Our Life

Pinterest Christmas

2012-01-11T12:45:00.001-06:00

because I would rather learn to crochet a flower than spy on people I barely know.

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Joy to the World!

2012-01-02T22:28:00.001-06:00

I am going to try and speed-wrap/warp all of the rest of our Christmas festivities! Have I mentioned Preston loves to eat?

His flipped over lip cracks me up in this pic:

Getting ready for zoo lights:

Jakey loved the dinos:

Cookin with KK:

And lickin the batter with PawPaw:

Christmas at Nana & Ned’s:

Nana collects birds nests…after Luke saw this he said I wasnt the crazy bird lady anymore!

Preston was hilarious with these bears. He hugged them all night and has been hugging them ever since!

I was a little jealous of Kate’s gift. It is a doll wardrobe with a bed and vanity. Absolutely precious…and I wish I had one when I was little!

Glee..score!

Christmas Eve:

Getting the treats ready for the reindeer and Santa:

Luke helped me with this delicious peppermint cheesecake layer cake from Southern Living:

We delivered gifts along the way:

And Dad really played up the part….he had his arm out the window for at least 20 minutes waving at the city of Memphis.Santa picking on Jake:

Santa asking Nannie if she was a good girl this year. She is the only person I know who was bad enough that Santa didnt visit one year.

Enjoying time with all the cousins:

Preston LOVED Ainsley…hugged her all night!

Megan made these delicious little things: He was supposed to be sitting for this one:

Chaos:

Also a little J about this gift as well:

Joey and I were intense about something:

and then came…

Christmas Morning!!

Our kiddos were very good this year! Kate got a baby bed handmade by Santa himself, a stroller, and a chair. Preston got a baseball glove, a basketball goal, and a chair too!

Kate also had a special surprise waiting for her in her room:

A purple tree!

We woke the kids up, and Preston was not happy that Daddy left him to get the camera:

And then they saw:

The room was full of bubbles!

Miss Mommy had to immediately go get two babies to put in her stroller ( I had my eye on a beautiful, frilly pram, and this is the one she had her heart set on!)

Stocking goodies:

and Santa remembered that cup she had seen at Disney World! She put her stocking on the bottom bunk, and babies on the top:

We got dressed and headed to my parents for more gifts.

BabyAngel:

Santa always leaves a letter about our “big gift.” Sometimes it was a trampoline, a few years ago he lefts puppies. This year, it was a BOAT!! Come on summertime!

Finally, a cute family pic!

and no one got the coal this year (it is usually Luke, but my mom didnt have the heart to give it to him!)

After Christmas Day, we continued our fun with Christmas with the Parsons:

And then the Greenwoods came in town from Texas! I absolutely LOVED watching them love on my babies! (notice Matt in the background “pouting” b/c Will wanted a photo by himself!)

This pic cracks me up:

Matt gets his turn:

I forgot to post these earlier, but this was our Supper Club Party at Whit’s new awesome house earlier in the month. Her new home is so lovely, I asked if I could come for the weekend. Moongirl sleepover, anyone?

And just some randoms. I loved this outfit on Pres for some reason. We put our Christmas cards on a tree this year. It saved me from crying over broken ornaments, and we could see them and enjoy them all month!

Whew! Typing this all out makes me tired all over again. I am so thankful we have so many friends and family to celebrate the birth of our Savior with.

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

More Christmas Fun

2011-12-21T15:35:00.002-06:00

We have loved having Luke home almost the whole month! Can you tell my little cookies are excited?

One night we decided to wrap Preston up in swaddling clothes. He thought it was the funniest thing ever!

The kids had their school program, and I think they are both stars in the making! Haha! Preston couldnt really figure out why his family was sitting at a table, and he was having to ring the jingle bells. He ran to me as soon as their song was over…it was precious!

I need my mama!

Kate also was a little timid starting out, but she sang every word and did the motions too.
These are Preston’s two precious teachers. He ended up being the only one in his class, so they are going to move him up next semester. I think he will love it, but his teachers are going to miss him. He has been SPOILED by these two!!! I am so thankful that his 1st experience in MDO has been so awesome.
KK came from Polar Express day to watch the stars…
and Uncle Blakey showed up too!
Santa made a surprise visit!
Can you tell which snowman is Kate’s?
Did I go over the top maybe?!
Someone asked me the other day if my kids really loved each other as much as it looks like on my blog. And the answer is YES! They are each other’s best friend and I love love love it!
The presents have been safely stored on our dinig room table this year away from little hands. Luke’s mom, stepdad, sister, BIL, and our niece all came to visit this past weekend. Preston was ready to open gifts!
Audrie tearing into her package,

Benny PopPop doing our nightly nativity scene with the kiddos.
Audrie loving on Preson!
Sunday morning, we got up and went to Tupelo to celebrate with Luke’s dad (Papa Q) & stepmom (Nina Belle).
Kate got a cow doll that look suspiciously alot like her Daddy’s Halloween costume in college,

Preston was excited about his MP3 player.
Luke got his 30th bday gift…a 2005 signed State basketball!
Trying to get three small children to pose is hysterical…every single time!
Papa Q and his girls!
We left their house and went to Luke’s aunts for lunch with his mom’s side. The whole famdamly.
Luke and his cousins (minus three Tally boys and one Ratliff boy!)
Preston and Uncle Mike
All of the cousin’s kids (minus two Ratliff boys)
The boys posed better than the girls!
Luke’s family.
Our attempt at a family pic. Preston was DONE!
Kate got this wig and glasses and serenaded us with a little Taylor Swift and Jesus loves me,
We left there and went to Luke’s other aunt’s house to visit with his dad’s side.
We headed back to our home after this busy day! Amy and Benny met us back here and stayed until yesterday afternoon.
What is Preston laughing at?

Mary was about to give birth in the stable…and Dr. Grammy had to deliver!

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. ~7-year-old named Bobby

Giveaway over at The Knotts

2011-12-16T15:25:00.002-06:00

Look at my cutest newest reader. She also has an adorable necklace up for grabs!
http://tiedtheknott.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-giveaway-last-post-today-i.html

Check out her blog, but maybe not enter so I will have a better chance :)

Christmas Time

2011-12-11T18:35:00.001-06:00

We have started off December with as much Christmas as we can handle. We have gone to the Collierville Tree Lighting with Daddy Doc and Granny T:

we have worn our Christmas jammies and watched lots of Christmas movies:

we have looked for snow:

and played in it:

we have decorated our trees:

and watched Christmas parades featuring Easton and Jake:

we have enjoyed Daddy being home and done with school until January 9 (can I get a whoop whoop!) :

we have celebrated PawPaw’s birthday with some ribs from the Rendezvous:

we have played with our girlfriends at church:

and celebrated BFFs birthdays:

we have enjoyed storytime on the Square:

and we have just enjoyed being together at home.We have been doing an advent calendar everyday that tells the Christmas story and the kids can play with the figures. It is such a privilege to be able to share with them a story from the heritage, and one of their salvation. I also have realized this year more than ever how broken this world is. I have a friend whose husband is fighting testicular cancer (& she gave birth to their 3rd child last week-all 3 and under), I have a friend who lost a precious baby this time last year, I have a friend who just got out of jail (for some undeserved time), and I am just heartbroken for the coach and baby girl not far from here who lost their wife/mama. I am so thankful this isn't the end. And thank goodness, because this place isn't good. It is sad and hard. Thankfully, God loved us so much he has prepared a good place for us to spend eternity. And this season, I am trying to remember myself and teach my kids every day that Jesus can get us there. In fact, he is the only way for us to get there.

