Patterson Party of Five

Paisley is 10 Months Old

2012-01-09T12:26:00.000-06:00

Paisley turned 10 months old on Christmas Eve. I know I say it every month...along with every other mother in the world about their own babies...but I just CANNOT believe she is 10 months old. I just feel like she was a tiny baby and now she is this big girl doing big girl things! She still has our whole family at her beck and call. I am sure we are going to spoil her to death and may pay for it by the time she is 2. But for now, she is just the sweetest thing on the planet and we all enjoy being around her and doing everything for her all the time.

Paisley has started doing so many fun things this month. Here are her milestones:

She started clapping her hand. She loves this trick and will do it all day. Anytime she hears..."If you're happy and you know it", then she claps on demand.
She also started waving Bye-Bye. She does this trick with such force like she REALLY means it when she tells you bye!
She popped out her top right tooth and is working on the second tooth up top too.
She had her first TWO double ear infections...one on Thanksgiving and one on Christmas. I guess she will keep up the tradition of all my girls getting sick on holidays! Just like here and here.
And her biggest milestone of the month....drumroll please...She FINALLY started crawling on Dec. 23. And by crawling, I mean army crawling or inching a long. Me and the girls are calling it the inch worm because she just inches along on her belly. She pulls herself along by her arms and doesn't show any interest in getting on those knees just yet! It is really cute and we love to watch her! She is my lazy baby...so the opposite of her big sister Jules.

Paisley at 10 months old

FOR COMPARISON:

Jillian at 10 months

(my teeny girl)

Jules at 10 months

(after) Christmas in Arkansas

2012-01-05T20:13:00.001-06:00

The day after christmas, we headed to Arkansas to celebrate with The Patterson's. We left all the Christmas decor up and the previous gifts scattered all around the house, and headed up for some more Christmas fun. The girls were very excited to go to CC and B-Pa's house! Paisley was excited I am sure, but she was NOT so great on this road trip. She now wants to NOT lay down for 6 hours in the car, but instead move all around the floor. 10 months is not a good traveling age no matter how great the baby is. The car trip home took 8 hours and not the normal 6. You can imagine how happy we all were just to get to our destination! Here are some pictures of our Christmas trip to Arkanasas.

Jillian and her gifts

CC opening up a gift from the girls.

Jillian helping B-pa open up his gift.

Daddy opening up his gifts

CC opening up her birthday gift. Her birthday is Jan 8...Happy Birthday CC!

Baby P (looking extra chubby) and B-Pa

Three girls in leopard ponchos and jeggings.

Enough said.

B-Pa, CC and girls

Paisley in one of her gifts...a Razorback hoodie/onsesie

2 girls waiting to ride on Uncle Tommy and Aunt Lynn's horses

Jules and Me

Me and all the girls.

I am the only one apparently who can look into the sun without dying

B-Pa and Paisley

Paisley's first horse ride

She's a natural

Uncle Tommy and P. All 3 of my girls have loved Uncle Tommy!

Jillian

Jillian wants a pony!!!! HA!

Daddy and Jules...who was very scared of the horse

Jules is trying to jump off to her Daddy in this picture

Texas Cowgirls

Uncle Tommy has rebuilt this Fiat and it is SOOOOOOO cool! We had a great time driving around in this fabulous car! The girls loved riding with the top down. I want him to sell it to me, but I doubt I could fit 3 carseats in the back.

Christmas Day

2011-12-29T20:03:00.000-06:00

Our Christmas Day was super busy. The girls got a visit from Santa, we opened gifts from our family, went to Mimi and Papaws and opened more gifts, spent the day with LOTS of family eating and playing games, and then we came home and packed up for Arkansas. Whew...BUSY day!!!

Santa was under the impression that the girls had been good this year and he brought them this hot pink Escalade! He better check his sources. This car was for all 3 girls. I am sure that Santa also assumes that Paisley will get some use out of this car when she isn't scared for her life to get into it.

stockings

2 super happy girls! It is just what they asked for!

Nothing cuter than 3 cute girls riding around in a pink car!

This car even has its own radio and speakers!

My favorite picture from Christmas. Here is P opening up her stocking! She got some new hair clips and a toothbrush for her almost 4 teeth!

Jillian and her gifts

Jules and her gifts

Paisley and her gifts.

Poor P. She was not excited that we woke her up at 7:00 am.

She likes to sleep until 8:45 to 9:00!!!

Jillian got some new clothes

Jules got some new clothes

P got some wrapping paper...and loved it!

and tissue paper

I made the girls some new crocs

I love Jillian's face of pure excitement here!

And I always love this goofy face of my 3 1/2 year old!

P got some baby goldfish in her stocking and she LOVED them!

Daddy opening his stocking.

New undershirts!!!!

He must have been a very good boy this year!

The girls had to take her out for a spin in the yard.

Ready for Christmas dinner at Mimi and Papaws

And guess who decided to start crawling on Christmas Eve??? It is more of an army crawl than one on all fours. But she is about the cutest thing inching across the floor!

Mimi opening her gift from us and the Dales

Papaw opening his gift from us

P LOVING her first Christmas dinner

YUM! YUM!

The little girls table

Jules singing her portion of the Christmas performance. Emmy was there too...just off to the side.

These two sang Jingle Bells.

Jillian got up and sang Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This is a huge thing for Jillian because she is usually soooooo very shy! She is really breaking out of her shell lately. We were proud of her for singing in front of 15+ people!

Jillian and the groupies

Macy singing Silver Bells

Ansley singing and doing an incredible job! This girl is very talented.

And of course, the girls needed one more drive around the block to end their amazing Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T19:49:00.002-06:00

This year on Christmas Eve, my family decided to get together for brunch instead of dinner. Summer hosted the whole family and we had a great time getting together for breakfast and presents. Since there are so many little girls and SOOOOO many presents for the little girls, we also decided the girls would all open presents on Christmas Eve. Then all the adults would open on Christmas Day. It was a great way to break up all the craziness of the gifts. So, on Christmas Eve, we ate at Summers and then let all the kiddos open their gifts. That night, our little family of 5 spent some time together opening pajamas and getting cookies and milk ready for Santa. We all had a really great time!

Me and my baby P

6 Christmas Beauties

Jillian, Ansley, Paisley, Emerson, Jules, and Macy

Summer is the hostess with the mostess...Always!!!

the little girl section

I LOVE this picture.

I think Paisley is saying...um is anyone going to get me???

Em was loving on her little cousin.

The girls taking a bow after one of their AWESOME plays that they put on!

MAJOR flashback from my childhood. Ansley is EXACTY like her mother used to be.

Aunt K with Baby P

Jillian opening her presents

P opening her first gifts. She loved the paper for sure!

This is me giving Paisley a little help opening up her many gifts.

Paisley had a lot of help...as usual!

