The Griffin Family

She fits right in..

2012-01-22T15:43:00.002-06:00

The other day, Alex and I were goofing off with the camera on my phone. We were trying to get a picture of the 3 of us where everyone was looking. After several unsuccessful attempts, Alex wanted to take a silly picture. We took a few, had our fun and tried again for a nice group shot.

As we were looking through them, we came across this one. HILARIOUS!!! We knew that we were making faces but didn't know that Ellasyn decided to get in on the action.

She fits right in! I will definitely be enlarging this and framing it!

Katriana

Smiley Pot

2012-01-22T15:38:00.002-06:00

Ellasyn is such an amazing, laid back baby who smiles all the time. Some say it is gas. I say no way should something so gross get the credit for causing something so beautiful. She must be talking with her angel friends & letting them know she loves it here. That has to be it...right? :)
Katriana

Finally...

2012-01-22T15:17:00.003-06:00

Finally, a blog post, lol!

Finally, our baby girl made her much anticipated arrival.

Ellasyn Claire

Dec 21st @ 12:42 pm

weighing 6.13 & 20.5" in length

To say that we are completely in love is a total understatement! She is wonderful & such a blessing to our family.

We are so incredibly blessed!

This is where I will ramble & record some details I don't want to forget;

6:00 am: checked into the hospital at .1

7:30 am: water broken & pitocin started at a 2

8:30 am: epidural administered at a 3

8:45-11:00 pm: nap on and off, measured at a 4

12:00 pm: woke up to extreme pressure. Nurse Robin checked my dilation & I went from a 4 to a 10 in an hour. She begins to prep the bed & room and calls Dr. Yancey.

12:15 pm: Robin has me do a practice push. As I am pushing, she has Tripp take a "look" as the baby is crowning. She asks me to stop pushing so that Dr. Yancey can get there.

12:25: Dr. Yancey arrives and we start pushing. Tripp counts for me, a little too fast at first, lol.

12:42: After six rounds of pushing, Ellasyn was born. One. Of. Our. Greatest. Moments. Ever!!

Tripp & I were the only ones in the room as she was born. My friend Tami was there in the beginning and afterward & captured some amazing pictures for me. My brother Jay, his wife Amy & there two children brought Alex to the hospital and were in the waiting room as the baby was being born. My mom made it right after she was born.

Scratch that..

2011-08-01T13:08:00.002-05:00

Our baby girls name will be

Ellasyn Clair

{{So excited that Tripp decided to go with the 'y' in her name. Thank you babe!}}

Miss Ellason Claire

2011-07-20T15:03:00.003-05:00

I am so in love with my baby girl already that it is just about indescribable.

We got to see her sweet face again this past weekend and she officially confirmed that
She is still a She.
No doubt about it.
Thank you Jesus!

The sono tech (incredibly sweet lady, I highly recommend Sono-Care in Tyler) said that it was amazing how much her bone and facial structure looked so much like Alex's. He thinks it is pretty cool that she looks like him. Awe!

After the sono, we headed over to a bow shop that I have been wanting to shop at for a long time and got her a few goodies. Those suckers are expensive! Good thing I can learn how to make them myself. :)

I am 17 weeks today. My nausea has just about dissapeared. I am still taking the zophran as a precautionary but I don't think that will be necessary much longer. My appetite is BACK! Like, crazy back! I lost 15 pounds during my first trimester so now I need to get myself under control for a while. (that way I can enjoy pigging out later, lol!)
I am really starting to enjoy this pregnancy. I have been happy about it all along, even while being so sick, but it is nice to be to this point.

Ellason has been practicing her ninja skills a lot lately. I am so excited for Tripp & Alex to get to feel her move. That should happen before too much longer I guess.
I am incredibly blessed! Incredibly!
Katriana

Two Funny Alex Stories..

2011-07-20T14:44:00.005-05:00

...for the memory bank :)

Funny Story #1: " Mom, open your mouth really big." I ask why so he asks me again really nicely. I give in and open my mouth as big as I can. Alex them proceeds to get in my face as close as he can and yell the following into my open pie hole, "I love you Ellason Claire! I can't wait to meet you!"

Tripp and I laugh hysterically! We asked him why he did that and he said he wanted to make sure his baby sister could hear him. He thought it would be better to talk through my mouth than through my belly hole. The kid cracks me up so much! It was incredibly smart of him to even think of talking to his sister that way. Now, honestly, it's not quite as funny anymore. Him getting super close to my face & yelling has lost a bit of its charm, to say the least. :)

Funny Story #2: Alex was buckled in his carseat in my car this morning. I forgot my phone on the counter so I ran in to get it. I get back in the car and he says, "Mom, you don't know you are beautiful." I start laughing and he says, "Don't laugh, it's never crossed your mind." I continue to laugh and he says, "You are not that kind."
It finally dawns on me that the tail end of Sammy Kershaw's song is playing on the radio. Then Alex starts to sing the song to me as opposed to saying the phrases. He is so stinking funny!!!

It's hot!

2011-06-14T10:26:00.002-05:00

Like you didn't already know that! Ha!

I have been struggling in this heat...big time! It has zapped my energy completely, there is no mas. It has been incredibly hard to explain this to Alex but I think he is starting to get used to the idea that Mommy is just not going to go outside for a while.

I have to share a funny story. Slightly uncouth but funny all the same.

Last night we let Alex sleep with us. (who am I kidding, the kid sleeps with us every night, lol!) He 'accidentally' passed a wee bit of gas. When I asked him if he needed to excuse himself, this is what he said:

"Mom, you may not know this but when girls are pregnant, it makes them hot and stinky. Maybe you need to excuse yourself."

Tripp and I laughed hysterically! He said it with that mischievous grin on his face knowing that he was about to say something funny. Such a character!

Gross topic but I want to record my babe's funny personality.

Hope everyone is having a good day! Oh yeah, did you know it was hot outside! UGH!!! :)

Bleh...

2011-06-05T13:32:00.005-05:00

I'm feeling pretty bleh these days.

While I am incredibly thrilled to be pregnant, this first trimester is kicking my tail! Kicking it! It is a struggle to drink water, eat food, go outside, you name it, I'm struggling with it. No bueno. I can tell that it is starting to lighten up slightly so that is the positive side to this depressing post.

I don't think the heat is helping much either. We took Alex to the movies, Fresh & the Zoo yesterday and I think I could have overdone it since it was so warm out as I am completely wiped out today. It will be nice to have some energy back in my next trimester, that's for sure.

Alex loves Fresh. I took him back in the early spring and he has been asking to go back over and over again. It was Tripp's first time to go and he was very impressed. Alex had a great time pushing & adding things to his cart. It was pretty cute!

Then on to the zoo. Tripp didn't get to go with us, sadly. It was a members only event and Tripp is not on our membership. We decided early on to share a membership with my mom since Tripp's availability would not allow him to go as often as hers would. That mentality backfired on us yesterday as it would have been really nice if Tripp could have gone with us. All of the animals were so active last night! It was amazing! They were all playing and goofing off, very cool to see!

Yesterday was fun but honestly, Alex had quite the attitude for a good bit of the day. Very frustrating! Tripp and I felt like we went out of our way to do some really fun things for him but he was just stuck on being cranky and full of complaints. We did have our highlights of the day though so again, there is the positive side of the negative, lol. There were several times of sweetness between Alex and I that overshadowed his cranky attitude. That all went south though when a bee flew into his snocone. It all went straight to heck after that. Boo...

After the meltdown, we decided quickly to head straight for home. Do not pass go. Straight home! Alex went straight to bed and Tripp and I watched a movie. A horrible movie by the way! We do not recommend Black Swan. Way too strange for us...but to each their own.

Ok, that wraps up my thoughts for the moment. I am about to take a much anticipated nap with the squirt. He is not going to be happy about it...my joy should be enough for the two of us, hahhahahah!

Changes....

2011-05-13T19:16:00.002-05:00

Things sure have been changing around here a lot lately.

Summer is coming.

Alex is growing up.

I have a new job.

Tripp is traveling quite a bit.

Nosmo, well, he is still Nosmo...

While we are trying to acclimate ourselves to the hotter temps, embrace Alex growing up, adjust to my new full time work hours and deal with Tripp being on the road a bit more, we also get adjust to this...

Whooooooo Hooooooooo! We are so excited!

I am currently about 6 1/2 weeks pregnant and due around the first of January. It is so amazing how God works. After trying for about 8 months to conceive, Tripp and I decided (or started trying to convince ourselves rather) that it was ok that we were not pregnant yet. We would just wait until the fall and start trying again. Our goal was for a spring or summer baby. I had myself convinced that it was ok that I wasn't pregnant yet as of February because now we would avoid the super sick season with a newborn and the cold weather. God's timing is always perfect even when His plan differs from ours! From the looks of it, we conceived the latter part of March...when we weren't even trying, lol! Guess what 'they' say is right, once you quit worrying about it and quit trying to micromanage, it happens. At least it did this time anyway.

We were really hoping that this pregnancy would go smoothly and I would not have near the issues I had with Alex. So far, not the case. I have been super sick, not just nausea. No fun. I am on zofran again which seems to do the trick without knocking me out like the pfenergren did.

I want to sleep all the time. Seriously all the time. That is not as easy as it was when it was just Tripp and I. While Alex is incredibly thrilled to be a big brother soon, he doesn't quite understand why I have no energy or why I am so sick. Hopefully this first trimester will zoom by and the sickness will be over soon. That is our prayer.

I am scheduled for my "first" appointment June 3 for a sonogram & a visit with Dr. Yancey. We had a small bump in the road yesterday though that sent me in for an emergency appointment. I have had a stomach bug for the last few days that was accompanied by a lot of cramping. I didn't pay too much attention to the cramps until I started spotting yesterday. I tried really hard not to freak out too bad...but honestly, I freaked. Having had a miscarriage before Alex and spotting while pregnant with Alex, I am a bit gun shy to say the least.

I definitely calmed down once I saw the little babe's heartbeat. I am not far enough along to hear the heartbeat, but seeing it was enough. The baby measured at 6 weeks, though I thought we were closer to 8weeks along. The sono tech did notice that I have a small sub cortical (sp) rupture behind my uterus that is causing the bleeding. They are not too terribly concerned with it now because it is so small but they will continue to monitor it. I was told to take it easy over the weekend, read I get to sleep a lot, whoooo hooo!

This post has rattled on. If you are still reading, you are a trooper! This is mainly for memory sake so that I can remember the details. I need to post about how we told Alex. I definitely want to remember that for forever! :)

We haven't announced that I am pregnant on facebook because honestly, I don't want to deal with the fallout should something happen. I will probably do that after I go to the doctor in June. If I didn't have the history that I do, I would be screaming it from the roof tops! I'm posting about it here for a few reasons. One, mainly family and friends who can be discreet read this and two, I want to record the happenings while they are fresh on my brain. I know that not many people read this so I am thinking it is pretty safe. Lol!

I'm going to have another baby!!!!! Whooo hoooo! I didn't think we would get to experience this again. I am so grateful to God for this miracle in my belly! Sick and All!

We have got ourselves a T-Baller!

