The Horton Family

Our little ham.....

2012-01-22T21:09:00.000-06:00

Britton is such a little ham! She loves to sing, dance, and mimic anything she can. This is Britton's rendition of Moves Like Jagger.

12 months, 13 months, almost 14 months!

2012-01-09T19:03:00.001-06:00

Britton had her 1 year check up at the end of November. She weighed in at 23 pounds and 1 ounce, which is in the 75th percentile. Her height was 29.75 inches, which is also in the 75th percentile. She got 3 shots and screamed for a few seconds, then gave the nurse a dirty look.

Britton can be very sassy and very mischievous. If she gets caught doing something she shouldn't, she will try to escape before we can catch her. Or, when she is told 'no', she screams and cries like you had beat her, even though you haven't even touched her. Britton is very good with her hands. She can already put her shape blocks through their respective openings. She loves bath time and squeals 'bubble bath' when we are getting her undressed for her bath. Britton gets out her bath toys and will put them back up when bath time is over. At 12 months old, Britton only had 4 teeth, but now she has 6. I think the next 2 are just about to come in. She walks very well, but loves to be carried. Britton hates to wear hair clips or bows, and will pull her bangs into her eyes. Britton already has a great sense of humor. She will do something crazy and will laugh so hard. Britton dances (just like Holland), and sings all the time. Anything on the radio, she will hum or sing along while dancing. She even sings 'laaaaaaaaa la la la la la' with The Fresh Beat Band! Too cute! Britton isn't saying as many words as Holland did at this age. I know I'm not supposed to compare them. Holland spoke more, but Britton has a better temperament and motor skills. So, they may be different, but they are both wonderful! Britton will say mama, dada, gaga, nana, bubble bath, bye bye, and babbles all the time. She will blow kisses, wave, and help take off her clothes. Hmmm............... I'm sure I will think of other stuff that makes her the best baby ever, but I guess this will do and get me caught up for now.

Yes.............. I remembered something. Britton LOVES to eat anything and everything! I think if she could eat all day long, she would. She says, 'bite' every time for a bite of any of our food or her food.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T22:33:00.000-06:00

This Christmas season has been very different for my family. We didn't put ornaments on our Christmas tree because when we put the tree up, Britton was in a klepto phase. Anything and everything she found, she would put in her mouth or walk off with it. I didn't want to take a chance with her eating any of the ornaments. Our family didn't have our annual candy making day, which I look forward to every year. Mommer celebrated her 90th birthday in the hospital with a broken hip, so her birthday party was cancelled. My family had everything planned to have Christmas dinner, like usual, at Mommer's with checking Mommer out of the hospital for a couple of hours to come eat with us, but that was cancelled.

Now, the normal things that did take place was our Elf on the Shelf was finally named........................ Bono! Holland really got in to having Bono this year. Every morning she would rush into the living room to see where he was. We watched the Elf on the Shelf cartoon umpteen times. We had our family advent calendar that Holland loved getting to do every morning. She would say, "we're getting close to Jesus's birthday!" Our little family had our traditional gift opening Christmas morning then went to Mom's for brunch and gifts.

Christmas Eve before bed.

Santa brought Britton the little Tikes car and Holland the Disney Princess Castle with Princesses. Both girls LOVED their gifts!

Britton and Holland enjoyed opening their gifts.

We got the girls a trampoline, but unfortunately, it was lightly raining Christmas morning so they didn't get to jump.

After gifts at our house, we headed over to Mom's. The girls got a lot of clothes and some toys. Holland especially loved her easel and LeapPad. Holland has played with the LeapPad so much that I've already had to change out the batteries. Britton loved dancing and singing while we all played Xbox dance games.

The rest of Christmas was spent relaxing at the house, going to visit Mommer in the hospital, and playing with all our new toys. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas cards

2011-12-25T22:38:00.007-06:00

I didn't get our Christmas cards out this year because I didn't get pictures made until the 22nd. Dixie was so awesome to squeeze us in and make us a card to use. Love Dixie! She is the best! So, here is our Christmas card for 2011.

8th Anniversary

2011-12-21T20:49:00.001-06:00

Kirk and I celebrated our 8th anniversary on the 20th. We always order a cake, but this year, I ordered Georgetown Cupcake (DC Cupcakes). Total YUMFEST! We met some friends for dinner the following night. Kirk and I haven't had a date night in probably close to two years now. So, dinner with friends was really nice.

Fantasy of Lights

2011-12-17T20:41:00.000-06:00

We had a family date night with the Tacks. The girls loved it! We met for dinner, Starbucks, then took the girls to the Fantasy of Lights.

Happy..................... Black Friday!!

2011-11-26T11:25:00.002-06:00

Black Friday was awesome! Sara talked me into going this year and I'm so thankful I went. Granted, I am worn out and sore, but it was totally worth it! Unfortunately, both Sara's and my families had their Thanksgiving dinner at 6pm, which meant we had to miss celebrating Thanksgiving with our families. Sara, her husband Bill, and I met at Walmart at 4pm to get in line for some of the amazing sales. We were first in line to get the xbox combos. I bought some walkie talkies at Walmart, so we communicated with each group with those. It was so much fun! Kirk came up after our girls were in bed and the guys and some good friends secured our other big items. The toy sale started at 10pm, and we were driving off from Walmart by 10:30. We went to Kohl's and stood in line there and got what we wanted when they opened at midnight. By then, we were starved so we ate and then went to Target and Toys R Us. We got everything on our list at those places, too. It was around 3:30am when we went separate ways for a bit. Sara and Bill went to Penneys and Kirk and I went to Starbucks and Walmart again to see if we could get even more stuff ......... which we did! The guys went to stand in line at Academy and Sara and I stood in line at Shoe Carnival. Sara was first in line and got everything she wanted for free. I was just there for support. Us girls went to Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, then we met up with the guys. Sara/Bill went to Office Depot and Kirk/I went to Tractor Supply. We all got everything we wanted and a ton more that were bonus buys. I asked Sara to make us some really cute Black Friday shirts. I love both our shirts! This one is mine.......

Sara sitting in line for the xbox combos. We were in line for 5 hours!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Britton is 1!!!

2011-11-19T21:48:00.009-06:00

Britton is one year old!! We had her birthday party at Gaga's house. It was so awesome to just decorate over there and show up. Thank you Mom for letting us use your house! Britton's birthday theme was Princess 1st birthday. It was all pink and adorable! We grilled out burgers and hot dogs with all the fixings and had cake. Britton loved her cake! She tore into it and ate a ton of buttercream icing. Britton had a great 1st birthday!
The birthday Princess!

Thank you to everyone for the clothes and toys!

Hairbow holder made by Sara. Love it!

Britton is thinking, "what is this?"

"Well, whatever it is......... it's delicious!!!"

After a few hours of running around and playing, Holland and Molly sit down to watch some cartoons.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:29:00.000-05:00

Holland's class went to the pumpkin patch the week before last and had their Fall Party last Thursday. Holland loved it all! She was so happy Gaga and I made cupcakes for her class party and that Kirk and I went to the pumpkin patch with her class.

Just planted her flower and patiently awaiting the goodies!

Delicious!

Saturday we went to a friend's Halloween party, VFD Fish Fry, then to Mommer's for Halloween with the family. Britton wasn't a fan of wearing her baby strawberry costume. Holland, on the other hand, loved wearing her strawberry fairy costume. Boomtown Embroidery made her shirt and I made her tutu. The rest of her costume we bought with Britton's.

Tonight we went to our church's trunk or treat. The girls had fun and enjoyed dressing up. Afterwards, we came home to pass out candy to all the little trick or treaters.

Gig 'Em Aggies!

2011-10-31T21:28:00.000-05:00

We have been rooting for the Aggies this season in our new Aggie gear from Boomtown Embroidery. The cheerleading costumes are awesome and Sara even put Gig 'Em on the girls' bloomers.

