One Birthday Weekend gone and a SUPER Week ahead!!

Well the weekend went super! The girls and I both got a little spoiling from, Great Papaw, Papa, and Nana. Cary got taken care of too because my Dad helped him get some Honey-Dos checked off the list I have for him. Mom, Kaylee, and I went to eat at Becker's Loft and shopping all over town. She found the cutest outfits for the girls and a shirt for me. Of course the fun did not stop there for Kaylee because she managed to talk Nana into a few more things which was not very hard. We celebrated my birthday Saturday night with a nice dinner at home and a few presents. (Let's just say I am looking forward to shopping in Canton this weekend now.) There was also a very large cake that could feed about 30 people courtesy of my Mom. We will be eating on it for a while I am afraid. Sunday we went to church and to lunch at Red Lobster (my choice) and it was delicious. (Unfortunately my Papaw was not feeling very well and is having surgery tomorrow on his pacemaker so if you could please say a little prayer for that to go well I would appreciate it so much. It is very hard on him and us for him to not be feeling up to par.) Thanks again to my parents and grandfather for everything!

The best news of all came Sunday night because we got an offer on our house and if everything goes well we will only be the owners of one home come February 13th! Thank you for those of you who have prayed for this and keep the prayers coming that everything goes off without a hitch.

Kaylee had another good day at school today. She was most excited that she and Campbell matched when I went to pick her up. On the way out the door the Director stopped me to tell me that they had a parent come observe today to see if they want their child to start school there or not. She went on to say that the lady came back talking about the cutest little girl in a poncho in the threes class singing "Tomorrow" from the movie Annie. Can you tell what Kaylee has been watching lately? She even wanted to know if we could rename our 7 year old dog Sandy. I told her she could call him that but I doubted he would answer to it. If you know Kaylee then you know she sings frequently and makes up her own songs very often. (Maybe she can go with her friend Kylie to American Idol one day.) After school we went to Bahama Buck's to get a sno cone. This was our first time to try them and it will definitely not be our last. Kaylee and I both give it a thumbs up! (Thanks for the tip Leslie!)

Well laundry calls so until tomorrow maybe.

A great Thursday and Weekend ahead!

Well Kaylee had a super day yesterday according to her. She got to do all of her favorite things! First of all it was Cowboy/Cowgirl day at school and they got to ride the white horses that are associated with Hardin Simmons University. Kaylee could not wait...we have heard about it for a week now. She said that she did the best riding the horse because she had practiced at her friend Chloe's party in Sachse last year.(For my friends in Dallas you all live in Sachse according to Kaylee.) Then they got to eat hot dogs and have trail mix which are two other favorites. They made stick horses and huge cowboy hats. When she got in the car she had both things with her. In a few minutes I heard her say,"It's okay Campbell it is still sister I am just dressed different than usual. Can't you hear my voice...it has not changed it is still sister." I asked what Campbell was doing and she said that Campbell was just looking at her and not smiling like she usually does so she wanted to make sure Campbell knew it was her. (How cute!)
After a good nap she and Daddy were off to soccer practice with her new blue soccer ball. (I stayed home with Campbell since it was cold out and we were both just starting to get well.) We saw the shirt in the picture at Wal-Mart last week and she had to have it. She thanked me before practice for buying her the "Best shirt ever". Cary said that the practice went well and Kaylee is continuing to make progress. Not the play by play I would have given but oh well.
Today she is waiting for her Great Papaw, Papa, and Nana to come visit tomorrow. She is so excited that they are coming to see the new house, her room, and to have a sleep over! I am excited too.

Now on to "little Miss Thang". Campbell is feeling much better this week as you can see in the picture. She does know how to smile for those of you that have doubts. I think she got well just in time to start teething because she is constantly drooling and putting anything she can reach in her mouth. We have had some interesting sleeping patterns too. I had forgotten how much fun teething is, of course Kaylee already had teeth and was crawling at this age. I suppose Campbell just wants to take her time which is fine with me. I am just soaking up each day because they grow up so quickly. Speaking of growing my baby will not get to wear this outfit again because it is a 9 month size and she is wearing a 12 month size now, especially if it is a one piece outfit. My sweet long girl! I am really sad to have to give up a few of them because they are just so sweet. I am even more sad that it is January and already all the Spring clothes are out so it is hard to find anything for her here in Abilene. Now if I was still in Dallas I could do some real damage with the wallet and the sale racks:) Oh well! Maybe by next week Campbell will be crawling since she had been scooting backwards for two weeks. I have to admit I am a little glad the next stage has not started yet.

