See You In A Week...

I just dont know what I am going to do without the ability to blog for a whole week!!! I guess I could blog if I was desperate enough, but the internet aint free on the ship and it also aint a price I am willing to pay. Too bad I guess I will just have to find better things to do to occupy my time. LOL! I cant wait to get on the ship, get my camera ready, get a fruity drink in hand and let the fun begin. I will have MANY pictures and MANY stories to tell when I get back and I cant wait to share them with you :) I wish everyone a happy first week of June...and first week of Summer. See you soon!!!

Bad Girl...Good Girl

So here is my little "Whiny-Poo" child on the way home today...she just sat in the back seat and went on and on about nothing. I even noticed a few times where she had to "try" really hard to be so upset. I can already tell I have an academy award winning actress on my hands. "And the award for best actress goes to...Jolea Dru Ward!" Please notice how she starts to bite on her own leg as though it were a corn-on-the-cob...its very cute!

And here is my little "Angel-Face" child on the back porch (10 minutes later) in baby la-la land completely obsessed and totally content with putting the rocks in the bowl...dumping the rocks in the bowl...putting the rocks in the bowl...dumping the rocks in the bowl...you get the point. Some days its like she is a miniature Jekyll and Hyde. Anyone else ever have days like this? I'm convinced that we are already in the "Terrible Two's" and its going to be frustrating at times. I pray to God for patience, because I know I fall short in that area and I would hate to miss out on so many sweet moments with this precious child of mine because I was too busy being frustrated or in a hurry. I know these are the sweetest moments and I also know in the long run they are the shortest moments too.

Good News...

Yea...we have accepted an offer on house and are in the process of having the contract drawn up today. God is so good and He does hear our prayers. The gentleman who came to look at the house last week likes it enough to want to buy it! Its going to be a great little house for him just like it was for us. Anytime you get into all this "contractual" stuff its a little bit nerve-wracking, so I will be totally at ease once we both sign the dotted line. So with all that said this summer is really shaping up to be a busy one.

• Cruising to the Caribbean
• Moving
• Father's Day
• Luau party with The Tomlin's in Lubbock
• 4Th of July festivities
• Annual family trip to PK in the Honey (our OLD SCHOOL RV...chuggalugga down the road)
• River Trip with the Tomlin's and the Lubbock gang
• Small Group stuff
• Andy starts football in July
• and...did I mention 12 hours of summer classes :(

So the next 3 months are going to fly right by and it will be August and back to school before we know it. In the mean-time we are gonna soak up the summer sun, enjoy good times with good friends and just have some fun.

Just Because...

There is really no reason for this post, other than to share these sweet pictures. Jolea is wearing her new "floppy" hat from Old Navy, the one she will be "required" to wear at all times on the boat so her sweet baby face doesn't get sun burned. She played outside at Grammy's today and actually left it on her head long enough for Grams to snap a picture or two. I have to admit, these pictures only make her appear to be a "sweetheart" because today was a rather wimpy and whiny day for her...she even had to go to timeout :( Maybe tomorrow she will be in a better mood :)

Memorial Day Memories...

We had a great holiday weekend jam packed with lots of fun. We had a NASCAR party on Sunday evening...and boy did we treat ourselves to some good "eats!" We had ribs and chicken, beans, corn-bread salad, potato salad and Grammys famous bread pudding. Some say...she runs a close race with some of the very best bread puddings in this town...so way to go Grammy. The race ended up getting rained out...and we were showered with a light rain for most of the afternoon as well. The deck at my parents house is the perfect spot for entertaining...it didn't rain our parade :) Here are some of the pictures from Sunday's party!!!

Monday I was off work :) which makes me very happy. My baby girl slept till 9 o'clock, which means I got to sleep in till 9 o'clock...this also makes me very happy. I laid out in the back yard for about an hour...it was just perfect and I am trying to get that last minute tan before we set sail. Needless to say I over-did it and I am now looking a lot like a red lobster. I got Jolea's new water toy out yesterday afternoon...and boy did she have fun. She played really hard for about an hour...and I think Grammy will definitely get her moneys worth from that purchase. Here are some of my favorite pictures and a sweet little video too :)

After playing in the sun we ran to Old Navy and Walmart to get a few things. Here are the bathing suits Andy and I will be sporting this year...they are from Old Navy...what do you think?

