Happy, Happy Birthday, Sweet Emma Claire!

This weekend was a BIG weekend in our house. It was Emma's 6th Birthday! It was also her very first slumber party! I cannot believe my baby is 6 years old...REALLY!?

Friday morning, she woke up to her presents from us. (Mostly some much needed summer clothes). Travis got her donuts for breakfast. We even let her open one gift before school. She chose Hannah's gift. She got a peace sign choker and a peace sign watch. She was VERY excited.

Friday night, we went to dinner. Then, we came home and had cake and presents. We always try to do something for their birthdays with JUST us. It makes it a little more special that way!

Saturday, all the girls met at our house and we headed to get pedicures. After pedicures, we went bowling and to Mad Pizza (Emma's choice). We had tons of fun.

Then, it was time to head to the hotel. My mom had gone earlier and dropped of her cake and put up a few little decorations. We had so much fun taking them swimming. (I even had to jump in with all my clothes on and test out my life guarding skills. But, that's another post for another time!). After swimming, we went to the room for cake and gifts.

Once the girls were all wound up on a sugar high, we played twister and they gave each other make-overs. After a few hours of giggling and talking, I decided we needed to TRY to go to bed. FINALLY, a little after midnight, everyone was asleep.

At 7:30, I woke up to Emma and Keirnan tapping me on the arm ready to get up! (I was exhausted...must be a sign of my old age!). We got up and packed up the room. On our way home, we stopped by Krispie Kreme for breakfast.

Emma had a great time with all her friends and I am sure they did too! It was so fun to see her play with everyone. It reminded me of what a young lady she is becoming.

Emma,

You are becoming such a strong, beautiful young lady. I am so proud of who you are and how much you have grown over this past year. You are amazingly smart and have already learned to read so well. It's hard to believe your kindergarten year is rapidly coming to an end.

Your Daddy and I are SO proud of how kind and loving you are to your sisters. You are so much fun to be around. While you are quiet at first, once you come out of your shell, you are such a funny girl.

I can't wait to see what lies ahead for you. You are destined for big things, Emsie!

Love, Mommy

Fiesta

Wow...I'm a REALLY bad blogger these days...but I'll get caught up!

Last Friday night, we went to the Brown's for a "Siete de Mayo" party. Rachel and Shane cooked chicken and we had some YUMMY fajitas. The margaritas were awesome and the company was even better.

We sat around drinking margaritas, talking and watching the baseball game. The kids busted a pinata. The girls had so much fun playing with Claire. Catherine played a little with Bree and was pretty good.

It was a fun night! (Thanks for the pics, Tara! :) )

Nine Months (+)

WOW! 9  months is such a pivotal time in a baby's life. I carried Catherine for 9 whole months! I loved her for 9 whole months BEFORE I even saw her sweet face!

Now, 9 months later, I love her more than I ever imagined. At 9 months old, she is such a little person with such a "real person" personality.

We had Catherine's 9 month check up with Dr. L. Of course, she is 17.8 lbs (25th percentile) and 28.5 inches (75th percentile). She is long and skinny!

At 9 months old, she is pulling up on EVERYTHING! She is cruising down the length of the couch. Catherine is an eating machine (which isn't obvious from her weight). She loved veggies, Club crackers and Animal Cookies.

She STILL only has two teeth and only says two words (Dr. L said that is COMPLETELY normal...especially for a 3rd child).

She loves music and dances all the time. Catherine's favorite person is definitely her Mommy! (Makes Daddy SO sad!) She has quite the temper and HATES to be put down.

Catherine is the best sleeper in the house. She goes to bed about 7 and sleeps until around 8 on the weekends. (I wish her older sisters would get into that routine!)

Sadly, Catherine is going on strike against her headbands. Her mohawk is still too thin to wear just hair bows and it's becoming so hard to get her to keep her headbands on. (This Mommy is VERY sad about that!)

Catherine,

NINE WHOLE MONTHS! WOWZA! I cannot believe you are growing in to such a big girl. I love that you want me to hold you all day (even though sometimes I seem a little annoyed). I love to rock you to sleep and could hold you in that glider for days. You are so special and have completed our little family perfectly. I love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

Quick Catch-Up

I HAVE BEEN SUCH A BAD BLOGGER! We had had tons going on and I haven't posted about ANYTHING!

Unfortunately, with all that busy, I haven't taken any pictures. (I know about 8 of my 10 readers just closed this page out...but for those of you still with me...)

A couple of weeks ago, I had to go to LA for work. We stayed in a great hotel right in the heart of Beverly Hills. However, it was so busy, we never left. BOO! It was a nice break to catch up on some peace and quiet for the first couple of days. After that, I was DYING to come home!

While I was gone, it was just Travis and the girls. He did GREAT taking care of them. Everyone was happy and mostly healthy when I got home. Travis had to take Catherine to the Dr for ear infections, but they managed through just fine. The house was even clean!

The week I got back, I received a job offer from another company. I was so excited and accepted. I will be starting my new job on May 10th. I had to give my notice at my current job, which was VERY hard. I wish I could say everyone was supportive, but that was NOT the case. That pretty much just summed up the fact that this move is the right thing for me and my family! So, thanks for making it easy. :)

Last Thursday night, I was invited to Kitchen Queens. It's just a bunch of girls getting together over good food and wine to chat about life. I only knew one other girl there and was hesitant to go. However, I went and had the best time. Everyone was so nice and I really enjoyed making some new friends. I can't wait until next month!

This past weekend, the girls and I went to Hot Springs to see Honey and Daddy Brooks and to go to Disney on Ice in Little Rock. I was beyond exhausted before we even left, but it ended up being a great time.

Daddy Brooks kept Catherine, while the big girls went shopping. (Travis stayed home for a little work and a lot of fishing!) Between the four of us, I think we left there with 6 new pairs of shoes! Its in our genes to love shoes like that! Disney on Ice was very good and the girls LOVED it. I enjoyed spending some time with them and my mom doing what they wanted to do.

In between all this chaos, Travis and I have been working in the yard and making a few updates on the house. I will have pictures when it's all complete.

WHEW! That's what we have been up to the past two weeks. This weekend will be some QT at home. I will have TONS of pictures. Plus, I need to update from Catherine's 9 month visit. So...hang in there...I will start posting again!

What happened to the sun?

When I left for California, the weather was so bright and sunny! We spent the ENTIRE weekend playing, cooking, even napping outside. It was wonderful!

Hopefully, the week will shape up to be MUCH better than this weekend has been. I need some of this...

Happy Easter

We had a WONDERFUL Easter this year. It is such a happy time of year to remember the true meaning of why we celebrate this holiday.

We spent Easter in Hot Springs, as we do every year. We went to church on Sunday morning with my parent, grandparents and brother and sister-in-law. Then, we went to the Country Club for yummy lunch and time spent with the family. It is always so fun to get together with everyone!

Enjoy the pics below of my wonderful family before church!