Papaw is the best! He REALLY hooked the girls up this year.

All 5 girls got an iTouch with their names on them. Lucky girls!!!!

Here are the girls at home getting ready to open their one Christmas Eve gift from their mommy and daddy.

They get matching pajamas every year!

Tearing it up!

P's first Christmas! I can't help but take tons of pictures of her.

I just can't believe she is already 10 months!

clapping

In their jammies...excited about Santa coming!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T13:38:00.000-06:00

Here is our 2011 Christmas Card

The front

The back

Santa Clause Came To Town

2011-12-24T09:01:00.000-06:00

We went and visited our very favorite Coppell Santa Clause this week. The girls and I spent the day making our Santa lists out and rehearsing exactly what they wanted to tell the Jolly Ole Man what they wanted. Seth was home with us, so we all went to dinner and headed over to see Santa. The girls did great and this was the first year they actually sat in his lap to talk to him. They usually make sure that I understand they are just going to stand next to him. They sat in his lap and went through their much practiced list of wanted items. Then we threw Paisley into the mix and got all 3 girls picture with Santa. No one cried or freaked out! It was definitely a successful night!

Jillian and Jules waiting for Santa to come out

Daddy and P

I love this picture of Seth and the kids.

Jillian and Santa

Jules and Santa

Paisley and Santa

The whole crew

Christmas Programs and Parties

2011-12-23T13:33:00.000-06:00

Of course we had the annual Christmas Program and Christmas Parties at our preschool. Jillian was her normal self...singing every line and knowing every single dance move. She was awesome. And then there was Jules being her normal self...shy as can be and wouldn't even DARE make eye contact with any one of us! If she did find us in the audience, she would immediately hide her head in her hands. It was quite hilarious and adorable. I guess (or hope) that one day she will break out of her shell at school and show her true personality. Here are some pictures of my girls...

Jules marching into her program...and NOT looking at us!

Here she is avoiding all eye contact with us

She did get into the songs and sang and danced...just not looking at us!

Her sponge rolled hair sure turned out cute though!!!

And then comes the performer...

Angel????????

I think not! :)

I think she loves the stage

singing her heart out!

Papaw and Mimi came to cheer on the girls

Papaw, Jillian, Jules, and Mimi

Jules, Me, and Paisley teething on my necklace

Jules at her class Christmas party

Poor P...just along for the ride as usual. Poor girl never gets a decent nap in her own bed!

Jillian at her party

The Annual Gingerbread House

2011-12-23T08:51:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, the girls and I put together our gingerbread house for the year. I must say that it turned out to be our best house yet. It was actually cute and a perfect Christmas decoration in our house!

Jules working hard

Jillian working hard too!

Proud of their creation!

I know what you are thinking...we should enter some sort of contest with our awesome skills at gingerbread house making! I have to admit that I did those icicles all myself...and they are pretty amazing! :) HA!!

Sponge Rollers and Chill Out Day

2011-12-22T11:46:00.000-06:00

During the last week of school, Jillian's class had chill out day. It was a day to relax amid the craziness of the Christmas season and all that the kids were busy doing. They got to watch a movie and eat popcorn, they ordered pizza, and they got to spend the whole day just having a great time! Jillian decided that she wanted her hair sponge rolled for pajama day. That's my Jillian...always planning ahead when it comes to her fashion and hair! So, once we rolled her hair, Jules had to get in on the action. Then of course we couldn't leave out Paisley!

All 3 in sponge rollers. You can see P's in her mohawk.

Here is Jillian channeling her very favorite person in the world...her cousin Ansley! Ansley is always throwing out the peace sign and Jillian will do ANYTHING Ansley does!

The back

Paisley's didn't last long, but here is her tiny curl

Jillian ready for Chill Out Day

Christmas This and That

2011-12-21T20:17:00.000-06:00

We have been super busy this month doing all sorts of Christmas things.

Here are the girls being busy and having fun!

Jillian and Jules ready to bake up some treats for teachers and friends.

We made spicy pretzels...

...and puppy chow!

The girls LOVED shaking the powdered sugar onto the puppy chow!

We also made chocolate oatmeal no-bakes!!!

Here they are showing off all of the goodies!

The Girls modeling some Christmas clothes

More Christmas clothes! I love holiday outfits!

Spaghetti Dinner

2011-12-18T19:56:00.000-06:00

A couple of nights ago, we had spaghetti for dinner. This was Paisley's first spaghetti dinner to partake in. I had told the girls all day long how cute a baby's first spaghetti was, and so they were super excited to see Paisley eat. Well, she did not disappoint. She LOVED the spaghetti and was double fisting it for the entire dinner. I'm pretty sure she ate more than Seth did that night! She LOVED it!

And of course...the sink bath immediately following the spaghetti dinner!

The Sugar Plum Fairy Tea

2011-12-14T15:07:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of December, we were invited to attend a Sugar Plum Fairy tea party with some friends. Jillian, Jules, and I got dressed up and went with some fun friends to the tea, and the girls had a blast. They served desserts, hot chocolate, crackers & cheese, and other little treats. They also put on a few performances from the Nutcracker, and I think the girls had a GREAT time!

Me and my girls

Poor Jillian had just had her head surgery. She wasn't quite up to feeling the best!

Me, Jillian, Emerson, Summer, and Jules

Emerson, Jillian, Jules, Presley, McKinnley, and Jordan

With the mommies

Jules and Presley having tea

Jillian with Jordan and Emerson having tea

November Randomness

2011-12-13T07:53:00.000-06:00

In the beginning of November, Ms. Cheryl asked to take Jillian to the Coppell High School production of The Beauty and The Beast. Jillian was so excited to go with Ms. Cheryl all by herself. She got all dressed up and packed up a purse for their special day together.

Ms. Cheryl and Jillian on their special date!

Here is our Sweet P doing what she likes best. She spends lots of time sitting in this high chair and eating. She has mastered the art of picking food up and feeding herself...which is great for all of us! Now she can sit here and entertain herself while I cook or do whatever with the other girls.

And her is Tyson cleaning up the mess! Tyson loves when our babies hit the high chair stage because he gets a lot more people food in his diet!

Here is Jillian after her last soccer game. She got a medal and a trophy! It was like Christmas for her when she received these two items! Seth is not a fan of every kid getting a trophy just because, but it sure made Jillian's day! She can't wait for soccer again next fall.

Jules being silly as usual

And our biggest news for November is that Aunt K and Mason got engaged!!! Mason proposed to her in front of our whole family (brave man) and she said YES! The big day will be next July, so I plan to be at the gym until that day! :) We are so happy for them and can't wait to have Mason join our family!

Paisley is 9 Months Old

2011-12-12T06:27:00.000-06:00

Paisley turned 9 months on Thanksgiving Day.

