization too....especially the boxes!! This is where I find her most of the time now....

Little miss is cutting molars...you can see those suckers in this pic.

Gosh, she's cute. :)

13 months....

2011-11-18T16:00:00.003-06:00

For the sake of fairness towards our future children, I'm not going to continue with Lucy's monthly updates. My goal is to do monthly posts for all the kiddos first year of life...they're time consuming, so I'm sure it will only get harder to achieve that goal as more babies come along. I don't want to hear 15-20 years from now, "mom, you did everything for Lucy and we got crap!" :) I will continue with shorter Lucy updates when I can, because I don't want to forget when the big milestones occurred...and let's be honest, this blog had turned into Lucy's baby book!

Over the past month, Lucy....

1) Has become a very confident walker....and in to EVERYTHING. I can't take my eyes off her! Her walk actually looks more like a march, but it's precious....and so what if she wants to be in the marching band when she's in high school. Whatever she does will be cool to me! :)

2) Is weaned from bottles. NO MORE CLEANING BOTTLES....Whoo hooo!!!! It took her about 4 weeks to completely wean, but now she is using sippy cups only and happy about it. I started dropping one bottle feeding at a time....first lunch, then dinner, then breakfast. Breakfast was the hardest. We had a few morning meltdowns, but they didn't last long. The transition from formula to whole milk was very easy for her. She didn't even notice.

3) Only has her paci in her crib now. This transition was pretty rough (because sister girl loves her paci), but all things considered, she really has done well with it. We had some MAJOR meltdowns at first (especially when she would see her paci in her crib if we were playing in her room). Now, when I wake her up, she knows to leave her paci in her crib. It's really cute....she'll just spit it right out. Every so often, she'll throw a little fit for her paci, so I'll put her in her crib and let her play in there for a little bit and when she wants out, the paci stays in her bed. I still keep an emergency paci in her diaper bag for times when it's necessary so other people don't go insane (like the church nursery).

We love you Lucy girl! You are our greatest joy and blessing from the Lord. Happy 13 months!!!

Here are a few pictures I snapped of Lucy Kate yesterday morning. She had a Thanksgiving feast at school!

Family Pictures :: Nov. 2011

2011-11-13T22:00:00.002-06:00

{Scott Hollrah Photography}

A HUGE thanks to our very talented friend, Scott Hollrah, for capturing our family in these photographs. You can't tell, but Lucy Kate was a toot-and-a-half the day we took these. Scott still managed to get some great shots...he's that good! :) I'm so grateful for these pictures....thank you, Scott!

Happy Halloween 2011...

2011-11-01T20:24:00.004-05:00

Last night we helped host a neighborhood Halloween party with our small group from The Door Church. The Causey's opened up their front yard to their neighborhood and we had a lot of cute trick or treaters stop by for candy, hot dogs, bounce house fun and picture taking!

This is the best group shot we could get...It's tough with the little ones!

Josh and I dressed up as high school sweethearts....and we toted along the cutest little candy corn I've ever seen! I could just eat her up...

The Hoerman's...

The Causey's...

The Sherzer's...

The Larson's...

The Brawner's with their adorable grand babies...

The Brook's (minus Scott)...

Trunk or TREAT!! Lots of candy...

Enjoying our hotdogs before we went trick or treating...

Lucy loved the slide on the bounce house...

Whitley the lady bug...

Ryan-Kate as Snow White...

I tried so hard to get Woody and Buzz Lightyear to smile...

Off to trick or treat! Sweet Emma and Whitley had fun in the wagon....

Lucy's first house...

Score!!

She loved walking from house to house....

And the candy, of course!

Lucy loved the glow sticks too!

Happy Halloween!!!!

This is such a cool email that Adrienne and Josh received from one of their neighbors about the party...

I want to thank you so much for the wonderful Halloween party. It was such a treat to walk down to your house and have the wonderful dinner and see the fun festive decorations, picture stage area and the awesome decorated car. What a special night! Please tell your church friends how special the evening was for our family. How truly kind and generous to plan and prepare for such a fun evening for all of us. We deeply appreciate your kindness -- it was awesome!!!!!!

Fall fun...

2011-10-30T21:05:00.000-05:00

The afternoon we went to the 8th annual Bark in the Park at Andy Brown Park in Coppell. It was our first time to go to this event....and we will definitely go back next year! The $10 entrance fee was well worth it...Lucy, Chloe and Kaci had a great time!

Lucy could not get enough of all of the dogs! She was having so much fun watching them run around and play!

Chloe and Kaci thoroughly enjoyed their freedom to run wherever they wanted to! They were exhausted when we got home.

Lucy had fun chasing all of the tennis balls too!

And we couldn't keep her out of the dirt...

This evening, we stopped by Lucy's pre-school's fall festival...Lucy had a great time trick or treating for the first time!

Big day for Lucy Kate...sweet thing is sound asleep now!

Bear Hugs...

2011-10-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

Pre-School Halloween Party...

2011-10-27T21:10:00.007-05:00

Today at school, Lucy's class had their Halloween/Fall party!

Isn't she purrrfect?! :)

I found out that I was in charge of the party on Tuesday (Josh forgot to mention that he signed me up for it last month), so I pulled together some quick, last minute decorations and party favors on Wednesday! No time to bake anything, so I just picked up some classic grocery store sugar cookies (the soft kind with icing).

Here is the banner I made....

I found these cute sippy cups at Target and filled them with snacks for the favors. This week is nuts at work, so I wasn't able to be at the party....but, I hear that Lucy and her friends had a great time and enjoyed their cookies!

Lucy sure is lucky that her grandmother is the school director!

Lucy's 1st Birthday Party!

2011-10-19T15:15:00.001-05:00

On Sunday we had our immediate families and a few close friends join us to celebrate Lucy's 1st birthday! It was such a fun and special day for us....and I think Lucy really had a great time too! I went with a "pumpkins and pink" theme so everything was orange and pink. Lots of photos in this post...enjoy! :)

The adorable invitation by Penny Lane Designs

Party decor...