We have given our daddy a little more love than usual (but not as much as he deserves!)

The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.
--Henry David Thoreau

Thanksgiving Vacay 2011

2011-12-07T15:33:00.001-06:00

After Luke’s wreck, we decided not to go to Florida for our annual vacation. For one, he was still in ICU and my parents didnt want to leave me in case something happened. For a second reason, Luke loves the beach more than anyone, and although he wasnt planning on going this year because he was working, my family thought he would freak out if he realized where everyone had gone without him (& at that time, he probably would have. although, he was gator hunting in FL without us, so…) Anyway, we rescheduled for the week of Thanksgiving because Luke and Blake were both out of school. The rest of us rearranged our schedules, and voila, we went to Orlando. We had planned on going to Universal for two days (b/c Kath wanted the boys to see Harry Potter World!) and when we got down there, Jeff decided to treat everyone to a day at Magic Kingdom (for our Christmas present!) We had a wonderful time at all three places, and I was not ready to come home. I am so thankful that we had that time away from our house and everyday life, and so thankful to have family to share it with. We shared a condo with Meg and Brett, and after the kids woke them up the 6 day in a row at 7 am (and this was after I had kept them “quiet” in our room for an hour), I dont know that they will ever have kids! Alright, on to the pictures!

Day One:

We did the original Universal Studios. They had lots of stuff for the kids, and for the big kids. We broke up several times and then we would swap the kids with someone so Luke and I could ride. It was a nice, easy day to start out with. Preston loved the characters which really surprised me! His favorite thing was the ball factory by Curious George. He LOVED it! It was a huge room full of foam balls, vacuums, and ball guns. Paradise to a 13 month old boy! Kate loved the Woody Woodpecker roller coaster that she rode with Luke. The big kids loved the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. It was an awesome roller coaster and they video you the whole time=hilarious! We were there from 9:25 am –7pm.

See that bow right above my head. Yep, it got left there.

Day Two:

We ventured over to the Islands of Adventure. We walked in and headed straight to Hogwarts. It was crowded, but not as bad as some of the horror stories I have heard. Note to Universal: if you would sell Butterbeer in the ride lines, you would make a whole lot of money. Also, I loved your kidswap option (much better than Disney, we would find out!)

Kate loved everything in Seuss Landing! I loved everything in Seuss Landing :) I think the only thing we didnt like was the Popeye and Bluto River Barge. It was not fun, just wet. Ok, soaked. And we were wet the rest of the day. When we were done with everything else in the park, we went back to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and rode everything again. Awesome. We were there from 9:20 am –9 pm.

Day Three:

Hung out in condo; saved energy for Day Four. Oh yea. Dad signed us up for a free breakfast buffet where all you had to do was take a survey. Breakfast was aweome (can you tell Kate loves bacon?) and Dad, Mom, and Blake got to listen to a 2 hour presentation from Andres on why they should buy a time share.

Day Four (Thanksgiving Day)

Magic Kingdom. Love absolutely everything about this place.(except the kid swap, and no refillable cups like Universal!) We arrived about 9:15 am and got back to the condo at 12:30 am (& we were the early car). That’s how we do it, folks.

Looking for the castle from the ferry boat. I think she sees it!

Eating our Thanksgiving Dinner.

We even go to spend some time with Grammy and PopPop while we were there! They came over to the condo on Sunday night and ate dinner with us, and then we met them for lunch at The Rainforest Cafe on our way out of town. So fun to be close to them again!

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I'm glad he took our presents. You can't hurt Christmas, Mr. Mayor, because it isn't about the... the gifts or the contest or the fancy lights. That's what Cindy's been trying to tell everyone... and me. I don't need anything more for Christmas than this right here: my family.

Lou Lou Who

Christmas is Coming!

2011-11-15T20:07:00.002-06:00

And Living Social has my favorite Memphis Christmas event on sale today! Half price for Starry Nights at Shelby Farms! Check it out:
https://share.livingsocial.com/deals/170521?ref=conf-jp&rpi=36011092

Giveaway

2011-11-15T03:53:00.001-06:00

Help a family bring home their next baby and enter an awesome giveaway!!
http://www.laurencasper.com/2011/11/14/huge-giveaway-baskets-of-love-gifts-galore/

Heman is 30 party!

2011-11-13T22:05:00.003-06:00

Luke turned the big 3-0 on October 5, but we weren’t able to celebrate with a party until November 5. When I saw his favorite superhero from his childhood, Heman, over at Kara's Party Ideas, I used it as inspiration for his party with our small group. I had alot of fun researching Heman and it’s characters, quotes, etc on he-man.org, and we had a huge box of He-man stuff his parents had saved. (I learned that there are alotta grown men that still really love Heman!)

We had all of these Heman figures in our attic.

Megan made a delicious drink that she found on pinterest!
Heman had morals at the end of every show. Here were some of my favorites (and some of them are quote ridiculous!)

The appetizers!

Preston and Kate came for a bite, and then we shipped them down to Daddy Doc and Granny T’s for the night!
Singing Happy Birthday!
These boys birthdays were October 2,3,4, and 5! 3 of the 4 turned 30 this year!
Loving the pop ricks!
The candy stash at Castle Grayskull! I was able to use both of Luke’s castles in the decorations!

The food was delicious! My parents had it catered from Moe’s! and I think it was better than in the restaurant.

This picture cracks me up…see the creeper?

Of course, the cats on your world can't talk - and they probably wouldn't rip your lungs out, either. But still, putting mustard on the cat is a bad idea. You know, lots of boys and girls have been hurt - even killed -putting mustard where it didn't belong. Don't put mustard on the cat! If you're not sure you can handle it safely, ask your mom and dad to help. He-Man

Halloweenie

2011-11-04T03:14:00.002-06:00

We love celebrating holidays! We have had a busy month with birthdays, Halloween stuff, and then there is just life stuff. Here are the kiddos before MDO one morning. I think Kate looks so old...and so beautiful!

But this one is perhaps my favorite! haha!

One of my favorite people in the world and her two boys stopped by! I am so glad they live closer so maybe I can see this dollbaby more often (and Heather too!)

And we got a new puppy. Oh wait, that is our son. He does this at other people's houses too. Weird kid.

Do you let your kids jump on your bed? Yea, me neither.

We spent one Saturday morning at Our Family Farm. One of my good friend's from high schools parents own/run the farm, and it is awesome! And it is about 1.5 miles from my parent's house.

