Better Late than Never!

May 29-June 1 we traveled to Greenville to celebrate our sweet nephew's 1st birthday! As always, the visit was too short but we did enjoy our time with family. Saturday was the birthday party...Sunday was a relaxing trip to dad & Martha's lake property...Monday was lounging and returning. Enjoy our photos...

(and for those who are thinking I should be studying for my test that is tomorrow instead of updating my blog...all I have to say is, "I NEED A BREAK". Your prayers will be much appreciated tomorroow at noon central as I attempt to become a LEED AP.)

Happy Birthday sweet Oliver!
Lots of Presents!

Don't mess with Dakota and her cupcake!

Gigi with her 2 babies

Playing Together...so Sweet!

Dakota playing on the beach at dad's lake property. He says he bought this piece of property just for his grandkids to enjoy the beach on it.

Pregnant girl trying to Kayak. I love lake Keowee.

What a Hottie :).

My great friends Michelle and Ken came with us. Dakota loved being dipped in the water.

Poppy thought Dakota needed some CoCo Wheats. They are a personal childhood favorite. Dakota loved them. What's not to love about chocolate cream of wheat??

Taking a stroll along the Reedy River towards the Children's Garden.

Hey...it's Pooh!

Peek a boo!

Mommy & Dakota

Big Girl Bed

About a week ago Dakota and I were out and about and she fell asleep for her nap on the way home. The transition from carseat to crib never works for me since I'm so short. I practically have to drop her in and it always wakes her up. I decided to lay her on the day bed which was going to become hers once Cricket arrives. She slept great and when she woke up I asked her if she liked sleeping in the big girl bed. She said yes. That night when it was time to go to bed I said, "Time for Night Night." She pointed to the other room and said, "Big Gull Bed." I asked if she wanted to sleep in the big girl bed and she said yes. So I let her. I put pillows all around so she wouldn't fall out. The next day I bought a rail for the one side and she has been sleeping in it ever since. Every night and every morning she talks about her new bed and is obviously quite proud of this new milestone in her life. A major plus is that I can lay in the bed with her and read her a story (the rail easily folds up and down) and then tuck her in. It really doesn't get much sweeter. I'm so thankful that God has allowed so many of our transitions to go smoothly and am so thankful for a fun little gal who approaches every stage with enthusiasm. I did get a little teary eyed a few nights into this new adventure realizing that my little girl has gotten rid of one more "baby" item. Now...onto the nighttime passy and diapers (which we had 1 successful pee in the potty this week!).

The Calm after the Storm

God always gives us Rainbows after a Storm.

Big storm in Memphis on Friday. I'm thankful we didn't lose power or trees. We still need to go check on our property but I'm sure everything is fine. As I was reading Dakota her bed time story Jacob said, "You've gotta come check this out." Most beautiful rainbow out our front door...and the pictures just can't do it justice.

It's a....

SURPRISE! In a moment of vulnerability and excitement, we almost gave in and found out what we were having but I held firm (much firmer than Jacob) and said we would wait. I still remember the excitement of Jacob announcing "It's a Girl!" when Dakota was born and I look forward to that same excitement again. The good news is...Cricket is healthy and perfect...exactly the way he/she should be. The bad news is...I gained 6 lbs this month. Guess I better lay off the chick-fil-a. Mmm...just the mentioning of that makes me wanna run out and buy one. Enjoy some ultrasound photos from our appointment.

I'm pretty sure he/she is praying. We've got another saint on our hands. :) Cricket's face/chin in much pointier than Dakota's (more like Jacob maybe??) but it could just be that he/she still has some meat to put on the bones.
Cricket doesn't look anything like Dakota here.

Here is a comparison of our two little buddies. I think the mouth area looks really similar but Dakota's nose looks rounder. We'll see in 4 months! (Gosh...that sounds like no time at all!)

Hiker Babe

You can decide whether I'm talking about Dakota or myself...
Jacob, Dakota, Siler and I headed to the Ozarks in Arkansas this past weekend for a family mini-vacation which was MUCH needed. We've been spending too many weekends at home lately and we were getting a little stir crazy. We left Friday evening and heading to Razorback country to a nice area called Richland Creek. We set up our tent on a sandy area along the creek but in the morning we were told that we had to move because the campground was closed. We moved to an "approved" area and then went on a nice hike to Twin Falls. The area has gotten a lot of rain (haven't we all??) so the falls were beautiful. The hike going to the falls was an adventure thanks to poor trails and a landslide last year. It tooks us several hours for a so-called 2.5 mile hike. Thankfully on the return we had an easier way finding the trail and made it back in less than an hour. We appreciate the kind soul who put pink ribbons on the trees! Dakota did amazing and didn't even fuss when it rained on us :). She's such a trooper!! Siler had an amazing time too and was such a good dog on the whole trip. Enjoy the pictures (in no particular order)! Next hiking adventure...SD/ND highpoints over July 15. Can't wait!

Dakota LOVES Siler!
Mommy and Dakota
Snackin' at the falls.

Twin Falls

"I don't think we are on the trail anymore."

Hiking can be tiring!

I love that little girl!

Kandi's Quilt of Many Colors

My friend Kandi asked me if I would make a t-shirt quilt for her out of her sorority shirts. I said, "sure, sounds fun." 3 years and lots of jokes later...Kandi has received her quilt on her 30th birthday...also the week of her first home purchase. So happy 30th birthday Kandi and congrats on the new home!! Sorry you had to wait 1/10th of your life to get it...I hope it keeps you warm this winter...er I mean summer!

