Thanksgiving Week 2008

Our Thanksgiving week was very busy, little chaotic but overall wonderful. Monday night the girls wanted to spend the night with Mommom and Grandad so we ate dinner with them and left the girls there. Ashly and I decided to take advantage of the built in babysitter and went to Champs to watch Monday night football.

Tuesday morning we picked up the girls and Corbin (from Jason's work) and headed up to Ardmore, Oklahoma to visit BeBe (BJ) in the hospital. She was very anxious to see the girls because it had been over a month since she had seen them last. Unfortunately when we got there the kids were not allowed to see BeBe because no kids under 12 were allowed in ICU. Ashly and I took turns going into see her while the other one watched the kids in the ICU waiting room/hospital hall for five hours. It was a little hectic but was worth it once BeBe was moved to her room and was able to spend time with all three grandkids together.

We spent the night in Oklahoma Tuesday night. We had a lot to be thankful for on Wednesday because BJ came home from the hospital and Nanny came home from the hospital. Nanny is now home with hospice care. Payton, Presley and Corbin had a great time playing with a bunch of their cousins. We were outside alot b/c the weather was so beautiful. We headed back to Irving late that afternoon.

Presley eating pancakes on the kitchen counter in Oklahoma!


Presley and her cousin Kerstlynn coloring pretty pictures!


Ashly throwing the football to his cousins (Zack and RJ)!


Payton, McKyla(cousin) and Angel(cousin) playing outside!




Thursday we spent Thanksgiving at my Uncle Billy's (my mother's brother) house in Mesquite. Him and Alane have about 5 acres, a horse, a duck pond full of fish and a beautiful home. You feel like you are in the country out there. The girls fed the horses and picked up shells around the pond. They had a blast.

Payton and Presley feeding the horse!


Presley and Buckwheat!


Uncle Billy and Aunt Alane's land!


Clint showing Uncle Billy his new motorcycle!


Ashly hanging out with Jake on the back of Uncle Billy's truck!


Mom and Clint posing for a picture during the Cowboy game!




BJ and Lloyd came home from Oklahoma on Thursday night so the girls stayed with them and Ashly and I went over to Katie and Tony's house to watch the Texas Longhorn game. After the game Ashly and Tony went and played poker while Katie, her wonderful parents, cousin, niece and I drank wine (her niece didn't drink wine) and put up her Christmas decorations. We decided that it would be a great idea to try and hit the early shopping at Grapevne Mills Mall (it opened at midnight). That was a bad idea b/c there were no great deals and REALLY long lines. Ashly and I spent the night over there.

Friday we brought Allie (Katie's daughter) over to BJ and Lloyd's house so she could spend the night and play with our girls. They played and played and never once got into an argument (sounds like Nicole and Katie)! Ashly and I were LAZY all day. We rented and watched "Forgetting Sara Marshall". WOW! What a great movie.

Payton, Presley and Allie eating home made chocolate chip cookies prepared by Daddy!


The girls coloring beautiful artwork!







Saturday was another much needed lazy day. We slowly packed our stuff and the car. We watched the OU vs. OSU game Sat. night, drank some Starbucks and was on the road about 11:00 PM. Needless to say we were tired once we got in to Austin. As much as we enjoyed spending time with our family and friends, we were glad to be back at our new home in Austin!

Sunday we slept in and watch Ed Young on t.v. since we didn't make it to church. Payton was invited for a play date with one of her friends from her school, London. Payton loves London. She tells us all about her..."London has that!" It's London this and London that. So I dropped her off at London's house for a few hours while Ashly, Presley and I put up the Christmas tree and decorated the apartment.

Despite the scare we had with BJ, Ashly and I have so much to be thankful for. As I have said before, we have two healthy and happy little angels, wonderful family, an exciting new home in Austin, our church, great friends, our health, each other and our faith! Thank you Jesus for a blessed life!

We got bad news...

Early Sunday morning we got a call from Lloyd. He informed us that BJ had a mild heart attack and she was in ICU at the hospital in Ardmore, OK. They were there visiting Ashly's sick grandmother. So needless to say we packed our bags and headed to Irving yesterday.