I guess Luke needs a 5 horse bumper pull trailer for his two headed horse.

Picking out a punkin.

Before church the week of his birthday!

Bahaha!

On his actual birthday, we had a yummy breakfast...

And then headed to the park!

Eden and her girls met us...(we always have our hands full with our four babies within 26 months of each other :) And so did Elizabeth and Easton!

And then we baked his cake. (Kate told me she didnt like this picture b/c she was durdy.)

The kids had open house at Hogwarts. Kate was acting crazy. Her teachers tell me she never talks or smiles at school. She holds it all in for the ride home, I guess!

She fell asleep on the way home and Pres and I had an impromtu photo shoot by our house.

Add caption

Right now, Kate loves the self timer on my camera. And I like it because I get to be in pictures with my best friend.

Then, we had Pres' perfect Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday Party. Loved it. Love that kid. He loves balls.

We had dry ice left from the ice cream cones from the party, and Luke was ordering everyone around trying to get a crazy picture. This picture kept cracking us up.

We call it Grammy's Gone Mad.

We've had a few cold snaps. So refreshing.

Does Kate look 16 to anyone else? Does she look like she's from the 70s to anyone else?

Multitasking Daddy

Dad, please dont drop him.

Smore smores with the Johnstons

Dabney's Nursery (Luke's paradise) had a fall fest, and we enjoyed all the free activities. Pres esp loved this duck.

Waiting on the mule wagon for a ride.

Picking out plants with Daddy.

Look who we found! Baby Easton! Yay!

We also did Zoo Boo this year. It was so crowded! The zoo looked awesome in all of its' Halloween decor, but it was so crowded!

Tigger pooped out early, but

Pooh loved Dracula's Disco!

Had I known this was going to be such a hit, I wouldve learned to Wobble before hand!

The alligator out front dressed up as tinkerbell? I think?

Kate decided to give herself and her bro a mud bath one afternoon.

We had the annual Trunk or Treat at our church. I didnt do a trunk this year because Luke was supposed to have class that night. It got cancelled, so he did get to meet us! I hate that I didnt get his red balloon in the photo!

I did provide a few props from Kate's 1st birthday party to the winning trunk...the very talented Artsy Fartsy Shopaholic.

Her baby girl was a cupcake, and she was a cupcake baker...with one in the over, no less!

Kate saw Megan and took off with her wagon. She thought Megan was going to steal her candy. haha!

The Grizzlies hosted a haunted house and movie for season ticket holders. Luke's buddy promised him tickets when he was in the coma in the hospital if he would just wake up. Luke woke up 6 hours later.
Tigger saw his girlfriend from MDO. They were so cute! I wish I had gotten a pic.

Kate and I carved our jack o lantern this year. She loved getting her hands in it!

Luke and I had Taylor Swift tickets for months. Like way before the wreck. That is all Luke wanted for his 30th bday. heehee. Anyway, we all got the stomach bug late Saturday night/Sunday. We laid around all day and felt pitiful, but Luke still felt well enough to go, and the kids were not acting sick at all. We dropped them off at Momma June's, and headed downtown. Originally, we had two sets of tickets because Luke bought a better set and we were going to sell two. We ended up giving them to his nurse, Mike, who was amazing during his stay at The Med. Mike loves TS like Luke...heehee. We met Mike and his girlfriend for dinner, and I felt horrible. The third time I left the table, I threw up until I was crying. When I got done, I felt so much better, but then was exhausted! Anyway, the concert was amazing; I was just so bummed that we had been planning a fun night out for so long and I was not a good date. As we were walking to our seats, I just started crying. I told Luke, I am so glad you are here. I still have moments that catch my breath because I cannot imagine me doing this without him.
If you ever get a chance to see Taylor in concert, go. Best show I have ever been to. Seriously.

We were all still recovering on Monday, so I had not planned on taking the kids out for Halloween. We didnt want to share the bug with our friends, but then we had trick or treaters show up at our door. Kate looked at Luke and said, "Daddy, I need to trunkortreat." Pitiful. We got the kids dressed really quickly and took them to five houses on our street. She was the happiest kid on the block, we didnt get anyone sick, and Mama got to bed early!

With the pumpkins they carved at Momma June's!

Pooped.

He got this sucker at the first house and that is all he wanted the rest of the night.

Ok, the question is, now that I have put away the Halloween decorations, is it too soon for Christmas?

Our Very Hungry Caterpillar turned One Party!

2011-10-16T21:32:00.004-06:00

I have been wasting time on pinterest for the last 30 minutes because I was not wanting to write this post! I think it was a mixture between “I cant believe my baby is ONE!” and “If I write the birthday post, all the birthday anticipation is over.” Either way, Preston did turn ONE on the 12, and his party was this past Saturday. At one, he is walking, saying “mama, daddy, and thank you,” and bringing joy to everyone he is around. And by everyone, I mean everyone. He loves smiling at strangers so much that I had him at Walmart last week, and then Luke took him and a sweet old man recognized him. He is rough and tough and tumbles around the back yard, but he loves to lay down his sweet head on my shoulder before he goes to sleep. He has the huge blues eyes of his sister, the precious cleft in his chin from his Daddy, and his Uncle Jake’s sweet spirit. I joke and say he has the :Jeffery” temper from my dad and Blake, but he is funny like they are, too. I think he got my appetite. He loves his sister….oh boy, does he love her. I feel sorry for anyone that tries to date her, because he is protective already. He follows her every move and thinks she is the funniest person she has ever met. She is the same way towards him. She loves to make him smile, and she makes sure that I am taking care of her Preston (she always refers to him as “My Preston” which I think is absolutely adorable.) Little boy, you are loved so much by so many. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for your life; I know it is going to be big, it is going to be awesome, and you are going to have a big part to play in His Story. We love you “mighty much”, little man. Your first year of life has been a complete joy for me as a Mom, and I want you to know that you are a blessing to me every minute.

I thought I was so original in my party planning when I picked up Very Hungry Caterpillar napkins and tablecloth on clearance a year ago from Target. Then i started googling and pinteresting it, and I realized that I am not so original as I thought. Needless to say, I loved this theme and the planning that went along with it. Another blog I read, enjoying the small things , said she feels like her kid’s birthday parties are her love letters to them. I completely agree. I love planning, preparing, and putting on parties for those that I love! Preston’s was no different. Kate and I handmade almost all of the decorations, and it was so much fun to share this with her. I also learned that two year olds have no concept of time, so telling her his party was Saturday on Monday made for a long week of, not yet, you have school, then a free day, then school, then Grammy and Audrie will be here, then his party. Repeat daily.
Ok, starting with the invitations for his little friends. I got an idea from potterybarnkids.com, and then made it my own. The caterpillar also doubled as a magnet. (and I loved them b/c they were super cheap to make)

We had the party at a park, and I think this was the best idea yet. I only had 30 minutes to decorate, so I had to be super organized, and I couldnt go back and change things 50x like I usually do!

