Getting Wild with the Ward's

137 Days till Christmas...

2010-08-09T22:23:00.000-05:00

Can you believe there are only 137 days left till Christmas? That means it's time to start thinking about all your holiday cards/invitation needs. I am still working on a few more holiday inspired greetings, but wanted to post a few of the latest designs! So far I have done 2 birth announcements and I am starting on a birthday invite for a Diva Cowgirl...can't wait to see how that one turns out. Please let me know if I can help you or someone you may know.

(click photo to enlarge)

Copper Creek Double Date...

2010-08-09T22:12:00.000-05:00

Yummy Yummy Yummy...this place

is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Before this summer I had eaten there a couple of times, but had never really been impressed. It was good food but at a slightly overpriced rate. This summer I have gone several times and I have not been disappointed.

Andy and I went on a double date with Grammy and Poppy Saturday night and it was so much fun. It was such a great time, enjoying a couple of drinks, visiting, cutting up and just being together. Seems like it has been forever since we've been able to do that.

The next time you go to Copper Creek, I must recommend the Red Pecan Crusted Fish with Sweet Chile Cilantro Sauce over a bed of white rice and asparagus.

OMG...it's the best fish I have ever ever ever had! It's not really on the menu because its a so called "special" however my waiter let me in on a little secret that if I want it...just order it! They will make it! And boy of boy they did make it for us...and every bite was sweet bliss.

Here are a few shots from our dinner date...

Me and the Hubs

Mom and Dad...

"Cheers To Good Food and Good Company"

Sweet Sweet Summa Days...

2010-08-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

Oh-the-many many hours we have spent swimming this summer. My Jolea girl is a "water baby" for sure. We opted not to do swimming lessons this time around because we felt she was still a little too young. After watching her in the water and seeing the improvement she has made this summer alone, we know she will be ready next year. She LOVES swimming...and she is fearless with those floaties on her arms! We have enjoyed many swimming adventures with our sweet friend Jillian...

And our big kid friends Cameron and Dylan...

Jolea loves her some Cami...

My Girl...All Smiles...

Wrapped up and ready to go...

It's the hot summer days like these that we are gonna miss soon!!! There isn't anything that a good day at the pool can't cure :-)

Pottery Barn Bargain...

2010-08-09T21:30:00.000-05:00

One of my FAVORITE things about summertime is getting up really early on Saturday mornings and going garage saling. Sometimes we find great bargains and other times we don't find anything but junk. It's all about the thrill of the hunt. On one particular morning a couple of weeks ago, we stumbled across this...

It's the Providence Quilted Bedding from Pottery Barn. Of course it looks "devine" right from the magazine page doesn't it?

Here is what it looks like on our bed! Still cute, but not as cute as the PB display page of course. I love the colors and the floral patterns with a little splash of gingham here and there. Someday when I get new bedroom furniture it will all look a lot better. I am a self admitted "bedding" junkie. I love buying new bedding for my bedroom and it's a BAD obsession to have...just ask my husband!

I wonder what I will find next Saturday?

G.N.O and Toy Story 3...

2010-08-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

Just finished working on these demo's. Gotta get a good portfolio started to that people have lots to choose from!!! I have my first order placed on a birth announcement for a sweet baby girl Chaynee Wryn South! Her Mommy likes zebra and pink and so do I :-) I bet we can do something spectacular with that combination.

(click to enlarge images)

Invitations Anyone?

2010-08-06T22:10:00.000-05:00

I have decided to take a hobby of mine that I absolutely LOVE and see if I can't make a little extra money and make someone’s party or event a little bit happier! Everyone needs a custom invitation from time to time right? Birthdays, babies, weddings, showers, graduations, holiday cards and whatever else you can think of. I have a phobia of store bought invitations...I dont know why, but I do. I want something a little more whimsical, a little more personal, a little more fun. With that said I wanted to show you a few of the demo's I have prepared...take a look...see what ya think...then if you have a special occasion coming up and you would like me to prepare something we can talk about it. I am planning on either providing the invite/card on CD-ROM for personal printing at a set fee or if you need me to have them printed for you, I will also be able to do that (given advance notice). I really enjoy playing with digital design and I am learning new things all the time. So...wish me LUCK!!!

(Ps...the baby pics are random pics from the internet...not a real baby that I know)

I'm in LOVE...

2010-08-04T00:24:00.000-05:00

So...I was digging around at my Mom's house and remembered that she had this awesome scrapbooking software that she bought in like 2008. Well since 2008 of course, I have decided that I have a love for dabbling in a little digital design here and there...you know, blog headers, invitations, holiday cards...things like that. Well I have fallen madly in LOVE with Scrapbook Boutique. Granted, I do know a lot more now than I did back then but I still have a TON of stuff to learn. Anyway, my new blog header is my first creation using the program, and it’s in the spirit of football of course :-)

Pedi Party with the Girls...

2010-08-03T00:02:00.000-05:00

Oh my heavens, there is nothing better than a night with some of your favorite girls! Tonite was all about chicky music, chicky talk, chicky food, chicky beverages and cutesie toesies! Thanks Anna, Stephanie and Lindi...I had a ball and can't wait to do it again.

Friends...

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...

Can you guess which set of toes are mine?

The white polka dots...they make me happy :-)

Break and Bake with my Baby

2010-08-02T13:39:00.000-05:00

So Jolea girl has been on a "making cookies" kick. I have never had much luck with "homemade" cookies so Break-N-Bake it was...and I don't think she cared one bit. She is very independent, she counted every cookie chunk as she broke it from the bar, strategically placed them on the cookie sheet and carried em' to the oven...all by herself. This precious girl is growing too fast for her Mama.

Let's Bake Mama...

Funny Girl...

Mommy and Jolea...

Carefully counting and placing each cookie where it belongs...

Let's put em' in the oven...

Voila...Break-N-Bakes turn out perfect everytime!!!

PS...notice how some cookies are missing the majority of the chocolate pieces? Hmm...how do you think that happened?

Sidewalk Chalk + My Diploma = Sweetness

2010-07-26T17:19:00.000-05:00

What a lazy day Monday it has been around the Ward house. Daddy went back to work today and its raining...kinda fits my mood right about now. Not really...I love football season, but I would be lying if I said it wasnt tough...on all of us. We miss Daddy and Daddy misses us, but hey it's for the love of the game right! Anyhow before the rains fell down this morning, me and my girl did some sidewalk chalkin' and I took the opportunity to snap a few pics...

She appropriately chose the color blue out of the bucket "because it matches Mommy"

Sweet Face...

This Mama got in on the chalkin' too. Jolea girl was proud of my art work!

And....look what I got in the mail....FINALLY!!!

Now...if only I had a teaching job and a paycheck to go along with it =(

Our Trip To Playa Del Carmen Mexico...

2010-07-26T12:46:00.000-05:00

Our trip to Playa Del Carmen was in one word: AMAZING. Andy and I absolutely loved it there and we have every intention of returning with our sweet girl someday soon. The RH was perfect for a romantic get-a-way for 2 and it was perfect for families with or without small children. I will start off by talking about the resort itself. It was by far the nicest place we have stayed yet and we have been to Maui, Cabo San Lucas, Padre, Puerto Vallarta, St. Maarten, Vegas and a Caribbean Cruise. The Royal Haciendas was hands down, the nicest, cleanest, friendliest resort. Don’t just take my word for it…see for yourself.

Welcome to the Royal Haciendas...

This was our unit. It was just over 1500 sq. ft. Thats bigger than my house! There was a king master suite with a balcony jacuzzi. A full sized decked out kitchen. A huge common living room with 2 pull out murphy beds and a guest room with 2 queen beds and seperate bathroom. It was HUGE and it was BEAUTIFUL.

(click on collage to enlarge image)

This was our view stepping right outside our back door. We had our very own staircase that led down to the pools, activity center and beach.

Beautiful Scenery...

There were 2 huge infinity pools on the property, 4 huge whirlpools, 2 huge kiddie pools and 2 rather large lap pools. I'd say there was plenty of water and sunshine to go around.

Royal Haciendas Beach Front...

These were the gardens...the fountains, the flowers, the colors and the old world charm...it was heaven

Tired? Why not take a nap in one of these comfy hammocks? Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

There were little pools of water just like this all over the property. Of course these were only for the eyes to feast upon and no swimming. I was amazed at how well kept the grounds were. There were maintenance people working round the clock to keep this place looking top notch. The pools were crystal clear, the bathrooms were spotless and even smelled good, the beach showers were constantly being rinsed and maintained. I have never seen such dedicated staff and it really helped to make our vacation a success.

This is a neat night-time picture I took and I like how it turned out :-)

One thing that made this resort such a great place was the fact that you NEVER had to leave if you didnt want to. They offered an onsite grocery store with free delivery and reasonable prices, 2 dining restaurants including room delivery options, a gym and just about anything else you could think of.

The next thing I will talk about is the atmosphere! I can tell ya one thing and that is that Playa comes alive at night…down on 5th Street. It is here you will find bargain shopping, delicious foods and drinks, ice cold gelato, coffee, chocolate, music, the sights, sounds and smells of Playa and the BEST people watching place you will ever see. The streets are cobblestone and it’s a very charming place to roam. The thing I liked the most about downtown Playa was the endless possibilities of places to stop for a bite to eat. There was every kind of food you could imagine…and since going out to eat is my favorite thing about going on vacation, I was in heaven. Here are a few of the places that we chose to try!

