The Howard Family Blog

Our Little Valentine

2012-02-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

Lindsay's Baby Shower

2012-02-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

Lindsay Chance & I have been good friends since middle school when her family moved to McKinney. Lindsay & I have seen alot together over the years... I could go on and on here, but for the sake of time I won't. She is such a sweetheart & I consider her a blessing in my life. I'm grateful that after having been in Las Vegas for 5 years the Lord brought me back "home" and back to my friendship with Lindsay. She & her husband Clark are also AWESOME youth group sponsors for us-- the kids LOVE them & they have such a heart for youth ministry.

More than anything I'm so excited that we've been able to share pregnancy together, and that we'll both have little girls that will, Lord willing, get to grow up together like us. My prayer is that my sweet Sawyer and her precious Hattie will be good friends-- and not just because their mommies were, but hopefully because they'll find friendship in the Lord.

So..... needless to say- I was super excited about getting to help host Lindsay's baby shower. The girls that worked on her shower are amazing & super talented, and we had a fun time putting it all together. I wanted to share some pictures with you, because I think it all turned out too cute not to:

Drink station

Homemade flower corsages for Lindsay, the future grandmothers, and the future great grandmothers--- they also had places on the backs where you could put a clip, so Lindsay could keep them as hair bows for Hattie.

Food table

Front porch to welcome guests

Incredible onesie cookies that Andrea made!

Close up of the yummy mini cupcakes that Andrea also made!

Lindsay & her hostesses (excuse my huge self.... I didn't realize that sweater made me look so massive.) There are 5 pregnant girls in this picture!

Kennedie's Cuteness!

2012-02-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

I have a few pictures of my big girl that I wanted to share with you before Sawyer arrives & I forget to post them up. Here is my sweetie just being adorable:

The next picture makes me happy. Kennedie loves it when we make homemade biscuits in the morning. I mean, this girl really loves her some biscuits. She will walk around saying, "Biscuit," in this adorable high-pitched kind of voice. On this particular morning she got her own plate out and was standing in front of the oven waiting for the biscuits to finish cooking. So cute:

The next two crack me up. If you are friends on Facebook with the Chick-fil-a here in McKinney they give something away free every Friday. Well, last Friday we got some free chicken strips. Kennedie was loving them way to much.... well, not so much the chicken as the barbecue sauce. She had it everywhere..... notice the second picture where she bent over and started licking it right out of the container... priceless!

Look closely at the next one.... last Sunday after church Lantz had Kennedie while I went home to get ready for Lindsay Chance's baby shower (pictures soon). He was getting ice for me in our cooler and letting Kennedie ride on it back to the car. Well, he got distracted talking to people and she fell right off & busted it pretty bad. Her lip and chin really took a hit, & she was bleeding. She's all smiles in this picture, but bless her heart.

Kennedie likes to have her picture taken when Mommy takes a belly shot. The first is her attempt at smiling at the for Daddy (and like Daddy she manages to close her eyes for the camera), and the second is her watching Mommy pose for the picture:

Finally, our silly little girl..... Here she is being a ham. She is wearing a wig that her cousin left at our house at Christmas.... she thinks it's so funny to wear or to make us wear.

That's all for now folks! Hope you enjoy looking at our little sweet pea as much as we do!

Belly Bump Update

2012-02-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

So..... here we have it. This may be the last of the belly bump this time around. If Miss Sawyer decided to come early we will never know what the belly looks like at 40 weeks this time around. If, however, she waits and we induce her on her due date we may get to see the belly at 40 weeks.... it just depends on if I have my act together enough to remember to take a picture before we head out the door to the hospital. Enough jabber.... here's the belly at 38 & 39 weeks:

And just for fun.... here is my 39 week belly shot when I was pregnant with Kennedie-- for comparison:

What do you think? I definitely gained more weight with Kennedie than I have so far with Sawyer. I am up to 32 pounds with Sawyer, but I gained a total of 44 pounds with Kennedie.... hopefully I won't gain 12 pounds this last week! Ha!

I can't wait to meet Sawyer Sue! It's crazy to think that this time next week I will have at least a 2 day old baby. Ahhhhh!!!! SO exciting!

Sawyer's Baby Shower

2012-02-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

Last week some of my amazing (and super talented) friends hosted a baby shower for my sweet Sawyer Sue. Let me tell you-- I was completely filled with gratitude after the event. Everything was so beautiful and thoughtful and there were so many guests who came to "shower" Sawyer with new goodies and love.
It was such a fun time!

The girls throwing the shower knew that Kennedie & Sawyer would be sharing a room, so they decided to host the event around our room theme. The girls' room is black and white damask with Tiffany & CO. turquoise accents... we like to refer to it as the Kennedie & CO. and Sawyer & CO. room. The party was so pretty & it was so fun because I got to take home several of the decorations to add to the girls' room!

Here are some pictures.... sorry for the overload!

Such a pretty table!!

Allison made this & I got to keep it-- it's hanging above Sawyer's crib in an empty black frame.

Andrea made these! She is so talented!

Check out that awesome cake stand that Erin made! Andre made the cupcakes to look like Tiffany boxes- so cute, and super yummy too!

Erin made these, and they were SOOOO good!

My awesome hostesses (left to right): Rebecca Russell, Amanda Varvel, Lindsay Chance, (me), Erin Owens, Andrea Johnson, Allison Booth

Tasty punch!

Adorable sign in table! I got to keep the "S"-- LOVE it!

Beautiful wreath to on the door to welcome people! Erin made it, & I got to keep it. It's hanging on the girls' door and it looks awesome! I mean the flowers on this thing are so pretty!

Loved how they had these tissue paper balls hanging with crystal beads hanging with them- it added some bling!

These were my hostess gifts that I gave- I used black & white wrapping with a Tiffany & CO. inspired name tag.

Hostesses with their gifts- I gave the girls monogramed aprons!

My sweet big girl and me- we matched for the shower!

Awesome gift basket my sister and mom put together for baby Sawyer!

This was such a fun shower, & I'm so grateful to everyone who came and "showered" Sawyer with gifts! My heart is overflowing with appreciation! SO excited to meet my second baby girl and introduce her to all the special people who have already shown her so much love!

Two Weeks!!!

2012-02-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

Craziness!! I can't believe that Sawyer's due date is exactly two weeks from today. I am scheduled to induce on her due date also, so.... if she doesn't decide to make a grand appearance early then I will be holding my new baby girl two weeks from today. I am so excited!

I personally don't think she'll be early... that is just my gut feeling, but I know that God is in control and He may surprise me. I went to the doctor yesterday and I am still only dialated at a one. No progress. I only gained one pound this week.

Anywho.... just wanted to share that we are on the count down!

Baby& Bump Update

2012-01-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Okay... so here is the belly so you can see that we are growing:

Ummm... yes... we are at the point where it's not so much cute anymore- just big. I've already started my weekly appointments with my doctor. I thought for sure I would be progressing more than what I actually am because I feel like Sawyer is so low that she could just slide right out at any second. At my first weekly appointment I was dialated at 1/2, and this week I was at a 1...so yeah- 1/2 in a week is not much at all. Sawyer may be like Kennedie & just happy & content where she is and not wanting to come out on her own. That's okay.....

To be honest, we do not have all of our ducks in a row ready for her to arrive just yet. We just started working on the "to do" list that we've made before her arrival. I don't think the whole "nesting" thing happens with the second kiddo. I have yet to feel that urge to clean and prepare... I just at a point where I am making myself do stuff because I don't want her to show up and us be totally not put together.

I don't think I've gained as much weight with Sawyer as I did with Kennedie. By the time 40 weeks rolled around with Kennedie I had gained 44 total pounds with her. So far I've only gained 29 with Miss Sawyer, but I still have 3 weeks left. Even though I worked out while pregnant with K, I think I've been more consistent this time around.... plus I have a little one to keep me busy this time. I also think I started swelling much sooner with Kennedie.... if I can remember correctly shoes and rings stopped fitting with her at around 34 weeks.... I'm 37 with Sawyer and just had to remove my rings for a few days, but now they are back to fitting.... shoes pretty much still fit.

Sawyer is still a kicker. I tell you what... they say at this point in time the baby may slow their movements, but Sawyer is still a mover and a shaker. .... Which is one reason for my lack of sleep lately. It's been difficult to get a good night's rest lately.... I'm grateful that last night I got a good nights sleep though.

Although I may not have all my ducks in a row ready for a new baby to arrive- I am beyond excited to meet my sweet Sawyer. With all my heart I am ready to hold her and love her and be her mommy. I know that God has prepared our hearts to welcome her & now we just need to prepare the house!

20 Months

2012-01-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday our big girl hit the 20 month marker! Whoa! Seriously? I am loving this stage of life right now! It seems like every day Kennedie is learning something new & really is able to communicate with us more each day. She is so fun right now, & I can't believe that when I sit down to write about her turning 21 months she'll be a big sister... WOW! Here is what has been going on with Miss K the last month:

Precious big girl:

- You have had some HUGE milestones this month: sleeping in a big girl bed, riding in a big girl car seat, and your first hair cut.
- You have learned to say a few of your friends names, you especially like to say "EI" (Eli) and "Sheby" (Shelby).
- You are still enjoying being independent at church... no more hanging on to mommy or daddy- you want to run with the big kids or let the teens hold you.
- I don't think you've gotten any more teeth over the last few months, but it's hard to say because it's difficult to look in your mouth.
- You sometimes will get stubborn at meal time and not want to eat. Sometimes you throw huge fits before you take "one more bite."
-Ummm.... clothes are difficult. You are still wearing 12 month clothing with a few 18 month clothes that fit you.... the problem is that alot of the 18 month shirts slide off your shoulder because you are not wide enough, but they are too short in the sleeves and waist. Also, 18 month pants will not stay around your waist- they just slide off, but 12 month pants are about 2 inches to short on you. Oh, my little skinny girl.
- You try to say so many things now that it's hard to keep up. Here are a few things that I can recall that you like to say: "weee at" with hands out (Where at?), "Oh me" (hold me), "oange" (orange), "tink you" in a high pitched voice (thank you), "abc" (abc), we will count "one, two..." and you like to finish off with "tree", "Booper" our dog (Cooper), and lots more that I can't think of right now.
- You also know lots of your body parts- you can say most of these, but if you can't say them you at least know what they are: eyes, ears, nose, teeth, mouth, hair, cheeks, hands, boobies, belly-button, belly, vagina, hiney, knees, and feet, toes.
- You still love to be outside and exploring.
- I don't think that you understand that there is a real baby in my belly, but when we ask you where the baby is at you will lift up my shirt. You will also give kisses to my belly and it is priceless. I like it when you try to copy us and say, "sissy" (got that one down) and "Sawyer" which comes out more like, "Sawya."
- You are still taking 2 two hour naps a day as long as we are home for both of them.
- You still get your bath at 8:45pm and are in bed before 9:15pm. You wake up at 8:00am. My good little sleeper.
- You will cross your arms now, and it's so cute!

My dear Kennedie, oh how I will miss these times of just the two of us during the day. I know that you will be such an amazing big sister and I look forward to it being the three of us girls together all day. You have learned so much lately and I know that the Lord is preparing your heart to be a big sister soon. You are such a good little girl and you are so flexible. I love to see your eyes light up and say, "Woooooo" when you see something yummy that you like to eat. I love how you enjoy reading books and looking at every single detail on the page! You are one of a kind, and every day I look at you and feel so blessed. I know that the Lord's love is extravagant for us because I understand my love for you. You are my sweet first baby girl & I love you so much! .... And get ready pumpkin, cause our world is about to flip upside down!

