Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my birthday...however, these are mostly pictures of Kensington :). It's funny how, even though it wasn't "her day"...it's always her day. Thank you to my wonderful parents for hosting my fabulous birthday dinner. And to my sweet family...I love you all SO MUCH! Thank you for taking such great care of me these 28 years. I love you Andrew, Mom, Dad, Sean, Grandmother, Ken, Bryan, Pam, Brandon, Brooke and Casey!!!

She finally likes the infant vibrating chair...after13 months.

Walking around Lovie's perfect backyard

Lovie and Kensington looking at the cows

Uncle Seanie and Kensington

The "young" ones...Brandon, Sean, Me, Brooke, Casey and Andrew

Me and my girl

Me and my other girls

My boys

My "little" brother

Exhausted after mommy's big party


And introducing...

Our new niece Sylvia Maelynn Shull

born October 22

7 pounds, 8 ounces, 20 inches

So sweet! We can't wait to meet her in person on Thanksgiving!!

One of my favorite people in the world! My sister-in-law Gretchen and her new baby girl.

So, it's been an eventful last few days. Andrew's brother Jonathan and his wife Gretchen welcomed Sylvia (along with big brother Broderick), and I had my 28th birthday. God has blessed our families so much!

I'm Fabulous???

So my across the Atlantic in Germany friend...kind of, sort of relative...mommy of two...very funny and exceptional blogger Aubrey tagged my blog as fabulous. What? Mine? I'm honored...and not quite feeling up to the challenge. Seeing how I am almost 7 months pregnant, smiling through a mouthful of metal braces, wearing my Target maternity t-shirt, and just 12 hours out from a horrible stomach bug that sent me to the ER...I feel anything but fabulous...but thank you Aubrey none the less!

Here are the rules: share five things you're obsessed with and then pass the award on to the five most fabulous blogs you know. Here we go...

1. I am obsessed with the seasonal Coffee Mate creamers. You know my love of coffee and buying coffee online, but when I see the seasonal creamers in the store, I instantly smile and then buy 3 or 4 bottles...at a time! My personal favorites are Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Mocha...but that doesn't mean I don't stock up on the other 3 varieties as well.

2. I am obsessed with checking Old Navy online for maternity clothes. Just yesterday, as I was lying in bed in the fetal position praying the stomach bug would go away, Andrew came into our room with 2 packages from Old Navy under his arm. It was all I could do not to jump out of bed and rip the darn things open. I love shopping for maternity clothes online!

3. I am obsessed with "piddling". Yes...the women in our family "piddle". That means, when you don't have anything in particular to do or any place to be, you go somewhere and look around. I piddle a lot at Hobby Lobby or Ross...you know...just aimlessly walk the aisles, looking at things...not buying stuff, just looking. Whenever Kensington and I don't have anything to do and we've been inside for a while, we'll go piddle. Nothing makes me happier than walking up and down the aisles at Hobby Lobby...just looking...at my own slow pace.

4. I am obsessed with Smucker's Uncrustable Sandwiches. This summer, I was at the pool with Erika and she mentioned having had one at Whitney's house. The next day, I was grocery shopping and threw a box into the cart. Well...I have had one every single day since that day. They are so good! I even had my mom buy some to keep at her house in case I needed one over there. I don't know why those little frozen PB&J sandwiches taste so good. They're on white bread and without the crust (I prefer wheat and crust) but they're delicious.

5. I am obsessed with Project Runway. I love this show! I am in awe of these designers who can turn not only fabric into something wonderful, but random things like candy wrappers and newspaper into extraordinary dresses. I look forward to my Thursday nights so much just to see the latest episode.

Thank you Aubrey for thinking my blog is fabulous! I think yours is as well!! I also think these five blogs are fabulous and am tagging them to do the same:

Abby

Andrea

Holly

Kara

Sheaffer

Have a fabulous weekend! I know I will...I'm having a birthday!

A Gorgeous Saturday

Andrew's mom and dad decided to come down for the weekend...and what a gorgeous weekend it was! These are just a few pictures from our Saturday. We shopped outside at Southlake's Town Square and then finished off the day with a wonderful dinner outside at Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth. When the weather is this gorgeous, it's a sin to be indoors.

Kensington "reading" her favorite book...Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Pointing to the Kitty Cat on her PJs and saying "meow"

I can't explain this face???? I was in line at Starbucks when this picture was snapped but apparently something was exciting.

Walking in Southlake with Mommy and Daddy

She loves wearing her shades in the car

Outside at Joe T.'s

Then and Now

Yesterday, we made our annual pilgrimage to the State Fair of Texas. It was raining when we first got there but we muddled through. Rain can't stop us from fun and fried food! After about an hour, the rain stopped and we enjoyed a wonderful day!! The best part about the rain was that it kept people away, lines down and the weather cool. Last year, I posted my "Fair Story"...it's hard to believe it's been a year since we took one month old Kensington to the Fair for the first time. Time has flown by, and she has definitely changed a ton. Here we are...then and now...

Then: relaxing and enjoying our food
Now: trying to take a picture while she screams with delight at the excitement going on

Then: So sweet and cuddly

Now: Still so sweet but wanting to be a big person too

Then: With Lovie

Now: With Lovie (and Papa Jay) watching the doggies

Then: Andrew looking at the animals by himself

Now: Looking at the animals with little Miss Kensington

Then: Missing all of the excitement

Now: Pondering over the baby piglets

Then: So cute!

Now: Still so cute!

Then: Ending the night with a binkie and blankey

Now: Ending the night on the horsie with mama

It's really hard to believe that this time next year, we'll have a two year old and a 9 month old!

Talk, talk, talk!

Kensington has been quite the talker since about 7 months old (when she looked at Andrew and said dada). But when we got back from our vacation, she had really discovered her vocabulary! It's just so precious. These are all of her words. She says them at the right time to the right people. I just want to eat her up!

She says hi!
She says bye-bye!

She says up!

She says mama! (My personal favorite!)

She says dada!

She says BB! (when I look at this picture...well, it's hard being nice to her).

She says papa. (This word she says the sweetest because she says it so carefully and well thoughtout).

She loves to say baby!

She says ball (and will go get it and bring it to you if you ask her to).

Her new favorite passion in life...doggies! She says this word about 100 times a day.

She says Minnie (actually, she says Mimmee). Andrew and I hide Minnie around the house and then ask her to go find her. She'll search and search until she brings us back Mimmee.

She says No-No. Yes. Actually, this is Tulip but my child has heard us say "no, no" to this stubburn dog so many times that she just assumes that's the dog's name.

We've had the best week back at home! Kensington and I have filled our days with "fall" things. We've baked cookies, roasted squash and sweet potatoes, walked to the park, played on the swing in the backyard, roamed around the holiday section at Hobby Lobby, wrapped Christmas presents (I better do it while I can still bend over!) and been to Starbucks 5 times. I just love this time of year!

PS: I went to my OB appointment this morning and saw a sonogram of our newest little tyke. Since we don't find out the sex, we just saw shots of this one's head, hands and feet. I can already tell he or she is a cutie :). Time is actually flying by with this pregnancy! Thank goodness!