On our very first night we stopped at That's Amore and italian eatery right on 5th street. Andy and I shared a Bruschetta dish and a delicious Hawaiian style pizza. It was a very authentic italian restaurant and the entire meal was one of our very favorites. Most dining in Playa is Al-fresco so pair that with a handsome date and a glass of wine and...VOILA

(click on collage to enlarge image)

This is La Parilla, also located on 5th street. This is an aunthentic Mexican kitchen. A friend of mine referred us to this place and we were very glad she did. The food was awesome and the margaritas were strong. I had to enlist the help of my husband to finish off the one drink I ordered! While we were there a Mariachi Band entertained us with the most appropriate song "Tequila" we sang along and shared a few laughs.

The Hubs and I wanted to have a special "date night" just the 2 of us...and we did just that. He took me to Karens Seafood Steak House! Just look at the pictures...the proof is in tha puddin'. This meal smelled good and tasted even better. We chose to sit out close to the street. It was the perfect opportunity to sit, listen to the live music and people watch. It was a nice and relaxing meal just me and my man...

Now...if you ever go to Playa you MUST go here...

This is a Mayan Restaurant and surprise surprise...it was Air-Conditioned. I kinda turned my nose up at first thinking "what tha heck is Mayan food gonna taste like?" Hands down...one of my favorite meals. Mayan food is different, but oh-so-good. We couldn't pronounce anything we ordered, but we sure did devour it once it hit the table. Take a look...

We also ate here...

but everyone knows its not really the food that you pay for, its the atmosphere. The jamming music, hilarious decor, fun wait staff and endless drink possibilities make this a hoppin place to be, especially at night. This Senor Frogs was located right next to the pier and right on the water.

Not the best picture, but the only group shot I have...notice the funny signs...

LOVE these silly chairs at the bar :-)

They had these funny little signs everywhere...this is the one they put at out table! We thought it was funny, but so glad that it's not accurate at all.

People do all kinds of things in Playa to make a dollar. There was a creepy clown that went around the restaurant and made some pretty awesome balloon hats. He could make just about anything. He made me a crown upon request!

Not sure what Bren's hat was, but it was cute!

We didnt actually sit at the bar for dinner, but they had these cute swings...I couldnt pass up the oppurtunity to snap a cute pic of the hubs and I. Speaking of the swings at the bar, I cant help but wonder how dangerous those could become with the crazies who drink too much. I'm sure that's a sight to see.

Okay, now that I’ve told you about all the wonderful places we ate while we were there; let’s talk about what we did while we were there. To be quite honest…we took it easy…most of our time was spent here...

Splishin' and Splashin' in the gorgeous infinity pool that overlooked beautiful blue waters of the Mayan Riviera. These pools were so great because they were warmed to just the "right" temperature. Playa is hot and humid and being poolside was the only way to go.

I LOVE big floppy summertime hats...gotta keep that face protected :-)

Smile Honey...

Brenny Bo and Muah sittin' pretty at poolside...

Swim Up Bar...

Meet swim-up bartenders Lorenzo...

and Raymundo...

These guys were the friendliest and funniest bunch we've seen in a long time. Granted I know it’s their job and it’s where the paycheck is earned, but I genuinely enjoyed leaving tips for these guys because they made our stay even that much better. After our first full day there, they knew us Senor Andy and Senora Terah and they pretty much knew what we preferred to drink as well. They served us well and they made us laugh...ALOT!

This is one of my favorite pictures because Andy is actually smiling :-)

When we weren’t in the pool we did a few other amazing things. Andy and James did several dives with the help of the Dive Balam-Dive shop located at our resort. Andy loves to dive and I am so glad he had the chance to sharpen up his dive skills a little bit. While the boys were busy diving, Bren and I were busy getting one hour full-body massages at Veronica’s downtown. You MUST visit them if you ever visit playa. For 50 USD we were able to get a “couples massage” that means we paid 25 dollars apiece and you can’t find that here in town. It was a clean and friendly place and the massage was FABULOUS!

We also enjoyed a litte time here...

Doing This...

This...

David Hasselhoff...you better watch yo' self :-)

This...

and a little of this...

The snorkeling equipment was free and although I am not a huge fan of the salt water we did enjoy venturing out to see what kind of underwater treasures we could find. The water temperature was just as awesome as the pool temperature.

I decided to get me some of these...Which made doing my hair a lot easier for the first 3 or 4 days!

(click on image to enlarge collage)

For the most part we spent just about all 6 days just soaking in the sun, sipping on fruity drinks and relaxing. We didn't do any excursions on this trip besides Andy's diving. I am quite content just hanging out by the pool.

Every evening after "Happy Hour" which was from 2:30 to 6 we showered and headed into town. I already mentioned earlier that Playa comes alive at night...and its just to dern hot to go in the middle of the day. Here are some of the shots we took while roaming around downtown.

Before dinner one night...

We didn't eat at Carlos'n Charlies but we sure did stop and use their photo booth :-)

This is a silly picture I know...and I am only making out with this Miller Lite because it's the only one I could find and if I drink beer at home, this is what I like. Andy bought it for me.

Funky Diva Skeleton...

Senor Frogs Apparel store...too bad I didnt buy anything...

"Sombrero Time"...Funniest thing about this picture is that 7 years ago in Cabo San Lucas on our honeymoon we to took the EXACT same picture...all the way down to the braids. I will have to scan it into this post if I have time!

Bren and James

How many times in your life do you see a Drugs and Deli on the street? Interesting combination dont ya think?

Sweet shot of me and the hubs...

I wanted to pack these chairs in my suitcase and bring them home...they were so chic and cute...perfect on a large outdoor patio...ahh the dreams I dream up :-)

Bren and I in what we called the "Alice In Wonderland Chairs" at this really fancy, swanky place

On the pier...and it was windy

I leave you with another favorite picture of us! This vacation was a delight! The time we got to spend together was much needed, especially right before a busy football season and school year. A very special THANKS to my Mom and Dad for sending us. It was the BEST graduation present a girl could ask for. If you are in the mood for a tropical Mexican get-a-way I do recommend Playa Del Carmen...you will not be disappointed!

PS...DON'T drink anything but bottled water! No tea, No fountain sodas and No ice!

HELP Please....

2010-07-22T10:41:00.000-05:00

Okay bloggers...I have a question!!! Do any of you out there get those ANNOYING comments left on your posts that are all written in some form of Korean like typing/font? I get them almost EVERYDAY!!! Of course I reject them all. For one thing I have no idea who these people are. Second, I have no clue what their comments are actually saying and third I just dont feel comfortable having these comments on my postings. Can anyone HELP me. Is there a way I can block these users without going private? Any information you can give me is greatly appreaciated. Thanks Bloggers!

Charlie Robison Concert...

2010-07-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

Another country music artist rolled thru town and we had another awesome night filled with good music and good company. This time it was Charlie Robison. He has been pretty quiet on the music scene for the last 5 years. Many people know Robison because of his marriage to Emily of The Dixie Chicks, however they are recently divorced. He has a new album out called Beautiful Day...check it out if you are into Texas Country music. He put on a pretty good show...and we had a pretty good time!

Here I am with the Hubs...

This was at the end of the night...we ended up with 2 Charlie picks and his sweaty rag! Does that make us cool? Or crazy? Im still trying to figure that one out.

Morrow's

One of my very BEST friends...Anna

Being Silly as usual...

Girlfriends...these people make me happy!!!

Stay tuned...Im working on the post about our trip to Playa Del Carmen!!!

Family Fun Day...

2010-07-20T18:22:00.000-05:00

I am a little behind on blogging but in my defense I was gone for a whole week. So with that in mind...lets go back a couple of weeks ago to our good ol' fashioned family fun day. Of course we live in Abilene Texas so there is only so much FUN a family can have right?

We ended up taking this little cutie pie...

Here...

For a little bit of fun in the sun. We knew we wanted to do lots of special things with our girl since we would be leaving for Playa Del Carmen on Friday evening. Jolea really enjoys the zoo and looking at and feeding all the animals. She isnt scared of anything, not even the giraffe with his yucky-long-lizard-like tongue. We strolled through the zoo looking at everything and sweating our patooties off. Here are a few shots from our day together.

Daddy and his girl...

Mommy and her her girl...

Giddy-Up Cowgirl...

Now this was the animal that confused Jolea the most! She gets that its a tiger of some sort but what she doesnt get is that its striped like a zebra. I heard her say it was a "zebra-tiger"...I just love that precious frame of mind she has.

I couldnt resist taking this picture...

She sure is comfy up there isnt she...

After the Zoo we headed over to the park near the pond and we had an old fashioned picnic. We laid out our blankets, passed out the sandwiches and chips and enjoyed lunch in the shade at the park! We did a little "horsing" around too...

LOVE this SWEET FACE...

Jolea totally LOVES being in the swing...she always wants to go faster and faster and higher and higher! She makes me a nervous wreck sometimes!!!

This was the last shot we took. It's us, our family of three, the people that make me the happiest.

I would have to say it was A GOOD DAY :-)

Hodge-Podge Post...

2010-07-05T22:39:00.000-05:00

Well today was a holiday Monday which really felt more like a Sunday all day long. We lounged in our jammies for the first part of the day and didn't do much of anything. Andy is to "that" point in the summer where he will slowly be returning to work on an earlier and earlier basis. He went in this afternoon for some software training. Oh how I do love West Texas Football Friday Nights, but oh how I do miss my man too! Holiday weekends always seem to fly right by for me. Are they that way for you?

