Fun! Fun! Fun!

The best 32 hour trip ever!! My friend from college and beyond, Lisa and I went to Dallas Market to get some things for her store. We left at 7:30am on Saturday with Starbucks in hand to begin the journey. We arrived at the Doubletree Hotel around 10:00am, parked the car, and got on a shuttle to take us to the land of milk and honey. I just have to say I love Dallas Market!! There are so many things that it is a little overwhelming...okay a lot overwhelming. What is better than snacking and shopping at the same time? All the exhibitors were so nice and helpful. On Saturday we just browsed and gathered information to ponder later that evening. After six hours of continuous shopping and information overload we went back to the hotel to process and talk. At 7:00pm we left the hotel to meet some of my best friends for dinner at Benihana. It was the best feeling to walk in and see everyone. I felt as if I was "back home" with all my friends whom I love so dearly. The conversations were constant, food was delicious, but the view of all their faces was the most wonderful part. Lisa had a good time meeting everyone and being able to put a face with the names she hears so often. It was a night full of good times. The party broke up at around 9:45pm and we returned back to the hotel. Lisa and I watched Rumor has It which I have to say was a big letdown. Then we talked ourselves to sleep.

Sunday we ate breakfast and headed back to Market to purchase the things we thought would sell the best in her shop. It was so much fun!! When the shipments come in it will be just like Christmas. I am especially excited about the cute squeaky shoes I ordered for Campbell and the store. Maybe they will encourage her to walk since she has almost grown out of the ones Amy M. gave us and is not walking yet. I think we are going to try to venture into some smocked outfits soon too. Fun! Fun! Fun! I am already looking forward to the next trip. (Maybe the next trip will be a little longer so some more of my sweet girlfriends can join us for dinner or something. I miss and love all of you girls so much!!!) Around 5:00pm we returned home to happy faces and loving hugs.
Pictures from the dinner will be below since blogger would not cooperate with me:)

The Girls & Me!!

Here are the pictures from Benihana since blogger would not cooperate on the previous post.

One Year Check-up

On Tuesday my sweet baby girl had her one year shots. The visit started off good because Campbell got a new book from the nurse, got weighed, and her height measured.(23lbs.4oz., 32 inches long) I had a nice visit with the doctor...I may have convinced him I am not so crazy anymore. Just when Campbell thought she was safe in came the nurse. I do not know who was more upset Kaylee or Campbell. Kaylee kept saying that Campbell did not need the shots because we could keep her healthy without them. I explained for the 10th time that she had to get them and she would be fine. As soon as the first shot went in Campbell's famous cry erupted...we might have cleared the waiting room who knows? As soon as the nurse left Kaylee was right beside Campbell telling her it would be alright because sister was there. She even tried to distract Campbell by talking about the cute band aids on her legs. Of course Campbell did not care and continued to cry while I was paying and we were trying to make a hasty exit. After we got back in the car Kaylee grabbed Campbell's hand to hold on the way home and kept telling her she loved her so much and she was so proud of her. Such a sweet Big Sister:)

Birthday Party Time

Well I am just going to warn everyone that this post will be a long one. We had to fit in Campbell's Birthday and Father's Day into one weekend and it was packed full of fun!!

On Friday we went to Pizza Hut and Sam's for Campbell's Birthday so it was a big day. (ha,ha) We decided to finally breakdown and buy a DVD player for the car so we would have it for long trips. It worked like a charm too. I think that was the first time I have ever gone to Sam's and only purchased one thing.

Saturday we left for Waco to celebrate Campbell's Birthday and Father's Day with my parents. Campbell woke up at 6:50am and still did not go to sleep in the car the whole three hour drive. that girl! After arriving at my parents house Kaylee looked out the backdoor to find a swingset that Papa had put together just for the girls. The expression on Kaylee's face was priceless. She had so much fun swinging and Campbell did too. After a little while GG, Aunt Trudy, and my Cousin Duncan arrived to get hte party started. We cooked out, visited, ate and then the big moment arrived THE CAKE. I was not sure how Campbell would do but she was hilarious. She started by picking at the frosting very carefully. After about 3 minutes she figured out what she was eating and dug in with both hands and pulled out big pieces of cake. The I suppose she was tired of getting her hands dirty so she picked the whole cake up and put it up to her face. Too funny!! As you can tell from this picture she had a wonderful time. Next came the presents which she seemed to like. Each gift was fun for her and she really wanted to play instead of moving on th the next package. Everyone was sweet to bring Kaylee some treats too so she would not feel left out. Both girls got some fun things and some treasures to keep forever. I think one of her favotire things from the party were the James Avery boxes that she carried around for a while. What baby girl doesn't need James Avery, right? Or Big girl for that matter. After the presents were over the girls went to play in the pool. For some reason blogger will not let me load pictures of that so I will put them in flicker. After pool time the girls got ready for bed and all of our family returned home. Thanks again to all of them for making Campbell's first birthday a real treasure!