Kate and I made all of the little caterpillars out of egg cartons! She loved all of the art projects!
Delicious cookies made with love by Aunt Meme! (our new little Martha!)
His monthly pictures from 1 month-11months:
The Mason jars had vanilla yogurt in them, and then we had all of the fruit from the book (plus blueberries!) We also had granola for a mini parfait. They were really good, and I think yummy for the kids and parents. We also had a cheese and sausage set up too.
For favors, I had big suckers for the big kids, and bug rubber duckies for the babies. The kids could also make a book mark with their thumbprints to make a caterpillar and the quote “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents. ~Emilie Buchwald.

Making bookmarks

Luke fashioned the awesome apple cake. I did a trial run a few weeks ago, and it was so good it ended up as cake balls (ha.ha.) Luke’s looks so much better than mine!
I love this picture where you can see his little feet. He has no idea how happy he is fixing to be!

Seriously, Dad? Does Mom know you are doing this?Happy Boy!
Pres and Easton
Coco wanted her ice cream!

The guest cake was a chocolate chip bundt cake with cream cheese frosting, cut and shaped like the book.

Papa Q and Ninabelle and the boys
Jeffery Blake and Preston Jeffery

Nana and KK

Audrie and Aunt Dee

Poppop, Grammy, and Audrie

The weather was perfect, the food was yummy, and everyone had a fun time playing. I was so happy to be able to share this day with my little man!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Preston, Happy Birthday to you!!

Happy Birthday, to the cutest boy in the world!

2011-10-16T20:07:00.002-06:00

Luke celebrated his 30th Birthday on October 5. I think that we appreciated birthdays just a little more than normal this year. I am so thankful for him, and so glad to be on the other side of this past summer. We have had a rough time easing back into everyday life, but God is still working on me, and God is still good…always.
Luke has was gone from our house from a little before 7 am to after 10 pm on his actual birthday. Thankfully, we were able to go to dinner babyless the night before, I had a special bday breakfast waiting on him the next morning, and then Kate and I had some fun waiting on him when he got him. She talked about his “party” all day, so I promised to wake her up when he got home…
Bless her heart…she couldnt even open up her eyes!

Luke, I am so proud to call you my husband. You are the best daddy to our babies, and still my best friend. I promise I will be more patient with you; thank you for loving me so well! Thank you for all the hard work that you put in at school, and making me realize that sometimes it’s ok if the house is messy as long as you get to play with the kids. Now, dont ever scare me like you have again! Love you!

*There are two new blog posts below! Dont miss them!*

The Fair

2011-10-14T03:20:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love the fair. The lights, the sounds, and the greasy food. I try to instill our family values into our kids at an early age, and I think that fair attendance will be high on their priority list as well. We had a turkey leg, chicken on a stick, corn on the cob, fried pickles, and fried oreos. Wish I could eat dinner like that more often!

Wheeee!!!

Loving a turkey leg

Like father, like son

Mommy! There is a lady with no head!

Precious baby piggies in the straw!

Mommy, I dont think that ride is safe for Sissy.

Kate loved all the rides! So funny, my little shy daredevil!

The goose was right, this fair is rat's paradise. Bye-bye, my humble Wilbur. Fare thee well Charlotte, you old schemer. This will be a night to remember! -Templeton, Charlotte's Web

Red Devil Reunion

2011-10-14T02:58:00.001-06:00

Well the big event came and went without a hitch. (or should it be an hitch...anyway) We had a wonderful turnout for my 10 year high school reunion. My planning committee and I had been working since March on this grand event; a family friendly tailgate party on Friday and a big party Saturday night. The tailgate party was so much fun. It is mind boggling to see everyone with kids. So weird, and so fun. We had everyone bring their own food, and we provided drinks and red and white cupcakes.

Getting ready to paint up

Saturday, we had a party at the Old Daisy Theatre on Beale Street. We had it catered, and the house dj played. I had a wonderful time and didnt hear any complaining, so I think everyone else had fun too! We had some fun "superlatives" and I won Least Changed. I am so excited about my Elfo's giftcard!! Yummy!

Some of our decorations

Half of the planning committee

We have about 1.5 million pics like this

My prom date

Most kids!

Also voted Least Changed

Miss her!

I had so much planning this one, I have already started planning the 20 year-SIKE!

Romy: Isn't it weird when you're not friends with your friends anymore? I mean, Michele and I just fell out of touch about two hours ago.

Crazy Busy

2011-09-20T03:29:00.001-06:00

pretty much sums up Our Life right now. Between now and October 12, I have my ten year high school reunion, Luke's 30th bday, and Preston's 1st Bday! I cant believe any of this...that I am old enough for my own 10 year reunion (I remember my mom's!), for Luke to be turning 30 (and arent we all thankful he is), and for my baby boy to be a whole year old! I am in charge of our reunion, and it has been months of work and preparation. I am so excited to see it all come together this weekend! Luke is doing well. I really and truly appreciate yall's comments and prayers. It has been a long summer, but we are on the upswing. We have good days and bad ones, but God is good all the time. He is still teaching me daily from this experience.

Never a good idea to send three non decisive girls to a place with this many decisions!

Look at that sweet foot.

Naming Zhuzhu Phelpsie!

Starting off the month of September, we had poopoo in the potty which equaled a trip to Build-a-bear from KK! We have only had it once since then, but I know she'll do it once she's ready (and not so stubborn!) Kate was so cute picking out her cat, and washing it, and dressing it! When we go to the naming, she said "Phelps!" which is my parents' cat's name. My mom explained this was a girl, so Kate said, "Phelpsie!" Love her reasoning!! She picked ZhuZhu out of the naming book they have there for you.

Love these chubby hands

We have spent several lovely days at the zoo and park.The new park at Shelby Farms is amazing!! Love it!!

Loving some spaghetti.

Sportin a mohawk.

So big! Their outfits cost about $3-combined :)

"Silly Preston!"

Both kiddos started MDO this year. Kate absolutely loves it and asks to go every morning when she wakes up. Preston is glad to see me at the end of the day.

This pic cracks me up! Is she bathing her belly?

Mowgli

Come here, Bandit!

Smile, Preston!

We have also spent a ton of time in our backyard! I feel like we need to enjoy the fresh air before the winter, and enjoy our country living while we are here!

See number 70? That's my Jakie Poo!

In blue and gold, getting in position (squatting)

Not too busy to wave at his fan club (Kate and Preston!)

Go Trojans!

My first born is playing football again this year! He looks like such a stud...and he is good! At this game, the guy he was going up against told him to chill out. haha!

one is looking

hahaha! Series of pictures like this crack me up!

Yummy!

Playing with the balloons and Papa Q

The Birthday Princess and her cousin, Kate

We were able to go celebrate our niece's 1st Birthday! It was an adorable lady bug theme, and Audrie was the cutest thing! We had a wonderful time hanging out with Luke's family. Love my sweet niece!

We went to a train birthday for our friend, Noah. The Happy Times Farm train was there. I told the driver that I used to have his job...it was kinda funny being on the Mommy side and not in the engine. I remember driving the train and loving watching the moms and their kids. Funny to think about what I thought my life would be like, and how it really is!

