Spring Break in Pictures! :o)

We had a blast in Alabama...Hallie loves playing with Abby and Hattie Grace. Our visit was a wonderfully relaxing visit. I only wish we had all the time in the world to visit with friends and family. Honestly, the time is never, ever long enough! We can't wait to get back there this summer (hopefully)!

Hallie is THREE!

For Hallie's actual birthday (March 2), we (Jonathan, me, Nonna & Pop) took Hallie to Cheddar's. This is probably her favorite restaurant (other than CFA). After supper, we headed home to enjoy some presents and a wonderful cookie cake from The Great American Cookie Company--YUM! :o) It still baffles me that three years have flown past us. Hallie is slowly moving from a toddler to a little girl...but I'm definitely going to hang onto these toddler years as long as I possibly can!

A Jumping Good Time!

Finally! A post about Hallie's birthday party (I mean, it was only 3 weeks ago--ha)! :o)

Hallie's 3rd birthday party was a blast! She had the best time with her little friends. It was very heart-breaking (and exciting, too) to see her so independent with her friends. Usually, she wants me to jump and play...but she didn't need me at all. ::sniff sniff:: She is definitely growing up. We love her little personality and independence. She is a MESS!

Thanks to everyone who helped make Hallie's 3rd birthday a VERY special day! :o)

If you'd like to see all the images, simply click "See All Images". A new page will open and you can view the pictures in a bigger size. :o)

Spring Break in Alabama!

So...my plan for my Spring Break was to catch up the blog. Mainly, I wanted to upload pictures from Hallie's birthday party. However, that's absolutely impossible to do when the memory card that houses all of those pictures is in my laptop; and my laptop is in Texas. Sooooo...yeah, no pictures until I return. It makes me sad because I really wanted to have the blog caught up, but that's OK. :o)

My parents were visiting the week of Hallie's birthday and we had an absolute blast. Hallie's birthday party was fantastic--she had several little friends there and they just had a ball playing and jumping! We took Hallie to eat at her favorite restaurant (other than Chick-fil-A), Cheddar's, and then had a cookie cake at home. The rest of the week was spent with Hallie saying, "I'm ready to go to Alabama. I want to go to Nonna and Pop's house." Finally, the day arrived for us to head to Alabama. We left a sad Daddy behind--he's going to miss his girls. He already does, I'm sure! The trip to Alabama was a long one. We left at 8 am and arrived at my parents' house around 1 am. Sigh! We made lots of stops to let a certain little girl stretch and take potty breaks. It was during one of those stops that I realized I had left my memory card at home. We had stopped at the welcome center in Mississippi--right on the Mississippi River and it was GORGEOUS outside. It was during the "golden hour" of photography and I was super excited to take some pictures of Hallie with my new camera. However, all that was shot down upon my realization. My dad didn't even have an extra memory card. Needless to say, another was purchased as soon as possible! Overall, though, she did great to be riding straight through. I must admit that I'm extremely glad to be flying back on Saturday, though! :o)

Hallie has loved being able to play with her cousins, Abby and Hattie Grace. They're all pretty cute running after each other. Abby is in school this week, but hopefully Hallie will get to see her as soon as school is out each afternoon. We all went to the park earlier today and the kids had a blast!

So far it has been a wonderfully relaxing Spring Break! Today while Hallie was napping, I grabbed my book and headed outside. It was glorious! The weather was perfect...in the low 70s! And while the weather is supposed to be yucky the rest of the week, I soaked in the sunshine and beautiful weather today! :o)

Dear Hallie

My sweet, sweet little princess. Today is your birthday. You are three! I cannot believe we have been blessed with you for three wonderful years. How happy you make Daddy and me! He and I think you are something pretty special! I love birthdays...but celebrating YOU is even more special than my own! :o)

I think you have had a pretty special birthday. When you woke up, Nonna and Pop took you to IHOP for a wonderful birthday breakfast. Then you stopped by Mommy's school to shop at the Book Fair. After a quick nap, you headed to ballet...and then to Toys R Us. We finished your birthday with dinner at Cheddar's (yum!) and presents and a cookie cake at home.

I want to take just a minute and thank you for being you--thank you for your innocent giggles and your sweet smile. Thank you for coming back to give me a second or third hug when you're leaving with someone else besides me. That simply warms my heart and fills my love tank to overflowing! Thank you for all the things you say and all the silly songs you sing. My favorite by far is "This is hot, this is hot; don't touch something, this is hot" while holding the candle lighter. lol. You definitely keep us on our toes! I love your sweet voice...I love your sweet toddler lisp. And I know that one day I will miss it. I love that you say you are "bee" instead of "three". Thank you for having your very own unique personality that is part me, part Daddy, and then a whole bunch of sassy you all rolled into one. It is refreshing! And thank you for being an active learner even when we think you're not paying attention.