I can never get a picture of both girls smiling, but I can get the deer in the headlights look.

Our little strawberry is 11 months old

2011-10-21T13:43:00.001-05:00

Just 1 more month! I can't believe Britton is 11 months old now. The days are flying by faster and faster. So....... updates on Britton. She LOVES attention. Whether it's being held, sang to, tickled, or playing with Holland. She eats anything and everything we offer her. Britton is cruising really good now and will stand on her own. She is only saying mama, dada, and nana. She will say hi and bye bye when we say it to her. We had Britton's 11 month photos with Dixie using Britton's Halloween costume. Too cute!

Britton's 10 month photos

2011-09-24T14:14:00.000-05:00

Dixie has been wanting to do a bear scene with Britton wearing bear ears and bears all around. Well, it turned out so cute!

10 months old

2011-09-18T19:23:00.001-05:00

Britton is 10 months old today! She has progressed so much in the past month. She has her two bottom teeth and her first top tooth is starting to come in. Britton crawls, pulls up, and tried to take a few steps today pushing her lion cruiser. She has a blast sneaking around and getting into things. Britton loves to get under stuff like tables, chairs, etc. That is opposite of Holland, who loves to climb up on things. Britton is really good with her hands. She loves to take apart puzzles, games, etc. Britton is using her hands to self feed little things like the puffs and freeze dried yogurts. I can't believe she will be 1 in 2 months! Time to start planning a birthday party.

Gymnastics

2011-09-18T18:52:00.000-05:00

Holland watched an episode of Max and Ruby where Ruby did gymnastics. She did a somersault, a cartwheel, and held a handstand for five whole seconds. At that point, we knew Holland might love gymnastics................ and we were right! Holland loves gymnastics! She goes to the same class as her friend, Molly. They do all kinds of stuff like trampoline, rings, balance beam (not a raised one), and one of the uneven bars.

80th Annual Pioneer Reunion

2011-09-18T18:37:00.000-05:00

This year was really good for us. We only went to the Friday and Saturday night rodeos and Kirk was able to go with us instead of working. Britton enjoyed her first Pioneer Reunion. She clapped all the time. By looking at the pictures, Britton doesn't look like she is having fun, but she really did. I don't think she likes to smile for me when I'm taking pictures.

Britton's 9 month photos

2011-09-03T16:35:00.001-05:00

Kirk was a sweetheart and took Britton for her 9 month photos with Dixie this week. I couldn't wait to see the pictures. We made it simple. Big flower and bow with pearls. The pearls are Moms and my pearls from Spain. Dixie thought it would be cute to show off Britton's hiney from behind. It doesn't look like Britton enjoyed flashing everyone. Britton's second tooth broke through this week so she's not been in the best mood. She's getting so big and growing so fast. She crawls on her tummy, can move back forth from crawling to sitting, and is almost pulling up. Britton is chewing her food now, so I can't wait to try more table food. I love the pictures - thank you Dixie!

Communion

2011-08-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

Kirk had his first communion today as a confirmed Lutheran. It was really awesome to have all four of us going up for communion as a family. What a blessed day!

9 months old

2011-08-21T18:58:00.002-05:00

Britton is 9 months old and growing so fast! We had her 9 month appointment on Friday. Britton weighed 20 pounds and 6 ounces, which is in the 75th percentile. She was 28 inches long, which is also in the 75th percentile. Dr. Mike said she is "perfect" and of course, we totally agree. For her development, Britton is getting up on all fours and rocks, so any day she will begin crawling. She's almost pulling up. Britton lights up when Holland comes in the room and talks to her. Britton has a very active tongue. She can roll it, flip it, anything you can think of, she can do. It's crazy amazing! She has her first tooth in this week! It's the bottom front right one and the left one is close behind. Poor thing is having more trouble teething than Holland did. Britton doesn't get much sleep at night while teething. Thank goodness for meds and orajel. We have her 9 month photos with Dixie next week. It's going to be so cute! Doing a bear theme and pearls theme. So fun!!! :)

What class?

2011-08-18T17:58:00.000-05:00

Holland, what class are you going to be in?

That's correct! You're going to the two day, three year old class at WCS!

Today was Holland's first day of school and she was so excited! She loves her teacher, Mrs. Wade, and has a few of the kids from last year in her class. The morning started with the use of her first alarm clock. She was so excited to have her own alarm clock to wake her up in the morning. We all dropped Britton off at the sitter's and then took Holland to school.

The kids' paint sets were out for the kids to start painting, so Holland walked right in, and started painting. We gave Holland hugs and kisses and she blew kisses at us when we left. She is so grown up!

After school, we went to Braum's for ice cream. It was a GREAT first day of school!

Colorado Springs

2011-08-04T20:34:00.005-05:00

Our first family vacation with the girls! We had planned on going somewhere here in Texas, but with the 60+ days of over 100 degree weather, Kirk and I said we have to go somewhere cool. Our trip started out with a drive to the Abilene area to have lunch with Kirk's parents. Then, we headed to Lubbock to have supper with Kirk's high school best friend, Sean. After supper, we were back on the road, to stay the night in Amarillo. When we got to Amarillo, the brand new car top carrier we bought didn't unlock and open up. It was a long night since the pack and play was in the carrier and we couldn't get to it. Tuesday morning, my birthday, we were at Sears in Amarillo by 8am in order for them to replace the car top carrier. We were soon on the road and headed to Colorado Springs (CS). Once we were in CS, we went up to the Garden of the Gods. It was awesome! We walked around and had supper up there. It rained every afternoon in CS. Since we haven't had rain in Petrolia since the beginning of April, we truly enjoyed all the rain.

Wednesday morning we drove up Pikes Peak a little to go to the North Pole amusement park. Holland enjoyed riding all the little rides and Britton enjoyed riding along in the stroller.

After the North Pole, we went to the Cliff Dwellings and then to Seven Falls.

Thursday we drove over the mountains to Cripple Creek for Holland to ride the train. She loved it! Holland had been talking about train rides since we told her we were going to the mountains. Holland kept singing, "all aboard the choo choo train, all aboard the choo choo train, all aboard the choo choo train. All aboard! All aboard!" from the Disney Channel. Too cute!

After Cripple Creek, we headed down to the Royal Gorge. We drove across it (very scary!) and walked across it two times (even scarier!!). It is very creepy since it is wood and you can see between each wood plank. They had places to eat, different places to view the Royal Gorge, and even a carousel for the kids to ride.

Friday morning we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in CS. It was so much fun and all the animals were out since it was beautiful weather. The Zoo even lets you feed the giraffes. How cool is that!?!? The bird cage is enclosed and they let the birds fly around in the room. It's nuts trying to make sure you don't get a surprise on your head from the birds. They even let you feed the birds, too. We always get the girls a stuffed animal when we go places so Holland got a giraffe and Britton got an elephant, which she loved to eat!

These ground squirrels/chipmunks are all over Colorado. They will come up to you to be hand fed. Well, this particular one that Holland is talking to, followed her up the hill to go see the hippos and when we came back down it ran back up on the rock to see her again. For some reason, this particular one and Holland had some kind of connection. Holland stood there forever talking to it and it would just get closer and closer to her. Soooo cute!

After the Zoo, we went over to the Ghost Town Museum to pan for gold and get some sarsaparilla sodas. It was fun to pan for gold and Kirk was awesome at it. He found 3 little gold nuggets and 1 gold flake!

On our last night, the girls were having a blast playing on the bed together. Sister love.

Saturday morning we got up and headed home. It was a wonderful trip other than the issues with the car top carrier and the massive windshield crack we got from a gravel truck. We can't wait to go back to Colorado!

Please vote!!!