I baked oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies, funfetti cupcakes and Lucy's smash cake...

We kept the food simple...a pear, blue cheese and spiced pecan salad, BBQ chicken sandwiches and chips. And mom made a yummy corn dip appetizer. Everything was delicious!

The backyard...

Family pics...

The adorable birthday girl!!

Checking out the backyard with daddy...

Lucy and Eleanor...best buds!

Sweet Zoe Mae...

Owen...such a handsome little guy! He calls Lucy "Rucy Cake"

Marina and Lucy...

Enjoying lunch in the backyard...

Papa Billy, Josh, Chris and BJ...

Jewelz, Jackie and G...

The Brazeals...

The Simmons...

Uncle Jimmy and G...

It's cake time!! I wasn't quite sure how Lucy would react to this, but she did great and really enjoyed the icing (my kind of girl)!

She was a little hesitant at first, but she warmed up quickly and dug right into her cake!

"Um, dad...stop eating my icing!"

Here is a video from cake time...

Opening gifts! Lucy struck gold with lots of new toys, books and clothes!
E was a big help...
Fancy new cupcake paci...
Mom was such a HUGE help at the party, which allowed me to really enjoy it! Thanks so much mom!
Uncle Jake, Pops, G and Uncle Wes...
G and Pops...
Corinne and Papa Billy...
Aunt Jill, Uncle Jimmy, Kalie and Cole...Amazing friends!
Me and Jill...Me, Mel and Karen...For the party favors I made s'more kits with ghost shaped Peeps...the tag said "I had s'more fun celebrating with you!"

After the party, Lucy crashed! Party hard, sleep hard!! HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY LUCY KATE!!!!

Watch her grow!

2011-10-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

10.18.10 | 9:43pm | 7lb 6oz | 19.25" long

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

12 months

12 Months...

2011-10-18T08:00:00.009-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY KATE!!!!!

How can our baby girl be one year old?! I feel like I blinked and a whole year has gone by. It really is crazy. But, what a year it has been! By far the best of my life. I have learned so much about myself and my new role as a mom, about Lucy, and most importantly about God and how good he really is. This year has blessed me (beyond belief), challenged me, stretched me and refined me like I never thought possible. Becoming a mom has truly been a joy and I am so thankful that God has given me this gift. Because it really is that....a gift. I am so thankful for our sweet Lucy and each day we have had with her. Thank you Jesus!

Official stats at 12 months:
Weight: 21 lbs, 11 oz (60%)
Height: 31" (90%)
Head Circumference: 45.72 cms (75%)

Lucy started walking this month, which was definitely at huge (and exciting) milestone for all of us! She is getting better and more confident each day with her walking. It really is so much fun to have her follow me around the house. She has also become so much better about not completely freaking out when she takes a tumble....thank goodness! When she really wants to get somewhere (fast), she drops to her knees and starts crawling or bear crawling if she is on the hard wood floor. She is a fast little crawler. You turn your head and she's gone! She is also into EVERYTHING these days....and I mean everything.

Her sleep schedule is still the same. Wake up between 7:30/8am. Morning nap starts around 10/10:30am and lasts for 1.5 hours. Afternoon nap starts around 2:30/3pm and lasts 1.5 hours. Bedtime around 8pm.

Lucy is still a great eater! We are working on dropping her afternoon feeding so she'll be down to 3 meals a day. She'll eat pretty much anything we put in front of her, which I'm so thankful for. We made the switch from formula to whole milk a few days ago and Lucy is a huge fan! We've slowly started weaning her from the bottle as well. She is definitely independent when it comes to eating. She does not want us feeding her....she wants to do it all herself! We've started practicing with a toddler fork with those foods that are hard to pick up like bananas and peaches.

It amazes me how much she is learning these days! Several examples...she knows that a bow goes in her hair (good girl!)...what a hair brush is used for...when we wake her up we'll say "put your paci in you bed" and she'll throw it in her crib...when we say "bear" she'll point to her big bear...thanks to the Peekaboo Barn app on my iPhone, she is learning her animals (she knows dog and duck)...she waves hello and goodbye....the list could go on! It's so much fun to see her little mind work! She is definitely strong willed and knows what she wants (and doesn't want!).

We're going through some major separation anxiety these days and if Josh and I are in the room, we're the only ones she wants. She'll cry when we leave her, but it's usually short lived. She does great in the nursery at church and at MOPS. She's also doing really well at pre-school on Tuesday and Thursdays when I'm at work. Lucy has adjusted wonderfully to our new schedule and I'm so proud of her for that! She is still a little hesitant in new places, but it's taking her less and less time to warm up to new people and surroundings.

She is still in size 3 diapers and wearing size 12-18 month clothes. She cut one more bottom tooth this month....so she now has 4 on top and 4 on bottom.

Happy 1st birthday precious one!! We love you so much!!

American League Champions!

2011-10-17T09:01:00.004-05:00

Saturday was my mom's 55th birthday and we surprised her with tickets to the Rangers game! We had an absolute blast celebrating mom's birthday and the Rangers American League Championship! It was certainly an amazing and memorable game to be at!

Happy birthday Mom....and way to go Rangers!!!! World Series bound!!!

Crazy hair...

2011-10-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

Sister girl can whip up some crazy hair during nap time!

Walking!

2011-10-13T20:07:00.002-05:00

Lucy was walking everywhere tonight! We are so proud...

October Supper Club...

2011-10-12T22:15:00.001-05:00

Alisa hosted supper club this month at her house (for just the girls). Alisa is quite the gourmet cook and she whipped up one fine, fall themed meal! It was absolutely delicious! On the menu was (click on the title to go to recipe and I've also included Alisa's notes)....

Fall Salad
Notes: Instead of the endive and frisee I used organic spring mix (salad) and added 1 small head of radicchio. Also, do NOT use Shallot in the dressing recipe. This is a mistake on the website version of the recipe.

Thyme-Scented Roasted Vegetables
Notes: I did NOT measure anything out when I made this yesterday; the recipe just gave me ideas to go off of. I just chopped up the vegetables I knew I wanted to use, and tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme.

