They Follow Us

David & I love to take vacations with eachother - even small ones to Dallas or whatever. Well, we've noticed that they have a habit of following us. Who is they? TEENAGE GIRLS! Let me explain...

1st Anniversary - July '06 - Hot Springs, AR - stayed at a great hotel walking distance from downtown. We notice lots of girls as the weekend goes by - A CHEERLEADING COMPETITION - in our hotel! The elevator rides were entertaining to say the least

Valentine's Day '08 - David planned a weekend for us in Dallas. We stayed at the hotel next to that building with the big ball on the top (can't remember the name!) As we checked into the hotel, I began looking around, and again TONS of young girls. ANOTHER Cheer Competition in our hotel. We definitely asked for a room that didn't face the lobby area where they loved to hang out.

Trip to Visit Renee - Denver '10 - as we waited in the airport, David made a comment about how many young girls were walking around us, with just their moms. When we got on the plane, we realized THEY WERE ALL WITH US.

Oh my.

Don't get me wrong, I love me some teenage girls....I've worked with many youth groups, I taught junior high, but when you don't know the girls or are trying to have a relaxing trip with your husband they aren't my favorite traveling partners :)

Turns out it was a volleyball team coming to Denver for a tournament, but by the end of the plane ride, they had somehow made friends with a stewardess & there had been announcements about people's first plane rides, their birthdays (along with a song), and being on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

I wonder where they'll follow us to next...

Another Coupon post

Well, today I decided to get real brave & try to buy things with CVS & Walgreens. This takes math skills, and well, let's just say I'm lacking. All kidding aside, it definitely takes some planning, but I think it paid off! I'm still having a hard time comparing what I would've saved if I just bought it at WalMart/Target.

I got the diapers at Walgreens. I spent a total of $15.14. (plus I have $1 coupon to use there next week) Savings: $9 (Walgreens prices). I looked up what they would've cost at WalMart - $19.44. So, compared to that - Savings: $4.30. I'll take it - especially on Diapers! If you happen to have Pampers coupons this week that you're not using, I'd love to go buy more. So, let me know!!

I feel like CVS is where I really cashed in...

2 tubes of toothpaste

4 boxes of cereal

Total: $4.32

Savings: $20.82 - their prices.

Again, I never would've bought cereal at CVS before. But, I know for sure I would've spend AT LEAST 2 something a box at walmart, so I know I saved money big time.

I'm going to keep trying...

Our Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

David & I switched off babysitting with the Bergman's, so we got to go out for our Valentine's Date last night & we're watching Jackson tonight.

Before we left, David gave me a few gifts. He decided instead of spending money on flowers that would die, he'd get me these instead...

Isn't that too cute?? He put them in the vase and everything! So thoughtful :)

He also got me a few other things...a new mirror/key hanger (since he broke my old one), gum, and Twilight - AND he's going to watch it with me! Good to refresh before I finally get to see New Moon with Janette & Merrissa this week! I still haven't seen it!!Us before we left on our date...
We went to Texas Roadhouse. We called ahead at 5 o'clock and the wait was already an hour! We got there at 5:45 & didn't get seated til 6:20! IT WAS NUTS! So, we didn't make it to the movies as planned. Oh well, another day.

Instead, we made a stop by Starbucks, and went to a bookstore to look at house plans. Yes, we're old that sitting in a bookstore looking at house plans is a GREAT date for us!
Funny story...I got up to go to the bathroom at one point and when I came back this kid (see pic) was talking NONSTOP to David. He kept getting book after book off the shelf & asking David if he knew who the people were. Good thing David has a broad knowledge of wrestlers from his younger days.

We love each other :)

When we got home from lunch today, Kate got to open her presents...

A ball...which she is obsessed with these days.

Books...

Cookies! No worries - they're whole grain cinnamon cookies. I figured it was a good baby substitute for chocolate!Here she is signing PLEASE for me to open them!And her last present from Nana & Poppa...A bear & a book that sings Jesus Loves Me when you open it. She loves them both! Thank you!!
I did finally give her a cookie...Yum!

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day!!!

Snow Day!

Well, even though I'm sure this is the 16th blog you've read about a snow day...I couldn't leave ours off!

Thursday morning the snow started coming down! Most of the time, the flakes were HUGE!

