Keeping up with the Madison's

Must haves from Mansfield....

2012-01-30T09:00:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we went to visit my BFF and college roomie Jennie and her family. I hadn't seen her in way too long and as always it was like picking up where we left off(adding some kids here and there though!)

Jennie has always had a knack for decorating. Even in college when my side of the apartment looked like well crap all of the time all of her stuff matched, went together, was kept in great shape, etc. She also has a knack for decorating when it comes to special events, ie birthdays, wedding, etc. One of my all time favorite things she has had was a cupcake stand that her hubby Cody built for their wedding reception. Well with the encouragement of Jennie and many others who have wanted to use their stand Cody has started building, painting and selling a variety of these stands. His latest turqouise stand caught my eye and I am so excited that I am the new owner of it!!! They are offering them on a new Etsy sight that I have included.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/DesignsByDurham?ref=seller_info

The stand is three-tiered but separate and stores ever so easy!

You can add ribbon to the stand, only use some of the tiers, wrap them, etc. If you visit the site you can see pics of when they used them. He is also wanting to start making college colored one so tailgating get ready! I plan on using this Sunday when we celebrate Case's bday with the family. I will be sure to post pictures.

Now of course Jennie uses her amazing talents in their home and I am always so envious of her work and her eye for everything. Inspired by Pinterest and her own ideas, Jennie has put Cody and her brother to work building some awesome custom additions to their house. It is not on their Etsy sight yet but pretty sure the following will be added.....

Chandelier in the kitchen...yes they built, painted, wired, yada yada AWESOME!!!

Custom TV frame on the mantel.

The best part of the weekend however was getting to spend time together just hanging out.

R, M, G, M and C!!

Beautiful momma and her precious honey bees. G & R

G is so cute here, poor buddy was not feeling good but was such a trooper.

I tried to get them all jumping together :)

HI-YA

Yummy dinner for the kids but amazing food for the adults....very gracious hosts

Who doesn't love smores?

Girls loving on Browning

Thank you again Jennie and fam for a wonderful weekend. Can't wait for the next visit. Love you xoxo

Extreme Home Makeover- M&Ms Bedroom Edition!

2012-01-30T08:41:00.001-08:00

Over the Christmas holidays we decided to redo the girl's bedroom. We got new bedding from pbk, had the room painted and ordered a new dresser and chest. The girl's share a room and it had become quite claustrophobic with all of their clothes and other stuff!

Here are the before photos

Mallory strikes a pose!!

The brown dresser was once Lonnie's and I have painted it twice now(used to be black) we moved this in Case's room and now I have to redo the knobs.

We chose the color Wisteria and it came out beautiful!! Here the room had just been painted.

Voila: Mallory's side

Target has the cutest owl line that had decor that went with our pbk stuff!

We got the dressers at Rooms To Go

Love it!!

The room came out even better than I expected. I love how uncluttered it now is and how pretty. The girl's love it too. We are just waiting on one more picture that was out of stock and we need to add a ceiling fan.

Funny Little Man

2012-01-26T18:53:00.001-08:00

Case continues to do and say things that make us laugh. Here is picture of him "planking" and a video where he talks about his favorite breakfast treat!

YouTube Video

Old time Rock & Roll

2012-01-15T18:27:00.001-08:00

I could not resist posting this pic of Case!!! Could he be any cuter? My little risky business...

Madison Family Movie Night

2012-01-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

On Friday night one of the girls favorite shows, Wizards of Waverly Place, premiered a movie that they have been looking forward to for weeks.

The show was the great wizard competition to decide who the family wizard would be. I decided to turn the event into a fun night claiming it:

I got the kids spots on the couch all situated. Mallory likes to sit here(so does her pillow pet, Joy the owl and Maggie the dog)

Morgan likes this corner(as does her pillow pet and Penny the owl).

Case is all set and ready to go in his spot...where are my sisters?

Of course we had to make a place for Meredith and Julie

I went to the store and got stuff for popcorn and ice cream sundaes

Voila...

Here comes the goods(Morgan wanted to take a pic)

Our movie night was a great success. Looking forward to the next one!

Happy New Year- Ags Win!

2012-01-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve we watched the Aggies BTHO Nortwestern at Reliant Stadium. It was great to see the Ags win especially since their last bowl win was in 2001(when Lonnie and the gang still played!)

Our seats were great with the exception of the annoying, had too much tailgating fun before the game, people behind us....

The Ladies: Paige, Me and Jenn

After the game we headed to our hotel in the Galleria. The girls went shopping as I took a much needed nap. It was a tough decision to skip out on the shopping as we were at the Galleria but I was exhausted!

Once we had napped, showered, shopped, etc we got ready for New Year's Eve!

Lonnie, Christian, Evan and Seth

Me, April and Jenn

Leslie and Lonnie

For dinner we went to El Tiempo(quite possibly the best mexican food ever!) and after a great meal we headed to Midtown for the night.

The Realtor Pose....

Billy met up with us after the game to bring in the New Year's

Me and Paige

New Year's was a great night with great friends. If the evening was a foreshadow of the year to come then we are in for a lot of laughs and good times! I am so thankful for the relationships we share with our friends and look forward to the many memories to come.

Christmas Day

2012-01-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

After we woke up Christmas morning and played with our presents we headed over to mamaw and papaws for more presents and more yummy food and my parents joined us to eat as well. My mom in law is such a great cook that it is always a treat to go eat there!

Here was our attempt at a family picture. Madison- Party of 5(6 if you include Meredith, Mallory's doll)

We tried to get one of just the two of us.....peek a boo Mallory

Silly face!! I think Case is getting a few new molars

Mamaw and Papaw and the kids

Case....look over here

We love the silly face pose

The girls got doll outfits and a doll camping set

Evidence that Mamaw's food is yum, yum, give me some!! Case literally licking the banana pudding :)

Christmas is such a fun time when you have kids. To see their faces when they open gifts or wait in anticipation for Santa is priceless. We are extremely blessed to be close to both set of grandparents who can share in those memories as well. I am hoping one day we will get to create those kind of memories will all my sibilings and their families.

Merry Christmas 2011!

Christmas Eve followed by Christmas morning

2012-01-04T08:12:00.001-08:00

This holiday season was filled with fun and excitement. We celebrated Christmas with both parents, went ice skating, saw some movies, enjoyed our adventures with Bob our Elf(photos to follow at a later post), watched a lot of football, went to the Aggie bowl game and brought in the New Year with best friends. The next few posts will share some of those good times. I hope 2012 is a wonderful year for you and your family and may God bless you! (and look for your Happy New Year's cards in the mail)

Christmas Eve we went to Mammy and Papa Marc's to open presents and eat a wonderful meal.

Case loved his car and boat which he can now say both of those.

"Boat, boat"

When we returned to our house I let the kids open their Christmas jammies(much to their disappointment that it wasn't a toy!) and Lonnie and I opened our gifts.

Santa came to visit and the girls could not wait to get up to see the goods.

Santa left the chimney open, moved our snowmen, moved our stockings and filled them up!

Case is saying "Cheese" as he loves to do when taking a pic!

Santa brought Morgan some Monster High Barbies....no idea where or when she decided she wanted these?!?!

Mommy sporting her new jammies from Dad!

Santa brought Mallory a new bike and Case thought it was for him...(just like he thought the Barbie RV the girls got was his "bus, bus" as kept calling it, too funny!

Merry Christmas!!

Flip, Flop, Hooray....Happy, Happy Birthday

2011-12-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we had the girl's combined birthday party at their Gymnastics gym. Let me just say this might have been my favorite party so far!!

Thank you to all of our friends who came!!

This was at the beginning of the party after the kids had stretched and were now hearing the rules. Case was my favorite part of the whole party!! He was so cute doing everything the big kids were.

Case loved the trampoline...

Morgan and her BFF Claire(Claire's aunt is also one my BFFs!)

Hudson and Mallory

Abby(who I love and adore) and Case...they go the same childcare

Mother Hens Bella and Abigail with Case- they take such good care of him

Classmates Rylie(BFF), Makenzie and Mallory

My little monkey

Kate taught Mal this trick

Kate, Mallory and Katie

More classmates...Hannah, Grace and Morgan

Way to represent the fellas...Bryce and William

Morgan, Hanna, Bella and Abigail

Make a wish

Love my birthday girls!!!

Thanksgiving Ups and Downs

2011-12-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving we woke up, loaded the fam and headed over to my parents. My inlaws joined us and we gave thanks over a wonderful catered Luby's meal! It was so good I think that might become a new family tradition :) In all reality the meal would have been homecooked but Lonnie and I were going to the A&M/UT game so we needed to eat earlier and that was an easy solution.

My parents were nice enough to let the kids spend the night so we could go to College Station solo. We headed to College Station around 2:00 and met with everyone at the McKinney's. Our plan was to tailgate prior to the 7:00 kick off.

The Letterman's tailgate was outside which was so nice. Tons of people were there and the atmosphere was great.

Jenn, Paige and Me(I'm really not that much shorter)

Some of the guys

So glad we ran into two of my good friends who coach volleyball and also played at A&M.

Jen, Jenn, Me, Paige, Farah and her cuties!(brave woman bringing the kids!)

We also met up with one of Lonnie's former teammates Joel who had a great spot for his tailgate...right in the parking lot of Kyle!!!

Lonnie, Skinny Seth and Skinny Evan

This really was one of the most fun pregames we have had. Once we got inside the fans, field, and atmosphere were electric.

Letterman's seats are pretty good!! The outcome was obviously very disappointing which led to a not so fun after game.....but as always we enjoyed our time with our great friends and are looking forward to New Year's when the Aggies take on Northwestern here in Houston.

