Matt & the girls (4 to be exact)

First Freebirds!

2011-11-15T09:38:00.001-08:00

Sweet Ella Bella

2011-10-25T15:38:00.001-07:00

Can't believe Ella is 5!!! She had her party last week (with Hadley) with a petting zoo and pony rides. I'll try to post more pictures of that later, but it was so much fun! One of these pictures is her petting a rabbit she named Snowball!

We had our mama birthday date and she wanted to get her hair and nails done. Then she picked Copelands to eat at. We had so much in together. We had to rush back to get everyone to make it to a pep rally. All the girls really liked that, they were fixated on the cheerleaders. It was a good time had by all.

It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's Maylee!!

2011-10-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

This picture does my heart well, especially to think where Maylee was 5 months ago. This is her at gymnastics and she is so proud that she can climb to the top (yes that is her at the very top, and another little girl holding the rope at the bottom). Strong little thing!

2011-09-30T13:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my sweet baby girl turned 3!!! Ask her how old she is, an she will say 6! That's our Hadley Hoo. Today we continued our celebrating with a mommy date.

Went to Sweet and Sassy and got her nails painted.....AND....her ears pierced!!! She did great, though she will say "it hurt real bad". The sucker made a world of difference.

Then off to lunch and she was much better by then. She thoroughly enjoyed the cheesecake that she ended up wearing.

Then she got to pick out a book at the bookstore. Fell fast asleep in the car, still with a tight grip on the book, ha!

I just love this sweet "firey redhead". She bring so much joy laughter, and spunk to our lives. Happy Birthday sweet Hadley!!

Hawaii

2011-09-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

I cant believe it has been over a month since we went to Hawaii for Matt's cousin's wedding, and I'm just now posting pictures! Guess it has been just a little busy around here! We had such an awesome time and returned with many wonderful memories. Here is a just a peek of some of our time.

Running on the beach for the first time.

At the wedding, enjoying the view.

Note: When Uncle James throws you in the air...brace yourself!!

Note the splash.

Note the tears and consoling!

Beach Baby

What intense envy of a hot dog.

Sweet big sister.

Loving the submarine ride.

Just a little windy!

Three generations of Mahones.

Our great balcony view.

So much fun!!

Blackmail material

2011-09-10T12:07:00.001-07:00

This is blackmail material. I heard a bunch of giggles coming from behind a closed door....this is what I found. I guess this is what you get when you have three older sisters. All I an say is, they have their day a coming!

Back to school

2011-08-27T20:42:00.001-07:00

Maylee started first grade this week!! It was so great to see her return to school, even more so since she missed over a month of school when she was in the hospital. It still seems surreal of all that she went through, especially when you look at her now (you would never have a clue she was so sick). Things could have turned out so differently, but I'm full of praise that they didn't.

Maylee loved returning to school and seeing all her friends. Mrs. King tutored Maylee during the summer, and just so happens that she is her teacher too! We were so thrilled! On the second day at pick up Maylee told me she didn't want to go home, but rather stay at school! It is just wonderful.

Bedtime crazies....

2011-07-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a glimpse of how crazy it can get around bedtime. To night for instance, bedtime came and I had one little redhead running around the yard with just a hat on (neighbors have to love that), one little girl ready and all decked out (including eye mask, ha!), and then one running out of the house with a Spiderman tattoo on her FOREHEAD (major scrubbing to ensure it is off for church!). Crazy, but I do love it.

Big Precious...

2011-07-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

Can't believe how fast my sweet boy is growing up. This past week was a big milestone week. He conquered sitting up well, decided to get into a sitting position on his own, thought it might be cool to get to point a to point b via army crawl....and if that wasn't enough, he grew two teeth (well they started cutting through). Just can't believe my baby is getting to be a big baby (or older baby I should say!)

Here is Big Precious:

This was actually taken before the teeth cut through, so this is officially his last toothless (mouth full of gums as I like to say) smile picture. Not that I'm sentimental or anything!

Red, white and blue

2011-07-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th. Lots of fun and food with our families. Doesn't get much better than that.

Our real little red headed firecracker!!

"I would like to thank the academy...."

2011-06-30T21:41:00.001-07:00

The words from her mouth at this moment were "I just can't believe it!!" Can we say DRAMA???!!! Ha! Pretty cute.

Ella had her Buckaroo camp this week and LOVED it! She got to ride Muffin everyday. They has a little "rodeo" today. The teach introduced them and shared a few facts as the kids were lead around the arena. One fact shared was the favorite activity, most kids (all but one may I add) said horse riding. Ella's???.....oh, hers was eating snowcones! Ha!
They also had a trophy presentation and this may have been the highlight of Ella's life thus far. After receiving hers, she exclaimed "I've never got one of these before!!". You really would have thought she had just won an Oscar.

2011-05-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

Oops...forgot to include this one in the last post. This one just makes me smile!

2011-05-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

I know we have been consumed with Maylee these past few weeks, and rightly so, but I thought I'd give an update on our other sweet kiddos.

We have been blessed with the best family. Everyone has helped us with Ella, Hadley and Wiley. Ella and Hadley have been on "The Tour of Family", and it is going to last for a little while longer. They have been with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. They have been having a blast. Maylee is keeping score, and wants to do everything they are getting to do. Ella knows that Maylee is sick, and has been very concerned. Both the girls have been troopers through all of this.

Wiley, sweet thing, has been champ. Grandparents have been staying at a hotel near by, taking care of him. He goes back and forth between the hospital and hotel. We always say how he is such a good baby, and he proved himself once again.

Here are some fun pics of them.

Maylee updates

2011-05-13T20:40:00.001-07:00

As Blogger was having issues yesterday, I set up a CaringBridge site for new updates for Maylee. It is: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mayleemahone Thanks!

Leigh Anne

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2011-05-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

Blogger has been having some issues, so sorry for the lag in updates.

Last night Maylee really was looking good. She was talking, making sense and worried that her sisters were going to come up the hospital and mess with all her presents, which she did not want! Also, the poor baby we share a curtain with has been crying a lot. Maylee made the comment that she couldn't sleep with that baby crying.

The cardiologist came by and said her heart looked great, and they didn't see any infection. He then proceeded to lean down, looked into maylee's eyes and said "Jesus loves you, don't be afraid, he is here with you, he died for our sins and then rose which Easter is all about, and that is what it is all about". He then prayed one of the most beautiful prayers I have ever heard. Matt's mom and I just looked at each other stunned, bc that has never happened. Mrs. Mahone put it best "That was really special", and it truly was.

The infectious/disease doctor that has been working with her, was extremely pleased with her progress.

She slept well last night. She has shown no signs of seizures. She is a little sore. They came and got her to do another scan which only took a few minutes. We haven't spoken with the doctors yet this morning.

I was told that they would probably monitor her for a little longer for seizure activity, then she would be moved back to a room.

