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.

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 :)

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.

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!

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 :)

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 ;)

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!