Busy Summertime

We have had such a busy and fun summer! I really had intentions of blogging more than I have but it just hasn't happened with so much going on. My best friend is having a sweet baby boy, Tucker, in September so I've been spending time doing fun baby shower prepping! My brother and his fiance are getting married the beginning of October so I've also been busy searching for flower girl dresses, planning their couple's shower, planning a trip to Dallas for wedding shopping and her bridal shower is this weekend! Oh, and lots of G-chat with the bride to be. :) SO much excitement going on in the lives of so many that we love and I am so happy to get to be a part of it all!

Zoe girl is just busy being a toddler. Pretty sure she is the definition of a toddler. TOO stinkin' cute and sweet one moment and throwing herself on the floor in a fit over something so simple the next. Never a dull moment, that's for sure!

Let's see.. since I last blogged we've taken Zoe to Sea World, had a fun filled 4th of July and took her to Gators and Friends. Scott and I got a weekend away in Broken Bow, Oklahoma with some of our best friends and very much enjoyed every minute of that trip! Lots of adult conversations, adult beverages, sitting in the sun, sitting around the fire, talking, cooking, playing games and just RELAXING.

Now if summer could just last a little longer!!!!!

twenty-nine

Saturday was my 29th Birthday! I've joked that I'm "holding on tight to my twenties" but maybe it's because they've been so great! I met Scott when I was right at 20 1/2. We dated a little over 2 years, got married and had sweet Zoe. I can only hope that my last year in my twenties is just as wonderful as all the others have been.

Scott had drill the weekend of my birthday which was kinda a bummer. BUT he took a long lunch date with me on Friday at a local Italian restaurant that I've been wanting to try. It did not disappoint. I loved it. It was the perfect birthday lunch. We seem to enjoy breakfast or lunch together over dinner. We have more energy and are just more "day people" I suppose. Friday night we went to a gender reveal party for some friends and found out they're having a BOY! We were all super excited. They couldn't be more thrilled. Saturday, my parents were in town and took me to breakfast at my all time favorite breakfast/brunch spot, Another Broken Egg. This place is to.die.for. Seriously. Love it so much. Dad tended to Zoe the majority of the time so Mom and I could enjoy our breakfast which was so very sweet of him. I'm sure he didn't mind, thought. ;) After breakfast, we went to Farmer's Market which was insanely busy! It was so hot and Z was a little indifferent but we still enjoyed ourselves and got lots of yummy fresh produce. When Scott got home Saturday me him and Z went out for frozen yogurt. Zoe loves it.. as do I. :) She mainly loves the marshmallows, gummy bears and whatever else she decides to put on top of the yogurt. Silly kiddo. We had a great little date at the yogurt place followed by a trip to Academy. Zoe is starting gymnastics this week and needed a leotard. She looks SO stinkin' CUTE in it! Oh my goodness. I just love it. I'm so excited for her to start classes. We're taking them with one of her good friends so I think she'll loosen up and have fun since she'll have a buddy with her.
Sunday was a rainy, lazy morning for me and miss Z then that afternoon we got out and went shopping for her a bathing suit. I swear shopping for her is so much more fun than shopping for myself ever was! We grilled out Sunday night and ate outside and it was the perfect end to a perfect, relaxing weekend! So thankful for my sweet family and parents for making me feel extra loved on my birthday.

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sweet little things

I've been thinking a lot about cute things that Zoe says and does and wanted to document them...

She asks me to sing "Mama's song" when rocking her at night. This is Darius Rucker's "Wagon Wheel" song. She's obsessed with it. Recently, I dug up a CD of songs that my Dad has written and sings (most of them from when I was little) and Zoe now is requesting "Papa's song". One is the books of the Bible and the other one is "children are a gift from God". She requested Papa's song last night and when I asked her which one she said "Precious Little Girl" because the song says "Children are a gift from God, they are his reward. What'd I ever do to deserve such a precious little boy and girl?". But I leave out the boy part for Zoe. ;) THIS melts my heart.

She has started calling Scott "Cotty" and it is hilarious. It bothers Scott, he doesn't think it's near as funny as we do and says that I egg it on, but it's so funny!

We recently had a talk about strangers so now when she sees someone in public who may look a little sketchy or just a big (in height) man, she'll ask "That's a stranger?" or "I don't know him?". It's pretty cute/sweet that she's recognizing who she should and shouldn't talk to but also a little embarrassing when they hear her. She usually follows with "Mama or Daddy know them? I get Mama or Daddy?". I think it's a good lesson.. pretty cute to hear her saying and understanding what we've explained to her.