Happy 1st Birthday Campbell Grace!!

A year ago today our second blessing in life was born. She managed to enter the world three weeks early and still weigh 7 lbs. 12oz. The day was perfect. I went in to see Dr. Sigman and she sent me to L&D. The delivery was fast and easy on Mom and Baby. Out of everything that happened I most remember the look on Kaylee's face when she saw her sister for the first time...it is the look I still see on Kaylee's face each morning when Campbell wakes up and enters the room.
Here are a few things that I want to remember about Campbell.

* She has the loudest cry, it is very distinct. She does not cry very often but when she does the whole world knows it. When we were in the hospital after she was born we heard this poor baby crying down the hall. Cary and I both looked at each other and commented about how we felt sorry for those parents. Soon the door opened and the screaming baby heard all over the maternity ward was ours. We still chuckle about that one.
* She loves attention.
* She still only has four teeth which she did not get till she was 9 months old.
* She has the best laugh, she can laugh so hard...especially at her sister. No one can make her laugh like Kaylee.
* I love the way she clings to me, lays her head on my chest, smiles real big, and looks at people out of the corners of her eyes when she thinks they are going to take her from me. It's her I am so cute but do not touch me look.
* She has no interest what-so-ever in walking.
* She never would hold a bottle by herself but will hold a sippy cup.
* The way she smiles so big her eyes disappear and all you see is teeth. It can truly light up a room.
* Her love for her sister is amazing to watch.
* She loves to be held.
* She loves to take naps in the morning and afternoon.
* She can clap, play peek-a-boo, say "Mama" and "DADA", and wave bye-bye.
* She gets her feelings hurt very easily.
* She loves her lovie and paci to sleep with.
* She loves baby dolls. She will drag them behind her as she crawls then stops and picks the doll up to give it "love".
* She prefers "people food" over baby food and will let you know about it.
* She hates to be left alone...she will crawl behind you crying the whole way. Often she is so upset that she does not watch were she is going and hits her head.
* She crawls very quickly.
* She loves to eat grapes and bananas.
* She hates to ride in the car for more than an hour and rarely falls asleep in the car.
* She crawls as quickly as she can at night when Daddy comes home to get to him. Afterwards she sits with her hands up until Daddy picks her up.
* She loves to go swimming. The water is one of her favorite places to be...especially when she can splash someone.
* She wears a size 18-24 month in clothes.
* She already follows Kaylee into her room and thinks she can play too.
* She adores her sister.
* We cannot believe this little angel has been with us for a year already. She has brought so much love and happiness to each of us.

I find myself wondering where the time has gone. Campbell's birthday really snuck up on me. I am really looking forward to seeing what the next year brings. We love you Campbell Grace!! HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!

Through the Year with Campbell

I couldn't get blogger to load pictures earlier so here is Campbell during the past year. I will post pictures from her birthday later.

3 Months Old

6 Months Old

9 Months Old

Busy, Busy, Busy

From last Thursday till now I feel like we have been going non-stop. On Thursday Kaylee had her first gymnastics class here and it went GREAT!! Kaylee was so excited because two of her friends from school were in her class. I think she was especially excited about Reid. She has a little crush on him. Campbell even enjoyed playing in the large waiting area and watching Kaylee. Considering the lessons last an hour I was very proud of her. I tried to take a few picture but they turned out too dark so I will try again this week. After gymnastics we had time to run home and Kaylee changed into her swimsuit while I gave Campbell her milk bottle. (I decided to start her on milk this past week and see how it went and she did super.) Once we rounded up the towel and cover up we were off to ACU for swiming lessons. I am so proud of the progress Kaylee has mde in just a few days. She will even hold her breath and put her head under the water for more than a few seconds.


On Friday Kaylee skipped swim lessons to her friend Matthew's birthday party. They went to see CARS !! Kaylee was so excited. The movie was really cute. Thankfully Cary watched Campbell at his office so Kaylee and I could enjoy the movie with no interruptions. I am just not ready to see if Campbell likes the movies by myself. Kaylee got a little collectible Lightening McQueen car and a CARS matching game too. After the movie we went to McDonald's for a happy meal and a treat for Cary. When I got to the office all the "ladies" as Kaylee calls them said Campbell had been great so it was a successful afternoon for all!!

