Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Memorial Day Weekend!

Three day weekends are just the best! Having an amazing family to spend it with is even better!!!! We went to Grapeland this past weekend to celebrate Memorial day with Matt's family, and it was wonderful time as usual. The kids spend most of their time outside running wild, fishing, playing on the swing set, running through sprinklers, tractor rides or exploring! Oh the endless options!!! One of my favorites is when the girls go on a walk and pick some beautiful wild flowers to put in a vase :) so sweet. Grapeland is so great because there is no internet access or cell service, so you really are "out of pocket." It is all about family and spending quality time together. Once we got back in town from a great weekend we headed over to my parents house for a fabulous BBQ dinner! Yumm! The best ribs and potato salad ever!!! Thanks mom! We are so blessed with our families and thankful for those who have served this great country.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Pregnancy...such a crazy thing!

Pregnancy is one crazy slap in the face to your body (I know I am preaching to the choir!), but it has now really taken over my brain! Aside from walking into rooms and then completely forgetting why I went in there, not being able to finish my thoughts out loud, and forgetting almost EVERYTHING.....I now have an intense desire to "Nest." It is like nesting on steroids!!!! I am talking about a list that I have been compiling of things that MUST get done before the baby is born, and I must say that some of the things I thought about were quite humorous :) I am wanting to reorganize every closet in my house, every drawer, Rearrange bedrooms, make the baby bedding/ finish her room, repaint ALL of the baseboards in my house, clean out the garage, replace my kitchen counter tops, have our carpets professionally cleaned....and the list goes on! It is pretty funny, but my poor husband :) I have been wanting to get around to doing all of these things, but now they have a dead line!!!!! Ahhhh! I am now laughing and thinking, it just doesn't matter. This baby will be born into a wonderful home with a family that is crazy about her no matter what the list says! hee hee :) I will do my best to conquer the things I find important, and will try not to let my hormones stress me out! Oh the joys of pregnancy and all of the fabulous side effects that come along with it :)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

It's a Girl!

Okay so Facebook has sort of taken over any spare time that I never really had! Hee hee :) Aside from that, we are having another sweet baby GIRL! Yay! We are sooooo excited and feel so blessed with this baby. She is so active and her little kicks are so sweet....at least for now that is ;) We are still throwing around some names ideas and are very close to choosing one. I just can't wait to call her by her name! Thank you to all who voted on the sex of the baby....you were mostly all wrong!!! It was such a wonderful surprise to find out that Ava was going to have a baby sister. What a special moment. Opening that envelope was like God telling us himself exactly what he had in mind for us. AMAZING. Thank you for all of your sweet wishes and prayers. I cannot tell you how much it means to us. What great friends and family we have.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Great Recipe!

Okay so I was wanting to try a little something new for dinner tonight, and came across this great recipe online! I bought some fresh salmon at the store this morning and tried this new recipe.... it was WONDERFUL! I am so happy with the way it turned out, it will definitely be added to the rotation :) I paired it with grilled asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes, but anything would go! Even Ava loved it and ate it all! So if you like salmon, give it a try! The key is to let it marinate for at least 2 hrs if not 3.

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
  • lemon pepper to taste
  • garlic powder to taste
  • salt to taste
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Directions:
  1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  3. Preheat grill for medium heat.
  4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
ENJOY!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Family Fun

Today we headed down to the Dallas Zoo for some family fun! It is one of our favorite things to do together :) The weather was perfect and the crowds were small....we could not have asked for a better morning! Ava was super excited to see the Gorillas this trip. She pounded her chest with her fists and said "Ooh ooh" the entire way there. As usual it was so fascinating to see all of the amazing animals. God created them all so different, and BIG! We got up and close to an elephant and the giraffes were out to play! It was a fun day of outdoor walking and just spending time together as a family.

After we made it home from the zoo, we all crashed and took naps! It was wonderful :) Once we were up and running again we all headed to the airport (one of Matt and Ava's weekly Daddy/ Daughter date). Since it is a special Daddy and Ava thing, Ava assumed I had never been there and felt she needed to show me everything! It was so precious to watch her run over here and show me the star on the ground...and then run over here to show me the children statues....and then run over here to show me how she runs down the grass hill.....and then look, an AIRPLANE! hahahaha.... I just love her.

What a day it has been. I am so blessed to have spent the day with my wonderful family. I hope tomorrow is just as fun :)







Thursday, March 5, 2009

Wacky Day!

Today at Ava's preschool they are having a Wacky Day! They were to dress silly, mix and match, dress inside out, crazy hair, etc.. So Fun! Ava looked hilarious leaving the house :) It was such a fun morning dressing her up, especially as into it as she was. We had such a blast this morning :) She thought it was so fun to wear shoes that didn't match. Those that know Ava....know she is obsessed with her shoes (like a true woman!). At the end of getting her all ready, I realized that my child looked like she had just stepped out of the 80's!!! LOVE IT! Wish it was 80's day EVERYDAY! In the pictures below she is missing her huge flower shaped sunglasses that she just HAD to wear...too funny!