2011-08-03T19:05:00.000-05:00

The Humane Society of Wichita County has been accepted in the voting in August for the Pepsi Refresh Project. Our project is for $25,000 to purchase a Rescue Van to transport our animals and to go pick up abandoned animals. We would greatly appreciate your help and, of course, your votes. Please remember to vote everyday during August at http://www.refresheverything.com/wichitacountyrescue. Additionally, you can text 107902 to 73774 everyday. It would be great for the Humane Society to have a new van. And if you don't want to login everyday---just text in your vote:)

Thanks for your support and time!

8 months old

2011-08-03T18:58:00.000-05:00

Britton is 8 months old and is doing really good. She plays patty cake all the time, says mama and dada, sits up, and is almost crawling. Britton will push up on her hands and knees and rocks. We will try to go to Dixie this week to do the 8 month photos. We should have last week but we were on vacation. Other than that, Britton is growing like a weed and is such a happy baby. She smiles and laughs all the time. We are very blessed with both our girls!

July 4th

2011-07-04T18:26:00.000-05:00

Our traditional July 4th consists of food, fireworks, and fun over at Mommer's. Since there is a ban on fireworks, it just won't be the same. But, we will still have some fun. We put up a little swimming pool for the girls to play in. They loved it! Holland wasn't scared at all and Britton had a blast kicking and splashing. Holland was so protective of Britton in the pool. She kept hold of Britton's floaty just to make sure Britton was okay and had her toys to play with.

I made Big Red ice cream which is one of my family's traditional July 4th foods. I also made a 4th of July cake (recipe from plainchicken.com) with Mom's help. The cake looks like a flag when you cut into it. So cool!

Happy Independence Day!

Cool the Paws grant

2011-07-02T09:06:00.001-05:00

My Mom has been working with the Wichita County Humane Society on a grant for an air conditioning system. The Pepsi Refresh Project has picked the grant as one of the July grants up for voting. Please vote for this grant at http://www.refresheverything.com/wichitacountycoolourpaws#

Please VOTE DAILY to help "cool the paws!"

3 years and 7 months

2011-06-23T19:48:00.001-05:00

At Holland's 3 year check up with Dr. A, she weighed in at 39.5 pounds and is 40 inches tall. Both are at the 97th percentile and make her BMI right on track. They started taking her blood pressure and it was 92/60. Hopefully she will continue to have low blood pressure like her momma. She is talking very well for a 3 year old and knows a lot for her age. She spelled out her name and counted to 10 in Spanish for Dr. A. He was very impressed. After her appointment, we took her to the bank to deposit her money she has collected in her piggy bank. Holland helped me put the coins in the coin counter. Then she held her cash and coin receipt and handed them to the teller. She was so excited. We told her she is saving money to go to college and she said, "I want to go to college. College is cool."

Britton is 7 months now and is changing every day. She is saying "dadada" and one morning this week she said "dadada" when she saw Kirk. I'm sure it wasn't intentional but it was nice to hear her say it to Kirk. She will be transitioned over to all formula feedings this weekend. She is eating stage 2 foods very well. We haven't found any food that she doesn't like yet. Britton still doesn't like to sit up on her own. She prefers to be on her tummy or to be held. We are starting to think she will be very strong willed like her older sister.

So, what do we always do? We go to Dixie for photos! I was lucky to find a couple of matching outfits for the girls' photos. Here are both girls' photos. I love the bright colors!

Holland is 3!

2011-06-19T15:22:00.001-05:00

Holland is three years old today! We had her birthday party at the Wichita Theatre yesterday. It was so awesome just showing up, partying, and leaving. Holland wanted the Princess Theme so everything was decorated with Princess stuff and costumes were available for the kids to dress up like princesses and princes. The kids did 2 activities, a coin hunt and story time. Then the kids decorated wands and shields for their craft. The kids had a blast! We had cupcakes, cookies, fruit, and drinks. Then gifts! Holland loved her party and loved all of her gifts. Wichita Theatre even provided goody bags for the kids. As soon as we got home, Holland went through all of her clothes and toys. I especially loved putting up and organizing her new bow holder (Thank you Sara and Molly!).

The kids could dress up like a princess or prince.

The coin hunt.

Story Time!

Decorating their shields and wands.

Holland blew out the candle on the first try!

Cast members from Seussical the Musical came by to wish Holland a happy birthday!

She loves all her new toys and clothes!

Overall, Holland had a wonderful birthday. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us.

Corpus Christi/Padre Island

2011-06-19T13:38:00.000-05:00

We had a little mini vacation down to Corpus/Padre while I attended a conference there. Kirk and the girls took the days to sight see and hang out, while I sat in classes. One afternoon we all went down to Padre to play on the beach. It was so much fun! I just wish we could have stayed a little longer.

Kirk took the girls to the Aquarium one day and they had a good time. Holland was really excited to see the dolphins and turtles.

Holland's 1st dance recital

2011-06-12T19:12:00.001-05:00

Holland had her first dance recital last night. She did great! She performed a tap and ballet routine. But for her age, tap and ballet really consists of a few moves and just a little foot work. She knew the routines and did them on stage. Her tap routine was to Me and My Teddy where the girls danced with a teddy bear that had a costume just like the girls costume. Her ballet routine was to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and they used wands for props. We weren't allowed to take any photos or video of the recital so all the pictures I have are before and after the recital. I wasn't excited about putting makeup on Holland, but our recital instructions highly recommended it so that the girls wouldn't be washed out by the stage lights. Holland loved having makeup on. She had more on than I did. The traditional gift for a dancer are flowers, but since she's so young, I figured she might like something different. Luckily, I found a ballerina Hello Kitty. She loved it! We are so proud of our little dancer.

6 month photos

2011-06-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

WOW! Soooo cute!!! That's all I can say! We had a great time doing Britton's 6 month photos with Dixie. Dixie did the baby parts and a bath tub scene. I brought all of Britton's bath stuff, like her duck slippers, robe, towels, and wash cloths. Britton did great at posing like she was bathing. Love the pictures! Dixie is the best!

Holland's last day of school

2011-05-26T20:31:00.000-05:00

Holland had her last day of school on Wednesday. She was very excited to go to school and have their certificate ceremony. Holland received Star Student with the biggest personality. Soooooo true! She had a blast at school and is excited to start the 3 year old program in August. In celebration, we went to Maggie Moo's for some ice cream and Books-A-Million for a book. We are so proud of Holland! :)

6 months old!

2011-05-26T20:20:00.000-05:00

Britton is now 6 months old! She rolls over both directions, grabs and picks up toys, laughs, sings, and talks (babbles) all the time. And, she loves her big sister! At her 6 month well baby visit, she weighed in at 16 pounds and 8 ounces, which is between the 50th and 75th percentile. Her height is now 26.5 inches, which is at the 75th percentile. Britton received 3 shots and one oral vaccine. She screamed so loud during the shots, but then calmed down once we picked her up. I'm going to start transitioning her to formula now and she gets to start stage 2 baby food. We gave Britton her first bottle of juice/water today. She really liked it. We had Britton's 6 month photos scheduled with Dixie this week, but with everything going, we are postponing until next week.

We love tutus!

2011-05-15T10:07:00.002-05:00

I finally got around to making the last tutu of this season for Holland and Molly. This tutu is zebra print and hot pink. I think they turned out pretty good for my 2nd attempt. Of course, the girls had to have matching hair clips. These pictures at the dance hall were taken with my phone, sorry for the quality. Then I was able to get one picture of Holland in her tutu eating her gummies from Molly.

Mother's Day and cooking

2011-05-15T10:03:00.001-05:00

Mother's Day was wonderful. We had supper at Mommer's house and had a really good time. It was laid back and stress free. Kirk and the girls gave me a rejuvenation day at the spa. I can't wait to use it! Mom gave me some cutting boards, which I really needed since I'm cooking a lot more. Kate and Matt sent me a new video camera so we can skype since they moved. For Mother's Day, I made a jello cake and it turned out really good. With the warm temperatures, the cool cake was nice treat.