Hanging with the big boys

Jack in the Box

Jakie loves dinosaurs

We celebrated the September birthdays at our house last Saturday night. It was Jake's 14th, Nana's ??, and our cousin, Jake's 16th!

Staying dry in her rain coat.

Dirty boy all the way

Pres, No!

What, Sissy? Let me hug you!

Nice and cozy, watching Nemo.

We spent this wonderful, rainy day at home. The kids played outside for a good part of the morning. They loved getting wet and dirty! I brought them in, and they had a nice warm bath, and then Kate wanted to put jammies back on. Perfect day to me!

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain. -Anonymous

The Kids

2011-08-30T02:36:00.002-06:00

I feel like the last few posts have been such downers, here are some pictures of my cute kids to lighten the mood. The have been so resilient since the wreck...much more than I could have anticipated. It has been good to be home and get back into a somewhat normal routine.
Side story: One night at the hospital, my arms were just aching to hold my babies. I left Luke (who was still "asleep") in the TICU after the 9 pm visit, and passed a mom about my age with a little girl about Kate's age. The little girl was fussy, and just reached her sweet little arms out to me. I got to hold her and she put her head down on my shoulder. Her daddy had also been in a wreck and was getting discharged home. I was so thankful for that little moment to be able to love a baby (even if it wasnt my own), and to be so thankful for what God had given me.
Another Kate story: The whole time Luke was in the hospital, Kate would say," Daddy's sick, but Mommy's there." Bless her!
Ok, now on to my cuties:

Playing in Dad's box

Preston is strictly a bottle baby now. My sweet friend brought me a pump from work to The Med right after the wreck. I pumped once up there, and then my milk dried up completely (minus one feeding-see below). No hurting, no weaning, nothing. I was pumping in our shower in the critical care waiting room, so I felt like the milk was contaminated with MRSA or VRE or something-haha-so it was kinda nice that God completely took care of that for me. I went to my parents' house I think on Wednesday after the wreck for a shower. Preston was there, and while I was snuggling with him, I felt my milk coming back in. I got to nurse him that one last time, and then I was finished for good. He has tranistioned so well. Before the wreck, he only took bottles while I was at work, and he definitely did not prefer them. He is a champ!

And Miss Priss is so glad to have everyone home...especially her Daddy!!

Coco's 1st Birthday...a Whale of a Time!

Some of my wonderful friends that have stepped in and taken care of us. Someone asked me the other day why I liked our church, and they are right here.

See that? Daddy is standing up!

And we have new tricks...

Taking turns

And cruising!

Ah! I could eat him up. My mom said, "You cant even hold him without kissing all over him!"

Looking dapper in a vintage outfit worn by his uncles.

Precious.

Enjoying the zoo with Juju.

Catching up on her emails.

Do you think she loves him or what?!

I think this will get her outta alotta trouble in about 10 years.

And my bestie had her baby...Easton Samuel. Isnt he a dollbaby?

Kate was so glad to see her Lizzie and baby Easton.

I think he might need a manlier couch to watch his sports on.

Taking care of baby.

Maybe this will keep him out?!

Uh oh..she loves cheese dip as much as Mama!

And talking on the phone as much too!

Juju's here?!

Dumping out the baskets.

Bandit came home from my grandparents the second week of August. We were glad to have everyone back under one roof!

Preparing vaccinations for babies.

We have been wearing our Florida clothes around town since Florida didnt see them this year.

Kate and her twinkie posse.

Jake and Pres in another one of Blake/Jake's outfits. Those are tiny airplanes on the collar-LOVE! Did I mention while Luke and I were at the hospital Preston started crawling, Kate started talking in paragraphs, and Jake is now 3 inches taller than me and 35 lbs heavier. All three of my babies are growing up!

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed!

Smoosh!

Ok, if you have made it this far, you are probably either a grandparent or Aunt Tracy. Hopefully that got my caught up for a while!

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. Willie Nelson

They tried to make me go to rehab

2011-08-09T10:25:00.002-06:00

Since July 1, we have physical therapy three times a week, and usually one drs appointment too. I have split my time between that and the kiddies. I was so glad to be home to them, and I know Luke was too. We stayed at my parents for three weeks, and then came home the last week of July. We had needed the help with babysitters until then (while I was at work, sleeping afterwards, appointments, etc), but I wanted us to be home so my mom could have one week of her house to herself before she started school back. We had basically taken over their house. Kate and I in one room, Pres in one, Luke in one, Lukes potty chair in one bathroom, his shower chair in the other, and him in the recliner at all hours of the day and night. She had had the kids almost continually since June 10,and Megan had helped a ton too! My dad was able to take three weeks off while Luke was still in the hospital, so I never worried they weren't being taken care of. Larry and Nina have come several weekends to visit, and Amy and Benny came the 1st week of July for four days. Sherrie & Hayden (twice), Patsy, Jennifer, Janette, Hilda, Mike, Katie, Michael, and baby Audrie have all come to help too. In fact, between all the grandparent and aunt/uncle loving theyve received, they are pretty spoiled! I also have some amazing friends that have helped a ton! Amy is back this week to help. I have been so humbled by all of the help we have recieved. And, nine of my family members canceled our annual beach trip to stay and take care of my kids. More importantly, no one has complained...they are the best! I am so glad they love my kids (almost) as much as me.

Add caption

Luke went from a wheelchair and only walking at therapy, to crutches last week. He is getting around so well. Oh yea, in the middle of July, he was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Dont google that unless you want to get depressed. His left femur was broken, but his right foot has been killing him. Hurting so bad he was constantly yelling out in pain. Once they were able to diagnose him, he started therapy to desensitize those nerves as well. His dad made some texture sticks for us to do therapy at home too. That has been the biggest obstacle since he has been home. He is on medicine too, and between that and therapy, he is able to sleep for longer than three hours at night, he can almost put his whole foot down to walk, and he can get in and out of the car alone.

I appreciate everyone's prayers more than I can type here. Please keep them coming. I have never "felt" prayer until now...and it feels good!

Almost done!

2011-08-09T10:11:00.000-06:00

After he woke up, he had some of the funniest things to tell us. His version of what was going on was slightly different than reality! He kept us laughing all day. He thought he was at CTU (from the show 24), and he was very nosey about what was going on in the rest of ICU. He was very sensitive to sounds, and started mimicking all the other monitors from other people's rooms.

