Tis the Season!

We have been busy this week and last with lots of Christmas activities. Anna Kate's preschool class sang at our local banks, we went to the parade and Christmas in Crossett and I attended my favorite Christmas party! Here are a few pics from our events...

Anna Kate before she sang at FSB

Caught a quick smile from Grace!

It is impossible to get a good pic of them together! lol

So happy we managed to get this one...they are both smiling!

AK proudly singing and dancing

AK and most of her PreK WEE school class
(notice that there are NO boys)

It was COLD at the parade!
I was so glad she liked this hat ;)

One of my favorite pics of AK

Poor Grace...this is what happened after one too many fire trucks came by blowing their horns VERY loudly. I didn't even realize Crossett had that many fire trucks! lol

Ladies Annual Christmas Party!
I am so blessed to have these women in my life...we had a ball!
Standing: Ashley B, Jamie, Joanna, Robin, Ashley M, Jan, Cheryl, Kim, Felicia, Shelia, Julie & Beth
Kneeling: Angela, Me, Stormy, Jenny Lynn and Lori

Turkey Time in Texas!

We spent Thanksgiving in Longview with Mer and her fam. We had a GREAT time! The kiddos had a blast and we all enjoyed some really yummy grub! Nana's stuffing and buttermilk pie are personal faves of mine and I relished every bite. :) Thanks so much to Mer and Faber for hosting us and to Em for letting us stay at her house. (Em and Adam were with his fam in Houston and we were sad that we missed them...well...actually we missed Abbott a little more! hee hee)
I have so much to be thankful for and am truly grateful to God for all the amazing ways He has blessed my family! Here are some pics from our trip. :)

My beautiful nieces, Allie and Mary

Mason and Grace

Sweet Smile!

Allie

Mary

Garrett

Anna Kate

Such a cutie pie! Chillin' on Aunt Em's couch :)

Eating at Buffalo Wild Wings in Shreveport!

First time in a booster seat rather than a high chair...she thought she was so big! lol

We got home in time for AK to get some more hunting time in with her daddy.
She's now addicted! Uh oh! ;)

Hog Wild Weekend!

This weekend was one of the best weekends in recent memory. Mason and I, along with 9 of our closest friends, headed to Little Rock on Friday to have some fun and watch the Razorback game. It was our first kid-free getaway EVER...and the first time we have gotten to go out of town overnight in 18 months! Now, you know why I've been looking forward to it for months! We had a great time and enjoyed wonderful food, music and making memories with the best group of friends I've ever known. Thankfully, the game was as fun as the rest of our trip! We kicked them DAWGS in the tail and I was thrilled to finally be calling the HOGS in person again. Thanks to my hubby for making this trip possible and also a very special thank you to my mom for keeping my girls. I never worried for a second, I knew they were in the best hands possible!
Enjoy the pics!

Dinner at Cajuns Wharf...YUMMO!

Tony and Stormy...we kept them out pretty late! lol

Robin and Me...let the tailgating commence!

My hubs is definitely one happy man while he's at a Hogs game!

Jeff and Robin...these two are hilarious! :)

The infamous Razorback Band "A"

After the first TD!

Ryan, Kelly, Me, Mase
Ryan "Gill" is one of Mason's best friends and his former college roomate. We hadn't seen him in two years and were thrilled that he came down from Fayetteville to go to the game with us. He also took us around Little Rock on Friday night. With Gill, there is never a dull moment! lol We had so much fun with him! ;)

Robin, Ashley M (carrying baby Hadley!), Ashley B and Me

Stormy, Robin and Me after the game.
*I somehow managed to miss getting pics of Brad and Wes...but they were there too! I'm also bummed that I didn't snag a pic of the whole group....guess we'll just have to go again! haha

**Our other friends, Melissa and Alan, were originally supposed to join us on this trip. Due to Alan's illness, they were unable to make it. We missed them and ask that you please continue to keep them in your prayers.