Cord Blood Banking Questions

2012-01-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

Okay.... All of you mommies out there..... I'd like to hear your response or advice about Cord Blood Banking.

Did you do it? Why or why not?

Did you do it for one of your kids and not the other? Why or why not?

Just wanting some opinions from all of you out there. With technology & medicine making great strides daily it seems that a baby's cord blood can be used for all different things out there medically. We are on the fence about this decision, and I'd just like to hear your thoughts & what you guys did or did not do.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Kennedie's First Hair Cut

2012-01-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

Okay.... so this is pretty late. Oops. Kennedie finally got her first hair cut (close to a month ago). It took awhile for us to make this happen.... I just had a hard time with it. It seemed like such a big thing to me, and I loved her sweet little baby hair. It really wasn't that big of a deal, & I'm sure no one noticed except for Lantz and me.

Kennedie had this little bitty rat's tail type thing in the back and it was starting to get out of control. It was just this strip of hair right in the middle back of her head that was longer than everything else, so it looked like a little rat's tail. It was time to take care of it. Lucky for us, my sister is a hair stylist, and so while she was in at Christmas we had "Aunt Feather" give Kennedie her first hair cut. I was also getting my hair done, so pardon me in the pictures. Lantz took pictures to document.... but I didn't get a before and after shot-- she was too wiggly. We did this on Christmas night, and so we had already had a super long day that day.

Picture overload:

This was a VERY big day for Miss Kennedie.... and almost too much for her Mommy & Daddy. She got her big girl bed from Santa, rode in her big girl car seat, and got her first hair cut.... too much growing up in one day for us!

Christmas 2011 & Big Girl BED

2012-01-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

Well, I can honestly say that we had such a fun Christmas this year. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing husband, sweet daughter, and awesome family! We our "party" on Christmas Eve by continuing our family tradition that we started last year of baking and decorating cookies. Kennedie had lots more fun this year & she was really able to participate so much more.... she really loved the sprinkles.... oh, and eating the cookies. Here are a few pictures:

Then on Christmas Eve night we went over to Baba's house (my mom's mom) to eat a breakfast dinner & open stocking gifts. (We normally eat Christmas breakfast at Baba's, but because of Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, we moved it to Christmas Eve.) Then we headed over to my Aunt Danice's (my mom's sister) to play some games. After we got home (close to midnight, I think), it was time for Santa to get to work. This year Santa brought Kennedie things that she needed with a little sister on the way. She got a big girl bed, new bedding, toddler rails for the bed, a big girl car seat, and a baby doll that she could "practice" putting the baby in the crib and feeding and putting in the baby car seat before Sawyer arrives.

Here it is all set up for Christmas morning:

And, why yes.... Santa did set it all up in the living room only to have to take it all down and reset it up in the bedroom.

Can I tell you how much she LOVED her new car seat???? That was the biggest hit ever! She sat in it and refused to get out. Lantz buckled her up for fun and when he unbuckled her she got so mad! She LOVED riding to church that morning like a big girl. She still smiles & laughs about getting in it.... seriously- best gift EVER! I love that she is riding forward now just because she loves it so much! Here she is Christmas morning in it: (I wish I had a picture of her in it on the way to church too, but I don't.)

After church on Christmas my parents & Heather & Ellis came over to our house for our gift exchange. Then we headed over to Poppa & Momma Jean's house (my dad's parents) for lunch and a gift exchange. And then we went out to my parents house for stockings. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share from any of these events, but we had such a great time!

Now.... can I talk to you about Kennedie moving into her big girl bed?

Well..... she didn't get to sleep in it Christmas night because we got home too late from all the festivities to set it up in her room, and so we decided that she would sleep in it the day after Christmas. For those of you who don't know we decided that Kennedie & Sawyer would share a room (hints the Tiffany turquoise bed and black and white damask bedding) which is one of the big reasons that we wanted to get her into a big girl bed at least a month before baby sister came along. We wanted her used to sleeping in her room in the big girl bed with the crib still in the room before Sawyer comes. (We talk about how that's the baby's bed and her bed is a big girl bed all the time.)

So..... I was really nervous about this transition. Kennedie is a GREAT sleeper- both at night & during naps. It's always been nice because when she woke up she stayed in the crib until we came and got her.... so I was worried that when she slept in the twin bed she would just get herself out of bed and not nap or sleep at night if she didn't feel like it.

Well, we decided it would be best for her to sleep in her big girl bed at night first and not a nap. The day after Christmas she napped in her crib and then after her second nap we set up her big girl bed in her room..... Lantz and I were a little nervous about how it would all go down.

So, that night we did our usual bedtime routine.... bath, brush teeth, pajamas, lights off, "Jesus Loves Me"..... and at this point we started walking to the twin bed and not the crib..... well, then it happened- she started pointing at her crib. We started to worry, but we kept singing and we just grabbed her blanket from her crib. We stopped singing and laid her down with her blanket and then prayed over her like we normally do, and then do you know what happened?........ Nothing. She just laid down on her pillow and went to sleep...... okay, I lied, something did happen...... Lantz and I went in the other room and cried. Yep..... Kennedie did awesome & Lantz and I cried because our little baby is not so much a baby anymore.... she is just growing up.

The next day came and we then worried slightly about how nap time would go.... I don't know why we did so much worrying- it went fine.

A few days later, she eventually learned that she could get out of her bed and that was when I thought we'd have a real challenge on our hands, but not so. The first time she discovered she could get out of bed was at one of her naps. She got up early and decided she was done & stood at the door trying to open it screaming her head off. I quietly went into her room, picked her up, hugged and kissed her, calmed her down some and told her that nap time was not over with and then laid her back down. The end..... not. She then proceeded to get out of bed and scream her head off again- this time louder and madder. We went through the whole routine two or three more times and then guess what? She stayed in bed and stopped crying. I guess she figured, "What's the use?" She eventually fell back asleep and I went in and got her when nap time was over. Guess what? Now we have no problems at all. She just stays in bed until we come and get her. It's awesome.... she's awesome! She is absolutely the best little girl ever! I'm so proud of her. I can only hope that it's as easy with Sawyer one day.

So..... the next challenge will be having two in the same room... we'll see how it goes.

If you stuck with me through this HUGE post you get a shout out! This was a monster of a post, but I know that I will want all these details on hand in the future, and who knows....maybe one of you is stressing about the whole big girl bed thing.

Merry Christmas! Again. (Super Late.)

Belly Bump Update

2012-01-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Here is how my belly, AKA sweet Sawyer, has progressed over the last 7 weeks.....

Well.... as you can see, we are growing. I can't believe I only have 6 & 1/2 more weeks until I get to meet my sweet second daughter!

Christmas in Abilene

2012-01-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we traveled to Abilene to have Christmas with Lantz's dad's side of the family. It was so much fun to just hang out and relax & watch Kennedie play with her older cousins and second cousins. Here are just a few pictures of the present festivities:

Here are a few pictures of Kennedie playing outside and swinging like a big girl:

And of course, since the next pictures are priceless to me, you will get to see several of them even though they all look so much alike....I couldn't pick my favorite. Kennedie had so much fun riding the four wheeler with her Daddy:

Needless to say we had an amazing time in Abilene!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

19 Months

2011-12-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday our baby girl turned 19 months old! My, how the time flies. I feel like I just wrote about her turning 18 months old. Sometimes I wish I could just bottle this itty- bitty girl up and save her. I went back and read about all of the new things she was doing and saying at 18 months, and to be honest, not alot if anything has really changed.... here are a few "different" things I can think of:

Sweet & sassy little girl:

- You are now SUPER independent at church. You used to cling to me, or at least not let me out of your sights, but now you are on your own. I guess you've learned that we are up there so much and that everyone there loves you. You are not scared of people at all. You especially love it when you get to hang out with the teenagers, and they are all so good with you.
- You like to say "hi" to people... loudly.... our neighbors, or people in the store... it's super cute! You also have started saying the word "bed" which is good because we've been talking about a big girl bed lately.... hopefully Santa got the memo that you were a good girl and he's bringing you that new big girl bed and bedding!
- After spending time with family for a day or two you become spoiled. After we leave family you just cry and don't understand why you don't get your way. We easily break that cycle after a day or two of letting you scream things out, time-out, and lots of "no."

My sweet little girl, I love you so much. Time is going by way to quickly and soon it won't just be the three of us. I worry that I'll miss something in the transition of having two children, but I'm so excited for you to be a big sister. I know that you will love your baby sister and be such a big help. You are so sweet and caring. If someone has an "owie" you are quick to be sympathetic. You are also becoming very helpful..... I love how you love to help out. Thank you for being such a ray of sunshine. I love you more than I could ever tell you or explain to you, and I'm so grateful that God chose me to be your mother. You, my sweet girl, are precious.

Random pictures:

Cowboy & Kennedie

No make-up Mommy & Kennedie

Just reading some books.

Mommy & crazy-haired Kennedie

Kennedie sees Santa

2011-12-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Kennedie got to see Santa for the first time this year. We've been talking up Santa & teaching her that he says: "Ho, ho, ho!" I was anxious to see what her reaction would be once we were actually around the big guy. Well, we do a huge Angel Tree at our church and Santa & Mrs. Clause make an appearance every year, and so since it is free & line-free this is where Kennedie gets to see Santa. Here is last years super sweet picture of my itty-bitty Kennedie with the big guy:

Awesome right? So... I was thinking this year would be totally opposite because she actually understands and has an opinion about who holds her..... you'll see how it goes down here in a sec. First, here is K all ready for church/ and seeing Santa (love the fake cheesy smile):

Side note: she looks like such a big girl in this picture.... also- her first time in hose.

Okay.... so we are about to go into the gym and Kennedie spots Santa Clause across the room. This girl flips out with excitement! She is grinning and pointing & pulling her hand across her chest (sign language for please) as hard as possible saying, "peeeze, peeze, peeze..." We could not get her in there soon enough to see him. Here we are walking that direction:

So you see how this is going right? Wrong. As soon as we get within 10 feet of Santa her mood changes and she all of the sudden has a death grip on me. The closer we get the tighter she clings, and then the tears start. You would think I would be the "good mom" and comfort her & not make her sit on Santa's lap. Wrong again. I was so mean. I made her. Here is the result:

So, after all this screaming she was sweating like a pig. So, we took off the way cute coat and hat, got a little more comfortable, and watched Santa & Mrs. Clause for a few minutes. She stopped crying and then saw that they had candy canes. She then decided it would be okay for Daddy to let her sit on Mrs. Clause's lap. Result:

Great! We have progress. So.... of course we had to try with Santa again since she did so great with Mrs. Clause & the candy canes. We made Santa hold a candy cane for bribery, and we plopped her on his lap.......

Unfortunately we got the same result as the first time. Oh well..... I will not tell a lie... I secretly am glad that we have a screaming Santa picture. Maybe next year she will not mind sitting with the big guy.

Merry Christmas!

And her name will be....

2011-12-14T09:01:00.001-08:00

Sawyer Sue

We are beyond excited to announce to the world our precious second daughter's name! I have LOVED the name Sawyer for a girl since Lantz and I got married, and over the years I have brought him over to the dark side to love the name too! Sue is Lantz's mom's middle name, and we wanted our second daughter to be named in honor of her. Lantz & I both have been blessed with such amazing mothers, so it only seems fitting that our daughters be named after them. Kennedie carries my mother's name, Danyelle, as her middle name, and so we are beyond excited for Miss Sawyer to carry Lantz's mom's middle name, Sue, as her middle name.