On Tuesday night, they moved him to a stepdown unit and he stayed there for 3 nights. These were very hard. I couldnt stay with him, the nurses weren't as responsive, and he had horrible dreams/hallucinations the whole time he was here. The nurse had to call me several nights at 2 am to come calm him down. It was very scary, and I knew he thought what he was saying was really happening. They said it was just from all the medicine he had while he was on the ventilator. The dr had given him the ok to come home, but physical therapy recommended inpatient rehab. I started working on getting him placed there on Wednesday. On Thursday, my grandparents came and sat up there all day so they could be there for visitation times. I went home to see my babies and was back for the 5 visitation. They told me he would be on a regular floor by 2, so we took the kids up there to visit. He was still on stepdown, so my parents took us to eat and we came back at 7 when they told us too. Finally, at 8:30 he was on a regular floor!This meant Kate and Preston could come visit, and I could stay in the room with him! Yay! He continued to work with PT, but was getting no IV meds or fluids and had his catheter out. He was starting to look like himself again, but his eyes weren't quite there yet. His voice was off and so were his mannerisms. It is hard to explain, but he just wasnt quite himself yet. We stayed there Thursday night, and by Friday afternoon he was discharged to inpatient rehab down the street. I packed up my life from the previous two weeks in the waiting room and followed the ambulance there. They got him all checked in and I had to come home. It was so hard leaving him...only the second since he had fallen asleep, but it was so nice to sleep in a bed! Those lovely chairs in the waiting room are about as comfy as you would imagine them to be.

The next morning, I got to rehab to visit, and Luke told me he could leave for the day. I did NOT believe him, and we headed off to find his nurse. I thought," Bless his heart! He is going to be so embarassed in front of the nurses." But he was right! We checked him out and my parents met me to help bring him to their house. My dad set up the wheelchair ramps and we were able to get him in the house and onto the couch. Larry and Nina came to visit, and Uncle Bucky and Aunt Kelly showed up with milkshakes. I think Luke felt so much better being able to lay on a couch for a few hours! We loaded him back up and got him back to rehab for dinner. It took 28 minutes for Luke to get from sitting in my car to standing beside it. He was in alot of pain extremely weak. He stayed there for another week, and I just went back and forth to visit everyday. He was discharged on Friday, July 1 to come home. We headed to my mom and dad's and started getting ready for the 4th of July (Luke's favorite holiday!)

June 15

2011-08-01T21:00:00.001-06:00

This was the Wednesday after the wreck. Probably one of the hardest days because we were told to just let Luke rest. That is no fun, and we saw very little improvement.

On Thursday, June 16, Luke’s nurse called me about 3:30 am to tell me his ICP was up. She was going to give him some medicine, but when she sat up the head of the bed, it went back down. Amen! Sunday-Tuesday, I slept at his bedside. By Wednesday, I was ok enough to go to the critical care waiting room to sleep. I visit at night from 9-11, and then sleep until about 5, and visit until the day shift got there. They would let me back in about 9 am, I would leave about 11, come back at one, leave about 3, come back at 5, my parents would take me to dinner, and then back at nine. At first, whenever I was not at his bedside, I just shook uncontrollably. In fact, I was shaking so bad at the wreck site the sheriff gave me a tshirt to put on. The only other time I have ever shaken like that is when I was in labor. The trauma team said they might put a tracheotomy in to take prevent damage his throat.

On Friday, June 17, one week since the wreck, your nurse called to tell me that your eyes were open. That is a wonderful way for me to wake up that morning! I left at my usual 7 am, and by 8, Mike, our fave nurse, called to tell me to come back. Your eyes were open, you were moving your head side to side, and the bolt had been taken out! Ah! Just to see your pretty baby blues again was a miracle. They decided to see how you would do over the weekend before they decided on the trach. YAY! You have been on and off a cooling blanket for a fever, and it makes you so uncomfortable. I just hated it. Today was wonderful. You followed us with your eyes all day, and you wanted the tube out of your throat. I mentioned that the other summer associates brought by food after the talent show at work, and your face got very confused. It had dawned on you that it was past Wednesday (thats when the talent show was), I felt horrible. Also, one of our dear friends, Zach, came and prayed over Luke. He mentioned camping to Luke and he grinned from ear to ear. So glad to see him smile, even if it was around the intubation tube.

Saturday, June 18, was a wonderful day. Early that morning, one of the neurologist came by and said by looking at his MRI, he shouldve had a series of mini strokes but he saw no manifestations whatsoever. Megan had spent the night down there with me, so after that we just waited to visit again at 9. At 10, they took out your vent tube. When the nurses came out into the hallway, they were all cracking up. Apparently, you told them your name was Luke Skywalker. They let us in for about ten minutes, and when I told you I loved you, you whispered back, “I love you, too.” At the next visit, I showed up pictures and videos of the kids. You loved seeing those. At the 5 oclock visit, you were so angry. Your mom, sister, and my mom left me alone with you because you were so mad. I reassured you the best I could.

Father’s Day, June 19; when I got down there for my 5 am visit, the nurse said you had helped move yourself in the bed for your bath. She had just given you some pain meds, so you said Good Morning and then went sound asleep. We had a wonderful day with a wonderful ending…Preston got to come visit. I went to my parents for the first time and got your mom to stay at the hospital in case you needed something. It was a Happy Father’s Day indeed!

The Wreck cont'd

2011-07-26T09:38:00.000-06:00

When another doctor looked at Luke's EEG, he said it looked like fat in the white matter of his brain. He said that they were fat embolisms, and they would dissolve on their own. Usually when a patient has these rare embolisms, they have severe respiratory issues. At this point, Luke was breathing on his own with just a tiny amount of oxygen by binasal cannula (like 2-4L). Because he looked so good from a respiratory standpoint, it took them a while to diagnose him with fat embolism syndrome. If you read about FES, you will also see that setting the broken bone ass quick as possible is so important! They gave him a feeding tube through his nose so he would have nutrition, and basically told me to "Hurry up and wait." Dr. Fabian and Dr. Croce are the two head docs at The Med, and they are amazing!! Dr. Fabian gently explained to my mom that recovery could take months. I cannot explain enough how amazing all the drs were in explaining and guiding us through all of this. We are so lucky to have The Med in Memphis!

On Tuesday, we were so thrilled when Luke squinted his eyes to the light being turned on. He also would move his feet when we tickled them and he pulled out two of his IVs. That got his arms put in restraints. It is hard to look back on this now, because we were so excited and it seems like it was nothing! We were excited because he squinted his eyes? They also put in a central line (which I suggested the day before b/c of the multiple IV sticks), and he had to get some blood. All of the lab values I had long since forgotten about from nursing school came back pretty quickly. They drew labs each am, and then supplemented him with whatever he needed that day. All of our friends had been asking for ways to help. That morning, I thought of two things I needed: pictures of the kids and deodorant for Luke. I emailed two friends who work downtown, and within the hour of me sending this email, I had a dozen 8x10 pictures of my babies. By lunch, I had deodorant for Luke. My friends helped us out in ways they will never know mattered! I got my mom to call our preacher, and he and our shepherds came up to the hospital. Mark (our preacher) annointed Luke with oil and then prayed over him with my mom and me. The shepherds stood in the hallway and were praying, and my dear friend had asked the rest of our church to pray at Luke at 6:00 as well. When Mark touched Luke with the oil, he opened his eyes for the first time on his own. No deep sternal rub, no pulling of chest hairs. He opened his eyes.