Morgan Elise turns 5!!

2011-11-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, November 9th, Morgan Elise turned 5! She requested pancakes for breakfast so I woke up early to make them. I also brought her class a cookie cake. She was treated to a surprise at school when her mammy(my mom) stopped by with a baloon and presents. Since it was a gymnastics night we had our weekly ritual at Double Dave's following the girl's class and asked my inlaws to join. My parents are both out of town and will celebrate with her when they return!(the girls will have a joint bday party but not until Dec)

How old are you Morgan?
Morgan has been wanting an American Girl doll for probably about the last six months. Here is Julie her new best bud!!

Mamaw and her girls!!

Papaw and Morgan

Case, Morgan and Mallory

The crew minus Case who by this time was running circles around DDs!!

Once we got home and put Case to bed we sang to Morgan and let her have her birthday cake. Lonnie's request for Morgan was yellow cake with chocolate icing....not sure who wanted that more :)

6 birthday candles...5 plus 1 for good luck! Her wish will come true

Mallory has a journey doll named Meredith and she is modeling one of the outfits Mamaw got Morgan's doll for her birthday- luckily they are good about sharing. Morgan is wearing the pink scarf that Mammy made her for her birthday.

Best Friends: Julie and Meredith

I took Morgan in for her wellness check and to say it was an experience is an understatement. When we got there Morgan overheard that she would be getting 3 shots plus flu vaccine up her nose. When the doctor came in Morgan was hiding under the table telling the Dr. no...I told her she wasnt't the one that even gives the shots. After her check up and all was good, the nurse came in with the dreaded needles! Let's just say Morgan is one strong little girl and if you were down the hall you would have heard her screaming. The good news- no more shots until she is 10. I think it might take her that long to recover anyway.

Height: 45 3/4 inches: 96%
Weight: 49 lbs: 91%

I love you Morgan Boo!!!! Happy Birthday

Taylor Swift

2011-11-07T07:16:00.001-08:00

Saturday night the girls & I met Ms. J & Ms. P with K, A, H, H, & B to go see Taylor Swift.

The concert was amazing!!! The girls had so much fun.

Morgan, Abigail, Mallory, Kate, Hannah, Hudson & Bella

Our seats were awesome- way to go Paige & the performance was incredible.

She played for 2 1/2 hours straight! Tons of set & costume changes...

Morgan was in awe :)

YouTube Video

And she was practicing her singing skills!!

YouTube Video

And then surprise guest Nelly came out for a song. Even though I has two worn out children at the end(we got home at 12:30) it was worth it! Great memories created with great friends!!!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year Case was a giraffe, Morgan was Rapunzel and Mallory was Kit the Kat. We invited my parents and inlaws over for some taco soup and treats prior to trick or treating. I am so mad because I didn't get any pics of my parents but they arrived in full costume! My mom was a cat and my dad was a monk!

Here were the kids prior to going out. Case wasn't too sure about his costume to begin with and was also nearing his bedtime so I didn't quite know how the night would end up.

Once we got outside Case loved going up to each house. If there were lights, music, scary stuff he just stood and checked everything out.

Vixen!

Here is Papaw in his scary mask which Mallory loves! He hid behind the cars and scared the kids....too funny!

Posing at a neighbors

Cutest giraffe ever...thanks to cousin Colton that wore this costume when he was little

Leaving the first house!

Case didn't want any help putting candy in his basket, he wanted to do it all himself

Hello? Trick or treat...I got Morgan's wig online and was soooo happy with it. Best wig ever

Mallory, Morgan, Wait for me!

Sweet Sisters

Daddy made it home just in time to trick or treat- YAY dad!

Madison's Halloween 2011

Go Go mom and her girls!

What good grades and good conduct can get you.....plus some other fun stuff

2011-10-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

At the end of the summer Mallory had started to express some interest in getting her ears pierced. She asked Lonnie and he said it would be up to me(he was a little hesitant and didn't really know how to answer) so I thought about it and made a deal with Mal. I told her if she earned all Es and all As the first nine weeks of school then we would go get them pierced. On Friday she found out she had achieved that so off we went to get them done.

We first went to Sweet and Sassy and of course you had to have an appt so that annoyed me and I called Claire's at the mall. No appointment needed so we headed over there.
Mallory anxiously awaiting and with support from Morgan! Mallory did great. She only cried one tear and I think that was more out of her nervous anticipation. She picked out 14k white gold earrings with her December birthstone.

I asked Morgan if she ever wanted hers pierced and she said when she is 7. Mallory then informed her she would have to earn them....too funny.

Morgan always manages to find something silly.

Last week Mallory had her storybook parade at school where all of the students get to dress up as a character from a book that they bring to school. Morgan is going to be Rapunzel for Halloween so Mal borrowed her wig and used an old costume and brought the book Tangled. This is Mallory and her BFF Rylie

Morgan is "Pick of the Week" this week in her class so we had to make a poster with things that she likes. She picked out all of the accessories for the poster and I picked out the pictures.

Morgan's information on her poster:

Favorite food- spaghetti and meatballs

Favorite color- blue

Something she is good at- swimming

Favorite thing to play with- barbies

Something that might surprise people- she is good at the Wii( I wanted her to tell the class that she can be really mean but she didn't want them to know that! lol)

When she gets in trouble she- says I'm sorry

When she grows up she want to be- in a rock band

Siblings- Case and Mallory

Favorite thing to do at school- play in the housekeeping center with her friends

We always need a silly face :)

And I couldn't resist this picture of Case. I tried a few without the paci but this one was the best. Case is now 20 1/2 months old. Compared to the girls at this age he is my long, lean machine. He eats a lot but is a skinny minny. He is starting to add a lot more words to his current vocab which include: football, pizza, papaw, mammy, papa, choo choo, book, eat, milk, these are just a few. Case is still obsessed with cars and is starting to like trains. He is a very sweet boy who I love to pieces.

My BFFs and a house divided

2011-10-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago one of my best friends from high school came to Austin to visit her sister. Sarah currently lives in Jackson Hole so I don't get to see her that often and decided to make a trip to catch up.

Sarah and I played club volleyball together my junior year and she played college vball at Colorado.

Here are the kiddos: Morgan, Case(not sure what he is doing), Mallory, McKade(Sarah's nephew), Finn, Owen and Blake(Sarah's niece)

My girls and Sarah's boys...sorry for the sun!!! Thank you to Sarah's sister Karin for the hospitality. Although the visit was short it was great to see my Sarah Barah!!

Now rewind back to the beginning of football season when SMU took on the Aggies. It was so exciting to see the Mustangs at Kyle Field! Although they lost I was wearing my blue in a sea of maroon. I also got to see three of my college teammates who were also supporting the Stangs.

Shelley, Me, Janna and college roomie Jennie

I figured it was only fair to divide the kids!

Gig Em Aggies and Go Mustangs!

Pics from the park

2011-10-24T07:51:00.001-07:00

The other morning the kids & I rode our bikes to the park & I snapped some pics.

I love Morgan's choice of outfit!

Swinging with my sis

See-saw siblings

Peace out!

Morgan informed me when she grows up she wants to be in a rock band....guess she is practicing her pose!

Case- look at mommy...

Silly kids!!

OCD...or in our "Case" the C stands for cars

2011-10-12T07:23:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to blog about Case's car obsession for a while now so I have been trying to capture as many pics/videos to fully demonstrate how much he loves them!

Here is buddy at Must Be Heaven. His lunch came in a car box & he was soooo excited.

Notice his hot wheels he brought from home.

Enjoying dessert :) & loving on each other...

Back to the cars....
Evidence Case has been playing in the kitchen

In the tub

YouTube Video

On the ottoman...

In the highchair... Yes he is passed out & yes with two hot wheels in his hands!!!

And last but not least his favorite book given to him by Aunt Jodie.. Trucks & Cars & Things that go!

Case loves to sit in my lap & read this. He even wants to sleep with the book along with his hot wheels. And now when Case sees a car or truck on TV he makes a point that we all see it too. I love to watch the differences between Case & the girls and this car obsession is one of them!!!

Rewind...

2011-09-21T08:42:00.001-07:00

So I am pretty behind on blogging but as I say with most things- better late than never! In July we had our annual "friends trip" and this year was adults only to Vegas.

We stayed at Caesars which lived up to it's billing of great pools!!

This is where I spent most of my time :)

Paige, me & Jenn

Paige was able to get us in the night club at Caesars & although we weren't there long we did get some great shots of the surroundings.

We ate GREAT food while there, shopped & saw David Copperfield at the MGM.

Lonnie, Seth & Evan

McKinneys, Perronis, Madisons

An of course a little black Jack poolside. Gotta love Vegas!

1st day of school 2011-2012

2011-08-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

And so it begins....another school year! Mallory started 1st grade today at a new school. Last year she attended the school our neighborhood feeds Buckalew but this year due to my schedule she will attend the elementary right next door to the high school Powell. She gets to ride to school with me and then take a bus from the high school to her school and back after school. It works out great and she is very excited since her bff from TWHS childcare attends there.

Morgan has one more year at TWHS childcare so she gets to ride with me to work too and I get to see her whenever I want. She had quite the growth spurt this summer and childcare has a lot of "newbies" so let's just say she looks a little out of place!! But she is very happy to have her sister back in the car rides!

Case is not pictured but is at the same in home childcare that we took Morgan to when she was little. It is a street away from the high school so I feel very blessed that all my kiddos are super close by. Good luck to everyone this school year!!