Sunday Night Roast Chicken
Notes: I didn’t make the sauce for this recipe to go with the chicken. I figured it would have enough flavor on its own, and honestly I didn’t want to mess with having to make it!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Bars
Notes: I followed the recipe for the bars, but used my own custom-blend gluten-free baking mix of ½ C brown rice flour, ½ C sorghum flour, ½ C arrowroot flour, and ¼ C sweet rice flour (and add the 1 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda, ¾ tsp. salt, and ¾ tsp. guar gum as the recipe calls for when using your own gluten-free flour blend). I didn’t follow the recipe for the frosting at all, I just threw it together last night!

Maple Marshmallow Filled Whoopie Pies
Notes: I used another custom-blend gluten-free baking mix of 1 ¼ C brown rice flour, 1 ¼ cups sorghum flour, 1 C tapioca flour, 1 C sweet rice flour, and 2 tsp. guar gum. Blend together well in a large bowl with a whisk and measure out what you need for the recipe. Also, when the recipe calls for vinegar, use apple cider vinegar. Again, I didn’t follow the recipe for the frosting, I just made my own from memory.

Seriously, everything was UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS!!! Here's to good friends and good food!

A new journey begins today...

2011-10-10T11:07:00.006-05:00

If you're having a hard time reading this, you can go to Josh's blog and download the letter from there.

Bath Time Blunders...

2011-10-09T20:13:00.004-05:00

About a week and a half ago I put Lucy in a bubble bath for the first time. Thinking she would love it, I quickly realized that it was a huge mistake. She hated it. Literally, she freaked out and bath time went down hill from there. Every since, bath time has been misery....for her and for us! She cries and shakes the entire time. We've tried bathing with her, showering with her (she hated this even more), her baby bath tub, the big bath tub...everything we can think of. Any advice on how to remedy this or are we just going to have to ride this one out? Surely she'll get over it, right? She has to bathe...so she really doesn't have a choice. Bath time use to be her favorite activity. Not anymore. Please help...

A Trip to The Dallas Arboretum...

2011-10-07T20:58:00.000-05:00

Josh had the afternoon off, so we took advantage of some weekday family time and headed to The Dallas Arboretum to see all of the pumpkins! It was Lucy's first visit and she had a great time (minus one breakdown...you'll know which one I'm talking about)! She was quite amazed by all of the pumpkins and flowers...so were Josh and I! The Arboretum looked absolutely beautiful and even though it was pretty warm outside, it sure did make us excited about fall...and hopefully cooler weather to come!

Bad daddy...

2011-10-06T20:04:00.000-05:00

Take & Put

2011-10-05T09:56:00.001-05:00

Smart girl right here...

Random Weekend Snapshots...

2011-10-02T15:16:00.003-05:00

She sleeps hard.

She's funny.

She loves books....and squatting.

She likes to walk on the grass.

She's awesome.

29 is so last year...

2011-09-26T20:56:00.004-05:00

Well, yesterday I turned the big 3-0! It really does blow my mind that I'm thirty. Seriously, life is short...and goes by so quickly! I spent last week celebrating in St. Martin with some amazing ladies...I'll post more about that trip later! We had such a wonderful, relaxing time! I got home late on Saturday night and I could hardly wait for Sunday morning so I could see my little lady. I missed her so much while I was away (8 full days), but she was in good hands with her daddy! Really, he was super dad and did such a great job holding down the fort while I was away. I had an amazing day yesterday spending time with Josh and Lucy and catching up on everything that happened over the past week. She is just the best birthday present I could ask for...

And look who is taking a few steps here and there!!

Last night we celebrated with family and close friends at mom's house! I wish I would have taken more pics, but here are a few that were snapped...

For my birthday, Josh gave me landscaping! I know that sounds so romantic...but it's really what I wanted! I've been wanting our back yard landscaped since the boys ripped out the decking a few years ago. Josh was so sweet and saved all the money he made from designing a website to give me this...

This area is really shaded so grass will not grow there. Eventually, we'll put playground mulch down when Lucy is old enough for a play set....

I love how everything turned out...it makes our little backyard look so much better! Thank you Josh!! A HUGE thanks to all of my family and friends who made me feel so loved and celebrated yesterday!! I am tremendously blessed and love you all! So long to my twenties...hello THIRTY!!!!!!!!

11 months...

2011-09-18T08:00:00.006-05:00

Hello 11 months!!! How can it be?! This month was full of changes and a few rough days, but all in all it was another amazing month with our precious baby girl!

Lucy sleep schedule is still the same. Wake up between 7:30/7:45am. Morning nap from 10am-11:30am. Afternoon nap from 2:30pm-4pm. Down for bed at 8am. We are so thankful that she is a good sleeper!

She is still eating 4 times a day. Bottle/breakfast right when she wakes up, bottle/lunch after her morning nap, bottle/snack after her afternoon nap and dinner around 6:30/7pm, followed by a bottle right before bedtime. She drinks about 6oz of formula each time she gets a bottle. She will not take baby food anymore. This started about 3 weeks ago right after I just restocked our pantry with tons of baby food, of course! She is great at eating table food and she will eat just about anything we put in front of her. She is a pretty consistent eater, but some meals are better than others. She usually eats the most/best at dinner time. Blueberries, strawberries, grapes, bananas, cheese, green beans, turkey, chicken and black beans are some of her favorite foods. She moans when she is eating something she really likes...it's pretty funny! Sister girl likes her groceries!