Well as I mentioned above my parents and grandfather are coming this weekend to celebrate my birthday a little early. I just love birthdays and especially mine. It is nice to be fussed over a little bit even in your thirties! I am off now to clean before they arrive tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Please pray for Seth(9 months old) who is in the hospital fighting a severe cold and having to have oxygen and breathing treatments. Say a prayer for his sweet parents Kevin and Kristen too.

Another weekend has come and gone...

Well our weekend was spent mainly doing home improvements around the house since there are a lot of them to complete. Major decorating disasters were done by the previous home owners but at least I have part of my kitchen back and it looks much better than before. I will have to post pictures another day. I did manage to get out for a little "girl time" with my sweet friend Leslie. She took me to all of the shopping "hot" spots in Abilene and to an amazing place for lunch. Until my house is in order and I know more of what I need I just could not bring myself to buy anything but it was so much fun just to shop. Next time I think we are going to try a little shopping in Albany. "Girl time" is the best especially when most of your conversations during the week are with a four year old and a 7 month old.
Speaking of the girls here is a picture I took before we went to meet Cary for lunch on Friday! They are both growing so much. They both love each other so much. Everytime Campbell wakes up from a nap Kaylee screams,"Campbell you are awake...you are the best little sister ever and I love you so much!" Then of course Campbell grins from ear to ear and Kaylee says, "I know Campbell you love me and think I am the best big sister too." No one can make Campbell smile like Kaylee can. I feel so blessed that the Lord has chosen me to be their Mother.

Our Soccer Star

Well Kaylee has been talking about playing soccer for a year now. I did not know if it was because of Dora or if she was really interested so we decided to let her give it a try. (James Mayo being her coach was a big plus too.) She went to practice tonight for the first time and loved it! The first picture shows the team doing their stretches...the famous "butterfly" stretch because they are the Butterflies. She had a big smile on her face the whole time except when she was cold and asked for her jacket. The first highlight of the practice for me was when Kaylee flashed me the "I love you" sign in sign language from the field. That was priceless to me. I know one day she will be too cool for that but I hope it is a long time away. She concentrated so hard on the ball as you can see in this picture. During the hour practice she tried so hard. She so wanted to please her Coach. I have to say James is wonderful with the girls. It was easy to see why the girls love him so in the first few minutes because he is so patient and gives so much praise to them.(Thank you James!)
I cannot wait to see how Kaylee progresses during the season. She already wanted to come home and practice with her soccer goal Great-PaPaw gave her at Christmas. I am sure at some point this weekend we will be off to find a new soccer ball too. As she was walking off the field she said she was not going to quit and that she liked soccer and could not wait to get a trophy! (with a huge smile on her face)
The second highlight for me was seeing Cary walk onto the field at 6:00pm and getting to watch her practice for 30 minutes. Kaylee was so excited to see Daddy too! This never would have been possible in Dallas because Cary never got home from work till seven o'clock or after. At moments like these it is very clear that moving was the right choice...these are the moments to treasure!

Back to Normal....I hope.

Thank you to everyone who called to check on us over the weekend. I did break down and finally go to the doctor on Saturday morning where he confirmed that I was indeed sick and not going to "get over it" on my own. So two antibiotics later I was on my way home in a fairly timely fashion. I have to say I do love the Abilene traffic.(ha, ha) My sweet husband sent me to bed for the day to get well after returning home. That is a very hard thing for a Mom to do. Campbell continued to be sick and running a fever until yesterday. So far today she seems to be back to her normal self and schedule. I am doing better but still continue to have coughing attacks at random...usually when I am trying to talk. Hopefully we are on the mend and Kaylee & Cary will continue to avoid the sickness I pray.

Sunday we stayed home to recover some more and hopefully avoid getting anyone else sick. Cary painted the first coat of paint in the girls bathroom and I began the process of stripping the wallpaper in the kitchen. I had forgotten what a pain that is to do. Especially if there is another layer of wallpaper under the existing one. What a nice surprise for me...not! I have to say the blank wall looks better than the wallpaper that was up there. I still have half the kitchen to do but hopefully it will go a little smoother now that I kinda know what I am doing. Maybe after next weekend I will have the kitchen finished!

Hope everyone has a great week!