On saturday afternoon, Andy's baby brother Jan and his girlfriend Bea came down to visit. It was a short visit but it was a sweet one too. We cooked all kinds of yummy food and we watched the UFC fight on PayPerView. Jolea and Baby Brody played fairly well together. Jolea always plays much better at someone else's house...why is that? When we are home everything, especially her toys are "mine...mine...mine!" She's 2 so I am sure its just a stage but Mercy that girl is territorial. Here is a shot of Jansen and Andy.

Playin' it safe...wearing the helmet...to go ride her motorized hot pink four wheeler with Brody.

Someone who LOVES us when to New Smyrna Beach Florida and brought us some goodies!!!

We all got new t-shirts and Jolea Dru is already wearing hers.

I also got to spend some time with this sweet girl...

At this delicious restaurant...

Where I stuffed my face with this...

Thanks for the date Anna...it was delicious...and the company was good.

Holiday weeks always throw me for a loop. I will be a day late and a dollar short on everything I do this week. We have fun plans with friends on Thursday night, then we are headed to Dallas on Friday for our tropical get-a-way. There is a rumor going around that we might try to squeeze in one of these too...

I guess we will have to wait and see.

Let Freedom Ring...

2010-07-05T14:49:00.000-05:00

The Fourth of July has always been a fairly "laid back" holiday for Andy and I. Now that we have our little munchkin...we are gonna have to kick it in high gear because she does love her some "furcruckers a.k.a firecrackers!" This year Grammy and Poppy were out of town, and our sweet friend Anna invited us to spend yesterday evening with her family. It was an evening filled with all our favorite things...good friends...good food...good conversation and a good fireworks display. Thanks for having us Anna. The following pictures were taken with my I.phone therefore the quality isnt as great as I'd like it to be.

Mommy's little Firecracker wishing you a PEACE-ful holiday...

Sweet Girl...

Jolea and Mommy...

Mommy and Daddy

Anna and Muah...

Sparklers...

Something sweet about this little dress is that Jolea's GreatGrandma and my Mema bought it for her shortly after she was born. This was the year she was finally big enough to wear it! Thanks Mema!

If I can keep her this interested in sparklers...our Fourth of July celebrations can remain cheap for a little while longer :-)

And finally what post would be the same without the FAMOUS cheese face!

We hope everyone had a safe, relaxing and happy Fourth of July. God Bless you and God Bless America

~XOXO~

Belated Anniversary Post...

2010-07-03T10:28:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago on June 21 Andy and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. WOW...7 years of marriage plus 2 years of dating/engagement...that means this man has been in my life for about 9 years already! That’s a long time...and in the grand scheme of things, we are really just getting started. Oh boy...we do have some great memories together...traveling, holidays, the birth of our daughter, buying and selling homes and cars, football Friday nights, times with family and friends...SO MANY things to be Thankful for. Even though this day has already come and gone, I still wanted to share a short list of all the things I truly love and admire about my Hubby.

I love you because you:

1) Make me laugh
2) Work hard to provide for me and Jolea
3) Tell me I look like a Hot Mama, even when I don’t
4) Support me in everything I do
5) Take an interest in the things I enjoy
6) Let me take a nap when I don’t feel good

7) Change your fair share of poopy diapers/panties
8) Always help me put away the groceries
9) Put my needs before your own
10) Stick up for me
11) Care about being a good Daddy to Jolea
12) Take pride in my accomplishments
13) Don’t spend “The Whole” weekend watching sports
14) Love your daughter and you spend time with her
15) Help with the house and yard work
16) Take care of me when I’m sick

17) Try to give me everything I want

18) Like the way I look in the morning…YIKES
19) Don’t know how handsome you really are
20) Listen to me when I rant and rave and complain
21) Still let me put my feet in your lap while we watch TV
22) Will usually eat whatever I put in front of you, without comment or complaint
23) Don’t allow people to be disrespectful to me
24) Are kind to and considerate of my parents
25) You are the PERFECT husband for me

Now I know the list stops at 25, but I had to stop somewhere or else this would have been the longest post in history...right?

Oh Andy, how I do love you and appreciate you. Thank you for being my man. I know our road hasn't always been perfect, but it’s our path our road and I wouldn’t want to walk next to anyone else. I’m so glad you are my partner in this journey of life. Jolea and I are two very lucky ladies. Happy Belated Anniversary Babe...and here’s to many many more :-)

A 2 years old's Wealth of Knowledge...

2010-07-02T22:05:00.001-05:00

Here is Jolea singing...counting (kinda) and just being her silly 2 year old self...

Now I Know My ABC's...

2010-07-02T21:53:00.001-05:00

Oh man...this child of mine...what a ham!!! I do love her so...and I cannot believe how quickly she is growing up right before my very eyes.

Cousin Love...

2010-07-02T08:54:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, we ventured over to my Aunt Debbie’s house to have a little playtime with Cousin Ava. Well actually Ava's mom Mysti and I are cousins which makes our children...second cousins...but we don’t bother with all that...it’s just cousin Ava. Mysti's husband Jon is in the military and they are being relocated from San Antonio all the way to Maryland. Plain and simple...that’s just TOO far away. Jolea and Ava haven’t gotten to do near enough playing or growing up together and now it will be even harder to get them together. I know we are going to miss them dearly and I cannot imagine how Gigi and PawPaw (Ava's Grandparents) are gonna feel with their only grandchild being so far away. We were so happy to get to spend a few hours with them watching our girls really have a great time. I love to watch Jolea with other kids... (when she is being nice of course)...it’s fun to listen to their tiny conversations and hear those precious giggles! That’s what I call priceless!

Ava Girl...

Ava and her Mommy...Mysti

Grammy and 2 precious baby girls...

Let's make silly faces together...

Cousin Love...

One of my favorite pictures...Im gonna miss these girls when they are gone! I guess we will just have to make a trip to Maryland soon :-)

Countdown to Playa Del Carmen...

2010-06-30T22:23:00.000-05:00

YIPPY...I cant wait to be here...

And here...

With these folks...My cousin Bren and her BF James...

Here is what the Royal Haciendas website has to say...

The latest resort in the Royal Resorts collection, The Royal Haciendas is a piece of paradise. Nestled on a beautiful beach at the heart of the Riviera Maya, just ten minutes to the north of district capital, Playa del Carmen, and 30 minutes from Cancun International Airport, The Royal Haciendas offers luxury and comfort in a splendid setting.

It is an exceptional vacation hideaway, a home in paradise where you can enjoy the simpler things in life whether it is a walk along the beach at sunrise or stargazing on the terrace, and yet still be close to shopping, nightlife and all the area's natural and historical attractions.

WooHoo...sounds like we are in for some serious Fun in tha Sun... (more pics to come after the trip)

Our First Visit to The Mayfarm...

2010-06-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

Earlier this summer, Grammy and I took Jolea on her first (of many I’m sure) visits to the May Farm located about 14 miles north of Abilene in Hawley Texas.

(click image to enlarge)

I can remember going to this farm when I was a school aged child and I can remember being in “awe” at the fact that we could actually touch and feed nearly all of the animals. It’s a sweet little place with a hearty cause and it’s geared towards younger kids allowing them to learn about some of their favorite animals. Ms. May the owner is a sweetie…she is a little firecracker, always on the go and she never stood still…not for one second. Jolea thought being on the farm was just about as good as it gets…and it was minus the smell of animal poo, the beating sun and buzzing bugs! This mama is a city girl fo’ sho and would never make it one day on a real farm! Enjoy the pictures from our day….there are lots of them to look at!

Jolea wasn't afraid of any of the animals...this bunny was one of her favorites...

Grammy and Her Girls...

Sweet Shot of Gram and Jolea girl...

Here we are with MOPS the baby goat. The group called Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers was there to witness his birth...therefore Ms. May thought it would be completely appropriate to name him MOPS. He was only 3 weeks old in this picture...and he was ADORABLE...

Mama and the Chickadee...

Jolea and the Chickadee...

Here is Jolea holding a Chinchilla (pardon my spelling) I was by far more frightened by this thing than Jolea was. Boy was I mistaken...this creature was so sweet...so soft...and believe it or not smelled SO good. Ms. May says that Chinchillas cannot be bathed because they cannot get wet, so they have a powder that is massaged into their fur that helps to clean them...this little guy smelled like lavendar and vanilla!

Another bunny picture...Jolea loves her some bunnies...

She was so brave when she was feeding the animals...she wasnt a big fan of the slobber...but she was a really big girl...

It's times like these that I get to share with her that I will miss so much when summer is over and everyone is back to work. I have gotten spoiled to being home with her and doing such fun things! Thanks for the company Grammy...I know you enjoyed coming with us.

River Trip 2010...

2010-06-28T23:16:00.001-05:00

What a FABulous trio with a FABulous group of friends. This is an annual trip for Andy and I and its one of our favorite get-away’s. There is just something about the “Hill Country” and especially the Guadalupe and Comal rivers. It’s like they are on their own kind of island time or something. People are friendly, they smile, they wave, they have a good ol’ Texan time and that’s just what we like so much about this trip. This year we went our dear friends The Morrow’s. They have a pull behind camper that they were kind enough to let us use. We hit the road early on Friday morning and returned late Sunday afternoon. Of course...no road trip would be complete without a "quick stop" into an auto repair shop. Luckily we had made a stop which prompted the boys to notice that there were smoking bearings on one of the wheels. Not knowing what the damage was, we didnt want to take a risk so we pulled into the nearest auto garage. The people at this place...

deserve a huge pat on the back. They went out of their way for us to get us back on the road for less than 200 dollars!!! Luck was on our side that day because finding the EXACT parts for that specific kind of trailer could have been next to IMPOSSIBLE.

