Mandi & Kevin’s Baby Shower

On Saturday I drove out to Southlake to help my friend Mandi and her Mom set up for the shower.  Mandi and I have been friends since our first day of college at Texas Tech.  We met in the dorm where we lived next door to each other.  Which means that we have been friends for almost 15 years {whoa…that doesn’t seem possible}.

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Mommy & Daddy-to-be, Big Sis Jules and {soon to be} Lil Sis Berklee

 Mandi & Kevin with their hostesses

Mandi’s mom did most of the “hard” work I would say for the shower {food, drinks, cake, decorations, etc} and I got to do the fun stuff!  I ordered the invitations, came up with a couple of games and put together a little party favor for the guests.

Invitation

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The Favors  - These were so fun to make.  I ordered some custom printed M&M’s and put them in those little fabric bags and made tags to match the invites.  It was really simple to do and they seemed to be a big hit {I mean who doesn’t like M&M’s}.

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The Cakes – Mandi’s Mom ordered a super cute cupcake cake and she made the precious diaper cake for the center piece.

The Games – The first game the guests had to guess the number of M&M’s inside a baby bottle.  Believe it or not someone guessed the exact number and it was the very first guess we got {crazy}.  The second game was the oldie but goodie TP around the belly, but with a twist.  I had Mandi & Kevin stand back to back and they had to guess how many squares fit around both of them. Randomly enough…the same winner from the guessing game won the TP game too.

The day was really fun!  I enjoyed meeting more of Mandi & Kevin’s friends and getting to see their beautiful new home.  Here are a few pictures of the TOO CUTE nursery they have decorated for Baby Berklee:

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Congratulations Mandi & Kevin! I can’t wait to meet little Berklee soon!!

Visiting Aunt Kathy!!

On Friday afternoon Lance was playing golf over in Wylie so the girls and I decided to head out that way too.  After we picked up Gracie our first stop was to visit Aunt Kathy at school and see her classroom.  The girls LOVE to visit Aunt Kathy at school {They get to play with all the teacher things that teachers don’t normally let you play with}.

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A classroom {especially one as fun as Aunt Kathy’s} was a great place to pass the time while we waited for Daddy to get done with golf and for Uncle Tony to get off of work so that we could all go to dinner.  Here are just a few ways the girls entertained themselves…

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Thanks for letting us come play in your classroom Aunt Kathy!!!

 

 

The girls also got to spend sometime in the classroom with Nathan and Preston which they loved. Mommy didn’t get any pictures of them playing together though…I was busy holding Baby Preston {he’s just so cute!}.

Our final stop after dinner was to see Uncle Tony’s new office.  It’s still under construction but they will be moving in soon!  We’ll have to go back soon so that I can get some pictures of that too.

We had a great time and look forward to getting together again soon!

UPDATE: As I was finishing up this post I got a call from Kathy with some great news!  They accepted an offer on their house…YEAH!!!  This is so exciting because now they will be moving closer to us!  I have tried to talk them into Frisco {ha!}.  They probably won’t be moving quite THAT close, but I’ll take what I can get.  It will be nice to be able to get the kiddos together on a more regular basis {and to be able to use each other as babysitters every once in a while too}.

Congratulations Wright Family!!!

Meeting Gwynie’s Preschool Teachers!

This morning we dropped Gracie off at school and then heading over to meet Gwynie’s preschool teachers.  We got there a few minutes early so we stayed out in the car until it was our turn to go inside.  Here are a few fun pictures I took of Gwynie while we waited…

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This year the school had a really neat format for meet the teacher {loved it}.  They scheduled the each student in the class out over two days so that each child would get to spend 15 minutes of one-on-one time with their teachers in their new classroom.  They asked the parents to bring in a short form filled out so that they would know some information in advance to be able to talk to the kiddos about and each kid was asked to bring in something special to show their teachers.  Gwynie decided to bring in a couple of her Care Bears {Share Bear & Love-a-Lot Bear to be exact}. 

So I dropped Gwynie off in her classroom and then headed down the hall to meet the new preschool director and fill out some PTO forms.  When I came back to get her she just looked as relaxed as can be and was enjoying her time with Ms. Hope and Ms. Kim.  It was nice for me to be able to spend some one-on-one time with the teachers too. She had Ms. Kim as an assistant teacher for a few months last year but this was our first time to meet Ms. Hope. They are both so sweet!

