Summer's Over

This week marks the official end of summer. I've been back at work since the 6th, but kids will be here on Monday. We've missed Daddy a lot lately...football is keeping him very busy, but we're all excited about his new job. Go Buffalos!

On Sunday, Gigi, Grandpa and Grandmommy came to visit from Salado. We went to lunch and somehow I didn't manage to get a picture of the girls with them. :( But, we did take a few cute ones at La Hacienda. Yummy!

Karsyn is Hot Stuff in Gigi's Glasses!

Landrie & Karsyn on the train. Who knows what they were looking at? Obviously not the same thing!

Karsyn pitching a fit after the train was over. She even through herself on the floor. Not cute!

Karsyn enjoying ice cream by herself for the first time at Jason's. She had 2 bowls full!

Change...is a good thing!

www.ineed2change.com

Me? In 1 Word...

Brea tagged me for this meme. She's encouraging me to blog since it's been a while. The goal is to finish each sentence with just one word. This will be a challenge...

Yourself: Happy
Your partner: Hardworker
Your hair: Boring
Your mother: Best Friend
Your father: Hero
Your favorite item: Books
Your dream last night: Weird
Your favorite drink: Diet DP
Your dream car: Tahoe
Dream home: Bigger
The room you are in: Computer Room
Your fear: Disappointing others
What you are great at: Procrastinating
Where you want to be in 10 years: Here
Who you hung out with last night: Justin
You're not: Uptight
One of your wish list items: Granite
The last thing you did: Nap
You are wearing: Work Clothes
Your favorite weather: Spring
Your favorite book: Mystery
Last thing you ate: OTB
Your life: Blessed
Your mood: Content
Your best friend(s): My family
What are you thinking about right now: This
Your car: Explorer
What are you doing at the moment: Typing
Relationship status: Married
What is on your t.v: News
When is the last time you laughed: Earlier

I'm going to tag Lolly because she's the only other person that reads this and also has a blog.

Update?

Wow! I've been a BAD blogger lately! The girls are keeping me on my toes constantly, but there hasn't been anything exciting to report. We've spent a lot of time at home just having fun and hanging out together.

Lamar and I went back to work officially last Monday. Lamar's worked hard all summer with football, but now it's in full swing. The girls are back at Lolly's and I know they were excited for a change of scenery. Lolly has travelled a LOT this summer and we've missed her!

I've read several good books lately that I would highly recommend:

• Back on Blossom Street - Debbie Macomber. Anything she writes is good!
• The "Seasons" Series by Beverly LaHaye and Terri Blackstock. Great Christian fiction! There are 4 books and I read them all in less than a week.

Gigi - I promise to post pictures this week! And, we can't wait to see you next Sunday!

Tonight we celebrated Papa's 80th Birthday! I can't even put into words how special my family is to me...especially Papa. Lolly put it best here!

TV Giveaway

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a 37" Flat Screen TV! Wow!! Click here for your chance to win!

A Thank You for Gigi & More

I have to say a very special Thank You to Gigi! Tuesday night we got a very special package in the mail. It was a storybook personalized for Landrie & Karsyn. It's not your typical personalized book with a few things here or there that are unique. This is an entirely original work of art. Each page has pictures of the girls on it with captions. Landrie and Karsyn both love to look at the pictures. It's a wonderful keepsake Gigi! We love it!!

The Cover ~ "I'm a Big Sister"

Inside Cover

These page layouts are adorable! And they're already set up for you. You just drop in the pictures!

I think this is a great gift idea and also a great way for the non-scrapbookers to put their memories on paper. You can go to this link for more information!

The Wedding

Landrie was a flower girl this weekend in our friends' wedding. Friday night at the rehearsal, she made me a little nervous. She was acting timid at first, but as she got more comfortable, she made me more anxious. She was standing on stage adjusting her dress and at one point flashed the audience. I was terrified that she would try something like that during the wedding.

She actually did really well during the wedding...just a little antsy on stage for that long. She was whispering to the bridesmaids that she was hungry and needed to go potty, but she made it through the entire ceremony! She looked adorable!

Landrie & Melissa

Landrie & Aiden (The Ring Bearer)

Practicing her walk down the aisle

At the reception - cooperating with Mommy for a cute picture

Landrie & Aiden cuttin' up on the dancefloor

A Long Overdue Picture Post

I promise, I really do take pictures of the girls...that is until I broke my camera last week. I've wanted a new one for some time, so I'm going to be on the lookout for good deals. Kodak, I'd be happy to try out your latest and greatest (if you're listening)!