Lucy cut 2 new teeth this month....1 on top and 1 on bottom. She now has 4 on the top and 3 on the bottom. She is wearing size 12-18 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

She is a fast little crawler now and can stand/balance on her own. She took her first steps on the evening of October 16th at G and Pops' house. She took 4 consecutive steps twice that evening. Granny and Grandad (Lucy's great grandparents) were there too....everyone when nuts when she did it! It was so much fun! I'm sure we'll have a walker soon! She loves to cruise along the couch and ottomans, push her walker around the house and she can walk pretty fast when we are holding her hands. Lucy LOVES when Josh and I play chase with her...it totally cracks her up and gets her so excited! Lucy does not like to fall. When she falls, she totally loses it...whether it hurt or not. I think it just scares her. So, because of this, she is very cautious and it can take her a little while to warm up to new surroundings. She is also still not a big fan of loud noises or loud people...again, she will lose it if something/someone is too loud for her sensitive little ears...for example, the eruption that occurred when she took her first steps!! :)

Lucy learned how to give five (albeit with closed hands) this month...it's too cute! She still waves and claps all of the time. The first thing she does when I wake her up in the morning is wave to Chloe and Kaci...she loves her puppy dogs! She also learned how to drink from a straw this month. She was quite proud of herself when she figured this out....and now all she wants to do is drink from my cup! Lucy can say: Hi, Uh Oh, Aggie, Dog, Ball, Dadda and Momma. When she wants something, she'll point to it and say ah, ah, ah. Lucy thoroughly enjoys opening and closing cabinet doors and drawers...I think it's time to finally get our house baby proofed!

Lucy's little personality has really started to come out! When she likes or doesn't like something, she will definitely let you know! Yikes...typical girl, I guess?! She can be shy/hesitant around new people, but eventually she will warm up to them. She is normally very happy, but we've had several rough days this month with small tantrums and moodiness. She also had a rough week or so with the hand, foot and mouth virus. I didn't realize she had this until I finally took her to the doctor a few weeks ago (because I was about to lose my mind) and found out she had painful ulcers in her mouth! Poor girl! And now we're dealing with allergies and a sinus infection. Hopefully we'll be back to normal soon!

Happy 11 months Lucy Kate! What an honor it is to be your mommy. You are my delight and fill my life with so much JOY! Know that you are deeply loved, sweet one! Let the 1st birthday party planning begin....

These monthly photo shoots are getting harder and harder now that Lucy is mobile!

Lucy's first school project...

2011-09-14T17:30:00.000-05:00

Lucy (and I) had a school assignment to decorate a pink butterfly. Lucy decided she wanted her butterfly to have a little texture, so we got out the tissue paper this afternoon and starting shredding! Lucy really had a great time....it kept her entertained for about 15 minutes!

The paci was essential for this project so the tissue paper didn't go in the mouth!

Lucy recently started standing on her own!
Even Chloe joined in on the fun...

Our finished product! Isn't it beautiful?!

Sippin' from a straw...

2011-09-12T21:15:00.003-05:00

Lucy figured out how to drink from a straw this afternoon! I think she drank more water today than she ever has. Her clothes were soaked, but at least we had some fun! She likes to chew on the end of it too...just like her momma!

{There is water in that cup...not Diet Dr. Pepper. Promise.}

Hugs (Hits) and Kisses from Eleanor...

2011-09-11T21:39:00.004-05:00

Carnival Bust...

2011-09-11T17:50:00.001-05:00

We were really excited to go to the St. Ann's Carnival this afternoon with The Rectors....however, it was quite the bust. It was way too hot outside for the girls and the petting zoo (which was the only activity we could really do with babies) wasn't open yet, so we didn't last long! Next year will hopefully be more successful when the girls are a little older...and we'll definitely go at night!

My two favorite little ladies...

Checking out the animals...

And, we're done...

She can't sleep without her bear...

2011-09-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

{She doesn't really sleep with bear in her crib....but she probably would if I let her!}

Sleeping beauty...

2011-09-07T15:35:00.003-05:00

Baby girl was sleeping hard when I went to wake her up from her morning nap. So peaceful...and such a sweet reminder of God's goodness. I could watch her sleep forever...

First Day of "School"...

2011-09-06T22:46:00.003-05:00

Today we officially started our new schedule for the fall! I'm now working on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a little from home when needed on Wednesdays and Fridays (since returning from maternity leave in January, I've been working 3 days a week in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays). While I'm at work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Lucy will be at my mother-in-law's preschool in the baby class from 9am-2pm. We hired an awesome nanny who will pick Lucy up from school at 2pm and bring her to our house for her afternoon nap and stay with her until Josh or I get home at 5pm. It really is a great set-up! Change is definitely a good thing, but it can be hard. I was a little anxious this morning, but Lucy did GREAT when I dropped her off! She didn't shed one tear when I left...and neither did I! She napped and ate well at school and she did wonderful with Kaylyn this afternoon. I know it will take a couple of weeks for us all to adjust to our new routine, but I think it's going to work out really well. And I'm so excited that I get one more day at home with Lucy!

A+ student right here! :)

I didn't have my flash on when we got to school, so none of the pictures I took of Lucy and her teachers turned out...bummer!

Fun with friends...

2011-09-05T22:06:00.002-05:00

We had a fun filled day with friends on Saturday! Jamie, William, Liz and Reed came over for an afternoon play date. The last time the three of us were together at my house, I shared the news that we were expecting. Now, all three of us have babies! Things sure have changed since our high school days!

William Womack (7 mo) | Lucy (10 mo) | Reed Griffin (4 mo)

Sorry Josh Womack...but, how cute does your son look?! :)

After church on Saturday night, the Simmons came over to hang out...Lucy and Owen had a great time playing together!

Gig 'em Ags!

2011-09-04T17:21:00.000-05:00

Funny...

2011-09-02T21:31:00.005-05:00

{and so true}

Cole's Scrimmage at Cowboys Stadium...

2011-08-29T14:55:00.002-05:00

On Saturday night we went to watch Cole play his first football game (in pads) at Cowboys Stadium!! He was pretty pumped, to say the least...and his little team is good!! It was just a scrimmage, but they did a great job against Grapevine/Colleyville! Lucy enjoyed her first visit to Cowboys Stadium...and she had so much fun cheering Cole on!

Jimmy is one of the coaches for Cole's team...he was born to coach. He's so good!

Lucy giving Cole a pep talk before the game started...

What a block!!

Go Cole Go!!!

Actually she was pretty mesmerize by the cheerleaders than the football game...

She even got a picture with a few of them!

Family pic after the game...