The campgrounds were PERFECT. I recommend you check them out if you are ever in the market for a FABulous campsite right on the water. We stayed at the Rainbow Camp Ground right off River Road. Our location on the property was probably the VERY best spot there was. We opened our camper door and all we could see was this…

Our campsite was pretty cozy as well...

The staff was SUPER friendly and catered to us all weekend long and the location on the Guadalupe can’t be beat. We befriended the owner while we were there and talked him into putting us on the books for the exact same spot, the exact same weekend in June, for 2011 and we are already looking forward to it.

The water was COLD…but the Texas heat made it very bearable!!! We made hot dogs one night, and fajitas the other…and snacked the whole time in between!!! It was GREAT!!! Here are the pics from the trip...YES there are a ton...but its too hard to choose which ones to post, so I just post them all instead :-)

Friends...

It might have taken us ALL day to get there...but it was WORTH it :-)

Me and my sweet Johanna...

We were really hungry after our first morning float...I brought yummy homemade chicken salad...

The Boys...

The Girls...

Just hanging out by the river...

On our way home...we all wanted to stop for some Fredricksburg peaches!!! They are one of Grammy and Poppy's favorite things...and we owed them something sweet for taking care of Jolea girl while we were away...They are quite sweet and quite delicious too...

YUM...

After our stop for peaches we decided to hit this sweet little spot for burgers and sandwiches...

The food was reasonably priced and PRETTY good. The atmosphere was awesome...

*WARNING* the following pictures contain me and one of my besties without one single stitch of make-up...EEKS...don't judge us...

I do love him...

Headed on home...

The summertime river trip is something Andy and I always look forward too. I hope it is something we can continue to do for many years to come. One of these days we are gonna put that sweet girl in a tube and she will float right along side us...I know she will LOVE it. A special "Thanks" to C.J. and Johanna for coming along with us and providing us with a nice and cool, comfy place to rest our heads. We love ya'll.

Summa Time Fun...

2010-06-23T10:34:00.001-05:00

Summa Lovin Happened So Fast…Summa Lovin Had Me a Blast…

We are off to a great summer spent with great friends and doing the things we love the most. This is the first summer we have had off as a family in 3 years…so we are taking advantage of our time together.

Andy and I have always been fans of a little Red Dirt Texas Country. We have shared this taste in music for years. When I refer to Texas Country I am talking about people like: Aaron Watson, Jason Boland, Randy Rogers, Roger Creager, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Pat Green…and oh-so-many more.

Last Thursday we went here…

To see him…

Stoney Larue on-stage...

The Lucky Mule in Abilene has a Summer Concert Series they put on every year and tickets to the show are FREE. It doesn’t really get any better FREE…and I am so glad we went.

Good music + Good Friends = Sweet Memories and a Good Time.

My friend Anna and I in the car sporting the aviators...

Cj and Johanna...LOVE them...

Me and the Hubs...

Guns-Up-Girls...

In our spare time we have been spending A LOT of time in the sweet sunshine. Jolea has become quite the little water baby and she loves the pool. There is a pool right across the street from where we live and from time to time we just mosey across the street to take a quick dip in the pool. This is the first year for her to wear the arm floaties and she has it down…she is an independent little fish with those things on.

Cheesy Face...

Chasing Butterflies...

Sweet Butterfly...

Throw me up high Daddy...

Crash Landing...

Jumping of the edge...

Even Daddy was being a Kid at Heart...

CANNONBALL...

My Boy was being CRAZY...

BackFlip...

Nicely Done Andy...

Some close family friends of ours asked Andy to join their slow pitch softball team for the summer season. He is LOVING every second of it. I think it’s been a rude awakening to the fact that he is no longer a spring chicken, but he goes out there and he gives it 100% all the time. He is the shortstop so he is right in the ACTION. Jolea and I have really enjoyed watching him play.

Batter Up...

Base Hit...Way to go Daddy...

Thank Goodness my boy is FAST...

There is a lot of summer time left and lots of things we still have planned!!! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer break as much as we are enjoying ours. (((HUGS)))

Father's Day 2010...

2010-06-20T22:58:00.001-05:00

A Dad is a person

who is loving and kind,

And often he knows

what you have on your mind.

He's someone who listens,

suggests, and defends.

A dad can be one

of your very best friends!

He's proud of your triumphs,

but when things go wrong,

A dad can be patient

and helpful and strong

In all that you do,

a dad's love plays a part.

There's always a place for him

deep in your heart.

And each year that passes,

you're even more glad,

More grateful and proud

just to call him your dad!

Thank you, Dad...

for listening and caring,

for giving and sharing,

but, especially, for just being you!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Fathers day to this man…

for being the best Daddy and Husband I could have ever dreamed of. Thank You for being “with” us and “in” our lives every single day. Our happy little family is a reflection of the love you show us every day. You are a GREAT dad and a GREAT husband…Jolea and I are 2 very lucky girls.

Happy Fathers Day to this man…

For being the hardest working and dependable man I know. He has always taken such great care of our family and he has taught me everything I know about keeping my promises and being the best person I can be.

Happy Fathers Day to all the other Daddy's out there...I hope your days were filled with all the things that make you happy!!!

A Weekend in Paradise...

2010-06-13T16:52:00.000-05:00

What a fun weekend for the Ward Family. We headed to Keller to visit family and to attend Brandon’s (Andy’s brother) wedding. It took place in Paradise Texas on a beautiful and hot Saturday night. On this trip we were invited to stay with Jan (Andy’s youngest brother) and his girlfriend Bea. They have the sweetest little downtown apartment. Very modern…very chic…very nice!!!

Jan and Bea were such gracious hosts…she had these sitting on the kitchen countertops…

And she made this for breakfast…

Homemade taquitos…YUM YUM…good!

Bea’s little boy Brody was a red headed sweetie!!! He and Jolea got along so well and it was so sweet to watch her “mother” over him and make sure he was okay and staying out of trouble. He is 14 months old…so Jolea was a little bit bigger than he was…but as you can see not by much!!!

She loved this little car…and it came in handy on the multiple trips to the pool we took!!!

Here she is on a quick trip to the supermarket for some bacon!!! She thought she was the coolest chick on the block…

Looking up to see mommy on the 3rd floor…

We did a lot of swimming while we were there and I have decided that my little Jolea Girl is going to be a Water Baby for sure! She loves the water and she has become quite the little DareDevil at times!!!

Jan, Brody, Andy and Jolea Girl...

Action Shot...

Monster Baby...

Bea, Jan and Brody Baby...

Goggle Girl...

My Stud Muffin Hubs...

We had the rehearsal dinner to go to on Friday night!!! It was catered by La Hacienda and it was DELISH!!! I would have to say they although the location of the wedding was very pretty, they should consider changing the town's name. Paradise Texas didnt seem too fitting to me especially since there wasn't even a gas station within 12 miles!!!

Aww...how cute we are matchy-matchy and I didnt even plan it that way ...

Jan...did you say something silly?

The wedding was an evening wedding (but I was still sweating) and it was a very nice service. I always love it when I get to see my husband looking his very very best...and he always looks so handsome in a suit.

Sweet Family Shot...

Husband and Wife...

Mommy...Daddy...Jolea...

Me and My Girl...

Thanks for the sweet dress Grandma...its so CUTE

Family by chance...Friends by Choice...

Sweet PawPaw and his Girls...

Brothers...

Jan and Me...Love this kid...

The Boys and their Mama...

Uncle Jan...chocolate cake is my favorite...

All "pooped" out in the car and on the way home...

We got up early this morning...made a quick trip into McDonalds and hit the road!!! It was a fun trip and we are Thankful that we got to be a special part of Brandon and Tori's Big Day!!!

Loading up the car...

Saying our "Goodbye's" to Uncle Jan...

And posing for one last shot before we leave...

Thanks Again Jan and Bea for opening your home to us and showing us a great time.

Randomness...

2010-06-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

So the last time I posted, I told you all about the garage sale that we were gearing up to have. WOWZA...we did GOOD. Grand total for the sale...$1725.00. Now of course most of that was my parents money but Andy and I did end up making $415.00 ourselves!!! Woo Hoo!!!

With that money I got to go here this afternoon...

and buy these...

Ugh I totally hate grocery shopping, but as you can tell by the way my basket looks...it was TIME.

Yesterday we were invited over to the Morrow's for sum summertime fun!!! Mojito Chicken on the grill, corn on the grill and rice!!! Sweet Jolea Dru spent the night with our new neighbor!!! Thats right folks, Grammy and Poppy are officially all moved in and Jolea is DIGGING it. So Thanks Gram for keeping her while we got a much appreciated visit with friends!!! Here are a few shots I took...

The Hubs and Me...

CJ and Andy...

Me and My Jo-Girl...

Now in this picture...notice the "puff" I have going on. I cannot tell you how long I have been working on this, trying to master it and make it look like I am not wearing a cone on my head! Finally...after about 30 minutes of messing with it, I think I got it!!! It was even and not too over-the-top in poofiness!!! Yippy for me!!! I need an easy style for the summer!!!

