Brenna's New "Do"

It is safe to say that I am extremely jealous of my daughter's hair. Who wouldn't be? It is long, straight, has natural highlights, and is just plain beautiful! Don't you think?

Even though I do love her hair, it is a pain! Washing it every night and spending 20-30 minutes drying it and listening to her cry while I try to brush it, is just not do-able. I did it for months (because we have cut it before), but it just got to be too much trouble. So we decided it was time for a good summer cut! MeMawMom was not nearly as excited as Mommy and Daddy were, but she agreed to do it anyway. :)

We left Macie at home so that she didn't have to experience what I predicted to be a fight. Brenna was NOT interested in getting her hair cut. I did everything I could think of to talk her into it and get her excited about it, but she was very resistant. I geared myself up for a fight. But much to my surprise, it was just the opposite! She did great, and sat up like a big girl while she got it WASHED and CUT!

The BEFORE.....

So...stinking...pretty. But sanity in the nightly routine counts for something, and this long hair was providing zero sanity!

She even let MeMawMom wash it like a Big Girl! She wasn't too sure of it at first, but eventually enjoyed it.

Happy girl wearing her towel after her wash. :)

In the past, it has been VERY hard to get her to sit still while in the chair and cooperate so that we can get an even cut. But on this day, she once again surprised me! She is growing up so fast.

All brushed and ready to cut.

That's a LOT of hair.

I have to admit- I got a little nervous when she made the first cut. I knew it would look great, but I also knew I would miss her long hair.

Silly Brenna, as always!

I LOVE it!!! So easy and so pretty!

 I love her new "DO"! It is so easy to fix, and looks so much cooler for our lovely 108 deg. Texas days. The only down side is that every time I cut her hair, it gets darker. Not that dark hair is bad, but she is such a cute blonde. Being a hairdresser's daughter, I already find myself thinking how cute she will look with some highlights in her hair. It is the perfect shade for that. And if I didn't know that my husband would TOTALLY freak on me, I would so do it now! Yep, I sure would! Not to make her "more pretty" or to be vain about her looks, but just because I think she has the perfect hair for it. I haven't been my natural hair color since I was about 11 or 12. In fact, I am not even sure what my natural hair color is. Why would I need to know that??? My Mom can make me any color I want to be! And believe me, I have been MANY different colors over the years. I have two philosophies when it comes to hair: "It's just hair...it'll grow" and :) "If it is a color you don't like.....change it tomorrow"!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! (and her too!)
Thanks MeMawMom!!

I even asked if we could transplant some of the hair we cut off of Brenna onto her sister.... Mom said no. :(
Do they make baby wigs? I am getting worried for this poor bald angel.

Toy Story 3 On Ice

Sometime in February, Brenna started telling me we were going to go see Toy Story LIVE, just like we did Barney LIVE a few months earlier. I knew that Toy Story wasn't going to do a concert at NOKIA like Barney did, so I tried to kind of brush off the comments she would make with my famous phrase "We'll see".
Well, later in the month, much to my surprise, I got an email from Ticketmaster telling me they were running a special on tickets for Toy Story 3 On Ice (aka..LIVE!) at the end of March. I was almost giggling at my computer while I ordered tickets! Josh said he would stay home with Macie so that Brenna and I could have a "date night". (what an awesome Daddy he truly is!) I decided not to tell Brenna right away because a month is an eternity in the mind of a 4 year old.
I finally told her the week of the show, and she was just as excited as I had hoped she would be! And when I also told her that we were going to get to ride the train to get there...WOW- her excitement went off the charts! She talked about it non stop. I was a little concerned because she and I had both been VERY sick the week before, but it all seemed to work out just fine.
The day of the show, we got dressed and ready and kissed Daddy and Macie goodbye and we were off! She talked non-stop all the way to the train station in North Richland Hills (hard to believe- I know). We even stopped and picked up some McDonalds for dinner so that we could eat it on the train.

Brenna kept telling me that we were going to ride the Polar Express Train. She was convinced that it was the same train. (man I love the way her sweet mind works).

Proudly displaying her Polar Express Train ticket!

When our train got there, we boarded, and Brenna decided we needed to sit on the top level. Since it was our special night, she pretty much got to pick whatever she wanted. ;) So we climbed up and found some seats with a table so that we could eat our dinner. Brenna was in heaven. She sat and looked out the window almost the whole ride. I was so proud of her.

She smiled for the picture, but was WAY too excited to look away from the window.

Isn't that the sweetest grin, EVER??!!

My date for the evening!