2011-04-02T17:06:00.001-05:00

Check out our little t-baller, Alex. Today was opening day for Sabine and boy, was it a full opening day! We had a our first double header as well as our first game. Not the greatest of combinations to be honest with you! The kids did great though. Alex played catcher during the first game and did not enjoy it at all. I wish I had a nickel for each time he said he was bored as the catcher. Drove me crazy!! :)

He shook it off though and ended the first game with a pretty decent attitude. He did AMAZING in the second game! They all did! We are so proud of them because we were expecting complete and total meltdowns for the second game! Alex played second base and loved it! He got right in there, chased the ball, fielded it and seemed to really enjoy himself.

There is still much to learn and plenty of time to do so. For the most part, the kids enjoyed themselves and are eager to play again. That is a definite plus in the parents' book, lol!

I love this picture of my two favorite Rangers. I really appreciate Tripp for coaching. It is hard to try to teach your own child a sport, no less be the coach, but my guys are handling it very well. I love the extra time they get with each other and to see Tripp encourage Alex in something they both really like. This could be the beginning of a family love for all of us so we are excited!

Texas Rangers, Spring 2011, Sabine League

Allergies get TWO THUMBS DOWN!

2011-03-24T14:48:00.002-05:00

Ok, so not that anyone out there actually likes allergies or anything, but here at the Griffin house.....we reeeeeaaaaaaallly don't like them! My poor baby is struggling to put it mildly. I feel so bad for him because it is incredibly obvious that he is miserable. Yet he manages to be so sweet in spite of it. Alex has always had allergies but this year is by far the worst. I am attributing it to his trampoline of all things. He just got it for his birthday and loves it. Like every thing else in East Texas, it is covered in pollen just about every day. We usually let him bounce on it later in the evening and I'm guessing it is what has triggered this 'Allergy Attack' if you will.

Here is a pic of him from yesterday about an hour before his eyes were completely swollen shut. You can barely see the rashes starting to appear beside his mouth and nose. I had some eye drops called in yesterday that seem to have helped a bit but this is still the outcome after 3 doses of Benedryl.

And here is a shot from this morning. After what has to have been the WORST night of sleep ever, he still woke up smiling. His lips are starting to crack from being so swollen. Poor thing!

He has a doctor's appointment this afternoon with his pediatrician so hopefully he will be on the mend soon. I am currently listening to him try to breath through his nose. I laid him down for a nap at 1:25 and he still hasn't been able to fall asleep (1.5 hours later). Prayerfully, his appt will go good, he will get some relief, and we will ALL get to sleep good tonight. Though this sounds like a lot of complaining, we are super excited for spring time!

Allergies just get two thumbs down! Actually...that would be 6 thumbs down for the Griffin fam...or 10 if you include Nosmo's...hehe!

Katriana

Amazing..

2011-03-03T22:23:00.003-06:00

Because every post needs a pic..here is a random pic of Big Daddy tasting Alex's butternut squash at Christmas. SO sweet!

Amazing that in all of my "free time" I have neglected to blog.

Amazing that my little man is now 5 years old.

Amazing that I am quickly approaching my 10 year anniversary with my awesome hubby.

Amazing that I finally feel like I am getting my focus back.

Amazing that I have never felt more alone & still be ok with it like I feel now.

Amazing that I feel like my relationship with God is getting stronger and stronger.

Amazing that I am allowed breath each day and able to be amazed.

Alex is getting so big and saying the funnies stuff lately.

For example, he was singing this song the other day in the backseat of the car, "For he makes really good jello, for he makes really good jello, for he makes really good jello, which nobody can deny!"

He randomly sang out the following while playing with his daddy tonight: "We are Farmers, dum da dum da dum dum dum!"

For Valentines he got me diamonds from Walmart because they are a girls best friend. They cost him $5 dollars and he quickly told me that he could have gotten a footlong but decided to get me a best friend instead..haha!

He is obsessed with the zoo and all things museum related. The Legend of the Guardians and MegaMind are his two favorite shows right now and he quotes them frequently.

Tripp and I are taking a money class by Dave Ramsey at church. BIGGEST BLESSING EVER! We love it and I have really gotten on board..which makes Tripp one happy man! We are also participating in a bible study with some other young couples at church. AMAZING! We are learning so much and finally realizing why we believe what we believe. It's so awesome to have our ideals and thoughts actually line up with the principles God wants us to follow. Awesome!

Ok, let me think of what other randomness I can throw in here since the odds of me posting again soon are rather slim... :)

I'm working less...dislike...painting more.....like, getting to spend a ton of time with Alex....AWESOME...and really getting to focus on my family. I am one blessed lady!

Toodles!

Alex's Prayer

2010-10-19T22:43:00.004-05:00

Alex's bedtime prayers tonight:

Dear God & Jesus,

I love you so much. I heard that you guys have power. You guys made the trees and us. That is pretty powerful. I love y'all! I believe that y'all have power and everything else. Jesus & God, I love y'all both. Y'all are so cool. I don't know anything else to say. Good night and Amen.

Love, Alex

~~He melts my heart! Thank you Lord for a child that loves you and loves to learn about you. Please give me the wisdom to guide him to glorify You. Amen~

CopyKat

2010-08-21T00:39:00.000-05:00

I'm trying something new tonight and I think I just might like it! I noticed that Tyne posted an entry using her iPhone and figured I'd give it a try.

This should be a quick and easy way to blog without being tied to the computer. Let me see how easy it is to add a pic...

Oh yeppers...I like it a lot!!
(Alex played outside this evening & had to have the proper gear: his goggles, snorkel & his bald head hat...hahahahhaha!)

Okey doke, good evening folks!

Where has the summer gone??

2010-08-08T21:19:00.002-05:00

This summer has flown by!! It has also been incredibly hot!!!

Like FOR REALZ hot!! I am so ready for fall to hurry up and get here.

Alex has been a hilarious mess this summer. While he makes our heart explode with joy, he also drives us bonkers! We stayed at the house all day today and he was literally bouncing off of the walls. Tripp asked me at one point if it was normal for a kid not to slow down & relax all day. Yeppers it is, but it can make one go crazy for sure!

We got a new computer this weekend. A Mac to be exact. Guess who has fallen in love?? That would be me! I fought it in the beginning because I thought the transition from a PC at the office to a Mac at home would be too difficult but I think I am going to manage just fine. I like it a lot more than I thought I would!!! So far, we have watched 4 movies on it & logged several hours surfing the web and exploring it. Fun times!

Ok, who knows when we will post again. Hopefully sooner rather than later because this is supposed to be where we store our memories and funny stories...

9 Whole YeArS!

2010-06-01T13:59:00.001-05:00

Tripp & I have been married for a whopping 9 years!

Hip Hip Hooray!

While our marriage has not always been the best, I am so blessed to have a husband who continues to be dedicated to our marriage.

I love you Tripp! Even though you overcook my grits sometimes, I am still delighted to have you as my partner in life! Muah!

Words to live by..

2010-06-01T13:54:00.001-05:00

Can anyone guess how much I dislike painting words?

Let me tell ya….. a whole lot!

I did however, really enjoy this order once it was done. After several attempts to try to free hand the lettering, I decided to use my noggin. I had a friend who owns a sign company cut vinyl stencils in the exact measurements that I needed to cover the entire canvas. Once that was applied, piece of cake.

My customer loved them as did I. I am even looking forward to making a set of these for myself. :)

Fire truck canvas

2010-06-01T13:48:00.001-05:00

Inspired by Pottery Barns fire truck canvas set, I painted this for a customer in Dallas. I am thrilled with how it turned out. Each canvas is 20x16 but pieced together it measures 20x48.

For boy stuff, this was fun. *Girl stuff is way more fun though! :)*

Blonde Begone!

2010-04-29T09:59:00.002-05:00

Before
After

Yesterday I got my hair done and I feel instantly smarter! Just kidding! I had my blonde highlights covered and went closer to my natural color.

I loooooooooooove it!

I have been trying to grow my hair out for some time now. I was a little sad that we had to cut off almost an inch last night…but it was worth it. My hair feels so incredibly soft now. Yippee!

He loves me....

2010-04-23T15:58:00.002-05:00

And I love him too!

Because I am such a slacker…

2010-04-07T08:46:00.002-05:00

Alex’s birthday party was originally scheduled for a date almost 2 months ago. We ended up finally having it a little over a month ago. Why then has it taken me so long to update ol’ blog-o with pictures?

Because I am such a slacker! :) I have had plenty of opportunities to do so and just didn’t. There have been weekends lately where I have not done one single productive thing. I guess that is how one truly obtains this awesome slacker status that I have achieved. Awesome!

That said, Alex’s party was super fun! The kids all had a great time and Alex is still talking about it to this day! I count that as a success!

Spring is in the air! Finally!!!

2010-03-11T10:53:00.001-06:00

We are beyond ready for spring to be upon us! I am even looking forward to spring cleaning if that tells you anything! {pretty sad if you ask me}

A lovely water puddle has decided to take up residence in our front yard. Come to find out, we don’t mind so much.

Spring, we miss you & love you more than you know! Hurry on up!!

‘Totally surprising’ outcome…

2010-03-11T10:32:00.001-06:00

What happens when you mix an adorable newly turned four year old little boy and a b-b gun?

Give up?

Here is what you get:

A lovely shattered window. Awesome.

Bet you didn’t see that coming right? Guess who for sure didn’t see it coming: Tripp!!! He let Alex go outside with the bbgun from his childhood. What he neglected to do was instruct Alex not to point the gun towards the house. He passed out all of the other much needed instructions in regards to not pointing it at people, Nosmo, etc. but just left the house out.

The best part of it all: that’s a brand new window. It has maybe been installed right at a month. Yeah…nice

Needless to say, Alex didn’t get into near as much trouble as Tripp did! Lol!

Alex’s 4th Birthday Cake

2010-02-26T12:00:00.001-06:00

I totally LOVE how Alex’s cake turned out this year! It was soo much fun to make. Best part: Alex’s face! He is beyond ready to eat it and chomp down on his ‘scrumptous cake’…his words not mine!!

****Thank you Aunt Brenda for baking the cakes and making the icing for me!!! YOU are a life saver & very much appreciated!!!!!****

Talking to Jesus with Chickens

2010-02-08T10:47:00.001-06:00

Scene: Tripp, Alex & I all piled up in Alex’s bed wrapping up a bedtime story. The book of choice for the night was ‘Big Chickens’, a book about a group of chickens who were afraid of everything until they decide to be brave.

Me: Ok, babe. Let’s say our prayers & talk to Jesus.

Alex: Can I talk to Jesus with my chickens? (He was holding his book at this time)

Me: Sure you can. Come on, let’s talk to Jesus.

Alex (bows his head & closes his eyes): Dear Jesus, bock, bock, bock bock bock bock. Bock bock bock. Bock Bock. Amen!

Me & Tripp: LAUGH HYSTERICALLY!!!!

The ways that Alex melts my heart cannot be measured!! I *had* to document this story so that I could treasure it for all of time. Love my boy!!!

Windows Live Writer is AWESOME!