Leigh Anne

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2011-05-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Maylee is now set up back in the PICU. She is doing well. She makes sense when she talks (huge praise) and is asking for water. She looks good, just a little swollen. They will now monitor her for seizures and other potential side effects. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and words of encouragement. Please continue praying. Thanks so much.

Leigh Anne

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2011-05-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

She is in recovery, things went well. Will be moving to PICU soon.

Leigh Anne

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Update

2011-05-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

The draining procedure went well. Surgeon said she should be a lot better as the pressure has been relieved. The abscess was the size of a golf ball. They are now putting in a central line for the antibiotics to go through, this will take about 30 minutes. Then she will be in recovery and then back to PICU. The will do an MRI tomorrow to monitor. They will culture the fluid they retrieved to determine the bacteria. I was encouraged after speaking with the surgeon. I still pray there is no infection along this long journey.

Leigh Anne

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PRAY

2011-05-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

MRI detected an abscess in brain. About to have surgery to drain. She will be in in antibiotics for at least 6 weeks minimum. Please pray for this surgery and this while process. Pray that there will be no infection fr here on out. I feel like there as so many things to pray for, so please pray, just pray for our baby. I will update as I can.

Leigh Anne

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2011-05-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

A bit of a rough night. Going down right now for MRI as an earlier opening became available. Praying it goes well.

Leigh Anne

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Tonight

2011-05-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight Maylee's head has been hurting. She is sleeping but will cry out sporadically. Her fever came back but was given Motrin. Praying that she sleeps well tonight.

Leigh Anne

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Moved...

2011-05-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

Up to her own room. I just back to the hospital and Maylee is taking a nap. She was up all day going hard and now she is worn out. The doctor came and said that she is doing really well. As well as she possibly could be at this point. So that was music to our ears!
She has her MRI at noon tomorrow and will be put under for that. So today was a really good day. Just praying all goes well tomorrow.

Good night

2011-05-11T06:55:00.001-07:00

Maylee had a really good night last night. I haven't spoken with a dr this morning for medical conformation, but I can tell she is feeling so much better. She woke up about 2 am and was extremely talkative. I laid down several times only to her sweet little voice start chatting away. About 3am, I finally had to tell her I was going back to sleep. She was up early again watching a movie and giggling away. They finally let her start eating some crackers last night, and she has been eating away. She even got to talk to Ella, which I know was good for both of them. She only has complained a little of a few aches. When we first arrived at the hospital, they said the first 24-48 hours on the antibiotics were very critical. I feel like she is doing very well and hopefully that will be confirmed by the doctors today. Thank you again for all your sweet prayers, I know God is at work and we are trusting in His faithfulness.

Leigh Anne

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A little chat

2011-05-10T19:45:00.001-07:00

Maylee just woke up (had been pretty groggy all day) and we had a nice little chat. She talked about how funny it was when a fish kept biting daddy at the lake this past summer. She saw balloons in her area and was thrilled. So great to hear her sweet laugh. She even posed for this picture. Sweet baby.

Maylee

2011-05-10T16:14:00.001-07:00

We just got back to the hospital. Maylee will stir a little bit, but is still pretty out of it. The nurse said this is just part of the process and to be expected. Said it gets worse (as the antibiotics are killing off the infection) before it gets better. It is still a pretty critical time. She is in ICU and will probably be for at least another day, which is great b/c she has wonderful care here. They tried to do an MRI, but she only lasted twenty minutes so they are going to have to give anesthesia to do it. They have scheduled that for Thursday, so we are praying that comes back with good results.

Leigh Anne

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Maylee

2011-05-10T14:40:00.001-07:00

A lot of you know that after a two week battle of fever and headaches (six dr appointments later), Maylee was admitted into Cook Children's in FW last night with bacterial spinal meningitis. It is not the meningoccocal meningitis which is the worst one. She had a pretty rough morning as they were having a hard time getting a vein. After many tries they decided to sedate her and do a pic line (a direct line to the heart through an artery). Looks like she will be on iv antibiotics for 2-3 weeks. She has slept a lot today as she was pretty sedated. Dr said common risks are hearing loss, stroke and seizures. She has not shown any of these signs. She has been stable and we pray she continues to stabilize without any complications. We cannot express our gratitude and appreciation for all your prayers, concerns and willingness to help in any way. Please just continue to pray for healing without any complications. Thank you prayer warriors. I'll try to post updates to this blog as often as I can.

Leigh Anne

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Baby's first hair cut

2011-04-27T19:49:00.001-07:00

It was by no means an extreme make-over, but he had some scraggly hair that needed some taming!

Before

Cut hair

After.....bye bye ear bangs!

Two of a Kind...

2011-04-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

I love that all my girls have their own distinctive looks.....a blond, a brunette, and a red head (a firey one at that, HA!). However, it is fun that I finally get to compare two of my kids, and think "hey they do kind of look alike!" So here it is:

Ella

Wiley

Rrrrun Maylee, run!!!!

2011-04-16T21:35:00.001-07:00

So Matt is always teasing Maylee that her teacher is going to make her come up to school early on Saturday mornings and make her run laps....she USE to believe him. So tonight on our way home from dinner, we started joking about how we were going to make them run laps at the track.....well, what did we do?....... We swung by the school's track, made them all get out and said go run your laps!!! Didn't think they'd get too far....Maylee was running on the track, Ella in the grass (she was in flip flops and we could just imagine the fall she could have and if you know her, you know she has a scream that can be heard around the world AND she isn't afraid to use it!) and Hadley was just going in circles (she had her light up shoes on, so it was funny to see all the little flashes coming from her feet). Well Maylee ended up running 1.25 MILES!!! When she finished her 5th lap, she said, "I want to do another one!". Matt and I simultaneously said "NO!". Her little legs were just going so fast, it was really cute. Here she is.

It's official....

2011-04-14T13:32:00.001-07:00

snow cone season is here....a highly anticipated event with my kids. This marks the beginning of endless begging in most of our car rides to "pleeeeease" go by the snow cone stand! Cheers!

Little Surprises....

2011-04-02T12:57:00.001-07:00

So let me explain this picture....we were getting ready to head out for lunch, and I asked Matt to change Wiley's diaper. He so graciously did. So later on, after we got back, I went to change Wiley again and this is what I saw. It is kind of hard to see, but Wiley is wearing a 2t-3t princess pull-up. But hey, it worked! Just not what I expected, but a funny little surprise for me!

Yummy....

2011-02-25T16:58:00.001-08:00

Tonight we had a family outing to Joe T Garcia's....our table was crazy with little girls, beans and rice flying everywhere. Matt had just made the comment that one day we would miss all of this, when we looked over to see Hadley digging her hand in her water glass filled with water, rice and a nice floating tortilla. She proceeded to reach in and take a bite of tortilla and then take a drink (yes, from the same glass). We were pretty grossed out, but I'm sure one day we will miss even this.