When we got to American Airlines Center, we were pretty much at the front door when we climbed off of the train. (the train is the ONLY way to go to AA). I did just fine..until we walked inside the door. Holy...MOLY...the people. I have never seen that many people running in different directions in my life. It was total madness. I was SOO thankful that I wasn't trying to accomplish this night with Brenna and Macie. I would never have made it. I had to remind myself several times that we were there to have fun and that I was doing this to enjoy some time with Brenna! And, well, that's exactly what I did! I enjoyed every minute. Our first stop was Cotton Candy. She had told me we were going to eat cotton candy and popcorn since the day I told her about the tickets! I knew I wasn't going to spend a fortune on silly toys that we could buy at Wal Mart for a third of the price, so food was our treat!

And when you buy the $11 bag of cotton candy...they throw in this FREE hat!

I will admit however, that I ate as much of the cotton candy as she did. :)

The show was really good. I enjoyed it as much as she did! And I really enjoyed watching her face through the entire show. There is nothing I enjoy more in life than watching my kids enjoy something. It fills my heart to overflowing.

The aliens and the green army men were MY favorite. Brenna loved Buzz and Woody of course.

The show ran until almost 10, so Brenna was super tired by the time it was over. I thought she was going to go to sleep about 30 minutes before it was over, but with a little help from some popcorn and Dr. Pepper, she was good to go till the end.

Headed home on the train.

The train ride home was pretty quiet. Brenna watched out the window for a few minutes, and then came to sit by me. She snuggled for a few minutes, then eventually made her way into my lap and put her head on my shoulder. I knew at that point that it was all over for her. She slept until we were almost back to NRH. I had to wake her up because I knew there was no way I could go down the stairs of the train and carry a 4 year old along with her blankey and our stuff. :( She wasn't happy about waking up, but managed to walk down the stairs (with her eyes only partly open). By the time we got to the car, she was awake. She managed to fight sleep again until we were about 5 minutes from home. When we pulled into the drive way, this was the view in my back seat...

Poor baby.

We had a BLAST though! I absolutely LOVE to spend time with my girls. I treasure every memory we are able to make together, and look forward to making many many more!!!

Happy Birthday Kallie Jo

We started our spring break off with a bang- by celebrating Kallie Jo's 4th birthday! Her party was at Jump Extreme, and I think I was almost more excited than Brenna-almost. I had never been there before and I knew that adults could jump too, so I was looking forward to getting to play with the kiddos. However, my enthusiasm and excitement only lasted a short time. Have you ever jumped in a bounce house? Especially one that involves lots of climbing?? Oh-My-Goodness. I realized just how out of shape I really was! That was hard work!! But, the kids really enjoyed it. They were all sweating and squealing with delight the entire hour.


Kallie and Brenna were off and running/climbing!
These two sure are a pair! I can't wait to watch them grow up together.



Macie even enjoyed some bounce time with Grammy!

Some of the adults played harder than the kids...for the first 10 minutes. Then we could all be found sitting in a chair sweating! Blain did his best to rescue his Mama, but I am pretty sure she lost this fight. :)

Poor Josh was a week past shoulder surgery, so he couldn't join in on the fun. He did however do a lot of laughing at all of us that were sweating and out of breath after the first 20 minutes!

The birthday girl having oh-so-much-fun at her party!

It's a Macie Claire sandwich!!

Best Friends! I love these two little girls to death!

I am so glad that Brenna and Kallie are so close in age. They are exactly 6 weeks and 6 days apart. It has been so fun to watch their friendship blossom in the past 4 years. Poor Blain is so out numbered. But he is a really good sport about it, and I know that one day he will be very protective of these girls, and Macie too. I am VERY excited that they will all get to go to school together, and Brenna and Kallie will be in the same grade. Maybe we should all start saying a special prayer for their Kindergarten teacher..oh that poor sole!
A blast from the past......

Brenna's first Birthday party

They are only a year old here, but I swear it looks as if they are already plotting their plans for the future!

One of my favorites- look at Blain waiting at the other end of the tent for them!

And in the end, he came back to help them! Oh man I love these kiddos!

Ice Cream!!!
Once again, Blain seems to be their leader! By the end of this night, they all 3 ended up in the tub. There was fudge popsicle and sidewalk chalk EVERYWHERE!

I have a thing for taking their picture from behind when they are standing beside each other. Too cute!

Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch 2008
B.F.F.E.

Josh and I are so blessed to have wonderful friends like John and Kristi. They are definitely more like family than just friends. I feel so lucky that our kids will get to grow up together. I know that they will all be close...cuz their parents won't give them any other options! Ha! And I know that Macie will soon join right in with this pack. She will be their "little tag along". Maybe we can train her to keep an eye on them and fill us in on all of their shenanigans.....;)

My Little Gymnast

Back in the fall, we signed Brenna up for soccer. We thought this would be a lot of fun for her since several of her friends were also signing up to play, and two of them even ended up on her team.
Occasionally we would see this on the field...


Participating!

 But more often than not, this is what we witnessed...


Yep, that's my "angel" pouting and sitting right in the middle of the soccer game!