Here are some things that Paisley is doing at 9 months old:

She weighs 18 pounds and 5 ounces (45th percentile)
Paisley is all over the place...but still NOT crawling! She is rolling everywhere now when you put her on the floor.
She is eating most everything that we eat. I still give her the occasional baby food, but she prefers to eat real food like the rest of us.
She is not eating nearly as much formula since she is eating food. I have to force it down her some times.
Her CUTEST and our new favorite trick of Paisley's is her new love for dancing! She dances when she hears music or if we just tell her to dance. So VERY precious! She also does this cute little wiggle thing if you tell her to wiggle. She has our whole family watching and cheering for her all the time! This baby should not be hurting for self esteem one day!

Paisley at 9 months old

FOR COMPARISON:

Jillian at 9 months

Jules at 9 months

Thanksgiving In Louisiana

2011-12-06T15:57:00.000-06:00

This year, we traveled to Louisiana to have Thanksgiving with my grandparents. We used to always have Thanksgiving there when we were kids, but since we have been married and share our holidays between my parents and The Patterson's, it is not often we get to return. This year though, we all made it down and were able to cram 25 people into my grandparent's NOT so big house. It was a great time with family and I am so happy to have spent it with that side of the family. My grandparents will be married 60 years next year and have lived in their house since my dad was in high school! (That's a really long time...no offense dad!) So many things about this house are the exact same since I was a little girl, and my sisters and I enjoy remembering those things when we are there. Here are very few pictures of our holiday and Paisley's first Thanksgiving. Lots of food, family, and fun packed into 24 hours!!!!

The kids thought that the hotel and the phones with cords were the funnest part! The Dales and us had a connecting room, and the girls spent most of that time calling each other!

Ansley and Jillian

Seth, Jules, Macy, and Mason

The mandatory picture of the dessert table

WE were sitting elbow to elbow in this place! We got real cozy with one another!

Aunt K with baby P...who is already in her 2nd outfit of the day

My grandfather reading out of the Bible and teaching us about thankfulness.

My mom is wrestling the very active baby.

Love my Papaw and my Dad

Jillian

Jules

Paisley

Emerson, Jillian, and Jules playing in a pile of leaves.

They don't get to do that often in Dallas.

And here are the girls on the Friday after Thanksgiving cheering on the Hogs. It wasn't the best game of the year for the Hogs, but the girls had fun cheering!

Jillian's Surgery

2011-11-26T12:47:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, Jillian had surgery on her head to remove a quarter-sized birthmark. It was a very light pink/red color, but was always covered by all of her hair and so you couldn't really see it. Her dermatologist told us we really should have it removed before she started grade school because it could potentially grow during her growth spurts. Then it might require more than one surgery to fully remove it, and we certainly didn't want to put her through that. So, Seth and I decided Thanksgiving week would be a good time so that she could recover a bit before school started again.

It really was a minor surgery, but since it was on her head, they had to put her under. That was the only part that made me a little nervous. I mean, I know it isn't heart surgery like my niece has been through TWICE, but it is the first time any of my kids have had to do something like this.

So, on Tuesday morning, we dropped the other girls off at Summer's bright and early, and headed to the surgery center. My parents met us up there with hospital gifts, of course! My mom and dad don't miss a surgery no matter what...it can be open-heart or just tubes in the ears and they will be there. Jillian was a great little patient before surgery. Once she had her goofy juice, she was as happy as can be. After the surgery, however, when they called us back to recovery, her mood had changed. She was SOOOOO mad about the IV and the heart monitor. I hadn't even thought to warn her about those!!! She did perk up a little once those were out, and we were headed home only 2 hours after it started.

The incision is about 2 inches long with about 20 stitches in it, but it looks so good! Take my word for it...and not seth's! He can't even look at it! We are cleaning it religiously and so I am sure that after the stitches come out in 2 weeks, that you will hardly be able to tell anything. The hardest part now is trying to keep her still. She is "supposed" to NOT be active for 3 weeks! I don't know how to keep a 5 year old inactive for 3 weeks, but we will try. She will have to miss dance class and I will have to pick her up an hour early from school so that she will just skip recess. She is NOT going to be happy when I let her in on that info, but we gotta heal it right the first time!

And of course, I forgot to bring my camera to the surgery. I would have gotten pictures of her with Mimi and Papaw and their gifts, and for sure a great picture of Jillian "high" on her goofy juice! I actually made her reenact the pictures below later that day to show how sad she was! HA!

Jillian being so brave. This was after we were home. You can't see it but the spot is on the left side of HER head. The right side looking at this picture.

Jillian showing how sad she was after surgery.

Her she is after getting balloons from Mimi and Papaw and one from daddy.

Jillian's good friends, Presley and Hudson brought over a goody basket too! Jillian loved all of her treats from her friends!

Also, Jillian's cousin Ansley made her the sweetest care package and I forgot to take a picture of her too! :( She is the best cousin...always doing special things for my girls! She is so thoughtful!

Thanksgiving Feasts

2011-11-23T07:15:00.001-06:00

Last Thursday, both girls had their Thanksgiving feasts at school. I got to fast with Jillian at 9:00 and Jules at 11:00. It was a very exciting day!

All 3 girls ready to feast!

Me and Jillian

Here is P feasting on some cheerios!

Jules and her friend Ellie

Me and Jules

We LOVE the TEXAS Rangers!

2011-11-14T14:46:00.000-06:00

Back in October, the whole town was buzzing about the Texas Rangers back in the playoffs for the second year in a row. We were so lucky to attend game 6 of the ALCS where the Rangers won and were heading to the World Series...also for the 2nd year in a row. My dad got us all a box, and the entire family was able to go to this amazing baseball game. (Minus my mom, who was away on a trip...the only person missing!) It was my Dad, The Dales, and Us. My grandparents were able to come in from Louisiana. Kourtney and Mason drove over for the game also. Even Seth's parents were in town for the weekend, and got to go to the game too. It was a blast all being together.

We got to go to a World Series game last year, but the game was a real bummer. This year, the Rangers did not disappoint. The entire stadium was electric and the crowd was out of control. The Rangers played the most exciting baseball that I have ever seen, and this game was for sure the best sporting event I have ever been to! Here are some pictures from our fun night at The Ballpark!

2 Little Rangers Fans

This was the cutest fan in the whole stadium!

The family

Kourtney, Me, My Dad, and Summer

CC helping take care of Paisley

Ansley, Jillian, and Jules

Eating some yummy ballpark food!

Kourtney and Mason

We were sooooooooo happy that my grandparents could make it over to go to the game with us. My grandfather has played and coached baseball for many years of his life. It was so fun to see them there cheering on the Rangers. Memaw even got up and danced a little bit! She was VERY into the game!

2 Little Hamilton fans!

My Dad and his parents

Seth and Me...our shadows in front of the stadium.

