The Leather Anniversary

Today is our third wedding anniversary. That is the leather anniversary in case you were wondering. In lieu of ass-less chaps, (which was my first idea) because we are working towards a pretty extensive financial goal, I decided to go creative aka cheap this year! We shall see how it goes...Ill keep you posted.

Anywho...I can't believe it has already been three years. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting on the couch in his living room talking to his roommate (I didn't know him then yet) when he walked in from the garage. I will never forget that moment. My heart jumped into my throat and I just knew he was going to be trouble. He was H-O-T and although I thought he would never be interested in someone like me, I somehow lured him in and look at us now!

He is my best friend, my best half, and the one who keeps me sane and grounded. I couldn't be happier and I cant imagine spending my life with anyone else.

In care you were wondering, three years ago today...this is what we were we up to!

We had just moved into our house. Literally. We closed on it at the end of September. Spent three weeks living with my parents while the floors and ceilings were redone. And then moved in right before getting married. I wouldn't recommend that technique to anyone. Just saying. 

The day of, I was getting my nails done!

This picture makes me laugh everytime I see it...I wonder what I was thinking about...

I was excited and hanging with my besties waiting to get married!



Man and Wife!

Then we danced...

We ate cake...

And we drank some wine!

We were on our way to The Bahamas...we were excited!

Happy Anniversary Hubby! I love you!

Howdy Folks...

Welcome to the State Fair of Texas!

For those of you who may not know...this is "Big Tex". He oversees the State Fair of Texas, one of the largest state fairs in the United States! So big even Oprah came last year, which you may remember!

Well this was P's first year and boy did he have a good time!

Just kidding...he really did!

 We ate funnel cake...

and fried cookie dough...

a corn dog of course...

and don't forget the Carmel apple!

We even convinced my parents to go with us this year...although if we can convince them again next year, I don't think we will go on a weekend! We had a great time and so did P!

Happy Eating!

Dorky

Although dorky on anyone else...somehow he makes socks and shorts adorable and totally cool!

Happy Pocket Protectors!

My how time flys...

This time last year, Hubby and I were hanging out with this guy. 

We scored some awesome preseason tickets from my boss!

We had a great time!

Little did we know at the time that this...

is how our night would end.

Happy Birthday to the Embryo that turned into P! 

(hmmm...that's weird and random but just go with it)

Apparently its me....

So my computer at work will let me blog with no issue...my computer at home, not so much. Somehow I feel like things are backwards here...

Quick update. P is huge. 100% huge. He is roughly 15 pounds and between 27 and 28 inches. I say between because he is about 3-1/2 months old and he was 27 at 3 months. Terrifying but awesome!

I have been busy busy busy at work. One of the girls in the office is leaving (::sniff sniff::) so we have all be frantically trying to learn her stuff since she isn't being replaced, they are just shifting things around and hiring a new admin. This does however mean that our current admin is staying (YAY!) and...she is moving into the HR dept! WHAT?! I know...so exciting!

Hubby has been great. P has been an adjustment for us both but we are settling into our groove. He is training for a half marathon. The same one we did last year together. But this year he is running it! I am so proud. A little disappointed that I cant be out there training with him but maybe next year!

We have been crazy busy lately, which of course, I love so I do have lots to share. Hopefully I can post about our many adventures, including the Texas State Fair and the Pumpkin Patch soon! But while you wait...you can enjoy this!

Happy Wednesday!

Thanks for the love!

Thank you to everyone who told me to keep blogging! It makes me feel like someone out there actually read this and I appreciate it and I appreciate that you like to read about my crazy, yet somewhat boring life! One reason I think I was in a funk is that none of my blogging "buttons" work. If you blog, you know what I mean. I cant add pictures, links, spellcheck...anything. Im annoyed and I dont know what is going on...any help or thoughts?

Anywho...just a quick update for today. So this week I am attending a Human Resources conference....

          Quick note...I think it is weird that you say "a Human Resources" but "an HR" or did I just make  that up and thats not actually the rule? Sometimes I just say it the way I think it sounds better...anyone else?

and it is crazy to think about that at this conference last year, I found out I was pregnant. Well not actually at the conference but that week. It happened on the 19th. I will save that story for then so be sure to check back. But it is just crazy how much things change in a year! This year I have a kid. This year Leslie is attending the conference with us! Just wild!

Thank you again for your kind words. I will keep to blogging and hopefully find out what is going on with my blog because I know you are dying for updated pictures of P!

Happy Monday!

...

I am officially in a funk. Have been for a little while. I think my blogging days might be over...

Happy Birthday Jamie!!

Today is my bestie's birthday! Let's all take a moment and sing please!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday beautiful Jamie....

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!

I know I talk about her a lot on here but just to give you a little background info. Jamie and I met in 2003...whoa...when I moved back to DFW for school and got a job at a local breakfast joint called The Snooty Pig. I dont know if I have ever told her this but I totally thought she was going to be a bitch. I know...I know. She was a student at TCU and from everything I had heard (isnt that terrible) THOSE girls were awful. I kept my guard up for approximately 5 minutes until I realized she was 100% awesome and we were so freaking alike it was scary! Snooty Pig was a fun job. We had some good times and some good laughs and ate a lot of supposed low fat muffins!