We got to tour the Cowboys locker room too!

Hopefully we'll see Cole play in Texas Stadium again as a Dallas Cowboy!! :)

Pushing her baby doll...

2011-08-29T14:28:00.000-05:00

Diaper Wedge...

2011-08-28T13:47:00.000-05:00

Doesn't slow this girl down!

Squeaker...

2011-08-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

My sweet friend from Colorado, Lacee, gave LK these adorable red and white polka dot shoes...that squeak every time Lucy takes a step. They have little squeakers that are built into the sole. They are so darling and Lucy LOVES them. So much so that she wouldn't stop bouncing the first time I put them on her, so she could hear the squeaks! The dogs thought they had new toys too! They were a little confused where the squeaks were coming from at first...

And these are size 4! 4's are a little big on her, but size 3 are too small! My baby girl has long feet!

Play Date with Pearson!

2011-08-25T15:30:00.000-05:00

The Wade's are visiting from Los Angeles this week, so we headed to Dallas today with Karen and Eleanor for a play date with Gillean and Pearson. It was the first time we've had all 3 of the babies together!

Lucy (10 months), Eleanor (12 months), Pearson (7 months)

Giddyup!

2011-08-23T20:29:00.001-05:00

Hi...

2011-08-23T20:08:00.001-05:00

Hard days...

2011-08-21T21:00:00.001-05:00

Ever since we got home from Costa Rica, Lucy just hasn't been herself. I'm not sure what is going on, but it has been a rough few days to say the least! She's been fussy, moody, a bad eater and just not fun to be around. At least she is still sleeping good! I don't know if she's teething (she did not act like this with her other teeth), just not feeling well (she hasn't had a fever...but she has had some diarrea and a runny nose) or just starting to be a stinker. She's thrown a ton of little temper tantrums lately....and to be honest, it's totally freaking us out! We're not sure how to handle it. Last night I had a mommy melt down and just prayed that God will give Josh and I the strength, patience and wisdom to parent Lucy and learn how to discipline her appropriately and effectively. I went to bed early last night so I could at least be rested for another long with Lucy. Thankfully, today was a much better day! His mercies truly are new every morning. This video of Lucy at dinner tonight at Taco C made the past 5 days not seem so bad....I love her!!

Costa Rica :: Day 3

2011-08-21T20:34:00.001-05:00

Day 3 in Costa Rica was spent at Playa Flamingo, about 25 minutes north of Tamarindo. Playa Flamingo is a beautiful area with amazing hotels/homes and pristine beaches. It was a great way to spend our last full day in Costa Rica. We were beach bums all day long....well, the boys played some. But, Marina and I soaked in the sun, read our books and enjoyed piña coladas! We all got quite sun burned this day!

We ended the day with one last round of piña coladas! Cheers to "pura vida" in Costa Rica!!

We ended up driving to San José that evening to catch our flight home the next morning. Our flight ended up being delayed 5 hours, but luckily we found that out before we went to bed on Monday night. So, to kill some time Tuesday morning, we drove to downtown San Jose to site see and do a little souvenir shopping.

In front of The National Museum...we didn't have time to go in!

Shopping...

And that "closes the door" to our time in Costa Rica! Can't wait to return!

We had an amazing time with The Simmons in Costa Rica....I think we all came back refreshed and with lots of fun memories! We sure did laugh a lot while we were there! It was my first time away from Lucy overnight, but I did great and didn't worry one bit about her (I missed her, of course)! I knew she was in great hands and having a blast with her G and Pops (Josh's parents)! A HUGE thanks to Julie and Wray for keeping Lucy....we are so, so, so grateful!! Four and a half days away was the perfect timing....I was so ready to see my Lucy girl when we got home!

Costa Rica :: Day 2

2011-08-21T15:06:00.003-05:00

On day 2 in Costa Rica, we drove an hour and a half north of Tamarindo to Rincon de la Vieja National Park. We hiked through the rain forest and had a blast on the canopy/zip line tour! It was a full days trip, but certainly well worth it. We didn't have time to hike to the summit of Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, but we did get to see another small active volcano which was pretty cool. I'm so glad we rented a car, because we could go where we wanted to when we wanted to and we got to see a ton of beautiful Costa Rica! It was overcast this day, so it was the perfect day not to be on the beach!

Hiking through the rain forest...

The tree trunks were unreal...I wonder why they grow like this??

Hot springs...

They were so hot that steam was everywhere...and it reeked of sulfur!

The small volcano....it was so hot that the dirt was bubbling...

Little pockets of steam were rising from the ground nearby...

A beautiful waterfall we came across...

The canopy tour was so much fun...there were tons of zip lines over and through the rain forest and we got to rock climb and repel through a canyon! Such a blast!

We headed back to Tamarindo mid afternoon....but first we stopped at McDonald's in Liberia for a little snack to hold us over until dinner (why does McDonald's taste so good in a foreign country?)! When we got back to our B&B, we cleaned up and went to eat at an Italian restaurant on the main strip in Tamarindo. Followed by dessert and cards, of course!

Costa Rica :: Day 1

2011-08-21T10:58:00.003-05:00

We had a great time in Costa Rica with The Simmons! It was such a fun trip....full of adventure and relaxation! We were on the Pacific side of Costa Rica in a quaint little beach town named Tamarindo. We stayed at an adorable bed and breakfast called 15 Love. The owner is a tennis pro from Belgium. We opted not to take tennis lessons, but their rooms were nice and clean and our breakfast each morning was amazing...a perfect start to each day! We spent our first full day in Costa Rica on the beach. Tamarindo is known for great surfing, so the boys took a surfing lesson that morning and surfed pretty much all day long.

Tamarindo Beach...

The boys at the beginning of their surfing lesson...

Ready to hit the waves...

While the boys were surfing, Marina and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We laid out all day long....reading, talking and drinking from coconuts!

Lunch break...After lunch, I attempted to surf...

I finally got up...And quickly went down...(and almost hit those people)!Our surfer dudes....after a full day surfing!