Pottery & Play

2011-08-17T19:40:00.001-07:00

Since summer unofficially ended for me August 1st(start of vb season) I decided to take the kids to a few places before their summer ends. I had promised the
girls we would go to Potteryland. After visiting the dentist we stopped by. The girls got to pick out the piece of pottery they wanted & then the paint colors. An apron, brushes, paint, etc were all provided. They had such a good time I'm sure we will go again.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Once you finish painting you leave the pottery for a few days & when you return to pick it up they have it glazed & set for you.

The finished product:

Ariel & the Owl

Next up on our outings was a trip to a new indoor play area in The Woodlands called WonderWild. I read an article about it in the Villager so I thought we would check it out.

Mallory, Case & Morgan at the top

Case & Morgan at the very top- Case changed his mind until I went down with him.

I love things that go!!

My review: great for toddlers & great set up to where you can keep an eye on your kids. Both Case & the girls had fun. Negative $10 for all kids walking & $8 for non-walkers. Head down to pump it up for not even half the price & kids are just as happy!

Case turns 18 months!

2011-08-09T19:56:00.001-07:00

Today Case turned 18 months. I actually took him to the doctor yesterday because for the past week he has not been himself. To my surprise nothing was wrong but a little cold. I decided to treat him to some baskin Robbins after the appt since I started volleyball last week & have been super busy :(

To say he enjoyed it would be an understatement. I have loved being with my little man this summer- makes starting work no fun!! Case was 26 lbs(53%) and 34 in(91st%). He says momma, mommy, dadda, uh oh & recently ma-yee for Mallory. The doctor said since he is the 3rd and a boy talking probably won't be for a while. No problem...grunting, pointing, yelling etc seems to get his point across. Case has also loved swimming this summer.

YouTube Video

Tonight I also won out first match of this season so happy 18 months Case- that win was for you!!

New tricks...

2011-07-24T19:10:00.001-07:00

The last time Mallory took a gymnastics class Morgan was Case's age. Now that Mal has some cousins that are involved in it she has wanted to do it again. So I signed up both girls for the next year at a new place near our house. Let's just say we have been to one class & our game room is now a gymnastics gym. Case continues to try & keep up with his sisters as evidence below:

YouTube Video

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We have also been swimming all summer & I caught Case on camera trying to demonstrate his complete lack of fear...

YouTube Video

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I promise that the "crying" at the end of this video was totally fake as evidence by Case jumping off the side seconds after I turned off video.

Happy Summer!!

Monkey see, monkey do

2011-07-20T06:34:00.001-07:00

This morning the kids & I sat down to eat breakfast. I made waffles for Case, & cereal for the rest of us. As the girls & I started to eat, Case refused to eat his waffle- pointing to our cereal. So I decided to let him try his first big boy bowl of cereal with milk and let him feed himself.

Great job buddy!! And I love that his car is along for the ride.

Family Time & Fun at the Pool!

2011-07-06T09:19:00.001-07:00

Since we got back from Disney our days have been pretty routine: Wake up, eat breakfast, lounge around house, eat lunch, go to pool, eat dinner, bath, bed.

It's been great to hang out as a family and not have anything to do.

Even the dogs have been lounging

Case is yet another water baby & of all 3 has even less fear about the water. He goes under, jumps off the side, goes down the slides, etc.

YouTube Video

For the 4th one of Lonnie's bffs Christian(former teammate) came in town. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics but we did have a great dinner at Lupe with him, other buddy Billy & the Perronis!

On the 4th we did more swimming & went to the inlaws for great food & celebration.

Lonnie's cousin Paula with the crew

Happy Summer!!

Like Father, Like Son

2011-06-27T11:51:00.001-07:00

First cut with the clippers!! Look at all that hair.

Voilà...

So stinkin' cute!! And so grown up

Here is the before....lots of locks taken off

Florida Family Vacay 2011- Let the Good Times Roll

2011-06-20T21:57:00.001-07:00

About a year ago my parents put the idea out to the entire family that if we wanted to do a trip to Florida they would provide the house if we could get there. Everyone except my oldest sister Sharon were able to commit(and we sure missed them- hopefully next time!!) We were already planning on going to Disney so we were in. They used VRBO(vacation rental by owner) and found an awesome 7 bedroom house with screened in pool about 10 minutes from Walt Disney World.

After months of anticipation we headed for Florida on Saturday, June 11. We left at 3 am to try to ensure some more sleeping from the kids. My nieces were in town already(their parents would fly in on Tues) so they rode with my parents and we caravanned to our first stop in Fort Walton Beach.

Dad the Driver

Girls all set watching a movie

First stop- Cracker Barrel of course! Boy did we pass a lot of those

Morgan, Lainey, Taylor, Case and Mallory

As you will see in my post on the way home Case is not much of a car sleeper- here is one of only two times he slept which totaled about 2 hours!

We were able to distract him for literally about 2 1/2 hours with his Tonka truck and finally he passed out.

We stayed at the Sheraton Four Points in Ft. Walton where the kids got to swim. Taylor, Lainey, Mallory and Morgan

Dolphin posing

Silly Face

The girls only went in the water for a few minutes but man was it pretty- just like Galveston??? ya right

Case wanted to stretch his legs and get in the pool

What's up Mom?

Water Babies!

World's Greatest Dad

On Sunday we would wake up and head for our final destination Kissimmee, Florida. My sister and her kids flew in that evening. Monday we relaxed at the house and let the kids swim all day. Tuesday was show time- see next few posts :)

Florida Family Vacay 2011- Where Dreams Come True

2011-06-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we headed to Magic Kingdom with the kids. I was so excited for them to get to experience everything. We took Mallory when she was 18 mos but I knew it would be much different this time around.

I wish I had Morgan on video talking about everything. She was soooo excited and in awe when we saw Cinderella's castle. If you look closely you can see Mickey and Minnie as they were performing when we got there.

My princesses

First person we met: Stitch

Mallory wanted to ride the dumbo ride but the line was ridiculous- she settled for a picture

And her and dad did the tea cups

A rare time where Case actually snoozed

We love Ariel

I wish I had taken more pics on Day one. The day started off a little rocky as Morgan, Mallory and Lonnie first rode Big Thunder Mountain. It is a roller coaster but the height requirement was well under what the girls are so I thought it would be no big deal. Well long story short- Mallory loved it and Morgan was traumatized. So much so that she cried through the next ride too Pirates of the Caribbean(which is hardly a ride) luckily It's a Small World and some ice cream saved the day! She loved the rest of everything.

Mallory as I said loved the coaster but was not a fan of Splash Mountain. Her and I rode that together and she informed me it was way too high. We made it in the heat from about 9-4. I couldn't believe how good the kids were. When we got back to the house they got to swim with all of their cousins so it was a great day. Even better was the fact that Lonnie and I went back to the park after we put the kids down. We got to see the parade, awesome fireworks and ride Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. We also tried out some things to see if the kids would like them for our return the next day. It was a great evening for just the two of us to act like kids ourselves!

Florida Family Vacay 2011- Magic Kingdom- Take 2

2011-06-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

Day 2 we headed back to Magic Kingdom this time with the rest of the fam. Since we came the day before we knew what we did and didn't want to hit up. Here is the crew after the Buzz Lightyear ride.

My precious honey bees

Ellie and Morgan

Colton, Morgan, Ellie, Lainey, Mallory, Taylor and Case

Mallory and Donald at Frontierland

One of my good friends Kenna had told me about the Bippity Boppity Boutique in Cinderella's Castle. Each "princess" is greeted by Fairy Godmother's in training and are given an invitation. They are then asked to choose from 5 different hair styles what they would like. This was definitely one of the highlights for my girls!

Princess Ellie

Princess Mallory

Princess Morgan who LOVED getting eye shadow and chose a traditional "up-do"

Voila...hair, make-up and nails

Mallory chose what we called the Avatar Princess look! Here she was making a wish as she was getting fairy dust sprinkled

They went a little heavy on the blush but I wiped some off ;)

My beautiful girls

The three amigas

So much fun to get pampered!

After we got home our plan was to return to the park for the night parade and fireworks and to ride a few more rides with all the kids- the weather had other plans and that proved to be the only negative of the trip. Next time!!

Florida Family Vacay 2011- Disney Hollywood Studios

2011-06-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we decided to check out Disney Hollywood Studios. This was our third day in a row to go to a park so we were hoping for more shows and a little less walking. We were in luck!

Hollywood Studios focus is the movies. The streets look like sets, there is more shows that you can watch and a few cool rides.

We got to meet some characters and see some real Disney artists at work. Case loved meeting Pooh bear. We got him giving a kiss on video- too cute.

The Incredibles

One of the streets made to look like a movie set

The background is a huge painted wall

Record temps in Florida made for some hot, worn out kiddos and parents :)

Aunt Becca and kids

Mr. Potato Head inside the Toy Story ride. It was an interactive 3D game that was tons of fun.

Pluto is still awake but Morgan not so much

Another cool thing they had was a Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Everything was huge. Here are the kids in front of a giant-sized Tinkertoy. Mallory, Taylor, Morgan, Lainey, Colton and Ellie

This could have been Case's favorite place! He explored every nook and cranny.

Here he found the wall with water trickling down and managed to fall in the puddle he was standing in. He got soaked but I didn't mind as it was so stinkin' hot outside.

More fun in the water

Such a boy!!

I have to thank Lonnie here because he watched our kids at the house after a long day at the park so I could go back that evening with my parents, brother's fam and sister's fam. I was able to ride Tower of Terror and the Rock-n-Roller Coaster with my sister and watch the Fantasmic show which was so much fun. Wish I had pictures from the rides as they were classic!

Florida Family Vacay 2011- End of the road

2011-06-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

The last day of our trip we stayed at the house and let the kids swim all day. After three days at Disney I welcomed the rest. My sister and brother were flying out on Saturday and my parents were driving- stopping half way. We decided to drive straight home so we planned to leave around 3 am in hopes of keeping kids asleep and getting home at a decent time.

