FondBOOOOO!!

Ready to go!

Great friends: Jen, Marisa, Charli, Me!

So last night was one of the most fun childless nights I have ever had. Some of my Mommy friends all get together for some spooky Halloween fun. We all (well most of us) dressed up like witches and headed to Marisa's for a night that would prove to be very memorable. I decided to wear some crazy long eyelashes and boy did they prove to be a hit! Marisa set up an awesome Halloween spread outside with Halloween decor, spooky music and yummy fondue. We had cheese fondue and three chocolate fondues- YUMMY!!! We all sat around outside, eating and of course gabbing the night away. As it got later and we all realized how fun it was to be out without the kids we started cuttin' a rug in the backyard. I believe that Thriller was even part of the mix- yes it is a funny thing to picture 15 Moms dancing in witches hats in the dark.

It was a really great night- I am reminded of how wonderful my friends are!

Emily, Me, Jen, Frances

Me with crazy fake eyelashes and Beautiful Dana!

Me, Marisa, Dana, Frances

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch

After Strollerfit we headed over to the Pumpkin Patch with some friends. Kailey and her friends really had fun playing with the pumpkins, playing in the hay, listening to a story about pumpkins and then of course selecting the "perfect" pumpkin to take home. Kailey really loved the HUGE pumpkins, she climbed all over them and even rolled a few of them away. She also found it fun to KISS the pumpkins that we didn't buy. It was really sweet and gross at the same time. After the patch we enjoyed a yummy lunch at a mexican restaurant with our friends.

Olympic Track Star???

Our Little Track Star- with perfect form and everything!!!!

RUNNNNNNN!!

Daddy was WAY behind!

Daddy coming out from his hiding spot.

Still running

Kailey and Greg have this cute night time ritual. Almost every night before bed Kailey will go to the front door, turn around, count to three and then take off right for us. She LOVES for Daddy to race her, as she always beats him. Last night she must have ran the strip from our front door, around the kitchen, and back to the door 50 TIMES, she was running, and running, and running. After racing Daddy for a LONG time, she wanted to play hide and seek, she would hide in the pantry, we would search for her and then she would take off running again. I swear, Kailey has SO MUCH ENERGY!!! She is already so naturally athletic. She loves to kick balls, throw balls, does sit-ups, push-ups, squats and lots of StrollerFit moves, and she even has great form in her running! We love our night time "olympics" when Kailey beats Daddy every time!

Such a happy girl

Smiling at Daddy

My break spot

ESCAPEE!

Libby the "Escapee"

As most of you know we have two dogs, Buddy Lee and Libby. While we love them very much they have been quite mischievous pretty much since the day they were born. When we lived in Baton Rouge their digging was uncontrollable, BL would dig holes deep enough for him to hide in and Libby would dig just for the sake of being a pain in the butt. Well, when we moved to Texas Greg built this really nice dog run for them, it is perfect- keeps them contained and keeps the dog poop contained. There is NOTHING more gross than dog poop all over the yard, that is the LAST thing I want Kailey or the other kids that come to play stepping in- IT'S JUST GROSS! So, they have been contained to the run, they love it. Greg even laid chicken wire throughout their run before our sod was laid to prevent them from digging. (and it has worked)

Well, when Hurricane Ike came and blew part of our brick fence down they saw the opening to FREEDOM. (We are still waiting for HOA to fix it) Libby decided that she wanted to see what the other side of the wall looking like so she managed to JUMP OUT OF THE RUN, yes folks, over the 5 foot fence. I looked out and saw her at the back door- I opened it up and OFF she went-- OUT the back fence and to the road:( I started to cry and was chasing her down barefoot, with Kailey on my hip. I was calling her name and she would not listen. Thankfully, the yard guys saw her and whistled for her and she ran to them, they helped me get her back and when Greg got home he built the fence even higher so our circus dog cannot escape again. I will be SO HAPPY when the HOA fixes our back brick fence- then if BL and LL decide to escape they will still be contained within our yard.