Later that night, we got you really riled up and you opened your eyes for us again (with agitation-and he was so determined. He was sweating, his RR was up). We called the nurse in there, and she was just as excited as we were. She called the chief resident (Dr Decocoa whom I also love), and she clapped with joy. Three times in a row he opened his eyes for us! Dr Decocoa had been very guarded in her optimism up until this point. Her team was good, but I noticed that none of the other young female residents would make eye contact with me. I know they were thinking, "Bless her heart. This is bad." After we got him all worked up, he never could quite get his respiratory rate back down. This caused his O2 sats to drop as well. About 2:00 am, the nurse paged Dr Decocoa, and b/c she was in a trauma, Dr Croce (big wig) came in. He thought it would be good to go ahead and put Luke on the ventilator to allow his body to rest while he was trying to dissolve these fat embolisms. He was so kind and explained it to me and allowed me to ask questions. I told him when I think of an embolism, I think blockage and death of tissue. He said that it was more of a biochemical repsonse, and there was no death of tissue, just a delay in sending/recieving messages. When the CRNA came in to do the intubation, one of my favorite friends from nursing school came in with him. She is in CRNA school, and it was such a comfort to have her standing there holding my hand while Dr Croce explained everything to me. Once again, a familiar face at 2 am at The Med when I needed it the most. When they let me back in about 5 am, he was already calmed down, and breathing on his own over the vent. We got moved from our 2 patient room to one next door that was a private room. They also did a bronchoscopy to make sure his lungs were ok and put in an ICP bolt. The bolt went through his head and screwed into his skull to monitor the pressure in his brain.

And then, we just let him sleep.

The Wreck

2011-07-19T22:07:00.001-06:00

I tried to decide on a better title for this post, but I think that is the most fitting. Luke was in a wreck on June 10, and it has literally wrecked our summer. My other option was "God Provides," and that is definitely more optimistic and just as true.
This story begins one early morning with Luke and his buddies meeting for breakfast. They were having the discussion that the road to Heaven is narrow; in fact, probably narrower than we would all like to think it is. Luke and I were discussing this later and Luke stated, "My life has been so good so far. I just really dont feel like God has tested me." I quickly retorted, "Well, I know I am going to Heaven and dont need to be tested. Please pray again quickly that he tests you and only you because I dont want to be along for that ride!" ha. ha.
On Friday, June 10, Luke and I had met for two law firm parties. He is fixing to start his 3rd and final year of school and had two internships this summer. Both firms had parties that night, and we attended both. Both were very lovely, the people were nice, and the food was delicious! I have learned alot over the past month, and one thing is, be careful what you pray for. I said a quick prayer that night that Luke wouldn't have to pick between the two firms. That is a ridiculous thing to think, and God took care of it. Kate was at my parents, and Preston was at my grandparents, so at the end of the night, I headed to get Kate and Luke got Pres. Luke went in to my grandmothers, fixed her tv, picked up the baby, and headed home. At 11:58, he called me, told me he had been in a bad wreck, and that he thought his leg was shattered. I could her Preston screaming in the background, and I immediately sprang into nurse/mama bear mode. I got 911 on the phone, and made sure they were sending someone immediately. Out where we live, there is sometimes a delay in emergency responders because they cant decide whose jurisdiction we are in. Anyway, by the time I got to the scene (I was ab 15 minutes behind Luke), there were about 8 cop cars and an ambulance on the scene. Luke's car was perpendicular to the road and I could tell he was cut up and hurting. The EMT was checking him out in the car, and told me he was fine and I could check on the baby. Preston was asleep in the backseat of a cop car by this time, and I stood there and held him in the middle of the street. My parents pulled up as they started to cut Luke out of the car. As they pulled him from the vehicle, he let out a guttural yell that just made me sick. Being there was almost surreal, and I hope I never have that feeling again. They put Luke in an ambulance and took him up to a gas station close by. He was airlifted to The Med, and my mom and I followed behind. My dad took the babies home with him.(Turns out the EMT who was in charge of Luke was my 4H horse judging coach. God provided a familiar face in a very scary situation.)
When we finally got to The Med, we couldnt find the ER, and we told we needed to speak with the chaplain. We moved on to the next checkpoint and were put in a tiny waiting room with no other people and were told to wait for the chaplain. When you have just loaded your husband onto a helicopter, that is not exactly the best thing to hear. I wanted to puke until she came in all smiles and told us he was in assessment and it would probably be a little while before we could see him. Two of our dearest friends had gotten there by this point, and we hung out in the tiny room until we could get back to him. When we did get to see him, they had determined that he had a broken femur and a 3rd degree laceration on his spleen. The nurse said they would do surgery on his leg, but it might not be until Monday. He would have to lay on that hard stretcher with no surgery for 2 days! We immediately started praying his surgery would be moved up. My mom and I ran to my house, got my dog and some clothes, went to her house, took quick naps and headed back to The Med. Prayers were already being answered when we met his dad and stepmother in the hallway. He had been moved to the TICU. We were able to get in to see him, & he looked great other than pain in his leg. They put his left leg in traction until it could be fixed. We continued to pray for surgery for that day, and it happened about 6 that night. Having surgery this day turned out to be imperative to his recovery. His mom got there while he was in surgery, and he woke up after and was his normal self. We decided that everyone could go home for the night and we would come back when they let us in for visitation at 9 the next morning. A family friend (& our wonderful pediatrician) has an apartment on the river, so he let Luke's mom and I go there for the night so I didnt have to come all the way home. At 7:04 Sunday morning, Luke's "girlfriend nurse," Pam, called very concerned. She said Luke had a mental status change over night and I needed to get there immediately. My heart dropped, and we headed back up there. Luke had gone to CT at 2:30 that morning for a follow up of his spleen. When he got back to his room about 4, he was unresponsive. Unresponsive as in he looked like he was sound asleep, but we couldnt get him awake. Not even a deep sternal rub, which I mastered, could get him to open his eyes. We had no explanations, but a lot of worry.
The next few days were a blur. The drs did test after test; xrays, ct scans, MRIs, arteriograms, and nothing came back abnormal. Every time they made me leave his bedside, I would shake uncontrollably and be physically ill until I was back by his side. On Monday, they really thought he was just going to wake back up. Tuesday, we had a neuro resident come in and say she thought that he had a series of mini strokes which left behind non reversible brain damage. Minutes before she walked in, the head of the legal council came by to check on Luke. She knew one fo their family friends, and had offered her help for anything we needed. After that news, I insisted on an EEG. The resident told me there would be now way for it to be done that day. I again insisted on it, and the nurse came in, got the legal councils number, and it was done within the hour. When the neuro attending ready the EEG, she said there were no mini strokes, that she saw FIRDA. It is a type of brain injury that is basically a bruise and would heal on it's own. God provided an answer when we needed it most, and He provided people along the way to help us out.

come back....the story gets better!