I was crazy and got up at 4 am to watch the Royal Wedding back in April. I made scones and English breakfast tea. It was really fun and I did enjoy the quiet time with my breakfast, tea, and royals.

Coopins............ as Ron White would say

2011-05-15T09:20:00.000-05:00

We have been watching Extreme Couponing on TLC the past couple of months. After watching several episodes, we have decided to start couponing. I've used a few coupons, here and there, but not like the families on Extreme Couponing. And I don't plan on couponing like them either. They have thousands of dollars in stock piles of stuff and I do not want that much stuff in our house. This is my first week to attempt this and I saved $25 with using coupons. I was nervous and excited about the shopping trips. I just hope cashiers don't see me coming and run. :)

H is for Horton

2011-05-08T11:44:00.000-05:00

Sara and I were shopping one day while our girls were in dance class and we saw a really cool wreath. I thought about buying it since it had a H on it, but Sara told me she could make a better wreath............ and she did! This wreath is gorgeous! I'm always so amazed by Sara's craftiness! Thank you Sara!!!

Britton is 5 months old!

2011-05-04T12:19:00.001-05:00

Britton is doing so good. She is rolling both directions now, pushes up during tummy time, jumps in her jumper, and can almost sit up on her own. Most importantly, she loves her big sister, Holland. Those two can lay beside each other, smile, and laugh out loud all the time. It's so sweet! If Britton gets a little fussy, Holland can come over and say anything to Britton and they both just start smiling. Britton eats like a champ and likes all the food she has been offered thus far. Even better is she sleeps like a champ. We can lay her down in her crib and she will be quiet, watch her mobile, and sleep all night without a peep.

We had Britton's 5 month photos with Dixie last week using her Easter dress and basket. Too cute!

He is risen!

2011-04-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter! Even though it's cloudy and misty today, it's a beautiful day. We need the moisture and the cool temperatures are awesome. Our little family got up this morning to have bunny rolls (plainchicken.com) and then got ready for church. Service was wonderful!

What's sad is this is the best picture of the girls together.

We had our egg hunt and supper at Mom's. The kids had a good time hunting eggs. For this Easter supper, I cooked the ham and helped with the cupcakes. The girls got baskets from us, Terrie, and Sondra and Howard. Thank you all so much!

On your mark, get set, go!

Easter Party

2011-04-20T21:08:00.002-05:00

Holland's class had their Easter party today and they had a lot of fun. The kids had an Easter egg hunt followed by their party. I signed up for cupcakes and solicited Mom's guidance and help. We made Easter basket cupcakes and yellow chick cupcakes. And when I say "we" I really mean, I baked and helped organize. Mom was the one who did the majority of the work.

Easter sugar eggs

2011-04-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

It's that time again! Sugar eggs! This year we went with a new color........ teal. The color was beautiful. Mom is so awesome for agreeing to lead me in this project every year. She has been making sugar eggs for close to 35 years now. You would think she would be burned out on them, but she does a ton of work. Thank you Mom!

Oil field fire

2011-04-17T20:16:00.002-05:00

Friday was a sad day for my family. A huge fire broke out and stretched 15 miles from Petrolia to Henrietta. It ended up burning over 20,000 acres and at some points, the fire was 3 miles wide. In the path was my grandparents oil field which had the hay barn and the house they started living in 1944 when Grandad worked the oil fields. The house was vacant and no belongings in it, just tons of memories. The hay barn had square bales of hay and the hay and back part of barn are gone. Kirk was out at the fire all day. First as a volunteer firefighter with PVFD and then on duty with the Sheriff's Office. Prayers go out to all the firefighters and volunteers that helped fight the fire and to the families that lost property.

For those that know the oil field. This is looking from the Dean lease to the Zachry lease.

Looking from the creek back to Culberson lease with an electrical pole still on fire.

Looking towards the Power from the curve before the creek.

From the Power looking towards the curve before the creek with pipe still on fire under the tree.

The hay barn. Hay in the back was still on fire.

The old home my grandparents lived in is now the light colored rubble.

DC Cupcakes

2011-04-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

I LOVE the show DC Cupcakes on TLC. On one of their episodes I noticed they ship out orders so of course, I had to go online and order a dozen cupcakes. I couldn't wait to get them in! If you order by noon, the order will ship out that day and you receive the next day. Our order came in on Friday. We ordered various flavors we wanted to try and let me say, they are awesome!!

Growing up

2011-04-10T23:49:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here in bed tonight kind of sad. Britton is sleeping her first night in her crib right now. I'm so used to having her right beside our bed and so easy to get to. I know it's time, but it's still hard. Britton has been such a great baby. She started sleeping all night long at 5 weeks old and she sleeps like a champ. Once she is laid down, within a couple of minutes she is sound asleep. Today had another first for Britton. She flipped over from her back to her tummy. It seems like these changes in Britton are happening faster than they did with Holland. Maybe it's just because life seems so much busier with two kids. Here's hoping I don't worry myself into a sleepless night.

Recipes: breakfast

2011-04-10T20:53:00.003-05:00

I think I'm going to start weekend cooking by theme. The new recipes for this weekend are breakfast foods. I made coffee cake (plainchicken.com) and sausage and cheese muffins (plainchicken.com). As you can tell, I'm obsessed with plainchicken.com. She is awesome. She makes good food with easy, simple recipes. I also busted out one of our old family recipes, hamburger bun pizzas. They are so simple and kids love to help make them. My family prefers hamburger pizzas so we use hamburger meat on top, but you can use any of your favorite pizza toppings. I use pizza sauce, but Mom and Mommer use taco sauce and make theirs a little spicier.

Kate is home from ODS this week so we are going to work on decorating the Easter sugar eggs and make an all time favorite.....Cinnamon ring! Most people call it monkey bread, but our late grandmother on our Dad's side, Grandma, always made it from scratch and called it "Cinnamon ring." I can't wait!!!

Britton's 1st food

2011-04-09T10:34:00.001-05:00

We gave Britton her first cereal and first veggie this week. The cereal didn't seem to interest her, but the organic green peas did. Britton loves the peas. She kicks and squeals when eating it. I have a video of the cereal but it's too long to post. Here is Britton eating her first veggie. Tomorrow we will try green beans .... yuck!

New recipes

2011-04-09T10:13:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I wanted to cook a lot to make up for not cooking the weekend before. We were sick with the allergy/sinus/bronchitis crud and I didn't do much other than what had to be done. This weekend I made pecan praline chicken (Super Suppers), chicken and cheese enchiladas (plainchicken.com), and gooey nutella butter cake (plainchicken). All were awesome!!! I seriously think I'll never have to go to El Chico's for chicken enchiladas again. And, the nutella cake was like eating a chocolate cheesecake brownie. Fabulous!

Britton is 4 months old

2011-03-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

We had Britton's four month well baby check up yesterday. It went great! Britton weighs in at 14 pounds 13 ounces, which is right at the 50th percentile. Her height is 24 and 3/4 inches, which is also at the 50th percentile. Dr. A said she is doing great. She is growing and developing right on track. We get to start her on cereal now, so we will try that tomorrow when Kirk and I are both home. Britton received 2 shots and took them like a champ. Just cried for a moment and as soon as we got her dressed she was back to smiling. Here is Britton waiting for Dr. A to come in to the room.

Rex and his race car

2011-03-28T19:41:00.000-05:00

Holland's class studied 'V' last week, so for show and tell, we were asked to make and bring a veggie vehicle or veggie visitor. If you know me, you know I can't stand veggies so this homework assignment was passed on to Gaga. And she was the best person to do this activity! Holland and Gaga had a great time and made an awesome visitor and vehicle. They used radishes, potatoes, celery, carrots, and broccoli. We asked Holland what she wanted to call it, and she said, "Rex!" The race car was modeled after Benny the Bull's race car. Mom even made sure there was a steering wheel, bumper, and head lights. Holland loved Rex and his race car! Thanks Mom - you are the best! Too cute!