This and that....

2011-02-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

I just downloaded some pictures I thought I would share. It is a pretty random mix, but I'll try to explain.

This is from Maylee's Kindergarten Valentines Tea. It was so cute, they all dressed up in their parents clothes (girls mom's and boys dad's). We had to send a place setting of our china for them to use....somehow it doesn't seem right that kindgertener and china should be used in the same sentence! They had an etiquette lesson and then were introduced into the tea room. Can you believe this room was decorated just for a kindergarten tea???!!!!! Maylee was introduced and escorted by two boys....to say she was quite delighted is a complete understatement.

This was during the snow days.......so tell me what is wrong with this picture!

This is the day parents got to observe dance class...Ella was thrilled.

I downloaded this not long a go, it was when Maylee was a flower girl in my cousins wedding...I thought it was cute.

Big boy...

2011-02-16T11:06:00.001-08:00

Sweet thing...he is just about to grow out of this carrier and then I don't know what I'll do! He was 12 weeks on Friday and weighed in at 18 lbs. I brought him with me on all my errands yesterday, and I'm sore today. He is really starting to coo and smile and it just melts my heart...loving every minute.

First "limbo" ride

2011-02-13T20:07:00.000-08:00

Maylee had her first "limbo" (aka limo) ride today....and it was a pink limo at that! She had a blast, it was one of her little friends birthday at Sweet and Sassy. They had a blast.

A few recipes and tips

2011-01-31T07:23:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking of making a post like this for a little while, and a couple of weeks ago all us girls got the dreaded stomach bug and I found a couple more recipes.

Of course we got the stomach bug while Matt was out of town and I didn't have any Pedialyte or Gatorade on hand, so I found these recipes for both. I substituted lemon juice for the Kool-aid as the lemon juice version was almost clear (which helps when there is a high probability that is coming back up....no need for stains, right??!!).

Here is the Gatorade one:

10 tbs. sugar (5/8 cups or 120 grams)
.75 tsp Sea salt (4.2 grams) or Morton's lite
1 package of unsweetened Kool-aid mix for flavor (Again I used 2-4 Tbs lemon juice instead of Kool-aid)
Water to make 2 liters

Here is the Pedialyte one......almost the same as above plus baking soda.

4 cups water
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp sugar or honey
1/2 tsp salt

One this one only use honey if child is old enough to consume honey. Can also use lemon juice or 1/2 packet of Kool-aid for flavor.

Ok this next recipe is random, but it works great and easy to have all on hand. I copied this from another blog I've read.

Natural Disinfectant Spray

This disinfecting solution is green, easy on the nose, and very cheap! Vinegar, tea tree oil, and lemon oil all have antimicrobial properties.

1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
10 drops tea tree oil *
6 drops lemon oil *

*Find tea tree oil and lemon oil at Central Market or a health food store. They seem a little expensive, but you only need a tiny bit, so they last forever.

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray directly on the surface to be cleaned and wipe with a paper towel or old rag (a greener option).

I use this solution wherever I would use Lysol disinfectant wipes (cleaning the toilet, washing the counter after cutting meat, etc.) I keep my old wash cloths and towels to use as rags. They are actually better for washing windows/mirrors than paper towels--much less streaky. --Sarah

Last two tips are for laundry and fighting stains....and boy do we do a lot of that around here!

One of my really smart friends told me how she has a bucket that she keeps on her dryer filled about half-way of water and one scoop of Baby Oxi-Clean powder. This works really well when you have a baby who is always having blow-outs!...but just throw stained pieces in bucket and let soak for up to a week. Really works great.

I love the Baby Oxi-clean spray as well. I can almost anything out with that. If I can't with the spray, I boil water, put garment in a bowl, pour hot water (enough to cover) and then sprinkle with Baby Oxi-Clean powder...let soak to 30 minutes (this may slightly fade material, but my take is better slightly faded than stained). I've gotten two year old stains out by using this method. Oh and for some reason the Baby Oxi-clean works better than the regular, and you can find the powder and spray at Target in the baby section (with all of bath soaps) or at Babies R Us.

Well just thought I'd share that randomness....would love to hear any of yours!!!

Mr. Handsome

2011-01-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

At least this is what this mama calls her baby. Wiley is 8 weeks today, so here are his stats: weight - 16lbs, height - 25in. he is pretty much off the charts with both...aka little chubby. He has the cutest belly and I love it! He is such a good baby, with a very mild manner (for the time being at least, but I'll take it!). He is just growing so fast, I want to savor every moment!

Ducks

2011-01-06T17:50:00.001-08:00

The other day we stopped to feed the ducks. The girls love doing this. We were all busy throwing our bread in the water, then I looked down to see Hadley...minus her shirt and almost her pants, saying "I wanna go with ducks!". Mind you it was about 56 degrees! Boy she keeps us on our toes!!

2 weeks!

2010-12-04T19:47:00.001-08:00

Well our little man is just a growing!! At 2 weeks he is 10 1/2 lbs (that is 1 lb and 11 oz gain!)!! He is doing really well. Has the typical newborn sleep schedule, waking every 2 1/2 to 3 hrs at night. Hopefully this 10 pounder will be stretching that soon! Just thought I'd share a new pic!
Leigh Anne

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Our little man!

2010-11-21T13:11:00.001-08:00

"Wiley" William Lawrence Mahone is here! He was born Friday morning at 7:37. Everything went better than I expected. He is just so sweet and already adored by all his sisters. They were fighting over who was going to hold him. We are still in the hospital, just because of the c-section, but we get to go home tomorrow. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers!!

Leigh Anne

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Little Outlaws

2010-11-16T07:34:00.001-08:00

My sweet little outlaws! This is from their little pre-school and I just had to share!
Leigh Anne

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First trip to the dentist!