She LOVES her baby dolls. One in particular, named Grace. She will hold them so gently and talk to them and rock them. I even caught her "changing a diaper" on one of them and holding her two feet with one hand, just like I do when wiping her. It tickled me. When she hands her dolls to me she'll tell me to pat their bottom. I've always patted Zoe's bottom to soothe her. Once again, it melts my heart that she notices those little things.

She has JUST started saying "I love you too". As much as she talks I can't believe its taken her this long to constantly say that back to us. We tell her we love her non stop and I'm pretty sure I say it even more now just because hearing her say it back is oh so sweet.

I sure do love this sweet little angel. :)

P + N

This past weekend we attended an engagement party for my little brother and his fiance, Natalie. It was so much fun. There was a great turn out and lots of good food and company. (Although Scotty couldn't make it) Paul and Natalie are getting married in October in Rosemary Beach, Florida. I simply CAN.NOT.WAIT. Zoe will be the flower girl.. if I can ever find her a dress! ;) Natalie is going to make such a gorgeous bride! And Paul a pretty handsome groom. Their party was western theme, complete with lots of bandannas, cowboy boots and country music. We all thoroughly enjoyed getting to show our love for this precious, sweet couple. They are oh-so in love!




Love you two little love birds so much!!!

Mommy Mommy

Mother's Day was the perfect day! Thanks to my sweet husband and baby girl. Actually, let me back up and say a big Thank You to MY Mama for babysitting Zoe on Saturday afternoon so Scott and I could go on a much needed date day! We went to the horse races and had an absolute blast! We will definitely be going back. We had a connection and got to sit in a box for free so that was a nice treat. :) Then to dinner and back to reality! Which is pretty nice, too.
Back on track...
On Mother's Day I didn't get to sleep in which is what I was really hoping for but that's okay! Scott made me breakfast, we lounged around, made phone calls to our mother's and his mom asked us to come see her. She only lives about 30 minutes away but we knew we needed to go although we had planned to go to church. We loaded up and went to visit her for about an hour and 1/2. It was a great, short and sweet visit. Z fell asleep on the way home and I knew as soon as I walked in the door at home it was my nap time too! Scott offered to go grocery shopping while we napped and I took him up on that real quick! After our naps, we watched a little bit of Princess and the Frog while Daddy was doing laundry. Then, Zoe wanted to go play outside. Scott said y'all go play, I'm gonna clean house. Ummm okay! We colored, played with play doh, played in her play house, drew with chalk, mommy tried to lay out but she kept telling me to get up! HA! For dinner, Scott grilled out some sliders and we had sweet potato fries and OMG they were soo good! Pretty much the perfect day if you ask me. Lazy, no make-up, hair pulled back, perfect weather, good food, and the best company!
I am so thankful that I get to be Zoe's Mommy and for my Mama who has raised me to love being a Mom!

Disney on Ice - Dare to Dream

We took our Princess Zoe to see Disney on Ice last weekend and boy were we glad we did! It was SO much fun! Scott got home on Friday afternoon from being gone for three weeks and we had tickets to go to the show that Saturday afternoon. We didn't tell Zoe until the night before and of course she didn't really understand what we were talking about but that's all that she's talked about since! "The Princess Show" is what we call it. She doesn't watch a lot of TV but has recently gotten into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (usually holds her attention for 10 minutes or so) and on the weekends I'll play Tangled or Princess and the Frog and just kinda have it on while we're doing stuff and playing and she'll watch it off and on. Dare to Dream is Rapunzel, Cinderella and Princess Tiana. So Z was familiar with all three of them. In between each show Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy came out. THIS was exciting stuff!!! For all of us! Since Zoe love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse the most she was super stoked. She said "I watch him at home!" And "Where's the other Mickey?" -- That's what she calls Minnie Mouse. :)

We will most definitely be going back to more Disney on Ice shows as they come to town. It was more than worth the money to see Zoe's excitement! Just SO MUCH FUN.

Money=Happiness? FALSE

This morning on my way to work while contemplating if I should go through chick fil a and spend $5 on breakfast I had some serious deep thoughts. I was raised to understand that money doesn't make you happy and that it's the small things in life that are the real ones. Family has always been so important to me. Sure, we all have to work to provide for our families.. but how much are we willing to sacrifice? My husband has to travel every now and then and sometimes for weeks at a time but at the end of the day we know that what's most important to us is that the majority of the time he is at home every night with us. He doesn't want a job where he has to travel and be away from his family. We love being HOME and TOGETHER.