Doctors say that she is ok and her test are coming back positive (good). We are still don't know when she will be coming home. Our Thanksgiving week plans are up in the air. We may be back and forth from Oklahoma. We shall see. Please keep BJ in your prayers. She is always doing so much for everyone. Now it's time for everyone to do for her. I will keep everyone posted on her progress.

The Weekend Flew By...

Friday night was nice because we did nothing. We ordered pizza, watched some t.v. and went to bed really early.
Our Saturday was like our usual Sunday. Ashly washed his Toyota while the girls played outside. I was able to get all of our laundry done while I cleaned the apartment (fun stuff)!
After the girls took a nap we headed to North Austin (The Domain) to see the Macy's Christmas Tree lighting. It was a big event. Jordan Sparks sang and we watched fireworks to Christmas music. We ate at The Kona Grill afterwards. We had so much fun. Now the girls have a new favorite singer...Jordan Sparks!

Getting ready to leave!


Daddy and Presley watching Jordan Sparks!


Mommy and Payton!


The girls watching the fireworks!


Daddy and the girls split a brownie fudge sundae after dinner!


We headed home after we ate because Ashly and I wanted to finish watching the OU vs. Texas Tech game...poor Tech! This was good news for the Longhorns though.

Our First Official Date Night In Austin...

Well, Ashly and I had our first date night in Austin. Ashly's cousin, Lauren Witt goes to UT so she is our official date night babysitter. I picked her up at her dorm after I got off work Thursday afternoon. She spent the night and I took her back on my way to work on Friday morning. It worked out perfect.

Having Lauren as our babysitter is a win-win situation for both parties. We get a night out to spend quality time together and Lauren gets two free meals, a bubble bath, her own room to sleep in and some college spending cash! I forget how valuble a free meal and a bubble bath were during my college days. They are priceless.

Payton and Presley LOVED Lauren. They can't wait for her to come back over. Ashly and I plan on having date night either every Thursday night or every other Thursday night.

Thanks Lauren for being our Super Babysitter!!!!!

We Have Come Along Way...

I had the urge to write about this special day. Those of you who are close to me know that this time last year my world was turned upside down. One year ago today was the first day of three of the WORST months in my life. With the help from God, Ashly and I got through everything and are now enjoying each other more now than we ever have in the past. We are truly blessed with everything. We have healthy perfect little girls, a wonderful family, awesome friends, a nice place to live, great jobs, a fun church and most importantly we have each other. I thank God every morning for all of our blessings and the trails we have over come.

Moving to Austin was such a scary step for us but it has been and will continue to be a fun adventure with many new surprises along the way. We miss our family and friends back home but we know this is where we are sapposed to be right now. We are enjoying every minute of our time as a family.

I just wanted to share with everyone that Ashly and I have come such a long way and we are truly two of the luckiest people in the world. We send all of our love to our family and friends. We will be home for the Thanksgiving holidays probably next Tuesday. Until next time...

Presley's Mommy Quiz

I stole this quiz from Angela's blog. Presley enjoyed answering questions about Mommy...

What is something Mommy always says to you? I love you!
What makes Mommy happy? when I'm good
What makes Mommy sad? when I'm grumpy
How does your Mommy make you laugh? Like this...Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha
What was your Mommy like as a child? she will get bigger and bigger
How old is your Mommy? 41
How tall is your Mommy? big
What is her favorite thing to do? play with me
What does your Mommy do when you are not round? she goes all around
If your Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? school
What is your Mommy really good at? laying down with me
What is your Mommy not very good at? I don't know.
What does your Mommy do for her job? work
What is your Mommy's favorite food? pizza
What makes you proud of your Mommy? she's happy
If your Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be? a butterfly
What do you and your Mommy do together? puzzles
How are you and your Mommy the same? We are girls.
How are you and your Mommy different? I am little.
How do you know your Mommy loves you? She plays with me.

Payton's Daddy Quiz

Here are Payton's answers to the questions about Daddy...