2010-11-09T10:59:00.001-08:00

Yep, Hadley had her first trip to the dentist today. She sat patiently in her chair watching Barnie....at least for a little while that is. She watched Ella go first, and then when it was her turn, she laid back and opened her mouth wide. The girl polished one tooth and then Hadley started saying "no!". So that was it. The teeth cleaning was over...or should I say "tooth cleaning". She did let the dentist check for cavities, and she had none. We will see how she does in six more months!
Leigh Anne

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Matt's girls

2010-11-07T15:48:00.001-08:00

This is the site Matt saw the other night, as we were parked in my car waiting for him to meet us for dinner. I have a strict policy of not getting them out of the car until Matt gets there...just for my own sanity's sake. We had been waiting for about 30 minutes and I think I was about a minute from losing my ever living mind!!! So glad I managed a smile!!! Ha! It was a very busy car-full to say the least!
Leigh Anne

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Cute little Scare Crow

2010-11-02T08:06:00.001-07:00

Again, nothing scary about this little scare crow! Today the Kindergarten is having their "Fall"ing in Love with Jesus party, since they don't do a Halloween party. Everyone dresses up as scare crows and they paraded up and down the halls of the elementary. Maylee is the line leader this week, so she got to lead the parade...talk about a thrilled little girl. Well the site of 30 little scare crows is one of the cutest I have ever seen!
Leigh Anne

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Trick or Treat

2010-11-01T06:44:00.001-07:00

Last night we tried something new...we opted to trick or treat in a neighborhood instead of our church's Trunk or Treat. The Trunk or Treat is a lot of fun, but we were running late and decided to simplify. It was a neat experience for the girls to go up to houses. The neighborhood we went to (just a couple blocks away, b/c for some reason ours has no trick or treaters) has houses that are pretty spread apart, plus the driveways are really long, so we knew the girls would really be worn out. They were. It was a lot of fun, and Hadley proved that it helps to be cute and also not to understand "just one piece"...she probably had about twice as much as Maylee and Ella. Hadley was pretty serious about getting candy, it was one of the cutest sites seeing her little legs as fast as they could up and down driveways holding that pumpkin on a mission for candy! So far they had candy dinner and breakfast...lovely I know!!!
Leigh Anne

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Tired little girls...

2010-10-29T19:25:00.001-07:00

Tonight we went to the homecoming game...well, made 20 minutes of it until Maylee crossed the physical boundary lines Matt had set, so we had to go home as that was the set consequence. Hadley didn't make the cut to the game as the last game I had to chase here down the field at the beginning of half time, through the run through tunnel...quite a site I must say (yes, big preggo belly and all). The girls still had fun while we were there, then they passed out in the car...here is the proof. You know they are tired when they are asleep with their eyes kind of open...I know, it's a little on the freaky side!!!
Leigh Anne

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BOO!!!

2010-10-29T07:20:00.001-07:00

Ok, so they aren't so scary, but this mama thinks they make a pretty cute Little Bo Peep, Little Miss Muffet and Little Red Riding Hood!!
Leigh Anne

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Out of this world!

2010-10-28T06:18:00.001-07:00

This week is Faith's homecoming, so everyday has a theme and today was "Out of this World". This was the best we could come up with, but Maylee was so excited to have a third eye!
Leigh Anne

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Birthday Girl

2010-10-25T11:30:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday Ella turned 4!!! We decided to have a combined party for Ella and Maylee (since Maylee's birthday is Nov 18th and this baby's c-section is the 19th...keeping in mind that Ella came 21 days early, we wanted to be sure Maylee had her party too. Plus she always has wanted a pumpkin patch party too). It was at a pumpkin patch and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was so much fun. Hopefully I'll get to downloading my pictures and post some soon. But I did want to post the Birthday girl wearing her birthday crown at school.
Leigh Anne

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"Say Cheese"...

2010-10-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

and boy did they!! Well, Hadley did for sure, I can just hear her saying the words. These are the school pictures that the little preschool had taken.
Leigh Anne

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2 more pics

2010-09-28T12:43:00.001-07:00

Here are two pics I got of Hadley this afternoon when I picked her up.
Leigh Anne

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Early Celebration

2010-09-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

This morning as we were approaching the preschool steps, this is what we saw! Hadley's sweet teachers had already begun celebrating her. So sweet! Inside she got to wear the birthday shirt and had a sign on her cubbie. I brought donut holes. So she should have a great day. Tomorrow is her real birthday, so I'm sure I'll have more pictures yet to come.
Leigh Anne

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Oh Boy!!!

2010-09-27T12:09:00.001-07:00

Last week I had my final sonogram. Everything looked great (which was music to my ears, since it was my 30 week sonogram when we found out about Maylee's heart defect). I asked if it was still a boy, and they said yes. He was weighing 3lbs 8 oz, which was a little big...so who knows, he might just make an early exit/entry like Ella did (three weeks early). However I won't hold my breath for that. Here is a 3D pic from the appointment...my expectations weren't high as last time when I had a 3D with Hadley the best pic we got was of her leg. At least this one has one eye part of a nose and cheek, but not much better as the chord is in front of par of his face. You will have to use your imagination!
Leigh Anne

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Sugar and Spice and everything nice.....

2010-09-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures about two months ago, and just now downloaded them to my computer. My sweet girls!!!!

Several "Big" days...

2010-09-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

Several big days for the girls. First, Maylee had her first chapel day on Wednesday. They have to wear their plaid jumper and she was so excited...here she is:

Today Ella and Hadley had their first day of preschool. They both were really excited and did great. Both ran into their classrooms and didn't look back (that is huge for Ella b/c she sometimes has issues with being dropped off). Here they are:

Oh, and let me tell you how our little red head pretty much refuses to keep her clothes on at the house. This morning I dressed her, and she promptly started fussing and pulling at the shirt I had put on. Before I knew it, she had pulled off her shirt. I thought she didn't want her clothes on, but then she came out with Maylee or Ella's purple shirt (just like the one she is wearing), so I went and got hers. Put it on her, and she was as happy as could be!!!!! She isn't even 2, and is already complaining about how I dress her.....we have a long road ahead!!!

So when I picked Ella and Hadley up, this is how I found Hadley:

I couldn't believe it! Now granted she was in a room all by herself with a teacher (b/c she was talking and not laying down with the other kids), but she was asleep on her nap mat! I always find this to be a small miracle.

Today, Maylee also had her annual check up with her cardiologist. Everything looked great. It is always good to see and hear that. She has come so far in almost 6 years.

And I know that this is a long post, but I cooked my friend's recipe tonight and it was so good....so here is the link if you want an: easy good fish recipe. I too used frozen tilapia fillets, and cooked first for 10 minutes topped with cheese and 5 more minutes. I also used dried chives and dill. Sooo good!

Tired Kindergartener

2010-08-31T18:44:00.001-07:00

So this is the first week of full day Kindergarten. I knew the exhaustion was coming, but didn't expect it this soon!

Leigh Anne

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First Day of School!!!!

2010-08-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a big day for a little girl. This is such a huge benchmark Maylee hit today. Not a tear was shed (by her or me!!). She was so excited, which just makes me so excited for her. She is eager to learn and adjusts very well to new surroundings. I know she is going to have a great year. She loves her teacher...and I do to. I told her I think she has one of the sweetest teachers ever, and she agrees. We got to meet her teacher last week, and after Maylee talked to her, one of the first things she said about her was, "Mom, she said she has been praying for me"! How sweet and special is that!!??!! She made quite an impression.

This morning the school had breakfast called The Boo-hoo Breakfast for Kindergarten moms and Senior moms. I think there were definitely more tears coming from the senior side. The President of the school spoke, and had a great story. He called it the tree house and garden, to sum it up, he never fixed up an old tree house for his kids begged for, or planted a garden his kids wanted to plant. Now, he would give anything to go back and build the biggest tree house, and plant the grandest garden. Point being, take advantage of every opportunity with your kids, as it passes so quickly. What great advice, advice that I'm sure I will need to remind myself of often. All in all, it has been a great day.