2010-02-05T16:25:00.001-06:00

Tyne over at The White House recommended Windows Live Writer a few days ago & I just HAD to try it. Basically, if Tyne says it is awesome you can just go ahead and hang your hat on the fact that it is as she says!

Tyne is a precious mother of 4 and does a remarkable job at mothering her gifts from above. She is such an encourager and motivator for me. I am very grateful that she and her amazing family have settled in our part of the woods! Feel free to jump over to Tyne’s blog for some sweet pics, good recipes & insightful wisdom and direction for following the Lord.

Check out Live Writer when you can! It is free and ridiculously easy to use. Trust me, I am using it with no problems & that says a lot! Lol! You can go here to download it for free.

Happy weekend to all!

Well Checks & Growth Curves

2010-02-05T14:43:00.001-06:00

View Full Album

Alex had his 4 year well check yesterday with Dr. Hudson. He had to get 3 different shots, poor baby, but did really well despite the owies.

Our boy weighs in at a whopping 33.4 lbs which puts him in the 20% for his weight. He is 34” tall and falls in the 45% for height. Skinny! He totally gets that from his daddy! Lol!

Alex also had to have his hearing & vision tested. He passed with flying colors!

Alex said that his favorite part of the doctors visit was when Dr. Hudson found tatertots in his ears and when he beat on him with a hammer. (checking reflexes…he wasn’t literally hammering him!)

Dr. Hudson said that everything looks good with Alex and that he is growing as he should be. He is still within normal for his personal growth curve so

WHOOOOO HOOO! Like we didn’t already know he was perfect! Ha!

Happy 4th Birthday Alex!

2010-02-04T09:10:00.008-06:00

Oh my goodness! My baby is four! 4! For some reason, I am really having a hard time with this birthday. He is no longer a toddler but now a preschooler. Seriously, where did the time go? I still remember our first Easter together and the outfit he wore with the sweet bear face on the hiney. I still remember the teradactial noises he used to make and I will never forget how precious our time was together at 2 in the morning.

Alex made me a Mommy and for that I am forever grateful.

I am amazed as to how much my life has changed these last four years. Things seem to be far more beautiful to me. For example, never before would I have thought that Tripp's old work boots were amazingly gorgeous. I do now!

I have never been a fan of sports....but I am now! Well...to the extent that I enjoy watching Tripp and Alex play sports together. Honestly, that is about as far as it goes! Lol!

Even mud is more appealing to me than ever before!

Alex's sense of humor has been hilarious from the beginning it seems. I used to say that he must have enjoyed how it felt to him when I laughed while he was still in my belly because it seemed like he was always doing something to encourage it. It literally felt like he was tickling the inside of my belly at times! His mean face can always draw out the laughter...
You know what they say, a family that practices their mean face together stays together! Ok..."they" don't really say that but it is funny none the less!

Happy birthday Alex! Thank you for making these last 4 years beyond wonderful!!!

We love you Squirtamas Pertimas Apple Pie! Your so cute, we'll kiss your eye!!

Birthday prep has officially begun!

2010-01-19T09:54:00.002-06:00

Party planning is officially underway!

This year, Alex has requested a carnival party. It has been sooo fun to put together. My days of big party planning for Alex are almost to an end so I am trying to make the most of it. Alex gets to have large themed parties up until his 5th year. After that, it is his choice until his double digit. By his choice I mean that he can choose to go to Six Flags for the day or go to Fire Mountain...and invite a friend or two. That is the plan anyway, we will see if it actually goes down like that!

I just love to plan his parties! I usually start in October with the ordering of goodies and the sketching of cakes and games. This year, I made a birthday notebook. I put clippings and printouts of things that looked like they would be super fun. Now I am in the process of narrowing the ideas down and pulling everything together.

Fun Fun!!

It's a Carnival Galore, Alex is Four!

Overcooking my grits

2010-01-11T13:24:00.002-06:00

I guess you could say that at this point in time, my grits are getting overcooked! We are knee deep in a bathroom remodel that is oh-so-lovely! Though I know we will be overjoyed with the outcome of this remodel, I am so ready for it to be over!
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I am ready for the days of stepping on mortar bits that are hidden in my carpet to come to an end.
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I am ready for the gurgling sound that is coming from the open hole in the bathroom floor to cease...it sounds like something is going to gobble us up!
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I am ready to use a real mirror to fix my hair in the morning as opposed to the bitty tiny one in my living room.
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I am ready to have actual counter & storage space for all of my hair junk. Those that have seen my hair know that I require alot of product to control this fro...
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I am ready to have full access to my lovely restored bathtub back. The crazy-small shower in the master is loosing it's charm quickly...
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I am ready for the ridiculous expense of this all to be behind us!!!!
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Most importantly, I am ready to have my super hard working hubby back! That poor man has been busting his hiney in that bathroom for what seems like countless hours! I am ready to have him back in the land of the living with Alex and I.
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Because I realize how selfish and whiney I sound, please know that I am super appreciative of this remodel & know that in the end, it will be sooo worth it.

But just in case anyone was wondering, stepping on mortar bits that your sweet hubby has accidently tracked clear across the entire house is not pleasant. At all. Not one bit.

New Bloglook..NEW OUTLOOK

2010-01-05T13:57:00.003-06:00

Greetings to all in this new year!

It is that time of year. The dreaded time when I have to repeat the dreaded words that completely make me dread getting up in the morning. (Notice the trend!) "This will be the year that I get a grip on my weight."
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EEEERRRRRRKKKKK!
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Change of plans! Not this year! I am DONE obsessing with what is truely just not that important! Though I would love to revert back to the old days when I was slim, trim and hullahooped in a cheerio, I am just DONE! Done with stressing myself out, done with slipping into a depression filled funk, done with not being happy with myself.
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Instead, I am resoluting to what is important in my life.
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Strengthening the following: my walk with Jesus, my marriage to Tripp, my mothering to Alex and my friendships with my true friends. If I happen to drop a lb or two in the process of this, AWESOME!!!
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I feel better all ready. Though I started the year off *very* sick, I plan on staying true to my mission!
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Blessings to all in 2010!!

Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus!

2009-12-29T15:29:00.004-06:00

So I am a little late in saying this, but Merry Christmas to all!

Thanksgiving Blessings

2009-11-25T11:07:00.004-06:00

I am thankful for many things this year. I am thankful for God's grace, love & mercy. I am thankful for my husband and son. I am thankful for my family and friends. There truely are so many things to be thankful for.

I am thankful for this guy right here. Bingo is a new addition to our family and we all just love him. He has a slight problem with jumping up but it is because he is just so in love with us as well. He gets incredibily excited when he sees Alex. They are amazing together!

Love this picture! Yes....that tongue landed...right in Alex's mouth! He loved it though. Ewww..
I love my little tree climbing man! Alex was playing in the front yard with Bingo. We looked out to check on him and found him like this.

Super funny boy!
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Our prayer is that all of our loved ones and friends have a Thanksgiving that is blessed beyond belief! Happy Turkey Day!

Trina's Shower Cake

2009-11-11T14:51:00.002-06:00

Oh...the ways I love this cake! I am so pleased with how it turned out. I can not even begin to share all of the lessons I learned while making this cake! I will share one that I learned the hard way though:
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I thought it would be super smart of me to order the cakes premade from Brookshires and then just decorate them myself. I thought this would guarantee me a cake that tasted good as opposed to one I might make myself. I have never made a cake from scratch before and I doubted using a box mix so I figured this to be the next best thing to conserve time. BIG MISTAKE!
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While the cake did taste good, I learned a very interesting fact. Did you know that Brookshires charges the same price for a cake whether they decorate it or not? Yeppers, they sure do. What that translates to is about $47 smackers in UN-decorated cakes! Not gonna lie...I just about fainted. Not to be too caught up on the money aspect of it or anything but I had already spent $18.00 on colored M&M's and rock candy alone so another $50 made an impact on me.
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Moral of this short story...Trina & Baby Kenze are soooo worth it! Trina was super happy with her cake and I gained some experience...win win situation!

Homemade Apothecary Jars

2009-11-11T14:25:00.006-06:00

Recently, I came across a super cute blog, Shanty2Chic, that I am obsessed with. ~~One day, hopefully in the near future, I will learn how to link from my blog to another but for now, all I can do is give their website~~ {A HUGE thank you goes out to Joy for teaching me how to link. You can not imagine my level of excitement over this!! Whoooo Hooo!} They are incredibly talented and use alot of the same stuff that I like to work with.

Needless to say, I have been inspired. So much so that I kinda sorta in a way copied one of their projects. I just love apothecary jars but there is no way I can pay the kind of money people ask for them. I can however make some like the Shanty Sisters did. I made the 3 shown below and I love how they turned out! I made them using unfinished wood candlestick, wood rounds, wood finials and mason jars. Ok, one is an old olive jar I had in the cabinet...but you get the point) Again I say....TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THEM!

I have been letting my mind wander and come up with all sorts of seasonal things to fill them with. Whooo hooo! So excited!

David & Goliath

2009-11-10T15:33:00.003-06:00

When your child has about a trillion things that he could be for Halloween, as a parent, you get pretty excited when they decide on something sweet. Alex literally wanted to be *everything* and *everyone* this year.

For a while, the most consistent option was Jonah. This was wonderful in my book! My mind went wild thinking of all of the cute ways to make his costume. He threw me for a loop when he said that he only wanted to be Jonah if he could be inside the whale's belly.

Excuse me?

How in the heck am I supposed to do that??

Oh no! You are serious!?

Time for Plan B! Operation Let's Change His Mind & Talk Him Into Something Do-able officially began!

Enter David, the Shepherd boy. Alex loves David. He is one of his favorite people from the Bible. Countless hours have been spent pretending to be David and using Tripp as his Goliath. This could work! All I had to do was convince Alex that he wanted to be David for Halloween.

Here is what I did: I came home with the material for his costume and made a REALLY.BIG.DEAL.ABOUT.IT. Like, a big deal! So did Tripp.

Worked like a charm! Leave it to our wonderful son to come up with the best 'prop' ever....his very own Goliath....Tripp! He asked in his oh so sweet voice if his Daddy could be Goliath and if I could make his Goliath a costume. Naturally, we both obliged. See below for proof....

No, I did not make Tripp do this. He did it totally on his own for his little boy. BIG KUDOS TO TRIPP!!! He really got into it too. It was so precious!

We took Alex to a sweet festival at ETBU in Marshall and had a blast! The boys were so cute together! So cute in fact, that a worker for ETBU at the festival asked to take their picture! Talk about making a momma smile!! Alex was sure to tell everyone who he was that night and to tell David's story. He said numerous times that he was not afraid because he had the Lord on his side. Awh!!! How amazing that his sweet spirit was able to shine for Christ even though he was surrounded by all of the worldly costumes of today's time.

We made some wonderful memories as a family that night. Thank you Jesus for giving our son a heart for you. Thank you allowing us to raise him and teach him to love you with all of his heart! As you love us....with all of your heart!

It's the Most...

2009-11-10T15:16:00.002-06:00

Wonderful time of the year!

