194/365

what a special, special memory this is now.  today was my granny's birthday.  and she likes to be pampered.  so my girls did just that.  they painted her fingernails and toenails.  they brushed her hair.  they put lipstick on her.  and who knows what else.  while mykah finished up, karsyn sat down and read granny a book.  i will cherish this picture forever and ever.

10/365

i'm actually pretty proud of this cake.  it was easy.  and it tasted pretty good too.  a 4 cake for my 4 year old.  where has the time gone?

. SIX .

 

she's six.  

i don't even know the words to type to tell you how proud i am to be this girl's mama.  but how can she already be 6 years old?  i look back at baby pictures and tears fill my eyes.  she's grown so much and into such a beautiful, smart girl.  she's certainly not a baby anymore.  thankfully she has kept her crystal blue eyes.  

i look back and remember that it took her 2 years to grow hair.  and now her curls are uncontrollable.  she has her own style.  she has her own sense of humor.  she has her own way of doing everything.  and i love that about her.  she can be shy and timid.  a little self-conscious at times.  stubborn most of the time.  extremely smart.  bossy.  she certainly knows what she wants.  

and all of that makes her karsyn.  

 

she loves school.  she loves her friends. she loves that she can read some.  she loves that she knows addition and subtraction.  she still loves soccer.  and music.  and singing.  she's a pretty passionate girl.  and i'm so thankful she's mine.

  

. 29/365 .

how fabulous is this fan that the BFF got me for my birthday?!?  i'm not that great of a gift buyer, so i always feel guilty when she buys me amazing gifts like this.  this fan is super cute.  and it's me.  and she knew that.  that's what i love about her.  it's not only the gifts she buys, but it's mainly that she thought of me when she saw it and knew i had to have it.  it's perfect.

. 28/365 .

it's my birthday!!!  i really really really need to post an update about my 30 acts of kindness that i did.  i really want to take time on it though, so this will be a quick birthday post.  ok, maybe not so quick.  i have lots to say.  in addition to the BFF and her family surprising me, my parents also came and surprised me.  they watched all the kids today so my mister and i and the BFF and her hubby could go to houston for the day.  we were so very thankful for them!  the mother-in-law came and helped out and, from what we heard, all went well.  the kids love to play with them and i can't even say how thankful we are that they would do that for us. 

off to houston we went.  and the first place we hit up was crave.  the cupcake place.  it was 11:00 and considered brunch for us.  and the cupcakes were AMAZING. 

after that we headed to some shopping center and then to the galleria.  we ate lunch at ninfa's and walked the mall.  just having adult time and going shopping without small children was the best birthday gift ever.  one last stop by the cupcake place to get a dozen to go and we were headed home.  it was so much fun, but we were EXHAUSTED!!!! 

what a fun birthday it was!!  i'm so very thankful for all of my friends who sent emails, texts, and facebook messages.  the Lord has definitely blessed me with amazing friends and family.  here's to the next thirty years ...

. 27/365 .

LOOK WHO CAME TO SEE ME FOR MY BIRTHDAY!  can someone please tell me why pictures uploaded from my cell phone never turn the right way even though i edited it the right way?!?  it. makes. me. CRAZY! 

so, yesterday during naptime, the BFF and her sweet little family drove up.  i was SO surprised!!!  i'm so very thankful to have such an amazing best friend.  and her family is just a sweet bonus! 

the extra surprise?  the BFF and her 2 kiddos are staying with me for a whole week.  her hubby will go home sunday, and they'll stay.  for a week!  it should be a blast!!!!!!! 

i'm so blessed.  apparently my whole family and a few sneaky friends knew this.  :) 

. 10/365 .

today was mykah's big third birthday.  i can hardly believe it.  she still seems so little to me, although she's so smart and sassy like a big girl.  mykah's birthday was so different than karsyn's.  we were actually home and able to celebrate as a family.  what a fun day it was.

. well, hello kitty .

my girl is somewhat obsessed with hello kitty.  and while i don't typically promote ANY cheesy characters like that, the kitty is different.  for whatever reason, i'm ok with the hello kitty stuff.  the disney princess, dora, and spongebob stuff though is not my favorite.  does that make me weird?  i'm ok with that.  i don't buy anything with characters on it.  until the eldest became interested in the kitty.

for her birthday, she really wanted a new bike. that's the only thing on the face of the planet that she asked for.  nothing else.  nope.  just a bike.  she had a bike, but wanted a shiny new one.  i don't know where she gets her love of all things new and shiny.  but being that she's just like me in more ways than one, i caved and got her the new bike.

we racked up some serious parent points with this one.  it combined her 3 loves ... a shiny new bike, hello kitty, and purple.  plus, it had a basket and a bell.  the perfect bike for my girl.

the old bike got a new home at nana and papa's house.  usually when we go visit, we toss in the bikes so the girls can ride them between my parents house and my grandparents.  now, she has a bike here and there, which means less junk packed in the back of my car when we travel!  yeah!!