The day before Kindergarten...

2010-08-23T21:54:00.001-07:00

Today we had a special day, as it was the last day before Maylee starts school. I had decided I would take Maylee and Ella to the American Girl store for lunch. GG happened to be in town, so she was able to join us, which made it extra special! The girls loved every minute. We did have a funny moment where Kit was decapitated, yep her head just came off. I tried to fixed it as fast as I could not to traumatize any of the other little girls in the store!

Another funny thing...the other day we were in the car and talking about school starting and I told Maylee, "you are about to start the beginning of a long journey". She was puzzled so I told her that after Kindergarten she would go to 1st, 2nd and so on through high school. Then I told her after high school she would go off to college for 4 years. I could see fear cover her face, and she said "I don't want to move off", so I told her she could live with us and go to college, but promised her that she would want to move to college. She seemed a little less worried, but then told me she just wouldn't go to high school or college!!! Boy does she have that wrong! But it was funny.
Leigh Anne

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Daddy's way...

2010-08-21T17:33:00.001-07:00

So we have had a little problem with Hadley lately...she refuses to keep her diaper on. NIGHTMARE for carpet, right!!???!!! So daddy had a solution tonight. Yes that is my baby with duck tape on her diaper. Note, this was his second attempt, she tore right through his first! What a little mess!!!
Leigh Anne

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Back to school haircuts..

2010-08-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

So we made a trip to one of the girls' favorite places yesterday...Sweet and Sassy. Maylee has wanted short hair for a long time, so we cut a lot off. Ella got a good cut and Hadley had her first.

I wasn't sure how Hadley would react, so I came armed with plenty of M&M's. At Sweet & Sassy they always get to pick a lollipop after the haircut, but I went ahead and let Hadley have hers right off away. It was so funny when they put her in the chair she had the sucker in her mouth (they have a really long stick). When the put the drape around her, she didn't realize she could use her hands to hold the lollipop stick, so she sat there the whole time with that stick sticking straight out. It was so stink'en cute! When they were finished, she didn't have much of that sucker left!

Heavy Heart....

2010-08-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

There is a family, whom I have never met, but have many friends who know this dear couple. They lost their precious little 18 month old boy named Walker yesterday to a rare type of cancer. They fought hard for a year. By reading their story on their Caring Bridge page http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/walkerrainey you can see they have they fought with grace and faith, that one could only hope to have during a trail of this kind. I know a majority of you reading this are mothers whose hearts go out them as well. So I just ask for prayers to uplift this family during this tragic time and their road ahead.

A little of what we have been up to...

2010-08-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

Seems like this summer has just flown by, but then it always feels that way. We have been pretty busy...I keep waiting for things to slow down, but I think I have come to except that "slowing down" isn't going to happen. We have two weeks from today before Maylee starts kindergarten, so we are trying to take advantage of our remaining summer days. Here are some of the things we have been up to:

I took Ella to see the Pinkalicious musical while Maylee was at cheer camp.

Maylee and her sweet cheer camp coach. Maylee had so much fun...the girl really has some spirit!!

This is Hadley making Maylee rub her feet while they watch tv!

We had a super fun trip with all our cousins and aunts to the aquarium. Check out the shark behind them!

All the cousins and friends (Dylan sat this pic out).

This past weekend we had our annual Aggie Reunion in College Station. Look at all the kids! That is even missing 5 from the whole group. I love how Maylee and Ella ended up with the 10 week old!

Sweet sisters.

A worn out toddler.

Hadley getting into my make-up and thinking mascara was lip gloss! Me cleaning up the mess of course!

Bet if you try it, you'll never go back...

2010-07-21T16:49:00.001-07:00

that is to the store bought granola! I found this recipe in an article about what is better homemade vs. store bought, and this is a winner, if I do say!

Granola

3 cup rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup + 2 TBS dark brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 TBS maple syrup
1/4 cup oil
3/4 tsp salt

Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix sugar, syrup, oil, and salt. Pour over dry mixture, and mix. Bake at 250 for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. (Can wait to a raisins until after cook time, they will just be softer, I personally liked them baked)
Leigh Anne

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Back in the Saddle again....

2010-07-15T11:44:00.001-07:00

Yes! This is my baby up on a horse all by herself! Made me really nervous when I first saw this, but Maylee has started riding lessons this week. Today was her second lesson and she is loving it. She tells me what you have to say to make the horse go and stop. They rode for the first hour, and then they learn how to care for the horses. Think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Oh and I had to include a picture of the duck. Tuesday, both Ella and Hadley were chasing it. It was really funny to see Hadley directly behind it chasing it, because they were both running with the same waddle, and Hadley's arms were even kind of flapping around like the duck's (unintentionally of course). If I can get a picture of that, I'll be sure to post it!

Leigh Anne

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It's a................BOY!!!

2010-06-30T14:55:00.001-07:00

We just found out our little peanut is a boy! His heart and everything else looked great, which we couldn't be more thrilled. Maylee and Ella are at my parent's right now, so we called and told them over speaker phone....Maylee started giggling hysterically and Ella started crying saying she wants another sister!!!!! Now it's really hard for me to start wrapping my head around blue! So different from pink!
Leigh Anne

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Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes...aka plain good

2010-06-24T13:17:00.001-07:00

I fixed these pancakes this morning for the girls, and I always forget how much they love them and how well they eat them. My mom gave me this awesome recipe and they not only taste great, they also are good for you! Thought I would share!

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

1 c buttermilk (or milk with 1T lemon juice or white vinegar)
3/4 c quick oats
1 T brown sugar
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg

I just mix together in a bowl, but if you want a smoother batter you can mix in the blender. I usually double the recipe and triple if Matt is eating with us!

Spaghetti O's

2010-06-15T12:13:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been making our own spaghetti O's, just b/c I found the right pasta and I can make it without the high fructose corn syrup and all the other junk they can pack in a can. Thought I would share. Here is what you need...

Spaghetti O's

1 box O pasta (I found this kind at Tom Thumb and haven't seen it anywhere else)

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

Velveeta

Garlic salt/powder

Prepare pasta as directed. Everything else is pretty much to taste...put as little or as much as you like. Heat tomato sauce and I melt about 1/2 of the velveeta. Add garlic salt/powder to taste and then add pasta. There you go! You just might get a face like this!

Recovering...

2010-06-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

So this past week we have really been recovering from our Disney World trip and Arkansas lake trip. They were back to back. Both were so much fun, but we have been worn out. We got back Sunday night and we had dance recitals and dress rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday. After that, we spent the rest of the week resting. It was nice.