I love this time of year! I just makes my heart soo full of joy! Thanksgiving & Christmas are filled with such wonderful times with family and friends. As Alex gets older, he gets more "in" to holidays like most other kids and it is so amazing to watch him evolve with it. Though he is fully aware that Santa Clause is just pretend, he loves to talk about him and play imaginary games with him. So Precious!!

On our rides to school in the morning we have been talking about all that we are thankful for. It is so amazing to listen to the heart of a child as they describe all that they are thankful for. Things that as an adult we take for granted....at least I do anyway. For example, when was the last time I actually showed thanks to my car tires? Pretty important items don't you think? I can honestly say that I have never said thank you to my tires. Alex did. He even gave them a sweet little pat and tried to kiss them before I intervened. (being thankful is one thing...but a nasty tire kiss? I had to draw the line!) I learn something from my sweetie everyday!

I am so excited about Christmas and the true reason for the season. God has been so amazing to me and in my life that I just find tremedous joy in being able to celebrate him and praise him. I am even moreso excited to share this love with Alex.

So....here's to the Christmas season....yes, before Thanksgiving has arrived!

Fall Blessings

2009-10-22T16:04:00.002-05:00

Alex & Nana

2009-10-22T11:23:00.000-05:00

*Indescribable*

It is just impossible to put into words how crazy Alex is about his Nana. (I would be just as fond of someone who doted on me non stop and loved me the way that she does..so who can blame the boy?) :)

I have said it before that they have a bond like no other. He calls out for her randomly, says that she is his best friend all of the time. wants to talk to her in the middle of the day and straight up loves it when she is at our house or he is at hers. It is just so precious!

I am so privileged to get to witness this love and bond grow stronger. What a blessing!

Custom Artwork for Tanner

2009-10-22T11:07:00.000-05:00

Baby Tanner will be here before we know it!!! My friend Tami is expecting her first grandbaby and I couldn't be happier! Her precious daughter Becka chose *adorable* bedding for her son that was so much fun to paint. (these photos were taken at two different locations so the color looks a bit off...urgh!)

I am super sad that I have to miss the shower but soooo look forward to seeing the pictures asap.

Congratulations Becka! Your life is about to be forever changed in such an amazing way!

Little boys rock!! :)

Birthday Invite for Miss Saidie

2009-09-25T13:24:00.000-05:00

My friend, Kristie, asked me to help design her daughter's birthday invites this year. Her bday is close to halloween so they are having a themed rollerskate party. I wanted to come up with something sweet and girly but still a little on the edgey side. Kristie was very happy with them and can now mark them off of her list....a full month early! Go Kristie! HA!
Have I mentioned how much I just love scrapblog.com? :)

Bleach Tee Tutorial

2009-09-24T08:49:00.002-05:00

I made this shirt for Alex using a freezer paper stencil (which I must admit that I am addicted to...) and bleach. The bleach made a super cool hazy effect that looks awesome. In this photo, it looks pinker than it actually is. It is more of a maroon color in person. So simple, so easy & so cute!

Materials Needed:
Plain black tee (washed and dried with no fabric softener)
Freezer Paper (found at Wal-Mart by foil & Ziploc bags)
Clip art image of your choice
Xacto Knife
Iron
Spray bottle with 50% Bleach & 50% Water solution
Piece of cardboard
Large towel or drop cloth

Directions:
1) Iron shirt flat
2) Trace clipart image onto the paper side of freezer paper (waxy side down)
3) Using xacto knife, carefully cut design out
4) Place piece of cardboard between your tee layers to prevent sticking
5) Situate your design where you want it on the shirt. Iron on med setting until it is completely adhered all around
6) Leave the cardboard between your layers. Be sure the drop cloth is under the tee and that any areas that you do not want the hazy effect to appear are covered with your towel.
7) Lightly mist spray your bleach solution over the stencil, spraying heavier around the focal part of your stencil. Wait a few minutes for the bleach to start lifting the color of your tee. I used a blow dryer to help it dry because I am not very patient. J Apply more spray if you want it to be lighter.
8) Allow shirt to air dry. Once dry completely, rinse the shirt thoroughly. I recommend washing it separately for the first time turned inside out.

This project takes no time at all and gives instant results! My kind of project!

Cuties Neck Tie Shirt

2009-09-11T15:11:00.000-05:00

Hey there! Is this boy not the cutest thing!? He just loves his neck tie shirts! They were so fun to make but it was even more fun to watch Alex enjoy wearing them. He calls them his wedding shirts and says it is what he is going to wear when he marries me.....AAAAAWWWH! I fall for this boy every single day! I got some more shirts and material to make him a few more this weekend. Whoo hoo!

Happy weekend to all! :)

Nerdy 30 P.A.R.T.Y!!

2009-08-25T15:18:00.003-05:00

So guess who pulled one over on me? That's right! I was punked! Kindof! Tripp and Julie collaborated and pulled off an AMAZING SURPRISE PARTY for me. Words cannot even express how special it was to me to have two of my favorite people plan something so amazing for me. Thank you Tripp & Julie!

The theme of the party was naturally Nerdy 30. Attendents were asked to dress in their best Nerdy attire. Emily & Shane went above the call of duty! They were hilarious!!!!

Tripp & I trying to strike our nerdiest pose!
*everyone brought something nerdy for me to wear. I had to change out of my super cute new dress from Canton and slip into the *mess* above. Very Funny!!

I came in and was totally surprised!! I could not quit laughing at everyone! So stinkin funny!!!

These guys were having a Nerd-Off. How appropriate that Quentin & Randy were 1st and 2nd place in the nerd style show!

This guy is awesome! Thank you again Tripp for stepping out of your comfort zone and doing this for me. It really meant alot to me!

Coolest Part of the party? Tripp surprised me with a little something/something that I have been wanting for a looooooooooooooooong time......

A NEW CAMERA! WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!

I am so excited to have a nice camera now! I have already taken some pictures of my boy that just make my heart melt!

THANK YOU ..THANK YOU..THANK YOU..THANK YOU..THANK YOU..THANK YOU!!

Funny words:

2009-08-25T15:06:00.004-05:00

Alex is constantly saying the funniest things. In an effort to try to remember them always, I am going to compile a list and continue to add to it as they come.

1) Skirp-translation = scrape. Alex says, "I went in da forrest wif my dad and fell. I skirped my leg Momma!'

2) Umrumptin-translation = interrupted. Alex says, " Momma, you umrumpted me when I was talking to my Daddy. Say you sorry!"

3)Movieator-translation = Movie Theater. Alex says this when we drive past the theater. So Cute!

4) Bittsa Bittsa Boom Bah-translation= NO CLUE! When Alex was smaller, he would randomly say this to make us laugh. He usually did this hilarious little dance move with it that would crack us up! Every once and a while he does it now...just for giggles! :)

Going to the Chapel..

2009-08-25T14:56:00.002-05:00

...and we're going to get married!

Alex has been beyond precious lately. Ever since his aunt Ami got married last month, he has wanted to 'pretend marry' me. It is the cutest thing! Usually we play this sweet game at night right before bed. He holds out his pointer finger for me to slide a ring on and does the same to me. Then he says, "Momma, repeat after me, I pledge allegiance to Alex!" So funny! Then he says, "I may now kiss my bride" and smooches me all over my face & not just with a peck! He gets serious!!! He even sings the dum dum da dum song...you know the one! After we are 'married' he says, "I now pronounce you husband and life." He said husband and knife one time and Tripp got a pretty good kick out of that! He said Alex hit the nail on head. What is he trying to say I wonder? Ha! Though the day will come when this story will totally embarrass Alex, I am soaking it up as much as I can! He never ceases to make me smile!

Introducing.....

2009-08-18T13:30:00.000-05:00

...the beautiful Miss Kayloni May Allen. Kayloni is my next to youngest brother Bobby's new little one. I had the pleasure of keeping her this past weekend and let me just say that I am in love! She is beyond precious! She was born on Father's Day, June 21st. What better gift could any dad ask for!

Please keep this precious baby in your prayers, as she is going to need to be covered by them. She has a big brother, Corbin who just turned one year old on Aug. 3rd. They are both adorable!

Alex is just as in love as I am. Several times this past weekend, he asked to keep her. He said that if we pray to God, he will give us a baby. Not just any baby though, God would give us Kayloni. He wants her to be his sister. I had to explain that she is his cousin and that we would be able to get her as much as we wanted but that she doesn't get to be his sister unless God's chooses that. It is kinda funny how they resemble each other somewhat. Little Sweetie Pies!

Who knew....

2009-08-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

...that this little guy could melt my heart the way he does?!?

NERDY 30!

2009-07-31T16:18:00.002-05:00

Just a quick little post on my actual bday. Today has been wonderful. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people who go out of their way to make me feel special on my bday.

Beyond Blessed!!

Alex sang Happy Bday to me this morning in his sweet voice. I HAVE GOT TO GET THAT ON TAPE! I never want to forget the sound of his sweet singing voice. I just love it!

Tripp is giving me 30 kisses spread out throughout the day. My idea, but still, he is passing them out. I still have 10 more to collect! Yeah for me!!

Thank you Lord for the abundance of blessings you have poured out on me!

Last Day of my 20's...WHOO HOO!!!

2009-07-30T10:06:00.004-05:00

So, I know I have mentioned my love of birthdays. Not just my own birthday but birthdays in general. I love to go all out for Alex's special day and I think he loves it too. So much in fact that he is already telling Tripp and I that we are not invited to his birthday when we upset him. Of course, we quickly remind him that Sassy Pants don't get bday parties and he better watch it. Gets his attention for sure.

Anywho, I figured that to commerate the last day of my 20's I would list the things I am most thankful for from the last decade:

* my husband, Tripp. We were married when he was 22 & I was 21, almost 22. During our marriage, I have learned alot about myself through him. I guess I didn't realize before just how stubborn I really was and still am at times. That has been humbling in a sense. I truely have a wonderful husband. Even though he totally overcooks my grits at times, he is still my one true love.

* my son, Alex. Where to even start with this little guy....he is by far one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. These past 4 years that have included him have been the most amazing of all of my soon to be 30 years! I feel like I am at a loss for words as to how grateful I am to have him. He is my heart.

*my friendships. I have been blessed to have 'retained' a few special friendships over the years as well as form new ones. Be it the girls I went to high school with to the girls I worship with, I am blessed. Most importantly, I am blessed by the friendships that allow me to share my heart. Julie has been an amazing friend to me over the last few years. I just know that our friendship will last a lifetime and I pray for this. She is a wonderful person who allows me to be myself and holds me accountable. We all need that. Tonya, that girl is just hilarious! I laugh so much when I am around her. She has the BIGGEST heart and a willingness to do anything for anyone. LOVE HER! Erin, o-how I miss that girl! I could really kick myself for taking the time we had here in the same town for granted. Now that she is in Forney, I realize how much I love that bond. I can call her up anytime and pick up right where we left off. It is like that with Tiffany & Ramonia too. I think that is awesome in a friendship!! Trina, we go waaay back! Though our friendship has been through it's tough times, we still know each other like no other. I think it is b/c we are so alike. God has blessed me with such a diverse group of friends. From the newcomers (Nikki, Sara) to the Oldies but Goodies (Paula, Brittney), I am blessed!