When it was time for us to spread our wings and leave Snooty Pig, I was TERRIFIED we were going to loose touch. We didnt live close. We didnt go to the same school. I just prayed we could keep our friendship going. Many a morning phone call, a lunch date, and a google chat conversation later...we are still going strong and today...in honor of her day...I would like to give you 27 reasons as to why she is so great!

1. She is hilarious.

2. She loves loves LOVES dogs.

 3. She is smart (she is now Dr. Jamie! Like for reals!)

4. She is a ridiculously good listener, especially when I need to vent.

5. She understands my craziness.

6. She is extremely generous in every aspect of her life.

7. She loves...I mean LOVES the shit out of our kid.

8. She is forgiving.

9. She always knows how to make me feel better about a situation.

10. You would never believe some of the stuff that comes out of her mouth.

11. She is an avid crock pot user.

12. Did I mention that she LOVES dogs?

13. She is always up for giving me advice.

14. Despite being gorgeous and skinny...she isnt afraid of cheese.

15. She always has a way of making me feel good about myself.

16. Did I mention she LOVES our kid?

17. Even though it was years and years ago, we can still get to talking about our Snooty Pig days and crack ourselves up! (And yes...if you happen to be a regular anywhere...they talk about you)

18. She is a devoted wife.

19. She is never afraid to try something new.

20. She has AMAZING hair. (I know...superficial...but it really is beautiful)

21. She isnt afraid of discovering new things about her.
22. She threw me the most awesome baby shower EVER.

23. She didnt judge me when I threw up on the way home from dinner and then fell asleep at like 8:30PM the night of my bachlorette party.

24. She writes the most AMAZING blog ever! http://www.avantgardeparenting.com/

25. There is never a lull in our conversations.

26. All of the women in her wedding were red heads.

27. She just gets me. In a way that sometimes I feel like no one else does.

Jamie...I hope you have an amazing day. I love you more than you know and I look forward to our days of growing old and sitting on a porch (we may have to go find one somewhere...hope the owners dont mind) and laughing and chatting about all that we have gone through together. Thank you for being you and thank you for loving me and my family.

Happy Birthday Jamie!

*By the way, I had SO many pictures to include in this post but my blogger is being seriously weird so I apologize.

BBB

*I had pictures but my blog is being finicky...boo!
During the first few weeks after P was born, I dreaded nighttime. Big time. During the day, I seemed to keep it together but once night time came, I was a mess.

P was a good sleeper from the get-go. He just liked his sleep, takes after mom and dad, I suppose. The problem was, is that he would spend most of the DAY sleeping and then at night, he was wide awake. I know having your days and nights mixed up is pretty common for babies but it really is tough. I never listened to anyone and go in the habit of "napping while he was napping" so unfortunately, come night time...I was tired and ready for bed. P on the other hand had been sleeping all
day and was ready to party! (party = stare at nothing while his parents acted a fool)

The swing was our saving grace throughout the first few weeks. Heck we still use it now for naptime but that is another post for another day. P LOVES the swing. We would get him fed, changed, burped, and calmed down and then we would "swing it out". Good times. Anyways, during all this, for some reason, the nights would make me very lonely and depressed. Waking up in the middle of the night. Sitting in a dark house with a crying baby, trying to figure out how to console him was tough. Very tough. As he got older, things did get easier and as I figured out how to comfort him, that depression slowly faded away. A week or so before I started back to work, Hubby and I decided to try and get P into a bedtime routine. Nothing concrete, just paving the way for a consistent schedule. Feeding times were still up in the air, but we knew if nothing else, we could give him a bath at somewhat the same time every evening and just go from there.

This started our nightly routine and is now my absolute favorite time of the day. We call it our BBB.

We start with a bath..

Then "supper". Interrupt that 'B' how you will...

Then bed. 

I rock P until he is falling asleep and then into the crib he goes. When he is full and happy and just lays on my shoulder, I can't imagine being anywhere else. I often use this time to pray and count my blessings and just relish in the time that I can spend with him when he is willing and able to just lay and snuggle-bug on me because I know, especially with a little boy, those times won't be around for forever. 

Happy Slumber!

Not to brag...

BUT...CHECK ME OUT!!

I am parent of the week on Avant Garde Parenting!

Ummm...what?! I know...I'm excited too! My bestie Jamie runs that blog. If you arent reading it...you should, she is way smart and gives a lot of good tips and advice about being an awesome parent!

Happy Parenting!

Fun Friday - Fuzzy Navel Cake

This is all that was left three days after it was made. When my sister-in-law and brother-in-law came into town last weekend, Hubby and I decided to have bbq. We (when I say we, I mean he) made ribs, grilled corn on the cob, and baked beans*. I decided to also make a dessert, because

a) I love to bake

b) I love dessert

c) I have been wanting to test drive some of the recipes in this cookbook:

(I stole this picture from Amazon so you can try and "click to see inside" but I don't think it will get you anywhere...sorry!)

