The Pape Family

Wyatt Hunter Pape

2012-02-01T10:14:00.007-06:00

I honestly don't even know where to start. I have missed blogging about Christmas, New Years and now the first month of our new addition to our family. Sooo sorry!!! So I will skip Christmas for now. Wyatt Hunter Pape was born on January 3, 2012, weighing 8lbs 12oz and 21.25 inches long. I remember telling my doctor if he looked small when they pulled him out to start looking for another one! I just knew he was going to be big and as soon as they pulled him out, I felt like I could finally breathe again.....
Unfortunately, after we got into recovery they had to send down a NICU team to check on his breathing because it appeared as though he had swallowed some fluid which got into his lungs which is common with c-section babies. No one was able to hold him nor was I able to feed him while they were assessing him. They first told us that there was a period of time, 7 hours, that they wanted to observe him to make sure that the fluid dried up on its own. So seven hours passed.....and we got news that he needed to spend the night in the NICU, because the fluid wasn't drying up and he was needing oxygen to help with breathing. Luckily, the epidural was keeping me calm from the c section so I didn't freak out and just went with it. That night, my nurse had me get up for the first time which was good because Waylen was allowed to wheel me down to the NICU to see my sweet baby. Even though I couldn't hold him I loved watching him and studying his face. He was perfect and tomorrow he would be back with us.....so I thought.
The next two days are starting to be a big blur, but basically over the next 48 hours they ran lots of bloodwork and the counts were not in our favor. We were left with being told our little guy would have to stay in the NICU for the next 7 days. I couldn't believe it. Not only would he not be in our room during our stay....he wouldn't be able to go home with us. I was a mess inside. Waylen and I decided it was better to be safe than sorry... we just wanted our son to get better and we would do whatever it takes. So over the next 7 days they would administer antibiotics through an IV twice a day. The IVs dont stay in very well with newborn veins so he had one his hand, one in his head (that was the worst) and one in his foot. Waylen and I would go down every three hours while we were in the hospital to feed and hold him. Once we checked out of the hospital we went straight to a hotel where we stayed until he got out. It made it so much easier to be so close for feedings. I am happy to report after the 7th day we did get to bring him home and we have been in love ever since. It wasn't the easiest journey and I am leaving a lot of the drama out...believe me...I had lots of meltdowns and lots of tears!!!
All of our parents were so great throughout it all, checking on us and taking care of Harlow. My dad and Lori would bring her up to the hospital every night to see us. It made it soo easy knowing that she was being spoiled while we were away! She always knew baby Wyatt was at the hospital, but she never got to see him until the day we brought him home....and that was so special. Hopefully I can find a way to upload the video of her meeting him for the first time.
The past month has been a whirlwind. Two kids is soooo much work!!! hahhaha.... Luckily, Harlow and Wyatt have both been great and we can't wait to watch them grow up together.

Happy Birthday Harlow and Maddie!!

2011-11-13T11:06:00.005-06:00

Since I may have gone "over the top" for Harlow's 1st birthday and I am 32 weeks pregnant (and feeling every second of it) we decided to go "low key" this year. So Kasey and I decided to do the girls birthday party together and it worked out perfectly. We had it at Love to Swim and Tumble here in Schertz. They provided instructors for the kids, the parents got to hang out...and the best part was NO CLEAN UP!!! Yippeee!!! We had pizza and fruit, a million cakes (Harlow and Maddie had their own personal cakes to blow candles out with, Harlow had a separate small cake with no icing, and then we had the big cake for everyone else) and a candy bar for the kids to fill up their treat bags before they left. Everyone seemed to have a blast and Harlow loved the gymnastics area! Guess we will be signing up for classes soon!!! Happy Birthday Harlow and Maddie!!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

2011-10-13T20:46:00.004-05:00

Today, two years ago, Waylen and I received the most special gift from God. We couldn't have been blessed more and not a day has been the same since. Harlow Grace, Happy Second Birthday!!!! LOVE, Mommy and Daddy!

And, YES MY FRIENDS........SHE ATE HER CUPCAKE....AS LONG AS THERE WASN'T ANY ICING!! DEFINITELY MY DAUGHTER!

Bye Mom, See you soon!

2011-09-07T18:11:00.006-05:00

Today, was Harlow's first day of Kids Day Out. We decided to sign her up at a really great place on my way to work to go twice a week and burn some energy and hopefully learn a thing or two. Last night, I was preparing all her stuff, labeling everything, overpacking extra snacks and food (just in case she was randomly starving, I guess) and I caught my self getting nervous. EEEKKKKK....How was this really happening?....her whole life flashed before me....it's going by WAY too fast. I am trying to soak it all up.
So this morning we got up and ready to go. At first she couldn't wait to put on her backpack....but that did not last long. It was too heavy and she wanted it off NOW!!! After telling daddy bye we went outside and took a couple of pics...which started out all cute.....and then she was over it! She made her usual "I'm MAD" face, sat down, and would not look at me!!!! What a princess. Once we got to school, I realized I was in for a treat carrying all the "first day of school" stuff for her. Somehow I managed, and I remember as we were getting closer to the door Harlow stopped and held out her hand for me to hold as we walked through the door.....my sweet big girl (that was the only time I teared up....I swear!). Once, we got into the class....she took off running, looking at all the toys and new things to play with. Of course, the teachers loved her and thought she was just the cutest!!! After unloading all her stuff and grabbing a couple more pics, I bent down and she gave me a kiss and said "Bye Mom! See ya soon!"......

Yup, that's it! No whining, no clinging to my leg, nothing! As much relief as I felt leaving the school without any tears or tantrums....I felt a little rumble in my tummy letting me know.....there is always #2!!! HAHAHAHAHA.......

Harlow had a great day today. She loved showing me all the toys and everything she did that day. She even took a good nap! So day one is complete and turned out better than I could have expected!

A little story and some pictures!

2011-08-14T14:14:00.002-05:00

So I have to tell a story about our little shopping adventure yesterday. My sister and I headed out with Harlow yesterday morning to La Cantera after breakfast. Harlow is starting "preschool" this September two days a week and she is soooo excited. There are a few things that are required, one of them being that she has to wear closed toe shoes. I have never been a huge fan of tennis shoes or play shoes, probably because they always seems to make her trip over her feet when she is wearing them. So, while at Nordstrom we decided to let her look at the shoes. I say "her" because she has gotten extremely picky about what she wears. She loves being given two options to pick from and that is usually what our morning routine consists of. So today, I was going to give her the power (bad idea) to pick out a pair of school shoes. Af first she just started at them all, smiling from ear to ear at the selection she was being given. I never quite thought ahead to what my reaction would be if the only ones she wanted were ones that I didn't approve of. Well, I was going to have to think on my feet because it happened, and my daughter had just picked up a pair of silver sparkly "HIGH-TOP" Converse! Really? Have I taught you nothing!!??? So I did let her try them on (pretending like they were the only pair in stock) and they were too big. Bummer....we will just have to move those out of eyesight and move on!!! After that little fiasco we narrowed it down to two options, two luckily that I liked, so it was time to try them on. After trying each shoe on, the sweet sales girl let Harlow run to the door and back to try them out. We would tell her to run FAST....and she thought it was the coolest. We were able to find both in a size that works, but one just looked so much more comfortable when she was running than the other. So she successfully selected her first pair of school shoes and I got a little taste of what school shopping will be like in a couple of years!!! Gosh, she is picky! HHHHMMMM.....wonder where that comes from!

Hubby Turns 30!!!!

2011-08-14T13:51:00.002-05:00

Well, it finally happened! I always wondered what it would be like to be 30...and here we (I mean, he) is. hahahhaaha...I will live up these last 9 months of my 20's! The hubby on the other hand, celebrated his 30th birthday this weekend! It was a blast. We had our 18 week appointment on his actual birthday, so we got to confirm that we will actually be having a boy this January! We both held our breathe while she looked around......and she found IT!!! Wyatt "can't decided on a middle name" Pape is coming sooner than we know it. I can't believe we are almost halfway done! After that we celebrated with sushi and then this weekend had his big party with friends!!! Oh, and he would be devastated if I didn't mention this....but he did shoot the best round of his life this weekend....a 74! I think he is prepping to teach Wyatt everything he knows! You rock babe!
Fall is almost upon us, which means FOOTBALL season is starting soon! Harlow and I decided to finally give him what he has always wanted...a MAN CAVE!!!! I will have to post pictures soon but it involves dark walls, home theater chairs, GOOGLE TV, and Surround Sound.......am I a nice wife or what? haahhahaahha.....Now, I must say that the "have to still be in a little bit of control" side of me will be helping with the design layout of the room. There is no telling what I would find if I let him do it all. He will be hosting a Fantasy Football league draft in two weeks....So I better get off the computer and help paint! Happy Birthday Babe! Love you to the moon and back!!! - Love, Meredith, Harlow, and Wyatt

Happy 4th of July!!!!

2011-07-07T21:19:00.005-05:00

This 4th of July we headed up to Dallas to meet up with family at the Hilton Harbor in Rockwall. It was an amazing weekend of boating, relaxing, eating, and hanging out. We absolutely loved it. Harlow loved the boat and swimming in the lake and pool. We have found out that little floaties are amazing and make her feel so secure. She fell asleep both days on the boat and we didn't get sunburned at all!!! Yeah!!! Friday night after dinner was the fireworks show and Saturday night they had Finding Nemo playing on the side of the hotel right by the pool. H loved it...we stayed up way too late and recovered all day on Monday.

Monday we also moved Harlow into a toddler bed. We found the rails for her bed on EBAY (brand new) for dirt cheap!! Yeah Me!! We tried to not make a big deal of the thing so she wouldn't figure out she was able to get out so easily!!!!! It has been great so far...she just lays there, talks to herself and her animals for about an hour and falls asleep....in the morning, she wakes up, and when I go in there and ask her if she slept well, she answers by saying "I WAKE UP!!!!" Such a silly girl!!