The Crew on our last night: L to R- Aunt Becca(my sis), Mallory, Lainey(niece), Uncle Brent(my bro), Morgan, Aunt Laurie(sis-n-law), Papa Marc(dad), Lonnie, Case, Me, Mammy(mom), Taylor(niece), Colton(nephew) and Ellie(niece)

Cousins... We missed our Aunt Sharon, Uncle Ro and four cousins who weren't able to make it- hopefully next time

Outback Steakhouse

Aunt Becca, Me and Lonnie

I always make them do the silly pose

Dessert- didn't last long :)

Aunt Becca and her cutie patooties! Ellie and Colton

Madison- party of 5!

Such an awesome trip for the kiddos. Thanks Mammy and Papa Marc for making it happen.

Mo, Ells, Mal, Tay, Lainey and Colton

Silly again

Adult pic

As I said our plan was to create a sleeping environment on the way home. Well it worked for Mallory and Morgan. Case.....not so much. Of the 15+ hour ride home Case slept 2 hours!!! The rest of the time he talked, cried, or just needed constant entertainment- ahhhh here is a pic of him passing the time :)

This sums up the trip- worn out! But seriously a great family vacay and lots of great memories

Birthday fun for everyone!!

2011-06-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

For Lonnie's birthday we planned a last minute get away to College Station. Robert Earl Keen was playing at the Texas Hall of Fame in Bryan so we decided to go for the night. Seth also has a birthday in June so we made a celebration out of it.

We got the kids to bed, had a sitter come over(sound familiar?) and headed out for some boot-scootin'

Such a handsome hubby I have :) eat your heart our ladies!! haha

The next day we spent hanging out at The McKinney's. The kids LOVED the entertainment. Here the girls are trying to entertain Caser.

Mallory and Abigail

Morgan and Abigail

The crew: Kate(8), Bella(almost 4), Hudson(6), Hannah(4), Morgan(4), Abigail(6), Mallory(6)

Yeah...we added Case!!

Madison girls

Mal, Abigail, Morgan, Hannah

Added Bella

Perroni siblings

Poor Hud- Mallory loves that boy

Highstepper Camp

2011-06-20T17:36:00.001-07:00

My good friend Deanna is the director for our drill team called the Highsteppers. They are so incredible and I can't begin to describe the things they do. Every year they have a summer camp and Morgan was able to attend this year with Mallory. We also had our niece Lainey join us!

Cousins at dance camp

Silly face

Morgan and a Highstepper

Mallory, Lainey and Morgan

Waiting to perform. For some reason my video is not working and I can't upload the dances yes plural dances...they taught the little ones four dances in four days and on the last day the had a show off. As soon as I can I will figure out how to upload because they were so funny!

Memorial Day in Steiner Style

2011-06-20T16:51:00.001-07:00

Forgive me for the lack of posts lately as I have about 10 I need to catch up on. We have had a very busy past month and it all started with Memorial Day. I will continue to catch up with Lonnie's bday, Highstepper Camp for the girls, cousins in town and our family vacay to Disney World! Hope you enjoy.

For Memorial Day we headed to Austin- becoming like our second home this year- well that and College Station! Anyway we headed to see our bff's The Gillenwaters once again for some fun filled family and adult time. Our other bff's the Perroni's joined us too.

The first day we got there we headed to the neighborhood pool. The G's live in Steiner Ranch which reminds me a lot of the Woodlands just minus all the trees however it is a beautiful place. All the kiddos ready to go: Hudson(6), Morgan(4), Bella(4 next week), Taylor(5), Mallory(6), Kendall(6) and Case(16 mos)

After fun in the sun we got the kids down, had a sitter come over and it was time for the adults to have playtime! 3 hot mommas if I do say so myself- Tif, Jenn and Me

We went to Steiner Steakhouse which overlooks Lake Travis and the food, company, band, etc was AWESOME!!

Evan and Jenn

The Ladies

Tiffany and Lonnie

The Fellas

Day 2 we woke up(slowly I might add ;) and headed to Lake Travis with the kids for the day. Taylor, Bella and Morgan

Mallory and Kendall

The Moms

Mallory and according to her future husband Hudson

Such a pretty lake and so much fun!

Case and me- the only negative of the trip was Case not being the happiest camper on the Lake. It was a little too cool in the water and he would not sleep. Made for one worn out momma- but who couldn't love that face anyway!

Noodle race. Thanks again the G's for having us- you are always such gracious hosts and we are so blessed to have such amazing friends.

Aggie Spring Game- a few months later :)

2011-06-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Better late than never on this post! Back in April we attended the annual Letterman's reunion and Aggie spring game. As always we had a great time with Perroni's and McKinney's.

Madisons- Party of 5!!
Lonnie and one of his BFF Christian with future Aggie football player Case Patrick :)

The Crew: Morgan(4), Kate(8), Hud(6), Mallory(6), Abigail(6), Hannah(4), Bella(3-soon to be 4!)

Silly Face

They had a BBQ before the game. Thanks to Paige she had gotten the girls some Aggie gear for their bdays so they all got to match :)

M & K

A & M

B & H

On Friday night prior to the game they had the Letterman's reception. It was at a place called Britt Rice Party Barn. Let's just say I wish I was related to this guy because the property was amazing. Lots of land with a lake and a giant barn that literally is just for "partying"

Jenn, Jen, Me and Paige(all hubbies played together and my friend Jen played vb at A&M and is a vb coach)

In the barn it had all of these really cool signs and I found this one!

Thanks to the McKinney's for their hospitality! We had so much fun

Cleaning with a little dancing

2011-05-20T06:38:00.001-07:00

Case decided to clean up around the house the other day. Lonnie said he must be copying the sitters because he isn't mimicking us!! He also shows off a few of his dance moves. I am hoping to catch more of that on video because it is hilarious.

YouTube Video

Well Check

2011-05-17T06:44:00.001-07:00

Last week we had Case's 15 month well check appt. As soon as the nurse walked in he started crying which seemed funny since he has hardly been to the doctor.

Case waited for his shots while checking out the rain.

Stats: 23.13 lbs(40%), 32 inches(77%)

When he got the shots both girls left the room because they didn't want to see/hear him cry.

I compared Case's stats to the girls & both were bigger than him at 15 months which makes daddy a little sad & nervous that his sisters will be bigger! I will say Morgan was a hoss. She was an inch taller & 3 lbs more than Case at this age. Too funny

Next check up 18 months but no shots, always a bonus :)

Milk Mayhem...

2011-05-10T07:27:00.001-07:00

So this morning I was in my bathroom French braiding Mallory's hair. I told Morgan to go check on Case while he was eating in his high chair. I then heard Morgan yell, OMG!! Mom come here... Well I was in the middle of braiding so I said I'd be right there. As I finally got to the kitchen this is what I found:

Milk mayhem!!

Look closely- it's all over...

Upon further inspections windows & walls were included...

Not to mention floor, more walls, kitchen table, kitchen chairs, etc, etc, etc!!!!

All the while Case laughing & quite enjoying himself. :) such a boy

Happy 15 months!!

2011-05-09T07:22:00.001-07:00

Today my sweet Caser is 15 months old! I can't believe how fast time flies. Case is such a good baby. Below are some fun facts & pictures from last few weeks.

Morgan also loves her Case very much & forgets he is not a toy but a baby. In these pics Morgan had picked up Case, tripped & he bumped his head. OUCH! The problem is Case adores Morgan & laughs at her all the time so it is a bit encoraging for Mo.

I'm a big boy now :)

Riding my horse

I love this picture. Such a handsome fella.

This past weekend we went to CS and went to the circus. Here is my ladies man with the McKinney girls & his sistas

and if you are bad at Mammy's this is where you go.... Haha jk, Case crawled in, shut the gate & had himself a great time.

Fun Facts:
Food: Eats anything & everything. Favorite fruits are bananas, blueberries & strawberries. Loves pasta, pizza, nuggets, green beans, broccoli & milk. Sweet tooth like his dad. Case will often grunt or whine if we are eating & he wants some of it!

Sleep: Great sleeper!! Morning nap, afternoon nap & sleeps 12-13 hours a night. The best part is he can sleep anywhere & only takes about 2-3 minutes(if that) to put down.
Typical boy- loves to eat & sleep!

Teeth: at least 12. Front & bottom four plus two molars top & bottom.

Playtime: If it has wheels Case likes to push it. Cars, trucks, you name it. He also likes to take things in & out of stuff. Lastly he likes to color or write on things & wrestle with his sisters.

Happy 15 months buddy.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T09:33:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we celebrated Easter with friends & family!

On Friday we spent the day at our neighbors lounging & swimming. We didn't leave until 10 that night so needless to say it was a lot of fun.

Cannonball Mallory

Cheerleader Morgan

Unfortunately Saturday Lonnie got the stomach flu so I took the kids to our Easter service at church. Morgan loved the decorations.

Sweet sisters..thanks Mammy fir the outfits

Easter Sunday we went to my inlaws. It was decorated beautifully.

Case didn't quite understand the egg hunt.

Look Mom- here is one

I found it!

Pretty pose

And what Easter would not be complete without brushing our teeth in the sink!! Haha

Little Hoarder

2011-04-14T13:54:00.001-07:00

Case has decided he likes to collect and hide things. His new favorite spot besides behind one of the curtains in my room is the trash can! Check it out :)

YouTube Video

Bluebonnets 2011

2011-04-12T08:40:00.001-07:00

We had the pleasure of having my good friend Sarah T take our pictures again- this time in the Bluebonnets! (she also took our Christmas card pics) Below are just a few of my favorites.