This week is a busy week and I have a lot of things to do in preparation for our trip. Traveling and packing for a 19 month old is somewhat like packing for a small army...but its better to have too much stuff than not enough!!! I will try my best not to over-pack...but I will take pictures and let you decide!!! If anyone has ever been on a cruise with a small child, I welcome any tips or advice you have to give in regards to packing. I hope everyone had a great 3 day weekend...I know I was blessed to spend time with my loved ones...and that is always a real treat. Happy Monday everyone...Ooops I mean Happy Tuesday :)

Saturday Stuff...

Today has turned out to be quite a busy day. We got up early this morning...which is nothing out of the ordinary with a 19 month old. Andy and I made pancakes, bacon and eggs...and little Jolea got her belly plenty full. I decided today was a great day to clean Grammy's house, and as I have mentioned before I am her own personal Merry Maid from time to time and it gives me the chance to earn extra money. Since we are leaving for vacation on Saturday...I am itching to make all the "extra" money that I can. Daddy and Baby spent the day together and I think they really had a good time...they were already outside playing this morning when I left at 10:00. I went with my Mom today to Target to pick out some black benches for her front porch. She wanted two of them so that it was balanced. We have been to several places and we landed the perfect ones at Target...and they were only 100.00 a piece, which is considerably cheaper than other places. She wasn't "over-the-top" about the cushions...but they turned out to work pretty well. We both agree that the bench needs a little "something" more, but the wind howls out where she lives and she thinks it would be a lost cause at keeping them. The new door mat is my favorite thing...so earthy...but so cute. The plants on her front porch are the ones that we planted together from Hardwick's a few weekends ago.

We also came across the cutest water toy for Jolea today while we were at Target. She had a small blow-up pool last summer and we spent hours in that thing...just soaking up the sun. This year we decided to try something a little different and I think she is going to LOVE it. I cant wait for it to be warm enough again to get it going in the backyard.

My little Jolea is 19 months old today...and she gets bigger and smarter by the second. She has learned so many new things over the past month. Her vocabulary has really grown and she is doing things that "big girls" do. We plan on hitting the potty training really hard when we get back from vacation and we plan on finding a way to get rid of the paci too. Once we get those too obstacles out of the way...we will be doing really good. If anyone has any pointers on either of these...PLEASE share.

Summer Sprinkler Fun...and More

Summer is here...don't ya think? This weather says...get out in the sun and have some fun...and that's just what Jolea Dru did. We put the sprinkler on in Grammy's back yard, and although she wasn't sure at first...she got used to the idea very quick. We tricked her a few times by kinking the hose and then getting her real good in the face, but she caught on quickly and wasn't falling for it after that. I hope my little girl loves the water as much as I did when I was her age. I took lessons at the Sun Fish...and I remember it like it was yesterday. I loved that place...and I lived there in the summers. My mom had this silly rule though...if it wasn't 90 degrees I couldn't go to the pool? I still haven't ever figured that one out...but you can imagine my anticipation as I called the weather line nearly everyday just to see if it was going to be hot enough to be a Sun Fish day. Ahhh...good memories!

We had a very nice gentleman come and look at the house tonite. It was the most "promising" looker yet. His wife has passed and his children are all grown and out of the house, so our home would be perfect for him. I don't think he was thrilled about the hot pink nursery, but hey that's nothing a little paint cant fix. He loved what we had done with the place...and called back pretty quickly after he left to let me know he was working on something he could bring to the table that would hopefully work for both of us. The great thing is...he says he can pay cash...which means not a long waiting period for financing! We have been in prayer about this for a long time and we really hope this is the break we have been waiting for. The Ward family is about to be going thru lots of changes and diving into new things...and I have to admit...its all a little scary and exciting all at the same time. Yay for the 3 day weekend but I have so much to do!

Countdown To Cruising ...

Please click on the images to enlarge them and to read this post :)

Its A Hard Knock Life...

I am delighted to share the news with you that my daughter has fallen in love with one of my all time favorite movies. The name of the movie you ask...Annie! Apparently Grammy DVR'd the Hallmark version from Lifetime TV and Jolea was hooked the first time she ever laid eyes on it. So I just had to pick up the "original" version when I was at Target...and whats even better is the fact that it was only 9 dollars! Isn't it so neat how some movies are just timeless. I can remember watching that movie almost on a daily basis...just like my Jolea is doing now. I can remember wishing I was Little Orphan Annie, playing dress up like her and singing all the songs! Oh...how long ago it seems! I managed to catch this little video tonite...its a little too dark, but its still kinda funny. Jolea is watching her very favorite scene which is the pillow fight scene in the orphanage. She gets VERY excited about this part...a cute little squeal and some head bobbing for sure :)

I also wanted to show you the "then" and "now' photos of Aileen Quinn...the little red headed star herself. Kinda random, but I was curious to know what happened to the little red head. I don't really think she ever made her mark on any other films the way she did with Annie.