That's Lieutenant!

2011-03-26T09:58:00.000-05:00

Kate is doing great at Navy Officer Development School. She's a Division Officer in Golf Company. Here are a few pictures she has sent of her in her uniforms.

St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T21:04:00.000-05:00

Holland's class had their "wear green" day the Wednesday before Spring Break so I asked Kirk to take a picture of Holland before leaving for school. I think I know what Holland was saying before this photo. I'm sure it was something to the effect of, "no, no pictures, I want to go to school." lol I hope she is saying that when she is in high school.

We didn't do anything special for St. Patrick's Day today since Kirk was in class and Holland and I are suffering from allergy/sinus stuff. Yuck! We are sneezing, coughing, and praying for rain. We just hung out at the house, but of course, we wore our green! We also had a Green Shamrocks book to read to Holland.

I wanted to make some chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing and little shamrock sprinkles for St. Patty's Day. I didn't have a buttercream icing recipe to use, so I checked plainchicken.com and low and behold, she had posted a recipe for Irish Cream Buttercream Icing the same day I was baking the cupcakes! What are the odds?!?! I had to print and make it. Fabulous! And, another must have for St. Patty's is Guinness!

House visit

2011-03-17T08:36:00.001-05:00

We had called to schedule Britton's 4 month photos during Spring Break since we didn't have much planned. Instead of going to the studio, Dixie came out to the house. She wanted to recreate some of the newborn pictures we had done with Holland. For Britton's photos, I made a hot pink, black, and white tutu and painted her name wall letters. It was crazy trying to get both Holland and Britton to cooperate. Dixie took photos of all of us together, Holland by herself, and Britton by herself. A huge thank you to Dixie for driving out to our house and being so wonderful at what you do! :)

So far, so good!

2011-03-15T16:31:00.000-05:00

The weekend of Kate's wedding, we weren't planning on trying any new recipes. But we surprised ourselves by doing so. We wrapped chicken breasts with prosciutto and then olive oil fried them on the stove and served with pesto pasta. It was really good and we loved the leftovers. The first weekend in March we made homemade chili (Deen brothers recipe) with cheddar cornbread waffles (plainchicken.com). Kate and Matt were in from their honeymoon and came over to eat this meal with us before Kate left for ODS. Kirk loved it! It was really good. I might have to tweak the cornbread recipe just a little. I like a little sweetness to my cornbread so I might have to add a little sugar to it. I also made butter dips (plainchicken.com) and we all loved them. Since the cheddar cornbread waffles and butter dips called for buttermilk, I went ahead and made my favorite muffin recipe, bran muffins, to finish out the rest of the buttermilk. Here is the cheddar cornbread waffle with chili.

This last weekend, we made Bubble Up Pizza (plainchicken.com) and again, loved it! You take cut up biscuits mixed with your favorite pizza toppings (we used pepperoni and hamburger meat) and pizza sauce and bake. So easy and so yummy! I also wanted to make rosemary roasted chicken and potatoes, so I bought one of those McCormick seasoning kits that includes the recipe and it turned out really good.

The happy couple!

2011-03-10T19:21:00.003-06:00

Yeah! Pictures from the wedding. The happy couple, Kate and Matt.

The wedding party

Our little family

Me, Britton, Mom, Holland, Kate, and Mommer

The happy couple!

And more tutus.....

2011-03-09T21:06:00.001-06:00

I don't think Sara can be stopped! She's a tutu making lady! Sara made rainbow tutus for the girls and they are adorable.

Our sweet Piwi

2011-03-07T16:47:00.004-06:00

Piwi, our K9 Belgium Malinois, was hit and killed by a car on the highway while on duty this morning. We are very devastated by this loss. Piwi was a wonderful drug dog and pet. He was so sweet to everyone he met and was very gentle and playful with Holland. Since we got Piwi (Aug 2009), Holland learned all the czech commands and Piwi would mind her. The loss of a drug dog is very different for me as compared to losing a pet. Drug dogs are highly intelligent, very protective, and work for a living. K9 dogs are considered a deputy/officer of the department they work for. Piwi took an oath to protect and was assigned a call number. I always felt safe and secure when Piwi was home because I knew he would protect us. He wasn't an aggressive dog unless you gave him the commands to be aggressive. I didn't realize how attached I had become with Piwi until now. Piwi was buried where Precious and Prissy (Mom's chihuahua) were buried. We lost Precious, my chihuahua, last August.

Sister love

2011-03-06T17:20:00.000-06:00

Holland finally asked to hold Britton the other day. Kirk and I were both shocked. Kirk and I are both so happy that the girls love each other. They will just look at each other and smile. If Britton isn't around, Holland will search the house and ask where she is. Britton smiles and laughs when Holland just looks at her. It's so sweet! Well, I took several pictures but of course, it's hard to get a decent one of both of them.

Dancing tutus

2011-03-06T16:50:00.000-06:00

Holland loves going to dance class with Molly. They are preparing for their tap and ballet routines for recital in June. Here are a few more pictures of Holland and Molly in their tutus and preparing for dance class. This week, Holland put her leg warmers and ballet shoes on all by herself.

Kate's wedding

2011-03-05T16:43:00.000-06:00

On February 26th, my baby sister, Kate, was married to Matt! The wedding service was at St. Paul and was beautiful. I was Kate's matron of honor, Holland was the flower girl, Britton was an honorary flower girl, and Kirk was an usher. The reception/dance was held at the Hamilton Ballroom. Fun was had by all who attended. I was so happy to see aunts, uncles, and cousins I haven't seen in a very long time. The happy couple is honeymooning in Aruba.

Once the happy couple is back home, Kate immediately leaves for Navy officer development school (ODS). Kate has been commissioned in the Navy as a Lieutenant and will be a Professor at the Naval Academy in Annapolis! We are so excited and happy for Kate and Matt as they begin their life together and start such an amazing journey.

Will post pictures from the wedding when I get some. I can't believe I didn't take any! :(

3 month photos

2011-02-23T18:52:00.002-06:00

We went to Dixie's yesterday for Britton's 3 month photos. We didn't have any outfits picked out, just took some hats with flowers, bloomers, and a skirt. Britton was fabulous! It was like she was posing for some of the pictures. Britton has the prettiest eyelashes. They are so dainty. I have to say Dixie is fabulous! We all love her!

3 months old

2011-02-19T20:22:00.000-06:00

Britton is three months old! She is doing so good. Britton is so happy all the time and is gaining weight like a champ. We put her in the bumbo seat today for the first time. She sat there and just took everything in. What is crazy is that we had this bumbo seat for Holland when she was a baby, but Holland hated it. The first time we sat Holland in it, she cried and maneuvered herself out it. We tried a few weeks later on, and she was able to get herself out of it immediately. Britton got more use out of it today than Holland did the whole time she was a baby. Britton laughs and actually said "momma" the other night. It wasn't intentional but it shocked us to hear her say that.

Yummy-goodness

2011-02-19T20:11:00.000-06:00

I've gotten into a cooking rut and am making a valiant effort to get out of it. Every weekend, we are going to try a new recipe and hopefully keep that recipe in our rotation of meals. We technically started last weekend when I cooked smothered steak, but this weekend we really kicked things off with two new recipes. We made pizza puffs for lunch and tavern chicken with cellentani (pasta) alfredo. A shout out to plainchicken.com for the recipes and to Anne M. for telling people about the site. We loved the meals!!

Tutus... tutus.... and more tutus!

2011-02-19T13:32:00.001-06:00

We had dance class this week and Holland wore the tutu I made. After long discussion and contemplation, Sara instructed me on how to make a tutu. I made Holland and Molly both a brown and pink tutu and they turned out pretty cute. Molly was sick this week so she couldn't make it to dance. Holland was sad that Molly wasn't going to be at dance class. Next week, I think the girls will wear the black with white polka dots with black/white zebra flower tutu Sara made. The next tutu I make will be black, white, and hot pink.