July is a busy birthday month for our family. Justin's is on the 2nd, Janelle's on the 7th and Lamar's on the 13th. Saturday we celebrated Janelle's a Babes Fried Chicken. It was so good!! They have a very picturesque waiting area, so I attempted to take some pictures of the girls.

Same outcome...different day!
















Because they usually turn out like this, I'm bribing Landrie to take good pictures at the wedding this weekend. I told her if she gave me all pretty smiles, then we'd pick out a toy or go see a movie next week. Here's to hoping for the best! :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is Lamar's 29th birthday! Wow ~ He's getting old. :)

This morning Landrie helped me cook a big breakfast with blueberry muffins, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs and OJ. She was a great help until Go Diego Go came on...he's such a distraction.

Landrie is in a wedding this weekend, so she is stealing Lamar's birthday a little bit. We have the rehearsal tonight and the wedding tomorrow night, so our real birthday celebration will be on Sunday!

Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you!!

Silly Landrie

The other day we were all supposed to be taking a nap. I put Landrie and Karsyn down and went to take a nap myself. When I woke up, I went to check on the girls. I pulled back Landrie's covers and this is what I found:





You see, when I put Landrie in her bed, she just had on the pink dress. When I went to check on her, she had on hot pink polka dot tights!?! She told me that she had to go potty and her panties got a "little bit" wet, so she put these tights on instead. She is a silly, silly girl!!

And the prize goes to...

Edited to add: I had dinner with MaryAnn tonight and she found pictures of our "Garth" experience. See below!

Antique Mommy had a funny post up today. She wrote about the time she won a pumpkin in 4th Grade and then asked for comments about our "winning" stories. Two came to mind for me:


When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, I won a coloring contest sponsored by our local newspaper. The prize was tickets to the zoo. My mom drove up to the small office and had my brother and I go in to claim the prize. When we walked in, we were shocked to see a fully grown lion laying in the floor!! I think we were so scared, we ran back to the car and had my mom go in with us. I can still picture that lion, larger than life, laying so calmly in the floor.

Fast forward to my senior year of high school...

My friends and I were country music fans and had gone to several concerts - George Straight, Dixie Chicks, Tim Mcgraw, Faith Hill, etc. MaryAnn, Meredith, Sandy and I had tickets to the Garth Brooks Concert one night. We were headed to the cheap seats (looking pretty darn cute, I must add) when a man stopped us. He asked if we were big fans of GB. We squealed and said "of course." The next thing we know - we were escorted to the FRONT ROW for the concert. It was a blast!!

So, I can't actually claim that I've never won anything! What about you??

What's a post without pictures?

Landrie & Karsyn at the "Beach"

Landrie & Karsyn waiting for the boat

Karsyn's lifejacket was way too big. She could hardly walk with it on. She fell forward and couldn't get back up. It was pretty funny!

Karsyn & Campbell at Incredible Pizza Company ~ Too cute!



Happy Fathers Day, Daddy! We love you!!

Vacation & Happy Father's Day!!

We spent the past weekend at Lake Conroe with our friends from church. We had a great time at the "beach" and just hanging out with friends. The beach was an island in the middle of the lake that was the size of a football field. Landrie has had a fascination with the beach recently, so we told her that's where we were going. The sand wasn't white and the water wasn't crystal clear, but she could have cared less. She was on cloud 9 all weekend! We had a great trip!!

Happy Father's Day to Lamar, Grandpa & Pops!! We love you all!! Lamar and I are so fortunate to have such wonderful fathers. We have learned so much from them about how to parent our own girls.

Lamar is the greatest husband and father! Landrie & Karsyn are lucky girls!! Congrats Daddy on your new job! We are proud of you!!!

Sweet Messy Karsyn

I decided to let Karsyn show some independence. This is the result:





She's a mess, but a happy mess! It took about 10 x longer than usual and I think she only ate half of the food. Oh well...off to the bath!

Family Fun

Thursday we headed down to Gigi & Grandpa's for a long overdue visit. Here's some pictures of the weekend's events.

We took the girls to the creek in Salado. Landrie loved it! Karsyn would have loved it if I would have let her dive right in the water. She is my daredevil child...I can never let her out of my sight or she'll do something adventurous.

Since the creek wasn't a huge hit, we decided to let the girls have some time in their own pool. They were much happier then!

On Saturday, we made a long trip to El Campo Texas for the Kirk Family Reunion. The accomodations weren't too hot, but we had a lot of fun spending time with the family.