What movies do your kids watch? Are there others out there that I "must" show my sweet girl? I know that our friends Whitney and Morgan Johns will say...Little House on the Prairie...as I know sweet Morgan just adores Laura and Pa' (go look at her blog for pics...too cute)!

Zoo Day...

Yesterday's weather was just too beautiful to pass up, so after our Sunday afternoon naps, we packed up and headed to the zoo. I was thinking we weren't going to have time to look at everything and then it dawned on me how "not-that-great" and how "not-that-big" our little zoo is. We actually ended up having plenty of time...and I think Jolea would've had fun with or without the animals. She just LOVES to be outside. If she could roam free and just go where-ever she wanted, she would be lost in her own bliss. She is so fast too...if she gets a good head start, its hard to catch her and I have found myself panting rather heavily after chasing her a few times. I think her favorite thing was the ducks, birds, flamingos and anything else with a beak that resembles a duck...she loved looking at them, pointing and saying "quack-quack"...over and over and over again!!! Total Cuteness!!! Since I am on the topic of her saying the same things over and over again...her latest obsession is when she sees a bug she totally gets distracted. I'm talking something as teenie-tiny as an ant...she ain't moving till its dead and picked up. I have just left it alone before, thinking she would forget about it, and 10 minutes later she was still standing in the middle of the kitchen on her tippie-toes saying "Ewww, Gross" "Uh-Oh...Mama...Uh-Oh" It's pretty cute...I must admit. I can probably thank Sid The Science Kid for her obsession with bugs...because its one of her favorite shows in the whole world and one of the episodes I have on DVR is a bug episode...Go figure!!! Anyway, I have gotten slightly off topic but below are some of my favorites from the Zoo. I just love snapping pictures...and its makes me happy when I get some good ones!!! Enjoy!!!

Double Date Night...

First off...let me mention the much anticipated haircut...its basically the same cut just a shorter version...and I totally chickened out on the color. For some reason I just feel like blonde's are much better candidates for color than brunettes. Putting dark highlights on a blonde is so much safer than trying to lighten up a brunette that is almost black. Trust me I have seen some bad color jobs before and that is not a club that I really wanna join.

Last night we went a double date night with the Hughes, but before we left, I managed to get some really cute pictures out of my daughter. She actually sat in her Daddy's lap and she looked right at the camera and even smiled. Not sure whats going on there...but I will take it. Please take note, that me and my little Diva are all decked out in Zebra...

(just look at those poetic skills would ya:)

On our date night we hit Abuelos first, then the Ruff Rider game and to top it all off we decided on a couple of games of bowling. Sounds like a funfilled night...and it was!!! Every time we get to do fun things like this, it just makes me realize how lucky we are to have Grammy and Poppy here. They really are the best and Jolea just adores them!!! Thanks for keeping our girl last night Grammy!!!

Today the weather is so beautiful...we are really thinking about taking Jolea to the zoo. I'm not sure if they are open on Sundays...so I will have to look into it. So pictures to come if we make the zoo trip!!! Happy Sunday to everyone!!!

There Is A First Time For Everything...

So there isn't really a whole lot going on in the land of the "Wards" but I do have a couple of things that I thought were worth mentioning. First off...my baby girl went night night WITHOUT the paci for the very first time tonite and she only screamed for about 10 minutes. I am so not a fan of her being a "Big" girl and having a paci...because...Duh..."Big" girls don't have paci's. So wish me luck that the next few nights are as easy as tonite was!!! Moving on...I just want everyone to know that if you are in the market for a manicure...my husband totally rocked my socks off tonite when he painted my fingernails for me!!! So Cute!!! He wasn't really thrilled about it, but lets face it...I cant do my own left hand!!! Thanks honey for being such a trooper. Tomorrow is the big day...I'm getting my haircut!!! I will post before and afters for anyone who cares!!! Hope everyone is having the start to a FABulous weekend.

Ugh...a post with no pictures is like a cupcake with no frosting :(

Extra Extra Read All About It...

This just in...Terah made all A's this semester and has a perfect 4.0 GPA!!! Woo Hoo!!! Even though I almost lost my mind over the course of the semester...I guess in the end it was worth it!!! In just one short year from right now...I will be done and in search of my very first teaching job and this is very exciting to me!!!