We really LOVE the name, and we of course already LOVE our sweet Sawyer Sue. We can't wait for February to get here to see the beautiful face that goes with this name!

My sweet Sawyer Sue, I love you so much without even having officially met you yet. Because you have an older sister I feel like I already know what to expect in some ways, and that just makes me all the more excited and ready to meet you. I feel like I'm really trying to enjoy every minute with you in my belly because I know how quickly time will go. I love that you are such a mover & that you constantly remind me of your presence. Each of your sweet little (or should I say big) movements is so wonderful to me. You are a mover & a shaker and I pray that you will come into this world to make BIG movements for the kingdom of God in Jesus' name. I'm so thankful that God has chosen me to be your Mommy and I truly can't wait to hold you in my arms and give you kisses. I love you so much my sweet baby girl.

Cousins

2011-12-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

LOVE all these sweet children so much! From left to right: Kennedie, Mikalie, Braxton, & Cason. This was taken the weekend before Thanksgiving when Kristal and the kids came up for the weekend. I can't even begin to explain how much fun Kennedie had with her cousins...... they are all so good with her!

Kennedie + Christmas Decorations

2011-12-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Kennedie enjoying out outside lights, playing with the Christmas balls when we decorated the tree, and finally enjoying the tree from below. So fun to watch her explore!

Image from Lantz's iphone

The Zoo

2011-12-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

Okay.... so over a month ago (yes, I'm way behind in the blogging world) we took Kennedie to the zoo. She has been into animals and animal sounds so much that we thought it was the perfect time. I think she really enjoyed it, but I think the older she gets she'll like it even more.

She also got to ride a train for the first time. We took the dart train from Plano to the Dallas zoo. It was a fun experience, but she definitely had more fun on the way there than on the way back. She didn't have a nap all day and so getting on the train wasn't exciting when she was tired and cranky. Here is a picture of K on the way there:

One of our first stops at the zoo, and probably the best, was the gorilla. Kennedie loves the gorilla in one of her books that we read, and when you ask her what the gorilla does she will beat her chest and say, "Ahhhhhhh!" So cute! So- the gorilla station was great because there was this glass that separated the people from the gorillas, but when we showed up at the exhibit the gorilla just happened to be sitting right in front of the glass. It was awesome! Kennedie just sat and stared at him for awhile & kept pointing at him. Here are a few pictures:

LOVE this picture!

Here are some pictures of her playing with the gorilla statues:

Some of the other animals:

The giraffe station was really cool too because you could feed the giraffe. It would come right up to you & eat out of your hand. Kennedie thought this was really neat! It was hard to get good pictures because this was such a popular stop & there were several people there. Here are a few:

She loved looking through the glass at the warthogs too!

The parrots:

Here are some of Daddy & Kennedie and some of Mommy & Kennedie:

Overall we had a great family day at the zoo! It was exciting for us to watch Kennedie see so many different types of animals for the first time. I think it will be even more fun for Kennedie the next time she gets to go.

Thank you dear God for my sweet family and thank you for special outing days at the zoo, but also lazy rainy days inside. You are so good to give me such a sweet husband and such a sweet daughter. Amen.

18 Month Stats

2011-12-03T11:59:00.000-08:00

Well..... we have a little super model on our hands! Weighing in at 19 pounds & 12.5 ounces Miss Kennedie officially dropped into the 1% for her weight. On the other hand she measured in at 33 & 1/2 inches moving her into the 91% for her height! That's right ladies & gentlemen..... tall and super skinny! We are grateful that she is healthy & love her the way she is- the way that our amazing God made her to be! She is our precious, itty-bitty, baby girl!

A couple of pictures from about a month ago:

18 Months Old-

2011-11-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

Really??? A year and a half??? It's so weird to me that I pretty much have a toddler and not a baby anymore. Although Kennedie turned 18 months old a few days ago, I wanted to make sure that I documented this big milestone.

My Little Miss Cutie Pie-

- You love for us to chase you... especially at night when it's time to take a bath. Even though you still love your baths, you think it's so funny to run away from us when it's time for you to take a bath. You just love for us to chase you... you think you are so fast!
- You understand SO much of what we tell you. It seems like you understand us more often than not understanding us. I LOVE that!
- You have been LOVING going to church. Your Bible school teachers say that you have been enjoying Bible class so much and that you participate so much. When Mommy drops you off you go right on into the classroom & sit down. You are not clingy at all.... even in worship. During worship service it's hard to make you sit still. You just want to wander around.... forget Mommy & Daddy you know what this place is all about & you just want to explore & say hi to everyone!
- You are still wearing 12 month clothing. Still my little itty-bitty girl. We'll go to the doctor this week, and we'll see if you've broken 20 pounds yet. (You are in a few 18 month pieces of clothing, but they are pretty big on you still.)
- You now have 12 teeth!
- You still take 2 two hour naps a day for the most part minus days that we are not in our normal routine.
- Some of the words that you say: "peeezzz" (aka: "please".... LOVE it when you say this- it's so cute!), "dog", "baf" (bath), "ball", "no", "bye", "mo" (more), "bow", "momma", "dadda", "boy", "nigh-nigh"(night- night) "mole," "eat," "eye", "uh-oh", "aow-we"(when something hurts), "brrrrr" (when it's cold), "teef"(teeth), and "jussss" (juice). You also say "shooo-we" when something is stinky.... SO CUTE! Y
- You are still riding in your backward facing carrier/carseat. Hopefully you'll be 20 pounds at the next doctor's appointment & hopefully Santa will bring you a new front facing carseat.
- You seriously love going outside. You continually ask to go outside, and when we tell you no you throw little temper-tantrums.
- You will also get paper or books and hold them out and pretend to read aloud (loudly- I might add). You will just "read" and "read" -- LOVE it!
-You are starting to take more and more interest in the potty.
-You are becoming such a good little helper. You will help us clean up or carry things.
- You now know how to smile! I love to tell you to "smile" and see your face put on the cutest little fake cheesy smile ever. ADORABLE!
- You fell out of your crib for the first time a few weeks ago. It didn't seem to bother you that much- but you cried and cried because your door was shut on you. You didn't try to jump out again, but we did just lower your crib to the lowest setting just in case.
- Aunt Feather & Uncle Ellis gave you a stuffed cat for being in their wedding and you have been sleeping with it every since. It is your first thing to cuddle and sleep with.

Precious little girl.... you grow up more every single day. I love to watch you explore and learn new things. I love that you enjoy climbing on everything & that you think it's so funny to pull yourself onto chairs all by yourself. I love that still cling to me in new places and around new people, but that you are becoming so much more independent around familiar people and places. Every day it is a new adventure with you & you teach me so much. I can't begin to express in words the gratitude that I feel to God for allowing me to be your mother. You are my beautiful, fun, energetic, silly, loving daughter, and I love you more than I could ever express in words.

Excited face

Fake cheesy smile

You like to do this some---- downward dog!

Shhh......

Kennedie sleeping on Mommy.... This NEVER happens so I made daddy take a picture. Kennedie was sick, and so she wanted to cuddle.

Another adorable fake cheesy smile!

Tiny Prints

2011-11-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love getting Christmas cards in the mail? It's so fun to go to the mailbox & see who sent you a Christmas card. I especially love the ones with pictures & getting to see how people have changed, or how they chose to take a family picture.... fun! We love to display all of our card on our bar, and it's so fun to just watch them start accumulating over the weeks.

Speaking of LOVING Christmas cards.... don't you also just love Tiny Prints?? They always have such an amazing selection! I love all the color schemes that they have going on over at Tiny Prints for their new holiday cards--- so much fun! It totally gets me in the holiday spirit just browsing through all the awesome choices they have. It's just all so cheerful!.... The problem will be on deciding which design to choose, cause they are all so CUTE!

I mean... check out some of their great stuff:

I'm not going to lie... I'm loving the tri-fold products! There are so many fantastic ones, but if I were picking one right now I'd pick the super cute tri-fold one up above.... the one that says, "Joy" "Merry Christmas" and "Peace"... so cute! I love that I can load it with several pictures & it looks so fun, bright & modern.

You should head over to Tiny Prints & see all their great stuff & find the perfect holiday card for your family!

Sunrise on the Battery: A Book Review

2011-11-16T12:41:00.000-08:00

Sunrise on the Battery by Beth Webb Hart is not typically the kind of book that I would pick up. I'm very much drawn to books that have a nice little love story in them (even if it's a tiny one). When I decided I'd like to try this book out I was a little hesitant because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get into it easily...... and, well, I was right. I didn't really get into the book until there was about 100 pages left. I will say that once I did find more interest in the book it was hard to put down. I really ended up liking this book and I'm glad that I read it.

Mary Lynn is a wife and a mother of three girls. She and her husband both come from very meek beginnings and long to give their girls the life that they never had. They make a name for themselves in Charleston among the rich and elite and have earned their way into a new social class. As they climb the social ladder in Charleston they push their girls in every area of life that will possibly get them ahead: they speak multiple languages, play multiple instruments, are forced into studying rigorously, and they travel the world just to name a few.

Through this life Mary Lynn has decided that she wants to go to church and wishes that her family would also come along with her & become Christians. Mary Lynn specifically prays that her husband Jackson, who wants nothing to do with God or religion, will have a change of heart and become a follower of Christ. Amazingly enough after a course of events Jackson decides to whole-heartidly give his life to Christ and become a Christian. Although this is exactly what Mary Lynn prays for, she is not ready for the changes that Jackson wants to make by committing social suicide. Jackson is sold out and he wants to change every part of their life to realign with what scripture teaches, but Mary Lynn learns that her heart was never as changed for Jesus as Jackson's heart. Will she decide it's all just to much and divorce Jackson and run away with long time friend Mark Waters, or will she truly give her heart to Christ and learn to serve him wholly and not be lukewarm?

Again, I really enjoyed the last parts of this book. It really challenged me to look in the mirror and see if my life reflects Mary Lynn's lukewarm attitude or if it looks like Jackson's sold-out-for-Jesus-no-matter-what attitude. I found myself reading at the end inspired by Jackson and wanting to do some of the same things that he was doing, but wondering if I had a fizzled out attitude about Christ like Mary Lynn. So although this book is fiction, it truly made me ask some hard questions, and I'm grateful that I read the book.

I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars and I would recommend it to others.

(Book provided by booksneeze.com.)

Baby Girl #2

2011-11-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

So I am once again behind in the blogging world. Oh well. It seems to be the new trend for me. I still want to document our life here on my blog whether I'm on track or a few months behind.

Anyways.... Baby girl number two (we are 99.9% sure of her name, but I will wait until we are 100% sure before putting it out there for the world) is growing, growing, growing. She is SO much fun already. With Kennedie I didn't feel her move until close to 24 weeks, but I felt this little one somewhere between 18-20 weeks. Let me tell you what- this little girl is a MOVER! I feel like she moves ALL the time compared to Kennedie. I've told Lantz that I think she is either ADD or going to be much bigger than Kennedie and she is already running out of room- either way I LOVE it! I love, love, love that I get to feel her so much. It's like she's reminding me, "Hey, Mom, don't forget about me! I know Kennedie is out there with you, but I'm still here too!" Love, love, love.

I guess I never documented on here how we finally opened the envelope to reveal her gender. We went back and forth and debated and debated on how we should open this envelope. Family and friends were starting to get so annoyed with us because we hadn't opened it and we didn't have a plan. Well.... life was so crazy at that point in time between Lantz's triathlon, Lantz's studying for his marriage and family therapy test, me starting up my part time photography, shower planning for my sister, and helping plan and work on my sister's wedding... it was all a bit to much to plan something over the top.