CRC Jewelry Party

2011-02-19T11:16:00.000-06:00

A high school friend of mine owns Cadillac Ranch Creations and has Ladies Night Out jewelry parties. A group of us wanted to make our own necklaces so we scheduled a party for last night. We had a great time! We showed up, picked out our beads, strung them up and then Anita helps put the clasp on. We already have our monthly party scheduled for March.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T21:09:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Holland was very excited to go to school today for her Valentine's Party. We made Valentines and goody bags for all the kids. The kids had a great time! After the party, Holland and I went shopping for her flower girl dress for Aunt Kate's wedding. Holland had a blast trying on the dresses.

Visit from Mommer

2011-02-14T20:50:00.000-06:00

Mommer came over Saturday afternoon to visit and get out of the house. The girls were so happy to see her. Britton was awake the whole time Mommer was over to visit.

When I was a baby, I NEVER took a bottle or pacifier. By six months old, I was on a sippy cup. I would also suck my tongue (tongue thruster) instead of sucking my thumb. Well.......... Britton is taking after her momma because she sucks her tongue. She was doing so when this picture was taken, granted you can't tell. Britton is too cute!

Snow Day

2011-02-01T19:14:00.000-06:00

I love snow days! We went out to feed cattle, made snow ice cream and let Holland play. She had a blast and really enjoyed her ladybug rain boots. It is very cold and the wind is brutal. Today's high was 15 degrees with a wind child of -9 degrees. Tonight it's supposed to get down to 8 degrees with a wind chill of -20 degrees. That's insane for Texas! We are so thankful to have Kirk's new 4 wheel drive truck. We got around town with no trouble. Check out Holland throwing a snowball. :)

Britton - 2 month photos

2011-01-28T09:27:00.002-06:00

We went to see Dixie yesterday for Britton's 2 month photo shoot. Britton was alert the whole time and only got fussy one time during her outfit change. She did great! We did photos in her baptism dress and tried to recreate the same portrait that Dixie took of Holland in the same dress. Then, Dixie got out a basket and greenery and we dressed Britton in the tutu my Mom made for her. Too cute! I tried to make a tutu, but I am not crafty at all. Thank you to my crafty Mom! Dixie took some pictures in her studio and then of Britton outside. And yes, Britton is hanging from the tree by a ribbon. Beautiful!!!

Britton - 2 month appt

2011-01-21T14:10:00.000-06:00

Britton had a wonderful 2 month appointment on Wednesday! She weighed in at 11 lbs 13 ozs, which is a gain of 2 lbs in 1 month and puts her in the 75th percentile. She is 23 inches long, which also puts her in the 75th percentile for length. Britton received 3 shots and 1 vaccine she had to swallow. She did great! Dr. A was very impressed with her cooing, smiling and laughing. When he smiled at her, she smiled back. Dr. A said she was doing great. Overall, she is growing like a weed and is the best baby. So happy and so playful. I took this picture last night with my phone, so it's not the best quality.

January update

2011-01-15T15:53:00.000-06:00

Britton is doing great! She is almost 2 months old, sleeping all night, and smiles/coos all the time. Her reflux has gotten a lot better. Britton is a wonderful baby and a blessing for our family. We go next week for her 2 month check up and shots. I can't wait to see how much she has grown.

Holland is doing good in school and started dance class this month. She is in the beginner class that does ballet and tap. By the second class, she was doing the dances and having a blast. Holland's friend, Molly, is also coming to the class. Molly's Mom, Sara, made Holland's tutu and it is very cute!

Britton's 1 month photos

2011-01-10T19:51:00.003-06:00

I love Britton's birth announcements! So cute! Dixie did a great job, yet again! Here are some of the photos.

Kirk's new truck

2010-12-30T16:23:00.001-06:00

We finally got Kirk's new truck today! We are so excited to have it! He had been driving a Ford Ranger for years now and with two kids, he had to have more room. He also had to be able to work and tow a load of cattle. We got a 2010 Ford F150 Lariat 4X4 with a 5.4L V8 engine. It is the Fuel Flex model with all the bells and whistles. It has cooled and heated leather seats, reverse sensing system with backup camera, and has the towing package with towing hitches in the front. It even has 1st and 2nd driver memory seat settings. As soon as I get in the drivers seat, it moves forward and up to the perfect setting for me. So awesome! We all love it! Even Holland couldn't wait to go for a ride and loved feeding cattle in it.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T13:51:00.015-06:00

Christmas morning was so wonderful! Britton actually slept from 11pm to 4am, so she slept through her 2am feeding. It was so nice to have a little sleep. We got up with Holland around 7:30 and opened our gifts and Santa gifts. Holland made out like a bandit! She got a lot of Leap Frog things: ClickStart (TV/computer system), My First Computer, and Tag Junior. Holland got a lot of clothes, games, and other toys. Britton got clothes and some toys. She pretty much slept through gift opening. Kirk got his pistol gun safe, clothes, and gift cards. I got a new camera lens, clothes, and garage door opener! I'm so happy! I've been wanting one for years and I guess with two kids now, Santa felt pity for me. :)

We got Britton in her "Baby's First Christmas" outfit and actually got a picture with both girls looking at the camera at the same time! What a surprise!

After we open our gifts here at our house, we go over to Mom's to open gifts there. Mom got Holland a wooden kitchen. Holland LOVED it! She played with it all morning. Kirk and I got a very, very nice stainless steel cookware set with a dutch oven, gift cards, and Wii games. Thanks Mom!!! You rock!!! This year was especially exciting since Kate was home with her fiance, Matt, and we had baby Britton. Our little family grew by 2 people this year and that makes the holidays even more fun. After eating brunch, we played some of our new Wii games. So much fun! I'm just thankful no pictures were taken of me trying to Just Dance 2. :D

The whole family meets at Mommer's for Christmas supper. Tons of food, family, and fun (crazy chaos). :) It was so nice that the whole family was home. It makes for good times and good memories.

I guess it's too much to ask to have another photo with the girls looking at the camera with any interest. I had to try, since Britton had another Christmas outfit on with her Baby's First Christmas Santa hat and Baby's First Christmas shoes.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-26T11:37:00.000-06:00

We went over to Mom's for Christmas Eve. She hosted a party for our family and close friends. We had all kinds of finger foods and tons of Christmas candy to eat. We had a really good time.

After stuffing ourselves full of food, we went home to prepare for Santa. Holland was excited that Santa was coming to visit, but she was really excited about putting baby Jesus on her Advent calendar. She has been so great at pulling out each Nativity scene item for her Advent calendar. But, she has been really excited about pulling out baby Jesus for the final spot. We can ask what Christmas is, and she will say, "Jesus's birthday!"

1 month old

2010-12-22T19:53:00.000-06:00

Britton turned 1 month old on Sunday. She's growing so much and is such a joy. Even though she has acid reflux, she smiles and is such a good baby. We are very blessed! At her 1 month appointment, Britton was 21.5 inches which is a growth of 1 inch since birth. She weighed 9 pounds 13 ounces which means she gained 1 pound and 10 ounces since birth. We had Britton's 1 month portraits with Dixie and here is one picture I took.

Christmas candy day

2010-12-19T20:28:00.000-06:00

Every year, our family gets together to make Christmas candy. Normally it's on or close to Mommer's birthday. We have so much fun. Everyone brings out their recipes and supplies and makes their candy. Then we all share what we make. I look forward to this day every year.

WCS Christmas Party

2010-12-19T19:18:00.000-06:00

Holland's School Christmas Party was Wednesday, December 15th. Holland couldn't wait to get to school for her party. The kids had a ton of goodies to eat, made Christmas ornaments, and had a great time.