 It was really good for her to be involved in some sort of physical activity that taught team work, listening, and coordination, but she just wasn't "into" it. Her favorite part of soccer games was running down the field while holding hands with Tia and Ava! Granted, the three of them were super duper cute with all of their hand holding and hugging on the field, but I am pretty sure that is not in the play book for soccer. So we decided another season of soccer was not in the cards for us.
I asked Brenna what she wanted to do next. I decided to give her the choice this time and see if it made a difference in her attitude toward the event. She knew instantly what her next activity needed to be...Gymnastics! I was ALL OVER this one and quickly said ok! You see, with gymnastics, it meets once a week at the same time. No practices that get changed, and no game schedule to guide your life by. It also meets indoors. After starting soccer practices and games in 103 degree temperatures, I was all over a sport that took place inside a climate controlled building. So- we signed up for Gymnastics!
It went much better than soccer. She loved going, and usually had a lot of fun. She did tend to become disinterested by the end of the class each week, but in her defense an hour is a LONG time for a 4 year old to focus on one thing! My favorite part, other than the heat and air inside the building, was seeing her in her cute leotard! A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E

Waiting to go in for class

Wish I was that flexible!

Her favorite part of class was the trampoline, but they didn't get to do that very often. Her class had six 4 year olds in it-whoa. The teacher did her best to keep them all on task, but it was a tough job! But in the end of the 10 weeks, Brenna had a great time. She learned a lot, and exercised a great deal of patience. I was VERY proud of her!!! Through the course of the 10 weeks, MeMawMom, Aunt Emily, Memaw, and her Daddy all came to watch a class! She was very eager to show off for each of them!

This is pretty much how Macie spent the hour each week. I think she may have dreaded that hour each week because she knew it meant sitting in her car seat or being held for an hour...two of her least favorite things.

Head stand!

Love the smile of concentration

Look at that strength!

Other than the trampoline, the rings were her next favorite. She would always hold herself up, and then instead of standing up when she was done, she would just "let go" of the rings and FLOP to the mat! Every. Single. Time.



Tada! She totally mastered this Tada pose!

"Did I hear you say this was the LAST gymnastics class???!!!! YEA!"
Brenna was not nearly as excited about it being over.

Macie Claire Pool

May 11, 2010
Born at 5:23 pm
7lbs 12 oz
20 1/2 inches

Dear Macie,
This post is for you my Little Bear. You light up our day with your sweet smile each morning. I look forward to opening your bedroom door each day because I know you are standing there at the end of your bed just waiting for me to come in and get you. And as soon as I walk in, you start to grin from ear to ear and my heart just melts. I will never forget the day you joined our family to make it complete. I had always heard when you have a second child that your heart just grows and you love more than you ever imagined you could. I wasn't sure how all that worked...until I held you in my arms for the first time.
Daddy and I found out that you were going to be joining our family two days after your sister broke her collar bone. We were thrilled beyond belief! We were so excited that God had once again given us a miracle. Our family of four would finally be complete. Brenna was a little over 2 1/2, and we knew the timing was perfect.
This time around we weren't presented with the opportunity to tell everyone at one big party, so we did it individually. We told MeMawMom and Graddy one night, and Pops and Memaw the next night. On both occasions, we let your Big Sister tell them. It required some coaching on our part to get her to say "I'm gonna be a big sister", but it worked, and they were all VERY excited! Brenna would smile and say she was excited, but I am pretty sure she had absolutely no idea what was going on!
The months that we waited on your arrival were some of the happiest and hardest times of our lives. Daddy and I went through some pretty serious tragedies, the last one being Daddy breaking his arm and being in the hospital for 13 days-one month before your due date! But through all of it, you and Brenna were what got us through. There were many days I would come home and wonder how it was all going to work out and where I was going to find the strength to go on. It would be on those especially hard days that I would cuddle up in bed next to Brenna and feel reassuring kicks from you and I knew all was going to be ok in our world! I spent every day dreaming of how wonderful it was going to be to watch my two daughters grow up together and love each other. I knew that the two of you would have a special bond that only sisters can understand.
Your original due date was scheduled for May 18, but due to your size (and my ever increasing discomfort!), Dr. Robbins decided we would induce on May 11. I will never forget driving home the day we set the date and smiling from ear to ear because I finally knew when I would actually get to see your face and hold you. You had been the light at the end of the tunnel that we had been focusing on for months, and our light was about to become a reality!
We got up early on the morning of the 11th and got everything ready to go to the hospital. We decided to let Brenna stay in bed because it was really early, so Aunt Kim came over to stay with her and take her to Ms Nikki's after she woke up. I knew that her life was about to change drastically, so I wanted the day to be as normal for her as possible. Right before we walked out the door, I had Aunt Kim snap our "headed to the hospital" picture!