I'm so happy with what decided though. On Lantz's birthday we got up and went to Plano to eat at The Original Pancake House (we had eaten there only once and it was in Las Vegas and we had been wanting to go back). It was just Lantz, Kennedie, and myself. It was great for it just to be the three of us. Well.... we took our little envelope with us (not telling anyone we were planning on opening it). After praying over the envelope before our food was brought out and debating for like 30 minutes when we should open it, we finally opened it to find out we were having another little girl! There were plenty of tears of joy & we were beyond excited! It was such a neat birthday "present" for Lantz. Kennedie didn't really understand any of it, but it was fun to try to explain it to her & I'm glad that she was apart of it.

Once we were done eating we decided we needed to share the news with family. When we got to the car we decided we'd send some video texts with the news to family so everyone could find out all at once. Well..... we were a little teasing in our video. We sent one of all 3 of us that said, "We opened the envelope!" Then we waited a few minutes and sent one that said, "It's..." Then a few minutes later, "...a..." then later, "....drumroll (Lots of banging..." and again, "...drumroll....." and then finally, "It's a GIRL!!!!! We are having another girl- Kennedie is going to have a SISTER!" It was so fun to tease them and we loved having the news all to ourself for a little bit.

So that's the story. I think it's perfect and I'm excited to share it with baby girl #2 when she is older.

Now.... here are some pictures of the infamous baby bump that is still growing. I am missing the 21 week picture, but you'll see the growth. I am currently 26 weeks as of yesterday, and I've already gained 19 pounds! Whoa.

I can't believe that I'm already over half way through this pregnancy! I feel like it's going by so much faster than the first one, which makes me sad because I hope that I don't feel the same when she gets here. I really want to soak up each and every minute with this new little one knowing now how fast it really all goes..... with that being said I also want to appreciate and value every little minute with Miss Kennedie because I know in a few months or year I'll want to have made the most of every second with her now. Ahhh.... the joy that these little girls bring me is indescribable, but I wish I could bottle a little piece of each stage up and open it to remind myself of each precious time.

Thank you loving Father for my girls. They are more valuable than anything and I feel blessed that you chose me to be their Mommy. I know that they are Yours and I will handle them with love and care. Thank you so much for the amazing gifts of love that have come through these sweet precious ones.

Eli & Kennedie

2011-11-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

One of the fun things about the triathlon that Lantz participated in (see previous post) was that his good friend John Kimberlin also participated. You know what that means..... his sweet wife Crysty and their sweet little boy Eli were also at the triathlon. John & Crysty are some of our best friends and it's so much fun because their son Eli and Kennedie are only a few weeks apart. You know what else is fun? Crysty is also pregnant and so our second round of kiddos will only be a few months apart! I love that we will have kids the same age!

Anywho..... Eli is one of Kennedie's best buds. It was so fun to watch them play together at the triathlon. I was able to capture a few pictures of the kids loving on each other. Because these pictures are priceless to me they had to have a separate post than the triathlon post. Here are our sweet little ones:

I love both this little ones so much and I feel so grateful for the friendship that we have in the Kimberlins. I can't wait to meet both of our second babies & watch a new set of friendship develop just like their parents friendship and their older siblings friendship. So precious.

Thank you dear God for sweet friends.

Olympic Triathlon

2011-11-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Lantz participated in his first Olympic Triathlon about a month ago. (I know... I'm really behind in the blogging world.) He has done 2 Sprint Triathlons, but this was his first Olympic (it's double the length of the Sprint). I am so proud of him! Here are a few pictures from the race:

This was also the first triathlon that Miss Kennedie & her Papa (Lantz's dad) got to watch Lantz participate in. I was very grateful that Papa was there to watch & help me with Kennedie. It allowed me to take pictures of Lantz without having to worry about K. Here is a picture of Papa watching Kennedie for me while we waited for Lantz on the bike portion of the race:

Here are a few pictures of all of us after the race:

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

Last year our little dragonfly:

This year our (bigger) little dragonfly:

Kennedie trick-or-treating at her grandparents & great-grandparents houses:

Happy Halloween!!!!!

17 Months Old

2011-10-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

17 Months old today! Really? The past few days it seems like I look at you and still see my little baby. Although you are growing up so much every day, you are still my itty-bitty baby in so many ways. My heart is still exploding with love for you & I'm so grateful to call you my daughter.

My sweet little angel:

- You are loving to run from us right now. If we are calling you to us for some reason it seems like lately you have just been taking off running as fast as you can. You think it's so funny for us to chase you. It is the cutest thing to watch your little legs high tale it as fast as possible.
- Every day it seems like you understand more and more what we are telling you. You understand alot more than what you can communicate that's for sure.
- You have been going to the nursery less and less during worship lately. You are starting to understand what "shhhhhh" means and are listening better when we tell you.
- You have been a little clingy at church lately and tend to cry when I leave you for Bible class, but your teachers say that you participate in class and have fun once I leave and you calm down.
- You are still wearing 12 month clothing. You are still so tiny.
- This past month you got several new teeth. You went from 8 teeth to 11. One on the top back right, one on the top back left, and one on the bottom back left. These new teeth are helping you chew lots better too!
- You still nap for two 2 hour naps each day (except Sunday or other random days when we are out and about- you take one long 3 hour nap or longer).
- You have started to give kisses again much more generously. You will also give them on your own now sometimes without us even asking. It's so fun when you just look at us and peck your little lips onto ours unexpectedly.... melts my heart.
- This month you are starting to say a few more words clearly- like: "ball" "no" "bye" "bow" and "dog". Some words that you say not so clearly: "momma" "dadda" "peezzzz" (please). But you are still using your signs a ton so you communicate quit effectively with us- especially to tell us when you want something to eat or drink.
- You got your first sinus infection this month and it was not any fun at all. You ran temperature for about 5 days and just wanted to cuddle.
- You also took your first trip without Daddy. You went with Mommy to Arkansas for your Aunt Feather's bridal showers. (You did very good on this trip considering you were sick.)
- You got to go to the zoo for the first time- which was super exciting. And you also rode a train for the first time. (We went yesterday and there is more to post about this.)

Oh my sweet, sweet, little girl- how I love you. Lately you have wanted me to hold you more and more and it has to be the sweetest thing ever. I wonder if you secretly know deep down that it won't just be the three of us for much longer. I get sad sometimes when I look at you and see how quickly you've grown. Everyday is a new adventure and I'm so grateful to discover new things with you all the time. Every day you teach me more and more about God's unfailing love and I'm in awe of our creator because of you. You are so precious to me and I don't think I can ever express to you how much you mean to me. You are my little doodle-bug and I'm so thankful to be your Mommy. I love you so much sweet girl.

ACU Football Game

2011-10-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we got to go watch my Alma Mater play football at Cowboys Stadium. It was so fun to watch the Wildcats play- even if they didn't pull out a win. We were blessed enough to get to sit in one of the super nice suites, and it was so neat to watch the game from there. It was great for Kennedie too because she could walk around and explore without having to sit in one spot. Here are a few pictures of us in our ACU gear:

Style...

2011-10-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

This may be kind of random. I've been thinking about my closet lately & my clothes. I've come to the realization that each day I tend to slip further and further out of style. Not because I want to- it's just happening. There are other things that are more important than what I am wearing. I'm coming to grips with it..... slowly.

I mean, I really love fashion and style and dressing up and the trends and shopping and looking put together... but all of those things can be time consuming and expensive. Lets face it- I am a stay at home mom (which doesn't bring in any income- but is worth more than anything in the whole world), my husband is a minister, we have one child and one on the way. You do the math.

We are a pretty frugal family. We don't have cable, I don't have a smart phone- I have a free phone with no data plan, I meticulously plan each meal we are eating each week so as to not buy any "extra" at the grocery store, I buy all off brand or whatever is on sale that week, I have been cutting coupons, we use cloth diapers (not for the sake of the environment but for the sake of the pocket book), this summer our air conditioner stayed on 80 degrees, we don't eat out very often (away from youth group), we don't "go shopping" unless we are using birthday money or Christmas money, when going out and about to run errands if I know I will be out during a meal time I pack a sandwich so we won't have to spend money on a "fast meal," and etc..... (I'd love any tips on how you save money.)

I say all this to say- these are the "prices" we pay for me to stay at home. I feel so blessed and so grateful that I have a husband who supports this decision and who is willing to go without so that we may invest in our children at home. Going from two incomes to one has been a stretch and there have been material sacrifices that we have had to make, but it is worth it every day.

Any who- back to style. So with all of these cuts we've had to make lets just say keeping my wardrobe up to date is not at the top of the priority list. My birthday and Christmas have become more exciting to my closet because that's when I get to "splurge" and update the closet a little with any money received or any stylish presents I may have gotten. I have been thinking alot about how much is in my closet though. I have lots of clothes- I'm not going to lie. But- you will find pieces from high school and college in there (yes, I graduated high school 10 years ago and college 6 years ago). I'm not a hoarder, so it's weird there are some things in there still. So.... I need to do some cleaning out. I have some pieces that I have been holding onto because I super liked them at one point in time and I'm holding out on retiring them. I also have pieces that are there- just in case I need it for..... whatever the case may be.

When we were traveling through Europe a few years ago I noticed that (in Amsterdam particularly) everyone there was SUPER trendy.... and I do mean everyone and SUPER. I asked my friend who lived there why everyone was so trendy and why it was so obvious. She went on to tell me that our closets in America are HUGE and that there they are itty-bitty- I mean super small or just a wardrobe. She said that people really only had a handful of outfits and that if they bought something new they had to get rid of something old to make room for it. She said that people wore the same things over and over, versus people here only wearing things once every so often & changing their look up so much. Well there is a grand idea. It makes sense to only have 3 or 4 super cute outfits that you wear over and over that are trendy and up to date and that when you get something new you rotate out something old.

So I've been thinking about that. We have a couple of consignment shops here in McKinney that are pretty great and they give you pretty good deals on old clothing. I am thinking I will clean my closet out (pretty good cleaning, not just one or two shirts here or there) and take the money that I can get from my old clothes and invest in a few cute pieces. I'm thinking that as new styles come I'll sell those old and again take the money and try to buy another piece that may be more trendy. I like the idea alot. I think it will help me simplify my closet (cause lets face it- I'm not going to work every day- most days I stay in my pjs) and maybe find a little of my style back.

Sounds good right. Well enter the new problem- pregnancy. I am now currently getting too big for regular clothes, but I'm still a little too small for maternity clothes. I am in this awful in between stage and I'm not super excited about getting to the maternity stage cause lets face it- maternity clothes are not cute... and if they are cute they are way (and I mean way) outside of my budget. So yeah. Here I sit- not really fitting into any clothes and the ones I will soon fit in are not cute, not trendy, not stylish- just big enough for the belly. And really... who wants to invest in maternity clothes? I hope to be in and out of them as quick as possible.

I guess I will just wait. I will wait until I am out of maternity clothes again (which brings in another new problem of clothing that will easily allow for breastfeeding... don't get me started there), so that I can sell lots (or give away) and buy a little to revamp the wardrobe that might get me somewhere back close to being in style or at least not looking too much out of style.

And, "Dear Self," does it even matter?