Christmas pictures

2010-12-13T11:33:00.000-06:00

Dixie does it again! She is so great to us and is a wonderful photographer. Dixie took our first official family portrait/Christmas portrait last week. And, the portraits turned out great! Holland and Britton were so cute in matching dresses and hair bows. We take Britton back to Dixie this week for her baby portraits. I can't wait!

Britton's Baptism

2010-12-12T22:15:00.000-06:00

Britton was baptized today and it was a beautiful service. Her baptism sponsors are Aunt Kate, Cousin Catherine and Danny. It was really cool that Britton wore the same baptism dress that Holland wore. Mom hosted a luncheon for the congregation after church service. It was a great day even though it was very cold.

Christmas fun

2010-12-12T22:08:00.001-06:00

Kirk and I took Holland to River Bend's ElectriCritters and MSU's Fantasy of Lights Saturday night. She had a blast! It was very cold, but she enjoyed looking at all the lights. When it was time to head home, Holland asked, "where is baby Britton?" We said, "she's at Gaga's house." Then Holland replied, "we have to go get baby Britton at Gaga's." Holland missed Britton and couldn't wait to go pick her up.

2 week appt

2010-12-03T09:33:00.000-06:00

Britton had her 2 week appointment on Wednesday. She weighed in at 8 pounds and 2 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Britton has been a little fussy from pain and spitting up, so we told Dr. A about that and he confirmed what we thought it might be, acid reflux. We are going to monitor how she is doing and in 2 weeks decide whether or not to start medicine.

Sisters, Sisters

2010-12-03T09:26:00.002-06:00

Holland loves her baby sister and really wants to be a big help. She will go get things for us, wants to help change Britton's diaper, etc. When we lay Britton down on the floor for a few minutes, Holland loves to lay down beside her and sing to her. So far, Holland has sung "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Jesus Loves Me" to Britton. It's awesome to watch them both smile and laugh with each other.

Aunt Kate, I thought you might get a kick out of the blog title since you love for us to sing that every Christmas. Maybe Holland and Britton will enjoy the movie "White Christmas" like Kate and I did! :)

What's in a name?

2010-11-30T14:03:00.000-06:00

Some people have asked where we found the name Britton. Well........ Mom is in to genealogy and since retirement she has done a lot of research on ancestry.com. She gave us a 17 page list of names from our family and Kirk's family lines. Kirk and I went through all 17 pages to find several names that we liked, but nothing we loved until one day. Kirk called me and said, "what do you think about Britton?" I said, "I love it!" We knew right then, Britton was the name for our second child. Britton comes from my side of the family and was traced back to 1782 to a Britton Holland in North Carolina. Mom did more research and traced some of his ancestors back to a Philemon Holland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philemon_Holland) in England. Britton's middle name, Abigail, also comes from my side of the family. Had Britton been a boy, his name would have been Britton Reece, with Reece coming from Kirk's side of the family. Kirk and I both like the idea of a non-gender specific first name that we could use for a boy or girl since we don't find out the baby's gender. We did the same with Holland's name.

It's a Girl!!!

2010-11-20T21:09:00.001-06:00

Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 10:17 am, we welcomed Britton Abigail into our family. She weighed in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. She is beautiful and healthy!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:46:00.000-05:00

Today was a very busy day. We went to church and Holland was blinged out! She wanted to accessorize with every piece of jewelry she has. Too cute! She loved her outfit and bow.

After church, Holland went home with Gaga while Kirk and I went to eat lunch with Cousin Catherine and her family at Olive Garden. It was great to catch up with them. After lunch, Kirk and I went through the tour of the Labor and Delivery wing at the hospital. After the tour, we picked up Holland and got her dressed in her Ladybug costume. We first went to Mommer's and then to church for Trunk or Treat. Holland loved wearing her costume, asked to put on her wings and headband and asked to carry her Halloween pail. She did really good with saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" to everyone. Holland also loved her new Halloween pail we ordered with her name on it. She had so much fun and we were both exhausted from the day.

36 weeks

2010-10-31T19:10:00.001-05:00

Wednesday was 36 weeks. Everything is looking good and really close. Progress has already started and OB said I wouldn't make it to 39 weeks. So, no turkey baby for us. Holland seems to be more happy and excited about her upcoming sibling.

WCS Harvest Party

2010-10-27T19:18:00.001-05:00

Holland's class had their Harvest Party today to celebrate Halloween. The kids had a ton of food to eat and had a really good time. I made cupcakes and cookies, and all the other parents brought supplies and stuff for the party. Earlier in the day, Holland and her class carved a pumpkin. Holland's teacher said all the kids were grossed out and even Holland wouldn't touch the pumpkin when she started carving on it.

Halloween Fun

2010-10-24T19:48:00.001-05:00

Friday night was River Bend's Not-So-Scary Halloween. Holland and I invited Sara and Molly to go with us. The girls seemed to have fun, except when it was time for Holland to take pictures. I think they will enjoy it more next year. There was a pumpkin patch, pumpkin decorating, live bats, various activities, food and smores, etc. Molly is so cute as a bee and Holland is a ladybug.

Saturday was a bust for all of our Halloween fun. But, the rain was wonderful and needed. Kirk, Holland, and I met Cousin Clayton and his family at Qdoba's for lunch. It was our first time there, and the food was very good. We had planned on taking Holland to the pumpkin patch, but with the rain, we did some errands, shopping, and went to Starbucks instead. Holland got her first Starbucks! She got a vanilla bean frap and she loved it!

Holland turns 28 months old

2010-10-19T19:58:00.001-05:00

Holland is 2 years and 4 months old today. Kirk and I are very proud of Holland and how she is growing and changing every day. Holland can count to 25 in English and count to 10 in Spanish, knows the majority of the alphabet letters, all the colors, all shapes, and even knows left and right. Holland is doing great in school. She goes into school without crying or having any tantrums. She has received only green marks (great behavior) each day at school. She is potty trained to the point of only wearing a pullup at night in case of accidents. Holland seems to be excited about about the baby. She will come up to me to kiss and hug my belly and tells me, "I have to kiss and hug the baby." She is so sweet and wants to help set up the nursery. She is such a darling at night. When she goes to bed, she will say, "night night, sweet dreams, love you." I truly love mornings because she will come get in bed with us and she loves to snuggle. It's so sweet because she gets so close and wants to be held. When Holland blows kisses or gives us kisses, it just melts my heart. She is very affectionate and wants to hug every person she meets. Right now, Holland's favorite things are anything Hello Kitty or Dora the Explorer. Now, Holland is in the "terrible 2's" and she will throw fits. But overall it isn't terrible and a little verbal discipline works.

Here is Holland's first official school picture. Overall, she posed well but someone else fixed her hair. :)

Petrolia Festival

2010-10-17T20:50:00.001-05:00

Kirk, Holland, and I went to Petrolia's Motorcycle and Fun Run Festival on Saturday. It was very nice to see the town come out and help support the Fire Department, Senior Citizens, and the Petrolia Curb Appeal. There were lots of booths set up, a petting zoo, little train ride, and food. It was great running into family and friends. Holland had a blast and didn't want to leave.

Teagan's Birthday - Jump For Joy

2010-09-26T09:34:00.000-05:00

Clayton and Kristy had Teagan's 4th birthday party at Jump for Joy this weekend. It was our first time there and everyone loved it. The kids all had a blast, especially Holland. She wore Kirk and Kristy out having them slide and go through the bouncy things with her. At one point, Kirk stopped to take his heart rate. He was exhausted! Kirk did tell me next time we go to Jump for Joy, I better not be pregnant so I would have to take half of the play duty. :) Here are some action pictures.

We had a great day! We bought a new smaller Christmas tree and ate lunch at El Diablo before going to Jump for Joy. Holland had a wonderful day and was exhausted!