* my family. Though what I consider to be my family is a bit spread out, I am so thankful to have them! I married into a wonderful family through Tripp. Vicky and Walter are some of the best grandparents out there. They love Alex so much and covet the time they spend with him. Alex likes to tease Big Daddy with his kisses and hugs but thinks that Big Daddy hung the moon. Nana's bond with Alex is out of this world. So much so that Alex sleeps with a special Nana Bear. To attempt sleep without it is a mistake unless he has the real thing, Nana herself! Aunt Brenda is flat out amazing! That woman loves like no other! Charlie & Pam are wonderful!!! Such a large part of our hearts involve them. We just love them so much! My mom, Grammy to Alex, is great. She has a big heart for her grandchildren. She has so many that need more of her attention than what Alex needs so they don't chill as much, but when they do, it is constant, "Grammy, watch me! Grammy look at this!" When she leaves, he asks when she is coming back. So sweet! Jim & Debbie are good with Alex too. Alex and Papa have a special connection that is pretty tight given the amount of time they have spent together. Apparently, those that love Alex in turn get loved even more so by me! Ha!

*my job. WOW, how blessed am I to have the wonderful job that I have!? I feel like I am working with my family. RB has become a surrogate father for me. Though he is my boss, he is also an amazing source of guidance and wisdom for me. I have so much respect for him and what he stands for. I am grateful to have a strong role model to look to. Julie, the sister I never had. As mentioned above, soooo amazing as a friend and work mate. Clint, big turkey! I kid. Clint is an amazing person. Tough shell on the outside, heart of gold on the inside. Whoever is able to crack the shell so to speak is going to be one loved wife! God has someone special for Clint and I pray that He reveals her soon. Clint deserves to be happy and have that special someone. I work with several other great people who have made an impact on my life. Just so blessed to be in this company!

*my faith. The number one that I am most grateful for. I feel like my connection with God has gotten so much stronger during the latter part of my 20's. It has been such a joy & priveledge to teach Alex about Jesus & learn more about Him through that process. I have been saved by Jesus and that is really all I could ever ask for. Though I don't deserve it, God has chosen me and allowed me to be His daughter. He has planned great things for me through Him. What a blessing!! He forgives me for my short comings and guides me daily. Thank you Jesus!

Yes, my 20's are about to come to an end. Am I sad? NO WAY. Am I super excited about the future? YOU BET! I am so thankful for all of the blessings in my life. I strive to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord with Him first and my family second.

Whooooooo hooo! Tomorrow is my Bday!!!!!!! Yippeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nerdy 30, here I come!!

My Sweet Pirate

2009-07-23T10:40:00.002-05:00

Isn't he just slap-dab precious?!?!

No matter that I am slightly partial.

Even sweeter is when he tells me to

Walk the Plank

Swiver me timbers

P.R.E.C.I.O.U.S!

Blog Header

2009-07-23T10:08:00.002-05:00

Like my new blog header? I made it myself!

Professional? Not by any means.

Beginner with lots of room for growth? You bet!

I am straight up in love with scrapblog.com! I am officially hooked!!!

A Collection of Thoughts & Happenings...

2009-07-23T09:37:00.005-05:00

Wow, have the last few weeks been super crazy or what! So much has been going on that it is hard to know where to start...

The girls & I got to enjoy our 1st Annual Girls Trip. It was Erin, Trina, Nikki and I for the weekend in Dallas. We had a really good time and had lots of laughs. We learned, or should I say relearned, a lot of valuable information about prego women.(Nikki & Trina)
#1) Feed them the instant their eyes pop open in the morning.

#2) Feed them at the 1st sign of irritability.

#3) Keep some type of food item on your person at all times. Keep it handy so that at a moments notice it can be pulled out, opened and inserted into hungry prego mouth and shipped straight down to awaiting baby bird ASAP.

DO NOT HESITATE! To do so only guarantees a hungry and tired pregnant mommy who wants nothing more than to eat and sleep.

I kid, the girls did great but I did feel bad for them for waiting so long between meals. I know how hard that is. All in all, the weekend was a wonderful time of girl talk, goofy games, makeup & hair and practical jokes. I can't wait for next years trip! Hopefully I will be the pregnant one then!!

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While I was away, Alex was sick. Talk about mothers guilt! I have been laying in on thick too, let me tell ya. I found out that he had a fever once I arrived in Dallas. He basically ran a fever the entire weekend. Tripp did wonderful with him. I truely think they enjoyed the time together one on one with out me. I just hate that Alex was sick and that they were not able to do anything. Boo!

We took Alex to the dr. Monday afternoon. We requested a full blood & urine workup to pin point the problem. Six vials of blood later [insert nightmarish time here] Alex was pretty pitiful. I think I promised him the moon during that ordeal! AND I WILL DELIVER! Poor baby! Our tears mixed and you couldn't tell who's tears were who's. Come to find out Alex has and has had Mono. Not the end of the world by no means, but enough to tick a mommy off. This whole year, we have been saying that something was wrong. That it wasn't normal for a baby to run such a high fever this often and it just be a viral infection. There had to be something else. Each time, it felt like our concerns were kind of ignored. I feel like we had to insist on more testing. Is that how it is supposed to be with your childs' doctor? Maybe I am confused. I am not saying that he gets 100% total crappy care. Personally, I love his doctor and his nurses. Personality wise, we all click. I just don't get why this diagnosis could not have been discovered sooner. Sure, you treat Mono in the same manner as you treat a viral infection by maintaining the symptoms but from all that I have read about Mono, changes to the childs schedule need to be made. He is a carrier for this disease now. I just think that an earlier diagnosis would have made a big difference in his health. Whew, that was a soap box!

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Tripp's sister, Ami, is getting married this weekend. Alex and I are supposed to be in it. I am not sure of what to do now that he is sickly. Is all of the activity going to be too much for him? The dr. says it is fine to continue normal activity but to just make sure he gets plenty of rest. Lots to think about....

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Ok, guess that is all of the rambling I have at the moment to document. Happy week!!

Godspeed Lyrics by Dixie Chicks

2009-07-10T15:35:00.002-05:00

This song just melts my heart. I literally teared up listening to it.

Dragon tales and the "water is wide"
Pirates sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you
Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams
The rocket racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon, we'll find the mouse
And I love you
Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams
God bless mommy and match box cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears "amen," wherever we are
And I love you
Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Godspeed
Godspeed
Sweet Dreams

Family

2009-07-09T11:34:00.003-05:00

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,

'Oh excuse me please' was my reply.

He said, 'Please excuse me too;

I wasn't watching for you.'

We were very polite, this stranger and I.

We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told,

How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,

My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.

'Move out of the way,' I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.

I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,

God's still small voice came to me and said,

'While dealing with a stranger,

common courtesy you use,

but the family you love,

you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,

You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.

He picked them himself:

pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,

you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.

'By this time, I felt very small,

And now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;

'Wake up, little one, wake up,' I said.

'Are these the flowers you picked for me?

He smiled, 'I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.

I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue.'

I said, 'Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;

I shouldn't have yelled at you that way.

'He said, 'Oh, Mom, that's okay.

I love you anyway.
I said, 'Son, I love you too,

and I do like the flowers, especially the blue.'

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the companythat we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

Wow, do I feel convicted or what? Often times, I find myself being short with the ones I love the most. Seeing as how I am super tone sensitive, you would think that I would try to be aware of how I speak to others. I am strongly convicted about this and make a vow to be more aware and speak kindly to all.

Cowboy Man & new card program

2009-07-09T10:59:00.004-05:00

Howdy Folks!

So, it has been while since I have posted. LOTS has been going on. I can't even think of a decent place to start so I will just say, WHEW, crazy summer so far!

Alex is precious, as always. Everyday he melts my heart. I find myself constantly asking why me? Why do I get the honor of raising this sweet boy? He never ceases to amaze me. Be it his love for **all** things cowboy or his new found affinity for The Backyardigans, he just amazes me! He told me yesterday that Jesus is the greatest of all super heroes. Righty-o! Again, just amazed! Constantly!!

Tripp and I are doing wonderful! After what has seemed to be a pretty rough patch in our marriage this year, it appears that we are on the way out of it. Counseling has been wonderful and I can't speak highly enough about it. We are finally on a good page with each other on many issues. God has worked wonders with us and I give him full credit. I feel like he led us to a wonderfull Christian man who is full of God given wisdom. As they say, marriage is hard, but it is worth it!

I have been a crazy mad woman with my painting this summer. Business is good. Beyond blessed! I am so fortunate to be able to do this painting from my home at my leisure. I love it!

****I have been informed about a wonderful website to create my own cards and scrapbook pages. I posted an example above of one of my samples. I think I am in love!! It is sooooo easy and FREE! My favorite part!!!! Feel free to check it out if you are interested. http://www.scrapblog.com/ I'm sure it has been around for a while, but it is new to me so again, I am in love!!

Pray all is well for everyone! God Bless!!!!!

Alex Kisses

2009-06-05T13:11:00.004-05:00

Brace yourself for a super sappy post... ( I have to blog about it though so that it will be forever embedded in my brain...)

Today was like any other day in which I drop Alex off at school. I sat him at his place to eat breakfast next to his friend (J) & kissed him goodbye. As I was walking out of the classroom, his teacher stopped me to tell me about something Alex did yesterday. While we were talking, Alex suddenly started crying....very hard!

I went to him and asked him what was wrong. At first, I was unable to make out what he was saying but finally he calmed down a bit. He said, "J said that your kisses were no good!"

I said, "Do what?"

Alex said, "J said you don't have good kisses but you do!"

After I chuckled a bit, I said, "Baby, it's ok. J has never had my kisses before so he doesn't know if they are good or not. He gets his kisses from his mommy and daddy. My kissses are special and just for you. It's ok if my kisses are not good to him because you know they are good for you. Ok, Baby?"

Alex finally relents and says ok. I kissed him goodbye again and turned to leave.

As I did, this is what I heard, "See! I told Ya! Her kisses ARE good!!!!"

That baby just melts my heart! I could gobble him up with a spoon! It amazes me at how protective and defensive of me he is. He sure does love his momma! But nothing compared to how much I love and adore him!

I've said it before and will say it as long as I draw breath, Thank you Lord for choosing me to be Alex's mommy!!

Alex's Room

2009-05-29T10:51:00.006-05:00

Inspired by Whitney's sweet post about her childrens' rooms, I decided to document Alex's room as well. For Christmas this past year, Alex was given a "Big Cowboy Man" room upgrade. He had a super cute room before with a sports theme, but seening as how he crazy about all things cowboy, this change seemed right. I really got into making his room over in a different and unique way. I made his 'shutters' and did a few paintings for him, which he says looks just like him.

As soon as someone new comes to the house, the very first thing Alex says to them is "Wanna come see my awesome cool room? C'm on, I show you." He then proceeds to drag them down the hallway. Such a cutie!
I do have hopes of finding him a cool rug for his open space but that has been a little tricky. I may end up just making him one.

Alex, it is such a joy to see you enjoy your room so much! The pride you have in your own little space is adorable! To think, we thought the cowboy thing was just a fad! If so, it has been a **really** long lasting fad! Going on 2 years now! You are such a sweet, creative little man!