20 Month News

2011-06-26T15:57:00.002-05:00

I haven't been a very good mom when it comes to charting all "the happenins" of Miss Harlow....but I am going to try and make up for that with this one post. Harlow is at such a fun age. She is constantly learning and growing into such a mini me (maybe not on the looks end), but I swear if I could picture myself at this age, this is how I would act. PERFECT.....Sometimes!!!! So what fun things is Miss Harlow doing to date.....

Miss Harlow MUST wear her sunglasses if everyone else is. Especially if its sunday morning...she loves wearing them to church!

Miss Harlow is OBSESSED with NICK Jr. It is "preschool for kids" for all you moms rolling your eyes and calling me bad mother names.....if you could see her mind working while she watches these shows...you would let her watch them too. Insert me sticking my tongue out at you!

Miss Harlow is having a bit of trouble pronouncing her consonants in her words. It kinda scared me at first but after just a few practices in the mirror with our "ba's, ta's, ca's, ma's, and pa's" We got it down....she can figure out how to put them in the words later.

Miss Harlow's favorite book: Pinkalicious

Miss Harlow's favorite breakfast: Granola bar and Greek yogurt

Miss Harlow does not do: cupcakes, cake, ice cream (unless it's a milkshake) or brownies. She does: all fruity treats....fruit snacks, sour patch kids, sweet tarts.... (see, my mini me!!)

Miss Harlow has confused which country she lives in because every time we are in a store or restaurant she tells everyone " Ni Hao" which sounds more like "Yee Haaaahhhwww" which is "Hello" is Chinese....She is soooo cultured!!!

She still sleeps like a champ...goes to bed at around 8:15, talks to herself and anyone else who will listen for about an hour, then falls asleep....rinse and repeat in the morning.

When you are in control of food portions and she wants more of something you have.....she leans in all sweet and says in the cutest voice...."Smore...Smore...Smore? We crap up everytime she does this...it never gets old. She's goooooodddd!

Miss Harlow can now wear her hair in a ponytail which I love!!!

Miss Harlow has pottied on the big potty twice now....Number 1 AND 2!!!

Miss Harlow loves family hugs and will grab each of us and pull us towards her.....and AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Never gets old.

Miss Harlow thinks everything is Red......"Harlow, what color is that? Red!

Miss Harlow is NOT a fan of Blue....so much so that she even refuses the name says yellow instead.

Miss Harlow is the best and I cant wait to see what she learns next!!!

I KNOW.

2011-06-26T15:09:00.006-05:00

I know it has been FOREVER since I have blogged and everyone is all depressed....hahahhahaa, but I am back and have something for ya. Last weekend, the girls and boys split for the morning and the girls went and saw Pinkalicious at the Magik Theatre. Harlow was very excited and every day leading up to Saturday I would ask her if she was ready to go see Pinkalicious and she would scream YESSSSSTTTHHHHH (we are working on the lisp). We read this book at least 3 times a day and its a fan favorite when trying to go to the potty. (More on that later) She was soooo good during the entire play...listening and laughing the entire time. Something we will definitely go back and do. Here are some pics from the play...

The Royal Wedding!

2011-05-01T15:57:00.003-05:00

I couldn't resist turning the Royal Wedding into something super cute for Harlow. I love when people talk about where they were the day Princess Diana got married and what all they remember. I am realistic in knowing Harlow will probably have zero recollection of this day, but the pictures can tell the story!! I decided I wouldn't drag her out of bed at 4am (aren't I nice??) so we dvr'd it. I wasn't sure at first which channel I should watch, so I went with my gut and just knew "E" would have ALL the best gossip and style (because that is the most important). I was right!!! I....I mean...WE....LOVED IT. Harlow and I got all dressed up in our jewelry and she wore a princess dress and shoes for the big day. We set up a picnic in front of the TV, made muffins, and drank milk out of fancy cups!! It was magical! ahhaha....

Harlow's friends (stuffed animals) even stopped by for the party!! Unfortunately, they were all obnoxiously loud (seriously) and I had to ask them to leave. Harlow's grandparents think it hilarious to buy her animals that talk and sing songs and one of her Pawpaw's decided to put the idea in her head that it would be really cool if she turned them all on at once!! HAHAHHAA....NOT COOL PAPA!!! So while trying to scope out all the different fascinators and dresses I had to listen to a combination of Hippity Hoppity Easter, B-I-N-G-O, and Be My Baby. Not a good combo! Harlow on the other hand, thought it was very cool. I did make her sit down and watch as the princess walked down the aisle...and we both said...."sooooo preetttttyyyy!"

I loved sharing that moment with her and years from now when people talk about William and Kate's' wedding she will at least know from pictures that she enjoyed that day too!

Easter Treats

2011-04-25T19:03:00.007-05:00

From Harlow:

For all those little kids out there that aren't as smart as me.....let me fill you in! Easter is soooo AH-MAAAHHHZZZINNG!!! I loved every second of it. Did you know that on this day, there are colored eggs just laying around with CAAAANNNNY (candy) in them? Seriously!!!! I also got lots of presents from all my grandparents and my Aunt Ashley. My Aunt Ashley is soo cool because she sent me a huge sucker. It was yummy. Everyone tried to eat some of it, but I wouldn't let them. Mom said I had to take off all of my clothes and eat it outside which to me was EVEN BETTER!!! Mommy kept saying.....I was having a "sugar rush" or something...whatever that means!! She also keeps saying one day Easter will be even cooler once I really know what it means, but for now I will enjoy my CAAANNNYYY!!! Happy Easter Peeps!

Happy Easter!!!

2011-04-24T16:12:00.009-05:00

Before I go down for what could be a VERY long nap, I wanted to post some pictures of our Easter weekend. We had a great time and Harlow was spoiled rotten by all those who love her. Thanks to everyone who sent H Easter gifts. She loved them all. This morning at church was her first Easter egg hunt. It was a good practice round because all the kids running around and that fact that it was still early left her frozen in her tracks. She had one egg in her hand and fought me every inch of the way when I tried to get her to put them in her basket. Duh!! Because they were MINE!!! (Note to self: we gotta work on the stinginess!) So i did what every (fabulous) mom would do.... i started singing the "Clean Up" song from Barney. Hey, don't judge me...it worked and i will address it next year when she starts telling all the other kids to help her clean up!!! hahahahah..... By the next hunt we were old pros at the whole egg thing! She loved it! And best of all...."He is Risen"!!!! Thank you God for blessing me with so much love! Happy Easter 2011.....it's time to NAP!

Just like MOMMY!!

2011-04-04T20:33:00.005-05:00

Mommy taught me today that you are never too young to dedicate a section of your closet to shoes! I love going into my mommy's closet and looking at all the pretty clothes, shoes, and jewelry. I tell her all the time "I wear it!". Tonight, she surprised me with a shoe closet just for me. I love looking at all my sparkly shoes displayed so pretty!!! Thanks mommy!!

Mommy's closet.....

Harlow's closet.....

Where is Harlow?

2011-03-30T21:07:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, Harlow and I had an impromptu photo shoot while daddy was outside working. She was definitely being silly, carrying her lunch bag, and showing me that all her cups that we brought home from Kasey's were EMPTY!! Then we took it outside and I told her to "hide" behind the tree. Each time I would say..."Where is Harlow?" as she hid and then she would jump out and say "There she is!" Hahaha....I have to frame these!

Catch Up

2011-03-29T21:13:00.003-05:00

I am going to be playing "catch up" over the next couple of days. I want to say that we have been super busy...but I can't exactly remember what we did that kept me from blogging. So I will just move on quickly and change the subject. Hahahahah.....
This is a video of Harlow's newest achievement. She got this puzzle from her Pop and Gigi and has loved it ever since. Over the past week we discovered that with a little help putting the letters in their places....she can do it all by herself. The video shows her doing it twice (I know, it is a little long), but the second time is the best because she talks to us. Just to help everyone out.... "howwwww" is actually "help" and "tan too" is her version of "thank you". There are also several "I dewwww it!" which her letting us know she can do it all by herself.
If you watch real closely you can tell that some of the letters are duplicates like "a" and "e" so each one has a different color. Underneath each puzzle piece is the color of the letter that goes in that spot and somehow she even gets that right!!! Go Harlow!!! (We are just a little proud!)

Enjoy!

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

The Yo Gabba Gabba Trance

2011-03-23T21:13:00.004-05:00

I don't get this show!! I.JUST.DON'T.GET.IT!!! Unfortunately, Harlow could sit and watch this for hours. We usually just play the shows recorded ON DEMAND and you would think after watching the same four episodes over and over again, it would get old, but NO! The weird and scary thing about it is she gets in this "trance-like" state and just sits and stares at the TV. Is this ok?? Case in point, example number 1...

Isn't it hilarious! Sorry about the poor quality...her eyes are open too. Needless to say, we have cut back all tv watching in the afternoons. I guess we will try and keep that up through the summer....so check back with us in a couple of months to see it the "tv junkie" is still around!!

Move Over Gaga......Harlow is the new "TreNdSetTeR"

2011-02-19T21:28:00.003-06:00

Tonight, I got a load of laundry out of the dryer and of course my little helper ran over to start "folding clothes". Usually, she just starts grabbing clothes and shakes each one in the air and then throws them on the ground. Instead, tonight she had another agenda. She grabbed my black shirt....walked straight into the bedroom where the full length mirror is...and started draping the shirt over her all different ways...talking to herself the whole way through. She was so indecisive it was hilarious.
I cherish these moments so much. It is the silliest things about her that make me so proud!!! To my little "trendsetter"....I love you. Good night sweet baby!

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

"HA-LOW"

2011-02-17T22:42:00.004-06:00

Wanted to share a video of her being silly and saying her name. Everytime she gets in front of a mirror she just says her name over and over again and kisses herself. So funny. Happy Friday Everyone!

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

This Is The Stuff ...

2011-02-17T21:48:00.008-06:00

Have you ever just had one of those days or weeks where everything that could go wrong...does? That was me this week. It seemed like something happened everyday. So, in honor of this crazy week..this song fits perfectly. Literally!!!