Your voice has to be one of my most favorite things right now...and I love (most of the time anyway) how much you talk to me. :o) Just the other day when we were driving home, you noticed how blue the sky was. You said, "Mommy, do you see the pretty sky?" When I said I did you replied, "It's so pretty. God made that sky." I pray that you will continue to grow in the Lord and will one day realize the sacrifice He made for you. We pray for your heart every night, sweet girl...along with thanking God for Nonna, Pop, Gramps, RahRah, "people, somebody" and a whole list of people you love! You always say, "Mommy, Daddy, Hallie" just to make sure Daddy addressed us. I'm so thankful that you are learning early to have a thankful heart!

Here's a little "Hallie List":

*You weigh just a little more than 30 pounds and are wearing 3T shirts and 2T/3T bottoms.

*You are completely "potty trained". One weekend in January, you decided you wanted to make a potty chart. We never looked back and you've been using the potty ever since! Way to go! While it makes me a little sad that you're growing up, we are incredibly proud of this milestone (and the few dollars it will save us each month). :o)

*I have completely lost count of your words/phrases...you can say almost anything you want. You speak in complete, grammatically correct (for the most part) sentences all the time...except when you want milk. Then you just simply scream "MILK!" at me. lol. And every single time I say, "Hallie, I need you to ask for your milk in a big girl voice." And you comply. ;o)

*You are constantly amazing us with your vocabulary...at supper tonight, you and Daddy were looking at the fish. All the fish were at the bottom of the tank. Daddy asked you why you thought they were down there. You thought for a second and said, "Um, I bet they're shy."

*You are a sweet girl and you're learning to share quite nicely--this makes Mommy and Daddy very happy!

*You love Chick-fil-A (and so does Mommy). You also trade in your book/prize for ice cream all by yourself. You say, "I'd like ice cream, please." Then you tell them you'd like it in a cone. And when they hand it to you, you say, "Thank you." And while you're walking back to me (b/c I'm watching the whole time), you have a great sense of accomplish written across your sweet face.

*I learned that I could trust you just last week--you wanted to slide on the playground at Chick-fil-A one more time. So we talked about doing so and then coming straight out so we could go home...I talked about how I wanted to trust you to obey. You surprised RahRah and me by going in, sliding, and walking straight out to go home. We were (and still are) VERY proud of you. You were pretty proud of yourself, too. :o)

*You can still throw one heck of a fit if you don't get your way...the fit is usually accompanied with tiredness and hunger. :o)

*You're a pretty good eater, but really usually eat only two meals a day. You love pancakes and bacon, anything with flavor (think spicy!), hotdogs, chicken, grilled cheese, yogurt, "Princess soup" (chicken noodle soup), spaghetti, green beans, and broccoli. I know there are tons of things you like that I didn't list...your new favorite thing is "Spicy Water" (Sprite/Sierra Mist). Ha! I'm just glad you like to eat b/c at one point I wasn't sure you ever would! :o)

*You take one nap a day that lasts for a glorious 2-3 hours.

*You love to pick out your own clothes and are pretty stinking good at it...you just don't always choose season appropriate things. :o)

*You still love taking ballet and are extremely good at it. You follow your teacher's directions and listen well. It's breath-taking to watch you dance. I really do hope you continue to take ballet as you get older.

*You love to read--we read three books each night...I know you'd read 20 books if we'd let you!

I know there are a million other things I could write about you, my sweet girl. I am so blessed to know you, to love you, and to have you love me. Daddy and I are much better people because of you! God knew exactly what we needed in our life!

Happy 3rd birthday, Hallie! We love you very much!!

What a Mess!