Landrie was ready to go for a boat ride in her new Barbie lifejacket. Unfortunately, the paddle boat just went in circles and she cried the whole time. Karsyn wanted to head straight for the water, but we had to hold her or keep her in the stroller.

Karsyn made friends with a dachsund puppy named Chloe. She played with her the whole time. She also started saying "puppy" this weekend. Too cute!!

Karsyn was very happy to be home on Monday!

School's Out for Summer

I feel like I need to sing that song (Alice Cooper) when I type that. :)

We finished off our last day at school yesterday!! I'm so thrilled to be done for the summer! This year we have even more time off than before since they have created a mandatory start date (August 27). I'll have more than 2 months off!

We don't have any major plans for the summer other than a vacation next month with 12 other families. This will be our 2nd trip with this group and I know it will be a blast. It reminds me of our neighborhood trips growing up--either camping or to San Antonio for a weekend at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort--which I totally recommend. I love that we have so many friends who share the same values and have kids the same ages as mine. It is such a blessing.

I'll post some pictures soon. Karsyn is walking everywhere and babbling all the time. Landrie loves to pick on her sister. :)

Happy Mother's Day!!

This is my 4th year to celebrate Mother's Day. The first time, I was pregnant with Landrie and Lamar sent me a miniature rose bush at work to commemorate the day. Each year, the excitement has grown and my Mother's Day gets sweeter and sweeter each year. This was the first year that Landrie really understood what was going on.

She and Lamar had surprises in store. Last night, they had a closed door meeting about their plans for today. This morning Lamar jumped up at the first sound Karsyn made and gave her breakfast (a rare treat). Then once Landrie was awake, she came in and told me "Happy Mother's Day" and that I couldn't get out of bed until my surprise was ready.

I heard them working in the kitchen. Lamar told me later, that Landrie made the blueberry muffins mostly by herself. She got out the bowl, the eggs and cracked the egg herself. She was so proud of herself!

After a while, Landrie and Karsyn came in our room with cards for me. The card from the girls had a iTunes gift card--a great surprise. Landrie didn't want to share the credit with Karsyn, but they both scribbled on the card for me.

We had a wonderful breakfast and a very relaxing day. Tonight we had a family dinner at my parents and celebrated 3 generations of mothers--My grandmother, my mom and me. The girls stole the show as usual, but it was really nice to have all of us together for dinner for the first time in a while.

Happy Mothers Day to the mother's reading this!! I hope you had a great day too!

Before I Was A Mom

I received this from Gigi and thought it would be the perfect post for Mother's Day.

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put them down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Another Recipe: Chicken Spaghetti

This is becoming more of a food blog than my mom's. :) A friend gave me this recipe and I added a few things. We've all really enjoyed it this week!

Chicken Spaghetti

• 1 lb thin spagetti, cooked according to directions
• 1 rotisserie chicken torn into bite sized pieces
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• sliced mushrooms (1 lb, I think)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 8 oz. velveeta cheese
• 1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
• 1 15 oz can chicken broth
• 1 garlic clove minced
• parmesean or cheddar cheese to top

1. Cook spaghetti according to directions. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Sautee garlic, onions, bell pepper and mushrooms in butter until soft.
3. Add velveeta. Stir frequently until melted. Add soups, dressing mix and broth. Stir continuously so cheese won't burn.
4. In a large bowl, combine spaghetti, chicken and veggies.
5. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until bubbly. Top with cheese and then bake for 15 minutes more.

This freezes great and is really easy to double. Enjoy

Shrimp & Rice Casserole

I found another new recipe in the Southern Living magazine. I changed it up a little, but we really enjoyed it.

Shrimp & Rice Casserole

1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
1 1/2 lb. medium size raw shrimp
2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped (I left this out)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1 (10 3/4 oz) cans cream of shrimp soup, undiluted
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup fine, dry bread crumbs

1. Prepare rice according to package directions.
2. Peel shrimp, and devein, if desired.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add bell pepper and next 4 ingredients, and saute 10-12 minutes or until tender. Stir in soup, shrimp, salt and pepper; cook 3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. (Do not overcook.)
4. Combine shrimp mixture and rice. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Sprinkle evenly with Swiss cheese and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!

A Few Firsts

Karsyn has hit several milestones over the last few days.


On Saturday, she tried her first "peanut-jelly" sandwich (as Landrie likes to call it).


On Sunday, Karsyn ate pancakes with her spoon. She is such a BIG girl!

AND, Monday she walked for the first time all by herself!! I'll post a video later if I can figure it out. After she fell down, she looked up at Lamar and I with the biggest grin! She was very proud of herself. Landrie ran over and hugged her and yelled "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!!" She was just as excited as we were.