And, I am not kidding....This has all pretty much happened to me recently.....

This is a picture from yesterday. I was getting samples out of my storage unit and went to lock it back up and my key broke off inside...NOW WHAT??? Lucky for me, I have a husband who is handy with a tool that can break the lock off so that I can put a new one on.

I should add that I also lost my phone this weekend at the rodeo (luckily) it was recovered....but that day I was completely lost without it.

And the most fitting part of the song is "Going 45 in a 35....sirens and fines.." Yup, that was me last month. I got a ticket for going exactly that. I am such a rebel. hahahhaa....sorry Schertz Police Department.

But, "...In the middle of my little mess....I forget how big I am blessed...because this is the stuff you use!" I can just take a deep breath and think about what really matters...like this one....

and this....

oh...and this...for a couple more months :)

Let's Rodeo...San Antonio!

2011-02-13T21:47:00.006-06:00

UUGGGHHHH...The weekend is over already! Boo. This weekend we had my dad and Lori in town. They spent the day saturday with Harlow while Waylen and I went with our friends Brian and Patti to the rodeo.

I always feel like a kid being around all the rides...and FOOOOOOODDDD. Ugh. Who doesn't love carnival food? We had fajitas and Waylen got some bbq baked potato contraption...so weird. Then for dessert we had FUNNEL CAKES!! Yippeee...my favorite. Of course, these days they have all sorts of other fried desserts so the boys tried some out. Waylen chose the fried twinkie and Brian had a fried oatmeal cream pie. I say "yuck"...they say "yummm".

The rodeo part was fun...except when they hurt those poor baby animals. We were on the 2nd row....so close that a few times we had to wipe dirt(praying it wasn't poop) off of us when the horses ran by. After the rodeo we watched Easton Corbin in concert. The day was great until the ride home....I left my phone there...IN MY SEAT. Luckily, a police man picked it up when Waylen called it and he turned it in to the lost and found. Thank you Mr. Policeman. I felt completely lost without it. So glad to have it back.
That night we went to a new restaurant called The Urban Taco. I thought it was pretty yummy....but not a place for Miss H. She was beyond bratty and I will chalk it up to being tired ,but it was border-line embarassing..... we still love her though. Now it is sunday...which means back to work tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Happy Early Valentine's Day!

I added a picture of Miss H....thought I should document her first "Oreo Experience".... I guess we can say she is a "fan"!!!

My New Digs

2011-02-10T19:24:00.004-06:00

Well...What do you think? Isn't it awesome? I know I am a little biased, but I am extremely excited about how cute it turned out.

So, one of my 2011 goals was to start fresh with my blog. Over the past six months I have been quite the avid blog follower. I never knew there were so many great blogs on home design, fashion, and "mommy stuff" out there. So I knew I wanted to jump into that, but I didn't really know where to start. First, I thought I would start a completely different blog separate from my one about Harlow to discuss new fashion, things I love, home projects, etc. After thinking about that I decided....that it was TOTALLY NOT REALISTIC. So I opted for updating this one with a catchy name and design which means some new fun posts will be added too.

I wish I could take complete credit for this, but it all goes to the lovely girls at www.smittenblogdesigns.blogspot.com. They worked with me on everything from the the design, color scheme, to the overall idea of the blog. They were amazing and I cannot say enough good things about them. Jacquelline was my designer and she was super sweet and so easy to work with. So if you like it, make sure you go check them out. They also have some cute premade things too!

A Message from Harlow

2011-01-31T21:28:00.004-06:00

Hi Everyone....Harlow here. Mom said since I am getting so big I could blog on here all by myself. I wasn't real sure what to write about...so she told me just to tell y'all what I did today. It started off with me waking up while mommy was in the shower. I yelled for her, but she never came. Luckily, my Uncle Cole was getting ready for school so he came and got me. He sure is nice to have around....(but he never changes my diaper). He took me and my soggy diaper straight to mommy, and she turned on my favorite show and I got to watch it in mommy and daddy's big bed. I love waking up early.
After we got ready it was off to see Maddie. She is pretty grumpy these days (when she wakes up) so I just try to stay away from her until she is ready to play. We had a fun day, enjoying the warm weather and the rocks(my current favorite outdoor toy). I like playing with Maddie and giving her hugs and kisses...she is my best friend. Mom is going to post some pictures from our outside adventures later.
Tonight, mom and I made bean and cheeezzz tacos. They were really good.....Berkeley thought so too. After dinner we played and sang lots of songs and read lots of books. My mom is a really good singer. Then it was off to take a bath with my daddy....This is my favorite time of the day! I just drank my bottle and now mom says its time to go "night-night" so I gotta go. Lub wooh.

Oh..and just in case my mom posts a picture of me with my lip out....let me explain...I was just going to walk to the edge of the driveway and then turn around I promise! Mrs. Kasey just assumed I was going to keep walking into the street. I hate getting told no...it stinks!

Harlow

The Kid Can Read!

2011-01-30T17:34:00.005-06:00

Ok... maybe she can't read yet, but the pictures are pretty convincing. These days Harlow LOVES to go and play in her room BY HERSELF. Sometimes she wants us in there too, but most of the time she is perfectly content playing by herself. "Playing" involves her pulling down ALL the books off her bookshelf and then sitting in the middle of them reading each one. Here are a couple of pictures that I took when I snuck in there to check on her. (I get to pick this mess up EVERY night!!) I love it!!!
Today, I had all the intentions in the world of getting a cute picture of H and I at church..This was our first time to wear matching shoes! Whoooohoo. She got these super cute leopard flats for christmas and I had on mine....Unfortunately, Miss H isn't feeling too great today, so we left early and came home to cuddle and drink juice. Hopefully, we will be back at it tomorrow. Have a great week!

Love, M

Putting An End To The "NO...NO...NO!"

2011-01-23T20:08:00.006-06:00

Well this weekend Harlow turned into the ReBeL I never planned her to be. "Not MY daughter!" I remember repeating to myself. This week, every question we asked her came with a strong reply of "NO". When the question was coming from me, sometimes she would add a little slap in the face(bc I am soooo special, right?). YES, You heard me right! Uggghhh, it is the most frustrating thing ever. Not only is she not happy with anything you have to offer, but then she hits you in the face?? It's honestly hard not to laugh, but I try to be stern when I tell her that is not nice to hit and it hurts mommy's feelings. Usually after that, one of two things will happen. Number one, (which I like most) is when she will stick out her lip a little and bury herself in my chest in remorse. AAAAHHHHHHH....if only it were that easy, I would be SuperMOM! Option Number two is where we start to back pedal. She will start screaming, and whack, whack, whack. Three MORE slaps in the face! Hahahaha. Please don't tell me it only gets worse!
Luckily, thursday Kasey(who watches Harlow) was leaving to go out of town so Waylen had the opportunity to stay home with Harlow on Thursday and get some bonding time and I did the same on Friday. To my surprise, she was actually a lot better. Lots of loving, sitting in my lap, and reading books. My sweet angel is back... I think. I will admit she does have her moments, but overall she has been pretty good. Maybe, she was just letting us know she wasn't getting enough attention?
Saturday, we had a surprise birthday party to go to for three of our friends from college so Harlow went and stayed the night at Grandma and PawPaw Papes. It was so nice, and we even got to see some friends from Houston that we haven't seen since their wedding back in May. They are such a great couple and I wish we could hang out more! Hopefully our schedules will allow us to do that in the future. All in all, it was a great weeekend....I even got a little painting done too!
Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks. Maddie had her 2nd birthdy and it was "Cowboy" themed. There are a couple of Harlow at "school"...she obviously doesn't like wearing pants to school so we are going to have to work on that one! hahaha.... and a few from the party this weekend.
Love, M

New Year

2011-01-03T21:28:00.005-06:00

2011, is going to be a great year. I am already starting to make lists of everything. Personal goals....professional goals.....projects I want to do around the house...and even a few money management goals! I know! Isn't it great? HAHAHAHAH.... I keep bringing it up to Waylen, so he can make his list too, but for some reason he seems disinterested. I am sure it has nothing to do with the gazillion bowl games on. They should really think about ending all that boy stuff before the New Year starts....
Anyways, step one of all my lists and organization is to find a new daily planner. For my job, I need a specific type, one that has a monthly view only of the month ahead so I can plan out all of my appts, lunches, meetings, etc. I was so excited to see that one of the blogs I follow discussed the hottest new planners out there. I am even more excited with the one I found. Not only does this one give me the month to month calendar view, but also 45+ pages of blank sheets in the back for notes, ideas, etc. PERFECT! To top it all off...each page is monogrammed with my initials and the front is leopard print and personalized. SOOOOOOO CUUUUUUTTTEEEE! If you like planners as much as I do you have to check it out.

www.centsationalgirl.com

This is the blog where I found all the different planners....

www.ericcondren.com

And this is the one I went with....Yeah!!!

Once I am done with all my "lists"...I will let you in on a few. I am thinking about a project a month for the house...and maybe even blogging about it. Ok, I am getting WAY ahead of myself and I am picturing both eye rolling from my husband when he reads this...or terrible words forming in his mouth...LOVE YOU HONEY!!! Have a great week.

Love, M

New Years.....

2011-01-03T21:09:00.003-06:00

The days of getting all dressed up and going to a loud,stuffy restaurant, followed by a loud,obnoxious bar for New Years is a thing of the past! (WOW, how old did I just sound?) I have to admit though...I loved every second of it. This year 5 couples decided to get together and start a tradition of renting out a house every 4th of July and New Years so that we can all come together, relax, eat good food, and let our kids run around. 2010 was a great start to that tradition. Harlow is our first "kid running around" and there were two more in their mommy's bellies that will be making their debut in 2011. I love spending time this group and wish we could do it more often.
Harlow did great! We just had to keep her away from the firepit...which means we kept her inside for the most part, and despite a few tantrums she was a champ. Have I told you how often I am seeing those now? That's another post. We can't wait for more babies to join her next year. Soon, all the bunkbeds in the rental will be full of giggles, coodies,and stinky feet. I can't wait!