Disney (World) on Ice!

2009-04-29T11:18:00.002-05:00

OOOO the fun we had a Disney on Ice! Alex calls it Disney World on Ice...cute little thing!

It was our first trip to the CenturyTell center in Bossier City. It was

AMAZING!

Alex was beyond good! He was so excited to be there. We let him wear his Buzz Lightyear costume and boy, was he cute! Look at how his beautiful blue eyes were just a shining! We could barely get a family picture because Alex didn't want to look away from the ice. I should have known that!

Tripp, so funny! I was a little worried about Tripp because, well let's face it: Disney on Ice is not really his thing. He went for Alex and that was very much appreciated. By his own account, he said that he really had a good time and was impressed by the show. Kudo's for Tripp!

We ended up with a Dash/Buzz Lightyear crossover Super Hero when all was said and done!

Such a great family time! Alex is still talking about it and asking when we can go again. I would love to take him anytime we could! We went to the Boardwalk after and had lunch at Joe's Crabshack. Alex loves coconut shrimp so he was in heaven.

Alex spent the night with his Nana & Big Daddy and his favorite cousin Marshall. They got the boys Super Hero capes with their initials on them.

ALEX LOVED IT!

Pictures of that to come!

Cookie Delight

2009-04-29T11:07:00.002-05:00

One night as Alex and I were preparing for bed, he asked me if he could make cookies. Due to the time, I told him that we would make cookies another night. He promptly asked me the next morning if we would be making cookies that night. Naturally, I obliged!

I set out a good variety of different decorations for him to use and iced the cookies for him. (I tried to let him do that but the super controlling part of me had to intervene. It was turning into a HUGE mess that even Alex was not enjoying. I am getting better in my controlling ways...but I had to step in on this case) :) Alex was SO dedicated to each cookie. We decided we would take them to school the next day for his class so each school mate had a special cookie. (No, I did not remember who got what cookie and failed to mention that fact to his teacher the next day. Only a small mishap. Surely the teachers will forgive me.Ahem.)
Every good cook has a little sampling of his goods. Alex just had several samplings!

I think they turned out beautifully! Great job!

Don't you think he did a great job?

Photography via Alex

2009-04-29T10:57:00.003-05:00

As mentioned before, Alex has a love of photography. He loves to use our camera and just walk around the house with it to see what he can see. It is very interesting to me what he takes pictures of. I have meaning to create a post showing some of his previous shots before, but sadly, forgot, so here goes...

Alex's best friend, Nosmo King Griffin. O-the ways the boys terrorize each other! Gotta love it Not quite sure why he took a picture of the underneath the table (be sure not to zoom in...you will find super scary dust bunnies....don't say I didn't warn you!) but still think it is cool!

And of course, leave it to Alex the Cowboy to get "The Shot" of his cowboy boot. I won't mention that he has on his boots with shorts, ahem. I tried to tell him that real cowboys don't wear the boots with shorts, but he quickly corrected me.

Again, no clue as to the purpose of the photo...just interesting..

I guess he had to have a picture of his basketballs. Go figure! He is all boy!

Alex, I pray that your love and zeal for life continues to grow! I adore your passion for photography and admire your skill! Thank you Jesus for this precious boy!!

Fishing with Nana D & Papa

2009-04-21T09:49:00.003-05:00

Nana D & Papa (Tripp's dad & stepmom) were able to make a trip in from the Dallas area to spend a little time with Alex. Though the trip was brief, Alex very much enjoyed it. At the first mention of fishing, all parties involved were super excited so we loaded up and made the short trek to Alex's favorite fishing hole.

The fishies were not as active as they had been on our other fishing expeditions. It took a while for Papa to hook his first fish...then it promptly managed to get off of his line. At Nana D's first cast, she hooked a big one, er....as big as bremn can get! Alex caught several so all in all, it was a great fishing trip.

An Apple a Day...

2009-04-21T09:41:00.003-05:00

Please excuse the poor picture quality but I had to post this so I could remember it always.

Alex loves apples! Loves them!! When we had to make adjustments to his diet about 6 months ago, that was one of the things that we had to cut back on. He went from getting them any time he wanted to just about 1 per week. We have gradually increased the amount of fruit he can have so he gets them more often now.

He eats the ENTIRE thing! I have to keep a close eye on him because he has been known the even eat the core. Tripp says it is good for him and that people do it all the time...but I say No Way Jose! If his body has a hard time breaking things down already, I don't see how it could break an apple core down with ease.

I just love to watch him enjoy one of his favorite foods. It is so precious to me how he delicately eats all of the red off before devouring the center. So funny!

Though he doesn't get an apple a day, he would definitely love it if he could. All in due time, Sweet Pea!

Fish Kisses..

2009-04-03T15:29:00.002-05:00

Alex is considering kissing this little buddy...but eventually opts out! He needs to learn from a pro! Take note of the fact that ***I*** am holding, touching and about to kiss a fish! I am not such a chicken afterall!

I caught this one by the way! Hard to believe...but I did! Alex's fishing technique of casting out and instantly reeling back in works like a charm!

Thank you 'Uncle Denny' for letting us fish at your pond! Appreciate it more than you know!!

Fun times Fishing! Alex's First Official Fish!!

2009-04-03T15:15:00.002-05:00

Hope no one is starving b/c this little guy is not going to go very far!!Let me just say that I may have lost both of my two favorite people to the sport of fishing! Tripp has always loved to fish and it looks like the passion for it follows the blood line! Alex can't get enough! He asks every single night if he can go fishing! He is very good at it so no wonder he wants to go so often!

On his first fish outing, Alex caught 5 fish. Four were Brem (?) and one bass, which was caught in the photo's below. If only I could figure out how to upload video! His commentary was priceless!!

Here they are headed to the honey hole...

Alex casts out and sets his fish. At this point, he is saying a garbled mixture of the following,
"Oh no, he's trying to pull me in the water, he's a fighter, I'm gonna get him out that water! I gotta fight him out!"

Almost out of the water...

SOOOO PROUD OF OUR LITTLE ...i mean... BIG FISHERMAN!

GO ALEX! YOU ARE THA MAN!

Congratulations on your first fish, Baby. Daddy and I are so proud of you! I know that your daddy is looking forward to the millions of times that you two will enjoy in Fish-land!

Now tell me, is your daddy putting you up to asking for a boat everyday? Come on, You can tell me!

Ft. Worth Zoo w/ the BESTIES

2009-04-03T15:01:00.000-05:00

The picture above and below are just a test. They are only a test. This is a test of the

Katriana is Annoying

system and is testing to see if you really read this. This is only a test...

Please continue with your current activity... :)

moving on..

When we returned from Family Campout with our church, Alex and I basically slept for a few hours then hit the road again. Nikki, Kaleb , Karleigh, Alex and I all loaded up and made our way to Forney to meet Erin & Co. (CO. would be her babies, Blane, Avery & Lydia) We have all missed them since they moved so we jumped at the chance to get to hang out with them since they were on Spring Break. We decided to take the kiddos to the FT. Worth Zoo and had a GREAT TIME! We were "Those People" and stopped a sweet passerby to get a group photo. This was at the end of our day and not really the kid's idea of a good time! But they still did good!
Love this picture! I could stare at those sweet baby blues ALLLLLLL day!!
The goofy smiley face is nice to look at too!
The day was super long and incredibly full of activity but it was so nice to get to spend some quality time with two of my besties. Thank you girls for the treasured time! It is such a joy to be around you both and your children! Erin, I miss you terribly!! Nikki, you are a fantastic newcomer to the Katriana Bestie club!!

FBCLC Family Campout 09

2009-04-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

OH My! Did we have a great time at Family Campout this year or what! Though it rained basically the entire time we were there and was SUPER FRIGID, we still managed to make some great memories!

The kids (Alex, Karleigh, Trystan & Kaleb) had such a wonderful time together. The big kids were soooo sweet to Alex and you could tell he loved it!

Alex took it upon himself to play in everysinglemudpuddleintheentirestateofoklahoma and by the looks of his clothes each day, you could tell he enjoyed himself completely! He had to "fish" in every stream or puddle he came across.

Tripp was way better than me at the crossing the moving body of water thing. I think Alex knew this deep down, because he never asked me to carry him across one time. Hmmmm..

Aghhhh, the best $1.00 ever spent! BIG THANKS to the Kulak family for sharing these wonderful balloons with us! They provided hours upon hours of entertainment for the kiddos! I was super lightheaded when it was all said and done, but they loved it and that's all that matters!

Each night at Campout, we gathered as a church body to praise God. What a wonderful time! Though it was a little hard on Alex and the whole 'you have to be quite' thing, he almost, sorta, kinda came around. Well, almost. :) He loved to sing the praise songs and was so sweet doing so.

Worship time was super special because Chad taught on a subject that we all need to learn about...Love One Another. He raised so many intersting concepts and thoughts. I am so grateful to have such strong mentors to look up to! It was such a wonderful time to meet and socialize with members of our church on a more intimate level that I would normally not have the chance to do. There is just something about standing shoulder to shoulder while putting on makeup or fixing your hair with a sister in Christ that is just flat out cool!

I pray that everyone had as much fun as we did! Our "Bunk Mates" were awesome! The Hagen & Dobbs family contributed the creation of some super funny memories, sound effects and jokes that will have a long time running! Thanks for that!

Blog Hiatus

2009-04-03T14:35:00.002-05:00

No excuses here....JUST BEEN SUPER LAZY LATELY! I say that in almost all truth. Though I get on my blog daily, it is mainly to check on the families I am praying for and keeping up with.

Each time I log on I think, "I should really share that cute thing Alex just did," or "I need to capture this memory while it is still fresh in the nogin." But to no avail. Maybe one day I will get better at posting on a more consistant basis.

That being said, time to record some memories...

Jo Jo the Clown

2009-02-25T10:38:00.002-06:00

Alex was ready to eat cake and get back to JO JO the Rodeo Clown!
Riding the Mighty Buckey, this thing was a hit! Alex loved it!

Jo Jo the Rodeo Clown is a retired bull fighter we had come out to put on a show for Alex and his friends at his party. They LOVED him! Alex talked about him for weeks before his party and is still talking about him now. He did several events for the kids, mighty buckey, stick horse races, rope tricks, etc. I wish it would have been a little more 'controlled' as the kids were kind of all over the place...but all that matters is that they had a good time.

Mission Accomplished!

'Awesome-Cool' Birthday Cake

2009-02-25T10:29:00.003-06:00

The babe LOVED his bday cake! Usually our Sweet Aunt Brenda makes Alex's birthday cakes but I decided to give it a try this year. She has two other sweet birthdays the same time as Alex's and she is in high demand! Rightfully so! I still could not have done this with out her though. She made the actual cake, SUPER YUMMY, and the home made icing.....SUPER DUPER YUMMY! No one needs to know what happened with the left over icing...

I carved the cake down and with the help from some dear friends, we layed fondant on top. Then I painted it with food coloring. The eyes and mouth are also fondant.

It was so much fun to make this special cake for my little man. He was soo excited to eat it, touch it, photograph it...he was ready to dig in!