I decided to let the kids just be silly and wear whatever and just have fun. Case was soooo cute.

"What mom? You think I am adorable??"

This one could be my all time favorite- silly belly shot!

I would love to know what he was so excited about!

His shirt says it all....

MMC- my precious honey bees

The best part of this picture was they were totally wrestling right before

Fun

Of course I am biased but my Morgan is so beautiful!!

A little ring around the rosie...

Thanks again Sarah....LOVE them!

Austin Take 2

2011-04-12T08:38:00.001-07:00

We took a last minute trip to see our friends The Gillenwaters in Austin this past weekend. As always a great time had by all.

Saturday evening we went to the Oasis "compound" as I like to call it. It was a beautiful evening on Lake Travis.

The girls were so cute and we ate at this yummy new BBQ place.

Silly faces! Kendall, Mallory, Taylor and Morgan

Case getting some lovin' :)

Wiggled reunites with Wobbles

2011-04-12T08:32:00.001-07:00

Mallory lost Wiggles her second baby tooth the day after Wobbles. Mallory let Mammy try one time to pull it out and voilà!!

Mallory's Field Trip

2011-04-12T07:57:00.001-07:00

Last week Mallory had her kindergarten field trip to the Oil Ranch. Lonnie & I were both able to attend and had sooo much fun.

Here was our group of girls.

Mallory is a bit taller than most of her classmates :)

Feeding the animals which were so sweet.

Riding a horse

Milking a cow

Eating their snow cones.

Trying to get dad in on the fun but he wasn't really havin it!!

I would recommend to all my Houston friends a trip to this place this summer. We got to feed the cows/longhorns right out of our hands and in the summer they have a splash pad for the kids, train ride, hay ride, swings, climbing things, etc. Lots of fun for the fam

Lost tooth and big fish

2011-04-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend was full of firsts. About a month ago Mallory's bottom two front teeth became loose. We named them Wiggles and Wobbles. Well this morning Wobbles fell out!! Mallory was getting ready for church and we were talking and out it came. She was soooo excited!

It is hard to tell that she is missing one because Wiggles is just as loose and dangling in the way.

Here is Mallory's tooth fairy pillow that Aunt Becca gave us a while back. Mallory said to me that she wanted to keep her tooth since it was her first so she wanted to write the tooth fairy a note. The note went something like this..."Dear Tooth Fairy, you can leave a gift but also please leave me my tooth." She taped it to the pillow! Love it.

On Saturday my in laws took the girls fishing for their first time. When I saw the pictures of what they caught I almost fell out!! These are the catfish that both Mallory and Morgan caught.

When Mallory was telling me about fishing she kept saying that she "literally"(her new word) almost fell in the pond. Once I saw the catfish I understood why. Papaw said the girls did great and were quite the fisherwomen. I was totally suprised to hear that they watched them clean and gut the fish and it didn't even phase them. Not sure if I would be that way.

Love the look in this one. The best part was Mamaw and Papaw did a fish fry today with the catfish the girls caught. I think it was a sense of accomplishment for the girls as they ate the fish up.

Thanks Mamaw and Papaw for their first fishing trip. The girls had the best time.

First love and he doesn't even know it!!

2011-04-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry ladies, this man is spoken for!

Case and Kylie

I promise to get some better shots next time but these two are soooo cute.

Good times on the swings

Weekend getaway to Austin

2011-04-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to coordinate a weekend to go see some of our BFs the Gs for a while now. Finally we were able to schedule a weekend.

We had so much fun hanging out. I meant to get picks of the adults but didn't. Here are some of the girls though:

Silly faces. Mal, K, Morgan and T

Palette Sleepover

Sweet girls! We had so much fun visiting. What I love about the Gs is we can just hang out at the house, don't have to have tons of plans and always have the best time. Look forward to next time :)

St. Patrick's Playdate

2011-04-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

Brynn chased a possum up our tree. It was there pretty much all day. We enjoyed possum watching.

But the real reason for my post was our playdate on St. Patrick's day. We went to the park with some friends and had snacks and fun!

LOVE this picure! W's shirt is perfect as he has his ladies!

W again wanted to get in on the action with Morgan, R and Mallory- too funny

Morgan, R(Mallory's best friend) and Mal

So Case is officially a typical boy. He found the sand and it was all over from there.

Yes Case, you are totally charmin!!

Oooh sand, feels good

Momma C and H.

W, Momma S and A

Thanks to our friends for the fun

Videos

2011-03-15T17:35:00.001-07:00

Mallory & Morgan at the driving range. Great shot by Mal & Morgan had to take a potty break!

YouTube Video

I was quite impressed with the girls since this was only the second time they have ever been. I love how Mallory tries to do it correctly & Morgan uses her brute strength!

YouTube Video

As you can tell not much going on this spring break but Case did help me organize a bit!!

YouTube Video

I only had to show him once that Tupperware can also be a hat, he tried them all :)

Family pictures

2011-03-11T09:32:00.001-08:00

When I got pregnant with Case I signed up for a portrait package that included maternity, newborn, 6 month and year photos. I just got back the proofs from our last session. A lot more difficult to get all 5 of us smiling but there were some really great ones.

If you would like to check them out follow steps below. They are only up through Monday, FYI.

Go to
http://www.trueexpressionsphotography.com

Enter website(picture on left), click on clients and enter madison as password

Hope you enjoy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More pics from Cali trip

2011-02-24T07:37:00.001-08:00

Here are the pictures I took with my camera from our trip to see J & K.

Here is the 18th green at Pepple Beach as seen from the beach in Carmel

Below is a scene off of Hwy 1

In the distance you can see the bridge we had just been over. There were film crews on the side of the road too which was cool.

More breathtaking views

Kenna and Leslie

Here was the bagpiper at Spanish Bay- felt like I was back at a school pep rally...go Highlanders!

Below is the Lodge at Pebble Beach. The 2010 US Open was played here

18th green at Pebble Beach

Below are a few shots from 17 mile road. In the backgroud is the lone Cypress Tree which is the symbol of Pebble Beach.

Here is a picture of the type of houses or should I say mansions that line 17 mile road. We wanted to go knock on a door and just ask what these people did. Breathtaking homes!

One of the look outs. You can stop at all these different points along 17 mile road. I liked this one to see all of the seals lounging!

Even though the weather was a tad bit chilly(40 and raining at a place that averages 300+ days of sunshine a year and average temp is 68-70!!) we had the most wonderful time. I wish we could have stayed longer but I will take it. Here's to hoping we can visit the Gs in their next destination... Austria!!! How awesome would that be :)

Best Friends & the beach

2011-02-21T10:17:00.001-08:00

Our old neighbors/BFFs moved to Pacific Grove, CA a little over a year ago. This past weekend Lonnie & I were fortunate enough to get to pay them a visit!!

Friday night we got in and like always K was the most gracious host. She had made a wonderful meal & we so excited to be there.

Although the weather wasn't great we still got to see the awesome scenery. Here is the lone cypress tree at Pebble Beach. This can be seen from 17 mile road that we took.

YouTube Video

Here is the bagpiper that plays at Spanish Bay(another amazing course in the area). He normally plays while walking the 18th green every night into the sunset but weather didn't allow for that.

Sunday the weather was beautiful and this was my favorite photo on Hwy 1. Amazing this was taken with my phone!

Right before we had to leave we went to Carmel. In the distance behind Lonnie & I is the 18th green at Pebble Beach.

I have other awesome photos off my camera that will be in my next post. Thanks again to J & K! We miss you guys tons & were so thankful for the visit :)

I love blogpress!

2011-02-15T08:04:00.001-08:00

I take a ton of pictures and videos on my iPhone so I am so excited that I downloaded blogpress because it allows me to put those on my blog in an instant! So now I might have a lot more posts!! Here is a random collection of pics and videos from my phone.

Case looking for the snow on our "snow day" without snow

Don't see any but window tastes good :)-

I like to color like my sisters

Beautiful day at the park

YouTube Video

Decided to learn to climb up stairs and go down slide face first, over and over

Girls wrestling but stopped for a quick pose

Crazy, static hair!!

Happy Valentine's

2011-02-15T07:49:00.001-08:00

For Valentine's we decided to take the kids to a Madison family favorite: Luby's! It was yummy and not crowded at all. When we got home Lonnie surprised all of us girls with our own bouquet of flowers. He chose pink for Morgan and purple for Mallory to go with their favorite colors. He also got each of them a stuffed animal. I cracked up because he got Morgan a bear with devils horns and a cape & she said, Mom- daddy got me a vampire bear!! We also decided from now on Valentine's would be daddy & his girls special day and mine & Case's. This works out for us as our anniversary is a few weeks before.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Joy Ride

2011-02-14T08:40:00.001-08:00

I'm trying out blog press so let's see if this works. Enjoying the day yesterday in the pimped out ride!

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Turning 1 is so much fun!!

2011-02-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, February 9th Case celebrated his first birthday. The morning started off with a smile :)

Here we are eating one of two breakfasts we usually chow down. If Case wakes up before we have to leave then he wants to eat. Then when I drop him off at the sitters it is breakfast time again....already a boy eating me out of house and home.
Wednesday evening we were going to go eat but it was too cold outside so we had a low key celebration at the house. Here is Case about to get his cake. Thanks Janna for the super cute bib!
Yummy....
Now when Mallory turned one she barely poked at the cake. She didn't want to be messy and is still that way. When Morgan turned one she was the exact opposite. She had cake on her hands, in her hair, all over her face. We were curious as to how Case would be. The results: just like Morgan!
This picture is my favorite....it's like he is drunk off the icing :) mmmm good
The girls wanted to get in on the action and add their own silly faces(note to self, blue icing might not be the best way to go for the future)
Love it!!
Bath time and my ham Mallory getting in on the shot.
Case's 1 year fun facts:

Height- 31 inches(85th%) 3/4 in. taller than Mallory, same height as Morgan

Weight- 21.11(33%), weighed more than Mallory, less than Morgan

Long and lean :)

Teeth: 9!! Top 4 plus two molars, bottom 3

Food: Eats everything that we do and likes to eat all the time!