I cannot figure out how to lighten this picture! HUGE BUMMER cause this is the only one I have.

the girls

The girls SOOOOOOO tired that they FINALLY passed out in a chair. Em and Jillian are really asleep. Jules is just pretending. That girl can stay awake forever!!!

FINALLY asleep

Asleep

Paisley - 8 months

2011-11-14T14:24:00.000-06:00

Paisley turned 8 months old on October 24th.

Here is what Paisley is doing at 8 months old:

She FINALLY started sitting up on her own. We still always put a boppy around her at this point so that she wouldn't fall back. But, she is mostly sitting up by herself.
She LOVES to sit on the floor and play with her toys.
She has started eating puffs and LOVES them. She is ready to start eating more table foods.
She is sitting in her high chair and loves it!
She really does not sit in the exersaucer or swing anymore at all.
She is trying to start picking up her own food in her high chair.

Paisley at 8 months

FOR COMPARISON:

Jillian at 8 months

Jules at 8 months

Paisley - 7 months

2011-11-14T14:18:00.000-06:00

Paisley tuned 7 months old on September 24th.

Here are some things she was doing at 7 months:

She is eating almost all baby foods. She loves sweet potatoes, squash, and all the fruits. Not a big fan of peas or green beans. I have to mix them with fruit to get her to eat them.
She figured out how to put her paci into her own mouth...and LOVES her new trick. She is doing it all the time.
She started saying dadadadada. She repeats it over and over and over. Her Daddy thinks she is saying Dada and referring to him, but it is really just her first sound.
She is holding her own bottle.
She has two teeth! First tooth on 9/9/11. Second tooth on 9/18/11.

Paisley at 7 months

FOR COMPARISON:

Jillian at 7 months

Jules at 7 months

October Catch Up

2011-11-06T14:38:00.000-06:00

We were SUPER busy in October. We had dance, soccer, school, bunko at my house, Halloween parties, birthday parties, etc., etc. So, here is our month in pictures!

Here is Jules one day when she was home while Jillian went to school. She was drawing by herself and came and told me that she wrote her name. She got the "J", "S", and "E"!

Paisley really started sitting up by herself. And obviously here, she is teething too!

Paisley also started holding her bottle at every feed. I really can't even hold it for her anymore.

Seth and I went to the Arkansas vs. Aggie game at Cowboys Stadium and had a blast!

More sitting up and playing with toys!

P just loving life!

Smiliest baby in Texas!

Paisley decided to wer her HU t-shirt!

ADORABLE chubby baby feet. LOVE these little feet!

We spent some time watching some movies together.

We got a new pet! This is Aerial Pinkalicious...the fish. (It is a male...a cross-dressing Beta.) So far I am the only one cleaning out the bowl and taking care of the poor guy/gal. Just what I needed...another mouth to feed and someone else to clean up after!

The big girls getting all dressed up for Emerson's Princess party...complete with make-up and jewelry!

All the little princesses at the party!

Jules and her balloon animal.

Jillian and her balloon animal.

I also recently got addicted to pinterest, and so I have been trying many things I have found on that site...including this hair style on Jillian. It turned out pretty cute!

I did a little fall decorating. I love all my pumpkins in my table trough!

We wore LOTS and LOTS of orange and black!

We also wore LOTS and LOTS of red, white, and blue to support our Texas Rangers, who went to the World Series for the 2nd year in a row!

Even Paisley got into the Rangers Spirit!

My Dad got a box for game 6 of the ALCS and our whole family (minus mom) got to go and we had the most wonderful time! I will post separately about our Year with the Rangers soon!

Jillian's class got to take a field trip to the most Out-of-Control pumpkin patch in the country. Luckily Seth went with me so I had some help with all three kids! Here are the girls right before we headed to the pumpkin patch.

Jillian and her two little friends, Natalie and Rachel.

The family

Jillian did a lot of dancing in dance class!

The big girls got to make some Halloween cookies...and they were yummy. I mean, you have to REALLY like sprinkles to like this cookies!

P steered clear of the overly-sprinkled cookies, and opted for a few sweet potato puffs instead. She really started eating more solid foods, and working really hard on sung her fingers to pick up her own food!

This is a great picture to show the 2 little teeth that she popped out in the last month also.

Seth and I went to a Halloween party as Ellen and Portia. This picture isn't great AT ALL, but I just really wanted to show the awesomeness that was Seth. He was fully in character with make up, a stuffed bra, etc. He was a great Ellen! Anyone that knows us from college, knows that Seth LOVES to dress up! HA!

More orange and black! This was Halloween party day! I some how signed up to host both girls Halloween parties...which were both at 1:00. That was fun running (with stroller) from one end of the school to another!

Jillian at her party.

Jillian's class.

Jules at her party.

Jules and her little class

Paisley started to spend a lot of time in her high chair. She sits in it just like this and has her hands out at all times. These hands are always moving too. My mom says it looks like she is riding a motorcycle.

Seth carved the girls a pumpkin. He does this every year with the girls.

Here are the girls getting ready to go trick or treating. Jillian was a hippie, and Jules and P were both little kitties. Actually, Jules will tell you she was a leopard kitty.

PEACE! Jillian kept saying gravy cause she just couldn't understand groovy! She was one cool hippie chic!

Cute little kitty cat.

Another cute kitty!

Out family

We usually trick or treat in a large group, but the Dales ran off the DisneyWorld, and Papaw was on a business trip. So, it was just us and Mimi this year!

The girls checking out their haul. They did pretty good this year. We usually just walk down the street, but they were ready to just keep going!

Paisley did all the trick or treating and got NONE of the candy! How sad!

Paisley also turned 8 months old...more on that later too.

Okay, FINALLY. I think I am caught up for the most part. Hopefully now, I can get back to my regular blogging. It sure is nice to get that stress off of my shoulders!

September Catch Up

2011-11-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

Instead of trying to blog about each thing we have done these past couple of weeks, I will just let the pictures catch us up to date on what we were up to in the month of September.

The girls started school and I am back to work at school. I don't teach anymore since I have Paisley, but I swear I am working more now than I did when I taught. I now shop for our school for supplies and snacks, and I coordinate the subs. I feel like me and Paisley are ALWAYS at that school. She is such a sweet and happy baby, that I am able to just carry her around with me all the time. I even subbed in music with that baby on my hip! She is like the little preschool mascot!

The girls watched a few movies together

We have gone to the library several times. Jules found this adorable book and of course loved the title!

Jillian played at Cousin Emmy's house. I think they were playing hairdresser here!

My WHOLE family took the train into downtown Dallas to participate in the heart walk. My Dad's company sponsored a team in honor of my niece Macy, who has had 2 heart surgeries. Here are my girls proudly wearing their red.

The whole family

All the little girls!