Thank you so much Aunt Brenda, Julie & Ramonia for all of your help! Thank you for helping to make this memory even sweeter!

Sweet moment with Alex..

2009-02-05T08:48:00.002-06:00

As I was putting Alex to bed last night, he wanted to pretend that he was the daddy and that I was the baby. He said some of the sweetest things to me;

*Time to go to sleep so Mommy will be happy.
*'Morrow we will ride the tractor and mow the grass
*Time to go to sleep so we can see the stars (glow in the dark on his ceiling)
*Time for kisses all over so you can sleep good.
*You are such a sweet baby girl.

I asked him if he was a good daddy and he said, "I'm the best daddy like my daddy." So sweet! Then I asked him about his mommy and he said that she was working. I asked what she was working on and he said, "She working on a cake. A awesome cool cake!" Sooo funny! (All night long I have been making the horns to go on his bullrider cake. They turned out really cool. He wanted to 'help' the whole time which was precious and then not so precious!)

I wanted to document this adorable exchange. I love to see his little imagination at work. He really gets in to it! We tried a pasttime game that I read about on one of my favorite blogs and he enjoyed it alot. I poured a bag of pinto beans onto a cookie sheet and gave him some small toys like his tractor, front end loader and an airplane. He was entertained for quite some time.

O the ways I love my child!!

3rd Birthday Party Invitation

2009-02-04T16:15:00.002-06:00

I am sooooo happy with how Alex's party invites turned out! I encourage anyone who is interested in some super cute invitations to visit *** lilbeansprout@etsy.com *** They will take great care of you at an amazing price!

Birthday Cupcakes

2009-02-04T16:05:00.003-06:00

Cupcakes are my favorite to make! I love to make them for Alex's school. Some may know me as the Cupcake Mama. Ok, I really just call myself that but hopefully one day it will stick!

Alex got to lick the spoon for the first time ever. Usually, I am too scared to let him try it because of the raw egg in the batter, but I got brave this time. Trust me, the benedryl was right beside me! He really enjoyed it!

From the looks of it, the cowboy cupcakes were a hit, for sure with Alex!
I had big ambitions for his cowboy birthday cupcakes, but at the last minute, I had to scale the plan down. I am still super happy with how they turned out! The kids got to keep the cowboys, which means that is about 13 less cowboys for me to worry about stepping on!

JR Photographer

2009-02-04T15:58:00.003-06:00

Alex got a special gift for his birthday. He loves to play with our camera and for the most part, takes really good pictures. He was able to play with his friend Elle's camera a few weeks ago and just loved it...except that it was pink! So, he got his very own blue camera last night on his actual bday.

His eyes got so big when we busted out the present!

What could it be?

Look on his face....priceless!!

Say Cheese!!

I pray this spurns a deep love of photography and memory preservation!

Special art from Lindsay

2009-02-04T15:51:00.000-06:00

What can I say, the girl's got talent!!

Alex's 1st Concert

2009-02-04T15:39:00.004-06:00

He is ready to be in the band! We took Alex to see some of our friends perform this past weekend and he LOVED it! At first I think it was a little loud for him because he just sat in my arms and stared at the stage. Then we decided to go closer to the stage. I let him pretend that my palms were drums and he would hit them with his hands. A super sweet guy, who just so happened to be a member of the house band saw this and decided to give Alex a special treat, his very own drum sticks!

I love this picture because you can see all of the raised hands to Jesus in the background...so moving!

Our friends band, Set Free, did an amazing job and put on a super cool show! I can't wait until we get the chance to see them again! If you are interested in checking out their music, you can do so by visiting their myspace page. Just search "Set Free."

Happy 3rd Birthday Alex!

2009-02-04T15:24:00.004-06:00

Dear Alex,
Oh my goodness! It's happened! You have shot up right before our eyes! I cannot even begin to wrap my brain around the fact that you are 3 years old. When I think about something that happened 3 years ago, it seems so long ago. BUT not your birth! It truely seems like only yesterday!

Where did the time go? I would laugh when people would tell me that time would fly by. I really didn't understand how that could happen. Let's just say I get it now.

Your smile just melts my heart! I will do anything to see that sweet grin.
Happy Birthday, Sweet Alex! No matter how many times you have to correct me, you are still my baby and I love you forever!
Love, Mommykins

I am such a slacker!

2009-01-29T08:50:00.004-06:00

Wow! It has been forever since I have posted a blog. I get on here everyday....but only to check on my favorite blogs listed on the side. I just so happened to look at the last post I made and noticed that it was in November! Slacker! Oh-well...guess I have lots of catching up to do.

We were very thankful for all that God has blessed us with at Thanksgiving.

We were very merry for Christ's birth at Christmas.

We were very new in renewed spirits at New Years.

Summed that up pretty well I think.

Kidding aside, things have been pretty good for us so far this year. As always, there are areas that need improvement. I could stand to be a better wife, Tripp could stand to be a better husband. I could stand to be a better daughter in Christ. Ok, really I NEED TO BE a better daughter in Christ!!! When I say that things have been good so far this year, I mean that we still have jobs, still have a house, still have cars...things like that. Things are not good in the most important areas. Our marriage is shakey and far from perfect. ( I know there is no such thing as a perfect marriage, but I would like to be a lot to closer to one than I am) I doubt everyday my abilities as a mother to raise a good child. Alex is such a blessing and such a precious little man. But he is knocking on the door of turning 3. He. Is. Very. Head. Strong. Which makes two of us. Tripp and I are not on the same page with our parenting styles so naturally Alex is confused. Don't blame him one bit. I am confused too! bjaobjotuaotuatahgk (had to get that out of my system)

I trust God and know that things will get better. He brought this family together and we have no intentions of taking it apart. I could just really use some direction at this point.

Time to switch gears! Focus on something happy, like my little guy. No matter how head strong he may be, he is still my heart! He makes me laugh like no other!

****ANYONE WANT TO TEACH ME HOW TO GET MY PICTURES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST OR ANYWHERE ELSE BESIDES THE TOP? I AM STRUGGLIN! THANKS!****

Showing Big Daddy some love!

2008-11-14T09:27:00.002-06:00

This is Big Daddy's Baby!!!

Can you feel the love!?!

I love to see these two together! They have a bond like no other. Alex typically sticks to the women for affection but makes an exception for his Big Daddy. Don't get me wrong, he L.O.V.E.S. his Nana and is usually stuck to her like glue! He knows who feeds him!

These pictures serve as sweet memento's of the bond between Alex & his Big Daddy!

M.U.D.D.Y. B.U.D.D.Y.

2008-11-14T09:13:00.002-06:00

There is a really good reason why Tripp looks like he wants to die in this picture!

Tripp & Jason participated in the Muddy Buddy competition in Dallas on Oct. 26th. It is a two man race in which you alternate bike riding and running for almost 7 miles. Between each transition is an obstacle course you have to complete before moving on. At the end of the race, there is a HUGE mud pit you have to go through to get to the finish line.

Their team name was Team KoolAid. At this point in the mud pit the announcer was screaming," Get your bellies in the mud KoolAid!" Funny for a number of reasons but the most important one was the fact that they both had their hineys high in the sky!!!

They had a good time and did really well.
Out of the 32 teams in the Beast catagory (again...funny!) they placed 6th! There were about 900 teams in the race that day in all of the different divisions.

Congrats Team Kool-Aid!

Oh Yeaaaaahh!

Can you spy the beautiful blue eye?

2008-11-14T08:48:00.003-06:00

Alex & I went to St. Luke's Pumpkin Patch for some Mommy & Me time. We really enjoyed ourselves. Alex loved the Swan Squash. I have never seen them before but they do look like swans~pretty neat!

He searched and searched for the pumpkin that was just right in his eyes. He finally decided on a teeny tiny baby one that matched one I had picked out so that we could have two babies. Sweet!

I totally adore this picture!

So, can you spy the beautiful blue eye?

So many thoughts are a swirlin!

2008-09-26T20:55:00.002-05:00

I have so many thoughts swirling around in my stuffed up little head. Where to start!

I follow several different blogs. I find great joy in going to each site and checking in. As nosey as this can be...I still find great joy in it. I love to see how different people live their lives. I pray for each of these families and think of them constantly. My heart goes out to several of them who are going through very difficult times. I am encouraged by their enormous amount of faith in God for strength, guidance and leadership. I am struck by the realization and understanding that my faith is not anywhere close to where it should be. I do not go straight to Jesus when I am going through a struggle. I do not turn straight to Him when I am hurt or confused. I know what I am supposed to do and what I should do as a Christian but for some reason, I tend to hold back. The part about this that strikes me the most is that some of the people in which I admire that do the things that I should are all going through very hard times. Either their children are ill, their pregnancies are not going well or they have lost a loved one. Here is what gets me....The faith that these particular people have is not just due to their circumstance. They have a genuine deep rooted love for Jesus. A personal relationship. Something I yearn for.

I love Jesus and I know He loves me. I know that He holds me in the palm of His hand and wants to protect me and care for me. For some reason...and I think I have an idea of what it is...I cannot break through all of my insecurities to get what God is trying to give me. The super frustrating part is that once again....my past is holding me back. I am so afraid of being let down or disappointing God that I tend to not invest what I should into that relationship. How stinking selfish is that! I am thinking about how I could get hurt and how I could be let down as opposed to the fact that I am hurting God and I am letting Him down.....which makes me start to think about why He would want me. Why would He want me when I do not give Him what He deserves? My answer to this.........because He can! because He wants to!

Anywho....I felt like I needed to write some of these thoughts out. To put my thoughts into a blog so that I can reflect apon it.

God, please help me to move past my past...to yearn for You more. I know you know my heart and take comfort in that!

Ok..time to wrap up...my mother in law is fussing for me to hand over the laptop.

Toodles for now!

***I think this post is pretty much all over the place and may not make much sense. So goes the life of me...Katriana!

Three Amigo's

2008-09-15T16:06:00.005-05:00

Can you guess which one is unhappy?

This is a rare moment.

Usually when in the presense of each other, these 3 are full of laughs!

Alex, Karleigh & Blane love each other very much. We are all super sad that Blane has moved out of town...but the good news is that they are only 1 hour 45 minutes away. We can sooo do that at the drop of a hat!

It will be no problem at all to drive over to visit with the Duplissey family. Afterall, they have 3 of my favorite people! 5 if you count the grandparents...which we do! D Family- We love you guys!!!!

Golf anyone?

2008-09-15T16:04:00.000-05:00

He's ready anytime you are!

Introducing Corbin & Phoenix

2008-09-12T11:02:00.002-05:00

My two youngest brothers recently welcomed new babies to the world. Bobby brings Corbin Wayne and Zach brings Phoenix Ray. These new cousins are only about 2 weeks apart with Phoenix leading the way. PLEASE include these sweet babies in your daily prayers! They are both in sensitive situations and need all of the prayers we can offer! God is good and has a wonderfull plan for the lives of these two angels.

He skips on water....sort of

2008-09-12T10:56:00.004-05:00

Alex's #1 summer past time...hanging out at Unk & Aunt P's waterpark. He LOVES it when Tripp throws him high to the sky!