WEE Gobblers

Anna Kate's school had their annual Thanksgiving lunch today. For the past few weeks, she has been practicing songs and memorizing scripture in preparation for today's program. She did SO good!! She participated alot more this year than last and knew every single word. We were thankful that both sides of the fam were able to come and support her. It meant the world to her that Nona, Nana and Memaw and Deda all came! Here are some pics and video from our special WEE school lunch. :)

Sassy Smile! ;)

My girls with their Nona

Grace with her Nana
(It is IMPOSSIBLE to get a pic of her looking at the camera!)

My beautiful big girl :)

My baby girl chillin with her Daddy

Anna Kate and her friend, Tori
(please overlook the green frosting around her mouth! lol)

AK and her Nona

Anna Kate and Emma
These two are pretty tight...and are both gorgeous.

Memaw, Nana, AK, Grace and Me
(As usual, G was NOT happy about taking a pic!)

This was the last song that they sang. I have the reciting of the verse and the rest of the program on my video camera. Please excuse the poor quality and the fact that I was wobbling while filming! lol She had more enthusiasm in the earlier songs...

Cutie Patooties!

Here are a few random pics of my girls from this week. They are both doing great and we are so blessed! Grace is coming into her own more and more with each passing day! We never know what to expect from her next. She is now 17 months old...time really has flown by. Thankfully, she's still very much a Mommy's girl. She is never far from my side! Meanwhile, Anna Kate is too big to be much concerned with my whereabouts. She absolutely loves preschool and her wonderful teacher. She is also quite the singer...I wish I had video of all the songs she belts out while we're in the car! They are very different yet still seem to get along almost all of the time. I can't wait to see how they'll amuse themselves next! lol

Weekend of Showers

This weekend was a very busy one for myself and some of my closest friends. We helped plan and host two baby showers for my wonderful friend, Ashley McDougald. I've known Ashley's hubby, Wes, for as long as I can remember. He is very much like a brother to me and we consider he and Ashley to be members of my family. Ashley is an amazing friend with a giving heart. It was so fun to be able to return a portion of all the things she and Wes have done for myself and my girls. The first shower was at our church (First Baptist, Crossett) on Saturday and the second was at Ashley B's house on Sunday. We made (and ate!) a ton of yummy food and watched for hours (literally!) as Ashley unwrapped all her super cute gifts. It was a great weekend and I absolutely cannot wait for Hadley Nicole to make her arrival!! There is nothing like being able to spoil a new "niece". :)

Shower #1

Hot Mama! ;)

My gift was Hadley's name in handpainted letters to match her crib bedding. They were created by my incredibly talented sis-in-law, Em. I wanted Em to see Ashley's expression...she LOVED them! I'll post a pic at a later date of them hanging above the crib...

Me and Ashley

Paula and Ashley (sis in laws)

My mom and Ashley

Me and Ashley B

Paula, Ashley, Me and Ashley B

Shower #2

Is she glowing or what? So pretty!

Super cute cake

Ashley B and I worked hard on the stork!

Hadley's "loot". Notice the beautiful crib bedding...

The Hostesses:
Robin (her shower is next!), Ashley B, Me, Joanna, Stormy, Melissa and Paula

Busy Little Bees!

Happy Halloween! I absolutely love Halloween, I always have! It's such a great time of year and my kiddos love getting dressed up. This year (same as last), Anna Kate insisted that Grace's costume be the same as hers. So, after much debate, she decided to go with the bumble bee! I was really surprised at just how cute their costumes were. They both seemed to like them...well, actually Grace HATED her head piece...but otherwise, they were both very happy and comfortable in their costumes.
We headed out trick or treating in style this year. My Dad loaned us his golf cart, complete with decorations for the kiddos. The girls absolutely loved it. We joined several of our friends from the neighborhood and had quite the "golf cart train" going. The kids had a great time and are (of course) still enjoying their sweet treats!

Our baby bee with her Daddy

Me posing with the queen bee :)

Nona loving on Grace

Anna Kate with her wonderful Memaw

Cutie Pie

Anna Kate giving me her best, "Buzz"

My two beautiful little bees!

Pope Fam
Halloween 2009