The girls played a LOT of dress up! Here is Jillian playing in the flower girl dress that Ansley wore in my wedding!

Jillian went to a LOT of soccer practices (with me and 2 sisters sitting on the sidelines each time) and played a LOT of soccer games.

Sisters spent some quality time together.

Jillian made this felt family portrait of us. I personally like Seth's purple shoes and high-wasted pants.

I got to meet up with my very best friend, Carolyn for drinks one night!

The girls got to go to a pottery painting party and had a blast!

And maybe the most important event, I turned 31!!!! Now I am old like Seth.

My mom made a homemade carrot cake and it was delicious!

Seth and the girls got me a brand new Macbook! I Love it...I think. :) I am slowly learning how to use it.

Poor Paisley spent TOO MUCH time in this seat! But, she is always happy!

Paisley turned 7 months old!

P also started to TRY and sit up!

Whew....that was a busy month. Now onto October...

Team Pinkalicious

2011-11-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

Sooooooooo...I have been MIA for about 6 weeks. But, not on purpose. I really wanted to blog, but I got a MAC for my birthday, and I have NOT had an easy time figuring it all out. I would consider myself fairly smart...at least in my pre-baby days, but I have not had an easy time figuring out my computer. BUT, I LOVE it, and once I know how to use it all...then life will be great! So, today my sister helped me with pictures and hopefully now, I am back in business at least here on the ole blog!

So, I will start with catching us up on extra-curricular activities. Jillian started playing soccer in September. She is on TEAM PINKALICOUS...which is pretty much the most perfect team name for Jillian. To this day, her favorite part about playing on this team is when they stick all their hands together and yell "TEAM Pinkalicious!" She is a true athlete! Seriously though, she really does LOVE it! She looks forward to practice and games and now has decided to have a soccer birthday party...next June. I have been so proud of her because she really does well in the games. She keeps up with the team and goes after the ball. I hope she loves it and wants to keep playing. She is fast like her daddy, and I think soccer is a great form of physical fitness. Here is Jillian in her uniform and with her sweet little team!

She makes a uniform look good!

And Then There Were 3

2011-09-22T12:41:00.000-05:00

Tiny Dancers

2011-09-08T13:20:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of August, both girls started taking dance. This is Jules' VERY first activity of her own. She has spent many years traveling to Jillian's activities, and now she finally can do her thing too! She is so cute in her little outfits and she gets excited every single week when Friday rolls around and she gets to go to class. I know she is so happy and proud to have her own thing to do, and that makes me very happy too!

Jillian took dance when she was 3, then gymnastics last year. I asked her which activity she wanted to do this year, and she chose dance. I am so happy she did. She LOVES her class and counts down to it every single week! Her teacher said she was good at it...which I am sure she tells all the moms...but still I am proud. I hope that she will continue this as an activity/hobby and as a way to be active in the future.

Here are my tiny dancers...

Our First Day of School

2011-09-07T11:46:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally had our first day of school yesterday. I think we start about 2 weeks later than most schools and the girls have been SOOOOO ready to go! They were so excited about starting and they already know and LOVE their teachers this year! We started out the day with Mimi and Papaw bringing donuts over! Then Daddy and I took the girls to school and saw them off. This is the first year that I have not been a teacher, so I REALLY enjoyed getting to take the girls to their classes!

chocolate donuts and chocolate milk

What better way to start off the first day of school?

Ready to go!

Paisley was there too...she just didn't get a donut!

The 5

teachers gifts from Pinterest

They say, "I am so glad that you were MINT to be my teacher!"

Jillian and her hook

Jillian and Ms. Beth

Ready to start!

Emptying out her own backpack like a big girl

Hanging her backpack

Jules giving Ms. Cheryl her gift

Jules seeing her buddy Ellie!

Jules and Ms. Cheryl

Ready to start!

Paisley is 6 Months Old

2011-09-02T14:14:00.000-05:00

Well Paisley is officially half of one year old. It is a sad day in our house because we all love having this baby and we don't want her to grow one more ounce...ever! Paisley has made me decide that 6 months is my ALL time very favorite age. All Paisley does is sit there smiling like crazy and looking so sweet and cute. She doesn't talk yet. She isn't mobile yet. She is just content with laying there watching the rest of this crazy family run circles around her! I would love it if she were 6 months old for the rest of our lives!

One huge change in Paisley is that she does not spit up anymore! Halleluia! She went from spitting up TONS all day long, to just the normal baby amount here and there. It is so nice not to smell and wear spit up each and every day! We have also started baby food, and she DOES NOT like any kind of rice cereal or green beans. She LOVES sweet potatoes, squash, and all the fruits. She is getting pretty good with the spoon and will be a champ at it in no time, I am sure. She is pretty much holding her own bottle all of the time, but I still like to hold her while she eats. P can also hold a sippy cup with handles, so we will be doing that more and more.

Paisley is rolling from front to back and back to front now. She doesn't just roll all over the house like she could though...and for that I am thankful. I would be thrilled to death if she wanted to be lazy on all fronts of mobility. I didn't have a huge staircase when the other two were learning to crawl, and I am still trying to figure out what to do with mine this go round!

Paisley weighed in today at the doctor at just about 16 pounds. That puts her in the 50th percentile! We will take it. I love a good healthy average girl!

The big 6 month old

P and her two favorites! She loves watching these girls do there thing all the time!

1 Month Old

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

FOR COMPARISON:

Jillian at 6 months

Jules at 6 months old

Paisley is 5 Months Old

2011-08-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

In true form for me these days, I am posting Paisley's monthly update right before her next one is due. So even though she is ALMOST 6 months...here she is at 5 months!

Paisley is truly the best baby in the world. I am not bragging...just simply stating a fact. And the only thing I have to compare her to are my previous two babies. SOOOOOO, compared to them, Paisley is the best baby in the world! And I mean that simply based off of her outlook on life and how high maintenance she is, or in her case, isn't! She is mostly happy all the time and just likes anyone to talk to her and give her attention.

She also became quite the little traveler. We drove to Arkansas (6 hours one way) and Gulf Shores, AL (12 hours one way), and she hardly ever made a peep! I sat by her in the back seat, and as long as she could see me, life was good! Again, I am not bragging about this. My last two girls HATED the car and refused to sleep in it AT ALL. I have paid my dues with bad travelers and am just shocked that Paisley is as content as she is.

I guess that is really all I have to say for this month. Her only real milestone is that she rolled from tummy to back. She STILL hasn't rolled from back to tummy, but is going back and forth all the time and grabbing her feet. I keep thinking that she is very close...but is she wants to be lazy then that is just fine with me! She is on the verge of sitting. She is so close to doing it and that is giving her many new toys to play with!

