Geaux Tigers

Amanda bought the kids some LSU shirts, so they wore them the morning of the first game. Of course Steven's is a little tight on him, but it's cute nonetheless.

Where has the summer gone??

I just realized I haven't posted since early June! Where has the summer gone? Some of the reason I haven't posted is our old computer was VERY slow, and about a month ago Chris finally decided to get a new one. Then he had to set it up, transfer the files, etc, and I am still getting used to Vista, which I really like!

June was a pretty quite month. Anya started MDO for the summer in early June. Her teacher, Miss Sarah, was adorable, and they did some cute stuff. Every week they did a different nursery rhyme, so one week she came home with a paper candle stick and kept jumping over it. Adorable! Steven starting taking a step or two, but only when really coaxed. My Uncle Paul and his girls came down for a few days, and my Aunt Becky and her two came also so we went to New Roads for a fun visit. Anya loves playing with all her older cousins. I love it too!!

We did a number of little things in July. Anya was still doing MDO three days a week. I went to Lake Charles for a cropping weekend early in the month - LOTS of fun! Steven learned the fun of climbing, including standing backwards on chairs and getting on tables. My friends Nicole and Meredith came over one day with there kids. All together there were 5 kids, not including the 2 buns in the oven! Very loud but very fun! On the 15th we went to Jambalaya park with Ashlie, my ol' strollerfit leader and her two boys, Jeffrey and Nathan. We also went to the Lowes Build and Grow with my friend from high school, Michelle, and her son, Kolin. I think the adults got into it more than the kids! Anya took swim lessons at Crawfish Aquatics the last two weeks of July. She cried the first two days, but ended up doing great and loving it. Anya is in the center of the picture in the blue suit.

In early August Chris and I took Anya to her first theater movie: Ice Age. She loved it, as we knew she would! The Balloon Festival was the weekend of the 8 - 9. We didn't go, but the balloons flew right over teh house both mornings. They are so beautiful, and Anya and Steven just loved watching them. We spent August 14-16 in El Dorado Arkansas visiting Chris's cousin Amanda and her family. We had a great time. The kids did great on the ride up there (thank goodness for DVD players). Steven really took off with walking while we were there, and Anya even rode a horse! Steven's 15 month checkup was a few days ago and he weighs 32 lb and is 33.5 inches long!!

San Antonio

Hard to believe, but Chris and I have been married for 5 years. Doesn't seem like that long. It just amazes us how much life has changed for us in the last 5 years, and all for the better!!

Chris was going to San Antonio for a charity golf game the Monday after the Valero Texas Open. We decided that would be somewhere fun for a quick getaway. We had enough Holiday Inn points for a few nights on the river, and then his company was paying for the nights he was staying at the resort for the golf game, so that helped make the decision even easier!!!

We left Friday morning and spent the day driving. We arrived around 3 and checked in. Life had been busy the weeks leading up to the trip, so once we arrived I took out his laptop and checked out Frommers.com for suggestions on things to do. It had just started to rain when we got there, so I did some Internet surfing and Chris checked out the golf game on TV. After it quit raining, we walked down to the RiverWalk and just walked around and then enjoyed some Mexican for dinner. After that we went on a boat ride down the river. FUN! Next we went ahead and walked to the Tower of the Americans. By the time we left it was about 8:30, and we were tired.

Saturday we did the Alamo, then went and saw a movie, something we never do at home because we have the kids. It ended up being a smart move because it POURED!! After the movie we went back to our hotel and went to Mass. There's a Catholic Church across the street from our hotel, which was nice. After that, we went to an Italian restaurant we had seen on the RiverWalk. Beings we went to Italy for our honeymoon, it seemed necessary to enjoy Italian food on our anniversary weekend!! After dinner we went to a Martini Bar and I had a Mojito for the first time. YUCK!! But it was fun sitting on the river just hanging out!
Sunday we had breakfast on the river, then drove to one of the missions: San Juan. So cool!!! After that we headed to the La Cantera Resort where the golf tournament was being held. We walked over for about 30 minutes to see what was going on, but no one real exciting was in the game, so we left so Chris could get ready for his thing that night. I could have gone, but it would have been a $500 donation for me to go, so I obviously didn't!!

Monday was probably the best day!! Chris and I got up and went to work out in the resort gym. Nice. After that we had a little breakfast and then decided to go check out the hot tub by the pool. Not your average square hot tub. It was huge!! I loved the way all the pools just fit in with the landscaping. Chris got ready for his golf game, so I went and had lunch by the pool, then went to the spa for 2 treatments: a massage and a hot stone facial. LOVED the facial!! Next I decided I needed a nap, then I went back to the pool with a book until about 7, when I went back to the room for room service dinner.
Then it was Tuesday, and I had to get my head out of the clouds and return home. The kids looked like they had grown in the 5 days we were gone! I had missed them, but had a great time with my husband!!

Anya's Extended Birthday

Poor Anya! This year was a little crazy for her birthday. I had to work the day of her birthday, and then Chris and I left for our San Antonio trip the day after, so her party was 2 weeks later. Oh well, she was able to enjoy her birthday for 2 weeks!

