Birthday parties galore!

We had 2 birthday parties to attend Saturday. We started off at a 2 year old party for Leo. The morning started off rainy, but it soon cleared and the kids were able to jump in the moonwalk. Brinley had so much fun and she got so dirty and sweaty from running around!

Brinley and the birthday boy, Leo having cake!
After a brief nap in the car, we headed to Melody's craw fish boil birthday party. Her parents live on the bay and the afternoon had turned in to a gorgeous day! All my family was there so Brinley and Reese got to run around. Brinley found the live craw fish very interesting and watched them for a while, until Uncle Blake decided to pick one up and have it make a loud noise as it came towards her....then she went running and didn't go near them the rest of the evening!

It was a very relaxing evening! I just love this picture of Brinley looking at the water!!
Once we got home, we realized Brinley had been bit by something several times around her knee (she never cried or acted like she had something on her the entire evening). She woke up Sunday morning with her knee swollen about 3 times bigger than the other one and running a fever. After a quick doctors visit, it is diagnosed a severe reaction to some kind of insect bite and treatable with Benadryl.

First sentence!

Brinley said her first sentence this morning. While she was holding her shoes in her hand, she said, "Mommy, my shoes!" It does not surprise me that her first sentence was about shoes. This girl is quite obsessed with her shoes! She throws a fit when you take them off and begs to have them put on! She even wears shoes in the house when we are laying around being lazy. Jason is a bit worried that her obsession with shoes is starting so early! I told him to start saving up for when she is a teenager......

Trip to Razorback country

Thursday, Brinley, my mom and I headed out to Fayetteville, Arkansas for Amanda's wedding shower. We picked Brinley up from MDO at lunch and started our journey. Luckily, Brinley napped for 2 hours and then watched a movie for another 2 hours! We got to Sherman, Tx (right at the border of TX/OK border) when she decided she had enough! We got a hotel room and went to dinner. Since Brinley had been sitting in the car seat for 5 hours, she wasn't about to sit for dinner so it was more of nightmare with crying, running around and only wanting to eat applesauce for dinner. After mom and I quickly scarfed our dinner, we headed back to the hotel where we all passed out for the night!

After a very long day, but still smiling!

We got up Friday morning, ate breakfast at the hotel and headed out once again (after we fought Brinley who did NOT want to get in her car seat at all!) After another 4 1/2 hours in the car (thank goodness for the invention of the DVD system in cars!!!) we made it to Fayetteville! We grabbed lunch (in the hotel room so Brinley could stand and eat...lesson learned!) and went to the mall to let Brinley burn off some energy of being locked in a car for two days!

We met Rachel, her kiddos (Meredith and Russell), her mom, dad and sister for dinner. We also ran into Wendi, her mom and sister at the restaurant...not to many choices to eat in Fayetteville! Meredith and Brinley are 3 months apart so it was neat to see them somewhat interact (even though Meredith had a cold and Brinley was cranky from being cooped up!)

Brinley and Meredith (hard to get 2 year olds to smile at the same time!)

Saturday morning, we had the shower for Amanda where I got to see all my sorority sisters in my pledge class. It was really great to see them since I only get to see them once every year or some of them since we graduated 6 years ago!

The beautiful bride, Amanda

Kappa Delta sorority sisters

Saturday night, mom babysat Brinley at the hotel while I went to dinner with my old roommates and then hit the old stomping ground, Dickson street (bars and restaurants). Did I mention the entire time we were in Fayetteville the weather was frigid! I think it got down to 28 degrees Saturday night...but I got to use my seat warmers in my new car and didn't have to wait until next February! Anyways, nothing makes you feel more old than going out to the places you went in college that are still filled with college students! Cold, smelling like smoke and tired, I was home by 11:30!

My roommates, Wendi, Amanda, Kylie and Me

Sunday, mom and I decided to get up eat breakfast and head home. We decided to try and make the 9 1/2 hour trip in one day to "get it over with"! So after several movies, a few naps and lots of entertaining we made it home Sunday evening!


Overall, Brinley was a trooper and traveled well! I wish I could have taken more pictures of campus and the gorgeous scenery with our new camera but it seemed like we were always running around....plus it was too cold! Hopefully when we go for the wedding in June (we are flying!!!), I can take advantage of taking more pictures!

Happy Birthday Reese!

Yesterday was my niece, Reese's, 5th birthday! It is so hard to believe she will be entering kindergarten next year! She celebrated her birthday this past weekend with a party at Sweet N Sassy. They were picked up in a hot pink limo and taken to get their hair, makeup and nails done! They then picked out a fabulous outfit and and got to walk the run way! Needless to say they had a blast and Brinley really enjoyed watching all the action! Although her Daddy said she will NEVER have a party like this....we will see when his little girl gives him those eyes in a few years...LOL!

Here are some pictures from the party!

Sassy on the runway!

Brinley joined in on the fun!

Stacking kind of day!

Brinley has been into stacking today! First, she stacked her lunch!

Then, she unpacked the toilet paper and decided to stack it!

Maybe she will be an architect or engineer! Sorry for the blurry pictures, but I took them with my cell phone!

Ponytails and baby shower

The weather here has turned warm and we are back in shorts and tank tops! I was finally able to put Brinley's hair in a ponytail (most of it anyways!) I think she has her daddy's sweat glands because that girl can sweat! So I think this is how her hair will be for our wonderful hot and humid summer! Here is a picture of her first ponytail!

On Sunday, my friends and I hosted a baby shower for our friend Callie. Her daughter is in Brinley's MDO and she is pregnant with a little boy! We had a good time seeing all that blue(since all of us have girls!)

Me, Callie, Cynthia and Erika

The cake I made for the shower (my skills are getting better!)

Easter Extravaganza!!!

We started our Easter celebration on Thursday with a party and egg hunt with Brinley's friends from MDO. They had a lot of fun dying eggs, hunting the eggs and playing at the park.

Friday, we spent a few hours at the zoo and then went to get my car (see picture below!) Saturday, we attended the 2nd birthday party of one of her friends from MDO. Brinley ran like crazy the entire time! She loved jumping on the moonwalk, playing in her big playroom and eating!!! She smelled like a goat when we left and took a very long nap that afternoon!!!

Saturday evening, after a nice dinner with my parents, we dyed Easter eggs for the Easter bunny.
We woke up early Sunday morning and hunted the eggs the Easter bunny had hidden for us. We then headed over to my brother's house for lunch and another egg hunt. Brinley was really becoming a pro at this egg hunting!!!!


After spending the afternoon at my brothers, we headed to Jason's parents house for dinner and yet another egg hunt!!!!! We don't have any pictures from that hunt because we were too tired by the end of the day and figured we had enough egg hunt pictures for this year! Overall, we had a wonderful Easter and trying to come down off our sugar highs today!