A Long Week....

This has been a long week for many reasons and it is only Thursday. Sunday started with me and Campbell continuing to be sick. Campbell got antibiotics on Monday for her ears and runny eyes. I chose to wait out my sickness and "will" it away as most Moms tend to do since we do not take time off to take care of ourselves. I am finally starting to feel a little better and have a moment to slow down when in comes a curve ball. I woke Campbell from her morning nap to get her dressed and fed so we could go pick Kaylee up from school and she felt like she was on "FIRE". I proceeded to try to remain calm and take her temperature with the temporal scanning thermometer which showed a temp of 102.5*F. I proceeded to try the old fashioned method which is said to be more accurate thinking the forehead calculation had to be wrong... well the new temp was 103.5*F which is freak out mode for me when my baby is only 7 months old. I would have been calmer had we not been in a new town with a new doctor and had she not been on an antiobotic and still running that high of a fever, I think. I, of course, called Cary crying a bit partially because I was scared and partially because I am emotional when sick. After getting in touch with the doctor's office they said the nurse would call back but I decided not to wait and just went to the office. They were very nice and worked me in probably thinking I was a "spaz" but who cares at this point. By the time we saw the doctor which was not too long the temperature had gone down from the Tylenol I gave her an hour before. They tested for the flu and it was negative so they are thinking it is just a virus. Please pray that Campbell feels better and I do not have to call the doctor in the morning to tell him she still has a high fever. Also pray we are not starting a trend with two doctor's visits in 4 days.

On a happier note Kaylee's second day of school went GREAT! Cary said she did not want his help when he dropped her off this morning and that she put her things away like she had been there all year. She was excited because they had her name on her cube and hook for her backpack today! The little things that please a child...isn't it wonderful! We get to decorate a placemat for her to use at lunch over the weekend. She also made a friend named Keaton, I think it is her teacher's daughter. So Kaylee is off and running!! Thank you Lord for her good week and sweet heart!

Sickness and Kaylee's first day

Well this past weekend consisted of Campbell and I taking turns being sick. I have to say she coped much better than I did. She has had a cold and a crusty eye for several days. I made an appointment for her on Thursday for Monday. Yes, that was the soonest they could get to me being a new patient and all. The doctor was quick and nice but it really made me miss Dr. Blair and his staff. I did not miss the drive though since my appointment was at 1:40pm and I was home by 2:10pm. (Did I mention the Doctor's office is two minutes from the house and that is if I hit the light red?) Turns out Campbell has an ear infection and a cold in her eyes so we are now on medicine. I started feeling bad on Saturday night and have just gotten worse. My throat hurts, I cough everytime I try to talk, and my neck is stiff. Enough complaining...maybe I will go to the doctor on Thursday if I am not better.

Moving on to the best news of the week!!! I got Kaylee into a pre-school at Highland Church of Christ for two days a week. Kaylee and Cary read out of her daily devotional book last night about not being bashful as she can be at times when she does not know someone and it must have worked. She walked into the classroom like she owned the place. The teachers said she was very sweet and acted like she had been there the whole year. The director even thanked me for bringing Kaylee. I have to say my heart smiled when she said that. As a parent you always want your children to behave and for people to enjoy them as you do. Thank you Lord for Kaylee's good day! She cannot wait to go back on Thursday. I am so glad she is making some friends and adjusting to our new life. I think she is adjusting better than me. i thought I would have to be strong for her but she is the strong one. She is constantly pointing out the positives about Abilene where as I sometimes only see the negative. I have a lot to learn from my sweet girl!

AMAZING!!! Hook'em Horns!!

What a game!! Amazing is the best word I could think of to describe the performance. I do not watch very much football (however I am a big UT fan) but this was probably the best game I have ever watched and it was not just because Matthew McConaughey was on the sidelines. Althought that did get my attention a little more:) (I am sure my fellow friends understand the obsession.) It was amazing to watch Mac Brown and Vince Young stay so calm and level-headed throughout the game. The best part was watching my husband try to not scream because Campbell was asleep. I thought he was going to burst with some of the facial expressions he made. It was a well deserved and earned victory! It has been nice to see the media finally giving TEXAS some respect today. Go Longhorns!!!