Don't be fooled folks- LL isn't the only "escapee" of the family, BL escaped last week. When Greg was in Austin I went to feed him and he pushed his way out and paraded around the yard while I yelled for him to come back. He actually listened and came back to his kennel, Greg says I need show my dominance to him, but really when do I have time to "dominate" a dog?!?! BL is just stubborn. He is certainly the planner of the two. He plans the escapes and LL executes them. Never under-estimate the brains of our four legged friends:)

Buddy Lee the "con artist"

Lipstick Junkie

We all know that Kailey is about as girly as they get. Well, today she got even more girlie! I was getting ready while Kailey was supposed to be eating breakfast. I came out to check on her and she was putting on my LIPSTICK! I didn't think we would be crossing this bridge this early, but boy was a wrong. She was a PRO! She knew EXACTLY what to do and she even rubbed her lips together after she had applied her first, of many, coats!

She was so patient while she was putting on her lipstick. She carefully put the wand into the container, then ever so carefully brought the wand up to her lips and then slowly applied the pink color to her lips. After she had her lips covered, she moved on to her teeth! I guess she saw some old lady with lipstick on her teeth and thought that was how you did it?!?!

After she was done, she closed up the lipstick and put it in her purse. I tried to take it back, since it is mine, but that was NOT HAPPENING! She was NOT going to give up her new found love. I guess I should add lipstick to the LONG list of things I will have to hide from Kailey-- other things on the list include: jewelry, eye shadow, deodorant, mascara, nail polish and pretty much any other personal grooming items!

She is just SO DARN CUTE!

Bake Off!

This past Saturday was "Family Day" at Greg's work. It was TONS of fun and we are really glad that he works for a company that values family so much! One of the optional activites at family day was a bake off. I decided to try again this year. Below are some pictures of my Jack-O-Lantern Checkerboard Cake. It was quite yummy I must say. I didn't get any pictures of the inside, but it is a checkboard cake with black and orange cakes. YUMMY!

About to bake the cakes:

Frosting the cake and doing the sprinkles:

Daddy and Kailey helping me draw out the face:

FINAL PRODUCT!

Cutest little Cheerleader

#1 LSU FAN!

We had Kailey's pictures taken this week- we had some Halloween pictures done and some pictures in her Cheerleader outfit. They really turned out cute and Kailey had so much fun shaking her pom-poms and smiling for the camera. We have taught her to say "TIGERS" in response to GEAUX-- it is really cute. We had fun saying that over and over, she smiles everytime she says it so it was great for picture day.

I remember when I was in college and I would see the little girls on game day in their cheerleader outfits, I would dream of having a little girl to do that with. And now I do! Greg said that he used to think about that too when he would see how cute all the little girls looked in their cheerleader outfits. We surprised Daddy with the pictures when he got back in town from Austin and he LOVED THEM! He quickly snatched some up to bring to work to show his co-workers. We are going to have a couple of the larger ones framed for our LSU gameroom.

Kailey already has plans to wear her cheerleader outfit for all of the LSU games, she loves to practice her cheers and we are having fun teaching them to her. She loves to shake her pom-poms way up high and then way down low! We should have known she would be the biggest- LSU fan, the day she was born LSU was playing in the Sugar Bowl- she watched the game with Daddy decked out in her LSU cap and outfit-- she even put her hands up for "Touchdowns." She is most certainly our Little Tiger!

Pig- Tails

So, Kailey LOVES it when I "do" her hair. This week she started going to get me the hairbrush and sitting patiently while I do her hair. I was brushing her hair last night and she sat for 25 minutes and was SO relaxed afterwards. She now asks for "tails" and she wants me to put her hair into pigtails. She looks absolutly adorable in them! I LOVE it when peoople play with my hair and I am pretty sure that Kailey is going to love it to. She now runs to get her bows and brings them to us to style her hair. She especially loves it when Daddy puts TONS of bows all over her head! She is certainly a GIRLY GIRL, as she loves all things frilly! I remember telling my Mom when I was preggo that I wanted a girly girl and not a tom boy, well, God blessed me with both a girly girl and a girl that doesn't mind getting dirty! Greg and I are truely blessed to be Kailey parents and we thank God EVERYDAY for blessing us with her.

Take Out Taxi!!