AND a hello kitty watch.  she walked around all day telling us what time it was.  she'll say "mama, it says 7.3.2" and i tell her "that means it's 7:32", then she goes and tells everyone else in the house what time it was.  we all knew minute by minute what time it was all day.  by the looks of that picture though, she should have got some hair clips or something to control that craziness.  i think it was a great birthday for her and i'm so thankful i was able to drive to my parents house to spend it with her.  being in bed after surgery wouldn't have kept me from traveling to see my girl on her big 5th birthday.  the day ended with her saying "this was the best happy birthday ever." 

. it's her birthday .

just to add to the emotional time i'm in, today my girl turns 5.  FIVE.  a whole hand, as she says.  she has counted down to this day for half a year now.  it's a HUGE milestone for her.  for all of us.  FIVE!

i remember that christmas like it was yesterday.  i birthed this sweet, 7lb 5oz, beautifully bald baby on the 22nd.  brought her home on christmas eve.  we missed christmas with my family that year, but it turned out to be one of the best we've ever had.  i remember the preemie sleeper my mom bought her to wear as her official "first christmas" outfit.  yes, it was necessary.  i still have that outfit.  and i still can't believe she was so small.  who knew she'd grow to be so long and lanky. 

i remember very vividly crying as i held her while being strapped to blue lights that would help her jaundice.  i remember crying because she wouldn't nurse.  i remember crying because my parents left to go back home for my family christmas although they came back the very next day.  i remember crying because my mom wasn't there that one night and my mother-in-law was.  (don't worry, i've already apologized to my mother-in-law for what i put her through during that time as well).  i remember laughing until we cried (literally) with my family, my in-laws, the BFF and her hubby on new years eve that year as we played games.  and there karsyn laid.  sleeping in her bouncer next to me.  all of those memories come flooding back year after year.  and it's so hard to believe that it's been 5 years since those memories started.  and i'm so very thankful that God has allowed the memories continue.

what an amazing girl i have.  she's so smart.  so beautiful inside and out.  she's passionate.  she's detailed.  she's a planner.  she's very similar to myself in so many ways.  she's tall.  she's skinny.  much like i was at her age as well.  she's funny.  she's comforting.  she's curious.  she's encouraging.  she's loving.  and so much more.  all of these things she has learned and all of these things she has made part of who she is in just five short years.  and that simply amazes me.

i very much cannot wait (although time can slow down very easily, please) to see what she grows up to be.  she'll start kindergarten next year.  i can't wait to see what friendships she develops.  what grades she'll make.  what projects she'll do.  what activities she'll be interested in.  what style she'll have.  all of these things i get to experience with her all because God chose me to be her mommy.

karsyn layne, i am so proud of you.  i'm so thankful to be your mommy.  you blow me away daily by the things you do and say.  you are so strong and so beautiful and i want you to always remember that.  i can't believe you are finally a whole hand!!!  i love you.
xoxo mommy

. 345/365 .

showing off the products of one of her early birthday presents.  i don't know what they're called, but we got her a big fat bucket of those little beads that you put on the shaped pegboards to create a design, then iron them so they melt together.  i know you know what i mean.  i remember loving to do those when i was a little girl, so i just knew she'd love them too.  and she does!

. letter to the birthday boy .

 
To My Favorite Man,  I want you to know how proud I am of you, how much I respect you, and how wonderful it is that you become more and more fascinating to me as each year passes.  Thank you for always trusting me and working so hard to have a beautiful marriage; one that is imperfect, but strong and built on the foundation of our faith.  It is such a joy to celebrate you and I'm so glad that you're the man I get to throw my arms around each and every day.  I'm also very thankful that you chose to love me and that you chose to be the father to my children.

And more than anything, I want you to know that I love you today.  And I will love you tomorrow.  And the next day.  And the next day.  And the day after that.  For all my days.  And for all of yours.  And for every day after that. 

Happy {thirtieth} Birthday!

. 30 by 30 .

 {image from good housekeeping}
 
friday began my 30th trip around the sun and as i turned 29, i really started to think about my life and what all i have done and what i want to do before i turn 30.  so, here's my list ...

30 things to do before i turn 30

30.  actually LEARN how to use photoshop better.