Paisley at 5 months old

FOR COMPARISON:

Jillian at 5 months old

Jules at 5 months old

VBS 2011

2011-08-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, so we actually had VBS back in June and am just now posting!

Our theme this year was Aliens...and being an Alien for God.

Our motto was:

Called

Set Apart

Not of this World

I was on the committee again this year and was in charge of snacks. We have been meeting and planning since January, and it was so nice to see everything come together and be such a success! The kids all had a blast and we had such a wonderful turnout. Of course, My little Jules got sick and missed half of it, but we all got to enjoy the wonderful week. Here are a ton of pictures of the building, decorations, and my kids. I won't even try to explain them all!

Seth and I

2011-07-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

The blog tends to lean towards the girls all the time, so I thought I would give Seth and I a little shout out for a change! We are still a couple and a part of this family just as much as these kids! :) HA HA HA! It isn't just about the girls!

Here we are on a rare night out!

Movie Day!

2011-07-28T15:11:00.000-05:00

It has been so ridiculously hot around here lately. I feel like I keep talking about that, but I can't help it! We are miserable! I just don't remember it always being this hot in Texas, and I have been here since the 2nd grade! It is even too hot now to go to the pool because Paisley just can't hang there for long.

So, we have started to have some movie days. Me and the girls are enjoying them very much so too! We close all the shutters and turn off the lights. We curl up in the dark cold living room under some blankets and eat popcorn, candy, and drink cokes while we watch our movies! I have even been getting real movies and not Disney movies...so I can enjoy them too! Our latest favorite is The Parent Trap...the newer one with Lindsay Lohan. (Side note: she was a great little actress with a promising future. What a shame the way she turned out!) Anyway, I suggest this kind of day for anyone that is just plain BURNED OUT!!!!

Baby P

2011-07-27T13:29:00.000-05:00

I know I have said it before, but we are just in love with Paisley around here. She is truly so very happy all the time. Her only need besides food and clean diapers, is just someone to look and talk to her. She then just smiles back and now is giggling so hard! We are really all smitten over her and we cherish every second of this sweet baby. Here are some things P is up to lately.

She LOVES her big sisters and watches them all the time

she plays with her toys on the ground

I am so into the leg warmers all of a sudden! I have found that the ones from Target really stay on the smaller babies MUCH better than BabyLeggs!

Isn't that a cute booty and legs???

This right here is what I call a miracle! Neither of my other girls just feel asleep anywhere except their beds. I always have heard of babies falling asleep in high chairs and in their toys! Well, Paisley just played on this thing until she fell asleep!

SWEETNESS!

Tummy Time!

This is currently my VERY favorite picture of Paisley! She doesn't even have a bow on and I don't even care! I just love her smile and face here!

LOVE

Paisley is finally big enough to play in her new exersaucer!

And she LOVES it!

Maverick Sleeps Over

2011-07-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

My sister Summer and her family just recently adopted the MOST precious puppy in the world. He is a 2 pound Maltese named Maverick (after your 2011 NBA champs), and he is just the most adorable plaything ever! I NEVER in a million years thought the Dale family would hop on board with a pet, but I am so glad that they did! I finally have a nephew! I thought I would never get one! :)

Anyway, a couple of weekends ago, the Dales had to go out of town, so we puppy sat! Tyson finally got to have a sleepover of his own! Tyson and Maverick were hilarious together. They ran around playing so hard at first together. Then Tyson, the ole man tired out pretty quickly, and Maverick just never gave up! We really enjoyed watching these two interact all weekend long.

You might be wondering if being around this little pup makes me want one! Well, the answer is no. It is the same way Summer feels about Paisley. She adores Paisley and thinks she is the best baby in the world. But, Summer doesn't want a baby. That is how I feel. I loved Mav, but I do not want a puppy! I think having a puppy and a baby at the same time would be impossible. I spent the whole time making sure Tyson stayed off of Mav, and Mav stayed off of Paisley! It was crazy around here! We sure did enjoy our couple of days with that cutie and we love it when he comes back to visit!

Tyson meeting Mav for the first time. Mav just rolled over and let Tyson sniff and get to know him!

Mav found this little pink paci as soon as he walked in the door. I just couldn't take it from him, so we let him play with it and take it home as a souvenir. I am sure Uncle Layton isn't happy that I gave his only son a pink paci to play with!

Mav LOVES Paisley

Mav hanging out in his cute carrier

Paisley unaware of what is right behind her...

Mav wanted to lay by Tyson whenever he was tired!

BEST Buddies forever!

Playdate With Ms. Cheryl

2011-07-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, my good friend and the girl's preschool teacher, Ms. Cheryl had us over to her house for a swimming day and lunch! In true "Ms. Cheryl" fashion, she had prepared an adorable lunch for the girls and had set up centers in her back yard! There was a bubble center, a house center, a trampoline center, and of course...the swimming area! She even set up her granddaughter's swing and pack and play for Paisley to use! The girls also had a great time playing at Ms. Cheryl's house with her daughter Emily! Here are some fun pictures of our swimming date!

Paisley borrowing the baby swing

If you know Cheryl at all, then you know that even her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are cut into cute shapes! That is just how she rolls.

Jules having her lunch

Jillian enjoying her lunch

Paisley just hanging out in the pack and play with the mosquito net in the shade!

She loved it!!!

Ms. Cheryl, Emily and the girls

the bubble center

the house center

AND she is sleeping!

JUMPING!

She Must Be Butter...

2011-07-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

...cause she's on a roll!!!!

(EXTREMELY cheese quote courtesy of Harding University Basketball Announcers!)

Back on July 9th, Miss Paisley decided to finally roll from her tummy to her back.

No sign yet of back to tummy, but she is rolling from side to side all the time.

I imagine that it won't be long!

Luckily, I saw her rocking, and I was able to catch her in motion!

Thinking about it...

...praying for strength...

...getting her lean on...

...she's going...

SUCCESS!!!!!

4th of July

2011-07-19T12:01:00.000-05:00

I know this is WAY overdue...but I gotta get it on my blog! We had a great time over the 4th of July weekend. The 4th is our favorite holiday around here because Seth and I (and now our girls too) love being outside in the pool and we LOVE a good cookout! We started off the weekend celebrating Seth's birthday with a banana pudding (his choice) and a hamburger cookout. We swam all weekend long in this Texas 100+ weather! On the 4th, Seth did ribs for the whole family and we spent the day with good music, drinks, food, pool tricks, and lots of fun! We ended the night with some fireworks, which we had to wake up the girls in order for them to see it! Jules even BEGGED to go to bed after seeing about 2 go off! We had a great weekend celebrating our wonderful country. I am now ready for summer to start winding down! 3 weeks of 100 degrees makes me want to move!!!! We can't take it anymore!!!! :)

Seth and his baby girl!

I made this banana pudding for Seth for his birthday because that was his birthday dessert of choice.