Love, M

Playdate with Bentley

2010-12-29T21:48:00.002-06:00

Each time I head to Dallas, I have the intentions of sneaking Harlow off to visit Mr. Bentley and my dear friend Danielle, but it NEVER works out. This trip we had some down time and that thought finally came to life. It was so good to see them and catch up a bit. We love you guys!

Christmas in Dallas

2010-12-29T21:21:00.004-06:00

And last, but not least...we head to Dallas. We got there safe and sound late Christmas night so we could wake up and do it all over again....MOOOOOORRRREEE PRESENTS!!!! It never gets old seeing her face light up about a gift. Here Harlow got a wagon from her Great Grandma and Pawpaw and man did she like that. I am pretty sure she would eat, sleep, and play in there if we would let her. One night she did eat dinner in it and all the dogs crowded around the wagon waiting for food. In between bites she would yell at the big lab, BUBBBBBAAAAAAA...NO NO NO! It was so cute and that darn dog never gave up. She definitely loves dogs, maybe because she can boss them around! We wrapped up our visit there with shopping at Northpark....visit to the PGA Store, and dinner at Snuffers. It was a fun visit, but I am glad to be back at home...I am off the rest of the week which is great because Harlow got a little off schedule due to all the traveling so we have some work to do. And she starts "school" on Monday...hahahhahaha...I will have to fill everyone in on that one later. Hope everyone had a Blessed Christmas..

Love, M

Christmas Day

2010-12-29T21:08:00.004-06:00

Christmas Day this year we spent with the Papes. That morning we got up and ate breakfast and then headed to the presents! This was Harlows third Christmas day in a span of a week...so she had it down....or maybe she was over it by then. hahaha...I guess its the price you pay being spoiled! She loved every second of it and I know her PawPaw and Grandma were in heaven getting to be a part of that day. We missed Aunt Jill and Uncle Willem....the morning wasn't the same without them. We had Christmas Lunch at the Lisenbys and then headed home to repack and head to Dallas.....told you it was a hectic week!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-29T20:39:00.006-06:00

We did our family Christmas on Christmas Eve this year. Since Harlow has no idea at this point anyway...we just pretended it was Christmas day when we woke up that morning....it is was such an awesome day. I absolutely loved watching her open her gifts, so excited about each one she got. We gave her about 5 mins between each gift to let her play with each toy before we moved on to the next. And even though she would have just been fine with a bag of tissue paper(I KNOW), it was so fun shopping for her this year. I can't imagine what the years have in store for me with her. I just kept adding ONE more thing!! hahahah. Waylen and I made a big breakfast for the three of us...watched movies, played with Harlow, and I baked a little. It was PERFECT. That afternoon we went to church and then headed over to The Williamsons for the Annual Christmas Eve celebration. I am truly so blessed, our little family of three, I couldn't ask for anything more. This day I will always remember.... Love you Waylen and Harlow!

Christmas in Houston

2010-12-29T20:22:00.004-06:00

What a whirlwind of a week. Christmastime is always so hectic with shopping, traveling, and visiting family. All of which I love, but it ends up making me one tired momma! The weekend before Christmas we traveled to Houston to my dads house. Friday night we did gifts and got to meet some of my dad and Lori's friends. They were so sweet, all so eager to meet the Queen Bee who was not in the best mood after the long drive! Luckily after about 5 minutes she got over it and was ready for attention. Saturday the boys and girls split up and we went shopping and the guys headed to the golf course. We met back up after that and went to our favorite dinner spot on Market Street, Grotto. Harlow and I split the spaghetti and she loved it, but wanted nothing to do with ANYTHING else.....well, unless it was the bread. I don't blame her because it was soooo good. Sunday we packed up and stopped to meet Mr. Max Corkill and checkin on the new mommy and daddy before heading back home. It was a great start to the Christmas holiday and we always enjoy spending time there.

Festival of Angels

2010-12-03T20:56:00.005-06:00

While Daddy was out of town this weekend, Halrow and I decided to go with some friends to the Festival of Angels. We were not sure what to expect, but had a great time....grouchy and all!!! We spent most of our time there watching the parade. Harlow was mesmerized by the lights, music, and colors. I think her favorite was a tie between the cheerleaders and the horses. She squealed at both. I loved watching her face light up with excitement as each float came by. I had all the intentions in the world of hunting down Santa tonight(hence the t-shirt), but it just didn't work out. So I guess its off to see the Neimans Santa again! Hope y'all have a great weekend.

Love, M

Check Out My New Haircut!

2010-11-21T19:37:00.002-06:00

Well, we have been discussing getting Harlows ends trimmed for a while now. They just seemed so dry and everything was so uneven. We were supposed to go yesterday, but we never made it. Today after church she was surprisingly happy so after a good lunch we headed over to Sharkys to try it out. Even though she was a little nervous about it all she had lots of distractions. She got to sit in a little Barbie car and watch ELMO on her personal tv. It was such a cute place for kids. Unfortunately, I was the terrible mom without my camera....or phone... so we had to use Waylens. Here are some pics from the day. Her hair curled so cute in the back after! She is getting so big.

Love, M

My Name is Harlow and I Like to....DANCE!!!!

2010-11-18T20:44:00.001-06:00

Here is a funny video of Miss Harlow dancing up a storm tonight! She's gonna be the best cheerleader!

Love, M

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

JOYFOLIE

2010-11-14T21:02:00.005-06:00

As most of you know, when I find something that I want....I usually get it......EXCEPT this time. I stumbled across the most amazing designer out of Houston. She started back in 2008 making her daughter cute flats and accessories and her business has just blown up since then. So much so, that every design is practically sold out and when she adds new inventory it's gone within 5 minutes. So, I am accepting this challenge(which Waylen thinks my dedication is hilarious) and am hoping to snag a few pairs of these gorgeous shoes before Christmas(Waylen won't find this so hilarious..hehehehehe). Everyone should check these out..she even has some cute shoes for boys. I love everything and I hear she is adding fur accessories soon!!! HEAVEN! Until then....Harlow will be sporting her cute new sparkly Toms! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Love, M

WWW.JOYFOLIE.COM

This is Harlows new thing.....French kisses for Berkley! EEEEWWWWWW. I don't get why she thinks this is sooo FUN!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:32:00.003-05:00

Halloween was a success. This year since Harlow is still not able to "trick or treat" we went to our church for a "trunk or treat". It was a blast! Everyone decorated the back of their vehicle trunks for Halloween and had candy and stuff for the kids. I didn't get a picture of mine, but it was a hit. I had cupcakes and capri suns for the kids and then a big bucket of candy piled high with spaghetti noodles on top to look like brains!!!! All the kids thought it was sooo cool and gross having to dig through it for candy. I loved it. Harlow was a clown this year and I have to say...she was soooo stinkin cute. We had a sucker in each hand for half the night! She should sleep well tonight!!!!!!! Happy Halloween!

I"m a BIG Girl Now!

2010-10-18T20:59:00.005-05:00

Well, we all survived the birthday party weekend! I will admit I went a little overboard, BUT...I loved every second of it and would do it all over again! I will post pics later.
Harlow went with mommy and daddy to her one year appt today. I am glad to say she is in good health...weighing 21.2 lbs...(lean) and 31 inches tall (long)!!!! Everything looked great...except maybe her ears. We may end up doing tubes this winter, but that was kind of expected. Harlow got 4 shots today...none of which we wanted! I tried distracting her with a book, but it didnt work a single bit. She was VERY upset. Here is a pic of her with her sucker after calming down enough for me to set her down.

She also got to turn her carseat around today. She loved it. Just laughed and laughed everytime I turned around. I love my big girl.

October 13, 2010

2010-10-13T19:44:00.008-05:00

Harlow, you are the most precious wonderful gift we have ever received..... Mommy and Daddy love you so much and couldn't be more proud. This first year has been more than we could have ever expected and we feel so blessed to be called your parents. Happy First Birthday Big Girl!
Love, Mommy

One Day Old!

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months

One Year!!!

The Countdown Begins......

2010-09-27T10:40:00.005-05:00

In less than one month my precious baby girl will be ONE!!!! Ahhhhhh.....I can't even believe it. When people said the time would just fly by, I was like....really??? How could it honestly be different from any other year. Boy, was I wrong. It has flown by so quickly that when I look back at all the pictures I am amazed at all the changes this little girl has made. I don't even remember her being that small and helpless. On the other hand, I NEVER imagined having soooo much fun. She is a DIVA......SERIOUSLY! For instance, You are not allowed to have a meal without her playing some part in it; whether its yelling, throwing food on the floor, or wanting more, she let's you know. And she puts on this little show when you're not paying enough attention to her and she does this FAKE, half whine, half cry, and then pulls at your heartstrings by reaching out to you so you will pick her up. For a moment, you feel like the most amazing person in the world until she turns to the next person and reachs out for them. This goes on and on, and on until she runs out of people.
She LOVES pulling the clothes out of all her drawers, folding clothes with mommy, and reading books. I have a feeling she is going to be pretty smart.... She learned her first sign language word "MORE" about a couple weeks ago and uses it non stop! When she goes to get a book she knows exactly which one she wants, and what sounds, pop-ups, and peek-a-boos they each have. She has also started pointing to a picture of her and daddy and saying "Daddy" and something jumbled together word that is starting to resemble "Harlow". She loves that picture and I love it that she loves it! Peek-a-boo is her favorite game....and just so you know......NEVER, NEVER tell her "No" or you will get the saddest poubty face ever. First, the lip shoots out about 3 feet....and then the tears start flowing......I can't help but laugh and then I end up running over to her and holding her while I explain why she can't eat dog food, turn off the dvr, grab and drop our phones...etc. Hopefully this means we will have an easy time disciplining her. Fingers crossed.
Because of the fact that she is moving soooo much...pictures have become harder to take...so I will post some from her birthday invite shoot! Waylen and I, on the other hand have had an opportunity to spend more time out together which is unusual. It is nice to get out, just the two of us, and spend a little time alone. Times like this, as I sit her typing this, I remember how blessed I am. I am so in love with my husband, I have a beautiful healthy daughter that I just can't get enough of, and 2 crazy dogs. What more could a girl ask for????