Milk: Whole milk in a sippy cup, no more bottles for this guy

Sleeping: 7:30-6:30, 2 naps a day 1 1/2-3 hours

Tricks: Case started walking the day before he turned 1. He still prefers to do his one-legged crawl/drag/scoot but he can now walk 5-6 steps at a time when he wants

Waves bye-bye

Still says mama, dada

Loves to dive bomb in the pillows and bury his head and just laugh, especially when it is time for bed he gets very delirious.

Happy Birthday Caser Pot. We love you!!

Happy #9!!!

2011-01-31T10:07:00.001-08:00

9 years ago today on a beautiful, sunny, and cool afternoon I said "I Do" to the love of my life.

I want to thank Lonnie for being my best friend, my soul mate, a wonderful father, a wonderful son and a great person. I can't wait to see what is planned for the rest of our days together.

Happy #9!

02-02-02

Since then our love has grown in number and in strength.

Here are a few things we have experienced in our 11 years together:

Housing- 1 apartment, 1 duplex, three houses

Location- College Station, Richwood(Lake Jackson), The Woodlands

Jobs- 10 total between the two of us

Children- 3!! Mallory, Morgan, Case

Dogs- Brynn(9), Broadie(10)

Cars- 7(tends to be an area we need to work on :))
Vacations- Jamaica, Vegas, Orlando, Cancun, San Antonio, Boerne, Colorado, Destin, Del Lago, Pointe West-Galveston, Louisville, to name a few....

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13

Happy Anniversary

Cotton Bowl 2011

2011-01-09T20:23:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we headed to Dallas for the 2011 Cotton Bowl. We stayed at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine which was awesome. We arrived late Thursday evening and met up with the usual, the Perronis and McKinneys.

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band

Jerry's World (Dallas Cowboy Stadium)

We were invited to a pre-game tailgate at Bob's Steakhouse. It was a lot of fun and we got a lot of cool Cotton Bowl memorablia.

As you can imagine when we get together there are always lots of laughs(usually Seth induced). This picture speaks for itself!

Billy, Football legend Gene Stallings and Seth

He was so nice to continue to pose and take pics with us.

Me and Barry Switzer! I tried to get a pic of his ring but Lonnie said that was a bit stalkerish :) Let's just say it gave "bling" a whole new meaning.

Just hanging out with Governor Perry. Someone didn't tell Evan he was in the shot.

Lonnie and Leslie: Cotton Bowl 2011 Gig 'Em

Jenn, Me and Paige

Thanks again to the McKinney's for organzing everything. Athough the game was a bummer, we still had so much fun and can't wait for our next get together! Maybe next year Aggies.

Ugly Sweater New Year's Party

2011-01-03T07:10:00.001-08:00

For New Year's we decided to have a party in honor of our old neighbors Josh and Kenna who were in town visiting. They moved to Cali about a year ago and we have missed them every day since! I also decided to make it an ugly sweater New Year's party because I have been wanting to have some sort of costume party for just about forever. We included kids since most people with kids don't have plans on New Year's or can't get a sitter. We had so much fun and were so glad to ring in the new year with old and new friends. Here's hoping 2011 is another blessed and wonderful year!

This picture cracks me up. Brynn bringing in the New Year.

Stacey, Sarah, Paige, Kate, Julie, Me, Kenna, Eva, Jenn and Bella(a few of the couples were party poopers and didn't dress up but we forgave them!)

The Fellas: Chris, Bear, Drew, Chad, Seth, Evan, Josh, Lonnie and Mike

Ugly sweater participants

Seriously could be the funniest picture ever. Lonnie(aka the tourist), Seth(aka Cousin Eddie) and Evan(aka ???)hahaha

Paige was so cute. Could totally have been an elementary school teacher

Unfortunately the pics don't do my sweater justice. The shoulder pads were out of control!

If we voted on best dressed the McKinney's were the winning couple. Down to the velcro shoes details they looked great!!

Leslie and Kenna

Thanks again to all our friends who were able to make it. At one point we had 13 kids under the age of 6 at our house and not one major incidence(except Morgan locked in the garage - sorry Morgan!) Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Break 2010

2010-12-28T05:37:00.000-08:00

As always the Christmas Break is filled with fun and exciting times! At the start of the week, the kids and I made a quick trip to the zoo and then met my dad and Lonnie for lunch at The Aquarium.

One day the girls and I made a gingerbread house.

Saw the lions

Played at the house. My friend Tiffany has started making embroidered items and this one for Case was so cute.

The first weekend of the break I went to Kansas City to watch one of my players, Katie play in the Under Armour All American match. It was really cool getting to see her play and then I got to watch the NCAA national championship where Penn State won their 4th straight title! Another bonus was I got to hang out with my bestie from 7th grade Jill who is now the head coach at West Virginia!

For Christmas we celebrated at church on the 23rd, (so mad I forgot my camera because the girls were all dressed up) then xmas eve we had my parents over and I cooked while the girls opened gifts from mammy and papa Marc. Christmas day the girls found the presents Santa left bright and early! We spent the rest of the day hanging out at the house playing. Lonnie's parents came over Xmas day and we ate at our house again enjoying our presents.

Lonnie and Leslie Christmas 2010(Our 11th Xmas together!)

We have multiplied in that 11 years :)

Mom and her handsome fella

Trying to get one with my sweet peas

Mamaw got Case his first Polo outfit and he was sooo stinkin' cute! I just wanted to eat him up

He is standing here but it is hard to tell

Mamaw, Papaw and the girls

Santa brought Mallory a Fur Real doggie and Morgan a Rapunzel

Mammy brought Case a 3-1 walker, rider, scooter

Wondering why he can't keep moving!

LOVE this picture. Such a ham and showing off his teeth

Mallory was cracking up. The girls got some Madame Alexander dolls from my mom(I also have a collection) and then one of our babysitters Adriana gave them princess oven mitts and aprons.

Barbie make up!!!! A huge hit :)

Morgan loved her doll and the dress mammy gave her. We are so thankful for all of our blessing this year and the real reason we celebrated Christmas. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Mallory Turned 6!!!

2010-12-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday Mallory Ann turned 6 years old! What an eventful weekend we had to celebrate. Here is the birthday girl in her birthday shirt from Janna and her adorable hat that Paige gave her that she wouldn't take off :)

The weekend started Friday afternoon when Mallory had invited her old best bud Rylie and her new best bud Katie to spend the night. We started off making pillowcases with paint, stencils and sponges. After that we had dinner and cupcakes followed by a strawberry shortcake movie. When the girls finished the movie it was time for bed. Here is Katie, Mallory, Rylie and Morgan

Silly girls!

Mallory is such a cheese these days. Lots of personality :)!

Saturday morning the girls woke up bright and early and had some color time while I went to pick up Shipley's for breakfast.

Showing off their pillowcase masterpieces:

Saturday was also my mom in laws birthday Evelyn. We had lunch with her, my father in law, and my mom at Cheesecake Factory. After that we went to build a bear at Mallory's request. We then went by Lonnie's Aunt Diane's for her annual Christmas get together.

Mallory, Evelyn and Case

After stopping by Aunt Diane's we headed to College Station to meet up with the McKinney's and the Perroni's. We went to Gattiland with the crew: Kate, Abigail, Hannah, Mallory, Morgan, Case, Hudson and Bella.

Hi Morgan!

Mallory and Kate(Kate turns 8 this week)

We were celebrating Morgan's bday which was in Nov, Mallory's actual bday, Kate's upcoming and Hudson will be 6 on December 28th.

Bella, Morgan(she got a hat too and LOVES it), Hannah

The crew minus Abigail and Case

When we finished up at Gattiland we returned to Casa McKinney which was decorated so beautiful for the holidays. I felt like we were at a bed and breakfast somewhere!! After getting the kiddos down we had some enjoyable adult time and paid for it most of Sunday ;)

We headed home Sunday morning in time for church and the annual Christmas offering. The girls went on the stage to give money they had collected over the past two weeks. Mallory even took $3 out of her piggy bank to put toward's her collection. We adopted an angel and took the presents and it was amazing to see the 10+ FedEx trucks filled with Christmas presents for the underprivelaged kids. AMAZING! After our service Lonnie and I took the membership class to become official members of Fellowship of the Woodlands!!

Like I said an extremely busy weekend but one full of blessings and good times. I love this time of year

10 on 9

2010-12-09T06:52:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I celebrated my 33rd birthday. At 33 God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, three beautiful children and happy life. I am very thankful for everything I have.

This past Saturday one of my good friends captured my treasures on camera. I would highly recommend Sarah to take your family photos. She is just starting out but is a natural!! If you want her information just let me know, thanks again Sarah....I LOVE the pics.

I am only posting a few of the pics because a lot of the others will make their debut in our Christmas card so you will have to wait to see.

And my main reason for posting is Case is 10 months old today, December 9th. I can't believe he is so close to turning one. I know I just updated a few weeks ago about his 9 months so not much has changed except that he is getting cuter and cuter and into more stuff! I love my little man to pieces.

