Sunday, December 11, 2011

Hunter

Our youngest has two current dreams:
1) to be a police officer when he grows up (*gulp*) ;)
2) to be a rock star
Knowing him, he'll somehow figure out a way to do both. We'll see. ;)

This week he got a taste of the rock star life.
Just kidding...he actually got the chance to sing in both the Christmas program at his preschool, and on Wednesday night with his church choir. This was his first time to sing in front of an audience, and in usual Hunter form, he hammed it up. There's no shyness with this kiddo whatsoever. He soaked up his time in the spotlight.
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I love the expression on his face in this pic. I think he was dancing a little here...not sure he was supposed to be, but whatever. :)


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And then he got to be a wise man for his school program.

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Love the way he's looking up to his Daddy here.

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How much I love this baby. So fun watching him do his thing in these programs.
He loves to perform.
He's growing up so very fast, and I'm really not okay with that. But since I don't have a choice in that, I'll be thankful that I get to watch him grow up, and do my best to soak it all up.

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His pre-k class. Sweet kiddos!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Magical City

Last night I got back from a NYC trip with my mom and sisters.
It was our second time to go together, and we had the most wonderful time. :)
Love the time with just the 4 of us...and while we all were missing kids (grandkids) and husbands, we really love the time together. The days went by way too fast, but we made some great memories, shopped hard (I'm still amazed that I was able to get everything home in the two bags I brought....pretty sure my suitcase has some sort of Mary Poppins magic in it), and unfortunately brought home some sort of cold/virus thing that I would have way preferred to leave behind. But that's okay~ it was totally worth it. ;)

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Yes, I was that weird girl taking a pic of myself on the plane. ;)
I was so excited though, I had to share it with everyone!

This is part of the upper west side of Manhattan...my very favorite part of the city. And while we all decided on this trip that maybe living there wouldn't be the best thing for us (the noise and crowds would get to us, I think....even though we changed our minds again and again) we absolutely wouldn't pass up the chance to live right here if the opportunity presented itself.
A girl can dream, right?
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It's very You've Got Mail-ish...isn't it?

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Love these girls so very much. Words can't really express the bond we have....how much fun we have together....how hard we laugh. So thankful for my mom and sisters.


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One of our favorite places in the city....Serendipity. Famous for their frozen hot chocolates. And it really doesn't matter how cold it is outside....we still have to have one. :)

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Lunch at Serendipity

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Rockefeller Center. Tried to see the tree lighting, but the crowds were ABSOLUTELY insane. We really tried to push through, but finally gave up. Thankfully we were there for it last time too, so we didn't feel like we were missing out too much. :/

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Thursday night we saw Jersey Boys. Definitely the highlight of the trip! Reagan and Mom waited in line for last minute deals on tickets, and we ended up with these. This was the perfect show for us...the first one ever for me, and I can honestly say I am hooked. I now understand what people are saying when they talk about how amazing these shows are. The theater was way smaller than I expected, and there honestly wasn't a bad seat in the house. You felt like you were right there in a front row seat. The talent these people have is just unbelievable.

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Took some pics outside of the theater after the show...

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Beth had a little bit of a crush on the guy that played Frankie Valli. ;) As she was posing for this pic the door opened, sending Beth tumbling to the ground. It was hilarious. The guy behind the door was laughing right along with us...he was one of the cast members.

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One of the best parts of the city is all the amazing architecture...this is St. Patrick's Cathedral. Breathtaking.

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Dancing Salvation Army guys....I love this city. :)

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Radio City Music Hall

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Mom and Beth down near Battery Park

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3 of my favorite girls in the whole world....so thankful for these past few days and all the memories we made. Love this city. :)

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Hi, there...remember me? I used to blog.
I still like to blog. Not sure exactly why I haven't been lately.
Oh well.
Even though it's well into November (crazy) and we're getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, making Christmas lists, and LOVING this cool weather, it seems just like yesterday (literally) that we were having Halloween fun.

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The boys each carved a pumpkin and showed me their scariest faces.
You're scared, aren't you? ;)

This year's costumes were fun to put together:
One Hobo (thank you iCarly),
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One escaped-from-prison bank robber who clearly hasn't learned his lesson. ;)
Hud likes to take walks on the wild side....I felt the need to stress that this is pretend. Lol!
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And a Smurf. :) Hunter Smurf, to be exact.
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There's about a million reasons that I love our neighborhood....it really does feel like something out of tv, or at least my dreams....tree-lined streets, tons of kids playing outside, people stopping to talk to neighbors, neighborhood socials, and wonderful friends already made. Halloween doesn't disappoint either....the entire neighborhood turned out for trick-or-treating together on Halloween. Here's a few of them:
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Hunter and his buddy Aiden thought it would be fun to be Smurfs together.
They were right. ;)
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And here's a random pic of my mom and me.
I'm not even sure who took it, but I miss her, so here you go.
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And in HUGE, super exciting, wow-God-is-so-GOOD news....
there are two new members of our family.
I'm an aunt! Well, I guess I've been an aunt for years, but this time to kiddos on my side of the family....my sister and brother-in-law are adopting twins!