Love, M

This is a piece of CAKE!!!!!!

2010-08-30T20:30:00.003-05:00

Soon these silly, loud shoes will be a locating device to help us find out where this lil diva is at. For the past week or so she has not wanted anything to do with her walker. She would stand up on it, take a step, fall down, (check to make sure mom was looking) .....and the DRAMA begins. You would of thought someone just knocked her over. I have heard so many people "doting" on their babies on how they are using their walkers and they love them. So of course, we had to start nightly practices. hahahah.....She has always been ahead of the game (her daddy loves that) so we had to get going on this whole walking thing. We were soo proud of her tonight. She just kept going.....squeaking the WHOLE way! Just another proud moment!! I need to get her a little purse to carry once she starts walking right? hahahahha
LOVE, M

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Vacation at Horseshoe Bay

2010-08-26T21:44:00.004-05:00

We have had a crazy month with work. Waylen has been super busy with new jobs which is great, but it has left him working days AND nights. He is such a help at home with Harlow, so with him gone, it has left me alone to make sure our lil princess is happy. Not easy. We miss him. Hopefully things will be getting back to normal soon.
Weekend before last, we headed to Horseshoe Bay to stay at the Marriott resort. We had a blast until I got sick the second night we were there. That last day, all I was worried about was getting home. Harlow kept patting me on the back the whole time I was laying in bed. She was so confused as to why I was so sad. The trip was great other than that. Harlow got to play on the sandy lake front (kinda like a beach). She loved it...and anything to do with water. She let me dunk her underwater a couple of times and came up laughing everytime. Another mom watched me as I did it...and she commented on how glad she was to see me do that. She had taught swimming lessons for years and said that Harlow did great. Yeah!!! She also got very courageous and when I would set her on the side of the pool she would immediately dive towards me before I could even count to three. I could not stop laughing. Unfortunately, even with the horrible sunguard suit and the spf 55...she still got a little red. It went away pretty quickly though, thank goodness!
Here are some pics of the weekend.....Harlow playing in the sand....eating snacks...playing with daddy...and I bet you will never guess what she is doing in one of them.....she was supposed to be sleeping, but I guess she was too excited.
Love, M

She has to be the cutest thing EVER!

2010-08-08T21:40:00.006-05:00

I know I am partial, but I am serious when I say "She is the best!". Hahahahhahah. We had a great weekend of shopping with friends, hanging out and planting in the yard. We missed are daddy who was gone on a "guys weekend" in Port Aransas. Here are a couple of pics from today in her cute new outfit. I am also posting a video of her new "thing". When she starts to see me turn on her favorite TV show "Yo Gabba Gabba" she gets all set....and then does this. Enjoy...so precious!

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

First trip to the Zoo......

2010-08-03T22:40:00.005-05:00

Everyone is getting on my case for not blogging lately......sorry. I feel like I have been going non-stop lately. And I am not even sure what I have been doing exactly (besides becoming a "green thumb")!!!! That deserves a whole blog in itself so I will just move on. My brother, sister and Will came down the weekend before last and I am pretty sure we crammed as much as we could in a 24 hr period as humanly possible. We started off the saturday with a workout and then took Harlow to the new Splashpad. I wasn't sure as to how she would react, but she did pretty good. For those who dont know what I am talking about it's like a mini water park....without slides...if that makes sense. The water comes out so fast...that it kinda caught her off guard. The funniest part was her crawling around. She was obviously pretty confused with crawling in water because she kept one knee up and one knee down the entire time....it was the funniest thing. After a nap we had lunch and then headed to the zoo. I am not sure whose idea it was to go to the zoo in the middle of the afternoon.....because it was HHHOOOOOTTTT. Harlow loved the aquarium...probably because it was inside and all the fish were so bright. Everything else was just another "puppy" running around to her. We headed straight to the Gristmill after that for dinner. Of course, we had an hour wait, but it was sooo worth it. Harlow even made some money while we were waiting!!! This older lady that was sitting across the way was hooked on Harlow and walked over and gave her $10!!!! It was hilarious....we didn't know what to say and we tried to give it back, but this lady was intent on Harlow getting this money. I guess that will start her college savings!!!! Here are some pics from the weekend. We had a blast!

Love, M

Weekend with Pop and GiGi

2010-07-19T21:44:00.004-05:00

We have been traveling the past couple of weekends visiting all the grandparents that live in other cities. Last weekend we went to MiMi and Grumps house and this weekend we went to The Woodlands to visit Pop and GiGi, and Uncle Chad and Uncle Brooks. We had a great time. Harlow got to swim in the pool, we cooked out, and Waylen even got in a little golf. He always does! hahaa. I also FINALLY ordered Harlows 4.5 month pictures that we had taken there in February. Waylen and I decided to have her one year pictures taken there as well since she did such an amazing job. Can you believe I am already talking about "one year" pictures?
Last night Waylen and I put a ton of her "baby" toys in the attic...like the bumbo, swing, tummy time mat, and bouncy chair. So sad. She has moved on to much bigger things like her horsey, the toilet, stairs, and windows. She can somehow go from this shrill voice almost like she's singing to this mean monster talk in a matter of seconds. It is hilarious. No new words yet.....Just lots of new shoes. I love my baby...

Love, M

4th of July....

2010-07-11T20:31:00.006-05:00

Well....I know I am a little late ,but we did celebrate the 4th and I need to talk about it!! hahaha We decided to split the weekend up a little bit....Saturday afternoon Harlow went off to Grandma and Grandpa Papes for the night while Waylen and I headed over to Fair Oaks for some swimming and BBQ (a little pre 4th of July festivities). And little did we know about 30 mins after we all got there the guys left us and walked on to the golf course. How does that always seem to happen? Anyway they had a good time and soooooo did the girls. We always get so goofy when we are all together. That night we had the house all to ourselves which I admit was nice, but it was also kinda weird not waking up to her chatting it up with herself. Needless to say...I was ready for her to come home!!
After she got home we got some good news that made us very happy! My sister and Will stopped by and had lunch with us before they headed back to Dallas! I miss her so much and always have so much fun getting to hang out with her when I can. Too bad its not more though.
Then Waylen, Harlow, and I headed to Fredricksburg! We met a bunch of our friends up there and began our so-called "wine tour". We actually have done this many times before (pre-Harlow), so we have narrowed it down to our favorite 2...Becker and Torro de Pietra. Love both....and yes my friends..thats right...... We took our baby to a bunch of wineries! It reminded me of a movie quote from Sweet Home Alabama...when she sees one of her friends from high school at a local bar...and she says "oooohhhh.....You have a baby.....IN A BAR!!!!" hahahha.... She did amazing, and there were actually a lot of kids around and live music outside. If I would have just remembered to bring a big blanket Harlow would have gone nuts. We headed back home after dinner and got a taste of all the San Antonio fireworks! It was perfect!
The weeks just go by faster and faster...Waylen has been super busy with work and between my job and keeping up with Harlow...we are going nonstop...AND I LOVE IT. We are so blessed. Happy late 4th of July to everyone and a special thanks for all those who serve in our armed forces.
PS.... 2 MORE DAYS TIL SOMEONE IS 9 MONTHS!!!!!!!!
Love M

The End!

I am sooooo cooollllll!

2010-06-25T21:54:00.004-05:00

Harlow got to go to the park this week and feed the ducks and play with all her friends. Usually Kasey tries to keep her shaded and in the stroller but this park had a padded ground so Miss H was able to get down and crawl around. She gets this look on her face like "I am soooo coool!" "Look what I can do"!!!! We crack up laughing and always know that has to be what she is thinking. Well, as you can see from the pictures...she had a blast. Even went down the slide with Mrs. Whitney. I wish I could have been there to play, but am so happy to see she enjoyed it so much. Thanks Kasey for taking such good care of our baby! Don't know what we would do without ya!

Love, M

We are definitely having a boy.....next!

2010-06-25T21:36:00.005-05:00

HAHAHAHHAHAAH....How many people gasped at that title? It is true I guess...If you have ever believed any of the old wives' tales out there. It says that if your baby says "mama" first your next baby will be a boy and if the baby says "daddy" first..you will be having a girl! Waylen says its 50/50 and that I am crazy so we shall see! I hope its right! Anyways to explain the video....she has been saying "ba ba ba ba ba ba" FOREVER...so we have been trying to expand it to say mama and dada. First she would just move her lips to say mama with us. Everytime we say dada she says " ba ba". Sometimes she just blows bubbles to ignore us and sometimes (ok, well A LOT!) she turns into this monster and talks in this weird monster voice. I asked a psychiatrist that I was having lunch with this week if that was normal....and he said she should be fine but did joke asking how far she could turn her head... haahhahhah... She is my little monster and I love hearing those sounds come out of her mouth (And yes, I do realize she has no clue what she is saying and that it doesnt really count.) But, in this house...IT DOES! YIPPPEEEEEE....now time to work on da-ddy!
Oh, and one more thing....she is waving her hand back and forth at me ......she loves waving right now! And excuse the last part where I turn the camera to me....bad angle!

Love, M

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

The Itsy Bitsy Spider.....

2010-06-20T17:49:00.004-05:00

What a HAM my daughter is! She loves singing songs and doing the motions. We have been practicing the Itsy Bitsy Spider for a while now and I think she has it down...hehehehehhe....SOOOOO CUTE! Can't wait for her first dance recital! Take it away....Harlow

Love M

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Happy Father's Day....

2010-06-20T17:18:00.003-05:00

Today is ALL about DA-DDY!!!! We love our daddy soooo much. It has been so fun watching him get wrapped around this little girls' finger. HAAHAAA....He has always told me ...."What baby(me) wants.... baby(me) gets!!!.....but now it really IS true!...She is spoiled rotten to the core by a daddy who would give her the world if he could. Thank you to my "dream guy" for being the best partner in this journey a girl could ask for! I love you Waylen....
To my dads...thank you for all the love and support throughout the years! Dads make everything better....they are the "unsung" heros...... and life wouldn't be the same without them.