Oh my word. I do not know what in the world is going on here...but Hallie is not one who is a real messer. I mean, she's a mess, but today she was a REAL mess! Ha! She wanted some M & Ms, so I obliged...they're the minis from Valentine's (heavily discounted the day after!!). She was turning them up and dumping them in her mouth...something she's fairly good with. Then she dropped one. ONE! And she nearly had a fit. After we told her to just pick it up it seems that all manners went out the window; for this is what happened next. They ALL went into her mouth at one time, both hands were used to try to hold them there...then her hair was brushed off her forehead (hence the chocolate smear there). And she thought it was all great fun. I had to snap a picture for those of you who think Hallie is just as dainty as can be! She's obviously not. ;o)

Fairytale Princess

This came in the mail today! I was SO excited to open it up...Hallie was ecstatic! Hallie kept saying, "It's my birthday! It's my birthday!" I ordered this Fairytale Princess theme from Birthday in a Box and could not be more pleased with the timely shipping and great packaging! I found the prices fair, too. This is exactly what I had in mind...something princess and simple. I didn't want Disney princesses because that's a bit too much "theme-ish" for me. Hallie wants a princess party, so when I found this design, I knew it was perfect! We won't have as many guests as we had originally planned because Hallie's ballet class was cancelled and we didn't get to give her little ballet friends invitations, but Hallie is going to have a wonderful time no matter who is there! All her favorite people will be at her party! :o) The little princess bags will be the party favor with a few little treats inside--so fun and cute! I love having a little girl and getting do girly things with her/for her! And I will as long as she will let me! Now...what will she wear to hear party? I'd better get busy figuring that out! :o)

Snow Day!

What a fun day! My school closed at noon, so shortly after I picked up my little princess and headed out in search of some rain boots so I could enjoy this snow with her! I have been needing rain boots for some time now...but I only think about it on the days it's raining and I'm trudging through the mud trying to get to my classroom (the parking lot is closed due to renovations and we're having to park on the street and walk through the grass to our classrooms). Anyway, I finally found a pair at Rack Room Shoes...finally! I searched "many-a place" today! Ha! Hallie kept telling me that I could borrow hers...so sweet! At one point, we headed to the mall with no luck. But we did eat a yummy lunch at Chick-fil-A and Hallie scored some of the little square gum out of the machine. After that treat, she grabbed my hand while walking through the mall and said, "Mommy, you're my BEST friend!" Ah...I will always remember and treasure that b/c I know the time will come too quickly when she'll consider me an enemy (or maybe we'll never reach that point...who knows!). :o)

Once we got home--and before putting on many layers of clothes--Hallie ran out to the front yard and threw herself down in the snow exclaiming "I'm making a SNOW ANGEL!" lol. After that little adventure, we traded out the soaking wet clothes for THREE layers of dry ones. :o) Much to my disbelief, she didn't complain one time about feeling like the Michelin man! Ha! She looked super cute...and had SO much fun playing in the snow. It has been snowing straight for almost 12 hours...and has snowed about four inches! Unbelievable!

I was very thankful for my early release...and I'm even more thankful for the late start tomorrow! Because I got out early, Hallie didn't nap...and as I type, she's snuggled up to me sound asleep. Hmm...thankfully she ate a great lunch and has had several snacks after playing in the snow (hey, playing in the snow makes for one hungry girl!); so I'm thinking I might take her to bed. I know she's exhausted. After all, it's only about an hour and a half before she's usually getting in the bed. We'll see how it goes.

OK OK...now what you're really here for...SNOW PICTURES! :o)

Hallie and her Princess Snowman (er, girl)

Hallie was making a snowball to throw at me! Ha!

Our little angel making a beautiful snow angel!

Hallie absolutely LOVES (and I mean LOVES) eating snow!

It's a Princess Party!

Hallie's third birthday is very soon! I have been planning like crazy the past week...and that planning including designing her birthday invitation! :o) I can't wait until next weekend, my parents will be here to celebrate and stay the week with us! Hopefully I will get all the plates before her party. I'm kind of cutting it close! I like to live dangerously! Ha! :o)

Hallie's First Birthday Party!

Yesterday, Hallie got to be a sweet guest at her very first "friend birthday party". Ha! :o) She has been to her own birthday party, Abby's (her cousin) birthday party but yesterday was her very first time to go to a birthday party of a little friend. My friend and co-worker, Missy, has the three most precious kids. And Hallie loves them! Hallie was invited to the youngest's party. We picked out Emily's present on Friday afternoon and Hallie talked about it all night and all day up until the party. She was very excited about giving Emily her present...and honestly was a little bummed when Emily didn't open her presents at the party. Needless to say, Hallie had a blast at the party. There was face painting (which Hallie would NOT participate in), crafts, and a mini bouncy house (Hallie's favorite--she told me so! Ha!). Thanks for inviting Hallie to your party, Emily! Happy Birthday!

Hallie made an alligator

The birthday girl dressed up at JoJo the Clown. :o)

Yummy blue cupcakes!

Hallie and Audrey (Missy's oldest)--Hallie LOVES her!

The mini bouncy house!

The whole gang

Hallie giving the birthday girl a big hug! So sweet!