Gwynie with her lead teacher Ms. Hope (left) and her assistant teacher Ms. Kim (right)

So meet the teacher was a huge success and Gwynie can’t wait for the first day of school {neither can Mommy}.  I haven’t been able to go to Chapel very regularly in the past because of a class I take at the gym. But now that Gwynie is going 3 days a week it opens up a day that I can go!  I know that Chapel is one of Gwynie’s favorite parts of her day {Praise be to God} and I am looking forward to being able to share it with her!!

End Of The Season Softball Party!

Gracie had a blast at her softball party! This was her first “end of season” event.  They swam all afternoon and finished the day off with cake.  Gracie’s favorite part of the day…getting her very first trophy!!! 

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We were blessed by the team Gracie was on.  The girls were so sweet and the coaches were just amazing.  It was such a positive experience that Grace can’t wait to play with the same team this Fall!

Congratulations DIVAS on a great season!!

First Bus Ride Home!

Gracie has been asking me since she learned the bus came to our neighborhood {like since the very first day of Kindergarten} if she could ride the bus to/from school.  I finally decided that this year she can ride the bus home a couple days a week {the days Gwynie doesn’t have school}.  Today was one of those days. 

So Gwynie and I set out on our walk to the bus stop {about 3 blocks…too long for Gracie to walk alone in my opinion}. Gwynie wanted to bring Marty along {which we will do a few times} but today I got her to compromise and bring a Care Bear friend along instead.

It was H-O-T out there!!  Sitting in Carpool with the A/C going didn’t seem so bad at this point.  The bus was a few minutes late {I guess…at least that’s was the veteran parents were saying}.  But the next thing we knew the bus was here! 

We looked for Gracie as all the kids piled off the bus.  Just when I got the OH KNOW SHE FORGOT feeling…there she was! {I really knew she hadn’t forgotten to ride the bus home…that’s all she talked about all morning.  But I was still a bit nervous until I saw her}

Sissy’s home!!!

I love this picture!  It made me flashback to the days of daycare/preschool when she was just so happy to see me that she would run across the room yelling MOMMY-MOMMY-MOMMY!  When you become a SAHM you don’t get those moments very often {mainly because you are always with them}.  When they do happen they are extra special! Today she wasn’t yelling Mommy-mommy-mommy {she is a big First Grader after all} but I like to believe that she was thinking it!

Officially A First Grader!

Today is Gracie’s first day as a 1st Grader.  She woke up SUPER early…she said she was just too excited to sleep {I remember those days}. Of course she had laid out everything the night before, so we had more than enough time to get her ready. The morning was WAY calmer than I know they are going to be this time next week.  

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It was a much different feeling getting her ready today.  I am going to miss seeing her for the hours she is at school but I just feel so excited for her not “worried” like I was last year!!  She made me feel better I guess because she said she wasn’t nervous at all.  She did say that I bet the Kindergarteners are nervous because I know how nervous I was about Kindergarten! {So sweet} We said a quick prayer on the way to school {one of my favorite parts of the back to school routine} and there she went…off to First Grade!

After we dropped Gracie off at school we headed to the gym for my class.  After we were done Gwynie asked if it was time to go pick up Sissy. Nope, not yet.  We then went to the grocery store and when we were leaving Gwynie asked if was time to pick Gracie up yet.  I think she might be having sissy withdrawals!

Meeting Gracie’s 1st Grade Teacher!

Tonight the girls and I {Daddy was at the Titans vs. Cowboys game with Grumps} headed up to Gracie's school for Meet The Teacher Night.  We have been counting down the days here at the Taylor house…it couldn’t get here fast enough for Gracie.

So as the entire school {1st – 5th anyway} descended on the campus, we waited in the line to FINALLY find out who Gracie’s teacher was going to be.  I let her go up first and look.  I happened to spot her name right off the bat {not too hard when your at the bottom of the alphabet} but I waited until she found it.  As soon as she found it she turned around and shouted “Mommy, I got Ms. Dobbs”…I acted excited, but honestly I had no idea who Ms. Dobbs was…definitely wasn’t a teacher from last year.  Then she ran back to me and said, “Well, I wonder what Ms. Dobbs is going to be like”.

We went down the 1st Grade hall {same hall as Kindergarten…just on the other side} and looked at all the name plates they have hanging over the door.  Nope…nope…not this one…nope…and then we saw it!  She is in the last room on the hall.  Ms. Dobbs was there with a huge smile waiting to greet us.  She introduced herself and then we went in to see the classroom.  Gracie’s desk was right by the door so it didn’t take long to find it.