I have discovered the BEST thing EVER... TAKE OUT TAXI! It is amazing! Restaurants from all over Houston offer their menus online, the customer (ME), calls in and orders what I want from which specific restaurants-- then a runner goes to the restaurants, picks up your food and delivers it hot to your door! So, tonight we had BBQ from Red River and dessert from BJ's, and I ordered Kailey something from Chili's. It all arrived 45 minutes from when I ordered and it was just as yummy as going to the restaurant with NONE of the hassle.

What are the prices like you may ask... Well, of course everything great comes with a price... There is a 6.99 delivery fee and your order must be at least $25.00. I didn't think this was too bad as I ordered enough food to 2 or 3 meals and I didn't have to even leave my house!

Years ago I had a friend order from a similar company and I always thought it was so cool-- now that I have found it here I plan on using it more often. And most of you know that when Greg travels I DON'T cook- nope, I figure that it is cheaper and faster for me to just go pick something up and eat it for several meals. Another bonus is NO DISHES!

To make life easier for yourself check out their website at: www.takeouttaxihouston.com

What a nice surprise...

We had a wonderful suprise this weekend!!!

Daddy was in Austin last week conducting interviews, well he came home late Friday night to surprise his girls!! He was supposed to have to stay in Austin through the weekend, but he was able to break away for a couple of days. While he was home we had LOTS of family fun!! Daddy took his "girls" to Chuck E Cheese for dinner and fun and then we went to the mall to do some shopping-- yes, Greg went shopping too. Actually, it was all his idea! He did some things around the house and of course played with Kailey and all of her toys.

Today we went to church and then out to lunch with our great friends, Justin, Crystal and Jackson. We enjoyed a yummy meal at Jason's Deli. Later in the afternoon we headed to a birthday party where Kailey really enjoyed herself. She had fun running around, eating cake, driving the Barbie car and playing with her friends. Unfortunantly, Daddy had to head back to Austin so he didn't get to go to the party. For dinner we had Chili's take-out. I NEVER cook when Greg is out of town! I figure I can treat myself to whatever I want, since I am a single parent when he is gone.

Now back to the Barbie Car... Kailey LOVED it! She rode around in it for most of the party, she was really great at taking turns and enjoyed both driving and riding. She kept the stereo blasting and was actually a pretty good little driver. I think Santa may have a Barbie Car in his sled sometime soon:)

Kailey is 21 Months Old!

So, today Kailey turned 21 months. She is growing up SO FAST! I really feel like she was JUST born and in a few months we will be celebrating her SECOND birthday. My of my where has the time gone?!?!

Here is a picture from last year at this time and a current picture!

Last year at this time we were just getting settled in to our apartment, they had just started construction on our new house, Greg had started his job and I was in the process of purchasing my StrollerFit franchise. My have things changed in a year. Last year at this time Kailey was standing, but not walking and this year she is RUNNING! Last year she was saying small words and this year she is saying 2 and 3 word phrases- her vocabulary is HUGE! She surprises me everyday. Last year at this time we were just making friends here and this year we are happy to say we have lots of GREAT friends here.

I must admit... I get a little sad when Kailey gets another month older-- this morning I found myself thinking "Kailey will be in school soon," while I know it is a couple years away--I still get sad because time is just flying bye! Yes I know we can have more kids, but there is just something extra special about your first born- you can give them your all, 100%, you learn how to be a parent from your first child. Now I know what my Mom meant when she said I will always be her "toddler baby," she was right-- these precious first years just got by TOO FAST! Don't get me wrong-- I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching Kailey learn new things and become more and more independent, I just wish time would slow down some.

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings." -Hodding Carter

Cruise-aholic???

So, I think I am addicted to cruises! I found myself day-dreaming about the past cruises we have been on and it is making me want to go on another one NOW! Greg and I have been on several cruises and have visited ports all throughout the Carribbean and Mexico. Maybe we will go on an Alaskan Cruise one day or maybe Hawaii?!?