Sweet Girl

I love taking pictures of my sweet Hallie...and really, I love having the practice with my new camera! This particular afternoon before we were heading out to dinner, Hallie was in the mood to have her picture taken--with her new umbrella especially! :o) At some point, I must have accidentally changed the setting on the camera because out of about 30 pictures taken, the ones below are the only good ones because the rest are blurry. And I don't mean blurry like there's a little fuzzy look around the face and such...I mean BLURRY like it's all just smashed together! Ha! But the ones that turned out, turned out adorably! Of course, it does help that I have the cutest little model! ;o)

Melt my heart! This is my favorite!

After I accidentally changed the setting--see, I wasn't joking about the blur factor! :o)

Happy Heart Day!

We had a sweet little Valentine's Day at home...with our favorite little Valentine, Hallie! She was very excited when she walked into the playroom and found a basket filled with goodies just for her! After a yummy Valentine's breakfast (I made Hallie cheese toast in the shape of a heart--she LOVED it!), we headed to church and then to lunch with Gramps and Rah-Rah. It was a fun day, of course, filled with love. :o)

Hallie was SO excited to see her goodies!

Obvious happiness once she saw her basket. :o)

The goods for Mommy and Daddy

Take the time to stop and smell the roses. :o)

Helping Daddy open his new coffee maker...she also told Daddy exactly what we had gotten him right after we made the purchase. I guess I'm going to have to stop taking her with me when I'm shopping for "surprises". :o)

Our sweet little Valentine!

Mommy's FAVORITE Valentines!

Home Sweet Home

Well...this is my "old" Home Sweet Home...my parents' home. :o) While we only got a tiny amount of snow in Waco on Thursday night, the storm that apparently was just north of us in Dallas continued on into Heflin, Alabama. And around 10 am, this is what started hitting the ground. Isn't it beautiful?! It hasn't snowed this much since the "Blizzard of 93". And really...the snow they got on Friday is quite slim compared to 1993. Then, we were out of school for a week or more and without power! I remember being devasted because I couldn't see my boyfriend! LOL! My bedroom was on the left front corner and there was a snow drift covering half-way up the window (or maybe more)! That snowstorm covered a huge portion of Alabama--you can see some pictures and read some stories HERE. Do any of you remember the Blizzard of 93?!

Thanks, Pop, for sending me some pictures...boy how I miss having all the seasons! I suppose I got to experience a little bit of it, though. And really, it has snowed twice here in the past several months. That's more snow than I have ever seen in Texas!

There's something new...

...at the bottom of each post! If you're anything like me, you love visiting blogs. I love sneaking a peek into someone else's life. Not in a weird or creepy way, but just for fun. Ha! Sometimes I think I'd like to leave a comment, but I usually don't. But now there's a new element that I would totally use if it were on someone's blog. So I've added it to mine. Three simple (and positive) little phrases--"too cute", "hilarious", and "love it". I think before I edited them they said something like, "cool", "like it"...I don't remember. But if you like the post, all you have to do is give a little click to the square and you're done. :o)

So...leave me a comment if you want, or give a little click! I'll appreciate it either way!

400 Posts!

Wow...I was just about to add a new post and realized that the post I published earlier (backdated to Feb 4) was my 400th post! My goodness! I can't believe I have actually posted that many posts in the past 2 1/2 years. So...I suppose this is my 401st post and I have many more to come. I wonder with Blogger will tell me "that's enough...you've used ALL your space"?! Ha!

I have more to blog...they'll be backdated up until the present...I have been going to bed early the past few weeks and have rarely even gotten online. I'm going to attempt to make it a point to blog at least once a week if not every day or two. I know Nonna and Pop check here often to get a glimpse of how their little princess is growing (and she is...FAST!). In just a few short weeks, she'll be THREE! I don't know where the time goes!

A little bit of snow...

This was the sight as Jonathan left Thursday night for San Antonio (he had a business trip). There was some rain, sleet, and snow...and since the temps dipped just below freezing Thursday night, we had a late start at school on Friday. :o) It didn't last long, but it was pretty while it lasted!

Always watching

I was walking out of the den the other day and spotted this...Hallie's Little Tyke guitar leaned up against the wall with Daddy's guitars. Just like Daddy's. My heart swelled with love for that little girl. She is so precious. I told Jonathan about it and he said he had already noticed it. None of the guitars have been moved in the past several days...maybe because we don't want this little guitar family to move. Just another reminder that Hallie is always watching, always listening, and always paying attention (even when we think she's not).