One of the other highlights was having the Mayos over to watch the game. It was great to be able to talk with someone who is familiar with the same friends and can relate. It was like having a piece of "home". I am looking forward to getting to know them even better now that we are living so close. Kaitlyn is a doll and Kaylee had a great time with her. I see more playdates in their future and maybe even a few double dates with James and Leslie. Of course they may stay away from us for a while since we kept them up so late:)

What a night...TEXAS Longhorns winning a Nation Championship and Matthew McConaughey:) YEAH!!! It just doesn't get any better than that!

Beard Christmas

We also went to Cary's Mom's house a few days after Christmas to celebrate with his family. Kaylee is always so excited to see Catch and Colt. As you can see from the picture it is hard for them to actually look at the camera because they are so distracted and would not be still unless opening a gift. They have so much fun running around together. Campbell just enjoyed sitting on everyone's lap and checking thingss out. I think the kids had the best time opening presents of course. Kaylee's favorite was the remote controlled blue truck from Grandma. Yes, you heard me right a blue truck. No baby dolls for this girl. After the presents we had a good time visiting and eating. Tiffany, Chiara, Landrea, and I all went shopping for a little bit too. I love after Christmas sales:) This is KAylee with her Aunt Rae-Rae, actually it is Landrea but when Kaylee was little all she could say was Rae-Rae. Then Catch and Colt call her La-La. I think both the names are so cute and something we will be able to laugh about when we are older.

After all the festivities were over it was time to return to the new house which still had some unpacking to do but at least the girls rooms are together. Hope you all had a great holiday:)

Christmas Past

Well we are finally "Home" and I use that term very loosely. Until we have found a church home I do not think we will feel truly at home here. I also cannot feel at home till the house is in some kind of order which if calculations are correct we are down to around ten boxes in the house and I do not even want to know what is in the garage. Advice for anyone wanting to move for the fun of it...Don't move. (At least do not move during the Christmas season.)

I am so glad December is gone and am looking forward to some type of normal routine developing around here. We spent Christmas at my parent's house and Kaylee had a great time. She loved everything about Christmas as I usually do when I am not too exhausted to enjoy it. The lights on the houses were a real treat for her. You would have thought they had put them out just for her. Papa did of course...even though my parents just moved a month ago my Dad managed to get the lights and snowman out for Kaylee and my Mom decorated every corner of the house just for Kaylee. One night all the women went to look at Christmas lights (my Mom, me, Kaylee, Grandmother Jane,and Aunt Trudy) which is another tradition. My Mom was talking and Kaylee was trying to interrupt so Aunt Trudy said, "Kaylee say excuse me to get Nana's attention." My sweet girl replied with "But Aunt Trudy I did not do anything. I did not toot or anything!" We all laughed so hard the rest of the trip. Kaylee also enjoyed getting us to sing in the car while she was the "conductor" she said. She loved every gift and really enjoyed being the center of attention for my cousin, Aunt, Uncle, Papaw, and GG. Kaylee noticed that she got everything on her list so she said that she must have been very good this year. I am sure we are going to pay for that in the future. Her favorite gifts were her Madagascar game for her Leapster L-Max, Baby Anabelle, and the Barbie laptop computer.

The best part for Kaylee was getting to spend a few extra days with Nana and Papa while we went home to try to get the house or at least Kaylee's room together before the next event.
I also have to show Nana and Kaylee's handywork for the second year in a row. I thought they did a great job on the gingerbread house!
Notice I did not mention Campbell. She was miserable. Shortly after we moved she developed a cold and seemed to feel the worst during Christmas Eve and Day. Somehow we managed one picture of her with Cary opening a gift. She is back to normal now but I was beginning to wonder. Her favorite toy was the Fisher Price Puppy that sings and lights up. She will enjoy next year so much!

After a few nights at my parents, a lot of spoiling, and shopping the after Christmas sales with my Mom which is one of my favorite traditions we were off to see Cary's family for Christmas. Kaylee had a great time playing with her cousins and opening her presents there too. Her favorite toy was a remote controlled blue truck. She loves to drive it around the house. Campbell thinks it is hilarious too! I had a good time doing a little shopping with my sister-in-laws.(and Tim too) We stayed there for two nights and were exhausted by the time we returned home. Unfortunately no elves visited our house to finish arranging and unpacking the house for me. Oh well!

My favorite part of the holidays was watching the girls together. Kaylee adores Campbell and she adores Kaylee. They are both growing so much and changing. I cannot wait to see what the next year brings for them and us too. Hope you all had a great holiday and are home safely. We miss you all!