I must also really like.....

Ballerina outfits

This is Jillian in January 2008. I remember she was not thrilled with taking her picture before her birthday party.


I decided Hadleigh needed to wear it to school on Friday.
She was obviously not happy either with her picture being taken.




Then I realized that Jillian had basically the same outfit in her closet.
pink tutu
shirt with ballerina on it.

Please roll your eyes at her pose!! Such a poser!!

I am definitely a creature of habit!!! Or I know what I like and I get it!!!

Puffer Vests and Knee Socks

Can I just tell you what my new obsession is??? It is totally ridiculous, but little girls in knee socks just melt my heart.

This is Jillian's new cheerleader outfit with matching cheer knee socks.




(In a side note, I got a note from Jillian's teacher telling me it would be a good idea for us to put Jillian in some cartwheel shorts since she is so "active" in class. Ha!!! I guess she was showing everyone her underpants??) So under her skirt is a pair of pink cartwheel shorts.)

Then I got the girls matching outfits with puffer vests and knee socks. SCORE!!!! I love them. Puffer vests are perfect for South Texas. Nobody down here needs a jacket but a puffer vest gives a little warmth and that's all we need!!!

I have also gotten Rocco several puffer vests which I cannot wait to put him in. (if he will stay still long enough for me to put it on)

My Mom has been busy!!!!

You know my Mom has talent and she has been VERY busy on the sewing front lately. We had found some adorable fabric and the dresses were finally ready.

We debuted the new fashions at church yesterday.

Here is "Her Majesty" (as she is insisting on being called) ready for church.

Although he did not get an outfit this time, he still wanted to cheese for the cameras!!!And Hadleigh-boo in dress #2!!!

This picture just cracks me up!!! The total chaos of trying to get 3 kids to smile and look in the same direction!!!

KK got in the action too!!


So we have some more outfits that we want to show off but I forgot my camera when they wore them. Sooooo, next Sunday......this time the boys will show off their duds too!!!

Ashley and the Snake

DISCLAIMER:
If you have a squeamish stomach, do not read this story. I also do not recommend scrolling down and looking at the picture. :-0 You have been warned!!

For the rest of you:

Time:
Sunday morning
Place:
My house
Setting:
Raining (A LOT)

What happened:
Bryan was at work. I was exhausted (I had worked a fundraiser at my church on Saturday night. I was in charge of the care of the baby class of a PNO. There were 11 babies. That's a lot of work). But Summer had called. She had the boys and wanted to meet us at church. So I dressed all the kids and we were packed and ready to go. I open the front door and see the hurricane that is outside.

Soooooo, seeing this huge storm, I really did NOT want to go to church. BUT I knew Summer (and God) really wanted me to so I told the kids wait in the house. I am going to take all our 37 diaper bags (because my son refuses to look at the potty) to the car and then come back for the kids.

I open the door and right away, I slip on the lip of the door frame (that metal part). Because of the rain. BUT something wasn't right. I didn't fall on something hard. Something felt weird. I should have felt hard concrete because that is what our front porch is made out of. Sooooooo I turn around and see

A GIANT, MAN-EATING SNAKE IN A POOL OF BLOOD.

Seriously, going to give me nightmares for years to come. And I start screaming. REALLY SCREAMING. The kids come running and I scream at them to STAY AWAY!!!! Because surely the snake is going to eat them too!!!!

Weirdly, the snake did not run off. Did I kill it?? Do snakes play possum?? I had the strangest thoughts going through my mind. Why was he on my porch?? He looks huge. Did he just eat a meal?? But whatever.....#1 get the kids. I ran and leaped over the snake to get back in the house and slammed the door shut and locked it. Cuz I am sure he could unlock our door!!!!

Then I proceeded to go out the garage and get the kids in the car because we needed to get away, far away. But what if Bryan did not believe my story. What if he did not believe how big this snake was??? I needed proof. So I get my camera and use the zoom to the fullest and take a picture of the snake. THE GIANT, MAN-EATING SNAKE IN A POOL OF BLOOD......

When Bryan got home from work, he immediately went to the door to look at what I have telling him on the phone all day BUT the snake was not there. I don't know what happened to the snake. Did our resident racoon family eat it (that's a whole 'nother story)??? Was the snake playing possum?? Did he get away? Did he slither away and die??

I don't know. The feeling of not knowing is awful!!! The kids are no longer allowed to play outside. I do a really good job of believing that there are no snakes in the world. What I don't see, does not exist. BUT my plan does not work when the ugly thing lands right on my front porch !!!!!!

8 months old

How can it be? How has 8 months gone by sooooo fast??
What can I say?? Hadleigh is the perfect little baby.
She is so sweet. She rarely cries. She nurses well. She drinks from a bottle well.
She is on Stage 2 baby food and likes every kind.
She is sooooo tolerant of her brother and sister.

This month she got her eighth tooth so 4 on top and 4 on bottom.
She STILL cannot sit up on her own. I will sit with my legs in a V and put her in the middle and she can stay that way for awhile and play and be happy. She really has made no attempt at crawling. She will stand up for awhile and play at a table if you hold her.

Her hair is growing fast and she has a dirty blonde color (darker than the other 2).
She has the biggest, bluest eyes that everybody comments on.

I moved her up to a size 3 diaper but her growth has slowed down from the huge spurt she had during months 0-6. I don't think she has gained much weight. Her little waist is sooon tiny.

For the past two weeks, I have gotten several comments that H looks just like Rocco. I see it a little but I still think she has her own unique look.

Saturday at the pumpkin patch in Devine, TX

Finally, this is my FAVORITE dress that I kept from Jillian's baby days. It is soooo beautiful. It is a silk, changtung material with gorgeous green and pink smocking. I couldn't wait to put her in it!!!! Still as beautiful as before!!!

Jillian August 2007.

The year will be up before I know it and she won't be a baby!!! Sniff, sniff

What happens when a 4 and 2 y.o. are put in charge...

The kiddos looked soooooo cute and sweet on Sunday so I wanted to take a quick picture.

Jillian held KK and Rocco held Hadleigh. Ready....go!!!

Jillian and Hadleigh smiled so half a success...


3 smiling, 3 looking at the camera = success!!

Oh wait - Jillian is losing control!!!

Now they are both going down. Wait all 4 on the ground!!! Masure to the rescue!!! Ha ha!!!

Photo shoot is over!!!

Our love will never crumble....

But the building sure did!!!

Bryan and I got married in 2001. We got married in our church and had our reception in a historical building in downtown SA. The building was beautiful with limestone walls and huge windows overlooking Main Plaza. Here we are via 2001 (Bryan's smile that day still cracks me up!!)

Interesting fact: After the famous battle of the Alamo, General Santa Anna set up headquarters in this building. Here it is in 1904.

And here it was last night.....

And this morning...

Sooooooo sad!!!! A complete loss!!!

Also, when I was a lawyer, our office was in the tower next to the building. (You can see it in the background.) It suffered extensive damage as well. Probably God telling me that I should not be a lawyer!!!