Picture Post

Recipe: Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

I tried a new recipe tonight. I've had the recipe for a while, but kept putting off making it because I didn't think Lamar liked spinach. He said it sounded "OK" so I'm giving it a go.

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake
1 lb. uncooked rigatoni
1 T olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove chopped garlic
10 oz. chopped frozen spinach
3 cups cubed chicken breasts (or 1 rotisserie shredded)
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) container chive and onion cream cheese
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 tsp salt (I used garlic salt)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Prepare rigatoni according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, sautee spinach, onion and garlic with olive oil until onions are tender. Transfer to a bowl when finished.
4. Stir rigatoni, chicken and next 5 ingredients with spinach onion mixture into pasta pot. The heat will melt the cream cheese.
5. Spoon mixture into baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with shredded mozerella cheese.
6. Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

We'll see how everyone likes it. My picky-eater brother is coming over too. He'll be the real test.

I'll have a picture post later of the girls. :)

Most likely to be...

If I had a different career, I'd probably become a Private Investigator. Why?? I'm good at it and I find it very interesting. Most of my detective work has been just out of curiousity until Friday.

I got in my car to take the girls to Lolly's and then head off to school. I was about to pull out of the driveway when I realized my purse wasn't in my car. I got a little nervous, but I figured it was in the house. I ran through the house really quick and didn't find it. I called my cell phone thinking that it would ring and then I'd know where I left it.

Unfortnuately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), my phone went straight to voicemail. I checked my messages and found one from my credit card's fraud department. They wanted to verify some of my purchases.

I realized then that my purse was stolen right from under my nose. First, I know I made the mistake of leaving my purse in my car in the garage, but I still don't believe it gives someone the right to come into MY house and steal MY things.

I called the police and filed a report and also called and canceled my cell phone and credit cards. On Saturday night, I worked with a wonderful police officer who used the leads my mom and I tracked down and arrested the "kid" who took my stuff. He confessed and is facing felony charges.

I'm thankful that the police were able to track everything down. I should get my purse, cell and IPOD back this week.

If I ever stop teaching, I might just become a private detective. :)

Crazy Weather

Last night a crazy storm blew through our area. The sirens were going off and the sky looked pretty green. We weren't sure how bad it was going to be, but we took the girls in the bathroom just in case. They had no idea what was going on, so they just laughed and played while it hailed like crazy!

Most of you know that I tend to be a little rebellious when it comes to things like staying inside during a storm. I kept going outside to look at the sky and to see how big the hail was... The largest hail in our yard was about the size of my fist. This piece was as big as the top of the Dr. Pepper can.

Our wimpy tree in the front yard looked like it was going to blow away.

There actually were tornados that touched down in Fort Worth and in Dallas. We missed that, thank goodness! We're all safe and sound with just a small ding in Lamar's truck.

Happy Birthday Sweet Karsyn...a tad late

Karsyn turned 1 on Thursday! This year has flown by and I just can't imagine what my life was like without her. She is sweet and joyful all the time. She loves to be on the floor exploring everything. She smiles all the time and is definitely a Momma's Girl. I'm so blessed to have my sweet, healthy little girls.

Happy Birthday Sweet Karsyn! I love you!!

Sisters

This time last year, I was one day away from delivering Karsyn. I knew that our lives would be forever changed again, but I also recognized that Landrie's life would be never be the same. I remember crying worried about how she would handle having a baby sister. My worries were wiped away instantly...Landrie LOVES Karsyn. She can't get enough of her. EVER. I thought the new would wear off, but it never has. I am blessed to be the mother of two beautiful, healthy, happy girls and it brings me such joy to see them loving each other. I know how great it is to have sisters and I love seeing Landrie and Karsyn together.

Happy Half-Birthday Landrie! I hope that you've forgiven me for giving you a sister. :) You'll love her always, hate her sometimes, but you will always, always have a friend!

Dyson Vacuum Contest

Janice @ 5minutesformom is hosting a Dyson Vacuum Giveaway. Click here for more info.

I'm always up for a contest + it's a Dyson Vacuum. What's better than that? You can sign up too--with or without a blogger account. All the instructions are there!

Good luck!!

Projects update

Just an update:

The only projects I can report finished are:

• One-on-one time with Lamar. We ate out every meal with no kids. Such a luxury that we took full advantage of.


• The greatest pedicure ever


• The greatest massage ever


• Good times with friends

We did buy the fan, and it's laying in the front room...we MIGHT even get it installed today.