Love M

8 Months!

2010-06-13T18:57:00.005-05:00

Today Harlow is 8 months! Aaaahhhhh...once again I say..how has it gone by sooooo fast? I was pregnant FOREVER!! HAHAHA
We now .....
can sleep through the night, sit up, pull up, laugh, clap, kiss, say babababa, mouth the word mama (my personal fav), has 1.5 teeth, too much crazy hair...and of course...how could I forget... crawls all over the place...especially to places like...the stairs, dog bowls, TV cabinet and fireplace.
She LOVES....water, baths, pools, clothes, shoes...(seriously!),squash, sweet potatoes, prunes, pinching our faces, reading books, doing cheers, riding in her car, seeing daddy walk in the door, going to the gym, and her puppy...even though Macie is NOT a fan.
I love you baby girl. You make me so proud! Your daddy and I can't imagine life before you! Muuuaaaahhhhhh!

Our 'lil WINO.....and our new pool!

2010-06-04T21:53:00.004-05:00

We are starting to settle back into our routine..the fussing and the attitude is slowly dissipating....thank the Lord! She is becoming quite the little diva I have to say (not sure where she gets it from). I think she gets really frustrated seeing everyone walking around her (especially her friend Maddie) when all she gets to do is stand as still as possible so she doesn't fall over. She's becoming more stable and continues to crawl straight over to to the stairs...no matter how many times we tell her NO NO! Time to buy a gate!
So since we got back from Mexico she has started standing up in her bed and everynight after we put her in there she will pull herself up and start screaming at us to come back in there. I usually let her scream for a bit and then go in there to lay her back down...to which she goes right to sleep. I love walking in there though because as soon as she sees me.... even if she is screaming crying it suddenly turns into a laugh and she starts clapping her hands. hahaha!! Well last night she got lazy and just decided to play by herself; sitting down in her bed. We decided to just leave her be since she was so content. As we were getting ready for bed we turned on the video monitor and saw the funniest thing. Waylen yelled at me in the bathroom to "Come and check out our 'lil wino!" I ran in there and saw on the screen Harlow sitting down all slouched over leaning back on the side of the crib passed out. She looked exactly like a drunk person passed out sitting up against a wall. We tried our best to walk quietly into the room to get a picture, but we woke up our 'lil wino and she was not happy! Check out the look on her face...priceless!

Today after picking up Harlow we both decided it was time to get a pool for her. It was soooo hot and I had my eye on the perfect one. I love all the new things they come up with these days! This one has a shade that covers the top of the pool and the material it is made of provides spf 50! PERFECT...I'm sold! Harlow loved it...too bad we couldn't both fit in there comfortably...I just got to sweat the whole time!

Love, M

We come back from Mexico and our baby is ALL grown up!

2010-06-01T07:41:00.007-05:00

Wow!!! The past week flew by. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday flew by preparing for our trip..and then the trip went by even faster. How does that always happen? One thing I will note.. is NEVER have a layover in Mexico City! NEVER!!! It is horrible....awful.....nasty....get my drift. hahaha. We pretty much spent 2 of our 4 days traveling and that just takes it out of you. But I have to say once we got there....we loved it. It was so much fun catching up with old friends...the guys most nights were at one end talking and telling old college stories...while the girls at the other end were...well...ugh....laughing and taking pictures of ourselves. HAHAHAH...after every night..the next day we would wake up and just look back at what we did the night before. Some are hilarious. Like one night we decided to build a cheerleading pyramid on the beach...and I think I even threw a "toe touch" in there. HAHAHAH...Good memories...and well...some bad. like getting all dressed up and heading down to dinner when BAM... a bird POOPED on me! I was mortified...so angry, I guess its good luck for the bride and groom though...Here are a couple of pictures from the trip.
Harlow on the other hand.....grew up all in four days...She is crawling of course now....but she is also pulling up....clapping..and giving me kisses!!! Well they are open mouth, but she thinks its sooo fun. And when she claps she looks at me and waits for me to say "YEAH". She loves that....and I love her so much. Waylen and I had an amazing time getting away and spending time together, but we were sooooo glad to hug our baby girl!

Love, M

VIDEOS...

2010-05-23T22:03:00.012-05:00

I am extremely exhausted....I have been running around all afternoon getting things ready for our trip to Mexico..and I have no energy to write. But......we had big things happen tonight...at 7 months and 2 weeks...HARLOW CRAWLED!!!! And we got it on video....yeah! I am sooo excited!!! I was afraid she was going to wait until we were gone to do it, which would have been fine, but I am grateful to have witnessed it firsthand! Whoooohoooooo go baby girl! I am adding some other videos too...playdates, first sippy cup experience, scooting and crawling! We have come a long way in just a week. So proud! Now it's time to "BABY PROOF!"
OK...clarification.....my stupid camera is set on something wayyyyyy too high and wont download anymore...so here's one.
Love M

Happy Mothers Day 2010

2010-05-09T17:02:00.006-05:00

Happy Mother's Day everybody!!! Such a fun weekend with Waylen and Harlow. Friday night we finally tried out Chipotle (I know...where have we been?) and we really liked it. Harlow of course had some guacamole and after that we went to Target and shopped around. Saturday was the beginning of Mother's Day for us. We woke up..ate breakfast and then went outside to pull some weeds. We put Harlow in her car and pushed her around to keep her happy while we did what we needed to do. At one point I glanced over at her and I saw her doing this......

How did she know what we were doing? We laughed and laughed...and she just kept going. After that, we went up to the YMCA and worked out (I got my body combat on..LOVE that class), and then came home and got ready to head to La Cantera! Where else would I rather spend my day....than SHOPPING? Waylen and I rarely go shopping at the mall together...so this was a special treat...I love shopping with Waylen. We had lunch at Grimaldis and it was super yummy. Waylen found an outfit for the wedding in Mexico and I had my eye on an outfit from JCREW that I picked up. I really wanted Waylen to get some Sperrys while we were at Nordstroms...but we came home with TOMS! Not sure how that happened, but he was happy and he promised me I could throw away the ugly plaid ones he has. hahahah..so it was a WIN/WIN! Saturday night we just grilled and hung out at the house. I had a great 1st Mother's Day. Waylen spoiled me and bought me a FLIP camcorder...so now I can film Harlow a little better and just upload them to the blog with ease. Thanks babe! I am so thankful for Waylen and Harlow and the opportunity to be a momma to such a sweet angel. I have loved every minute of it so far. I love you Harlow. Love M

Do They make SPF ONE MILLION!!!?

2010-05-03T20:23:00.006-05:00

Do they?? If not they definitely should. I refuse to let my daughter go through this skin cancer drama. It just plain stinks. I vow to cover that girl in every type and strength of sunscreen until the day she leaves this house! ahhahaha....We shall see how that one goes! heheh. This weekend was great...lots of family time. Waylen, Harlow and I...ALL WEEKEND. I love those weekends. Friday, we didn't do much just worked out and then went to dinner. Usually on the weekends we like to splurge on eating a bit so we headed to Chilis. Now that we upgraded to a big girl carseat, we can't carry it into the restaurant...so she also had to upgrade to a highchair. She did so good. We got her a little cup of guacamole and she was set. I would dip her pacifier in it and stick in her mouth and she would just suck...and suck and suck. I had to pry it out of her mouth to give her some more! Saturday, Harlow and I went up to the YMCA for a bootcamp class...well..I did...Harlow played. Then we met up with dad after his meetings and went and had lunch at the Quarry and mommy and daddy went bathing suit shopping for Mexico. UUUUGGGGHHHHH! I hate bathing suit shopping! Everytime I walked out in one Harlow would laugh...still not sure if that was a good sign or not. Needless to say...daddy found one and mommy didn't. So maybe another day. We took many walks in our new car, cooked dinner and mommy and daddy watched a movie. Sunday, after church and naps, Harlow and I met up with the girls and all the kiddos while all the guys helped one of our friends move. We played in the pool, hung out all day and had dinner. Harlow got in the pool for the first time. She loved it. It was just a little blow-up pool...which she probably viewed as a huge bathtub....but she loved it. We had a little float for her to sit in and she just splashed and yelled the whole time. I followed her around with an umbrella the whole time...seriously. hahaaha. By the time we left it was 8:45 and she was pooped. SO TIRED. We gave her the fastest bath ever...screaming the whole time ( I will get to that) and got her to bed as quick as possible. Such a good weekend. Now back to the bath part. For some reason she is having major issues adjusting to having her normal bathtub inside the big bathtub instead of on the sink. Not sure why, but she screams as soon as she gets in. So tonight we tried our big bathtub thinking maybe its the room she didn't like and it worked!!!! Well that and the fact that I sat down in the bathtub with her...with clothes on and all. And once she got comfortable she splashed me with water for about 5 mins. Whatever makes her happy. No crawling yet...but we are working on it....here are pics and a video of her trying. LOVE, M

My How Time Flies....

2010-04-29T20:23:00.006-05:00

Today is the perfect day for a new blog...so many "firsts" with the little one. This past weekend we went to Dallas for Auntie Ashleys birthday and to see the family. We had a lot of fun shopping and playing, but we were both glad to see daddy when we got home.

On wednesday when I picked up Harlow I drove up to see this....

SHE IS DRIVING ALREADY!!!! I could have just cried laughing...so stinkin' cute. She knew exactly what to do...had her hands on the wheel laughing the whole time. Maddie didn't really enjoy the attention Harlow was getting so she threw a little tantrum....hahahhaha....drama..drama! Harlow also went that morning to her first story time at the Library with Kasey and Maddie. They have story time for all the different age groups and they went to the 12-18 months one and Harlow did great. Actually sat there the whole time listening...such a scholar! hehehehe

Well, you know mommy and daddy couldn't just let her go without a car while she's not at Kaseys during the day...SOOOOOOOOO.....we took a little trip over to BABIES R US tonight and got her very own PINK CAR!!! Here are some pictures from her first drive.....I think I laughed the entire time. She was so focused on the road and even got a little comfortable and just had one arm on the wheel. I think this is going to be one she will love for a long time. We also bought her a new carseat today. How is she already that big? Can someone please tell me! We got the safest one we could find.....I think she is gonna like it a lot better. She hates leaning back in her infant one...too afraid she might miss something, I guess. I wish I could give her a pill that could make her stay this age forever! I love her so much..she makes me so proud!