On May 12, I went to Anya's class for snack time and brought homemade chocolate chip cookies for her birthday. They were yum, and the kids loved them. I think Anya enjoyed her mom and brother coming to her class, and I enjoyed seeing her and all her classmates.

May 14 was her actual birthday. My baby is 3!! Not at all a baby anymore, or even a toddler for that matter! It's amazing to me what a true miracle she is, and every day I just thank God for sending her to us!!! Well, I had to work that day. I ended up getting off 2 hours early. I had already bought a small cake, and Chris stopped at Zippy's on the way home for some yummy Mexican for supper. She had her usual, chicken quesidillas, and then we had some chocolate cake and ice cream.

Chris and I were gone that weekend, and the next weekend Chris's sister and mom were out of town for a graduation, so my family came over for dinner (May 23). We were going to grill beings it was Memorial day weekend, but the forecast was for rain, so I made crawfish fettuccine. My sisters got Anya an ice cream maker, her own pink ice cream bowl, and a frilly cute pink apron. She is really getting into helping me in the kitchen, and LOVES ice cream, so I thought she would enjoy making it herself. She put on the apron and helped shuck corn for dinner, and we made the ice cream (fresh strawberry. We enjoyed it for days).

On Saturday May 28, we had a few of Anya's friends meet us at Potteryworks and we painted some pottery. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and not near the mess I had anticipated. I had made all the kids a tee-shirt with their names on them to keep their clothes clean. They were so cute!!!

Whew! I hope next year her birthday is a little calmer!

Steven is now ONE!

Where has the time gone??? My baby is not a baby anymore!!
Saturday, May 2nd was his first birthday. I have made it a tradition to go into the kids rooms with the video camera to wake them up and sing happy birthday. A friend gave me the idea. Anyway, he was so cute with his toothy grin!!
It was a pretty busy day. We had a party for him in the evening, so I spent the day cleaning, cooking, and shopping.

We simply did a small family party. We had only gotten home from the beach 2 days before. I had done big family party's for Anya, but it is hard and tiring, and they don't remember anyway. We had our siblings, parents, Chris's step-mom and my Aunt Polly and Uncle John over for dinner and cake. We did pizza from PastTime and a sensation salad for dinner, and I made a yummy chocolate cake with chocolate icing from scratch. Steven had a ball, which is all that matters, and it was so sweet for everyone to come share in his special day!!

The kid's birthday gift

Those who know me know that I am a traditional gal. I am not big on toys that make a lot of noise. I like classic toys that have been around for generations that spur the imagination. I also am not crazy about 1000 toys littering my house. I decided that this year for the kids birthday we were going to give them a swing set. It's outside, will last for years, and plus it was simply time to get one.
We (or should I say "I") decided that backyard adventures would be a great choice. We went to place in town to look a few weeks ago. The owner was very nice and helpful, and Anya had a blast running between sets and trying everything out. She thought we were at a new park!
Our backyard is fairly small, so I didn't want anything too elaborate. Plus elaborate = expensive and I didn't want to spend a ton of money. It's nice, because as they get older we can add new pieces to it. Of course the best thing about it is they come out and build it. We didn't lift a finger. Of course, it is very well built. It passes the shake test, the ladder for the swing has handle bars for extra safety, and even Chris and I can swing on it and it doesn't budge!!
It was a surprise for Anya. We put a movie on for her upstairs while they were working and she was oblivious to what was going on outside.
When they finished, we got her outside and she just stared at it. Chris asked her what it was. She said, "I don't know, but I'm gonna swing on it," and off she ran! It was priceless!!
They have both enjoyed it. We have been on it almost daily since it went up. She even wanted to swing last Sunday when it was raining!!

Orange Beach!!!

We love Orange Beach. We have been going every fall with Chris's family for the last 4 or so years. It's far enough that you feel you are getting away, but close enough that it is less than a 4 hour drive. I decided this year that we needed to go with my family in the spring. I booked a condo at the Phoenix West, which is brand new. Beings it was 7 adults and my 2 kids, we needed a 4 bedroom. It also had 4 1/2 bathrooms, a nice open kitchen, and a wet bar with an ice maker, in addition to the ice maker in the kitchen fridge. Also, beings our unit was on the corner of the building, our balcony was huge, and every bedroom had a sliding glass door. No balcony for bedrooms, but enough that we could open them if we wanted. We had the place for a week. Chris, the kids and I were the only ones that stayed all 7 nights, the rest of the family stayed for 5.

We mostly vegged out at the condo, played on the beach, the pools, including a lazy river. There was also a nice gym that some of us visited. I only went once! Chris and Matt (Ashley's boyfriend) went golfing twice, Mom, Dad, Amanda and I went to the outlet mall in Foley, we all went to LuLu's for dinner, and Chris and I took the kids to The Track, a place similar to Celebration Station.

I hate that I can only post about 5 pictures; there are so many good ones.
Steven loved playing in the sand and being in the pool. Anya was OK with the sand, and only liked the pools if she was in her turtle floaty. They both loved the condo. I had bought Anya a kid sized air mattress, which she loved. It was her "special bed." Steven liked to use it as a trampoline!
I am counting the days until I can go back!!