Case 10 month Fun Facts:

Tricks: Standing alone for long periods of time, has taken 1 or 2 baby steps with little support from mom and can squat to sitting from standing

Like to plays with toys he can push- cars, tractor, anything with wheels(already such a boy)

Likes to take things out of something(clothes out of basket, dishes out of dishwasher, etc)

Funny Face- I will have to capture a picture of his new face he likes to make, he's squints his whole face like he is growling- too funny

Food: Does not want to eat any baby food so is completely on regular food diet. I guess once he tasted the good stuff good bye to the bland! Very good eater

MilK: Formula x 4

Sleep: I can't believe last post I didn't put that FINALLY Case is sleeping through the night. He typically goes down at around 7 and will sleep until 6ish. Sometimes he will go back to sleep after a morning bottle. He will wake sometimes during the night but will get himself back to sleep- so glad I am finally sleeping again :)

Teeth: 6 still

Attached to: Mom!! Case is experiencing a little bit of separation anxiety and usually wants mom and wants mom to hold him. This has become a bit challenging in the mornings when I get ready and he is climbing up my leg! I wouldn't trade it for the world however :)

Santa's Wonderland

2010-11-26T20:20:00.001-08:00

A few days before Thanksgiving I was checking status updates on FB(addicting) and a friend of mine had posted pics of Santa's Wonderland in College Station. We have driven by many times and actually went about a decade ago before we had kids. So I suggested to Lonnie that it would be fun to take the kids and head up there. So the night before Thanksgiving we loaded the car when he got off work and headed that way.

Lonnie and the kids about to enter Santa's town

It was so much fun! We entered Santa's town which is like a western little village with campfires, live music, food, shops, Santa, etc. The weather was still warm so it was perfect outside.

Luckily my girls like to have their picture taken :)

When Morgan heard there was pony rides we had to do that right away. Mallory was on Red and Morgan rode Lucy.

Morgan loved her pony and kept petting her the whole ride.

There was also a petting zoo.

I love Morgan's face here as she was trying to get some love and right when I took the pic the animal went the other way.

This is better!

You can drive your car through the lights or take a hay ride. We opted for the hay ride which played christmas music the whole time. (And thanks Bec for my super cute hat!)

Case loved the hay ride and the lights too.

The lights were awesome as was the whole experience. I think we will go back once more before the holidays are over. I highly recommend it! (Thanks Candace for posting pics and giving me the idea)

UIL State Volleyball Tournament

2010-11-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my 2010 volleyball team competed in the UIL state tournament. Going in to the tournament we were not ranked and had the worst record of all the teams in the tournament. In the semi-final match we upset the #1 team in the State, CC King. On Saturday our Cinderella run would end to a very athletic and talented Hebron team. Below is a little bit about our unlikely journey to the state tournament and what a journey it was!!

2010 Texas 5A State Runner Up

Two of my seniors, Katie and Stacey that have played for me since they were freshmen. These two made the State all tournament team and led our team to the best season in school history!! Stacey is going to Northwestern State University and Katie is going to Pepperdine, both on full rides.

Highlander with our managers the week before State.

The girls and me at our pep rally to cheer the team on!

Me, Karen, Paula and Megan(definitely the cutest staff at State!!)

Here is my team right before we went out to play in the state semi-final match at Texas State. Memories!!

The cheerleaders decorated our locker room before we left

I have always heard of people having God moments or experiences, situations in their life that could only be explained by faith in God. It might seem silly to some to have their God moment have to do with sports but that is where mine came. There are so many things about this year's volleyball season that to me could only be explained by God's hand.

My team this year consisted of 16 players, two freshmen, two sophomores, 6 juniors and 6 seniors(11 new players to Varsity and more than I normally keep). I was very unsure going in how we were going to do, what the dynamic of the team would be, etc. In all reality I had planned to stay at home this year so I hadn't given the team as much thought as I normally would prior to season. From the beginning however, it was evident that these girls were going to mesh just fine and also be so much fun to be around. We struggled early with people out, line up changes, etc and then towards the end of district hit our stride.

I figured out(luckily not too late) that my team responded best to a more laid back approach to our big matches. I tried to remind them that it is just a game, the outcome is already determined, so just take it one point at a time. I had previously lost in the Regional Quarterfinals three times and we would make it to this round again but would face our district rival. I didn't have to tell the girls how important this match was- they knew and they responded. After beating our rival to advance to the Regional tourney(first time in school history) we went on to beat the #9 and #3 team in the State in the Regional Tournament to advance to the state tournament(again school history). The week before state was surreal. Sooooo much support for myself, the program and the players. The State tournament was amazing. Winning the semi-final match and then competing in the finals were memories I will never forget. There were so many other things that I will never forget either and know I will always be bonded with the coaches and players from the 2010 season.

Case's first hair cut

2010-11-26T20:04:00.001-08:00

Both Mallory and Morgan had their first hair cut before they were a year so why should Case be any different? Although his wasn't too bad it was starting to look a little Donald Trumpish so I decided to take him to get it cut. Lonnie was going to do it himself but I was against this idea so we went to Cartoon Cuts in Indian Springs.

Case was perfect! He was very interested in the whole process as he kept trying to look up at what was going on.

Hi mom!

He enjoyed the smock. He was waving it up and down and trying to eat it at the same time.

Getting so big!

Ta-da! I think they did a great job and what a handsome fella!

9 1/2 months

2010-11-26T19:44:00.000-08:00

I am a little behind in my posts because I have been going, going, going.(see state tournament blog!) Not only did we have Morgan's 4th birthday but Case turned 9 months on the same day.

I am attempting to get a cute over the shoulder shot.

Fun Facts: Case 9 months

Height: 29 1/4(81%) taller than both girls at 9 months

Weight: 20 lbs, 7.5 oz(53%) less than Morgan but more than Mallory at 9 months

Teeth: 6 total: 4 up top, 2 on bottom

Milk: Sam's brand formula x 4 a day(no more nursing for me)

Food: is trying anything and everything.

Tricks: Clapping

Making lots of sounds and favorite is still momma

Gives lots of kisses

Holds own bottle and cup

Feeds himself

Fast crawler and continues to pull up on things and cruise

Daddy let Case try Morgan's birthday cake- sucker!

Happy Birthday Morgan!

2010-11-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

Last week was a big week as we celebrated Morgan's 4th birthday, Case turning 9 months and my playoff matches. On Tuesday, November 9th(Morgan's actual birthday) my team played in the Regional Quarterfinal match versus our cross town rival. Let's just say I think Morgan was my good luck charm as my present to her was a win(not that she cares!!) So since I had a match we had to celebrate her birthday on Thursday.

Morgan wanted to go to pump it up and have a Strawberry Shortcake cake.

Morgan and her best bud Callie making silly faces

Mallory, Bella, Katie, Morgan, Callie, Madison, Hudson, Camden(two random boys not invited but wanted to be in the picture)

Birthday girl on her birthday morning

Having some powder donuts fun!

I love you Morgan Boo- happy 4th birthday :)

Pumpkins and Playoffs

2010-11-05T08:06:00.001-07:00

I am a little late in posting but it has been a busy month! For the first time this year we carved pumpkins for Halloween. I drew the faces and then Lonnie carved and the girls helped scrape out the guts. I thought they came out pretty good. The girls decorated their pumpkin so we had a Madison pumpkin family.

Lonnie, Me, Mallory, Morgan and Case Pumpkin

For Halloween Morgan was set on being Alice and my mom suggested Cleopatra for Mallory. She had no idea who that was but when i found this costume online, she was sold. Then she found out Mammy would put make up on her and it was a done deal.

Of course Case had to be Super Man since he is my Super Baby!!

Mallory and her good friend Katie

My beautiful Alice

Our Family

Block party down the street before trick or treating

Papa Marc and the girls about to head home

My Pumpkins!

Mamaw and Papaw with Caser

This picture doesn't really fit but I couldn't resist putting it in. Mr. Sleepy Head

As I said before this month has been a busy one. My volleyball team finished the regular season on the 26th. We ended up finishing as Co District Champions with another team in our district. Currently we are in the playoffs and have our second round tonight. Go Lady Highlanders!! Each year we have our red and green parade where all of the organizations do a themed float. Volleyball has won the past two years so the pressure was on. Unfortunately the weather was terrible on parade day but they still judged our float and costumes. Our theme was "Under the Sea"

Here are the freshmen that were seaweed

The sophmores were jelly fish and adorable

The juniors were sharks, whales or dolphins and the seniors were mermaids or Goddesses of the Sea

Needless to say we won!! Three-peat and so creative.

Crazy 8

2010-10-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a big day as Mr. Case Patrick turned 8 months old and I ran my first running race, the 10 for Texas in The Woodlands. A few months back I had the idea that my other volleyball coaches and I should run the 10 mile race. At that time I was running 3 miles regularly but really wanted to accomplish some sort of race. The weather for the race was amazing and after was a huge post party with a live band, free drinks and food for the participants. It started and ended in Market Street in The Woodlands. The adrenaline of my first race definitely made me run a much faster pace then I would have thought. I ended up finishing in 1:28, averaging 8:51 a mile. I was 176 out of 970 females, and 517 out of 1669 total participants. Not bad for my first run and for wanting to finish in 1:45!! Lonnie, my parents and the kids were there to cheer me on around mile 7, then my friend Stacey and her kiddos right after that, followed by mom-in-law at mile 8. Next month my sister Sharon and I are going to do the Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon in San Antonio. I can see how these get addicting.

The Woodlands Volleyball Staff

Paula, Megan, Karen and Me

Okay, enough about me already! Case is getting bigger and bigger and more and more active. Taking pictures has become more difficult as he is on the move all the time.