After a fun day on the beach, we cleaned up and enjoyed a nice dinner at a local restaurant called El Coconut. It was delicious...definitely our best dinner during our trip! After dinner, we went back to our B&B for dessert and cards. Such a fun day!!

10 Months...

2011-08-18T15:14:00.003-05:00

Another month has come and gone...I can't believe Miss Lucy is 10 months old! I'm going to blink and have a ONE year old! This past month was so much fun...

Lucy's biggest achievement/milestone this month....CRAWLING! Lucy officially became a crawler on August 3rd (9 1/2 months old). She just randomly started crawling (in full force) that evening...no scooting or army crawling for this girl. She went straight to normal crawling...and she hasn't looked back since! Our days are now filled with chasing sister girl around the house....and we love it!

Lucy loves standing up, walking behind her walker and walking alongside the couch and ottoman. Her favorite toy is her music table because she can stand up and play at the same time! She's also a big fan of standing in front of the living room windows so she can watch Chloe and Kaci while they're outside. She bangs on the window and window sill trying to get their attention. She can stand on her own for a few seconds and has taken a couple of accidental steps (into our arms).

She finally figured out how to drink from her sippy cup this month (at lunch on July 31st). She was so excited that water actually came out of that cup...it was so cute! Now she loves her sippy cup!

Lucy's sleep schedule has not changed. She's still sleeping at night from 8pm - 7:30am and taking 2 1.5 hour naps during the day (10-11:30am and 2:30-4pm). We had to move her mattress down in her crib a few weeks ago because she started pulling herself up on the railings.

She is still eating 4 times a day (breakfast at 7:30am, lunch at 11:30am, afternoon bottle at 4pm and dinner between 6:30 and 7pm) and eating a lot more solids, especially at lunch and dinner. She'll eat pretty much anything we put in front of her! She does the sign for "all done" all of the time, but I'm not sure if she really knows what it means quite yet. We've starting working on the sign for "more."

Lucy is wearing size 12-18 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She has this adorable little freckle on her left thigh that appeared this month. Her hair is still coming in fast and turning a strawberry blond color. No new teeth popped through this month...she still has 2 on bottom and 3 on top.

She waves all of the time and has started saying "hi", which I guess we can officially count as her first word!

Lucy has thrown a few of her first "fits" lately, which is a little scary and a quick reminder that we can't do this whole parenting thing without God's direction....and grace.

Happy 10 months baby girl! Our love for you is endless....truly impossible to describe. We are so blessed by your presence in our lives and thank God everyday for YOU!!

Peace out Dallas...

2011-08-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Costa Rica!

Our vacation is finally here!!!!!!! Josh surprised me with a trip to Costa Rica on Valentine's day. At the time, August felt like a lifetime away....but now it's HERE!!!!! We are so excited and can't wait to get there! It will be my first time away from Lucy overnight, but I'm ready. I know she's in great hands....and this momma needs a break!! And an adult beverage on the beach! :)

Hot rod..

2011-08-11T20:35:00.001-05:00

Today Lucy and her baby doll went for a ride in Lucy's Radio Flyer. Lucy had a blast....and I'm exhausted from pushing them around the house all afternoon!

Things got serious when dad got home...

Chloe and Kaci were having fun too!

On the move...

2011-08-11T15:45:00.001-05:00

Lucy is getting faster and faster everyday! She can even spin herself around pretty quickly...it's too funny! She looks like a cute little lazy susan!

Spinning...

She also waves all of the time...at everybody and everything...

My new normal...

Lucy can't get enough of Chloe and Kaci....she LOVES her puppy dogs!

Random weekend snapshots...

2011-08-07T21:25:00.001-05:00

Kiddie pool fun...

Even Beeper had fun! Beeper is our friend's dog that we watched this past week. She is a mess!

Chewing on Jewelz's jewels...

Josh gave me this teddy bear on Valentine's Day our freshman year of college. I hung on to it all these years because I figured it would be great for kids (one day). Well, that day is here....and Lucy LOVES her teddy bear!

Have a great week!!

2 New Recipes...

2011-08-07T20:58:00.002-05:00

This weekend, I tried 2 new recipes that I found on Pinterest. They both were easy, quick and delicious...perfect for weeknight meals. I'll definitely add them to my recipe repertoire!

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

It was just Josh and I, so I only used 2 chicken breasts (frozen) and halved the sauce recipe. I let it cook for 4.5 hours on low. It was so ridiculously tender that I ended up shredding it and turned it into BBQ chicken slider burgers. SO delicious!! And, Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce is amazing.

The Pioneer Woman's Sour Cream Noodle Bake

The recipe calls for beef, but ground turkey would be delicious too if you are looking for a lighter version. I used reduced fat sour cream and cottage cheese and it still tasted really good (some casseroles don't work well with reduced fat options). The recipe calls for 1.25 lbs of meat...but I think you need more. I ran out of meat once I started assembling the casserole. Next time, I'll use 1.5-2 lbs of meat. Delicious, delicious!!!!

She's crawling!!

2011-08-03T21:56:00.004-05:00

Well, I was at book club and missed the big moment....but Lucy started crawling tonight!! Like, legit crawling. After 2 or so months of trying, she finally got it! Josh said that it completely took him by surprise....they were playing on the floor in her room before bedtime and she just randomly starting crawling towards her bottle!! I can't wait to see her in action in the morning!

It was a pretty big night of firsts around our house, because Lucy started standing on her own right before dinner....she was pretty proud of herself!

She loves to practice walking...this is all she wants to do lately, so I was starting to think that she just wasn't going to crawl and go straight to walking.

Tutu Craft...

2011-07-31T21:11:00.002-05:00

I saw this on Pinterest (my new favorite obsession) and just had to make it! I decided to make one for Eleanor's 1st birthday and I ended up making one for Lucy as well because it was just too cute! I added my own little touch with the Psalm 149:3 bible verse...

I found out real quick that taking hand prints of a 9 month old is no easy task! Oh well...you get the idea!

I haven't added any pink to Lucy's nursery, so this was the perfect pink addition!

Find step by step instructions here.

Dinnertime...