These next few shots are just my little darling...being a stinker!!! I dont know what happened to this kid this afternoon, but LOOK OUT...cause she was all-kinds of wild!!! Just look at those baby blues in these pictures!!!

Well, thats about all for now!!! Andy and I are both doing a little odds-n-ends this summer to earn extra money for all the fun we plan on having this summer. I am off to clean 201 Orange Blossom for the last time tomorrow morning!!! It's my parents house that they just sold...and although I am happy that it sold, it was a GREAT home and Im gonna miss it. The next one will be even more wonderful, and it gives all of us something to look forward too and it reminds us of how truly blessed we are!!!

Trash or Treasure? Huge Garage Sale!

2010-06-02T22:17:00.000-05:00

Extra…Extra…Read All About It…We are having a Garage Sale…Let Me Tell You All About It!!!

My parents sold their house that was well over 2000 square feet and they are moving into a place that is…well…not even close to 2000 square feet. That means GARAGE SALE!!! We have TONS of stuff we need to get rid of. If you are in the market for ANYTHING baby…then please come…we have every kind of major baby toy, tool or accessory you could need (baby bouncy seats, saucer toys, swings, mat toys etc) we also have a huge gender neutral baby system complete with the pack-n-play, swing, bassinet, car seat/stroller combo, highchair and a diaper bag. I also have a TON of little girl’s clothes sizes 18 months to 2T.

I’m also selling my boutique Banana Fish baby bedding. It’s the Bubblegum line, complete with 2 sheets, bumper, quilt, ruffle and 4 matching window valances. It’s such a precious set and I really hope it makes it into a special home for some other special little girl. Here is a picture of the set...

My parents are selling home décor, tools, patio furniture, golfing equipment, and TONS of clothing, shoes and purses!!! So remember…One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure. The sale starts Saturday June 5th at 8AM…see the Abilene Reporter News for address and details.

Happy Meal Picnic....

2010-06-02T21:51:00.000-05:00

Me and My Little Darlin' had a McDonalds Happy Meal Picnic this afternoon...just the two of us...and it was great fun. After a short errand to the bank she told me "Mommy, my tummy hurts for a hamburger!" I about died laughing...and after that I couldn’t deny her a hamburger happy meal from her favorite place. While we she was eating, I managed to trick her into a short little photo shoot. What can I say…I never tire of taking pictures of this little girl of mine!

Say Cheeze...

Big Bite...

Jolea LOVES drinking from her own Big Girl Cup...

What kinda face is that kid...

Where's the toy...and the cookies?

Silly Girl...

Striking a pose...

Mommy and Jolea...I do love her to pieces :-)

Thanks for our sweet date Jolea Dru Ward...your Mama sure does LOVE you!!!

Bluebonnet Baby....

2010-05-27T15:28:00.000-05:00

Since I have been an admittedly bad blogger lately…I feel the need to catch up on posting some of the MOST adorable pictures of my little munchkin. Just like all the other people in town, I got my little angel all dolled up and drove her over to the bluebonnet filed off of FM707 near Highway 83/84 South. I managed to get some pretty sweet shots of my little darling…

God''s Beauty...

Precious Baby Of Mine...

This is Neat Mom...

I hope you can really see this picture. It was the neatest picture I have ever taken. Jolea had petals in her hand that she let go of above her head. I was snapping away with the camera and managed to get a shot of the purple petals just floating in the air. This picture is worth a million dollars to me :-)

Another favorite...

And another...

Thank You God for gracing this earth we live on with such beauty.

Sesame Street Live....

2010-05-27T15:13:00.000-05:00

Today is the day that my Jolea Dru has been waiting on all week long. Today is the day that we went to see this…

And her favorite character of all…

Grammy went with us today and it was a sweet time shared just between the girls.

Once the show started, Jolea never took her eyes of the stage. She had this serious expression on her face the whole time…

It really was a cute little production and we had PERFECT seats. Very close to all the action. The show featured all of Sesame Street’s most recognized characters. The theme was “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The gang was preparing for a pageant on Sesame Street. When Elmo and his Sesame Street friends thought about growing up, it was a musical show-and-tell! Bert dreamed of becoming a forest ranger, Telly longed to be a cowboy and their newest friend, Abby Cadabby, wanted to be a Fairy Godmother just like her mommy. Elmo thinks about becoming a 'weather monster,' but has a hard time predicting his own forecast-he wants to be anything and everything all at once! It was a sweet story performed very nicely and well worth the money paid to see it. Here are a few pictures I snapped while we were there…

Bert and Ernie...

Elmo and his Cowboy friends...(ooops about all the heads in the pic, I thought I cropped it)

Cookie Monster wanted to be a fireman when he grew up...

Jolea's FAVORITE...Elmo's World

The Whole Gang perfoming the Sesame Street Pageant at the end of the show...

The End...notice all the paper streamers? There was a loud POP that came out of nowhere when those shot out from the cieling...SCARED the HOOEY...outta us girls :-)

Jolea snagged a "little piece of the show" when a streamer fell across her face!!!

Fun Times Spent With Fun Girls...Does It Get Any Better Than This?

Catching Up....

2010-05-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

My goodness...I have really proven myself to be a very unfaithful blogger these past few weeks haven’t I? I guess you could say we have been a little bit busy. I finally finished up my student teaching at Hawley and I was a proud to be a graduate of the class of 2010 from McMurry University.

Ever since then…I have been hitting the pavement running looking for a J.O.B

I have faithfully been going garage saling looking for all the goodies I can possibly find for my classroom. It’s hard to buy things when I don’t know what grade level I will be teaching. I feel like I have contacted EVERY single Elementary principal in Abilene and I have had a really good interview at Jackson Elementary. Although I haven’t been called back yet, I am still holding out hope that I am going to be the person for the job. If any of you have any pointers or could possibly put in a good word for me…that would be VERY appreciated.

Jolea finished up Mothers Day Out for the year and we have been enjoying some time at home together. Although sometimes we tend to butt-head’s, she has really been a sweet girl the last couple of weeks. I have enrolled her in the drop-in-day at her current MDO so she stays in touch with all of her friends and becomes familiar with her new teacher Mrs. Cindy for next year. It’s only on Thursdays from 10 to 2. She seems to really like going to school and the teachers just think she hung the moon. On top of all that…it gives mama a little break during the week!!! Here she was on her first day of school...my-o-my how she has grown.

Andy is ready to finish up school too. His last day is June 3rd…WooHoo and then it’s OFF to another busy and fun filled summer.

We have one of these to go to…

Andy’s brother Brandon will be getting married in Paradise Texas on June 12th

Then in late June we are headed here…

The Guadalupe River…To do a little bit of this…

Tubing and camping…

With these GREAT friends of ours…

And we can’t wait.

In other “Breaking News,” my parents have SOLD this…

And will be moving in RIGHT NEXT DOOR to Andy and me. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Hmmm…that is the question to ponder. I know that one little bitty person that lives in our house is going to think this is the COOLEST thing ever. Jolea will be beside herself that she can go to Grammy and Poppy’s house anytime she wants too. Mommy and Daddy a.k.a Andy and Terah think this is also a wonderful free babysitting arrangement!!! It will also be very convenient next year if and when I get a job…I won’t have far to go to get Jolea to the sitter’s house!!! I think overall it’s going to be a GREAT arrangement and I couldn’t be happier that they SOLD their house and that we get to have them as neighbors for a little while. They will start building in October and should probably be moved into their new home by February or March depending on how smoothly things go.

Well, that’s about all for now. It’s a holiday weekend…and we don’t have a single plan in the works!!! I could use some sunshine and a cool pool of water somewhere…but I doubt that will happen. I hope everyone is doing well and is ready for another beautiful Texas summer. I promise to do a better job on the blog too.

Family Camping Adventure...

2010-04-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

Since we didn’t do much of anything this weekend…I decided I should post the pictures from what we did last weekend. We took our 1987 Honey model RV out to the state park for a little family and friends camping adventure. I know what you must be thinking…”1987 model YIKES” but let me assure you that this bad boy is in MINT condition. My dad bought her a couple of years ago and he paid $2500.00 for her…that’s right…two thousand five hundred dollars…and she only has 50 thousand miles on her too. Sure the inside is a bit dated…but hey we can work with that. It offers a cool dry place to sleep…a place to use the bathroom and a place to wash up and get showered…and that’s ALL I need when I want to go camping. After the last tenting experience we had…I will NEVER again even attempt that kind of camping. This was our first family camping adventure and Jolea thought it was the coolest thing ever. Our good friends The Morrow’s also have a camper…it’s double the fun when you have friends to camp with. Jolea and Jillian are pretty good buds and they did a great job of entertaining each other. We grilled hot dogs and jalapeno poppers and snacked all day long. Some of the kids went fishing...we played washers and ladder golf...sat around the campfire making smores and listening to CJ (Johanna's hubby) play the guitar. It was time well spent with family and friends and we do look forward to doing it again. Next time...we might venture a little farther than Buffalo Gap :-)

Here she is...in all her glory..."The Honey"

Me and My Love...

The hubs and I...

Jolea Dru enjoying the very first popsicle of the season...yum yum good

Daddy...manning the jalapeno poppers (they are his specialty...and they are so good)

Jilly stuffing her sweet face...