Here is momma and Case at the Ballays(Case's sitter) He loves the swing

Deep in thought
Trying to get a smile. The higher the swing, the more smiles

Fun Facts at 8 months:

Teeth: still 4- 2 top, 2 bottom-I think more are about to emerge and his top 2 are huge which we say looks like a rabbit

Method of transportation: Crawling and he prefers the bear crawl especially if on a surface he is unsure of(very funny to watch). Also starting to cruise.

Food: He continues to eat baby food(fruits, veggies, cereal) but is starting to eat a lot of regular food. I let him try most of what we eat to see how he does. He also loves the puffs.

Milk: 3 nursed bottles, 1 formula(I am sad to say but I think my nursing days are just about over as Case seems to be needing more than I am giving)

Nap: twice a day 1 1/2-3 hours

Nighttime: I have my fingers crossed as I write this but it appears we have improvement at night!! Case has figured out how to sit down from standing so the last 3-4 nights he has woken up and cried but I have let him and each night he has managed to get himself down and back asleep!! Way to go Case. It is amazing how much better one can feel after sleeping. Just short of drugging him before bed I was about to lose my mind ;) jk

Tricks: Can pick up all of his food, cruising, will pull up on anything and everything(table, chairs, my leg) puts everything in his mouth, splashes in the tub

Any time I am in the kitchen and the dishwasher is open, Case heads that way to explore

These pics were my attempt to have the same ones each month. Not so much anymore!! He wouldn't sit still, wouldn't lay down. This boy is on the go

He lasted in this pose about .2 seconds

Like I said, puts everything in his mouth.

Love my big boy Case!!

Fall is in the air

2010-10-03T21:11:00.001-07:00

This past weekend marked the beginning of October and fall was in the air. I have to say that this time of year is becoming one of my favorites since it kicks off the holiday season. Halloween, Festivals, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, etc. And what a way to start with some AMAZING weather. On Saturday we took a trip to the park. The girls had lots of fun playing and Case was checking everything out.

Hi Mom!
Peek-a-boo
I love my kiddos!!!

On Sunday the girls and I went to church while Case napped at home with Dad. When service was over I got some great pics of the girls. I love their new dresses a friend of mine made. Her website is http://www.purplepecan.com/ and they have some of the cutest stuff at great prices. These dresses have owls on them which is my sorority animal. Go Chi-O!

These pics crack me up. They look like senior pictures!! Such hams. They come up with these poses on their own trust me!
After church we picked up the boys and headed to the Old Time Christmas Tree farm in Spring. In October the farm has a pumpkin patch, train/hay rides, some games, food etc. and most importantly some great photo ops!
This one cracks me up. Lonnie was hiding holding Case up in the middle. LOVE it!

The train ride takes you through all of the planted Christmas trees.
One happy pumpkin!
Duck Races - Mallory took first

I love this spider.
Morgan wanted a pic with the witch.
After the pumpkin patch we ate lunch at Neal's Cafe for some delicious home cooking! Weekends like this make me so happy that Lonnie is now home to experience them with us. Later that evening I ran my last long run (9.5) miles before my 10 for Texas race this Saturday. Pictures to come!

Pimp my Ride

2010-09-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

After adding Case to our family it soon became apparent that we were going to outgrow my Chevy Tahoe. My Tahoe did not come with a third row so the kiddos have been packed like sardines in the second. It has not been a big deal at all until the last few weeks when we have had to take two cars to go somewhere because our guest couldn't fit.

Our plan was to wait a few more years until Lonnie's truck was paid off(currently our only car payment) and then trade the Tahoe for my next ride which my only two requirements were a third row and a DVD player. That was our plan. Well last week Lonnie took his truck to the dealership to get his window looked at. He decided to just take a look at some of the Expeditions and other things Ford had on the lot. The prices were unreal and he texted me that he was leaving. I casually said why don't you check out the Nissan dealership since my parents have now bought two Nissan Muranos and this past summer I fell in love with my sister's Nissan Armada.

It ended up being a great time to visit Nissan. After hours of negotiating as per usual for a car dealership we traded in Lonnie's truck for a 2010 Nissan Armada Platinum Edition. Let me just say they really wanted to get rid of a vehicle and gain a nice truck for their used car lot. They gave us more than what we owed on the truck, gave us a reebate, we qualified for a super low interest rate and got lots of $$ off the sticker price.

Our only dilemma was choosing between a 2010 demo car with 4500 miles on it or a brand new 2011. The demo was a platinum edition and the 2011 was not. The difference between the two was a navigation system and bucket seats in the second row. After going back and forth we decided the bucket seats would be easier to manuever with the kids and since the price was the same we went with the 2010.

Features of our new ride:
Navigation, Blue Tooth hands free for your phone, ipod connector, temporary XM radio, CD, compact flash card, music box which can store up to 2900 songs in your car's memory, black leather interior, bucket seats, DVD player with wireless head phones, third row, intelligent key, moon roof

Front seats

Second row

I just have to say I know it is only a car but this is by far the nicest one we have ever owned. I know how much Lonnie loved his truck and I just want to thank him for giving that up so that I could have more room and drive something so nice. I joke with him and tell him I feel like I am on MTV's pimp my ride because it is definitely decked out. Now I really have to work at keeping it clean :)

Gig' Em

2010-09-14T10:23:00.001-07:00

One of the benefits to Lonnie making a career change is our ability to go to some Aggie football games. In the past 10 years we have only been able to make a few due to Lonnie's conflicting football schedule but this year that will all change! On Saturday we drove to College Station to meet up with our best friends The McKinneys and the Perronis. The M's have recently made CS their home and we are SOOO excited about that. We stopped at their beautiful new house and cooked out, hung out and enjoyed game day before kick off.

The Madison boys

Momma and Case

Billy, Seth, Christian, Lonnie, Case and Evan

Case and his ladies! Morgan, Abigail, Mallory and Hannah

We got a babysitter for the kids so we could go to the game ridin' solo(haha) It was great because we got to go to the letterman's lounge prior to kick off. We then headed to our seats in the lettermen section which were great. As always when the jets flew over I got all choked up. I love game days in Aggieland. I also got to see one of my good friends Brandyn during the game.

Paige and Me- it was super hot

At half time we got to go up to the Chancellor's box since Seth's dad is the Chancellor. It was so cool!! The view was amazing and when the crowd sang the school song you could feel the stadium moving back and forth. Pictured is Lonnie, Seth and Evan

The Ladies: Paige, Jenn and Me

Thank you so much Seth and Paige for the great weekend. We look forward to many more at Resort McKinney :) Love you guys xoxo

Happy 7 months Baby Case!

2010-09-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Happy 7 month birthday Case Patrick!! Time sure is a flyin'. School has started and the girls are adjusting great to their new environments. Mallory loves kindergarten and Morgan loves being at mommy's school. The good news keeps coming as this past week Lonnie was hired to join the company JPMorgan Chase effective September 20th. He will be a sales associate in the Treasury Services department and we couldn't be more excited. He is anxious to begin but has been the best Mr. Mom ever. This has been the smoothest volleyball season start to date and that is because he is handling everything on the home front.

As I said time sure is going by fast but even faster than that is Mr. Case. In what seems such a short amount of time our little man has changed so much. It always drives me nuts when I read other blogs or hear moms go on and on about what their kids can do but I am going to be guilty on this one because I have been amazed at Case in the last few weeks.

Hi Mom :)

7 month fun facts:

Teeth- 4- two top, two bottom

Method of Transporation- crawling everywhere

Food- starting to eat real food cut up and still has cereal with fruits and veggies

Milk- Nurses or takes a bottle 4-5 times a day

Naps- twice a day

Nighttime- in crib but still wakes at least once a night- PLEASE LET THIS END! And now that he can pull himself up when he wakes up he stands up and cries holding on to the crib like he is in jail(hasn't figured out how to get back down!)

Tricks- Pulling self up on everything, likes to bang things, feeding himself, screeches, babbles, has made the sound momma

If you look closely you can see his top teeth- they are funny

Mallory, Case and Morgan

Peek-a-boo

The girls and I on the first day of school- I was a little choked up

Here is video of Case crawling.

Kindergarten!!!

2010-08-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

I can not believe that this time 6 + years ago I was in my first volleyball season at The Woodlands and was pregnant with my first child Mallory Ann. It was an amazing season that year. I went 14-0 in district, made it to the playoffs and was having a great first pregnancy. I always said Mallory was my lucky charm. Fast forward to today and I now have a child in Kindergarten!! Where has the time gone?

The night before Mallory's big day we made her lunch, packed her snack and laid out her clothes for the big day. Mallory was most excited about riding the bus the next morning. Unfortunately due to my school schedule I could not put her on the bus her first day but luckily Lonnie was around for the big honor. He said she was all smiles. I of course cried like a baby on and off all day thinking about her going off to school.

Waiting for the bus.

I am ready!!

Lonnie said when she got on she wasn't too sure where to go or what to do but she soon found a seat and off she went. I got home that afternoon and could not wait to hear all about her first day. Of course since Mallory is 5 going on 15 she was hesitant to spill too much information just telling me and I quote, "Mom, it's not a big deal, uh.." something like that. After much prying and threatening she opened up and we heard how great her first day was. Her teacher is Mrs. Murphy who she likes a lot. She has PE every day which she enjoys. Eating at the cafeteria was a big success, etc. She also made a new friend on the bus who lives down the street named Katie. On day two she came home and told me that her and Katie have decided to be friends. So sweet! They have already had a play date and will have another one today.

Mallory also had her first homework assignment. It was really cute. They had to draw a house and cut out a window for each member of the family. Behind the window they inserted a picture of each member then cut and glued the house on cardboard. I wish I would have taken a picture because it came out really good. There were 7 windows on her house. Mom, Dad, Mallory, Morgan, Case and of course the puppies Broadie and Brynn. It was a great first week!