29.  start running.  and complete a half marathon.

28.  go tailgating.  seriously, we live in aggieland and i've never been tailgating.  i want to see what all the hype is about.

27.  have a real tea party with my girls.  they are finally at the perfect age.

26.  build our savings account back up.

25.  make homemade cinnamon rolls.

24.  print and organize all of my pictures from my hard drive.

23.  get family pictures taken with MY family.

22.  get more than one pedicure.

21.  join a freezer meal swap group.

20.  host a party (something other than a birthday party) at MY house. 

19.  let my hair grow long.  not sure if i can do it or if i'll like it.

18.  go antique shopping in a new town.

17.  go to canton for a weekend.

16.  be intentional about my time with friends,

15.  but even more intentional about my time with my family.

14.  clean my house top to bottom, front to back and keep it clean for one day.  sounds silly, but its a hard task around here.

13.  ride a horse. 

12.  finish the girls baby books.

11.  go on a weekend trip with just my BFF.

10. read 12 books.  yes, that's a lot for me.  i figure one per month is a good start.

9.  do one new craft each month.

8.  start a collection.  i'm thinking old aprons, white dishes, or antique cookie cutters.  something fun. 

7.  sleep till noon.  just once.

6.  join a sunday school class at church.

5.  try my hand at canning something.  preferrably some kind of jelly.

4.  go hiking.  i'm thinking enchanted rock in fredericksburg.

3.  have a "friends" marathon weekend.  man i miss that show.

2. learn how to fold a fitted sheet.

1. establish a family tradition for my little family for every holiday of the year.  valentine's day is coming first. 

there they are.  now, they may not be as exciting as bungee jumping, sky diving, parasailing, or going to hawaii, but these are small goals that i have for myself.  i'll keep you posted throughout the year to see where i'm at.

. sweet baby turns 2 .

 
oh sweet baby.  tonight i put you to bed for the last night as a one year old.  i simply wanted to hold you and not put you down.  almost as if i held you all night, maybe you wouldn't turn two?  i don't know, but i do know that, no matter what age you are, you will always be my baby girl. 

you are so amazing and i feel so blessed that God chose you to be mine.  i can't say that enough.  you are a light in our family and we enjoy every moment with you.  i am thoroughly enjoying watching you grow, even though i want to bottle you up and keep you little.  you are a firecracker and, even though you are little, you pack a punch and can whip out the diva in you in a matter of seconds.  my favorite thing about you is your sense of humor.  you keep us laughing. constantly.  you are always in for a good time while we're at home, but when we leave the house, your shy streak comes out and you want to have nothing to do with anyone who comes near.  i'm admitting here that it's my fault because i was the exact same way. 

i want you to know that i love you no matter what.  no matter how big you get, no matter how you grow and change, mommy will always love you.  i love how much you love sissy and want to be like her.  i know that will change as the years go, but it's a sweet time in our life right now. 

i love you, sweet baby.  i love your "big girl kisses", "eskimo kisses", and "butterfly kisses" you insist on giving me every single night i lay you down to sleep. 

xoxo mommy

 

. to my sweet girl .

oh sweet karsyn,

 
tonight we put you to bed for the last time as a 3 year old.  tomorrow, at exactly 10:42am, you'll be four years old.  and my heart almost stops just thinking about it.  i simply do not know where the last four years have gone. 

you have obviously grown bigger, but oh how you have grown as a person.  you have an amazing personality, a laugh that lights up the room, an attitude that lights it up even more, and a smile that melts my heart.  you are very smart and impress me daily with the things you can remember from the past.  you are, and have always been, very independent, but i love that you still need me. 

you are an amazing big sister.  becoming that sweet sissy has been the most remarkable thing.  you have loved mykah from the very beginning and i love watching you with her.  i'm so very thankful that God made you the big sister.  you fill that role completely and beautifully. 

thank you for being you.  thank you for reminding me to be silly.  reminding me to take time to do the little things.  reminding me that being your mommy is the most important job in the world and the best blessing God could ever give me.

i love you, sweet girl.

xoxo mommy

. ballerina birthday party .

saturday we had karsyn's 4th birthday party.  well, actually it was the first of 3 she is having.  what a spoiled girl.  she's big into dancing and ballerinas right now, so we had her party at the local dance studio where she attends classes. 

 


sweet baby had a blast.  she loves dancing like sissy does.  i'm pretty sure everyone had a great time except the birthday girl.  she insisted on practicing her attitude for her tween years.  i'm just glad the party went on. 

 
 

it was a great party and we are so thankful for the friends that came.  karsyn got lots of barbie stuff which is her favorite thing right now.  

