Texas might be big...

Texas might be one of the biggest states- with some of the best schools, the best homes, the best food (am I convincing you to move here?)...but I find it so amazing who you will run into or chance to meet while living here! It has been so fun having so many people come and visit- or to find out that so many people live around the area!

We had the opportunity last week to meet up with some really good friends from Vegas (woowoo) and we enjoyed their company just as much as we did back in Vegas. We met up in Rice Village (mega shopping area and super fun) and we went and ate at Ruggles (MMmmmmm) If you are ever in the area Ruggles is a must try place to eat. They are super family friendly, their deli has a great menu, and their desserts are to die for (except for the low-fat tiramasu...don't try that one). We enjoyed our dinner while the kids played/ate, then shared some fabulous dessert (can't go wrong with cheesecake).

And you will be happy to know that both sets of friends started off just where we left off before.

Thanks so much for coming to eat with us M-family. Next time- we will have to plan an all day adventure!!

Chalk + Rain

Not a good combination. You have to understand that at the moment our backyard is...well let us just say it isn't as spacious as what we would like it to be. AT ALL. So, I am in the middle of cooking dinner and the kids ask if they can play outside- I say yes because all I need is two minutes to get the meal done AND I need to concentrate.

Literally two minutes later this is what I find...this little guy is blue-

While is accomplices are dancing along (note the goggles on B's neck...because everyone needs goggles when it is raining)

AND this dude- has managed to throw all sorts of toys-golf clubs, balls, the rest of the chalk, and anything else that he could fit in between the bars down on the ground.

Let me just tell you- washing this off was not fun. First, you wash the kid. THEN you have to wash the bathtub due to the blue stains around the edge.

Mr. Personality

Do you see Mr. Personality here?

Here is a better shot...

Does this give you any idea of how family pictures went? He is the sweetest little boy but has developed quite the personiality! He gets out of bed when he is ready in the morning-no rushing him, he will scream so loud when he is upset that the cats will actually pace around him because the noise hurts their ears (mine as well). Boy- this little tank is keeping me on my toes! His favorite past time- is to unload drawers/cabinets. You name it he can unload it in a matter of .2 seconds! My little busy body how I love you!

Gymboree Sale

Just wanted to make sure that everyone was aware that Gymboree is having a HUGE sale right now- everything in the store is $12.99 and under. That is a killer deal for a lot of their clothes!! This also includes their kids shoes!

AND you can use your 30% off coupon found in most Parent Magazines for an even better deal!

Diaper deals...

So I have gotten into couponing... finding deals for insanely cheap amounts of moola (love it). Couponing is going to give us SO much... for example- last week I hit up my target-before coupons $38.97, after coupons...$8.37. AND the big thing to know is that I will not buy things that aren't normally on my list. I get two newspapers every Sunday and load up on coupons. If there is a "hot" deal for the week I get double so that I can get my stock pile going. That target run- I picked up mens deodorant (plural) mens body wash, bar soap, lotion, toothbrushes, ranch dressing, and some gum. I am hoping to get to the point where I can get most all toiletries for free- one day.

The deal I found today is from

I don't know why I didn't find this sooner... this would have saved big bucks! I normally go to Sam's club to pick up a pack of Huggies- $42.13 at our Sam's club (ouch) which usually lasts us about 6-7 weeks. Today I signed up for Amazon mom, I had a coupon code from American Baby magazine (a free subscription...you can usually find at your OB) and signed up for super saver (or something along those lines where they automatically send you the diapers or whatever you buy as often as you want) and spent $23.15. FREE shipping, right to my house! I will definitely be using this more often!! Just to make it easy- take a look to your right and you will see a direct link to the diapers!!! Had to share-

Sneak Peek

We had our family pictures taken this weekend, it was VERY humid (of course I tried to straighten my hair) and M was a stink the whole time but I think we got a couple of good ones! Here is a little preview-

Thanks again Judy!

Old Wives Shower

First off- it was FABULOUS!

I got invited to an "Old Wives Shower" this past weekend and it was a blast! The whole idea of an Old Wives Shower is to invite all your friends who have been married for awhile (at least 4+) and celebrate your marriage along with play some really fun games and get a cool gift. (way fun)

So this year the theme was "Kitchen Stuff" (yes she has these every year with different themes each year...her mom has been doing this for YEARS). You are asked to bring both a present worth a certain amount (usually from $15-25), and a dinner or dessert to share.

The night started off with us showing up and given a plate of spinach dip and chips- you then had to guess the ingredients of everything in the dip (10+ items). The winner of each of the games got to pick a nice bamboo serving spoon.. I did NOT win this one! Then we paired off into teams of 3 and she gave you a list of about 30 things you do in the kitchen (braising, yeast, roasting, etc) and you had to match them to their definition and glue them to the paper. Luckily we did win- we were the first team to finish with all matching items! So I picked up a delightful spoon! Then we ate some dinner and chatted. Moved onto the next game- this one was...tricky. We made a list of 25, then she started passing around little plastic cups that had lids with about 6 holes in them so you could smell what was in them. THEN you had to guess what spice or condiment was inside (let me tell you some of them were so nasty!)! It was really fun to smell something and think- I know I cook with this, yet i have no idea what it is! After our sense of smell was fried we tried to enjoy some dessert. After that we enjoyed a nice white elephant game with all the gifts. I ended up scoring with a nice bowl and cloth napkins from Anthropologie (score). It was such a delightful evening, I am so excited for next years!!

Women's Conference

I was able to fly up to Utah for a couple days to enjoy Women's Conference at BYU with my mom and sister. It was SOOOO much fun! I think the best part were the talks...here are some interesting things that I heard:

1. Keep it simple, keep it small, give it time" Virginia Pierce

2. "We should be a lioness at the gate- protecting our home." Julie Beck

3. THIS is the best tidbit that I heard (or so I thought)- "Remember the small things, don't wipe them off your plate. These things are essential for you to become a good wife and mother- Exercise, eat well, scripture study, and prayer. If those things are regular, life will be good." Sister Bednar

4. "Heavenly Father enables us to learn little by little- not through instant gratification".

Sadly I didn't take a single picture- we enjoyed listening to these talks together, doing service, seeing a chick flick (with my Aunt BethLynn) and staying up late talking. It was far too short of a weekend, I landed in SLC at 11:30 pm wed, and flew back here by 7am Sat am. I will have to plan a longer trip next time~!!

Dad's Visit Home

While I was out of town D-man took the three kiddos up to the Dallas area to play with his family. They had such a fun time playing at Grammy's house, going to see Pappa, and playing at Sandy Lake Park. Notice the fun in the pictures:

This is how playdough is supposed to be played with:

This is how Miles wanted to play:

Visiting Pappa at his office

Sandy Lake Park

Just some brotherly love