It was VERY yummy!

Mimi trying P out in the baby toy. She didn't LOVE it...yet!

What a sight! I love having our family (Minus Aunt KK) all together in the pool! We just have the very best time together! We are so blessed with all of these fun girls that make every holiday so very special!

Daddy and Paisley

Seth and Layton and the girls

Here are my All-American girls before church that Sunday!

Girls ready to swim on the 4th!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of my Dad with the girls!

He is such a great Papaw and they love him so much!

With Mimi and Papaw

swinging the day away

Pouty faces! I think we were trying to make Jules smile for a picture!

I adore her 3 year old body!

Jillian going off the board

cannonball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jules...our little daredevil...is fully swimming and jumping off the diving board with no life jacket!

At just turning 3, this girl can swim and keep up with her sister and all her cousins! She is our water baby!

Papaw and P

I think she wants to swim too!

Me and Seth looking like we've been at the pool all day!

Papaw making homemade peach ice cream! My mom has the best recipe and Papaw does the freezing!

Seth and Jules

Me and Summer

This isn't the best picture (um...pool hair!), but we SO rarely get in one together!

Yummy ice cream!

All Done!

Ms. Sweet Tooth and her dessert

Mimi and Ansley playing in the pool

The BFF's sharing a little treat

No 4th is complete without blue and red toenails!

And this is a picture of my girls at about 6:30 pm on the night of the 4th! 3 whole days swimming in this Texas heat can really take it out of a young girl. But, we PROMISED to wake them for the fireworks.

Seth and I moved to a new house last summer right smack dab in the middle of our neighborhood! We love our location, because we are in walking distance of all the major celebrations! Well, this year, we were able to camp out right on our front lawn to watch the fireworks right over our heads! It is so fun! This is a view from our lawn chairs (complete with fan)...and that is our house to the left.

Jillian powering through the sleepiness. Little sister...not so much!

She LOVES summer!

Both girls resting before

Seth and a very umimpressed Jules. She went in immediately after this picture!!!

Bathing In The Sink

2011-07-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

My Mom has a tradition of bathing all of her GRANDGIRLS in her vegetable sink in her kitchen. I feel like the tradition started with Ansley having really bad diaper rash, and we let her soak in the sink. (Not quite sure!) Well, about a month ago, Paisley got her first go round in the sink! We had to get a move on since Miss P is growing like a weed these days! Here is BABY having a good ole time splashing around in Mimi's kitchen!

I LOVE her face!

"What is everyone looking at?"

Randm Photo Catch Up

2011-07-18T09:46:00.000-05:00

These are just some pictures that I wanted to post that don't really belong in their own story. Just a little bit of what we have been up to this summer...

Here are the girls having a sleepover in our gameroom. Jillian is a touch-me-not and Jules is a HUGE cuddler and lover. That is why this picture is funny to me. Also, I love that the American Girl is also at the sleepover!

This is Jules wearing the most adorable dress.

This is what Jules does when you try to get her to smile for the camera.

This is what happens when you are the third baby. Your older sisters treat you like a doll.

I think this baby is the love child of Elton John and Seth.

Cute sisters.

Seth got me a new camera and he was just playing around with it taking pictures.

We have been doing a lot of swimming!

We had the Dale girls over for a sleepover! Here are all 6 girls having a pizza party!

Jillian

Jules

Paisley

The Dales got a new puppy! We just love Maverick around here!

WE did a VBS with some school friends at a different church. Here are the girls on their first day.

Paisley has been playing in her new toy and she loves it!

Paisley is 4 Months Old

2011-07-13T14:36:00.000-05:00

And then some! This post is a little late since Paisley was actually 4 months old on June 24th, but the end of June was really really busy. The picture is from the actual day and happens to be from my phone until I can figure out why my old camera wont load pics to my computer!

ANYWAYS...

So Paisley is now 4 months old and she is just a little doll! I am really in love with this sweet sweet baby. She is really very happy and smiles all the time. She just loves for anyone to look at her and talk to her, and then she will give a huge smile that lights up her whole face! She has our whole little family just falling all over her!

She is MOSTLY sleeping through the night again. I occasionally have to go give her the paci, but then she goes right back to sleep.

P still has really bad reflux, but it doesn't seem to bother her. She seems to spit up almost her entire bottle after each feeding, but she is gaining weight and is happy, so we haven't done too much about it yet. My big girl is now 12 pounds and the doc said she was in the 25th percentile. That is a pretty good increase since she would hardly gain anything in the beginning!

Paisley's hair is still falling out hair by hair. I don't think she is going bald, and it certainly is looking lighter and lighter!

And finally, Paisley did roll over this past Saturday from tummy to back! I think she is a little late with her rolling, and that is fine by me. If that is a sign that she will be late to crawl and walk, then I am OKAY with that!

Paisley at 4 months

FOR COMPARISON:

Jillian at 4 months

Jules at 4 months

It is so funny to me that I automatically think that Paisley looks just like Jillian as a baby! Everytime I do these comparison pictures, I think P looks JUST like Jules! Who will she look like as she gets older?????

The Dallas Zoo In June...

2011-07-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

...is not the smartest idea that Seth and I ever had! Ha! We had a free day last week, and decided WHY NOT go to the zoo? I have wanted to take the kids all Spring, but we just got so busy with the new baby and school and work...and we just never got around to it. So, now that we had a chance, we decided to go for it. It was fun...and the girls had a blast! BUT...it was so hot, I thought I might die! I spent the entire visit pouring ice cold bottled water all over Paisley's head and body. She loved it! She just laid there all wet and feeling good and had so much fun during her first visit to the zoo! We promised the girls that we would come back in the fall...when we can actually stay and see ALL the animals!

Seth and the big girls

This wagon saved us! The girls would have NEVER made it walking around on their own.

Paisley TOTALLY loved the gorilla watching room...it had AC! Praise the Lord!!!

Here is P in her pink leopard print outfit chewing on Sophie the Giraffe. I didn't plan her "zoo" themed attire, but it worked out quite nicely!

Riding the elephants

Seeing the elephants

seeing the zebras

Here is P and her bottled water that probably saved her life!

And of course, Sophie...her BFF

looking at ostriches

leopards

looking at giraffes

Jillian feeding the giraffes. Both girls got to feed, but this lady wouldn't get out of my way, and I couldn't get any good pictures.

Side note: Seth and I have figured out how the zoo stays in business. Giraffe food. They had a sign that said giraffe food for $5. Seth said, "Sure, lets feed the giraffes!" His $5 bought him 3 pieces of Romaine lettuce. What a rip off! Oh well...girls enjoyed it!

BEAUTIFUL animals!

The giraffes were all of our favorite animals that we saw that day.

This is the best picture I could get of Jules feeding the giraffe. That is about $1.67 worth of Romaine lettuce right there.