In the afternoon after it had been snowing awhile, I put Kate's jacket on & took her out to snap a few pictures & let her see the snow. She LOVED watching the big flakes. She would hold her hand out to feel them & smile so big!

She did NOT like falling in it though...

The next morning when we woke up it had snowed a total of 7 inches! A Texas Winter Wonderland!

the fountain in front of our house

5 inches in our backyard!

The front of our house

Our backyard

Kate's swing!

After breakfast, Kate & I got bundled up and woke David up to go play in the snow with us!

Daddy & Kate

Mommy & Kate

our self portrait :)

Daddy showing Kate the snow

So much fun! It's crazy that it's still hanging around too. Definitely melting a lot, but I think this is my first time to wake up two mornings in a row with snow in my yard!

Valentine's Day Photos

We didn't quite get around to sending out a Christmas card...so when so many of Kate's Valentine's Day pictures turned out I decided to make a card to send to our family. Now that they've gotten them, I thought I'd share it with you...

...and some that didn't make it on the card, but I still loved!

Hope you have a great day filled with love!

Happy 14 Months Kate!

I did this post a little differently. Instead of at the end of the month thinking back through & trying to remember what had happened, I started the post at the beginning of the month & have been adding to it all along. So, there is a little more than usual, but it helped me remember more funny little things I just don't want to forget :)

This Month Kate:

is SO FUN! I tell David all the time how much fun I'm having with her right now. Her vocabulary is growing as she tries to repeat everything I say.

--1st pigtails! Which she HATES to have done.

Doesn't she look so old in this picture??

--puts her hands out to the side & shrugs when you ask her where something/someone is like "I don't know?"

--adding signing "Thank You" to her repertoire

--says the same thing everytime she wants something. Not sure what it is...sounds like "This?"

--loves books even more this month

--"helps" me when I'm dressing her - offers her foot when I get socks out, etc. Was doing this a little last month, but always this month

--signs "sentences": eat-more-please (do you notice that a lot of her development revolves around eating! ha!)

--sense of humor really taking off. This started sometime last month, but I didn't write it down. When people laugh, she'll keep doing whatever it is she's doing. A little class clown on our hands :)

--She also started "telling" funny stories. She babbles along talking, then laughs at the end like whatever she just said is SO funny.

--is FINALLY totally walking. Been a looooong slow process since she started taking steps at THANKSGIVING! Even trying to run.

--LOTS of new words: book "buu", ball "baa", no, up - for some reason she says this "muh", bye "bi", thank you "tane too", diaper "dipuh", thank you "tane too", balloon "buh" - sounds a lot like book, but says it when there are balloons around, all done "all duh", baby "bebe"

--a new tooth! This one has been bulging FOREVER! Top right (next to the middle) finally broke through

--covers her mouth to cough - apparently she learned this from David b/c he saw her do it a lot before I ever did. It's a fake cough, but after spending a Monday night with him when he had a cough, anytime someone coughs or she thinks of it, she covers her mouth & offers a few little fake coughs too.

--learning to use a spoon. Can scoop food and get it from the bowl to her mouth, but this is quite messy, so we only practice at home :)

--understands so much more than I realized. I can tell her to get her paci while we're in the car, and she will & put it in her mouth. I can ask her to sit down & she points down and does it (well, most of the time!).

--answers all questions with "no". No matter what the question. So far, it's just funny. Won't be so funny when she's telling me no for real.

--Still has a great love affair with eating. Moans & yells at me when I don't move fast enough!

--Stops to turn around, wave & say bye "bi" when she's leaving the room you're in to explore the rest of the house.

--shrugs her shoulders & scrunches her face all up when asked to smile

--learning her body parts. Knows where her head, tummy, toes, eyes, ears & nose are. When you ask her where her tummy is, she'll lift up her shirt to show you.

Nana & Poppa Visit

Well, once Kate learned to say Poppa, they couldn't help themselves and made the trek to come see Kate last weekend. We had a relaxing weekend of eating out, shopping, and just hanging around the house. I even got to sleep in on Sunday morning!

Kate got to open some Valentine's Day goodies a little early...

Nana picked out this adorable shirt at Gap for Kate! It matched her pants from her birthday perfectly :)

They also brought her some other clothes & this an Elmo book. Kate loves it. She shows it by ringing that doorbell on the book over and over and OVER. All day. She loves it :)

Nana & Poppa even left us more surprises to open on Valentine's Day! Thanks for coming to visit us!