On top of all of this I have to remind myself how selfish I am sometimes and how blessed I truly am. There are so many people out there who care nothing about style- they are just grateful to have clothes at all. I am lucky to not only have so many clothes (regardless of style), but to have clothes that match, clean clothes, and clothes that fit.... and to top it off shoes, jewelry, and purses. Ugh. Sometimes I make myself so mad worrying about such silly things.

This was such a random post. Really. Sorry if you stuck with it the whole way.

So.... no I am not wearing the latest and greatest outfit or new pair of shoes or carrying the cutest bag, nor is my figure anywhere in sight, but I am the most blessed girl ever. I have an INCREDIBLE husband and an amazing little girl and a precious new little girl on the way. Style is overrated- family is not.

Boy oh Boy...

2011-09-30T11:26:00.001-07:00

WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GIRL!!!!

Heather's Bridal Shower

2011-09-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I hosted (along with some other ladies) my sister's bridal shower at my home. She is getting married at the end of October, so it was neat to bring everyone together to celebrate this exciting time in her life. It was really fun & I think it turned out really cute. We went with a very hand-made, vintage, chabby-chic look. Little touches like buttons, quilts, pies, little glass bottles, old doors & windows, lace, and old books helped us accomplish the look we were going for. What do you think? :

All the hostesses & the bride in the middle.

16 Months Old

2011-09-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

16 Months old!!! It seems like each month just passes quicker and quicker, and every day you just seem to be transforming into my little baby to my little toddler. Sometimes I have to do a double-take ... it seems like I blink and you grow up a little more each time.

My precious girl:

- You are an adventure seeker. You love to run, climb & explore.
- You are starting to listen more when we tell you no. Instead of continuing to do whatever you want, sometimes you now listen and stop yourself. We are getting there.
- You love to go to Bible class still, but you've now started crying again when I first drop you off.
- During worship service I now have to bring you to the nursery because you haven't quit figured out what "shhhhh" means or how to sit still. I'm hoping over the next few months you will grow to learn what being quiet means and we can bring you back into worship with us.
- You are still wearing 12 month clothing with no 18 month clothing in sight. Your 18 month stuff just falls off of you & looks massive. Curious to see when you make it into those things.
- Still just 8 teeth, but I think you are trying to cut a new one.
- You still lay down for two 2 hour naps each day (except Sunday is one 3 hour nap).
- This month you have not been as interested in your books as you were last month. It's weird how quickly things change for you.
- You have learned how to bite food off. For example take a bite out of a sandwich or of a corny dog.
- This month you have seemed to be more of a Mommy's girl versus last month you were much more interested in Daddy. It's cute how you reach for me and blow me kisses!
- When I ask you if you are ready to go "Night, Night" you start to quietly sing: "Nigh, Nigh." LOVE this.... it is so cute!
- You are signing to us more and more. You sign: bye-bye, bath, brush teeth, food, milk, done, more, and please.
-You are starting to get the hang of your spoon and you are wanting to use it more and more all by yourself.

Kennedie Danyelle, I love you so much. I don't think I could ever express the amount of love I feel for you. You are just so precious. I love this stage of life you are in right now. I love that you are starting to listen to us and you seem to understand so much of what we are saying. I love that you are signing more and more to us and that you are actually communicating with us and we are not having to guess your needs or wants as much. I love that you have so much energy. I love that even though you are not a cuddler you still want me to hold you every now and then. I love that you will randomly plop yourself down in my lap ... it's like you just know you belong there. You are so special to me and I love you so much!

And picture overload... because I can:

Belly Bump Update

2011-09-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well as you can see... I am growing. The last few weeks I have especially felt like I've been popping out a little bit more. I feel like I actually look pregnant now. My nausea has gotten better. I'm not nearly as sick, but occasionally in the mornings I will feel it some.

We went to the doctor a few weeks ago & got to hear the heart beat & the doctor said that everything seemed good. This past Wednesday we got to have another sonogram done. The sonogram lady said that everything was looking great with baby #2 and that he/she is growing perfectly. I am measuring right at 18 weeks which is great news.

This sonogram we could also find out the sex of the baby if we wanted to. We really want to know the sex of the baby, but we decided to again have the sonogram lady write it on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope. We did this with Kennedie and opened it Christmas morning with family to reveal the gender. We have not decided how we want to reveal this time around... so ... it's been sitting on the kitchen counter, unopened, for 3 days now. I thought I wanted to have a gender reveal party with family originally, but life is kinda crazy right now, so I'm not sure. I think I want to just keep it simple. Either way ... one thing is for sure... I'm ready to know. Lantz thinks it's another girl, but I'm still undecided. I can't call it.

What do you think we'll be having?

What do you think we should do to open the envelope? Anything special? Something simple?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

My Little Doodle Bug

2011-09-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Um.... so sorry again for the lack of blogging. So yeah.... about 3 weeks ago little miss Kennedie went to the doctor for her 15 month check up. Her stats rank in as:

weight: 18lbs & 11oz (2%... still itty-bitty)
length: 30.5 (46%)
head: 18.5 (78%- big brain- smart girl!)

Can I just say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stage that Miss Kennedie is in right now. She is so fun! I love it because she is not pushing the "no" as much lately, and she is now signing so much more now. I love that she is learning to communicate and that she wants to tell me different things... AMAZING!

And because it would not be a blog post without pictures of little miss "thang".... and because her mommy can't pick just one:

Playing outside a few weeks ago:

15 Months Today

2011-08-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

WOW! Didn't I just write about my sweet little girl turning 14 months... oh wait, I did.... I was late on that one! Ha! Well, here we go again!

My little Pumpkin-Doodle:

- You are not only running around everywhere, but you are climbing up onto things now. You think you're such a little dare devil! Brave little one.
- You still do not like the word no.... which brings us to our next fun fact:
- You have learned to throw full-fledged temper-tantrums now. Seriously- arms & feet flailing & screaming. You little girl are already in those terrible twos about 9 months to early.
- You still love to go to Bible class, & now you are starting to enjoy even more attention from the teenagers at church.
- You are wearing 12 month clothing now... most of it fitting pretty good, but a few things still a little big.
- Still just 8 teeth, no new ones yet.
-You are still taking two, two hour naps each day. (Except on Sunday when you get one 2 & 1/2 or 3 hour nap.)
- You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your books. It's so cute how you will climb into our laps & just point to all the pictures & listen to us read. Of course you have your favorite books that we tend to read over and over 80 times a day, but it's so cute how you love to sit and "read." Your favorite book right now is Engine, Engine, Number Nine by Stephanie Calmenson.
- You are making more animal "gestures." You will pull your ears & act like a monkey, and you will bang your chest and act like a gorilla, and you will pop your lips and act like a fish... so cute!
- You have recently learned how to bite (and it really hurts), but you have not learned that it hurts mommy & have not learned that you are not supposed to do it. You think it's funny even though Mommy disciplines you after you do it.
- You have turned into a Daddy's girl, which I love seeing. Every time Daddy leaves for work you will cry now because you don't want him to go. So precious.
- You are really starting to recognize people (especially family), and it's fun to see you go to them easily and smile when you see them.
- You love to point out babies when you see them. This makes me happy because I think you are going to be such a great big sister.
- You are going through this phase right now where you really like to be held at home. You tend to cry when we put you down, but you will have to learn that you are growing up and can't always be held.
- You got your very first "boo-boo"... a scrapped knee. I'm sure we'll have plenty more of those.
- Still having a hard time taking pictures of you cause you are way to busy & on the go.... most are blurry or of the back of your head!

Sweet, sweet girl.... I love you so much & I pray every day for God to give us wisdom while raising you. I love watching you learn new things & soak everything up like a little sponge. You are so daring right now & such a little adventurer. I'm excited to see you with your younger sibling, but not wishing away the time we have now where it's just the three of us. You are such a smart little girl. I love you so much and I'm so happy to be your Mommy.

Daddy & Daughter

2011-08-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

This summer...

2011-08-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

- We found out that our family of three was going to grow to a family of four. Can't wait to meet baby #2 in February.
-We went to a family reunion with Lantz's family in Stanford.
- We spent a few days in College Station visiting Lantz's sister & family.
- I celebrated my 28th birthday..... got an AWESOME birthday gift from my sweet husband: a new camera!!! (Nikon D7000) He also got me a logo for my new part time photography business that I'm trying to start up through God's grace.
- I've been helping my sister wedding plan some. She gets married October 29th. I think it's really going to be a beautiful wedding & I think Ellis & Heather will be great together!
- Lantz went to South Texas, on the border of Mexico, with 20 of our high school students for a mission trip. We spent 8 days apart.... the longest I've ever been away from him.
- Lantz & I took 7 of our seniors down to Camp Eagle for a Leadership Retreat for 4 days. While there we: clipped into the side of a cliff with ropes & carribeaners & went horizontal across, we climbed onto a wooden platform over an 80ft cliff & jumped out onto a poll suspended over the cliff, we repelled over a 180 ft cliff, we hiked, we camped out, and we zip-lined on a 200 ft rope in the dark. It was a great experience, & I really think the teens who went got alot out of the trip. (And yes, I did do it all.)
- Lantz & took 8 middle school kids on a mission trip to Fort Worth to work with Healing Hands International, & then we went to Hawaiian Falls Water Park with them.
- Lantz preached last weekend & did a great job.
- We played with our sweet little girl tons!

We have had such a blessed summer! I'll leave you with a picture of our little sweetie:

All about this pregnancy...

2011-08-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well, although I have not been good about blogging, I have been keeping up with my weekly belly "photo shoot"..... I just have been bad about putting them on the blog. So... as you can see I am growing a little in the belly area. I think I'm showing a little sooner than last time, but so many people talk about how quick you "pop out" with the second one that I feel a little disappointed with the growth of the belly. I just feel it's slowly but surely growing.

This pregnancy has already been so different than Kennedie's. With Kennedie I was never sick, and I have been pretty nauseous with this little baby. I seem to be getting past some of the nausea though.... the past few weeks have not been as bad, although I have my moments. Really just the thought of food makes me sick. Not eating... just the thought: planning meals, preparing the grocery list, grocery shopping, preparing food, and cleaning food. So yeah... the whole food process except eating it.

With Kennedie I seemed to have several different cravings for food pretty strongly, but with this little one not so much. There really isn't alot of food that "sounds good"... hence the whole thinking about food thing.

I have been to the doctor twice. The first for the ultrasound- which was so awesome! The baby was wiggling away already and was upside down. Ha! I went to the second doctor's appointment last week and everything looked great again. I got to hear the heart beat- 156.... sweet, beautiful noise to my ears! I have only gained one pound since the last appointment.... I think cause food isn't at the top of the list.

With Kennedie I was so sleepy all the time, and that's the one thing that has been the same with this pregnancy. This is why I have had lack of blogging lately. I typically blog when K is sleeping, but lately as soon as she goes down I have been too. Hey- there is nothing wrong with taking two, two hour naps a day and getting in bed by 9:30. Don't judge- homegirl is tired. This time my body isn't just making a baby it's chasing one around too!

I'm not really sure what I think the sex of the baby will be. I go back and forth. Right now we are just praying for a healthy happy little baby and a normal pregnancy.

We feel very blessed that the Lord is watching over our little growing family and blessing us richly.

14 Months (3 weeks late...oops!)

2011-08-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I know. 3 weeks late. That's pretty bad. To be honest, we've been busy and when I normally blog (while Kennedie sleeps) I have been sleeping :). So... here we are 3 weeks late writing about my little rockstar being 14 months old when she's almost 15 months now. Ha! Oh well... better late than never.