Anyways...since I cant have chocolate, I tested the Fuzzy Navel Cake. Wow. It was yummy! Here is the recipe...you should go a try it right now. Go ahead...I'll wait!

A post to brighten you day!

Remember when I said there was nothing cuter than a baby sneeze or a baby yawn??

Yeah...I lied.

Happy Smiles!

A day we will never forget...

Happy Birthday Jenilee!

Today is my good friend Jenilee's birthday! YAY! Jenilee and I met 7 years ago...geeze...I can't believe it has been that long. Her and her boyfriend at the time, Scuba Steve, had just moved to Texas for Steve's job as a DJ for The Liz Wilde Show. My Hubby (well of course he wasn't my Hubby at the time...we actually didn't even know each other) was getting his demo together, had given away his cat, had started packing his things, and was ready to hit the road to find a radio job outside the DFW area. He happened to bump into to Steve and Mick (another guy from The Liz Wilde Show) and I'm sure it was more involved but ultimately they offered him a job! (little did I know I would meet him a few months later)

Anywho...Hubby and I started dating and since I was young and reckless and 20...I would go up and hang out at the radio station during their show (I'm sure this was really annoying) but during that time, Jenilee and I began to talk and eventually became friends. We had some good times!

We hung out with Ole' Whiskers!

Introduced them to some Texas BBQ!

Had some fun and interesting times at our boyfriend's boss's house...we won't even begin to discuss Thanksgiving....

Hung out a lot and tried to be helpful at the radio station.

Oh...and yeah...MET TY PENNINGTON! I know...now you are jealous!

She is a one of a kind friend with a generous heart. (She in currently in school working towards nursing school! SO awesome!) I am so lucky to have met her and I am so glad we are still in touch...did I mention that they moved back home to Connecticut only a short time after moving here!?  She is an amazing person and I just love her to death!

I wish her the happiest day possible!

Happy Birthday Jenilee!

Oh and go check out her blog! Cute pictures of pups and stuff!

Exciting News!

P is going to have a cousin! YAY! My brother-in-law and sister-in-law (Hi Amber!) are expecting their first baby! In January! It's a girl! SO exciting!

Our family has been praying for this for a long time so we are so excited that it is finally here! They are going to be AMAZING parents and I am just so happy for that little girl...she is being born into a family filled with love.

Chase and Amber also came for a visit this past weekend to meet P!

I will keep you posted on her progress but keep a healthy baby in your thoughts and prayers!

Happy Baby!

Swim Class!

Last Saturday was P's second swim class, and this time Hubby was able to join us! So fun! You might remember Mr Duck from our first class...

well through trial and error, Grammy was able to figure out the Flip camera and this time we got a video!!

Also thank you to Emler Swim School for featuring P and I on their Facebook page! So neat!

Happy Swimming!

Weekly Menu is Back! (hopefully)

With some encouragement/intimidation from my bestie, the weekly menu is back! I will try and keep it as up to date as possible but I know y'all will understand if I get behind! Enjoy and I would love to hear any comments on recipes you tried and either loved or hated!

Happy Cooking!

Happy Labor Day!

In honor of labor day, I think you should read abouy MY labor...get it?! I will even make it easy for you!

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

Happy Day Off!

(and just in case you are interested in the origins of Labor Day!)

Since when was I born in a barn??

So the past few days I have begun to notice something about myself that frankly I just am not okay with. I have noticed that I am leaving drawers and cabinets open, not picking up after myself, and just leaving things in disarray. Yes...I'm sure some of you are thinking, YOU JUST HAD A BABY...GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK and while yes, that may be true...it is not that hard to close a drawer!

So I make Hubby 2 sandwiches every morning, peanut butter & jelly for breakfast and turkey for lunch....we are exciting, I know. Well the past few mornings, after I'm done I have looked around and realized that the silverware drawer is still open, dishwasher is partially cracked, cabinets where the baggies live is still open, pantry is open...the list goes on and on! What is my deal?! I need to work on this before it becomes a habit and frankly I need P to be on my side when it comes to making the bed.

There is one thing I know I will never compromise on though, and that is the toilet seat lid. I apologize for all of you who leave yours up but that is f-ing disgusting. So this might be just as weird as my being grossed out by getting my feet wet thing (for another post entirely)...but it TOTALLY, ABSOLUTELY, 100% grosses me out when I go into a bathroom and the lid is up. I don't know why, I mean I have to lift it anyways to actually use it...but something about walking in and immediately staring into the abyss that is your personal poop palace just makes me queasy. Oh also...black toilets...I mean ew, just ew.

So I have talked about the bathroom two days in a row...it is just a coincidence, I promise it wont become a habit.

I will leave you with this because I know it will make your day, just like it did mine!

Grumps and P

(special thanks to the videographer Aunt Shirley (my dad's sister) who is in town from NYC)

And speaking of Aunt Shirley, P got all dressed up for her the other day!

Happy Baby!

*So I almost just published this post without spell checking...EEK...y'all would have be embarrassed for me...I am pretty much at a 3rd grade spelling level.