Saturday I caught up on some chores around the house, bought stuff to attempt to make Campbell's birthday cake, and did a little Father's Day shopping. I was exhausted by the time I got home and was trying to decide what to cook for dinner when the phone rang. It was the Baileys asking us to go to Abuelos and my alvacado enchiladas were wonderful. It was a perfect way to end the night.

Today we were off to church. Shana and I had a lot more kids in class than we did last week and it was a little more eventful. Campbell and Kaylee both had a good time in class and Cary even cooked lunch. Meals are always great when you do not have to cook them. Tonight we had Sheperding Group at the Walter's which consisted of visiting, swimming, and eating. The girls are now in bed gettitng ready for another exciting week. Kaylee gets to see her friend Lexi from Dallas this week because they are going to VBS at the church where Lexi's grandfather preaches. Then we are off to our last week of swim lessons and Campbell's birthday on Friday. I am off to rest up for the week.

8 YEARS!!!!

It is so hard to believe that Cary and I have been married for EIGHT YEARS today. Being back in Abilene it is so funny to see where we went on our first date, where Cary proposed (unfortunately the tree is now gone so they can expand the zoo), and where we first lived as husband and wife. Time has just flown by especially since having our two precious girls. I have to say we are more in love today than we were back then. I knew from the first time I met Cary that he was the one. We shared the same love for the Lord, desire to have a family, and belief in putting each other first. There were so many qualities that I wanted my husband to have and Cary far exceeded them all. I think I realized just how amazing that he is once we had our girls. He is a wonderful father!! After working all day he still has the energy to swing Campbell around and play games with Kaylee. He always encourages me to have some "girltime" and never complains. We can complete each others thoughts and sentences to the point that it is scary at times. He always puts us first. He is truly wonderful!! I am so glad that I found THE ONE, my soulmate, and my best friend. We are the perfect compliment to each other. I cannot wait to see what the rest of our life has in store for us. I love you now and forever!!

We have a date planned tonight thanks to James, Leslie, and Kaitlyn babysitting for us. I am looking forward to an evening alone with my sweet husband.

Relaxing

Well we had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Our goal was to do as little as possible and I believe that we achieved it. On Saturday night we went to swim at one of our friends Aunt's house. I have never seen such a large pool in someone's backyard. There were a few other couples from our class over there too. The pool felt wonderful and the food was great. Kaylee had a wonderful time swimming all over the pool with her floaties on. Most of the time she was following her new friend Kade who was 11 years old. My girl likes those older men. He was so sweet to put up with her. Campbell had her first trip in the pool too. I was a little leary after how much Kaylee use to hate it at her age but Campbell LOVED the water. She even road in her little float without a single tear. Her favorite thing was to float next to someone, lean sideways, and splash them with water. It would just crack her up. The evening was great because we all had a good time with some new friends and Cary was happy because he did not have to get in the water at all. He would rather sit and talk baseball with Paul which is fine. After such an exciting evening for the girls they were happy to go to bed and get some much needed rest before church.

Sunday morning I began my first of many Sundays to teach the two year olds at our church. They were all so precious. A few cried for their parents but after the lesson started they were fine. Shana and I had a lot of fun teaching together. I was a little worried about Campbell who was two doors down being in a new class with a new teacher but she did great! I did not hear her cry once and anyone that knows us knows Campbell has a cry that can be heard around the building if she is really mad. Kaylee had a great class too. She was just happy she got to take home a new balloon to play with. After a quick lunch at Red Lobster we were off to the house for naps and relaxing. Who knew my four year old would like lobster and crab legs???

Today Kaylee started swim class at ACU. She did so good. I was so proud considering how much she disliked the water two years ago...we have come a long way. They practiced floating on their backs and kicking their feet while holding on to their teachers shoulders. Kaylee actually was not ready to leave. It was like a sauna at the pool because it is inside so I think Campbell and I lost a few pounds too from all the sweating. I will have to post pictures tomorrow because I forgot the camera today. After the swim lesson we went to lunch with Cary at McDonald's. He got to see the last few minutes of Kaylee's lesson too. She told him he would have to come earlier tomorrow. I think she is getting use to having Daddy around a lot more than he was in Dallas which is a great thing!!

Well I am off to do a few things around the house before I go to BUNKO tonight. Some girl time is going to be great!!