My little Miss at 14 months old:

- There is no more crawling in this house. You are walking, walking, and running... that's right. You are all over the place!
- The word "no" doesn't really phase you. You know what it means, and yet you ignore it completely 99% of the time. You have your own mind and once you've made it up there is no stopping you. I am seeing some difficult "terrible twos" ahead of us in the future.
- You still love to go to Bible class!
- You have been weaned now for awhile. I think you officially stopped nursing a week or two after you turned 13 months. You eat pretty much everything that your Daddy and I eat & you drink your organic whole milk. It took you a few weeks to like the cows milk. We had to add Ovaltine to it to sweeten it up so you'd take it, and then we slowly put less and less chocolate in it and now you drink it plain.
- You are finally wearing 12 month clothing although most of it is still pretty big on you. The pants don't really stay around your waist, and tank tops tend to fall off your little bony shoulders.
- Still just 8 teeth. No new ones yet.
- You still pretty much take two, two hour naps a day still. There are those random days that you don't want much to do with sleeping, but for the most part you are a pretty consistent napper.
- You are so into your books right now. You love for us to read them to you. You just sit in our laps and listen and look at each and every picture.
- It is getting harder and harder to take a picture of you. You refuse to sit still and when Mommy tries to "snap" a quick one you end up blurry half the time. Silly girl.... always on the go!

My sweet little girl, you are just so precious. I love you more than words can describe and I'm so thankful to be your mommy. You are so smart... you learn something new every day and it is so fun to watch you grow. I love how you are a little sponge and you are taking it all in. You have your own mind and don't like to listen when we tell you "no," but we hope that you will grow out of this phase. Thank you for being you. I love you so much baby girl. You are my little pumpkin-doodle.

Surprise!!!!! Double the fun!

2011-07-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

Growing family alert!!!

That's right..... we will soon be having double the fun around our house! Kennedie is going to be a BIG SISTER! Baby number two is due in February and we could not be any more excited!!! (That makes me 9 weeks pregnant!)

Here is a picture of our sweet little itty-bitty from today's doctor's appointment (Little bitty was hanging upside down and even gave us a little wiggle):

The next picture is of Lantz & me the morning we found out. Super special day- it was Father's Day morning- what a great surprise for Lantz! We took a similar picture when we found out we were pregnant with Miss Kennedie!

This pregnancy has already been so different than my first one. I've been sick with this one pretty much every day, and with Kennedie I was not sick at all. I'm not enjoying the constant "hurling" feeling I have all day.... yeah, it's not morning sickness people.... it's all day sickness! But, I will take it! We just feel so blessed that the Lord is growing our family!!!

Again, we are SOOOOOOO excited!!! We would appreciate any and all prayers on behalf of our growing family! God is so good, and we give all praise, glory, and honor to Him.

Last Day of Swim Lessons (Late)

2011-07-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Of course swim lessons have been over for about a month now, but better late than never on the pictures:

Why yes....

2011-07-09T08:52:00.001-07:00

Yes, I do know I am absolutely adorable......

Happy 4th of July (One day late!)

2011-07-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Our little firecracker:

Splash Park

2011-07-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we met our playgroup over at the splash park. I'd love to tell you how much fun Kennedie had running through the water, but I can't do that. She HATED it. She did not want anything to do with that water.... she did however have fun exploring the bugs on the sidewalk, the grass & bushes, and she loved the swing!

That little tiny hinney and those sweet little chicken legs!

Pigtails!

2011-06-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Kennedie wore her first (and only so far) set of pigtails.... I just couldn't stand it- she looked way to big for her britches!

Just....

2011-06-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

looking cute, loving on Cooper, & playing:

My sweet little Miss Thing has been so much fun lately (besides the whole sick thing!)

Swim Lessons

2011-06-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yes.... I know. Swim lessons have been over for a few weeks now. I'm slacking on getting these pictures posted. These were from Kennedie's first day at swim lessons:

We all three had a blast that first day! Each day Kennedie got to learn a new skill, but when she had to go under water it all turned around. She did not like going under the water, but by the last day she got used to it and didn't cry anymore. I can't wait for us to all get to do this again next summer!

Pictures

2011-06-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

from a few weeks ago....

13 Months

2011-06-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well, today my baby girl is 13 months old! Wow. 1 year & 1 month. I don't have a picture of her specifically from today because she is still not feeling very good. This is the first time Kennedie has been sick, and it has taken a toll on her. She seems to slowly be feeling better, but definitely not in the picture taking mood. Lucky for you I have a ton of pictures on my computer from the past few weeks that are dying to make an appearance on the blog.

My little chicka at 13 months:

- You are most definitely walking a lot more lately. You are about half and half... Half the time you walk, & half the time you still prefer crawling. Every day you seem to take more and more steps. You look SO big when you walk!
-You still very much do not like the word "no." I see some definite troublesome toddler years ahead of us. Stubborn like mommy?..... I think so.
- Your Bible class teachers say that you participate so much in class now. They say that you enjoy it all except for the "wind."
- You are in the process of weaning right now. You are only taking one breast feeding a day, and that is first thing in the morning. At first you were not to keen on the organic whole milk, but now you like it just fine as long as mommy and daddy remember to but a little Ovaltine in it.
- You had to go to the doctor a few days ago because you got sick for the very first time. You have a yucky cough, a fever, and a yucky snotty nose. When you were at the doctor you only weighed in at 17lbs and 6.5oz...... really...... only 6.5oz in a month.... you itty bitty thing you. It's definitely going to be several more months til you get to ride in a big girl car seat. For now you are riding just fine backwards!
- You are finally in 12 month clothing, but some things are still pretty big on you.
- You are still blond & blue- eyed with 8 teeth still too.
- You are still napping pretty great- two, two hour naps.
- You are so funny now. When we ask you to show us your muscles you grit your teeth down, make a mean face, and fist up your hands.... SO stinking hilarious!!
- You also now do the sign for "done" when you are finished eating.

My sweet and sassy little girl.... oh how I love you! If words could only describe how I feel about you. You are getting to be so much fun, & such a handful all at the same time. Thank you for being my little girl. I'm so thankful to be your Momma!

Pictures from a few weeks ago.... she is enjoying her new pool that she got from her Papa & Nana:

Reasons for...

2011-06-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

Not blogging lately:
- Family Reunion
-A few of us have been sick here in the Howard house.... aka: Miss Kennedie & me
- Church activities

I have lots of pictures from the last few weeks that I need to get up.... Unfortunately today is not the day.

Too Cute!

2011-06-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther, By: Joan Wolf: A Book Review

2011-06-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther was a very enjoyable read. It was not my first pick, but it was much more intriguing than I thought it would be. I'm not a huge fan of reading things that I already know how they end. I've read the story of Esther in the Bible countless number of times, and so in some ways I thought that I'd be rather bored with this read. However, that was not the case. The author, Joan Wolf, writes this book as a Christian Romance which in turn breathed some new life into the familiar story.

I really enjoyed the main character, Esther. The author did a great job of really allowing the reader to connect to her. I love how the author paints a more detailed picture of how this young girl might have felt to be placed in a "contest" to win the king's heart, & how she might have reacted to the process. It was so fun to watch Esther fall in love with the king even though she didn't think she would. The story really allowed you to imagine that this could have really all taken place as a true love story & not just a "contest." In the beginning of the book it says that Esther is a 15 year old girl, but I had an extremely hard time believing that as I read.... she seemed much older and way to mature for a girl of that age.

I really loved the character of King Ahasuerus. He was came across as a great and powerful king, but one who was compassionate and full of understanding. It was also interesting to see how the villain, Haman, was presented. I like that as a reader you understood his actions & that he was portrayed in a way that allowed one to truly fathom why he did what he did.

I really appreciated the author's research into the region & time period. It was evident that sufficient research had been done to bring about a sense of authenticity. It really allowed me to envision the story in a more simplistic way that helped me to actually understand each character and their actions more.

Reading the Bible story of Esther I always had questions of how women then might have felt about harem's and concubines & I think the author did a great job of showing some raw emotions & how a woman might have truly felt. I think she also did a good job of explaining how these harem women might have come about to the king, & how a man might not have "used" these women.

I wish that the ending had been a bit more climatic. It seemed that the king was a bit to forgiving considering his actions of throwing the previous queen, Vashti, out. I think had there been a bit more tension between Esther and the king after he found out she was a Jew, then it would have added that tad bit more excitement to the end that I think was lacking. Although, it was a very sweet ending, & I'm not complaining about it.

Although this book is based on the Biblical story of Esther one must still realize that this is a work of fiction and that it is not entirely accurate nor might it completely align with the Biblical account or truth of the story. The author did a great job painting a believable story though, but plainly there are obvious points that are not in the original Bible story. However, the author did a great job of allowing one to think.... "something like this might have happened" behind the scenes of the true story of Esther.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Romance novels. I would rate the book a 4 out of 5.

(Thanks to Thomas Nelson publishers & booksneeze for the copy of the book.)

Kennedie's One Year Pictures

2011-06-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of Kennedie's one year pictures. There are tons more on Facebook if you want to see more, but here are a few of my favorites:

Kennedie's 1st Birthday Party- PART 3: Cake

2011-06-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

Kennedie was so funny eating her cake. First off, I think she thought it was strange that there was a huge crowd looking at her and singing. Then, I don't think she really knew what she was supposed to do with the cake.... even though she got practice with her one year photo shoot cupcake (pictures coming soon). Eventually she just put her mouth to the cake and started sucking on it.... it was so cute! Of course it was hard to pick just a few pictures so you'll get much more than you bargained for:

Kennedie's 1st Birthday Party- PART 2: People

2011-06-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to celebrate Kennedie's birthday with family & friends. We were so blessed to be able to share this day with so many people we love & also who love us & our little girl! Here are a few of the peeps:

A big "thank you" to everyone who came to celebrate our precious little girl. We are so blessed to have such amazing friends and family. Definitely the "people" made the party!

Kennedie's 1st Birthday Party- PART 1: Decorations

2011-05-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Kennedie's party was yesterday and it was so much fun! We were blessed by the family and friends who were able to make it & celebrate her first year with us. Her party was a flower party. I'll just let the pictures do the talking..... there are so many that I think I'm going to break it up into different posts. I'll start with the party decor. WARNING: MAJOR PICTURE OVERLOAD!

12 Month Stats & Party Sneak Peak

2011-05-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

I took Kennedie to the doctor yesterday. Poor thing got three shots. Looks like the backward facing car seat won't be going anywhere for awhile. Babies have to stay facing the back until they are 1 year of age and at least 20 pounds. Well, one year she most certainly is, but 20 pounds she most certainly is not. She's just a skinny little thing. She currently weighed in at 17 pounds (2 percentile)... she gained less than two pounds since her nine month appointment. She eats a ton though. Seriously. She tends to out-eat other babies her age who are bigger than her, but that's just how she rolls.... not fat rolls, just rolls. She was however in the 65 percentile in her height- measuring 29 & 1/2 inches long. Wow... and her head.... it's huge. Well, not really huge, but in the 70th percentile at 18 inches. The doctor isn't worried at all because she is growing so much in length and head circumference & she says that both her mommy & daddy are very thin so it's probably just hereditary. And, like I said, I'm not worried because the girl can put back some food.

On other news.... Kennedie's party is this weekend & I'm so excited for it! My friend Crysty designed the party invitations, & I think she did a great job. Check it out:

12 Months- AKA One Year Old!!

2011-05-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's true. I have a one year old. Really. It's hard to believe that it's been a year since getting to meet our sweet little angel. I can remember being in the hospital and being so blown away by this little bundle of joy. Every day I have thought about how blessed I truly am that God picked me to be her Momma. She is incredible.