The girls had so much fun a Disney World. Maylee said her favorite part was the Dumbo ride, and Ella said her favorite part was playinging in the pack'n'play with Maylee and Hadley! Go figure, right!! They really loved their princess make-overs and then eating in Cinderella's castle after that. Ella was kind of a punk/pop princess with rainbow colored hair and Maylee picked the traditional princess. My mom and dad came too, and they were such a huge help and we had so much fun. Oh, but if you are planning a Disney trip...you may want to avoid Memorial Day weekend and the first week of June. Let's just say you might have a lot of explaining to do...luckily our kids were oblivious. Wish we would have done a little more research though!!!!

The day after we got back the girls headed to the lake with Matt's parents, and then we left the next day to meet up with them. The lake was unusually warm and really nice. We had a great time.

Here are a few pics from Disney I have on my phone.
Leigh Anne

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Last day/ Splash day...

2010-05-20T15:11:00.001-07:00

Today was the last day of preschool. It also was splash day, where they wear their swimsuits and splash around at all different kinds of water stations. They all had a blast of course...here they are excited to get to school for the fun to begin!

Leigh Anne

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Oh Baby...

2010-05-20T15:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I got to have another sonogram and I cat believe how much the baby has changed!!!
Leigh Anne

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Our little graduate...

2010-05-19T12:13:00.001-07:00

Maylee graduated from Pre-K last night! Can't believe we have a graduate...who will be starting kindergarten in 3 1/2 months. Oh how our lives will changing! A cap and gown??!! Really??!!

DWTS

2010-05-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

This is Ella completely enthralled with DWTS and oblivious to everything else around her. Matt started messing with her and she said, "Daddy, I'm watching Dancing With The Stars!!!".
Leigh Anne

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A creative Neti pot...

2010-05-17T13:20:00.001-07:00

This allergy season has hit me hard. My Neti pot has been a friend no doubt. Apparently Maylee had been watching me very carefully. One night I looked over to see her using her princess tea pot as a Neti pot!! She was doing it right with the water just flowing out of her nose!!!
Leigh Anne

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Bluebonnets

2010-04-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I took the girls' pictures in the bluebonnets. It's funny, my friend and I are taking a hobbyist photography class, and the instructor told us that the worst color you can be in for bluebonnets is white. Too bad I didn't know it when I bought the dresses back in the fall with this in mind. So I tried to shoot in the shade, which limited the amount of bluebonnet patches. So here goes!

This is pretty typical of my "best shot" of all three....can only imagine how four will be...

Maylee

Ella

Hadley

Cuatro

2010-04-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well....baby #4 is on its way!!!! Due 11/27/10!!
Leigh Anne

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Pinata Fun

2010-04-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we went to my parents house to celebrate cousin McCade's birthday. It was such a fun day, and the kids just loved being together. Christine brought a pinata, and it was it a hit! Check out these intense pinata hitting faces......serious stuff!!

The little ones didn't hesitate to pick up what candy they could get!

Chillen in the golf cart.

Easter 2010

2010-04-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

The girls really enjoyed this Easter season. Yes, they had a blast getting to hunt eggs and have parties, but I could tell Maylee and Ella were really listening to the story of Easter and the real reason we celebrate. It is so neat to get to see all of this starting to click, and come together. On the night before Sunday we made resurrection cookies, and what a great way to have them hands on learning about Easter....and the cookies were really good too! Hadley is all about the candy...she comes walking through with chocolate dripping from her mouth...she has a secret stash!

Easter Egg Hunt #1, back in Longview with our great friends.

Easter Egg Hunt#2 with sweet church friends

Easter Egg Hunt #3 - Preschool parties

Colorado...

2010-03-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

The end of February through the beginning of March, we went to Aspen with all of Matt's immediate family. Honestly I was a little nervous (ok, more than a little) with all the girls, but we had SO MUCH FUN!! We skied, went snow mobiling, swam, and ate tons of good food. Maylee and Ella were in ski school 5 days, and they did a great job. We really got a kick out of them skiing down the little bunny hill. However, one day in ski school, they put Maylee in a group where she was the only one that spoke english. Talk about devastation!!!! She just couldn't understand why the other kids wouldn't talk or play with her! The next day we made sure she had at least one english speaking buddy with her. Again, it was so much fun, and here are some pics to prove.

Getting ready to hit the slopes!

Waiting to go into ski school

Tired little skier....one

Tired little skier.....two

What a beautiful view!!

I think this pic is funny....she is saying "cheeeeeeeese". Poor Hadley only left the house 4 times the whole time and 3 were going to eat! However, she had a blast with her cousin....proof is below:

They found lots of things to get into!

So much fun snow mobiling!

The helmets were huge!! They could barely walk straight!

This little "friend" came peering right up to the kitchen window one morning. Glad there was glass between us!

Our whole group

Where's Waldo?......

2010-02-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

Can you find the girls here?

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

This is what we woke up to this morning! We missed the last snow on Christmas Eve, so we were thrilled to get in on this one!

Hadley is thinking she has had just about enough of this cold business.

Snow ball fight!!

Busy making snow angels.

Our snowman without a face (actually the head kept crumbling when we would try to stick the carrot in!)

Junior was loving the snow. He is made for this kind of weather. Matt felt sorry for him last night and let him come in to sleep in our room. However he was panting so hard, and not cooling off, that we had to put him back outside. Crazy.

Horse'en Around

2010-02-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

Meet our newest member of our animal family.....Maggie. The girls had fun on pretty day last week feeding her. She is a really sweet horse.

A few weeks ago we got to celebrate my grandma's 87th birthday. She had a great time, and all of us did well.

Really?? It's been that long?...Brace yourselves!

2010-01-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been so long!!?? After three birthday parties, Thanksgiving and Christmas (oh, and all the Twilight books) I just have gotten so behind on blogging. This seems to be my trend for this time of year. So where do I begin to catch up....well here goes...

So for all my girls, I have had their one year portraits made. I absolutely love them. They are the first possessions I would seek if our house was burning down (of course assuming the children are already out and in a safe place, ha!). So here is Hadley's....and I went ahead and added Maylee's and Ella's too. It wasn't until I saw Hadley's and Ella's side by side did I see such a resemblance, I always thought she favored Maylee more, but I think it is pretty even now.

Hadley Anne

Ella Faye

Maylee Elizabeth

Our little "ice" queen of dress-up

Maylee and Kit at the American girl Bistro...so fun! Can't wait to take both Maylee and Ella, now that they both have a Kit doll.

Happy 5th Birthday Maylee! Her fun gymnastics party!

One of Maylee's birthday presents, but Hadley thinks she is hers!

Thanksgiving Day Parties

They had a blast decorating their gingerbread houses Picking pecans with Grandma

Nice Group shot, right!

Our little Angel.

Our other little Angel breaking the rules and touching the nativity!

She was singing her heart out!