And if that wasn't enough...she decided she wanted to venture out and eat something different than cereal...so her first veggie is.......CARROTS!!!!! And she LOVED them!

LOVE, M

No more Traveling for me!

2010-04-18T20:43:00.005-05:00

I am officially NEVER traveling again without my babies!!!! hahahhaha....This week I had a "double-header" I guess you could say. First I had to leave for a week of work meetings...boooo...and then after coming home on Thursday, I had to turn around and leave again on Friday for a womens retreat. It was only for one night, but I was very tempted to stay home and not go. I missed daddy and Harlow soooo much.
Harlow and daddy did very well while I was gone. Waylen was most worried about "the middle of the night". Let's just say..."HE CAN'T HEAR!!!"...or well he "chooses" not to. And believe it or not....he did it!!! He actually woke up and went and checked on her. I was soooo proud. To top it all off she is actually waking up less for her pacifier now..so that makes me suepr excited. Harlow was happy to see her mommy though...thats all I could have asked for....to walk in the door and get a BIG smile! It was the best.
I did get a report on a biopsy this week that it is ANOTHER basal cell cancer. They are removing it on Tuesday. It's on my back so I am gonna have to take it easy picking up Harlow until I get my stiches out. So pray with me! I hate these surgeries...wish I could just overlook when I see a spot...but that is just a BAAAADDD idea.
On a funny note, before I left last week Harlow and I went for a pedicure. She sat in my lap the whole time and did great. I rolled up her black leggings and dipped her feet in the water...she loved it. Everyone was laughing at her. I think she thought it was bathtime! Here is a pic.

Also today Harlow and her friend Maddie wore matching outfits to church today...they are soooo cute....We love Maddie and her mommy!

Love, M

Happy Easter Harlow!!!

2010-04-06T22:35:00.005-05:00

Ok...Even though it's really late and I have had a LONG two days, I am going to stay up late (past 9:30) and write this blog. Harlows First Easter was perfect...we had such a great weekend. Saturday we had some friends from church over for a bbq and Easter egg hunt. The weather was beautiful and it was the first of many "planned" matching outfits for mommy and Harlow!!! Stop rolling your eyes...heheheh. We spent the day outside and Harlow acted great the whole time. We lathered her up in sunscreen and kept her in the shade....Here are some pics from the day....

Easter sunday we spent a long day at church (volunteering and attending) and then came home for a quick wardrobe change and then went back out the the door to the inlaws for lunch. I didn't actually plan for Harlow to wear two outfits that day...but it was fun being a diva anyway. She, of course, got tons of Easter baskets full of goodies from everyone and her mommy and daddys was overflowing with stuff because mommy couldn't stop adding to it EVERYDAY! Her favorite part was the tissue paper! Needless to say our weekend was packed with fun and lots of love...and we are so thankful for this first Easter with our baby girl.

I LOVE weekends like this......

2010-03-28T21:06:00.014-05:00

WOW!! Once again the weekend went by waaaaayyyy too fast and I feel like I just need one more day. Oh well. This weekend I took lots of pictures because it seemed like everytime I turned around Harlow was in ANOTHER cute outfit! I don't know how that happens! hehehehe!
Well, so speaking of clothes friday afternoon when we got home I cleaned out Harlows closet. I had to see what I was working with. I couldn't get a grasp on what she could actually wear anymore so I went through everything. It was sooo sad. Looking at all those precious little outfits that before she came I never imagined she could outgrow. Now, we are in 6 months. Some of the 3-6 still fit, but we are definitely growing out of them quickly. I took pics to document it.....
Then friday night Waylen had a Men's ministry event so a couple of the wives and kiddos got together for a night of dinner and Target. We had a blast and Harlow had so much fun. She wore her first official "big girl" outfit. It was a 6 month tee and shorts with her little ballet flats. Such a little diva.

Saturday we slept a little late...well Harlow got up at about 7am for a bottle and then fell back asleep in our bed til 9am. We loved it! Then I got her in her work out clothes and we went for a run and she loved it..went right to sleep and I was constantly making sure the sun wasnt shining on her. She is starting to get a little red after being outside even for a couple minutes....it goes away, but I get nervous...is she allergic? hahaha....Doesn't she look just like an aerobics instructor?

Saturday night mommy and daddy went out with friends to dinner and a comedy club. We had a great time and the comedian was hilarious. Rocky Laporte was his name...we were all crying laughing...I love it when I do that. Sunday morning we got up and headed to church...then to lunch and then to the Y....MCA! We took a tour and joined. It is going to be so much fun. A rock wall to climb...a splash zone and playland for Harlow and they are building a pool. It opens tomorrow.....should be a FUN summer.

Oh...and I almost forgot another thing we have outgrown....the bathtub!!! Harlow started to sit up in her other one so we decided to move her into the bathroom and get her a big girl tub! She loves the ducky and it can double as a little pool too!

5 months and we are UP!!!!

2010-03-21T21:05:00.009-05:00

Well Harlow celebrated her 5 month birthday this past week and all I can say is "Man, time flies by!" Geeeezzzz....I feel like I was just up with her every two hours feeding her and now she is sleeping through the night (most of the time) and now she is sitting on her own....(for short periods of time). She has definitely taken her fair share of the tumbles lately, but she is doing so good. She thinks she's sooooo cool, too!
This weekend we decided to accomplish some yard work. I will have to post some pics later, once we are completely done. It's definitely not how it used to be when you could just spend hours outside doing yardwork. Now its me running in and out of the house, checking on Harlow, feeding Harlow, holding Harlow, and pulling a few weeds in between. HAHHAHA...I loved it and besides the smell of the awful compost we spread out all over the yard, it looks pretty nice. Macie loved that we spent a little time in her "hood" She thought we were chasing everytime we walked past her. Thursday when we started Harlow spent some time outside in her new beach hat her Pop and Gigi got her she looked so cute. And then friday night we switched to a beanie her Mimi got her. She is soo cute in hats...OOOOOHH and lets not forget the lovely hat with the ENORMOUS flower on it...bought by none other than her mommy...at a Layla Grace fundraiser. One day it will fit just right!

Well another week has passed us and it was definitely a good one. We enjoyed every minute of it. Our thoughts are with the Rowland family (one of my doctors) who lost their three year old son this week from carbon monoxide poisioning in their house. And also for the Marsh family, Layla has been in Heaven now for two weeks..we pray for peace and comfort during this time.

Love
M

2010-03-12T19:44:00.002-06:00

We are in Dallas this weekend and I just had to post a video of something new Harlow has learned.......and I have no idea from who!!!! hahahah..... We have become a DRAMA Queen. Everytime she even sees me getting her bottle out now...she starts freaking out...like she hasn't eaten in weeks. Then once she gets the bottle in her mouth she starts this.....HILARIOUS!

It's just too much...she just has to cover her eyes..... Poor baby!

Love,
M

2010-03-07T14:58:00.004-06:00

There are times in our lives where we get to experience something that will change our lives forever. Whether it be graduating high school, college, meeting your husband, or the birth of you child, those moments are etched in your mind forever...and you are the person you are today because of all those moments, right? Well, something...rather..someone.. that will forever be etched in my mind is Miss. Layla Grace. I started reading her journey last week when a friend of mine posted something about it on Facebook. I was in tears from that moment on. See Layla Grace is a 3 yr old little angel fighting her battle with Stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer...and the cancer is winning. I am sure I am like most people when I say that I try and not read things like this because it makes me too sad, but I truly feel God led me to read about her story. Last saturday night I cried to my husband after reading some of the twitter updates on how she was doing...asking him how on earth this could happen to such a sweet little angel...and how was I supposed to protect my little angel from this same monster? Waylen just said.."You can't....", which was totatlly not what I wanted to hear, but its true. And why this is happening to little kids all across the world is still a mystery to me, but as my husband reminded me...it is all for God's glory. At first I was like...are you kidding me? Isn't glory a happy thing? But the more I think about it and the more I pray about it I realize he is right. What this family is having to go through is pure hell...a nightmare that you never wake up from...but this little girl has inspired thousands ...close to 35,000 people to rethink the way they live their lives...Whether it be there relationship with God, their spouse, or their children, she has changed people for the better. I now hug my daughter tighter every chance I get and thank the Lord every night for the day I was able to be with her. I am reminded to not let the special moments we spend together as a family pass me by like they are guaranteed. I will love my husband more and when I stop and pause to look over and see him sitting with Harlow reading a book or playing...maybe now I will stop what I am doing to enjoy those precious moments together, all three of us as a family. Who cares if the toys don't get picked up...or the laundry doesn't get folded today..it can wait. I remember reading one of the moms blogs about how quiet the house was and how much housework she was able to do (since Layla sleeps so much now)...and how she would just give anything to have that little 2 yr old...grabbing at her ankle..asking for something...anything. Gosh...I lose it everytime I think about that, hearing her words of regret for all the times she wished she had the time without interuptions to get things done..and I just pray for thousands of days where I can't get anything done because Harlow is pulling at my leg wanting to play dress up....or to go outside. Thank you Layla Grace for being such a fighter, Thank you Shanna and Ryan for showing all of us what amazing parents look like...and how strong your faith is in such a trying time.
You can follow her journey at www.laylagrace.org

GOD SAID

“For a little while I’ll lend you a child of mine for you to cherish while she lives, and mourn for when she is gone. Look after her for me! It may be two or three years before I will call her home.

Will you care for her?