We all LOVED the souvenir shop...also air conditioned!

The girls each picked out a purse with an animal in it

Cute P

Me and My girls melting

Bad Hair Day

2011-07-05T21:19:00.001-05:00

Cute Baby

Happy Baby

You all usually see my adorable baby with her big bows on and a smile! But, you have no idea what is really going on underneath those large flowers and over-sized bows! We have been hiding a little secret. Its time to come clean...Paisley's hair is falling out. Not ALL of it...just enough to leave this precious baby having a VERY BAD HAIR DAY. Everyday! If you can remember...she was born with tons of black hair...remember?

Well, as you can see...the sides are falling out, leaving her with a very lovely mohawk right down the middle of her head.

And in the back, it just keeps growing and growing into an unruly mullet! (Is there any other kind?)

She is very thinned out here...

and here...

Good thing she has such a CUTE face!!!!

So, I decided today that I just had to clean it up...just a bit! My mother is going to kill me as she has firmly instructed me not to cut this baby's hair! My mom is ONLY joking though...she just thinks this baby is perfect as she is! And SHE IS!!!! But, as HER mother, I have to do what is in her best interest! I had to trim the mullet! I am very positive that she will thank me for it later! I left the mohawk alone since I really have no idea what other choice I had there. So, I just trimmed it up just a tad as you can see here!

The final product! This is the best I could do with no one assisting me, AND having large scissors so close to my darling's little head. I am sure that her hair will react amazingly well and start filling in at any moment!

I will keep you guys posted!!!

No baby was harmed in any way in the making of this post.

Seth Turns 31!

2011-07-01T15:34:00.000-05:00

Seth just turned 31 this week! He does not want to talk about the fact that he is now IN his 30's, so I will not mention anything about that here! :) Us girls all went and got him McDonald's for breakfast. It is VBS week, and I didn't have any time to make a homemade spread...so a sausage biscuit had to do!

For his gift, we got him a bike. I have been planning on this bike since right after Christmas. Seth loves to take the girls each weekend riding on their bikes, and so I knew that he would love to join them! He even has mentioned to me a few times that he was going to use his birthday money from my parents to get him a bike! But, I had him beat! I think he loved it!!! Now he just has to use that birthday money to get a trailer to go behind the bike to haul all these girls around, and he will be set! I just may have to ask for a bike myself this year!

The birthday boy and all of his ladies dining on McDonald's best

The bike

The girls were SOOOOO excited for daddy to walk through the door.

walking through the door...

he sees it...

he likes what he sees!

We surprised him!

He looks good!

Seth and I got to have a birthday date and we left all three for the first time with a babysitter...and not just my Mom or Summer! They all did great and were asleep by 7:45! Why is my babysitter better at raising my kids than me??? HA! It was a fun night, and we will celebrate with family this weekend!

A Day In The Life Of A Five Year Old

2011-06-30T14:55:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl, my parents made a HUGE deal about my birthday. My mom especially wanted our day to be so very special. I remember one time waking up to a new outfit that she had sewn for me hanging on my door. I have lots of good birthday memories! And to this day, I think your birthday is such a big deal and the whole day should be one big celebration! If I were president, I would give each American the day off on the birthday...it would be a required holiday! Anyway, each year on my girl's birthdays, I let them pick out everything that we do that day. It is so fun, and I always capture the whole thing in pictures. So, on Jillian's 5th birthday last week, here is exactly how we celebrated!

Good morning to my big 5 year old!

She is getting ready to open up her presents from her Daddy and Me, Jules, and Paisley.

What did she get?

A pink DS! Just what she wanted!!!

Jules got her the Pinkalicious game to go with her DS!

Good choice Jules! Sisterly love!

Jillian LOVES her new gift!

She always chooses donuts for her birthday breakfast!

Pink to be exact!

Three sisters ready to party.

Jillian chose to wear her new birthday Heaven Sent outfit from Mimi. Every birthday Mimi gets the girls 2 new outfits from our very favorite store! I decided to put all the girls in a Heaven Sent outfit!

Jillian's is so precious! It is dark denim and lace...very 80's Madonna...and SOOOOOOOO stinkin cute!

Then we had lunch with Mimi, Aunt Summer, and the cousins!

Jillian chose Chipotle for her birthday lunch.

We brought cookies and Mimi brought a cookie cake!

YUM!

Jillian has been asking for over a year to get her ears pierced. We always told her when she was five, then she could get them done. The girl did not forget, so we went that afternoon!

Hair pulled back and ready to go...

We went to Ms. Sherri, who does the girl's hair. Jillian is very familiar with Sherri and felt very comfortable.

Here is Sherri marking her ears...

She did one ear, and then the second ear 2 seconds later. Jillian didn't even flinch! She was so brave and acted like it didn't hurt at all! I was so nervous this whole day, and for nothing! My big girl did great!

Sherri and Jillian

Pretty girl...looking so grown up!

When we got home, we had nice surprise delivery from Daddy! The funny thing is that Seth and I make fun of all the Edible Arrangement commercials, because they are so dumb and cheesy! But, this really is the prefect gift for Jillian. She LOVES fruit!

Yummy birthday surprise!

She also LOVES sweets, so this was obviously the first thing she went for!

Sharing with the sisters

Me and the birthday girl

Jillian got invited to her cousin's house for a sleepover that night. Here they are with their precious new puppy! (More on the puppy later!)

These three are BFF's!

Daddy stopped by on his way home from work to check out those ears!

Birthday Pizza Party! Isn't Summer brave to have all these girls sleeping under her roof???

After this, we left, so I am not quite sure how these girls ended their day being silly at the Dale house. I do know that Jillian wouldn't want to end her birthday any other way!

So now my girl is officially 5! And my birthday season is officially over! WHEW! I am worn out!

New earrings...just waiting until we can change them. Mimi bought the adorable ones on the right! She brought them to the actual piercing...what a great Mimi!

Father's Day

2011-06-21T07:36:00.000-05:00

We had a great father's day celebrating with Seth, My Dad, and Layton...who are all VERY good Daddy's! We went to church, ate lunch together, and hung out at the pool. The perfect father's day in Seth's opinion. Seth was just starting to feel better from his pneumonia, and naturally the first thing he would want to do was swim!

The girls loving on their Papaw

Everyone trying out Papaw's new raft!

My Dad and his girls (minus K)

Me and My Dad

Papaw and the girls

Mimi and the girls

Here are my girls giving their daddy his card that they picked out.

Seth and his 3 favorite ladies doing exactly what they all like best...swimming!

Seth is such a great daddy to these girls. They love him so much and are lucky to have him! The older 2 are such daddy's girls and that is because he is just so good at what he does!

(I'm trying my best to keep Paisley on my side...we shall see!)