Fun Weekend = Fun Blogging

Goodness Gracious...what a wonderful weekend we had!!! I already mentioned hanging out with the Hughes Family on Friday night and the rest of the weekend was just as FABULOUS. On Saturday morning my Mom and I got a "wild-hair" and decided to drive to Rising Star Texas and visit Hardwick's Nursery. Its a huge place with some of the most beautiful plants and flowers you could imagine. The geraniums we picked out are HUGE!!! Its a short road trip, so you can go there and back in one day and still get home in time to work in your yard.

Saturday night was fairly uneventful, we just hung out and I gave Jolea her first bath in the jacuzzi tub. Lets just say she wasn't a big fan of the water jets and the rumbling sound they made and I actually ended up having to climb in the tub with her, just to get her to sit back down. (Yes we have pictures of this...me in my bathing suit of course...but I will not be posting those...EVER) I do however have darling pictures of her -before- we ever turned the jets on and totally freaked her out. What a cutie pie...she really loves bath time...and here lately she has gotten so brave about putting her face in or pouring a whole cup of water on top of her head. Adorable!!!

Sunday morning...was Mother's Day of course!!! We got up and got dressed and we were actually running on time for church which is very surprising. Jolea wore her sweet dress and she had no problems striking a pose for the camera. Grammy bought her some "hair-flair" those cute little clips...but of course it stayed in her hair for a whopping 20 seconds, which wasn't even long enough for me to snap a cute picture of it. I don't think she will ever let me put anything in her hair and actually leave it alone.

We ate lunch at Perini's which is one of the best places to eat. I love the quaintness and the "chuck wagon" feeling when you walk through the door. My favorite time to eat there is in the winter at the table that is right in front of the fireplace. Its awesome. On Sundays they offer the buffet, and everything was delicious. Lunch was rather "eventful" because the reservations were at 11:15 and lets just say that was right in the middle of Jolea's nap time. Ugh!!! We had to eat in shifts, but we managed and we still had a good time. I took so many pictures from lunch and couldn't decide which ones to post so I collaged them so I could have the best of both worlds. By the way Jolea was completely obsessed with the longhorn...she was "moo"ing at him nonstop!!!

Here are some more of my favorites...of just the girls!!!

This last group of pictures reflects what my whole life is all about...my sweet Jolea and her handsome Daddy. They have made my life all I could have ever wanted!!!

My mom got me this cute little book for mothers day called 1001 Things It Means to Be A Mommy...

I have chuckled about some of the things it says and fought back tears over others, but so far...one of my favorites is # 84 it says...Being a mom means constantly saying "I love you," because that's the most important thing a child needs to know. Thank You Mom for the precious little book and all of the other things you have done for me and my family. I love you more than you will ever know. Overall we had a great weekend filled with lots of fun memories...and I cant wait to celebrate Father's Day and shine the light on all the Daddy's in this world.

Ponytails and Painted Nails...

I have waited a long long time for this day!!! The day when my child had enough hair to pull back a tiny ponytail. It was the cutest thing ever. Its very small, but a pony is a pony...right? Jolea's hair only grows in the back which is a.k.a "The Mullet!" I'm still patiently awaiting the day when I can pull up two little pigtails...ahh...sweetness.

Last night we went to visit our friends Kirk and Anna...we played Rockband...and visited...and we had a really great time!!! I took a yummy Greek appetizer that I was a little bit nervous about, but when we got ready to leave there was only 1 piece left...so either they were good, or we were just really hungry. The chocolate covered strawberries were for "back-up" just in case...and who in their right mind doesn't like chocolate covered strawberries? Thanks to the Hughes for having us in their home!!! I will be recuperating for the next week for staying up so late last night!!!

Anna was kind enough to paint my nails and toenails for me...aren't they super cute??? A little on the "Wild" side, but I'm loving them!!!

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and it will only be the 2ND time for me to celebrate this special day. We have reservations at Perini's, and I am so excited about that, considering its one of my very favorite places on this earth...YUM YUM!!! Being a Mommy has been such a rewarding experience. Its not always the "easiest" thing I have ever done, but I am learning one day at a time. I hope that I can be the mommy to my sweet Jolea Dru, that my mommy was to me!!! Happy Mothers Day to all of you who are Mothers, or soon to be Mothers...I hope God blesses you all on your special day. XOXO

A New Look...