On a side note: We find out the sex of the baby in a week and a half! Wohoo! Thank you to everyone who has voted. It is interesting to see what you think ;)


Friday, February 20, 2009

A Day at the Park

Today the weather was just beautiful outside! It was a nice change from the freezing cold, although the cold weather will be back tomorrow! Urgh! Ava and I walked to the park in our neighborhood and played like best friends...it was the best :) We collected flowers and sang songs. Just precious. I am amazed at how quickly she is growing up right before my eyes. It is so fun and sort of sad all at the same time. I realized today as I watched her play, that she is her own little person with such an incredible imagination. When did all of this happen?!!! I feel like she was just a sweet baby girl, and now she is a pantie wearing, sentence talking, fun loving little girl. Did I mention Sassy??? WOW! It is probably the pregnancy hormones, but today it hit me just how much I cherish each and everyday with Ava. I love you baby girl!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

How Smart is Your Right Foot?

This is hysterical. You have to try this. It is absolutely true. I guess there are some things that the brain cannot handle.

HOW SMART IS YOUR RIGHT FOOT?

You have to try this please, it takes 2 seconds. I could not believe this!!! It is from an orthopedic surgeon............ This will boggle your mind and you will keep you trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It's pre-programmed in your brain!

1. Without anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY......) and while sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction.

I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Dr's Appointment

I went to the Dr this morning for my 12 week check up, and everything looks GREAT! Hooray! I heard the heartbeat (the most precious sound ever!) and heard the baby moving around too! The heartbeat was 150, which is great, and my doctor started laughing out loud at all of the baby's movement. Apparently it is a busy little thing in there :) Anyway, it all looked great and I am beginning to feel normal again. Well, the term "NORMAL" is sort of a stretch, but better than before! We go back in a few weeks for our next appointment, and we will actually get to find out the sex of the baby then!!!! Wohoo!!! I cannot WAIT :) This is all so exciting, and today's appointment could not have gone any better. Thank you so all so much for your prayers!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

12 weeks!

Yay! I am finally 12 weeks pregnant!!! I have a Dr's appointment in the morning to hear the heartbeat, and to make sure everything still looks okay. Please pray for a wonderful visit with the Doctor, and for a healthy baby! We are so excited about this baby and just can't wait to meet him/her. Do you think it's a boy or a girl??? Who knows! Ava also thinks she has a baby in her tummy :) It is pretty cute. I can't wait to see her as a big sister...she will be the best! Well that's it for know...more after my appointment!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Girls Day!

Well it is absolutely freezing and icy outside, so Ava and I are spending the day in! We have had so much fun today. We have played games, had tea parties, painted, snuggled, watched movies, and we even had our own dance party! We must do hair and make up when she wakes up :) FUN! Wait until daddy comes home and sees the mess we have made! Hee hee. We have been potty training all weekend, so it has been nice staying at the house just in case ;) I am so proud of Ava. She said on Friday that she was all done with diapers and we haven't looked back since! I must say that I almost went through an entire bottle of disinfectant the first two days, but now she is having about one accident a day! Yay! Thank you to everyone who gave me advice on this! I got completely prepared to do it and just waited for Ava's timing. As most of you said....she approached me about it. Glad I waited, I think with it being "her" idea and "her" thing really helped with her motivation throughout the process. Although we are far from accident free and all of the other joys that come along with learning to use the potty, it is going good. Please pray for our first public bathroom outing! I am already grossed out and have a travel can of Lysol ready to go! Ewww!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Fast Food Napkins!!!

Okay here it is! Many of you have heard my rants about fast food restaurant napkins, but here is an entire blog post about it! Ahhhh! So what is up with these napkins?! I mean they are COMPLETELY useless and a disgrace to the napkin community. I find it hilarious when I try to clean up a spill of some sort with these rectangular pieces of plywood. There is Noooo absorption!!! What in the world!!!! Restaurants should just save the napkins and throw in a sheet of construction paper. That way my child can at least color on it!! I mean there is no other purpose for those things! You can use a good 15 napkins and there is still mayo stuck to your hand! In fact, I find that these ridiculous napkins dissolve and crumble as you TRY to use them! What is the deal? Is this honestly the best they can do? UGH!

So there it is....I am officially done. I will sleep better tonight now having that off my chest. Thanks for listening :)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Dr.'s Appointment

Today we had our first Dr.'s apt for baby Murph! It went great and was such a relief to hear that everything looks wonderful! We had a sonogram and got to see our sweet little baby for the first time! It was so precious and it's little heart was just beating away. We saw the baby's body and head along with the umbilical cord. It is just amazing how wonderful technology is these days. Everything looked great and I even got some new medicine for this CRAZY nausea I have been experiencing! YAY! Please continue to pray for this sweet little life and check back for updates!!!

Monday, January 12, 2009

I'm Pregnant!!!

Today I am 8 weeks pregnant! Yay!!! We are so excited and just blessed to be pregnant (we had a miscarriage back in October). We know that God has his hands on this baby and pray that it is growing into a sweet lil pumpkin! Ava gets it and can't wait to be a big sister! I have not blogged in a while because I have been SO SICK (URGH!) I will do my best to keep everyone posted :) We have our first Dr's apt tomorrow and will hopefully hear the heartbeat. Please pray for a good visit...I will keep you posted!!!