Three Amigos...Anna, Me and Johanna

"Besties"

This is what we saw on Sunday morning!!! These little deer were so close to us!!! It was pretty neat!!!

A Birthday Celebration...

2010-04-14T23:08:00.001-05:00

Last Friday night I got to spend the evening with some of my favorite GAL PALS…Bren…Johanna…Anna…and Muah! My sweet friend Anna had a birthday last week and we wanted to celebrate in style. We headed to the Swanky Warehouse Martini Bar downtown. It’s such a cute place…a little piece of a big metro city tucked away right here in Abilene Texas. I love all the modern décor and retro touches too. The comfy lounge couches all decked out with blingy pillows and savvy ceiling to floor fabric panels and the perfectly dressed tables…OH SO CUTE!!! And did I mention the Martini’s??? I don’t even like Martini’s but their Martini’s are to-die-for!!! Might I suggest “The Hills” it’s my all time FAV!!! Here are a few pictures from our evening out on the town!!! If you and your girlfriends haven’t been…you should go!!! I don’t know about yall but my guy has NO DESIRE to go to such a “chicky” establishment, and that’s why it’s a G.N.O hotspot for sure!!!

The Warehouse ( I love that damask projection thingy...so cool)

Yummy Martini's....

A special something for the birthday girl...

Happy Birthday Anna...

Johanna and Muah...(((HUGS)))

I'm pretty sure she is going to end my life for posting this one...but it was just TOO funny...sorry Honey...it's payback for all those facebook pictures you put on the internet!!! Love you!!!

Phases...

2010-04-13T22:03:00.001-05:00

Oh the many... many... many... phases we have gone through recently...does anyone else out there have a child that does this? I guess you could say I adore each and every one of them and wanted to share them with anyone who reads this blog.

Phase # 1: This girl does not leave home without her shades...check her out

Phase # 2: Jolea is all about having her toenails painted...its a different color at least twice a week :-)

Just look at those chubby little toes...she mostly prefers purple or orange

I am SO HAPPY MOMMY...

Phase # 3: She is digging playing "dress up"

Phase #4: Going to the movie store

I recently introduced her to going to the movie store to pick out movies...I have since then gone totally BROKE trying to support this habit. This is her FAVORITE movie right now...so much so, that the Easter Bunny brought it in her basket. I could have bought it 10 times with all the money I spent in renting it...Duh

This is another MAJOR favorite...although we dont own this one yet...anyone out there have one they wanna sell me?

We did this fancy picture on the computer...and she thought it was the COOLEST thing EVER...God Bless the makers of the I.Phone :-)

Phase # 5: Orange...Orange...Orange...she is totally loving all things Orange.

All these quirky little stages are what make her so very funny to her daddy and I. What will she come up with next?

Jolea Gets Her First Big Girl Haircut...

2010-04-13T19:36:00.000-05:00

Oh this little girl of mine cracks me up sometimes. Our first "attempt" at a haircut was abruptly interrupted when she started kicking, screaming and squirming trying to get away from Angela, my beloved hairdresser. Well…that was then…and this is now! She saw Mommy getting a haircut and decided that she needed one too. She looked at me and sweetly said “Jolea need haircut Mama” I wouldn’t want to deny this little princess of getting beautified…so up into the chair she went! She was such a big girl the whole time except she did not like the cape draped around her neck so we had to take that off. The rest was history.

She had this SERIOUS look on her face the whole time...

Getting Styled...

Very Serious in this one...

Being Super Still and Being a Super Big Girl...

A special THANKS to Angela @ David Avery Salon for being so awesome to me and my girl! She really is Da'Bomb...if your looking for a hairdressor give her a call.

Easter Then...Easter Now...(A little late I know)

2010-04-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

Hello....Hello....is anybody out there? I have completely fallen of the blogger's bandwagon...shame on me. I am doing a few catch up posts because I am home from school today! OMG...yesterday I had the funk...the poopy, fever, chills, body aches and massive headache YUCKIES...I really thought I might die. Low and behold here I am today still alive and a little bored so I decided to update the blog. Starting with Easter of course.

Here is Mommy’s little darling for Easter 2009…remember this?

And here she is for Easter 2010…

Can you believe the difference? I just can’t! She went from looking like a little baby to looking like a sweet little girl almost overnight. She is already on her way to 3 years old and these special holidays are getting to be so much fun. Her little chubby face just lights up with excitement and it’s the most precious thing I have ever laid my eyes on.

This one is my favorite...

Action Shot...

Found an Egg Ya'll...

Jolea had 2 Easter baskets this year…one from Mommy and Daddy (a.k.a the Easter Bunny) and one from Grammy and Poppy (a.k.a Easter Bunny # 2). She absolutely loves to hunt the Easter eggs and we did this for SEVERAL days past the Easter holiday. She got so many goodies in her baskets and she got a sweet package in the mail from her other Grandparents… (Andy’s Mom and Dad)! They sent her all kinds of things…including the basket that we used this year, jelly beans (which she loved) and a sweet stuffed bunny that is holding a football…of course. Thanks to EVERYONE for making it such a sweet day.

Jolea's Easter basket from Mommy and Daddy...

Up close...

Check it out Mom...All my Favorite Things...

We had a delightful lunch at Grammy and Poppy’s house and a nice little nap afterwards! It was a beautiful day spent with the ones I love the most.

Daddy and his Girl

Daddy and his "other" girl

I hope everyone had a blessed holiday...I continue to count the blessings that have been laid before my very eyes...God is Good.

G.N.O = Girls Night Out

2010-03-20T22:35:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love a night out with the ladies…such fun. Luckily I have a mother who always lends a helping hand with Jolea and a hubby who just so happened to be getting off work a little early on this particular night so it was off to PARTAY with some girlfriends. We really intended on going to The Warehouse… Abilene’s Swanky little Martini bar, however they have recently changed locations and apparently the hours too. We thought they were open on Thursday nights…but to our disappointment they are only open on Fridays now. So we headed to Carino’s instead for some yummy Sangria and appetizers, then on to Chelsea’s for some live music and very “entertaining” people watching. In reality, people with small children such as Muah don’t typically “go-out” very often… right? So when I do go out and see the latest “barely there” fashion trends or the crazy behavior of some young men and women…I’m totally amused…like jaw on the floor…thinking to myself…”What?…Really?” I swear I could go and find a comfy little place in the corner and just watch all night long…it’s the best part about going out. Besides the fact that I got to spend the entire evening with these ladies…laughing…telling stories…and talking about EVERY juicy and girly thing you could imagine! It was a lot of fun…and we must do this again :-)

Stephanie...Anna...Johanna...and Muah

Smile Girls...

Sweet Johanna...and myself

~ I just LOVE these girls and I LOVE the time we got to spend together ~

Cupcake Cutie...

2010-03-20T22:25:00.000-05:00

Its Saturday…the last “relaxing” day of Spring Break…and then comes Monday…all over again! Why is it that the time flies when you are on a break and it drags by during the typical work week? I have never been able to figure that out? Daddy went to the Ruff Rider football game so I got to spend the last night of this wonderful little break with my Jolea Dru. We played with puzzles, watched Monsters Inc., took a bath and baked cupcakes! She has been obsessed with cupcakes lately…so we had a date in the kitchen to make a batch of our own.

Me and My Girl...

Dressed in her best little apron (Thanks to Mema)...

Im ready Mommy...got the big bowl...

Got the yummy cake mix Mommy...

Pouring in the water...very carefully...

Got the butter...but we better soften in first Mommy...

Alright...the butter is ready to go...

and Mommy took care of the eggs...just to be on the "safe side"...

Now it's time to stir...

Mommy lets Jolea take a break and enjoy licking the beaters...

(by the way is this still an "okay" thing to do? I kinda freak out about the eggs but I grew up doing this and I turned out okay!)

Now, Jolea puts the cupcake liners in the pan...she was even working on her counting too...

Mommy filled all the cups and put them in the oven to bake. Jolea wasnt thrilled about this part. She wanted to "watch" and to "help" them cook, but after some convincing I talked her into taking a bath instead! What a sweet moment to share with this little dumpling. After bath it was...a yummy cupcake for the both of us!

Mommy loves you sweet girl...Thank You for your help in the kitchen :)

Spring Break Zoo Day...

2010-03-19T15:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we joined the rest of the City of Abilene and made a trip to the Zoo and Fort. Imagination. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day for some fun in the sun with family and friends. It started off a wee bit cool in the morning, but by the time we were headed to the park for a picnic lunch...it was PERFECT. I have lived in Abilene Texas all of my life and other than the Boo at the Zoo event, I have never seen a line to get into the zoo. Boy-o-Boy there was a line a mile long yesterday and there were what seemed like hundreds hanging out at the park or near the pond. I guess when it’s Spring Break and the sun decides to shine, the whole town wants to get outside and enjoy the weather. We had some family friends come in from Artesia New Mexico (which is where my parents did a lot of their growing up)...and they have a daughter Brandi, my age (28) who also has a daughter Tatum, that is one month older than Jolea (2). We did our best to show them a good time in Abilene. We took them to Perini's on Wednesday night for a good ole' fashioned Texas steak dinner and then we played at the park and the zoo with the girls yesterday. They are just "passing" thru on a road trip across Texas, and we are so glad we got to see them and catch up.

Brandi and I at Perini's...

Mom and Diana at Perini's

Tatum and Jolea at the Zoo...

The Animals...

Grammy and Jolea Dru...

Momma's Cool Girl...