I've recently taken quite a pay cut and was more than willing to make that sacrifice. I'd choose getting Z early from daycare, going to the park or pet store for free on a Friday over sitting at work until 6 on a Friday and missing out on those moments ANY day. Life is just way too short and our kids really grow up in the blink of an eye. I don't want to look back and wish I would've spent more time with her or done something differently. No, I can't afford to be a stay at home mom. For money or sanity reasons. HA! Kudos to you stay at home mommies! But as I sit here at work this morning, my co worker is at a Mommy and Me Tea party with her kids and going to Kindergarten Round-up, missing a morning of work because she chooses to put her family first as does our boss. Those are things I SO look forward to doing with my baby as she grows up. I don't want to miss a thing. Of course life happens and there may be times that I can't be there. But I want her to grow up knowing that Mommy and Daddy made sacrifices to give her the best life possible. Not money, toys and pretty things, but lots of time, love and fun times. Those pretty things will one day be ugly, the toys will break, the money always disappears, but LOVE and LIFE experiences are priceless.

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all you hard working Mama's!!! We have the toughest and most rewarding job there is, no doubt! :)

Traveling buddies

On our way home from Carlisle on Sunday after visiting the Kelly's for the weekend, we stopped in Arkadelphia. My baby brother, Luke, is just finishing up his first year of school there and has recently moved into a house with a couple of friends. We thought we'd stop and treat the broke college kid to lunch and check out his new place. Zoe was pretty excited to see him but a little indifferent because I had to wake her from her nap to eat lunch and play. She eventually liven up..of course! His house is the perfect bachelor pad. Enough said. HA! No, really, it's cute and perfect for some college guys. I couldn't be happier for him because he's excited about it and happy to be out of the dorm. (I can't get my pictures uploaded from my iphone to rotate the correct way and loaded onto my blog that way! *Frustrated* ) After we visited with Uncle Luke we went on to Texarkana to play with Nana and Papa. We had so much fun we just couldn't leave! So we stayed the night. :) Of course my perfect plan of Z sleeping the whole way home Monday morning since we had to leave so early did NOT happen. Oh well! It was still a perfect weekend! And with Daddy coming home in just 4 short days I wasn't going to let anything get us down.

Arkansas Trip!

This past weekend us two girls took a little road trip! This was the furthest I've driven with just me and Zoe. She did pretty good because I tried to time most of the driving around nap time. It was a little stressful at times but over all we had a great trip and I think Zoe had a lot of fun! We left Friday at noon and headed straight to good ole Carlisle, Arkansas to see my best friend, Whitney. She and her husband built a new house a couple of years ago and it was my first time to go see them in their new home. Whitney has been so good to come visit us in Louisiana several times since Zoe's been born and I thought it was finally time for us to visit them! We LOVED getting to just hang around with Whit and Matt and their sweet lab, Kate. Zoe was/is obsessed with Kate. She didn't want Matt or Kate out of her site! Silly girl. Whitney thinks Z needs a puppy. We think we'll just stick to visiting Kate :) Zoe did a great job of breaking in their beautiful new home AND getting it ready for their new lives with their new baby boy coming soon!!! She had toys, blocks, puzzle pieces and books everywhere! Saturday night we went to dinner at a restaurant in Little Rock called All Aboard. It had trains on tracks above the restaurant that would bring you your food. Zoe thought this was the coolest thing ever! The food was great, beer was good and company the best! Shuggie met up with us for dinner and to get some Zoe lovin' and see her in her true form--acting wild in a restaurant! It was a great, kid friendly environment so I didn't stress over it too much. I was so happy we got to visit with Matt, Whitney and Shuggie and Shuggie's man, Broc, for awhile. Next stop on our Arkansas tour was Arkadelphia the Texarkana. I will blog about those when I have more time! HAPPY HUMP DAY!!!

HELLO!

Hi! It's me. Soo... long time no see. I've recently started a new career and now have more time to myself and for my family and much less stress and could not be happier! Since this change I have found myself constantly checking other peoples blogs and missing blogging myself. I have so many times thought about coming back to the blog world not only because it's fun but because my little Zoe has grown up WAY too quickly and I need to document her life. We have SO much fun with our sweet girl and I don't want to miss or forget a thing! There's absolutely no way to catch you up on the past two years of her life so for now I'll just show off some really cute pictures then pick up from there. :)