2011-07-26T22:02:00.004-05:00

Lucy loves her puppies....and they are loving her too now that she is eating more table food! Chloe and Kaci swarm like sharks under her high chair at dinnertime. Tonight on the menu...chicken, shredded cheese, broccoli and cherries. All 3 enjoyed every bite! Thank you Chloe and Kaci for making clean-up so easy!

Caroline and John Mark's Wedding 7.16.11

2011-07-24T21:10:00.003-05:00

Caroline and John Mark's wedding weekend was so much fun!! The celebration kicked off on Thursday with Caroline's bachelorette party. We (30 of Carol's best friends!) had dinner at Coal Vines followed by a lingerie shower at Kim's. I wasn't the best about taking pictures....I was trying to enjoy every minute!

Lily, Ruth, Shannon, Brenda, Helen, Me and Karen at dinner...

Brenda made the precious (and delicious) cake....

On Friday morning, we had Caroline's bridal luncheon at the Hawkin's home. My lovely besties....Helen, Carol, Lucy and Karen.

After the wedding rehearsal on Friday, The Scruggs hosted a wonderful rehearsal dinner for Caroline and John Mark at The Filter Building on White Rock Lake....

{Picture collage via Susan Ross Photography}

Our table...

Helen, Wes, Karen and BJ...

My handsome husband...

Take 1...

Take 2...

Take 3...

Now with the beautiful bride-to-be!

So happy together...

On Saturday morning, Karen, Lucy and I hosted a "breakfast with the bride" party at Caroline's parent's house. All of the bridesmaids and house party came over in their PJ's to wish Caroline a wonderful wedding day and we spent some time together praying over Caroline and John Mark's marriage. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures at breakfast.

With the radiant bride on her wedding day....Caroline was STUNNING!!!

We could not be more happy for Caroline and John Mark!! They are the perfect match and I am so thankful that the Lord brought them together. Their wedding day was such a testament of God's goodness and love for us. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Scruggs! We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for the two of you!!

{Photos via Susan Ross Photography}

Friday :: Day 5 in BV

2011-07-22T23:18:00.002-05:00

Today was our last full day in Buena Vista...so we made the most of it! After the girl's morning nap, we went into town and had lunch at Riverside Grill...their fish tacos are amazing!

After lunch, we took a little drive to Cascade Falls...

After the girl's afternoon nap, we played some at the house. Here is a really cute video of Eleanor pushing Lucy....

For our afternoon activity, we drove to Cottonwood Lake...followed by dinner at Asian Palate (one of my new favorite restaurants in BV) and dessert at K's!

Wow...what an amazing trip!! We had such a great time as a family....and with The Rector's! It just went by way too fast! We're heading home tomorrow. We're all dreading getting back to the heat...the mountain air has been so refreshing! Until next time....

Thursday :: Day 4 in BV

2011-07-22T14:59:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, Karen, Corinne and I took a girls trip to Aspen while the guys stayed back in BV with the girls. The drive to Aspen is spectacular (and a little scary in certain spots)! We stopped at the top of Independence Pass to take a few pictures of the Continental Divide.

The homes in Aspen are ridiculous! We spent some time just driving around looking at them all! We decided to buy this one...

Aspen...

Thursday evening, we went to Trail West's western night in the Aspen Grove...Corrine bought the girls matching western outfits and baby Uggs!

Wednesday :: Day 3 in BV

2011-07-21T23:50:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, Josh and BJ summited Mt. Princeton (14,204 feet)! This is something that Josh has wanted to do for a long time (our cabin looks directly at Mt. Princeton), so he was pretty pumped that BJ was willing to go with him. They both said it was one of the hardest things they have ever done, but so worth it!

The summit...

The view from the summit...

Mountain man...

The boys at the top! We were so proud of them!

360 views from the top of Mt. Princeton...

While the boys were hiking Mt. Princeton, Karen and I took the girls to the top of Cottonwood Pass. We drove. :) The views of the Continental Divide were absolutely beautiful!

After the girl's afternoon nap, we went swimming at Trail West...

While dinner was cooking on the grill, we worked on crawling...she is so close!

We ate dinner on the porch, put the girls to bed and made smores for dessert!

Tuesday :: Day 2 in BV

2011-07-21T21:45:00.001-05:00

Tuesday afternoon we went on an easy hike to the Aspen Grove (which is just a big grove below our cabin full of aspen trees). We got some great pictures of the girls!

We had fun at the playground...

Daddy and his girl...

We stopped by the trout pond too...

Tuesday night Corinne watched the girls so we could go on a date night! We had dinner and drinks at our favorite restaurant, Eddyline. After dinner we went down to the river for a bit and then finished the night off with dessert at K's Dairy Delite. It was such a treat to have a little adult time and the girls did great while we were gone!

My camera battery went out, so these pics were taken with Josh's iPhone...

Monday :: Day 1 in BV

2011-07-20T23:53:00.005-05:00

After 4 or so hours of sleep (we arrived to the cabin around 3am on Monday), we woke up to this beautiful view...

We spent the morning on the deck in our PJ's...

After the girl's morning nap, we went into town and had lunch at K's Dairy Delite...

After lunch we made a grocery store run, we all took afternoon naps and enjoyed dinner on the patio...followed by an early bedtime! We were all exhausted!

Someone likes cheese....

9 Months....

2011-07-18T15:05:00.010-05:00

This past month has been so much fun with our Lucy girl! Time continues to fly by...we'll have a 1 year old before we know it! Happy 9 months Lucy Kate Rives....you are simply the best and we love you like crazy!

9 month updates....

Weight: 20 lbs, 4 oz (75%)
Height: 29" (95%)
Head Circumference: 45.09 cms (75%)

This past month, we transitioned to 2 1.5 hour naps (from 2 2 hour naps). About 2 weeks ago, Lucy started having a hard time falling asleep....it would take her 15-30 minutes compared to the usual 5 minutes or so. I figured this was the sign to start decreasing her nap times. So, I gave it a try (started waking her up after 1.5 hours of napping) and sure enough...it worked! Now she falls asleep quickly like she use to!! So, Lucy's new sleep schedule goes like this...wake up at 7:30am, 1st nap from 10-11:30am, 2nd nap from 2:30-4pm, bedtime at 8:00pm. And she is still sleeping on her stomach!