Crusies are just fantastic ways to spend your time- you get to see lots of places and see the highlights of those places all while enjoying yummy food, entertainment and relaxation. Some people don't like cruises, but I LOVE THEM! Can you say unlimited ice cream! YES- thats right ladies and gentlemen--free ice cream 24/7! Ohhh- and the spas are WONDERFUL- there is nothing more relaxing than getting a massage with the ocean breeze blowing by. Man, I really need to get my butt back on a cruise ship- maybe for our anniversary?!?

If you are planning a cruise here are a few tips:

1. book on a BIG ship- smaller ships move more in the water so you are more likely to get sick in rough waters!

2. Book on a new ship! The new ships have all the cool stuff- putting greens, water slides, ice skating rinks, rock walls, wave machines, etc!

3. Go in the off season- the carribbean is warm all year so save some money by traveling when the kids are in school!

4. Bring on some coke! On most cruise ships you can bring on your own soda and wine! So, load it up!

5. Be real when you pack! Really- you are on vacation- don't bring everything you own--just bring comfy clothes and a few nice outfits for the formal dinners.

6. Book You excursions early! You can book them before the cruise even sets sail! The good ones fill up FAST so book early!

I would recommend that everyone go on a cruise at least once! They are SUPER fun and there is nothing more romantic than sitting on the deck with your sweetie and watching the sun go down over the water! Hence Kailey being born 9 months after our last cruise:) They don't call it the love boat for nothing! The shows are really good too- they have Broadway style shows, comedians, magicians and one cruise we went on even had an ice skating type show. The food is AMAZING- you can eat all you want all the time-- yes, diet before you go and diet when you come back. Fresh fruit, salads, steak, lobster, fish, desserts, desserts, desserts--YUMMY! Even room service is great! When we have cruised we have never been bored- we stayed busy with on-board activities or we were in port so went on excursions. So, there is my LOVE of cruises for ya. I hope that you go on one oneday so you can see for yourself how fun they are!

Starting Again

Here we go again...


I started this blog SEVERAL years ago with hopes I would keep up with it and well, I never did! Greg went to Iraq and I just kind of forgot about keeping up with it, So, now that I have WAY LESS time and SO MUCH MORE to do I thought I would try it again! HAHA! It seems like an easy way to share the In's and outs of daily life. I am already really busy with Kailey's site, myspace, facebook, totspot, meetup, online photot albums, sewing, strollerfit, playgroups, and the list goes on and on--but I am going to give it my best shot at keeping up with this blog this time. The second time's the charm right?!?


I will still keep Kailey's site updated, but this is more for me to keep track of whats going on in our daily lives-- I like to keep my memories written down and this is an easy avenue to do just that.


I hope you will join me on this journey and will check back often for updates! Greg thinks I am nuts for adding just one more thing to my already full plate- but hey you only live once right?!?!





Since my last entry SEVERAL years ago a LOT has happened--here is our life in a nutshell since then... Greg was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq with the Louisiana 1-156. He was a tank commander and led his men well. He returned home in September of 2005 after an 18 month deployment. We took a few trips when Greg returned home-- went on a cruise to the Caribbean and went skiing in Colorado. I graduated from LSU- Geaux Tigers, we had our "dream wedding" (renewal ceremony), and then went on a second honeymoon (2 weeks of fun--a cruise to the Eastern Carri bean and a week in Disney)-- 5 weeks after coming back we were so excited to find out that we had brought back the best souvenir-- A BABY! Yep, I was pregnant. Our beautiful baby girl, Kailey, was born on January 3, 2007. She is the light of our lives and brings us so much joy! In September of 2007 Greg was offered a great job with a new company in Texas. He left Dow and accepted a position with Celanese Chemical in Houston. We left our friends in Baton Rouge and headed to Houston-- we built a home and moved into it in February 2008- our new home is beautiful and has everything we have ever wanted! Shortly after moving I opened up my own business- StrollerFit: Exercise with your Baby. It is a franchise and so far it is really a hit! I love that I can workout and Kailey is always with me. We have been busy traveling and having lots of fun. This summer we went to Disney World and LOVED it! Kailey really enjoyed it and we are already planning our next trip back! Life has really been fun these past few years- while we have had our ups and downs- life is grand and we can't wait to see what the future holds!

Check back soon for another post!