Ms. Dobbs is a brand new teacher {graduated in May} so Gracie is going to be in her very first class.  I am really excited for Gracie.  Ms. Dobbs seems to have a very fun, upbeat personality {reminds me a lot of my sister Kathy} and she kept saying how excited she was to get the year going.  Her room is decorated SO CUTE too!!!  Since my sister is a teacher I know how much time, effort {and money} go into their rooms so I made sure to tell her how great I thought it was. 

So as our time in the classroom started to come to an end, I looked around to see if anyone was going to get a picture of their kiddo with the teacher.  I did not see one single camera…can you believe it?  I didn’t want to embarrass Gracie, but I was thinking there is no way I am leaving without at least one picture of Gracie with her new teacher.  So I asked Gracie if she minded if I took a picture of her and Ms. Dobbs…she was actually excited about it {thank goodness} and I think Ms. Dobbs was even more excited about the idea.  So here is my one picture…

Gracie can’t wait until Monday!  She has decided {I think} on what she is going to wear, made the big decision of rather to bring or buy her lunch on the first day {she has decided to buy} and is totally excited that Mama & Daddy are going to let her ride the bus home a couple days a week {YIKES}.  It’s going to be a great year…I just hope it doesn’t go by too fast!

By George I Think She’s Got It!

Nana & Paw Paw were troopers by taking the girls and their cousin down to Cedar Park for a week.  On top of that they also took on the task of keeping up Gwynie’s potty training.  She has been making progress before she left, but she wasn’t too interested in telling us when she had to go, we were still just trying to “catch” her in time.

Well, after the first day Nana had a great idea!  She decided to give Gwynie a M&M every time Gwynie went to the potty.  I had heard of this type of reward system before, but Nana came up with a great twist.  She told Gwynie that whenever she would go to the potty she would get an M&M but she would also get to give one to Gracie and Nathan.  She REALLY liked that idea!  Plus suddenly you had two additional people VERY interested in Gwynie’s potty habits.  Nana & Paw Paw said that they would occasionally hear Gracie and Nathan asking Gwynie if she needed to go. HA!

It was a hit and helped Gwynie make huge leaps forward in a matter of just a few days.  We are keeping up the M&M’s.  Gwynie feels so proud when she gets to hand out the M&M’s to the family! 

My goal was to have Gwynie all potty trained by the time she went back to school.  I don’t know if we will be 100% but we are WAY further along than we were just 7 days ago! {Thanks again Nana & Paw Paw}

WAY TO GO GWYNIE!!!!

Our Week Long “Staycation”!

The girls just came home from a week with Nana & Paw Paw.  They had a great time!  Lance & I really missed them…we called them every night before they went to bed.  As much as we missed them we really enjoyed the vacation.  This was the first time that they had been away from us when we didn’t have somewhere to be or something to do {i.e., mission trips or out of town vacations}.  We were in our own home with our same day to day activities…but the girls weren’t with us. 

The weekend was awesome.  We woke up when we wanted, hung out with friends and went to the movies.  We took full advantage of being kid-free. 

The first “real” day was weird for me.  Lance had to go to work and well, my “work” was at Nana & Paw Paw’s house.  Of course I enjoyed doing whatever I wanted but after a couple of hours of it {and a few naps later} I was like…now what.  I decided to spend my time {while Lance was at work} organizing a few things around the house.  It’s not the first thing that would have come to mind if someone had asked me what I would do, but I actually enjoyed it.  It was nice to be able to focus on a couple of projects and see them through to completion in a matter of hours instead of months. {One of those life things that happens when you are a SAHM…when I first decided to stay at home I had all these big plans…perfectly behaved kids, super clean house, dinner on the table when Lance got home AND to a happy family. I tried that for a couple of weeks and pretty much decided that with me playing the role of the SAHM I couldn’t do all those things AND have a happy family.  So having a happy family won out and those big plans of being uber-organized went out the window.} 

We missed the girls like crazy but the week we were apart was a much needed break for everyone.  It was a great way for us all {especially Lance & I} to get refreshed for this last week of summer and the school year that starts up in just a few short days.

We cannot thank Nana & Paw Paw enough.  You guys ROCK!!! Just let us know when “Summer Camp Cedar Park” opens again for registration. ;)

New Sermon Series Starting 8-16-09!!