The rest of the list will get done, but I'm not making any promises as to when.

Updated to add pictures of the fan. We put it up the day I posted this. The box advised it was a 2 hour project, but it took us a mere 6 hours! We were not meant to do home improvement projects together...it's just not good for our marriage! ;)

The Girls are Back

My girls are back home! While the break was fantastic, there's just nothing like the sounds of the girls laughing and chasing each other.

Jor and I meet Gigi in Hillsboro on Friday to pick up the girls. Karsyn jumped straight to my arms, but Landrie was a little more hesitant. She had so much fun with Gigi, she didn't want to go home. In fact, she balled all the way to Fort Worth...one of those hysterical out of breath cries. She would stop for a few minutes, but every time she'd think about her fun week, she'd start crying all over again. I think it's really sweet how much she loves being with them.

Karsyn's birthday is coming up, so we keep reminding Landrie that she'll see Gigi & Grandpa very soon.

Thanks for keeping the girls, Gigi! We really appreciated it!

Spring Break

This week is Spring Break! And what a break it is... Gigi and Grandpa have so graciously agreed to keep the girls from Tuesday-Saturday. I'm not sure who was more excited...Gigi or Me. This is the first time since Karsyn was born, that we've been without both of the girls. I have to admit that I miss them already, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying my freedom.

Our plans for the week are to:

• Install a ceiling fan in the front room
• Touch-up paint around the house
• Clean out the garage
• Purge Landrie's toys (don't tell her though)
• Massage, pedicures & shopping (for Jenn & maybe Lamar, too)
• Spend some much needed one-on-one time!

We had a great day of shopping and just hanging out. We've eaten out twice today. That's where we notice our freedom the most. As sweet as the girls are, it is NICE to not be wrestling one or the other while eating our food.

The girls' plans for the week are to:

• Visit their Great-grandparents & feed their chickens
• Go to the zoo
• Go to the circus
• Be spoiled rotten by Gigi & Grandpa! :)

They'll enjoy every minute of it...and so will Gigi & Grandpa!

I'll post pics after they return.

Thanks Gigi & Grandpa! We appreciate the break!

Congrats Daddy!

Lamar received an email last week naming him the FW Flyers HEB Teacher of the Month! The FW Flyers is a NBA Developmental League basketball team. Lamar, Landrie and I get to go to the game tomorrow night and meet the coaches and players before the game. During one of the timeouts, he will be recognized for his award.

I'll be sure to post pictures after we get back!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

My mom gave me this recipe and it's so good and easy, I had to share. I'm sure she won't mind. She found it in a magazine and just as we always do, we take it and modify it just a bit.

1 bag Cheese Doritos (We used Baked)
1 rotisserie chicken deboned and shredded (about 2 cups of chicken)

1 10 oz. can Enchilada Sauce
1 4 oz can Diced Green Chiles
**1 small chopped onion
1 10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 10 oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 12 oz can Evaporated Milk
2 cups cheese (Cheddar or Mexican blend)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 x 13 pan.

Layer Doritos in bottom of pan. Mix chicken, soups, chiles, evaporated milk and enchilada sauce in a bowl. Pour over Doritos. Bake for 30 mins. Top with cheese and a few crushed doritos and bake until cheese is melted. Delicious & EASY!!

**I forgot the onion the first time and it was good, but it is MUCH better with it.

Enjoy!

Long time gone...

It's been a while, but I finally have something to post. Last night we took pictures of Karsyn and Campbell in their matching outfits. And Landrie decided to participate too. A first in a LONG time. Such cute girls!! It's funny to me that in a few years Karsyn and Campbell's 8 month age difference won't be noticed, but last night you could really tell! Karsyn was enamored with Campbell. At times, she would sweetly pat her head and other's she was pulling and pushing on her. I still believe that they will be fast friends in the future.

Princess Poops-Alot

I thought we were over the Potty Training hump, but it seems to have come back to bite us with a vengance. In the last 3 weeks, Landrie has pooped in the potty twice that I know of. Every other time it's in her adorable Dora, Sleeping Beauty or Gymboree panties. I can't figure this girl out!

On Friday, Jordan and a friend took the girls to Club Libby Lu for princess pampering. When she got home, she was wearing a crown, had on makeup and had glitter everywhere.

I am so grateful to Jordan for watching the girls this week! She was an awesome babysitter! I have to be honest and say that she was much more patient and understanding with them than I've seen her be in the past. It must be that college degree! :) We love you Aunt Jordy! Thanks for making this week smooth and easy for me. Good luck at your new job this week!