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Yes, their names are Finn and Bailey. Yes they are perfect. And beautiful. And fun. And sweet. And very busy. And two-years-old. Who speak their own little language to each other, love Curious George, fruit snacks, reading books, their beds, hugging, chasing, and snuggling. :)
Until the adoption is finalized we can't post photos on any type of social media site, so this pic of the pillows and nite-nites I made for them will have to do for now. ;) Trust me, the second we can share them with the world, we will. I'm a super proud Aunt Jac. And their 3 H cousins (and Uncle B) are in love as well. Soon. :)

I got to travel home to TX last weekend to meet them and celebrate their arrival by throwing a shower for them with Mom and Beth. And I've been reflecting A LOT (about lots of things) but so that I don't get off track....I've been thinking a lot about God's timing, how AMAZING it is to watch Reagan and Jon be Mommy and Daddy, and how that this is not only an answer to prayer for them, but a dream come true for the twins as well. There is no question that these babies were rescued, and have been given a second chance at life.

It's hard to think about what their first two years were like. And really, we'll never know exactly what that was like for them. I don't like to think about it....I spent the weekend soaking up time with them, LOVING the chance to do for my sister what she has spent the past almost 11 years doing for me. I don't know what Finn and Bailey's life was like before, but I know what it is like now, and what lies ahead for them. There is more love than they know what to do with. And laughter. And playtime. Snuggling in to watch a movie. Playing chase with Papa, just like my boys like to do. When they get older there will be baking with Mimi as well. Bath and bedtime routines that involve super cozy beds with story times and rocking before they are hugged, kissed, prayed with, and tucked in safe. Things that we do on a daily basis without giving much thought to, but have given these two a strong sense of security rather quickly.
Exactly what they need, and are now thriving because of it.

I look back on the past few years that my sister and brother-in-law struggled to start a family. We didn't understand then what God was up to, but we understand now. :) He knew that there were two babies out there who were going to need a new family. And he knew that Reagan and Jon were just exactly what they were going to need. And I when I listen to Reagan talk about how amazing it is to be a mommy, and how they were so worth the wait, I'm thankful for the reminder that God's plan is so much better than we could ever hope or imagine, and is definitely worth waiting for.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Pumpkins with Mimi and Papa

My parents have been here for the past few days, and in my usual fashion I've been so busy hanging out with them that I forgot to take pictures. Not happy with myself at all.

I did, however, manage to get these at the pumpkin patch on Saturday.
It was our first time to visit this place, and the pumpkins were ginormous.
The trees were beautiful.
There were ONE MILLION people there.
Seriously.
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Love it when Mom and Dad are here. :)

He found the perfect pumpkin.
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Our little family...I've decided that getting the perfect picture isn't possible. ;)
If I'm lucky only one of us won't be looking at the camera. Usually there's more than one.
And that's ok...real life is better anyway, right?
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These big pumpkins ranged in price from $25-$150. Crazy. They were huge though, so I guess it's understandable.

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On the way home we spotted many less crowded pumpkin patches that we plan to visit next year. Burt's is famous, and now we understand why. Love making a memory. :)

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Sunday iPhone Dump

It seems that my iPhone camera has taken over as my main camera these days. Between my new-found love for Instagram and the convenience of the camera that it's in my phone being with me at all times, it's kind of a no brainer.

Here's some of our recent pics...feels good to clear them out. ;)

A day at the park with my littles. I know they're mine and all, but boy they sure are cute.
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the almost-pre-teen who is already acting like one
because of the amount of time he spends just like this.
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The middle one out on a date with me. A date that he requested. Made my heart melt.
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having way too much fun at the Disney Store with the tiny man. Arrggg.
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During the same trip to said Disney Store where he convinced me that Bullseye was a must have.
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Saturday morning laziness, made even better by robot and cupcake jammers.
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The Gun Show with Daddy.
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Working on the manly muscles with Dad. ;)
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My happy place. :)
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New shoes...they really were calling my name. Really.
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Celebrating a 4th birthday for his friend Aiden....these guys are his best buddies. :)
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Bike riding...love these 3 together. :)
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Extra kisses.
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A date at a sushi restaurant last weekend with this guy. We tried real hard to pretend we knew what we were doing. Don't think we fooled anyone, but we had a great time. :)
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The middle one getting creative with his fruit. ;)
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Neighborhood ice cream social, feet in the pool, hanging with friends.
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Ice cream pretty much rocks. :)
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Get-well notes from my first graders at church, sending lots of love and hopes that I'll feel better soon after my surgery this week. They are so sweet~ these made my day. This particular one made me laugh out loud. Loved it. :) Love their honesty and their sweet hearts.
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A little something new for the house. I'm a little obsessed with birds these days.
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Bought a much-needed body pillow to help with recovery (it feels great on my tummy) and Hudson tried hard to steal it. ;) Not really, but it does give us an extra excuse to snuggle.
Not that we need one. ;)
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Then Harrison came in with the same idea. What?? Looks like there might be some boys getting their own body pillows soon, 'cause Mama's not up for sharing. Lol. :) Love them.
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