Old Navy Coupon Fun

Click on the Old Navy Link here and play the coupon search. It's fun and you just might find a good coupon. They add new coupons daily but I can't seem to check at the right time to find the $60 off coupon. I'll keep trying. I did find the 25% off coupon last week and bought Dakota and myself a few items on Friday. Once you find one you can save it but you can only have one coupon emailed to you per week. So pick wisely before you hit "make coupon." I would tell you where the coupons are but that would ruin your fun...so you have to find them yourself :). They update with a new search weekly too. Happy Hunting. Let me know if any of you finds the $60 off coupon!

Date Night

Saturday night Jacob and I were able to go on a very nice date together. Thanks to S&N we got free tickets to see The Fiddler on the Roof with Topol (in their suite seats). Topol was the original actor in the movie and this is his farewell tour. He has performed in over 2500 shows so he is quite the veteran. I had never seen Fiddler on the Roof and didn't know much about it but the music was amazing and the storyline was good too. We had a great time. Prior to the theater we enjoyed a very nice dinner at Cafe 1912 which is a little French restaurant in Midtown. I had french onion soup, roasted lamb loin with spinach & pinenuts and some type of mac & cheese but I can't remember/pronounce the type of cheese. It was all delicious and it was a special night since Jacob and I haven't been out just the two of us in a while.

Growing up my dad used to take me to the plays at the Peace Center in Greenville. He has always gotten season tickets so I got to be his date. I have seen most of the great broadway plays and enjoy them all so much. I told Jacob that I would much rather spend $100 for a night at the theater then $20 for a night at the movies. In June, Jacob and I are going on a double date with an LRK friend to see Wicked...which is one of my favorites.

Anyway, we had such a nice weekend and I appreciated my date very much. Thank you Jacob :).

Birthday Blog

April 17 was my birthday. Happy 27 to me! Dad, Brad and Martha came out for their yearly birthday visit and we had a GREAT time. For my birthday dinner we went out for sushi because it is one of my favorite foods and one of my biggest pregnancy cravings...both this go around and with Dakota. I could seriously eat it everyday but I can't afford it :). Since I'm pregnant, I can only eat the cooked stuff so we let Dakota try it too. She ate like 4 or 5 pieces and LOVED it. I'm so proud of my multicultural eater. Anyway, enjoy the photos from my birthday weekend.

My 3rd annual Strossner's cake straight from Greenville. YUM!
Grammy & Dakota

Poppy and Dakota.

MMMM...LOVE some sushi. Look at my little sushi buddy! Now I'm hungry.

Chowing down...this was after she had already eaten some shrimp, broccoli and sweet potato tempura and some seaweed and cucumber salad and edamame.

My beautiful table that Clarence made for my birthday. I've been needing one for this awkward space in our guest bedroom for quite a while. Thankfully, my custom carpenter was able to fill the spot perfectly. And the cool camel came from Carie & Chris when they went to Kuwait a couple of years ago.

Yay for my WiiFit...even if it does tell me I'm overweight.

We don't want to leave Jacob out. He got a nice present too! 12 cases of his favorite beverage. Martha said she should make him sign a waiver that he won't sue if he gets diabetes from drinking all of this. I bet they got better gas mileage on the return drive since they weren't loaded down with Cheerwine!

Saturday was a fun day for the park.

Silly banana eating girl.

Spring Cleaning??

Dakota does funny things. She makes me laugh. When I first interrupted her shoe organization spree, the shoes were all perfectly lined up and heaven forbid one of the high-heels get knocked over. By the time my closet was empty, I'm pretty sure she was just throwing shoes left and right.

The Babies were Born!!

I'm reminded by God's creation of the verse in Matthew that says, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

Easter Weekend

We had a nice Easter weekend which started Thursday night with a Maundy Thursday service at church that was great. They used our chapel which is very intimate and beautiful. Saturday we went to an Easter egg hunt and then a birthday party. Dakota got her sugar fix for the day so for dinner I fed her a big bowl of spinach (she loves it). Sunday was Easter and we had a nice service at church and then had friends over for a potlock of ham, deviled eggs, fried okra, bread, green beans, corn casserole, potatoes, berry cobbler, ice cream...yum! We then played a few rounds of Mexican Train. What a nice weekend of fellowship to celebrate our risen LORD.

New life to Come!

Check out my loot!

Hey Sutton, I think I found where they are hiding the burgers and dogs.

Gymnastics Birthday Party...Happy 3rd Birthday Emerson! Dakota liked the balance beam.

What a professional! Ok, she was really saying, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" because she wanted off the bouncy thing.

After a long weekend, nothing beats a good nights sleep on her new monkey pillow mommy made for her.

Advice

Always Watch Your Child While She Eats Applesauce!

So...Dakota wanted a "nak" and chose "sos". I was busy making deviled eggs for our Easter lunch and when I turned around...this is what I found. She was laughing so hard, knowing that a majority of her "sos" had become hair gel. We took a second bath for the day (hey, sometimes she is lucky if she gets two a week!) and she continued to rub her head and tell me all about the "sos" in her hair. It was quite funny. Now I'm scared to let her eat applesauce again because she knows I thought it was funny.

Cricket

That's what we're calling the baby this go round. Why not? Crickets are cute and cuddly right? I had my 12.5 week appointment today and everything is great! Heartbeat is 170...maybe another girl? Who knows but we are fat and happy and doing good. Ok...not fat yet just a little poochy. Have a great day!