My sweet Little Miss One Year Old,

- Almost a week ago you took your first steps all on your own. You stood and took two wobbly steps to the coffee table. It was so awesome. Every day this week you've taken a few steps, but you are not "walking" just yet. I think you have probably only taken 4 steps max in a row. We are so proud of you. It's so neat to try to watch you balance.
- You are becoming more defiant, and you like to do things even after we tell you "no." We especially don't like it when we tell you "no" and you laugh and smile and do it anyways.
- You are doing great in Bible class. Your teachers even commented today how great you are getting at participating in class.
- You are still breastfeeding four times a day along with eating your 3 full meals with some snacks in between. You are a really good eater as long as you get to eat what Mommy and Daddy are eating. It seems like lately you don't want to eat anything except what we are eating.... forget that baby food. (You go to the doctor tomorrow, so we will see if you have upped your percentile in weight.)
-You are still wearing 6-9 month clothing, but I think within the next week or so we'll be bumping you up to your 12 month things.
- You are kinda in a weird shoe size. You are in a size 2 but they are starting to get to small on you, we'll move you up to a 3 as soon as possible, but they are still pretty big on you.
- Your hair is still blond.
- You are our little blue eyed beauty..... don't think they are changing.
- You currently have 8 teeth, but I think you are trying to cut a few more.
- You are still napping great. You take two, two hour naps a day, and you sleep great at night!
- You love to watch other babies or small children.
- You finally clapped today for the first time.... (I know, we're a little late on this skill.)
- You are stingy with your kisses. You don't get those precious kisses out very often, but when you do they are the sweetest ever.

Kennedie Danyelle, I can't imagine my life without you. I can't believe that you are already a year old. Some days I wish I could rewind the clock and hold my little newborn Kennedie again, but then you remind me how fun it is to play with my one year old Kennedie. I love to play tea party with you and to dance with you. I love when you laugh so hard. I love when you give me a kiss when I'm not expecting it. I love how sometimes I'm the only one that can make it all better. You truly have become a ray of sunshine that lights up my life. You teach me so much about the love of our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus.

My prayer for you little girl is that you'll continue to grow in the Lord.... that you'll seek Him only and love Him so deeply, that you'll long for a home in heaven, and that you'll serve Him whole heartedly. I pray you will treat others the way you would want to be treated and that when you leave someone's presence they feel encouraged after being around you. I pray that you will treat others with respect and that you will help right any wrongs that you may see. I pray that you will be a hard worker and a genuinely nice person. I pray you will be someone with bold faith willing to share the good news with everyone you come in contact with. I also pray that there is a family out there raising a little boy to be madly in love with Jesus.... that they are teaching him how to serve God, to be respectful of others, to make the Lord's church a priority, to be a hard worker, to be kind, and to be the man who will one day love you in a way that you'll deserve, but more importantly in a way that will continue to drive you into a deeper relationship with your Creator.

Baby girl, you will always have a piece of my heart. I'm so thankful for the last year and I can't wait to see what this next year will bring. I love you....I love you so much. Thank you for being my little girl.

One year ago today:

Earlier today.... a little bit sassier:

Happy Birthday Kennedie!!

Heather Graduates!!!

2011-05-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

One week ago today my sister, Heather, graduated from Harding University. I am so proud of her! She graduated with a degree in Fashion Merchandising.... but that's not all. A few years ago she went part time to Harding and part time to a Redken Cosmetology Salon School and got her license to do hair and make- up. For the past year or so she has worked at a salon while finishing her degree at Harding. Wow. So now my awesome sister has the whole package as far as a degree in style- hair, make-up, and now fashion. I just can't say enough about what a hard worker she is, & how proud I am of her. I love you Heather- way to go!

Here are some pictures from the special day last weekend:

**Side note: First "new" family picture with H's fiance Ellis.**

Heather with her future in-laws.

Sweetness.

Congratulations again Heather; we are so proud of you!!

Pictures From Today....

2011-05-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Bath Time!

It's funny, honey!

Cutie Patooie!

Love this face..... "huh?"

(I know she's a little blurry in this pic, but tell me that is not the most adorable facial expression!

All grins!

Walking!

2011-05-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

....Well, not entirely.... okay, she's taken a few steps on her own, but that counts! Monday, May 16th, will forever be known as the day that our sweet Miss Kennedie took steps all on her own. Without us holding her up, or prodding her on, or encouraging her- she stood up, balanced and made a few steps to the coffee table all on her own. It was so fun! You would have thought that the girl made the winning touchdown for the supper bowl the way her daddy & I celebrated! It was awesome!

I wish I had a picture of some actual walking, or a video, but I can't seem to get one yet- she's not cooperating on that matter just yet. But, here are a few from the past two days:

Crazy Hair

Still her main form of transportation- crawling.... everywhere.

Check out that mullet, with the rat tail in the back- love it.

"Are you talking to me, Mom?"

"Getting my balance.... it helps to keep my tongue out."

Balancing.

"Don't make me fall Cooper!"

It's all so much fun!! And guess what........ My sweet Miss Kennedie is about to be ONE!!! Sunday our little girl will officially be a year old.... I can't believe it. We are in party planning mode for sure- good thing her party is the week after her actual birthday.... gives Momma a few more days for some last minute details.

Slacker

2011-05-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

I know... I have been a major blog slacker lately... and also a slacker in taking pictures of my almost one year old daughter. Here are a few I did find on my camera though:

Eating cereal with Daddy.

Fairer Than Morning: A Book Review

2011-04-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to get Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott in the mail last week. This book was so good. I could not put it down. I think that Rosslyn Elliott might be a new favorite author of mine. Her story was captivating & easy to follow. I loved that there were several different subplots in this book tracking under the main plot, and I love how it all connected. It was very well written, & I like that there was not alot of "fluff" to the book.... every sentence seemed valuable to the story line. I also enjoyed that this book was historical fiction and based on real people.

Ann Miller is the daughter of a master saddler & circuit preacher. Her mother died while giving birth to Ann's youngest sister. At 16 Ann wants begs her father to let her marry her sweetheart Eli Bowen, but her father doesn't comply. At this, Eli is not sure he wants to wait for her. While this story is taking place, across the country Will Hanby (who has lost both of his parents) begins to work for the cruel saddler Jacob Good as his indentured servant.

When Ann travels with her father across country her path intersects with the servant Will Hanby. Ann is struck with sympathy for Will who is beaten and starved by his cruel master. Ann doesn't know how to help Will and after leaving him she continues to think of him. Will eventually runs away from his master & makes his way to the Miller farm to seek refuge. While Will helps Mr. Miller bring slaves to safety he discovers he must stop running and return to his cruel master to keep the Miller family from harm. Eventually Ann is faced with the choice of her suitor Eli's proposal and the handsome Allan Burbridge's inquiries and feelings that she doesn't quit understand for the saddler's apprentice, Will Hanby.

Honestly this book was SOOOOOOO good. Although I would totally recommend this book, there is one part of this book that I didn't like. I didn't like the subplot of Will and a young girl he was helping, Emmie. While Will works for the mean Master Good, he helps Emmie escape the poor house. While he helps her escape her bad situation, he is unable to control his own fleshly desires and sleeps with Emmie. Although Will hadn't completely devoted himself to God at this point it really was a disappointing part to read in the book. As Christian fiction I wasn't expecting that part of the book. Although there is no description of that scene the author still makes it clear what happens. But, I appreciate how the author shows how sin can have consequences and how Will must wrestle with the guilt of his sin and seek the forgiveness of a loving God. Looking back I didn't like reading that part of the book, but now after finishing it I can appreciate the author showing the truth of sin & how broken people can be restored to a loving God.

I would give this book 5 stars & recommend it to others.

This book was provided by booksneeze.com. Thanks booksneeze for the awesome book!

More Easter Pictures

2011-04-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

Easter day picture overload:

As you can tell we had a very blessed Easter.... we were able to worship in the morning & spend the afternoon with family.

Easter

2011-04-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

(More Easter pictures coming soon.)

11 Months

2011-04-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

Really? Seriously? It can't be true?? Only one more month & I will have a one year old? Goodness gracious. My baby is getting so BIG!!!

Sweet baby girl,

-You are so much fun!!!! You love to go, go, go. Whether it's crawling around everywhere, or riding in your stroller. You are such a fast little crawler now a days.
- You are an explorer. You love to get into EVERYTHING.... especially the stuff that you are not supposed to get into.
-Some days are better than others about minding Mommy & Daddy. You fully understand what the word "no" means, but sometimes you do not like to listen. Sometimes we will tell you "no" and you will stop and look at us and stop whatever it was that you were about to do, and other days after we tell you "no" you will look at us, smile, and then proceed to do whatever you want. Silly girl. We will have to work on minding.
- You can balance yourself to stand for a few seconds, but you really don't like to. You kind of get mad when we try to help you to stand. It's like you don't like to do it all on your own even though you can. Oh well, you will just start standing and walking in your own time. Mommy is in no hurry to have you running around everywhere. One day at a time.
- You no longer cry when Mommy leaves you for Bible class. You are such a good girl your teachers tell me. They say that you really have a fun time learning all about God and Jesus and all the things They've made.
- You are still breastfeeding four times a day & also eating 4 solid "meals" a day. You are such a good little eater! This month it seems like you feel a little heavier- maybe next month when we take you to the doctor you will not be in the 2 percentile for your weight anymore. We'll see.
- You are wearing 6-9 month clothes now.
- Your hair seems to be getting blonder still.
- You still have big, pretty blue eyes with Daddy's long eye lashes.
-This month you have cut 3, that's right THREE, top teeth. I think you are working on another one now. So right now you have 5 total teeth. So precious.
- You have been napping pretty great the past month. You have been averaging two long two hour a naps a day. Although, the past few days you have not been taking your afternoon nap very good. You have been crying for a little while before you fall asleep in the afternoon.
- You are so funny.... you growl & kind of yell at us. It's so funny. If we mimic the "growl" back to you then you do it again if louder! You like to get in a yelling/growling duel with us.
- You notice other babies & especially younger children. They capture your attention.

My precious sweet little girl... oh how I love you so much. You are so fun and so silly. Your Daddy and I love you so much enjoy spending time with you. You are constantly learning new things & teaching us about God's love. I love how you look up at me and smile, and how you give big hugs. When I get one of your sweet kisses, I treasure it. You truly mean so much to me and I'm so thankful that I am your Momma. I love you so much Miss Kennedie.

Kennedie & her Cuteness:

2011-04-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Kennedie from the last week and a half that I keep forgetting to post.

Hanging out at the house:

Ummm... this is her new favorite thing to do if I'm not watching her to closely:

Anyone else see Lantz in these two photos, or is it just me:

These next few are priceless to me. I just happened to have the camera out snapping some pictures of Miss K when Lantz got home from work. These 3 are of Kennedie seeing Daddy after he got home from work. Love it:

And finally here is our sweet girl Saturday watching Daddy wash the truck:

Simply Sweet.

2011-04-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

A Camping We Will Go

2011-04-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

"Hi ho the dairy-o a camping we will go"..... or rather we went. Last weekend we went with a few families here at High Pointe church of Christ on a family camping trip. This was Kennedie's first time camping, and she did GREAT! She LOVED the tent. She thought it was so fun that we all got to sleep together. Every time I would take her to the tent she would just smile & laugh... it was so cute that she thought it was so funny. Here are just a few pictures of Kennedie camping:

On the way to my first camping trip!