The anticipation of finally seeing you was almost more than I could stand!

Graddy and MeMawMom followed us to the hospital so that they could help unload all of our stuff since Daddy still couldn't use his left arm. We decided to take one last pre-Macie picture.

This picture shows what Daddy's arm looked like when you were born. He couldn't move it at all. (I secretly think it was his way to get out of diaper duty!! just kidding of course!)

The day seemed to move pretty slowly. We had lots of company, which I loved! I needed something to take my mind off of the time. Aunt Kristi and Aunt Ashli showed up to keep me company. Lots of people were in and out all day long, so it really made the time go by faster. I kept praying all day that you would come in a more timely fashion than your sister. Apparently God heard my prayer, and you were finally placed in my arms at 5:23pm! It was amazing. I already knew that I loved you, but as soon as I saw your sweet face, I was filled with more emotion than I had ever felt before. I was smiling from ear to ear and bawling at the same time. You had been inside of me for the last 9 months, and you were my constant partner in daily life. You were there with me through all of the obstacles life had thrown at us, and now I was finally looking into the eyes of the little person that had been my light, my hope. You looked up at me and reassured me that everything would be ok. The size of my heart doubled in that very moment. You were 7 pounds and 12 ounces of perfection.

I couldn't wait to introduce you to your sister. I wanted to see my two beautiful girls together. So before anyone else got to see you, Daddy went out and got Brenna and brought her back to meet you. She was instantly in love!

My two little girls

Next, we called for your grandparents to come back and see you. I was one proud Mama as I introduced them to you.

You can totally see the love in their faces! The love was on Graddy's face too, but he was too busy snapping pictures for this photo op!

Pops and Memaw

MeMawMom and Graddy

Everyone couldn't wait to meet you. Our room filled with family and friends very quickly! You were a great sport as everyone passed you around and got to love on you. Mommy was a little more laid back this time around and was willing to share you-for a few minutes. ;)

I love how Daddy can't take his eyes off of you in this picture. You made our family complete.

Our first night together went just as I expected for it to. There was very little sleep that went on, but I was totally ok with that! All I wanted to do was hold you anyway, so that is pretty much what I did. Daddy attempted to get some sleep on the fold out couch, but with his arm that was easier said than done. But he was a really good sport. Even though he was limited in what he could do to help, he was always asking "what can I do?" "What do you need?"  He was (and always is) my rock. I came out of the bathroom at one point that first night, and this is what I found in my bed.....

His elbow didn't bend at all, but he figured out a way to do what needed to be done!

The next morning, Dr. Robbins came by to check on us, so we had to get a picture of her with you! We were so grateful for all she had done for us. My first Dr. quit when I was 7 months pregnant, and I was devastated. But as always, God was watching out for us and we found Dr. Robbins. She was amazing!

Dr. Cynthia Robbins and Macie Claire

I couldn't wait for Brenna to get back to the hospital that next day. She was spending a few days with Aunt Emily and Uncle Joey, so as soon as she got out of CDO, Aunt Emily brought her up to see us. The first thing she said is "I want to hold my sister". Talk about melting a Mommy's heart!! I made sure that I tried to stop whatever I was doing (if possible) and let her hold you any time she asked. I wanted her to feel like a special part of all of this. It was hard at times, because she wanted to hold you a LOT. But it was ok, because I loved to see her look at you and kiss you.

Such a great big sister

This is my #1 favorite picture of the two of you. You can see the pride in Brenna's eyes.

A Family of Four photo op!!!

We had a lot of visitors that day, but there was also a lot of down time too. Daddy and I enjoyed just holding you and getting to know you. I was scared your skin might get irritated from all of the kisses!

You had such a beautiful complexion. I couldn't believe the nurses let you scratch your face while they had you for observation!

The next morning, we were eager to get out of the hospital and get you home. It seemed to take forever for them to come and discharge us. But you were dressed all pretty and ready to go home. You wore the same dress home that Brenna did. I searched high and low for something to bring you home in, but nothing hit me as just right for the occasion. Nina had purchased Brenna's coming home outfit and I already knew it was special, so I decided that is what you would wear. Aunt Kim got your adorable rhinestone shoes. :)

Nina made this blanket especially for you

All loaded up in your car seat and ready to go

Brenna was so excited to get home that afternoon and see you. Of course the first thing she wanted to do was hold you!

SISTERS!!

We were so glad to have our newest miracle home with us. Every time I look at your smiling face, I am reminded of how awesome our God really is. Daddy and I are so blessed to be allowed to be your parents, and you make each day a wonderful new adventure. Although I know that you and Brenna will occasionally have to share my time, you will NEVER have to share my love. I have an endless supply of love for both of you! You were the perfect piece to complete our puzzle. You make us whole. I love you my little Claire Bear and I am very honored to be your Mommy!!