. she's ThReE .

dear sweet karsyn,

tonight mommy put you to bed for the last time as a two-year-old.  i cried.  yep, just like last year.  life with you only gets better every single day and i am so so so glad God chose me to be your mommy. 

 
i don't think i ever imagined you being who you are at three.  you are amazing.  you light up my eyes and my heart every moment of every day and your personality is so infectious and you constantly make us laugh.  some of the things you say make our jaws drop and then we laugh til our tummies hurt.  i absolutely love your innocence and the witty personality you posses.  basically, i cannot get enough of you. 

 
this year you became a big sister and stunned us all at how awesome you did, not that we doubted you one bit, but you surpassed our expectations by far.  you absolutely adore your little sister and i'm pretty sure she likes you too.  you are very helpful and somewhat protective of her and that makes my heart sing.  you love to make her laugh, which makes my heart smile to see you laughing together. 

 
you adore your friends as well.  i'm so thankful for the friends God has placed in your life already and i cannot wait to see where your friendships lead you.  you are definitely the leader of the pack, but a people-pleaser at the same time.  you don't like to see your friends hurt or sad and i'm so thankful for that.  you and juju are still best of friends and cry daily to see each other.  i hope we can be neighbors forever so you will always have your bestest friend right by your side.  and my absolute favorite with the two of you is that you play church all the time.  you go to worship in the laundry room.  how sweet is that? 

 
your curly hair still wow's the crowd.  everyone is in love with it, including me.  you have said several times recently how you want long hair like juju, but i hope you know that mommy and daddy love you the way you are.  your blonde curls and blue eyes make you, you. 

 
right now you are simply in love with life.  you sing and dance like no one is watching and play ballerina all day, every day.  my heart melts though when we listen to praise and worship songs in the car and you sing along.  my most favorite thing about you is that you love Jesus.  every night at dinner you pray "thank you Jesus for our food, amen."  i pray you never stop listening to God and praying to Him.  I know that God is going to use you in big ways.  He has blessed you in so many ways and has thoroughly blessed us by putting you in our life. 

 
sweet karsyn.  sissy.  we love you more than words can say.  i'm so thankful for this past year with you and how you grew and changed so much.  this year is going to be a trip, but mommy is ready.  i love you, sweet girl. 

happy birthday.

xoxo mommy

. birthday roadtrip .

this past friday, we headed out on the six hour drive to oklahoma as soon as my favorite man got home from making money, to go see this little guy ...

mr. konner james.  you see, he was turning TWO, which now his parents regret telling him, but that's another story.  {the whole idea that if you don't tell them, they won't know}

it was a baseball party, obviously, complete with team shirts for the kiddos and tee-ball batting practice.  the "screamin' squirrels", you ask?  it is totally random, i know.  that would be said birthday boy's daddy's baseball team name.  he's one fry shy of a happy meal, so we all just went with it.  {love you james}  made for a super cute and super fun party though.

wait.  who are those 2 insanely adorable girls on the end?

ah.  that's sweet baby and big sister.  so stinkin' cute in their baseball attire.  karsyn had a blast.  mykah got lots of lovin'.  and what would a birthday party be without ....

SWIMMING?!?  the weather was decent.  the water, not so much.  i only put my big toe in and i'm pretty sure it was close to getting frostbite.  seriously.  it was THAT cold.  {just for the record ... mr. konner james looks EXACTLY like his mama in the above picture.  exactly.  so not a bad thing.  just sayin'}

it was the big boys idea to swim.  the little ones just HAD to follow.  it's ok, they paid them back with continues whacks in the head with the pool noodles.  take that!  they had fun, but my poor girl was shivering so bad when all was said and done.  crazy.  insanely crazy. 

sweet baby was just soaking it all in.  and she did it well.  

the party ended, the kids slept REALLY good and jasey and i head to target to buy, well, target things.  we had a blast and are so thankful for sweet friends who mean so much to us and for their little boy.  he's a super cute two year old and knows it.  his look says it all ...

