Birthday, Anniversary, and other random stuff

We had a long and fun weekend. Lots to celebrate! I yet again had another birthday. Yes, I'm 31! YIKES! Anyway, I had a fabulous day at the zoo with Daniel and Ella, and then spent the evening with family and friends at my parent's house. My mom made the most delicious brisket, potato salad, beans, chocolate cake and homemade ice cream. Thanks mom and dad for the great party!

Later on in the weekend, Daniel and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary at the Gaylord. We had an awesome day by the pool and just hung out. I can't believe we've been married 7 years. What's even crazier is that we have been together for 12 years! Here we are "Just Married"
7 Years Later

Happy Anniversary Babe!

Hanging out by the pool at the Gaylord




This is a random pick of Ella. My cute little piggy tail girl.

Another random pick in her "big girl panties". By the way, potty training is going pretty well so far. She has been telling me when she needs to go potty, not all the time, but most of the time. She makes sure she tells me she wants her prize when she has tinkled. M&M's.
At the zoo




On the train

And this is me and Mike. Mike and I share the same birthday. He is my birthday buddy.


Well, that's it! A little random, but just catching you up.

Wife of the Year!!

Yes...that would be two deer heads on each side of my precious baby girl's picture. My husband actually thought it looked good. UGH!! He put them up there when I wasn't home, but he knows that they will be coming down soon. I just thought I would let him enjoy them for a month or two first. I really should get the "Wife of the Year" award. And this the the newest pettiskirt I've made. Too bad Ella won't even attempt to wear it. She screams and runs away. I have NO idea why! Any way, hopefully she will wear it by Halloween. At least that is what I'm hoping for. By the way...that is the last skirt I make. They are a pain in the a**!

Pettiskirt

I really, really, really wanted to buy Ella a pettiskirt, but then decided not to when I found out they retailed for $75-$80. OMG!!! So I decided to try and make one. I've got time now right....errrrr... well sort of...when Ella is sleeping. This thing was the stinkin' hardest thing I've tried to make so far, but it turned out much better than I expected. For a minute there I wondered what I got myself into. The only thing I really did wrong was that I sewed the seams outward instead of in. I realized that after I had started, so I just kept doing it that way. I must admit, I was quite proud of myself. Anyway, I tried to take a pic of Ella in it, but she is going through a, "I don't want to wear clothes" stage, so she wasn't very happy. I made this for exactly $21. Can you believe that! I just bought some teal/blue material to make her another one, and I think it will turn out a lot better the second time around since I know what I'm doing now. I'll post pics of that one when I am done. Enjoy!

A Father's Love

This is one of the most beautiful videos I have ever seen about a father's love for his son. I just wanted to share. The part that I loved the most was the look on the son's face when the race was over. It's the look that every parent longs to see on their children's faces. I hope you are as moved as I was.

Here goes:

This is a true story, of course, and was featured on TV few months ago. Extremely touching…
A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?' The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father 'Yes' too. For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race together.
NOW WATCH THE VIDEO.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513

Not perfect...but it will do

I attempted to make Ella's toddler bedding and I must say that it turned out much better than I expected. I didn't really have a pattern or anything, I just put it together. I was in too much of a hurry when I made this, but if I made another one, I think it would turn out better. It has a few flaws, but it was a hit with Ella. She couldn't wait to snuggle with it. It looks so cute on ther crib matress. I'm also going to make some pillows to go along with it. I'll put up a finished photo when it is all complete. Ella is still sleeping in the crib, so it might be a little while before we really use it for her toddler bed. She has never tried to climb out of her crib...yet...knock on wood!

A weekend at the lake house

We spent the weekend in a lake house at Lake Buchanan (outside of Austin) and had a great time. It's right on the water, so it makes it extra awesome! Here are a few pics.

Ready to go in the water!

Our bright and shining morning faces.

Us

And the two pics below are of Ella right after she decided to try and put on my make-up. Oh .....how fast they learn.
Lil' Stinker!

4th of July

We spent 4th of July with our friends Chip and Marla, Judd and Michelle and their kids. We had a great time. We spend a couple of days at the lake enjoying Chip and Marla's new boat. It couldn't have been a better weekend. Here are just a few pics.

So sweet walking with Daddy.

Getting ready for a boat ride.
Ella doesn't look like she was enjoying the boat ride, but she was.


Ella and Conner

Sofia
My Lil' Sparkler


Where's Ella?
There she is!




Ring around the rosie

All fall down!
Help!