Just look at that sweet face!

Alex's boo boo's

2008-09-12T10:24:00.004-05:00

It is only to be expected!

Alex was the ring bearer (so sure that I misspelled that word since it looks so wierd no matter how I type it...) in a wedding this past weekend for Tripp's brother Joseph & his new bride, Charly. In the days before the wedding, anything that could happen to Alex's sweet face happened! He jumped off of the ottoman and skinned his nose on the carpet, ran into a corner, and poked himself in the face with a stick on the playground at school. I still cannot figure out why I was so surprised that all this happened days before the wedding! Tripp and I have enjoyed every moment of our free spirited, imaginative, playfull little man so we should have seen it coming! Each time someone at the wedding asked what happened to his face, my reply was, "He's all boy!" That summed it up quite nicely!

Sweeet Moments with Papa, Nanna D & Aunt Ami

2008-09-12T10:17:00.002-05:00

Tripp's dad, step-mom and sister came in town for Joseph & Charly's wedding this past weekend and Alex LOVED getting to see them. He has a precious relationship with his Papa...which is truely unique as they do not see each other very often. We were able to get several sweet moments of them together.

How sweet!

Aunt Ami & Alex could play together for hours! Alex loves to show her his room, wrestle with her and just all around give her a hard time. When he realized she was gone Sunday after church, he cried for her. Awh! Aunt Ami, Alex is yearning for you!! :)~

Alex + Golf Lessons= Good Times

2008-09-05T14:22:00.004-05:00

Alex started golf lessons a few weeks ago and so far so good. Well, about as good as to be expected. He is only 2 1/2 and most golf professionals like to wait until the child is at least 3 years of age to start lessons. Alex is focused for the first 15-20 minutes...and that's about it.

He really likes it though! He gets super excited everytime he hits the ball!

Tiger Sparks in the flesh!

Guess what I just learned to do?

2008-09-05T13:34:00.002-05:00

I just learned how to seperate pictures with text! May not sound like to a big deal to many...but for me..excitement! For forever, I have been posting several pictures and texting at the bottom of them all. Now I can seperate them! Whoo hoo! Just want to celebrate for myself! Toodaloo!

More Recent Projects..

2008-09-05T10:18:00.003-05:00

Yippee for me! I have had the chance to work on several client projects lately as well as some fun stuff on the side. One of my client/friends recently had a super adorable set of boy/girl twins and she came up with the cutest idea for a door hanger. I wish I would have come up with it! Way to be creative, R! I also got to paint name boards for over their beds. So happy with them!

She happens to have a super sweet sister with a precious step daughter. B asked me to paint a canvas for M and picked out some cute bedding for me to match. I love the results!

Now comes the extra stuff. For Christmas last year, my sweet hubby got me Cricut machine. I LOVE IT! I am sooo amazed at all I can do with this thing! It is very easy to get addicted! I only wish I had more counter space...or since I am wishing, how about a HUGE craftroom? That would be great. Anywho, these are a few of my latest creations: covered clipboards. (I know the idea is not a new one...but for what these things cost in Canton, I knew I could make my own and make them cuter while I was at it!) I decorated both sides differently and was super pleased with how they turned out.

Good Googly Moogly

2008-07-25T13:45:00.002-05:00

I use that phrase to sum up these last few weeks.
We have been so incredibly busy. It seems like we are running here, visiting there..you name it. Sadly, it is all my fault. I am the one making all of these plans so really...I should kick myself! No one else to blame but me, myself & I. As much as I am complaining, I do like it sometimes. It is nice to get to spend time with family & friends or to just be out with Tripp & Alex. I especially love the Mommy & Me time I get occasionally with Alex. I don't mean the boring stuff like grocery shopping or any of that. I mean the fun times to where we can just goof off.

Like last Friday for example. Tripp had prior arrangements so Alex & I loaded up and headed to the big city, ie Longview. We went to Wet Pets & Critters, which let me just say that place stinks to high heaven...but Alex loves getting to see the animals (I make him walk around with his hands in his pockets the whole time..quite funny) followed by an extensive rub down with some serious antibacterial soap, then a trip to Chick-Fil-A. We ran into a friend of a friend which was really nice because she & I were able to visit while our children played together. A whole lotta fun for us all! Afterwards, Alex & I went to grab some quality time at Target. One has to wonder how much fun could a two year old possibly have at Target and my answer is LOTS of it! Especially when they get cool goodies...like a super cool bike!!! He has loved his little bike which he named Ike. So funny! I am really glad I got it for him as he has had so much fun on it already and it has only been a week since he got it.

Lately I have felt like Alex and Tripp & I were in a very weird spot. Alex is two and naturally is testing his limits. There are several times when Tripp & I are not exactly on the same page regarding how do deal with Alex. I am more of a disciplinarian and Tripp is more laid back. This is both a good combo as well as a bad one. I am super quick to want to get Alex in control and Tripp wants him to have the opportunity to control himself. These past few weeks seem to have been filled with lots of correction for Alex. I was starting to worry about crushing his sweet little spirit, but after last night, I think I am better.

Alex was taking a bath and was pretending to be a whale. Out of nowhere, he said that he swallowed Jonah. I asked him why he swallowed Jonah and his reply was, "Because he did not obey." I asked him why Jonah didn't obey and he said he said he didn't know but that he would spit him out soon. I asked why he was going to spit him out and he said, "Because he is ready to obey God." Then he said, " I'm gonna obey God!" I told him how amazing & great it was that he was going to obey God. Alex told me that he was going to obey me & Daddy too. I always tell Alex that it makes my heart happy when he obeys and is a sweet boy. He told me last night that he was going to make my heart happy all the time. HOW SWEET IS THAT!

Honestly, this conversation with my son really put alot of things into prespective for me. I think that God used my two year old little boy to remind me that even when situations are trying and frustrating, the Lord is in control. I need to just go to Him and leave it all at His feet. I know that I am not the only person in this world with a two year old that can be a handfull. Thank you God for using Alex to point out the fact that you are in control of everything. For helping me to realize that I need to choose to do your work & live for you as Jonah did. Thank you Alex for being such a sweet reminder of how much God loves us all! O~how I love my little man!!

My Sweet Baby

2008-07-14T16:05:00.003-05:00

I love my baby boy! He is just so stinking precious & wonderful & amazing & joyful & fantastic! All of these plus a million more! That being said, I pray that I can focus on how wonderful he is the next time he is overcooking my grits! Yesterday was one of those days and in all honesty, no, I did not focus on how he lights my day, how me makes my heart happy, how fills me with purpose. I got blocked by the frustration & irritation that comes with raising a toddler. But today is a new day. A new day to pray for forgiveness for not being as patient as I should. A new day to pray for direction. A new day to savor my toddler. Because remember...I love my baby boy!

Fun @ the Pumpjacks game

2008-06-23T11:31:00.005-05:00

Alex got to go to his first "real" baseball game this past week. We had free tickets from the Kilgore Chamber. Tripp had plans allready so we grabbed Tonya & Drew and made our way. I would like to tell you that Alex & Drew sat and watched the game but that was not the case. They had a BLAST running up and down the bleachers. We met the Woods family there so they got to play with Elle also. The three of them really had a good time. Derrick, one of the two mascots (don't really understand why they have two) paid the kiddos a visit. At first Alex was a little hesitant but he came around pretty quickly. Judging by how much fun they had there...and add in the amount of fun had at the park afterwards, looks like this will not be our last Pumpjacks game!

Cupcake Cakes are AWESOME!

2008-06-23T10:23:00.003-05:00

So a professional I am not...but I did have a really good time making this cupcake cake for my friend Kristie's little girl. I love how the flip flops turned out! One of the little kids even took a nibble out of the bottom of one! So cute! Thank you Kristie for letting me do this for Kynlie! Glad you were happy!

**Aunt Brenda~ hopefully, maybe, one day...I'll be as good as you are! I know what you are thinking ...but quit! Your cakes are AMAZING & NOT beginner AT ALL! Love you and thank you for the great advice!

Bunny Chasing

2008-06-18T13:35:00.003-05:00

As we were leaving for school/work today, we noticed two bunnies chomping on some goodies right by our driveway. As is now custom for little Alex, he proceeded to chase them. The first time he chased the bunnies, he chased it all the way around our house, several times getting within about 2 feet! He was so excited! I followed him laughing like a mad woman. Afterwards, I kicked myself for not having my camera. I just know we could have won some funniest video award! Anywho...I just so happened to have my camera in my hand this morning as was able to catch a few pictures. You can't tell how hard Alex is laughing because he is running..but he was laughing HARD! So sweet!

Drew & Alex

2008-06-03T13:35:00.002-05:00

These little guys crack me up! They love each other and talk about each other all the time...but something happens when you get them together! For a while, they liked to chew on each other..literally. Now they just like to run from each other. Mostly Alex running from Drew, screaming like a girl, and Drew just wanting to play. Makes for great entertainment! Alex has learned how to say 'proximity' from the ordeal so if there is a silver lining..there you go! It is very comical to watch them together. Once they outgrow the 'watch as I pester the living daylights out of you' stage, they will realize that they are great friends and have been all along!

Alex & his Great Wolf Lodge suite

2008-06-03T13:23:00.002-05:00

Alex LOVED his room @ Great Wolf Lodge. It was so precious to watch him 'play' with each of the wolves painted on the wall. He continually said "What's his name?" and wanted each of them to have their own special name. So sweet. He also enjoyed the window in his room. I could sit all day long and watch him enjoy that window! Many games of peek a boo were played that day!
We had a really great time during our stay at Great Wolf. I would love to share the pictures with you....BUT goofy me..I didn't want to hurt our digital camera so I bought a water proof camera from the gift shop. ($19.99 later...definitely recommend purchasing that item before you get there!) Guess what...that's right...not a single picture turned out! Go figure! Broke my little heart! But we did have a great time! Sadly, Tripp got REALLY sick early the next day so we had to leave early. That broke out hearts too! We hated to leave...but mostly we hated Tripp being so sick. For those of you who don't know..I hate to drive in Dallas. Not good at it at all. You add a sick husband in the next seat to the situation...and well...it just gets all kinds of ugly from there! We made it to Tripp's parents house and he was out for the rest of the day. Not exactly the way we all planned on spending the last day of our mini-vacay but it is what it is.
Another funny note...Alex thinks that all people who have a pool have a water park. So sweet!

Alex & The Rain Forest Cafe

2008-05-30T14:43:00.003-05:00

We took Alex to the Rain Forest Cafe this past weekend and much to our surprise, he was not a big fan....at first! He loved the outside of the mall, the part with the animal heads coming out of the wall. He was not so crazy about the alligator...or the snake...or the elephant..or the gorillas for that matter.His theme word of the day was "HELP!" in which he screamed over and over for a WHILE! After we were there for a little bit, he got comfortable and decided that he loved it. The fish were his favorite. Oh..and the gift shop! He really liked that! We asked him if he wanted to go back and he said "Oh Yeah Oh Yeah!" He is so precious!

In a hurry...

2008-05-01T14:55:00.002-05:00

He had to rush to save the day!

Now all is well!