What is something Daddy always says to you? Sit up straight!
What makes Daddy happy? if I don't get in trouble
What makes Daddy sad? if I am ugly to him (ugly as in not being nice)
How does Daddy make you laugh? when he is silly and does funny things
What was your Daddy like as a child? he wants to grow up.
How old is your Daddy? 31
How tall is your Daddy? really tall
What is his favorite thing to do? watch the Longhorns
What does your Daddy do when your not around? Work
If your Daddy becomes famous, what will it be for? Talking
What is your Daddy really good at? Drawing
What is your Daddy not very good at? putting lotion on my face without getting it on my lips
What does your Daddy do for his job? work alot
What is your Daddy's favorite food? That's a hard one.
What makes you proud of your Daddy? he loves me
If your Daddy was a cartoon character, who would he be? Superman
What do you and your Daddy do together? Snuggle
How are you and your Daddy the same? We look the same!
How are you and your Daddy different? We have different names.
How do you know your Daddy loves you? because he just loves me so much

Zachary's Birthday Bash

This is Payton and Zachary!

This is Payton before the party! She's my Sweetie Pie!

Pretty Busy Weekend

Our weekend was busy but fun! Friday night my friend Angela (Meierhofer) drove down to see me and another one of her friends that lives in Hutto, Tx. We met for dinner at The Kona Grill in North Austin. We had a great time catching up, eating Sushi and enjoying each others company. Angela and I have been great friends for over six years. We worked very closely together for the six years that I worked for Winfree Academy. Ashly and the girls spent their night driving back from camping and unpacking all their stuff.

We got up pretty early on Sat. morning because we were taking our family Christmas pictures at 9:30 at Zilker Park. Every knows I get really stressed out when it comes down to orchestrating our family pictures for numerous reasons. It's usually an eventful time to say the least. Keep in mind it was in the low 40's Sat. morning with very cold wind so that made it even more exciting. It never fails the minute Nate (our photographer) started snapping away Presley had a little melt down. She wanted me to hold her b/c she was cold. She fell down on the dirt and got her white tights all nice and dirty at the beginning of the photography session. Needless to say we finally made it through the hour. We haven't seen the proofs yet so I'm not sure how they came out...we shall see.

Payton was invited to her first birthday party here. A little boy in her class named Zachary was turning five and I could tell by the invitation it was going to be a good one! Payton and I snuck out of the house about 12:40 p.m. because we didn't want Presley to know we were going to a "birthday party" without her. We didn't want her feelings hurt so Daddy stayed home with her and gave her a lot of attention.

Well, I was right about the birthday party. It was a kids dream. There were about 40 kids there (no lie). The atmosphere was over stimulating (in a fun way). There was a monkey show, pictures with the monkey, a bounce house, tons of tricycles for everyone to ride around on, and a big play scape. After the kids had their pictures taken with the monkey, out came four parrots for a parrot show. That was really neat. Then their was pony rides. There were four little ponies so each kid was able to get a ride in a timely manner. We sang happy birthday, ate cake and just when you thought the party was over, a real firetruck came. I mean we couldn't forget the firetruck right? At the end of the party Santa Claus came out and passed out the party favors. WOW! What a party.

I forgot to mention that the party was catered very nicely with food and drinks for all the parents too. We were never bored either. I met a lot of really neat people which was nice since I don't get out much from work, church and the gym.

I found out that Zachary's dad was a music producer and he adopted Zachary from the Ukraine. Zachary doesn't have a mother but his dad is a really nice man. It's a really neat story.

Saturday night Ashly, the girls and I went to eat Mexican food at a place close to our apartment. We came home, put the girls to bed and watched the UFC Fight together. It's always nice after the girls go down because as much as we love hanging out with them, it's nice to have a little peace and quiet together.

We got up this morning and went to church. The day was spent like a typical Sunday. I did laundry and cleaned while Ashly cleaned the inside and outside of the 4 Runner. Now we are getting ready to watch the Cowboys play. We are crossing our fingers and saying a prayer for them! Have a great week. Until next time...

Ashly Took the Girls Camping!