Jolea and Mommy...

Kissy Faces...Muah

Jolea...Grammy...Mommy...LOVE these girls...

Jolea and Jilly...

While we were at the zoo we got to see a rather interesting "natural" event taking place over at the Giraffe bridge. Let's just say there was a girl giraffe and a boy giraffe... feeling really Lovey Dovey...you do the math. I couldn’t believe we were witnessing this...and it was HILARIOUS to hear all those parents trying their very best to explain what was going on. I just listened and chuckled and thought to myself...Thank Goodness Jolea is only 2...and didn't have a clue!

Introducing the Night Night Fairy...

2010-03-19T14:51:00.000-05:00

I knew it would eventually happen...and it has! My 2 year old is insisting on sleeping in the bed with Mommy and Daddy. Ugh! For those of you who know me "well" you know that this has been my number one rule, the "Im Never" scenario. Well..Well..."Im Never" has turned into "Whatever Works!" I have no idea why this started but it has, and its been HARD on her and us. When we put her to bed she usually goes down without any problems. We say our prayers...give our kisses...talk about going to Grammy's house or going to school in the morning when she wakes...then Voila...its lights out. Hmm...not so much anymore. She goes down okay (sometimes) and then in the middle of the night...sometimes midnight...sometimes 3:00...sometimes 1:00...she wakes up screaming and insisting that we come to her rescue. She is usually satisfied if one of us crawl into bed with her but of course her ideal situation is ending up nestled right between her daddy and me in our bed. I know that allowing this to continue will only make it a very hard habit to break. Allow me to introduce you to The Night Night Fairy.

If there can be a Fairy that goes around collecting little teeth...there can be a Fairy that goes around rewarding little 2 year old girls who sleep through the whole night...in their own bed. This Momma headed straight to the Dollar Tree and she bought up enough crap to supply a small army...some of it was even educational...so we are both winners in that department.

Night Night Fairy Loot

Then this Momma wrapped them individually to be handed out EACH night her small child sleeps through the night in her own bed. Yes this could become an expensive game to play…but when the price is being paid by a sleep deprived Momma…money is NO ISSUE.

Night Night Fairy Loot in pretty packages...

The Night Night Fairy made her debut on Wednesday…and so far we have had 2 successful nights. Jolea loves waking up to a present in her basket...and hey...WHATEVER WORKS...sounds good to me. I did find it rather humorous when she woke up from her nap yesterday, walked over to her basket...looked inside...saw nothing...and threw up her hands with a puzzled look on her face, wondering why the fairy didn’t come after nap time? Silly Kid...that's why she is called The Night Night Fairy...she can’t afford nap times too :)

Busy Day With Friends...

2010-03-19T14:28:00.000-05:00

It has been such a fun week (a little trying) at times…but FUN for the most part. Jolea and I did so many fun things together and had some really great dates with family and friends. Earlier in the week we had a lunch date with our favorite Morrow girls…Johanna and Jillian. We went to Chic-Fil-A of course…and the girls and the Momma’s had a great time eating…laughing…and playing in the play-land. Speaking of play-land…I’m going to vent for just a moment…I am “THAT MOM” that gets super irritated when people who have 5 and 6 year olds that allow them to rambunctiously play in the play area that is specifically designed for children that are 3 years and younger. I mean REALLY people…come on…READ the sign…and PLAY by the rules. I can’t stand for Jolea to be minding her own business just to get bulldozed by some 70 pound 6 year old. I am “THAT MOM” that tells kids like that they need to pipe-it-down a notch. And in reality…it’s not the kids who are at fault…it’s their parents for not following the rules or setting good examples for their children. The Chic-Fil-A play-land was in complete chaos the day we went and it’s just a shame that people can really take the fun out of something that is intended to be enjoyed by small children. So…with all that said…I hope I haven’t offended anyone…and here are the pictures from our lunch date.

Me and my Sweet Girl before heading out...

"Best Friends"...

Jilly Girl...

Now...these 2 girls are both in the "thick" of potty training...and the best way to learn is by watching your peers right? So we have all done some hanging out in many bathrooms the last few times weve been together. These girls stick together.

We also treated this week with a SURPRISE visit from Uncle Jansen (Andy's youngest brother). He had a few days to spare so he made the trip to stay with us for a couple of nights. We loved our time with him...and I am shooting myself in the foot because I didn’t get any pictures of Jolea and him together. Oops maybe next time.

While Jan was here, we invited the Morrow Family over for jalapeno poppers, burgers and hot dogs! The Hubs did a fine job manning the grill and everything turned out GREAT. He also spoiled me to a little homemade salsa that we are still munching on this late in the week. Thanks Honey.

The girls were so precious on this night...although my Jolea girl was having a bit of a behavior crisis. When we go to other people's houses, she is better...not necessarily good, but better about sharing and playing nice. When we have others come over to our house, she is like a Chihuahua dog protecting her turf...everything is “Mine Mine Mine” and it’s so not attractive. Sadly enough on the night we had our little burger bonanza, she spent a considerable amount of time ALONE in her room for TIMEOUT. Once she got herself together she was able to come out and join the fun.

I think this is the cutest picture EVER...

High-Five my Sista...

Big Hugs...

PomPom Head Jillian...

PomPom head Jolea...

Momma and Daddy Morrow...love these guys...

~ It was a great day spent with great friends ~

Yippie...its Spring Break

2010-03-15T15:55:00.000-05:00

So...for some reason...the phrase Spring Break puts me into a total "nesting frenzy!" I want closets cleaned, base boards wiped, fan blades shined...it’s quite ridiculous to only feel like "deep cleaning" once year on a special holiday that was designed for taking a break, but none-the-less it happens that way every single year. So the first couple of days have been spent getting all the grunt work done...so that come Monday (today) we could enjoy the beautiful sunshine and warm weather...O WAIT...it’s like FREEZING outside today. So amidst all the hard work...we have managed to squeeze in a little bit of fun too.

My cleaning frenzy began in this Big Girl bedroom. I had mentioned re-doing Jolea's room several months ago, but never got around to updating you about it.

Sweet wall art...

Curtains...made from shower curtains...inventive huh?

This is where I spent most of the morning...cleaning out this closet! I think its safe to say the kid doesn't need any more clothes :-)

After we cleaned Jolea's room...we had a tea party...fit for a princess...

Jolea's Great Grandma (my Mema) bought these princess jammies for her...she completed the look with a tiara of course...

Cheers...

Yesterday, the weather was so beautiful...we spent most of the day outside. Andy worked in the yard and on exterior projects...I cleaned the rest of the house and even did some painting (more on that later).

Jolea was ready to head outside in her new hat...She would have fit right in at the Kentucky Derby with this swanky little number...

The famous Cheese Face...and check out that sweet little button nose...

She enjoyed her lunch outside...a sweet little picnic in the shade

Such a "dainty" little thing....YEAH RIGHT

In the spirit of "changing seasons"...I decided to "change" up our bedroom just a little bit. A friend of mine had a garage sale and I bought this FABulous bed set from her. Although the chocolate brown and robins egg blue combo isnt as "all the rage" as it used to be, I still think its so chic looking. Thanks for the bargain Ashley...

The Before...

The After...

So far, its only Monday and we have a lunch date with friends tomorrow, a couple of playdates to the zoo/park, a dinner date with the Morrow's and possibly swimming at the YMCA. I love Spring Break!

Thank You Uncle Sam...

2010-03-15T14:35:00.000-05:00

WooHoo... Thanks to this man...

We got one of these...

We paid off this bad-boy...

And bought 2 round trip tickets to here...

The Royal Haciendas Resort located in beautiful Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.

We plan on spending most of our time here...

With one of these in our hand...

And having...

Happy Bloggerversary To Me

2010-02-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

This blogging adventure all started 1 year ago today and 134 posts later...I couldn’t be happier about the decision to start a family blog in the first place. I have recorded some of my fondest memories, met many new friends and have thoroughly enjoyed reading other blogs as well. I guess you could say it’s an "outlet" for me. I never could get into or finish an actual scrapbook, not to mention the boo-koos of money it can cost to get all the supplies. With this blog I just sign on, sign in and start typing. I hope those who know us well and want to be informed about our lives and our quick growing little dumpling have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed doing it. I took a stroll down memory lane today and I cannot believe how much has changed in just one short year. Jolea's growth and appearance have grown in leaps and bounds. She started out as my tiny baby girl and has changed into a sweet pigtailed, stubborn and opinionated 2 year old....that I adore. We have changed homes, jobs, cars and so much more in such a short amount of time. I guess what they always say is true..."Time Flies When You're Having Fun"

Then: February 28, 2009

Now: February 28, 2010

FAMILY SNOW DAY...

2010-02-23T13:40:00.000-06:00

What a blessing this winter has been. I have lived in Abilene Texas all my life and I rarely ever remember a winter as beautiful as this one. What’s even better is today...NO SCHOOL...for me or for Andy...so that means...FAMILY SNOW DAY! We have had a great day together just lounging in our sweat pants and doing a whole lot of nothing. We played in the snow once already...and might make it out again before it’s all said and done. Jolea Dru just loves the snow! Anytime she see's it she calls it "ho ho ho!" I guess she remembers all the snow scenes from the many Christmas movies we watched over the holidays and she just puts snow and Santa Claus in the same category! Cute huh? We tried our luck at building a Texas snowman, but the ice just wouldn’t pack. With Andy’s crazy softball schedule and my student teaching load, this little break couldn’t have come at a better time! God is so Good!