Helping Dad set the tent up.

Exploring in Dad's backpack.

It's time to wake up Daddy.

Just rolling all around the tent.

First Howard Family Camping Trip: 2011

Precious.

2011-03-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

Kennedie is so precious. Really. With her big smile, & gibbering talk... I just can't get enough of her. Even when she pulls all her books out & gets into the toilet paper.

Vintage Pearl Giveway

2011-03-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hey yall. You have to head over to The Vintage Pearl to check out their AMAZING GIVEAWAY. They have some amazing stuff- and if you've never gotten anything from here then you are really missing out. Check it out.... you never know, you might win.

A Cowboy's Touch: A book review

2011-03-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to review this book from Denise Hunter. As soon as A Cowboy's Touch arrived in the mail I couldn't wait to start it. This was the first Denise Hunter book that I've read, and I was not disappointed in it in the least. In fact after having read this book it makes me want to read some of her other books as well.

This story is about a girl named Abigail. She works for her mom's magazine, Viewpoint, as a writer in Chicago. Her sister is a doctor & prescribes some rest and relaxation for her workaholic sister who is experiencing hypertension. Her mom sends her to Montana for the summer to live with her great Aunt Lucy.

Only being in Moose Creek for a few days Abigail is already bored. She soon meets a young girl named Maddy & begins to help her try to find her missing bicycle. While trying to find the bike it turns out that they young girl's summer nanny quits & Maddy's dad, Wade Ryan, is in desperate need to find someone to watch out for her. Abigail is soon hired on to be Maddy's summer nanny.

Wade Ryan moved to Montana with his daughter after the mysterious death of his wife five years ago. He was a world famous rodeo cowboy with tons of prestigious awards and good looks, but he gave up the life of fame to live in Moose Creek and raise his daughter. No one knows where he disappeared to, and Abigail doesn't even know who he is until she does a little research on her attractive summer boss after one of Aunt Lucy's crazy comments.

As the summer continues on' Wade's walls begin to crumble under Abigail and her tender heart. Abigail allows Wade's home & daughter to flourish in ways they never have. And Abigail also learns that her hear is treading in new territory as she learns to love. Will this love of theirs surpass the secrets that they both carry?

This book was SO GOOD! I could not put it down. I finished it in 2 days. I am a sucker for easy reads & especially sweet love stories and this one was both. I love Nicholas Sparks, but have always hated how almost all of his books have a racy sex scene in it. Well this book read just like a Nicholas Sparks book minus the trashy scene. It was a Women & Faith fiction book in which both characters were Christians, and therefore it was a really clean book which I totally appreciated.

This was a quick, mindless read that I LOVED. My heart fluttered with excitement as I followed Abigail's story... I really did get giddy reading it. I would totally recommend this book to anyone who loves sweet romance books.

(Thanks Booksneeze for the free book!)

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

2011-03-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hey yall! Check out this incredible giveaway that Blue Eyed Freckle is hosting! It is for a gorgeous green dress that is awesome! Head over to Shabby Apple to check out all their great clothing items!

10 Months

2011-03-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! Where does the time go? I know that I write this every month, but time just goes by way too fast. Every day my baby girl is getting bigger and bigger. I can't believe that she is only two months away from being one year old.

My fun little Miss Kennedie:

- You have so much energy & you want to go EVERYWHERE & get into EVERYTHING!
-You are such an adventurer. You still love to climb up on everything, but now you are less cautious about it- which means lots more bumps & bruises. This month you got your first black eye due to you climbing up on an entertainment center at Clark & Lindsay's house & falling into one of the knobs. You also got a big bruise on the same check a few days later by falling onto the windowsill while crawling onto Cooper.
- You don't really like to practice walking anymore.... you'd rather get down & crawl cause it's way faster for you.
- You have balanced yourself to stand for a few seconds without realizing it several different times.
- You are getting better about not crying the whole time in Bible class when Mommy leaves you.
- You are still breastfeeding 4 times a day & then eating solids also 4 times a day. You will pretty much eat anything that you are allowed to.... you especially want to eat it if Mommy & Daddy are eating it. This month you've also had some tastes of some sweet things- ice cream, frozen yogurt, sweet tea, & peach cobbler to name a few. You really like the sweets- just like Daddy!
- You are wearing your bigger 3-6 month clothes & some of your smaller 6-9 month clothes. Mostly 6-9 month stuff now.
- Your hair seems to be blond & you still have those big blue eyes with Daddy's long eye lashes!
- You still only have your two bottom teeth, but today I noticed that you are cutting one of your top teeth.
- For your nap we only have to rock you for a few minutes & then we can lay you down & you'll fall right asleep- even if you are awake when we lay you down.
- You are napping so great! You are averaging 2 long 2 hour naps a day. You sleep from 10-12 & 2-4.
- You can now not only point to someone's nose, but also to their ear.
- Cooper is still your best buddy. You love to pull up on him & play with him so much.
- You still like to put EVERYTHING in your mouth & we have to watch you so closely to make sure nothing bad goes in.... we've already pulled leaves, sticks, & dirt out of your mouth.
- You are really loving books lately. Before you would look at them for just a second or two & then move onto another toy, but now you pull them all off your bookshelf & look at each one intently.
- In the morning when I first get you out of bed you are so cuddly & give me the sweetest little hugs!-

Oh my precious baby girl. You mean the world to your Daddy & me. We are so lucky that the Lord chose us to be your parents. You are such a good little girl & everyday you open your heart up to us. Everyday you teach us more and more about God's great love for us. I love watching you grow & discover new things. It's so fun to play with you! I love knowing that you love me through your hugs, smiles, & out stretched arms. You are my sunshine in so many ways & I can never explain to you how much my heart swells with great love for you.

Lots of sweet pictures from today:

Catch Up

2011-03-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging. Last week we were blessed to hang out with our sweet friends Lindsay & Clark Chance... One of the perks of being back in Texas- getting to be BFF again with one of your BFFs from youth group/ high school/ college/ club! I wish I had a picture. It's great that Lindsay & Clark worship with us, & not only that- they are super adult volunteers with the youth group. They lead the 9th grade small group on Sunday mornings & they went to Winterfest with us. Anyways, we had a great time, but while we were enjoying our evening at their house sweet Miss K decided to do some furniture climbing & pulling up. Well, she bonked... and bonked hard. She got her first black eye. I felt so bad for her. We had to put an ice pack on her eye to try to take down the swelling. Here is a picture from the next day:

I mean, I guess black eyes are things that happen. I think we are in the "rough & tough" age. Kennedie is such a little adventurer. She wants to do it all, & ends up falling... alot. Normally she's good after an initial cry of shock. I guess that this may be the first of many black eyes to come.

This past weekend was SUPER FUN! We drove with the Kimberlins (John, Crysty, & Eli) to Lubbock for some great memories with the Claytons (Daniel, Natalie, Kason, & Max). The boys got to enjoy a round of golf on Friday while we girls hung around the house with the kiddos prepping for Kason's super cute "Round" birthday party. (Natalie did a great job with the decorations!)

Friday night was a surprise for Daniel. Natalie set up a surprise 30th party for him at a super yummy steakhouse. We got to enjoy a night of adults only. Kennedie stayed with a "real" (not her grandparents) babysitter for the first time with Kason & Eli.

Saturday we got to spend some time with another friend in Lubbock, Delwyn. It was great to catch up with him. Then Crysty & I went to Natalie's baby shower for baby Max. We unfortunately we did not get to meet baby Max yet.... he is still in the NICU. (Please continue to lift up baby Max in prayer.) Shortly after that we loaded the car & headed back to Dallas. Of course the only picture I happened to take all weekend was of the sweet kids together. (Hopefully the next we take of them will have baby Max in it too!) On a side note it was so hard to get all the kids in a picture together.... they are all mobile now & most definitely have a mind of their own. Here are a few attempts:

This next one you can see that K's black eye is getting better. She looks so big here:

In home news, Kennedie finally figured out how to "draw" on her magnetic doodle pad all by herself! This was on Monday, so you can see how the black eye is coming along:

Today after her bath she had some crazy hair, and then while Mommy was trying to take a picture of the crazy hair she decided to show off her crazy "crawl away from Mommy" moves (black eye still around, but getting better):

I'll just leave you with some cute ones from this afternoon:

A day of....

2011-03-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

crawling,

batting my baby blues,

checking out my new sparkly shoes,

putting everything in my mouth,

eating puffs,

and stealing Mommy's heart.

How could you not love a day like this?

The Mountains Bow Down: A book review

2011-03-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks I have been reading the book, The Mountains Bow Down, by Sibella Giorello. I have never read anything by this author before, so I did not have any judgments going in. Overall, it is a really good book and I really enjoyed it. I will say that it is not one of the best books I've ever read, but it was a good read.

This book is about an FBI agent, Raleigh Harmon, who is on vacation with her family. Raleigh has many personal things going on in her life including doubts about her fiance & her mother not knowing the truth about her profession. They are on a cruise ship headed to Alaska when tragedy strikes. Judy Carpenter, wife of a famous actor, is found dead hanging off the ship. It is first believed to be a suicide, but quickly turns into a murder case. Luckily for the ship agent Raleigh Harmon is on board ready to take over. She asks for assistance & low and behold the arrogant Jack Stephensan is assigned to the case. Raleigh had worked with Jack previously & could not stand to be around him, but suddenly this attractive man is not as rude as she remembers. This book unravels the crime of Judy Carpenter while allowing a love story to unfold.

Some details:

The book starts with Raleigh already on the cruise ship, & so the story picks immediately at the very beginning. I liked that because I don't feel like the author "wasted time" getting into the plot.

When the author described the murder scene/ suicide scene it was hard to follow because they were talking about types of knots, types of ropes, & ship terminology that I was not familiar with. I had to reread parts over & over to try to understand exactly what was being discussed. Eventually a few chapters later it is all made clear.

The "love story" didn't pick up until around page 70. I wish that it would have started just a little sooner to get me into the book just a little quicker.

About a hundred pages into the book there was a random chase through the woods that seemed a little awkward because they didn't even have any leads yet as to who the killer might be. It just seemed kinda fake at that point.

The author is very attentive to detail in this book. When I got this book to read I didn't realize that it was apart of a "series." Apparently the author has several more books about the main character, Raleigh Harmon. I really appreciate the fact that it was not hard to pick this book up & read without having read any other "Raleigh Harmon Novels" as the author describes them. It was great that I had no trouble connecting to Raleigh & was easily filled in on her life situation. I don't feel that I missed out by not having read any of her other books.

I really enjoyed this book- it was a light and quick read. I would recommend this book to others. 4 out of 5 stars.

(Book was provided by booksneeze.com. Thanks booksneeze!)

9 Month Stats

2011-03-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

I took Miss K to the doctor yesterday for her 9 month check up. The doctor said she looks great & she is developing right on track. She is still very much petite- that's for sure. She only weighed 15.2 pounds (2%- she's at the very bottom of the barrel); she was 27 & 1/2 inches long (43%) &, her head circumference was 17 & 1/2 inches (61%). The doctor said she is growing in all areas and that's the most important thing. She said that she'd only be worried about her weight if her head & length were not growing, but they are. I know that people think she is so tiny, but we think she is perfect. We have no doubt that God has just given us a petite little girl. She eats so much, and in fact will even out eat other babies her age.... she must just have a high metabolism. Anywho- she's small, but perfect! I'll leave you with a few pictures:

All smiles

Pouty face.... gotta love it!