Mother’s Day

2011-05-25T08:36:00.001-06:00

Mother’s Day fell right in the middle of exams for poor Luke, but we had a beautiful day anyway. He had worked on a paper until 3 am, so when the kids and I got up and ready to leave for church, he had just gotten up and was working on 2 briefs due at noon! Yuck!! My siblings and I took my mom to lunch because my dad had to go to work, too. Being a mother has been the best, most challenging, most rewarding, and fun job I have ever had. I cant believe that this is my 3rd Mother’s Day!

Because we couldn’t see Luke’s Mom on Mother’s Day, I dressed the kids in honor of her! Kate and Audrey (the doll) have on dresses that Grammy gave Kate for her birthday. Preston is wearing an outfit that Grammy’s mom made for Luke on his first Easter. They looked so stinkin cute!!!

The one who made me a mother and the one that taught me how!

The kids and I then spent the afternoon outside playing in the backyard!

Technorati Tags: mothers day

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~Marcel Proust

More Parties

2011-05-24T16:53:00.001-06:00

The day after Erika’s 30th Bday, we had 2 Birthday parties and a KY Derby Party! The first party was Will’s 2nd Bday!! It was an adorable airplane theme.

Preston and Unclue Buck looking like studs in their glasses.

Kate, Adelyn, and Will. It is so fun watching them play together since I was pregnant with their Mommies!

We left Will’s and dropped by Emma’s 1st birthday! The theme was cupcakes, and my kiddos were asleep! I ran in and said hi, but did not wake my sleeping children. I hated that we missed the party!

Leaving the Cupcake Party, we went to the Harville’s for the annual Kentucky Derby Party. It is always a good time, with delicious food and awesome decorations. This year did not disappoint! Unfortunately, when i got dressed this morning, it was rainy and COLD! As you can tell, the weather was warm and sunny by party time. I was not dressed appropriately :(

Kate loves her Juliette!

And Paisley loves them too!

Finally, we had our sorta-annual Crawfish Party. It was cold and rainy this day too, but they were delicously perfect, as usual!

Technorati Tags: party,2,Kentucky Derby

Technorati Tags: crawfish,airplane

Erika’s 30th Birthday!

2011-05-19T13:47:00.002-06:00

The first weekend of May, I got to help with a party for a very lovely lady. She is known to the blogger world as the Artsy Fartsy Shopaholic, but in my world she is none as a sweet, fun, fabulous friend!! The Knight is her hubby, and he was planning a throw down to celebrate Erika surviving her 30s. He enlisted the help of me and another party planner type, and we got to work on decorations. That is all we can take credit for; The Knight did the invites, catering, beverages, and keeping it a surprise. We have found the best men around :) I will say, though, that planning decorations for a Party Fashionista is a little intimidating...but I think we made her happy!!
This is The Knight’s Mama. Yep, he even got family in town to help celebrate! She is one fun lady! We weren’t exactly sure what time the AFS was going to pull up in the driveway, so the setup crew was waiting in the front yard for her arrival.

Here is the Cutest Boy in the World and Aidan, my party planning friend. I kinda miss her daily emails re:Erika’s 30th because she is a freakin riot. And doesnt even know it. Oh yea, and she’s pretty cute too. We also worked together on the AFS baby shower last May.

Waiting on any sign of her vehicle. I was getting nervous!

My cute lil man, ready to partay!

Also ready to partay:

More excited guests starting arriving!

We werent sure of her whereabouts because the Knight had told her their babysitter had canceled, their reservation had been moved, and Aidan was going to come and take care of the baby. Erika was not happy.
In typical, take control, lawyer fashion, Erika decided to take matters into her own hands and come home to get Coco ready for bed before the went to dinner.

The Knight sent her to get Aidan a “treat” for being such a good friend, and to buy us a little more time.
We sent the boys back to the back to finish up with the decorations.

There’s her car!

And the Birthday Girl!!!

We were going for an aqua, yellow, and orange theme. I am not very good at staying on task, so there were some other colors thrown in as well.
Here is the bar area. Wine, beer, and bellinis! The bellinis were so very yummy! The reipe called for elderflower liqueor (WT?), and when I inquired about it at the gettin’ place, the guy told me it would be like a spring bouquet exploded in your mouth! Loved that description!!

The Knight got Muddy’s cupcakes..the absolute best! Aidan made this toppers and had pictures from Erika’s birth, 1st birthday, wedding day, and awkward teenage phase. They were adorable and everyone loved looking at them!

Food tables.

For our “guest book,” we had everyone leave advice for Erika’s next 30 years (thank you, Tim McGraw!)

My stud muffin

Aidan and her treat from Erika…haha!

Backyard

Hostesses and Birthday Girl

Our Boys

The Knight even had a surprise at the end of the night!

Her Mama showed up!! I was sitting with two other new mamas of baby girls and we all teared up at the thought of our babies being so excited to see us in 30 year. Erika’s Mama is the loveliest!

Us old ladies partied till after midnight! Megan was watching Kate and I knew it must be late when the partyqueen herself called to make sure we were ok! haha!

Time and Tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty.Robert Frost

Violet’s Chanel Baby Shower

2011-05-16T22:11:00.003-06:00

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I hosted a Chanel insprired baby sprinkle for one of my dear friends, Eden, and her Baby Violet on the way. Eden is also the mother of Juliette, who happens to be Kate’s partner in crime. Well, the relationship right now is more Kate bosses Juju around, but I can see where their future is headed. Haha! Anyway, we went with a Coco Chanel theme, and it really turned out rather perfect. You can see part of the tablescape above. We had just a few finger foods since it was at 2 in the afternoon, but our friend Stefanie did an AMAZING job on the cake. Absolutely perfect. She also made Kate’s pink poodle birthday cake. And she might quit taking cake orders from me!
I also made some baked “V” in honor of the cheese of the month…heehee get it?

We used this shower for several of our ideas, but Violet’s nursery is going to be yellow and gray so we went with those colors. Before her name was picked, it was going to be yellow, gray, and aqua, and since Violet is her name, it has been thrown in there too!

We did an Italian soda bar which was a big hit and oh so delicious!

Fun paper straws and glasses!

Wreath for her hospital door.

For her well wishes, I came up with the cards below last minute (at like midnight the night before…and I was so proud of my cleverness :)

Example card

My advice to Violet

So glad I am a keeper of mismatched junk. I found this mug with violets on it that morning in my china cabinet!

Sweet friends.

Eden loves pearls, so it was very fitting to have them with our Chanel theme!

Leni wants some soda!

Some of our pregnant ladies!

I enlisted the help of one of our Hubbies for this cute sign! He is in graphic design, is extremely talented, and might possibly be the future father in law of sweet Pres.

The hostesses and Mommy to be. Crazy that we are the Mommies of 6 littles!

And I cant have a post without my cute kiddies. This was after the shower was over. I will say that hosting a shower with two little ones in tow and a hubby in the middle of exams proved how much he does help when he is able! We had a wonderful time and I hope Eden and Violet felt our love for them.
This is also my first time to use Windows Live Writer…I think I like it?!
A girl should be two things, Sweet with a little bit of Sassy-Amanda Cantrell