So I got bored with my other layout and decided I would try to make my own!!! Yea not so much!!! I made the header at scrapblog.com...all the components come in a kit and then you just decide what you want to use and how you want the layout to look. I really like the bright colors and how "happy" it looks so that is why I chose it. I messed with the darn "body or layout" for hours...and never could get it to work. Does anyone know how to turn a picture or jpeg file into the html format (Ashley...I know you do!!!)? Its foreign language to me...so I ended up stealing a body/layout from somewhere on the web. Hey...I'm still learning...but I think it turned out kinda cute!!! Who knows I might change it again next week. I get bored fast...and like to change things all the time...just ask my hubby about re-arranging the furniture!!! School is officially OVER...and I am LOVING all this EXTRA time on my hands. I had better not get used to it, because its only gonna last about 2 weeks, and then its back to the grind again!!! But between now and then I have a cruise to the Caribbean to get excited about...and that is just what I plan on doing!!! Hopefully we will have a totally awesome blog-worthy weekend that I can tell everyone about!!!

Help...I Need A New "Do"

Okay here is the deal...I want a NEW look!!! I have had this haircut for a long long time and I just think its time for a change. See what happens is, I will get bored with a style and want a new one, then I will get a new one an not like it, and then the vicious cycle starts all over again. My face is long, so the longer my hair is, the longer it makes my face look, thus the reason I stay away from long hair. I cut it all off the day a few days after we got married and I really haven't ever let it grow out since then. The haircut I have right now is very popular and I really like it, but I hate spending 1/2 an hour on it every morning...UGH...such a hassle! I'm tempted to do a really short pixie cut, but I have such thick hair that I'm not sure it would work for me. I know my hubby is a fan of the short hair, so at least I don't have to worry about that. I don't know I just think something about short hair is spunky and can be sexy too!!! What do you think??? I found this neat little website that would let me simulate what I would look like with all different hairstyles. Which one..if any do you like? Lets number them across 1,2 and 3 across the top and 4, 5 and 6 across the bottom. I need some feedback. I'm also tossing around the idea of doing some color too. I'm so "chicken" when it comes to this, but its summer time and I think highlights would look so hip and summer'ish. Its just hair...it will grow back, and if the color turns out to be a disaster, I know my hairdresser can fix me up. By the way if you are ever in the market for a new hair stylist, might I suggest Angela @ David Avery. She is a doll face, and she has always done a FABULOUS job on mine and Grammy's hair!!!

This one is just for "Fun"...do you see how long my face looks...Ugh!!!

Retail Therapy...

O my goodness...I LOVE SHOPPING!!! It just makes me happy and giddy on the inside. My Mom and I take a girls trip to Fort. Worth at least every 6 months...and we always have such a good time together. We left on Saturday morning at 9:00 and got there at about 11:30. Our fist stop was the Grapevine Mills Mall. This place has become one of my very favorite shopping establishments. Its a one stop shop to all my favorite places...I spent most of my money at Forever 21. Now considering that I am way closer to 30 than I am to 21...I don't know why I like this store so much. A lot of their stuff is too funky and too skimpy for me, but I always come away with a handful of very classy conservative things that I think are just darling. I'm a huge fan of the Gap and Banana Republic, but I really didn't find much at these two places this time. J.Crew is adorable...but has officially creeped outside of my budget...I mean 32 dollars for a tank-top...I don't think so!!! Even though Hollister and Abercrombie are made for little "stick" people who do not "eat" we snuck in there too and even came away with a few bargains!!! We did notice that the mall wasn't nearly as crowded as it has been in the past and we just assumed that lots of people are staying home...to protect themselves from the Swine Flu...Mom and I are troopers...the first thing we did when we got to the mall was hit up Bath and Body Works for some miniature hand sanitizers that we could carry in our pockets...one for Mom and one for Me!!! We washed our hands or sanitized more times this weekend...then we have our whole lives!!! So Saturday night we headed over to the Southlake Town Square for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (officially one of my favorite places to eat)! I do suggest to "share" a meal if you can because the portions are huge. We laughed and visited and really had a great time. We were so full that we had to order our cheesecake to go...and we had it as a midnight snack instead!!! YUMMY!!! Our hotel was perfectly located, 5 minutes in either direction and we were right where we needed to be. Sunday morning we woke up and had a nice breakfast at the hotel. We packed up and headed back to Southlake for TJ Maxx and a few shops on the square and then headed to the California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. Andy and I are in love with the Barbecue Chicken Pizza that you can buy in the frozen section at the grocery store, so it was really delicious to eat it piping hot and right out of the oven. (I highly suggest you try one) On the way back I studied and Grammy drove...and we made it home safe and sound at 6:30. What a special relationship I have with my sweet mother. She is my best friend in the whole world and its such a treasure to me that we can do these things together...just the two of us. I don't think I will ever get too big or too old to want to hang out with my Mom. She is one special lady.

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