Last night Ashly took the girls camping with him and Carter. I don't think they even got their tent put up until after the sun went down. I'm so jealous, I wish I could have gone but I had to work today. This will be the girl's second camping trip (with tents). The first time we went as a family and had so much fun. Ashly said they loved playing Barbies in the tent with their flashlights on. He also said the tent was moving around so much that it looked like there were bears inside.

Ashly called last night after the girls had gone to bed and told me all about him and Carter trying to catch raccoons...I'm sure that would have been very entertaining to watch!

They will be there all day Friday fishing and cooking out. Ashly forgot to take the digital camera so I only have this one picture of Payton that he sent me from his camera phone. I will post more later if he took more. I was a little upset that he forgot the most important thing...our camera! Oh well, I'm sure there will be many more camping trips. There are so many neat places to camp down here.

Have a blessed weekend! One more week and we will be back in I-Town visiting all of our family and friends. We Can't wait! Until next time...

Our Weekend...

We had a pretty laid back weekend. Friday night we got new bedding for Presley's room. We hadn't been able to find one that we liked ever since we moved. Plus we wanted the bedding to match Presley's cute painting that Uncle Jason, Aunt Lisa and Corbin got her for her birthday. Ashly found the perfect match at Linens and Things. He did an awesome job. It's pink, purple and green with stripes, polka dots and flowers...way to go Daddy, we love it!

We woke up early Saturday morning so we could get ready for the game and the girls could clean up for Lindsey. We left around 9:45 am and had breakfast at Rudy's BBQ. They have the BEST breakfast burritos ever. Kick off was at 11:00 am. Our seats where awesome and we had all the excitement and school spirit of all the college kids surrounding us.We left the game a little early to avoid all the craziness and had lunch at a near by hotel. It was the closest place in walking distance.

We had so much fun but I don't think we will be paying a babysitter too often b/c it is EXPENSIVE! Ashly and I definitely thought it was worth every penny though. We loved Lindsey and so did the girls.

We got up early Sunday morning too b/c Ashly and I were scheduled to volunteer at the church at 9:00 am. I work in the infant room and get to hold the newborn babies while Ashly works in the parking lot. Holding the newborn babies has been so wonderful but it is also giving me baby fever. Everyone that knows me knows that I LOVE the newborn stage. Unfortunately I don't think a third baby is an option for us right now.

I did laundry all day while Ashly worked on his car. That is his new hobby. He loves to fix or add things to his Toyota.

Now we are getting ready to start a new BUSY week. Until next time...

UT Football Game!

This was us at the UT vs. Baylor game. We had so much fun sitting in the student section. We felt 10 years younger!

Our First Babysitter in Austin!

This was Payton telling Lindsey (the babysitter) what all she wanted to play while we were gone..."Barbies, color, store, house and boardgames"!!!

Getting Ready for the Weekend...WooHoo!

Tomorrow Ashly and I got a real babysitter to watch the girls. This will be the first time that someone has babysat the girls that wasn't a family member (Jamie-Katie's cousin doesn't count b/c she's considered family). We met a real sweet family, their daughter Lindsey babysits. She attends a private school near Lakeway. We are a little nervous but very excited that we get to have some Mommy and Daddy time together.

We are going to the UT and Baylor football game...Go Longhorns! I will let everyone know how things go.

I forgot to mention that I had my hair done Wednesday and I am a DARK brunette now. It is very interesting. I will post pictures soon so you can be the judge. I hope everyone has an awesome Fall Weekend!!

Halloween 2008 Pics

Halloween 2008

This was our first Halloween living in Austin. Payton was a bride because she couldn't wait to wear a "wedding hat"! Presley was a butterfly because Mommy found a really cute butterfly costume at Marshalls for a really good price. Mommy dressed up as a cheerleader. Yes, I wore my MacArthur High School cheerleading uniform!

We went to the Ferrante's house in Southwest Austin for a neighborhood block party. They closed down the streets so the kids could play games, eat pizza and cupcakes. We had so much fun. Payton and Presley love spending time with Kyla. Kyla was Tinkerbell for Halloween.

After a long night of trick or treating, Tony introduced Ashly to Wii Rock Band. Ashly played the guitar, Tony played the drums and Jennifer and Kyla sang "Eye Of The Tiger"! We had a great time.