. happy dayday daddy .

karsyn loves birthdays.  birthday cake.  candles.  presents.  and everything that goes along with having a birthday.  today is my favorite man's birthday.  the big 28.  and he does recognize that he is now only 2 years from being 30. 
because of karsyn's love for birthdays, we have sang "happy birthday" to daddy ALL.  DAY.  LONG.  which is ok, because he deserves only the best.  and over the top.  but low key and relaxing. 
 
so happy birthday.  my favorite man.  our favorite daddy.  hope you're enjoying your nap right now. 
xoxo

[ happy TWO ]

today.  my baby is TWO.  so hard to believe.  i'm going to surpass the mushy gooshy stuff though and fill you in on the events of the day. 

the preparation started the night before.  after she was snug in bed, we hung streamers on her door and blew up balloons until we were blue in the face.  there were actually only 12 balloons i think, but when you are 9 months pregnant, there's only so much breath to use.

morning came.  when she woke up, we bolted in, scaring her half to death probably.  singing.  "happy birthday to you.  happy birthday to you.  happy birthday to karsyn.  happy birthday to you!"  we threw the balloons in her bed and clapped.  she was so excited. 

and the first words out of her mouth, you ask?  "birthday cake?"  we feasted on waffles with whipped cream and sprinkles and TWO powdered donuts with TWO candles.  we sang again and blew the candles out.  i think we blew candles out 10 times before breakfast. 

for lunch we ventured to the land of the unknown for us.  chuck-e-cheese.  never been.  it was fun.  karsyn had a blast.  we had a few friends join us for the festivities.  although the giant mouse scared her, as a mouse that size would scare any human, she blew the candle out again and went on her way.  riding the carousel a million times. 

i think it was a good birthday for her.  if only our birthdays lasted.

   

[ letter from mommy ]

dear sweet baby,

i just put you to bed for the last time as a one year old.  yes, i cried.  what did you expect?  you are just growing up way too fast for my heart to bear.  i knew your first year went by so quickly, but this year has literally flown by.  i blinked.  and now, tomorrow, you'll wake up a big two year old.  your daddy and i absolutely love every little thing about you and are so thankful that God has allowed us these past two years to be your parents.  i can only imagine what the rest of our lives together is going to be like. 

i love the relationship we have.  you are certainly a mommy's girl, but really enjoy your playtime with daddy.  you love your daddy so much and i completely understand that love.  i enjoy watching the two of you play together so much.  you light up when he drives up every evening and squeal as loud as you can when he chases you down the hall.  i think my favorite is watching you climb in your pink tub and ask daddy to play airplane.  you fly through the house a top speed and laugh the entire time. 

i love that i am able to spend every day with you.  i'm so thankful to get to watch you grow and see what your mind has brewing throughout each day.  i wouldn't trade our days for the world.  and, should i mention your love for target.  it's always been my favorite store, but recently, when you see a target store you say "i wuv taget".  lights up my world every time, although i don't take you there by myself because you are quite a handful in stores. 

i love how you are super independent right now and constantly say "i do it."  at the same time, you love having "mommy help you."  i love watching the things you can do and am amazed every day at something new that you've done.  you especially want to put your own shoes on.  everyday.  and you put them on the right feet too, which amazes everyone.  you have your mommy's perfectionist personality as well.  everything has to be just so and you get terribly mad if it isn't exact. 

i love to tell daddy each day what you learned just while he was at work.  right now, you are really learning your abc's.  one day, you belted them out "a b c b (mumbling...) l m n o p q r s (more mumbling...)".  it's so cute.  you also know how to sing "twinkle twinkle" but it has to be your idea to sing it.  singing and dancing is one of your most favorite things to do and always has been.  anytime you hear music, you dance. 

i love your imagination.  your favorite thing to do is play with your babies.  i'm hoping this is leading up to you being a great big sister, which i know you will be.  you play with your babies from morning til night every day.  we take a baby with us everywhere we go too.  you enjoy feeding your babies and putting them night night and you must make sure everyone is quiet so the baby can sleep.  your imagination blows my mind every day. 

i love how you use your manners.  you are constantly saying "thank you" and "excuse me" and sometimes we get a "please".  although you don't use your sign language much anymore, there's really no need for it because your words are spoken so clearly.  it is such a blessing to know that you use your manners and you actually know when to use them.  you have such a sweet and tender side and you give great hugs and kisses.  boy do i love your hugs.  that extra pat on the back always makes me smile.

i love your passion for things.  you LOVE football, or "hutball" as you call it.  i guess this love came from going to daddy's football games.  you get excited when you see "hutball" on tv or anywhere we go.  that makes daddy really happy too!  and elmo is tops right now too.  anything elmo rocks your world. 

you are my favorite two year old ever.  i love who you are and what you have brought to our family.  i love how the Lord uses you to teach me daily and i absolutely love being your mommy. 

happy 2nd birthday, karsyn layne!

xoxo

mommy

{here is a picture of our family the day you were born.  what a blessing you are}

 

{my favorite picture (and outfit) of you }

 

{ here's you getting ready for your first birthday }

 

{ and here's you just a few weeks ago.  almost TWO }