Pioneer Reunion 2010

2010-09-19T19:16:00.000-05:00

It's that time again...... Clay County Pioneer Reunion week. Parades, rodeos, BBQ dinners, tons of horses, glitter, etc. This year Holland and I went to the rodeos on Friday and Saturday nights. Holland did good other than not wanting to take any photos. She wanted to get to the arena and see all the people and horses. I helped the Klein family serve BBQ to the registered Pioneers on Friday and Saturday. Close to 500 Pioneers came through each day. It's amazing how many people can get seated and served in such a short time. The Klein family does an awesome job planning, organizing, and decorating and I love to help and give back to the Pioneers.

Here is Holland before the Friday night rodeo.

On Saturday night, Sara and Molly came with us. Molly and Holland had a good time together. They shared snacks, sat together, and enjoyed the rodeo.

Texas A&M Game

2010-09-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

Mom, Holland, and I went to College Station to watch a Texas A&M game with Kate. It was so hot and humid, but we still had a great time. And, A&M won! They beat Louisiana Tech. Aunt Kate bought Holland a new cheerleading outfit for this year so Holland was ready to support the Aggies. Holland did good at the game, she would yell for the Aggies and screamed when they would get a touchdown. She's a cheerleader in the making. :)

3D/4D sonograms of baby

2010-09-09T19:55:00.000-05:00

We went to Stork Vision this evening for some sonogram pictures of the baby. Kirk, Holland, Mom and Mommer all got to go and see the video and pictures being taken. The baby moved a lot, sucked it's thumb, yawned, winked, stuck it's tongue out, and even turned it's back to us to make sure we didn't see the gender of the baby! Sooo shy! The bottom picture caught the baby with one eye open. :)

Blanket from Molly

2010-09-09T19:42:00.000-05:00

Sara and Molly made Holland a beautiful blanket with her name on it. It was so sweet and thoughful of them and Holland loved it! She got the blanket and her nap mat we had ordered over a month ago in on the same day and she couldn't wait to lay down with them both. :)

Thank you Sara and Molly!! :)

River Bend Science Saturday

2010-09-04T17:28:00.000-05:00

It's Labor Day weekend, Kate is home from A&M, and River Bend's Science Saturday has started back up for the school year. Mom, Kate, Holland and I went shopping, ate lunch, and then went to River Bend to pay for our membership and go through Science Saturday. Today's lesson was "What's in the pond?" and the kids all loved it. Since it was our first time to River Bend, we went through the butterfly exhibit and checked everything out. It was great having Aunt Kate to show and teach Holland all the neat stuff since she has her PhD in BioChemistry. Mom and I got to hang back and relax a little. :)

Crafts and baking

2010-08-29T08:57:00.000-05:00

I got a really quick and easy recipe for some cookies from Sara and Molly the other day and decided to bake some cookies this weekend with Holland's help. In order to do so, Holland needed an apron! I bought the supplies and let Gaga and Holland have a craft day and decorate an apron. Holland was more excited about the flowers and wanting to iron them on herself instead of decorating the apron. Here are a few pictures of Holland decorating her apron over at Gaga's, helping make the cookies and of course, eating the white chocolate chips!

The cookies turned out great!!! :)

1st day of school!

2010-08-18T17:27:00.001-05:00

Today was Holland's 1st day of school at Wichita Christian School! She did great! We are so proud of her! She got up today and we told her she is going to school so she wanted a dress, hair bow, and shoes. Then she helped carry out her backpack to the car.

We get to WCS and Holland gets out, wants her backpack and lunch box and proceeds to walk into school. She walked straight to her classroom and wanted to start playing. Kirk went with Holland to put her stuff in her locker and she came right back to play. I asked Holland if she needed to go potty, she proceeded to walk down the hall and went to the bathroom and did her business. She went back to the classroom and started making friends. Holland loved it!

We were really proud when she hugged us, kissed us, said "I love you" and then waved bye to us when we left. She was such a big independent girl and was so grown up for a 2 year old. We couldn't be prouder! I, on the other hand, was a little emotional leaving Holland there. I cried, but since I jam packed our day with things to do, it went by fast and I felt good knowing we were in town in case anything happened.

While Holland was being educated and playing with her classmates, Kirk and I did a lot of errands. I had my 26 week OB appt. Everything looks good. Heartbeat was around 153-154. Kirk dropped me off at the Spa for a pregnancy massage and facial. Thank you Kate - loved it! We had lunch and then had to go do my pregnancy glucose tolerance test. After that, we went to pick Holland up from school.

As soon as we walked in the classroom, Holland said, "hi mommy, hi daddy" with a huge smile on her face. The teacher immediately tells us that Holland ate all her lunch! We were shocked, since I packed quite a bit in there in the hopes that maybe she would eat 1-2 items. Kirk and I figured she would pick at it and just want to socialize while sitting with the other kids. Then, the teacher tells us that Holland ate all her snack and any of the other kids snack if they didn't finish. Again, shock! The teacher said Holland did great! She didn't take a good nap, I'm sure because of the distractions of having other kids around. But she minded the teacher, went to potty in bathroom, colored her assignment for the day, and ate her meal. Can't beat that for a 1st day of school!

After leaving school, we took Holland to Orange Leaf for some yogurt. Overall, we all had a great day and a great 1st day of school!

Pregnancy: 24 weeks

2010-08-05T20:17:00.000-05:00

I had my 24 week sonogram this week. Baby looks great. Growing and growing. Around 1 lb and 7 oz right now. We didn't want to find out the gender of the baby and that's good since the baby was very shy and didn't even want a normal sono picture taken. Holland asks for a girl one day and a boy the next day. It's so cute! She even pats my tummy and will kiss the baby. The crib is ready and I've already started stockpiling diapers now that Holland is potty trained. I feel huge and it's very hot these days. I'm ready for Thanksgiving!

Birthday week

2010-07-31T21:10:00.005-05:00

The last week of July is always very busy for my family. We have my birthday, Kate's birthday, Clayton's (my cousin) birthday, and Claytons daughter's birthday. It is party central in our family. To kick off the week, our good friends, Doug and Jan, came in for the weekend before my birthday. We had Bill's Catfish Friday night, Saturday was Parkway Grill and the casinos, then Sunday was Church, Pioneer, and a nap. It was great to see them and have so much fun with them. My birthday was Monday and the girls at work surprised me with lunch, cupcakes, and ice cream. Then, I go to Mom's to pick up Holland and Mom and Kate had cooked one of my favorite meals for me. They even busted out the china. It was such a surprise! I am so thankful for my wonderful family and friends! Kate's birthday was Friday so Kate, Holland, and I met Jan and went shopping in Dallas. We ate at The Cheesecake Factory. Can't beat having your birthday on National Cheesecake Day! :) We shopped in Frisco and Allen and had so much fun. Holland did so great with her pottying, she didn't have a single accident the whole day we were in Dallas, which was 12 hours! Today was my cousins daughter's birthday party. It was a luau theme and was so cute! Needless to say, I am partied out! Here is Kate and Holland at the hospital visiting Mommer.

Iowa Park Spray Park

2010-07-24T09:20:00.007-05:00

Friday morning we took Holland out to the Iowa Park Spray Park. She loved it! Of course, when we said, "you're going swimming." She asked, "with Molly?" Molly is the girl Holland did swim lessons with. Unfortunately, Molly and her parents, Sara and Bill, weren't able to meet us there, but by surprise, Sara/Molly's cousins were there! They were also in our swim lessons. We did so good putting sunscreen on Holland that I forgot about putting any on me. So, I did get a good sunburn on my shoulders and back. Holland had a blast sliding down the slides, playing in the water, and checking out all the creatures. It's cheap and so much fun at the spray park. I hope we go back soon!

22 weeks along

2010-07-24T09:16:00.002-05:00

I had my 22 week OB (almost done with 5th month) appt this past week. Everything looks good. Gaining weight and growing on target. Heartbeat was around 155. We have a sonogram on August 3rd, but we won't find out the gender of the baby. Now that Holland is sleeping in her new bed, I will begin working on the nursery. Time is flying by!