Our Family of 3...

Even Macy got in on the FUN...

~Stay Warm and Cozy Today Ya'll~

Ahh...Sweet

2010-02-21T14:03:00.000-06:00

Look what my Hubby did...

he had a high school student bring these to my classroom on Friday!!! Sweet, white and simple...just my style!!! What is it about getting flowers that makes someone feel so special? I cant place my finger on it really...but when someone brings you flowers...for that split second in time...you feel so very special and so very loved. What a sweet thing to do honey...THANK YOU!

Jolea loved them too...

Belated Birthday Wishes...to My Mama

2010-02-21T13:42:00.000-06:00

For so many people, February 14th is a special day, filled with romance and love, flowers and chocolate. Andy and I have never gone “overboard” for Valentine’s Day. In fact we usually don’t do much. This year was a little different! Cupid brought me this…Mademoiselle

a delicious fragrance by CoCo Chanel that I have been admiring for years. A good perfume is always such a nice gift…but the good stuff is always so pricey. I was thrilled when I opened up the bag and found this precious little box of goodness…and it makes it even better that Andy actually likes it and comments on how good I smell all the time! Thanks Honey!

Cupid brought Andy a nice “goody” basket filled with all his favorite things too. (Oops forgot to take pictures!) He got a ton of his favorite candies and energy drinks, a t-shirt that says I heart football, an hour full body massage and a new book. I would say that we celebrated this holiday in style.

For me, the MOST important thing to celebrate on February 14th is my Mama’s birthday. She is my BEST friend. She stands out among all my other friends because she has never left my side…EVER…no matter what. She is one of the greatest people I have ever known. She brought me into this world and she has taught me everything I know about being a good, trustworthy, dependable and hard working person. She leads by example and I am so Thankful that God picked her to be my Mom. She turned 50 years old on Valentine’s Day…and I think she looks younger and younger with each passing year. I love you Mom…and I hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration.

Jolea and Grammy exchanging Birthday/Valentine goodies

Mom and Dad at Red Lobster...her choice :)

Andy and I...

A very special "Thanks" to Johanna, CJ and baby girl Jillian for keeping our little Princess. We actually took slow bites and tasted what we were putting in our mouths and we left without wearing anything that was on our plates. My-o-my how things change with a 2 year old.

Blogger Back-Up...

2010-02-14T22:08:00.000-06:00

Whoa...my blogging skills have gotten really really poor lately! I just realized how behind I am and I am bound and determined to catch up. So with all that said...here are 2 of the latest birthday parties we went to with our little dumpling. The only little problem is...she thinks anytime she sees a present...then it must be for her! Does anyone else have a 2 year old with this same syndrome? She has a hard time watching the "party girl" or "party boy" open their gifts without wanting to be right in the middle of all the action. I know she is a toddler and she is totally acting her age...but she gets real bent outta shape when Mama says "NO!"

Landrye...our friend from church had her party at the Gymnastic Sports Center! Jolea had a BLAST! Andy and I are considering putting her in a Mom/Tot class there this summer. She is young...but it would be such great exercise for her...and a great way for her to expend the bundles of endless energy that she seems to have these days.

The Famous "Cheese" face...

Action shot with Daddy...jumping into the pit...

I thought she would FREAK out when we strapped her into the trampoline-flippy thing...but she LOVED it...

Patiently waiting for the best part of the party...the CAKE

Sweet Jillian is our friend from MDO...she has become one Jolea's most adored friends...and she had her 2nd Birthday party at The Grace Museum! The kids had a BLAST...and I was really impressed with the freedom that the museum gave up for those who were having a party. The kids ran around on the childrens floor...getting into EVERYTHING and having a blast.

Birthday Girl Jillian...so precious...

The Abby-Caddabby cake...Johanna...Jillian's mom made this cake...and boy-o-boy was there a funny story behind this little adventure!!! But look how cute she turned out :)

Yummy Cupcakes...

Abby from MDO...and Cheese face Jolea

These girls are so sweet...and watching them all play together just melts my heart (well when they arent fighting about who is going to get the babydoll, or the kitchen mixer...or something silly like that) We have had so much fun getting to know these little angels...and we are EXCITED about spending lots of time together this summer. Speaking of this summer...it will be the first summer I have had without summer school in what seems like forever! We plan on having some serious family time!

After Jillian's birthday party...the adults decided it would be fun to go out on the town (well as "out" as you can get for Abilene...right?) We met at the Cypress Street Station downtown, and we sampled their selection of beers at the micro-brewery...some of them were okay...some of them were terrible...so I just stuck to a nice glass of White Riesling instead...Ahh...refreshing. We were accompanied by one of Johanna's dearest friends and some of her and CJ's family since they had come to the birthday party. Low and behold...we ended up singing Dancing Queen at karaoke night...so I would say we had a good time!

From left...Johanna...Amber...and ME

Andy and CJ (these two are REAL trouble)

The Girls...(from left) Amber...Amy a.k.a Chicago, Johanna, Johanna's Sis and Muah

Me and the Hubs...closeup...yikes!

It's always fun to put on your swanky party clothes...go out with friends and make a million memories! Im glad we got to!

FRUSTRATED....

2010-02-03T13:44:00.002-06:00

Does anyone know how I can get my header image to be the center of the page instead of off to the right? It's driving me NUTS! Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Hip Hip Hooray...

2010-02-03T10:45:00.000-06:00

2 Bits - 4 Bits - 6 Bits - A Dollar - Terah -Past - Her - Teaching Exams - And - She - Wants - To - Holler

I am so happy that I took my exams, passed them both and they are out of the way. I still have one more to take, but it’s for my ESL endorsement which is a lot less stressful. Now it’s time to start putting a resume together and looking for my first teaching job...that I have been dreaming about for the past 2 and a half years...and my first paycheck which is even more exciting!

My student teaching experience has been such a BLESSING to me. I am teaching under Mrs. Stokes a 3rd grade math teacher in Hawley. Now at first, my stomach was churning because I was the WORST math student growing up and I was thinking to myself "How am I going to teach what I was Terrible at?" BUT...I am having a blast. My cooperating teacher is so helpful and encouraging to me. I could not be happier about being in her classroom. My students are a great bunch of kids...some of the funniest kids I have ever met and for the most part they are a real joy to have in class. I get showered in hugs from the time I walk into the classroom till the last dismissal bell rings...it’s GREAT.

My second placement is in the 2nd grade and I will start there after Spring Break. 2nd grade is going to be a whole new ballgame...but I am sure I will LOVE it to pieces!

Christmas Part 5: A Day in the Windy City

2010-01-31T21:03:00.001-06:00

I cannot believe it’s almost February…and I still haven’t finished posting about our mini trip to Chicago while we were on Christmas vacation in Michigan. I have always wanted to travel somewhere like New York or Chicago simply because I have never been a big city girl, nor have I ever spent much time in a big city kind of world. The hustle and the bustle of Michigan Avenue in Chicago was a culture shock to me. Michigan Avenue is also known as The Magnificent Mile…and my favorite TV show host Oprah has Harpo Studios located just minutes from where we stayed. Everywhere the eye could see…there were people…people everywhere. In Texas, when you walk down the street you make eye contact, you nod your head or say hello…right? No way, no how in Chicago…it was like out of sight out of mind…pay no attention to your neighbor on the sidewalk…just act as if they don’t exist! This was totally strange…for a born and raised Texas girl. I couldn’t get over how “unfriendly” the people seemed, but I’m sure they could get over how “overly” friendly Texans can be! Anyhow, the experience was memorable that is for sure…and I think I prefer small West Texas living any day of the week. The shopping was OVERWHELMING…every store was at least 2 or 3 stories tall…and packed to the brim with merchandise. We were only in Chicago for 24 hours so I chose only to hit the stores that are truly my favorite. I could have stayed in any one single store for a couple of hours…no doubt…but we were merely skimming the surface and moving on to the next place. The prices were a little out of my budget, but it sure was fun walking around and looking at such a beautiful city. The weather was just amazing too…it was a light fluffy snow for most of the day, but surprisingly the temperatures were not too cold. The streets and the windows were all still decked out for Christmas…and it kept the holiday spirit lingering. Here are some of my favorite shots from our whirlwing Chicago adventure :)

Mom and Penny at Starbucks...

Me and the Hubs...enjoying our favorite White Chocolate Mocha's...

Beautiful snow covered Chicago...

Where all the EXCITEMENT happens...

View from the lobby of our hotel...The Omni (where Oprah puts all of her guests!)

View from our room in the Omni...

The only picture I got of all three of us...and Aunt Penny's eyes are shut :(

One of my favorites...Forever 21...it was GIGANTIC...

Shopping Sisters...

Historic Water Tower...

Up Close...

This was a HUGE Christmas tree all lit up outside of a shopping plaza...it was so pretty all lit up while the snow fell :)

YUMMY...Chicago Pizza...

The Pizza Pie...

Pen and Mitch...

Grammy and Poppy...

Andy and Mitchel...if you are wondering where I was...I didnt get to go to Giordano's because I had a 2 year old that was being slightly out of hand...so I stayed with her in the hotel room :(

There you have it...a very quick review of our mini trip to Chicago! There are so many things that have happened between now and then...and I am so behind on blogging. Student teaching is going AWESOME...and I ADORE my cooperating teacher. I will catch you up on that just as soon as I can :)