Her eating has not changed much from last month, although she's taking a little more solids at mealtimes. For breakfast at 7:30am, 6oz formula and 1 3.5oz container of fruit. For lunch at 12pm, 6oz formula and half of a 3.5oz container of veggies (mixed with oatmeal) and half of a 3.5 oz container of fruit. For her afternoon feeding at 4:00pm, she'll take 4-6oz of formula. For dinner at 7:00pm, she'll eat 1 3.5oz container of veggies (mixed with oatmeal) and 1 3.5oz container of fruit. After dinner and bath time, she'll take about 6oz of formula right before bed. We have introduced a lot more table foods (usually at dinner when we're eating), including chicken....she'll pretty much eat anything we give her! Lucy loves puffs, yogurt melts and mum mums for snacks. We're still working on the sippy cup...she really enjoys playing with it, but she really hasn't figured out how to drink from it yet. I think she recognizes the sign for "all done", but she hasn't done it on her own yet.

Lucy can pull up on things and she is so close to crawling!! She can turn herself around, get on all fours and slowly scoot backwards. We're working on the forward movement! If she really wants something that is out of her reach, she'll roll to it....smart girl! She is clapping, waving, pointing and starting to give (open-mouthed) kisses. She does not like daddy's whiskers...just like mommy! When she babbles/talks, she says a combination of da-da, ma-ma, la-la, na-na, ba-ba, ga-ga, pup-pup and i-da. When she gets really excited, she squeals and clenches her hands into fists! She laughs so hard when daddy is holding her and I chase them around the house....she gets the biggest kick out of it!

Lucy cut 3 front teeth this month! She has 5 teeth right now...2 bottom and 3 front. She is working on cutting another top tooth.

She is wearing size 3 diapers and mainly 12 months clothes.

752 Miles to Buena Vista, Colorado...

2011-07-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

Looked pretty much like this....

There were highs and lows (mainly lows), but we're all here in one piece! We left yesterday at 2:00pm and arrived to Buena Vista around 3am this morning. We had a great first day, even though we were all a little tired. We're looking forward to a fabulous week in Colorado with The Rectors! The weather....well, it's amazing. So happy to escape the heat for a bit!

Inchworm...

2011-07-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

She's making some {backwards} progress...inch by inch!

Swim Party!

2011-07-11T08:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday our life group from The Door Church got together for a swim party and cook out. We had a great time catching up and watching all of the kiddos swim....they out number the adults by 1. 10 adults...11 kiddos! It was crazy fun!

The Causey's cooked up some yummy fajitas for lunch!

The Hawkins...

The Brooks...

The Causey's (minus baby Austen who was inside sleeping)...

Us...

The Hoerman's left before I could get a family picture of them. How cute are these 2?!

Crazy hair...

2011-07-10T20:36:00.001-05:00

Music table...

2011-07-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Someone LOVES her music table!! This thing is out of control...so many sounds, lights, words, songs and even a Spanish setting, which is pretty awesome. I'm definitely freshening up on my rather rusty Spanish skills as she plays! Hopefully Lucy will catch on faster than her momma!

It's a BOY!! ::: Larkin Michael Brazeal

2011-07-07T14:45:00.004-05:00

Larkin Michael Brazeal

7.6.11
1:16pm
7lbs, 11oz, 20" long

Sweet Larkin is PERFECT and so handsome!! Truly a gift from the Lord. We could not be more excited for our dear friends, Elizabeth and Jordan! Elizabeth did amazing yesterday....SO proud of her. Larkin is Elizabeth's mom's maiden name and means "fierce warrior"...Michael means "who resembles God." Too cool! Congratulations Brazeal family....we love y'all!

Proud papa...

4th of July at the Lake...

2011-07-04T21:19:00.005-05:00

We spent Lucy's first 4th of July at Aunt Leisa and Uncle Jimmy's lake house at Applehead Island on Horseshoe Bay. We had such a great time celebrating the fourth with Josh's family....we missed Leisa, MacKenzie and Maci (they are in Zambia for Camp LIFE) and Lexi and Conner (they were at Frontier Ranch)!

Leisa and Jimmy's beautiful lake house...

I'm ridiculously sore from wake boarding, tubing and banana boating...it was so much fun, but I'm definitely paying for it now! The lake was packed, so we spent a lot of the weekend hanging out by the pool!

Julie, Janet and Judi with Lucy and I...Lucy loved floating in her motor boat!

Fun in the sun...Jimmy, Wray, Greg and Jacob enjoying the hot tub...Uncle Greg and Aunt Janet...Uncle Dan and Aunt Judi...Josh and I...Jeff, Brett, Blake and Jacob (Jake is being completely inappropriate in this picture)When Lucy napped, I got some reading in...The boys had some intense water balloon wars with the neighbors...

Josh took the canoe out for a spin...One night, we went to dinner at Cooper's BBQ in Llano...

Uncle Jake and Lucy...

Granny and Jimmy...

♥

Uncle Greg teaching Lucy how to walk...

Lucy playing with Greg and Jimmy...

She is trying so hard to crawl...Lucy's "chinaman" smile...

Yay Lucy....and America!!

On Sunday night we watched the Horseshoe Bay fireworks show on the boat. It was so much fun {I LOVE Fireworks}....and the show was amazing!!! Happy 4th of July!!! So thankful for our freedom!

Let Freedom Ring!

2011-07-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

We hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend filled with family, friends, food, fun and FIREWORKS!! Oh, how I love this holiday!! We're off to the lake to celebrate with Josh's family!

XOXO,
Josh, Mindy and Lucy Kate

Standing...

2011-06-27T10:56:00.003-05:00

This morning, Lucy pulled up on her busy zoo to the standing position by herself! I was able to catch her second try on video...although I turned my phone upside down by accident. You get the idea!