Sweet Friends

Gaylord Ice show

Christmas Parties!

Pop's hayride!

Hard work, especially when the elbow is required.

Cousin time

Couldn't you just squeeze him!!!

Sitting in the chair is the present that Maylee picked out for Ella....I have to say it was the favorite present of all....go figure!!

Ella and the whoopie cushion in action!Maylee taking off on her bike!!Stinson cousin time...taking a break from tackling Pops!

This is one of the presents that Santa brought the girls, and I have to say how cool it is. It put stars all over their room at night, and even has a 40 minute timer. It says for infants to something like 36 months, but they love it, and I think I would like one too!

Meet my new best friends....

2009-11-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

So I was in Target yesterday and I saw these....

I love Happy Baby food anyways, so I knew instantly I was going to LOVE these...and I do. They are little pouches of baby food with spout! So you can let older ones suck them down themselves or squeeze into a spoon for little ones. We ate out last night, so I grabbed one and Hadley sucked it down and was happy as could be. This is so cool and convenient that I just had to share!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

We participate in our church's Trunk or Treat again this year. The girls had a blast. We had two beautiful princesses and one of the cutest little bumble bees I've ever seen (if you ask me, ha!). Matt had to meet me at the church, so I tried to park in space that was somewhat hidden and out of a mainstream path b/c I had to one, change Hadley's dirty diaper, and two, put the girls in their dresses (as hoop skirts and car seats don't really mix). Oh to my surprise (and many others at that) we were right on the hayrides' path.....boy did those people get a show. I tried to be as discrete as possible to take care of our business (with the tailgate down and the back window open), but my two girls in panties who had crawled over the seats to the back of the car, would shout "Trick or Treat!!" as each hay ride would go by. I think we saw about 10 rides pass! The girls were in heaven getting so much candy. It really was nice outside, and a night full of fun.

"I'm 3 now.."

2009-10-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

I heard that statement many times today....me being told that she wasn't going to wear diapers at night any more because "I'm 3 now" (which she is in one tonight, I convinced her to take baby steps....let's go for a dry diaper in the morning before making that move) or trying to take her temperature by herself with a digital ear thermometer because "I'm 3 now". Miss Ella Bella is really growing up. Three years old, and I just can't believe it. Daily I see her little personality just blooming, and I'm loving every second.

Today we also had her first non exclusively-family party. So her friends got to come celebrate with us, and Ella had so much fun. Here is a little run down:

Even though we are at Paradise Pond (a great playground in our church), my child still finds a way to take her clothes off!

It takes a strong GG and Noni to practically tackle her to get her shirt back on!

Her sweet friends who celebrated with her.

Now to cut loose a bit....

Ella, slightly hesitant, but eating up the attention of everyone singing Happy Birthday to her!

I think this might be our first family picture since having Hadley....how sad is that!

This was the view on the way home...

yet, still holding on to the important things!!

Happy Birthday my sweet Ella!!!

Party, Party, Party

2009-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so last Saturday we had Hadley's Birthday party with our families. It was a lot of fun. Hadley loved it. We found out she has a LOVE for icing. It was really cute to watch her smear the icing all over her face. On the too much information side, she had a nice pink surprise for us the next day too!ha! She now is walking around pretty well, and its pretty weird seeing the top of her little head bobbling around as she cruises. She also is now participating in the "big girl" play. She really does hang out with the girls in the play room. The other day she really talked to Matt on the phone....she would say hi, babble then laugh, babble then laugh again, and then say bye bye. It was so funny. Matt really got a kick out of that. I just can't believe she is getting so big!

Can't believe this was just a year ago.

Grandma Collins makes everyone feel good!

Pops telling some wild story I'm sure.

Landon came to the party and check out this big boy. He is so cute and full of smiles! I do have to note, he is a BIG boy.....25 lbs and just 6 months!

Last week I actually managed to get my camera to the game to capture a little of the craziness!

These next two are classic: Maylee and Chloe playing in the dirt, oblivious that there is a game going on....hence the batter batting, and then running the bases, right past them, and they never looked up!

This is the best part of the game for them, they get their ticket after the game to exchange for a snack at the concession stand. Oh the joy!

A little Bop lov'en ...the two red heads....just about the exact same color.

GG over loaded....a common sight.

Ella, happy to get a snack too.

Happy Birthday Hadley!!!

2009-09-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

Sweet Hadley turned one on Tuesday. I can't believe it has been a year. Hadley is such a sweet baby. She has been a true blessing to our family. We all adore her. We are having her party on Saturday, with family coming into town. But Tuesday we had a little cake for her. She ate every bit of her piece, sucking every bit off her fingers! Her favorite present was the Spiderman phone (I tried to get one that looked the most like mine....so Spiderman it was!). We will be celebrating all week, so I'm sure more pictures are to come!!

Go Purple Pixies!!

2009-09-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the first official game of the Purple Pixies!!! It is a girls softball team....and guess who is the coach....Matt!! He was so funny, he thought that the coach's shirt might be purple and he was refusing to wear it. He did finally admit he would wear it if Maylee really wanted him to....turns out it wasn't purple after all, all that worry for nothing!

The game was so funny. Maylee's best friend Chloe is on the team, and they had a blast playing in the dirt (kind of reminds me of soccer!). They actually pitch to them first, and then if they don't get a hit, they get to use the tee. Maylee hit from the pitch not one but TWO times!!! Then she took off running to third! Then would run around the bases. Too cute. We got home and used diapers for bases, and practiced stomping on the base. We will see if that helps.

Here are a few pics in her uniform....maybe next week the camera will actually make it to the game!

First day...take two

2009-09-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hadley had her first day of Mother's Day Out yesterday. She did really well, her teachers had some cute stories of her day. I thought I was going to have so much time to do so many things, but the day flew by. I'm sure that is how every Thursday will be!

School Daze

2009-09-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

School finally started this Tuesday.....WooWhoo!!!! The girls were really excited. Hadley is just going on Thursday, so tomorrow is her big day. Here are a few pics from the first day.......you may be asking yourselves "how many pictures did you take", but lets not even go there....I always tend to take a lot. I love Hadley looking out the door, so badly wanting to be included!!

The girls had so much fun at school, but they are worn out. It is going to take a while to get back into this school thing....until it really starts for Maylee next year....that is really going to be a shock to OUR systems!!

Our little sweetie pie!!!

2009-08-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe at the end of this week, Hadley will be 11 months! Just one month away from one....she can finally face forward, yeah! She is such a joy, and such a good baby. These days she is really a daddy's girl. She watches Matt like a hawk. She loves LOVES her big sisters too, and the feeling is mutual. Here are a few cute pics of our sweet baby...

Oh Happy Day...

2009-08-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Since the day Ella started to walk, she has wanted to join Maylee in her dance class. It has been a long two years....but today was the day. Ella started dance. She was SO excited. She had so much fun in the class, so it should be a good year with dance. Maylee moved from the pink class to the blue class. She was quite excited to wear blue.