She’ll bring you love, joy and happiness and should her stay be brief, you’ll have a whole host of memories as solace from your grief.” I cannot promise she will stay, since all from the earth returns to dust, but there are lessons taught below that I want this child to learn.

Will you love her?

I’ve looked the whole world over in my search for teachers true, and from the masses that crowd life’s lane at last I HAVE CHOSEN YOU. Now will you give her all your love and not think your labor in vain and turn against me when I come to take her back home again.

I fancied that I heard you say to me: “Dear Lord your will be done, for all the joy your child shall bring the risk of grief we’ll run. We’ll shelter her with tenderness. We’ll love her while we may, and the happiness we’ve known forever grateful stay. But should the angels call her much sooner than planned, we’ll brave the bitter grief that comes and try to understand.”

“I’ll lend you for a little while a child of mine, God said, for you to cherish while she lives, and mourn for when she’s gone.”

Well....What happened was....

2010-03-07T14:29:00.008-06:00

Hahaha! There is no better way to start a blog than with that. I have no excuses. Sometime back in August I fell off the "bandwagon" and just never fully recovered. Now Harlow is almost 5 months old...the "new mom of a newborn" excuse is starting to wear off and this 'lil diva is just too much to NOT write all about. So instead of trying to make up for lost time posting pictures of the day she was born until now..I will just start from today. My goal is to get at least one blog in a week... so someone please hold me accountable! I will post pics of her room though. Most of y'all got to see the beginning stages...so here is the totally pOsH and FabULouS room of lil MiSs. HarLOw gRacE...

Last weekend we went to Houston to visit my dad and Lori..along with Marita and Nick. We had a blast spending the weekend catching up and doing some shopping. Friday we had pictures taken by a friend of Lori's and she was INCREDIBLE. She did a great job and captured some really cute moments. If you are ever in the Houston area you have to look her up. You may still be able to view all the pictures at:
www.kareymiller.com/Harlow

Love,
M

3-D Nightmare!!!

2009-08-10T21:26:00.003-05:00

So...we waited and anticipated this day for months...scheduled it on Waylen's birthday so he could see his little princess......and what happens? She turns stubborn. For a while now she has been breach which is causing my belly to be huge and her kicking painful. So I decided I would have a little talk with her last night after I read her....her one book "Me and My Dad" and told her she was having a very special picture taken today and that she needs to be a good girl....She must have misunderstood me COMPLETELY!!! HAHAHA.......So her head is practically in my rib cage with her bottom resting on my right hip. And where are her legs you might ask?.....Oh they are IN FRONT OF HER FACE!!! How uncomfortable for the poor thing...and her mom. Needless to say we couldn't capture any clear pics and after 10 minutes of her slapping my belly she gave up and told us to come back at 34 weeks....We did get two cute pictures....one I posted below...looks like she has Waylens nose.....and we aren"t real sure about the rest. I have already compared every picture I have of myself and there are some similarities....YEAH!!! She is so beautiful....and already has hair on her sweet little head.....I love her and want her to come out....NOW!!!

25 and a 1/2 weeks!!!!

2009-07-08T20:28:00.003-05:00

Are we there yet...NO! Are we there yet...NO! I definitely feel like the little girl in the back of the car asking that every five minutes. Well, by now the skin is stretched so far on my belly that it feels like its gonna rip and she does all kinds of dancing in my belly!! It makes it feel like there are a couple of little ones in there! I had my diabetes check at last weeks appointment and everything came out good....and I have decided to no longer look at the scale.....nothing good comes from doing that!!!!! Don't be curious.....that's my motto. The room is at a stand still..waiting on furniture and the bedding and....all the other cool stuff....Miss Harlow Grace couldn't do without! I just tell Waylen....."She told me she has to have it or she is NOT coming out!!!" hehehhee.......Things like chandeliers.....and pretty outfits...and rugs....and lamps....guys just don't get it! Oh well! Here are a few belly pics.......and pics of Harlows first 4th of July...kinda!

Alright already!!!!

2009-05-25T15:31:00.003-05:00

Ok......I know I have not been updating as much as I should but I will try and do a better job during the last half of my pregnancy!!! Can you believe it? Almost halfway there!!! WHHHOOOOHHHHOOO...... So here is an update....19 weeks pregnant....and we are having a girl..(unless something crazy happened over the last two weeks)!!!!! Yeah!! We are so excited....so excited that I already painted her room. Those that know me well know that I have had this room planned out since the day I found out what "it" was. It is going to be a dream....and I hope she loves it....Speaking of...we did pick out a name........da da na naaaaa.....Harlow Grace Pape!!!! As I read this it sounds like me talking really fast....No major changes except the growing princess inside of me. I feel like I am always hungry and have caved in to some chocolate cravings. Last weekend when Waylen was out of town I bought a whole box of Hostess chocolate donuts on Friday and I by Sunday I made myself throw the rest of them away because it was just making me sick. I would have one after every meal...or even when I just walked by them. SO BAD!! Oh and the most important new thing....she is moving and I feel it!!! It is the most wonderful and weird experience ever! She moves a lot at night when I get comfortable on the couch or in bed...hope that doesn't mean she is going to be a night owl!!

So this weekend I did paint the room a light pink and then on the wall where her crib will be is a diamond argyle pattern of that pink and then a shade lighter...so cute....And to top it all off I added little rhinestones to each of the points....I sometimes catch myself just walking in there for no reason at all...just to look. It was a lot of work and I was super sore...but am totally happy....and yes I used special paint for pregger people!

Here are my first belly pics at nineteen weeks..in Harlows' room!! Some I look pissed in...but I am trying not to laugh...!!!

How can it only be friday...and I am so ready for monday!

2009-04-24T19:45:00.002-05:00

So this weekend I have the pleasure of taking care of six dogs for the weekend....ALONE!!! My great friend Patti and her husband left for Vegas on Thursday...so they dropped Miss. Mia off that morning...they are coming back on Sunday...Macie and Mia love playing....and then at times they are just doing there own thing....They are sleeping well too....which is good for me.....

If I would have stopped there you would probably think..ohhhh thats fun....but it gets worse....First of all, Monday we will be saying goodbye to our two "big dogs"......Don't want to go into too much detail now because I will get sad....but it totally a great thing....and will benefit everyone involved. So for a great send-off we have two other labs staying with us. Their owner, Jack went on the golf trip with my dad and Waylen and I am obviously a big sucker! Let me just say that these four dogs don't necessarily get along real well....so before I left for work this morning I put Jacks' two dogs in the "dog run" and our two labs in the backyard.....just for safety reasons....Well this is what I came home to.....

They had chewed through the "dog run" gate and started digging holes along the fence line!! Yeah!! And it's ONLY FRIDAY!!! Ugggghhhhhhhh........we are definitely gonna have some extra landscaping to re-do after all the dogs are gone....

Easter Wedding Weekend!

2009-04-15T16:42:00.003-05:00

So this Easter was a bit unusual...we had a wedding to go to. Our dear friends Nick and Marita (shown dancing the night away below) got married on Saturday. We drove down to Kingwood on Friday with just enough time to rest for a second and then get ready for the Rehearsal Dinner. On the way there I reviewed the 10 page itinerary....YES 10...they are so organized! So friday night was the rehearsal and then we went and had dinner at an Italian restaurant for the pre-wedding festivities. I love watching how giddy and nervous the bride and groom are the night before. Gosh, I remember that night like it was yesterday....all the girls stayed up that night in our hotel and rented wedding crashers. hahaha the things you remember! I knew I was going to have to be a trooper and stay out late both friday and saturday and man did it hit me on sunday...I felt awful....but I made it through, the wedding was beautiful....no one could tell I was pregnant...so we shouted it from the roof tops instead...we laughed thinking about when I first got pregnant...and I said OMG...I am definitely going to be showing at their wedding. How cool.....yeah...not quite yet. I think I am getting there though....fingers crossed!

Almost 13 Weeks!!!!

2009-04-09T20:31:00.009-05:00

Yeah!!! Such a good week this week....feeling much better and time is starting to fly by. I can't believe almost 9 weeks ago we found out we were pregnant. I was sick for about 4 weeks....nothing sounded good to eat and if I could have thrown up I would have loved to. No fun. I am back up and eating plenty now and can't wait to see this belly bump start to grow.

This is a picture of Waylen and I at First Friday downtown...it was different to say the least, but we had a good time....As you can see no bump yet, but I figured I might as well document it anyway!

Last friday we had our genetic testing appointment. Basically they test for Down Syndrome...and two chromosonal disorders that tend to be lethal. My first thought was..."That should be a real blah appointment!". But it actually was so much fun. They took tons of pictures of the baby and also did a video for us. It's about 10 minutes long....and he or she is just the most beautiful baby ever! The sonographer had to bounce on my stomach a lot in order to get the baby to start moving ...and it did a complete turn!! Yeah!!! Feet were up in the air with one arm by its side and one up by the head (this is exactly how Waylen sleeps). He was really excited about that and the fact that he swears he saw its "boy parts"!!! He even wrote down on a piece of paper the time on the video where he thinks he sees it...so family can pause it and check it out. So funny! Such an amazing experience. I of course had to go out and get a frame to put the picture in for our house. It will be the first of many!!!

I thank God for this amazing experience everytime I look at "it"........so precious!

2009-04-08T22:20:00.003-05:00

Ok....So I had to get my very first "official" post in before its time to go to bed. I am pretty sure Waylen thinks I am crazy to be so excited about "blogging", but he's just a boy! So much has happened recently that I wish I could go back and post on, but I won't because then I will miss out on everything happenin' NOW! So, my cool neighbor Dawn helped me set everything up tonight and made it look as beautiful as it does! She Rocks! We are loving our house that we moved into last October...I will have to add pics of that later. We still have our 3 crazy dogs....Piper and Bella (the crazy Lab and "wanna be Lab") and then our "precious" Macie....hers is the only picture of course that I can find...conveinent!!! Anyways...we are expecting our first baby October 2009...so that makes us 12.5 weeks! Whoohoo...I will do a separate post on that...once I figure out the scanner! Until then...be safe....xoxo