Can't you see the excitement??!!

Look at that sass coming out!

This past weekend we headed down to College Station for our annual "Aggie Reunion" with a group of our friends. We had so much fun. It was really fun to see all the kids together.....they seem to multiply every year! Hadley didn't make the group shot, (as I didn't quite trust Maylee to hold her), so I included her having fun at the pool. It really was a great weekend with great friends.

New Foodie Find

2009-08-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, we love cereal and I recently found this cereal. We love it. It is so good for you, and it tastes pretty good too. It has 10g of fiber (which is all whole grain and no lab created fiber) in 3/4 cup and 7g of protein. Also if you have the Sneaky Chef's breakfast cookie recipe, this cereal has made the best cookies yet. I found this at Central Market, but it may be in other stores...I just haven't looked. I know this is so random that I would blog or get excited about cereal....but that is me for you! Just thought I would share!

Some fun pick'en, and family fun

2009-07-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Last week and over the weekend we had a lot of fun, and saw so many of our favorite people. We went to my parents during the week, and the girls spent some great time in their garden. They got to pick corn, squash, tomatoes, zucchini, and a cucumber. They ate it up! Really!!

We got to visit with our family in Denison (which we always love), and then more family came up on Thursday. My aunt, uncle, cousin and her kids spent the night at my parents. The girls had so much fun with Sam and Noey.

Then Friday we all headed up to Oklahoma City for my youngest cousins wedding. So even more family!!! It was great. I only wish it could have lasted a little longer. The wedding was beautiful.

Here are some of our fun pics.

I love how Maylee is working hard shucking the corn, and Ella is working hard eating it!
Nonnie's baby....
Pop's baby

Isn't this one of the cutest things you've ever seen!

Maylee loved Sam.

She did her own hair....can't you tell!

Pretty as a Princess

2009-07-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

The lady who has helped us out over the past few years has almost become family. Many times when she comes to house she would bring her daughter with her. She is a sweet girl. Well, Holly is about to turn 15 and is having a quinceanera. They were looking for a photographer, and I told them I would gladly try to take a few pics. So they came over Saturday, and Holly looked so beautiful. The girls kept saying how beautiful Holly looked and how she was a princess. Cute. Here are a few pics....she is gorgeous.

A Few Milestones

2009-07-13T19:20:00.001-07:00

Much has happened in the past few weeks, so I'll give some updates. Time flies when your having fun right!

Maylee had her dance recital, and it was really cute. Her dance was one of the first ones, and we were leaving right after....at least that was the plan. As we were about to leave, they stopped the recital due to a tornado warning, and everyone had to exit and go to the gym (it was at Southlake's senior high). The show went on after about 30 minutes...crazy!!

We participated in our church's VBS. It was Maylee's first year not to just be in childcare, and she enjoyed it. I was one of the first grade teachers, and it was a lot of fun....a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Those kids crack me up. Were all thoroughly worn out, a great week though.

When we did Maylee's baby dedication, it was on Mother's Day and that was really special. It just happened that Hadley's baby dedication was on Father's Day. How appropriate that we pledged to love, teach and raise our baby as our Heavenly Father loves. What a huge responsibility!!! Matt is such a great dad. He loves those little girls better than I can imagine. They adore him, and he deserves it.

The 28th was Matt's birthday. The girls couldn't stop saying Happy Birthday!! We went to one of our favorite brunch buffets, and as Matt was going to get more food, Ella yelled after him "Come back here Birthday boy". It was really cute. Although it is mid-July, they are still saying Happy Birthday!!

As if Father's day and Matt's birthday wasn't enough....on the 29th we celebrated our 7th anniversary....talk about Christmas in June!!! We celebrated at Bob's (our favorite steak house). It has been a great seven years and we have really been blessed. Ok, I must show you an image of true love....let me preface first. We had a magnolia tree at our old house and I just loved it. The blooms are beautiful and smell so good...however, if you've had one, you know they are shedding monsters. I wanted one at our house, but all Matt could talk about was how much of a mess they are. We went to a tree farm, and I begged him to get one....sooo....let me present....Magnolia Row!!! He got 8!!! Now if you know Matt, this isn't too surprising!

We also hit the 9 month mark with Hadley. My baby is growing up so fast!! My baby. She really is the sweetest little thing. She bounces/laughs, and claps all at the same time all the time, and it just melts my heart. We just love our little red head!!

For the Fourth of July we made our annual trip to Arkansas, and had a great time on the lake. It is so beautiful up there.

Lastly, the girls have just been having fun together, enjoying one another...here is the proof...

Oh and I loved these pics...

Chill'en with Jesus

2009-06-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

Any time Maylee gets scared at night, I always tell her that there is nothing to be afraid of because Jesus is right there with her, and that He is always by her side. It kind of blows her mind, and of course she always has a ton of questions about that.

Well the other day, we were getting ready to leave, and I told Maylee to get her shoes on so we could go. Well her little sassy self replied "No!...I'm just going to stay here all by myself, and with Jesus!" Sassy I know, but I did think it was cute and a little clever. Too bad CPS wouldn't go for that! ha!

Mama's having some fun...

2009-05-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

I recently got a new lens for my camera, and boy have I been having fun!! Here are my favorites from the other night:

Now in black in white, just in case you wanted to see :) If you like one better than the other, you will have to let me know!

Celebrating with the Good Doctor

2009-05-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

We received an invitation to a surprise birthday party for Dr. Mendeloff, the cardiothorascic surgeon, who performed Maylee's heart surgery. They were going all out, with t-shirts and all. I thought this would be really neat for Maylee, 1) to meet Dr. Mendeloff, she always asks who fixed her heart and 2) because she could see other kids who have had heart surgeries (she is always asking if Ella, Hadley or anyone she can think of had their heart "fixed").

Maylee was so excited, she was really looking forward to the party. We got there, and they called all the kids up on the stage. They started singing Happy Birthday as soon as he walked in. It was really special to see the stage packed with kids who had their hearts fixed by this great doctor.

Dr. Mendeloff, thought he was speaking about being a surgeon, so he went ahead and gave his prepared speech. He mentioned how it took him 18 years of training. I know every parent in that room was so grateful that someone could devote and sacrifice so much for our precious babies' lives. I know that Dr. Mendeloff was just a tool used in God's perfect plan of our baby's life, but what a precious tool and we will forever be thankful for his works.

2004-just after surgery

2009

Singing Happy Birthday!

Some kind of bird bath

2009-05-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

We had company for dinner last night, and as they were leaving, we looked over and saw this sight. The night before I saw a similar sight, only they were rolling in mud....I mean rolling, mud caked on thick. I wanted to take a picture, but I figured that would only encourage this behavior. The things they think of!!!