Cracker Toffee Friends

This past weekend I got to get away for some sweet time with my girlfriends. My precious friend Wendi is moving across the world to Doha and we couldn't let her go without one last slumber party. She will be in town for a few more weeks which is a huge treat for me, but I thought I'd go ahead and post my "Ode to Wendi" now.
Wendi is one of my favorite people and best friends. She is one of those friends that it is hard for me to remember not knowing. Some of my best friends from high school met Wendi at Baylor and thankfully introduced her to me - and the rest is history. We will often be laughing about something or someone from our MHS days and then realize that - Oh yea, you didn't go to High School with us. Like I said, I feel like I have known her forever!!She is a wonderful mother a loving wife and a hilarious, quick witted, trustworthy, Godly friend. She is an amazing listener and has a way of making you feel like you are the most important person in the room. She is as down to earth and authentic as they come and I know that the Lord will use her in amazing ways on her next adventure.




Our lives have paralleled each other in a lot of ways. When we had a miscarriage with our first pregnancy I didn't really know anything about that process or anyone who had had one etc. Wendi called me that awful weekend and said I have to tell you something...we hadn't told anyone we were pregnant, but we're going in for a DNC tomorrow - the exact same day I was scheduled to go in! What an incredible blessing from the Lord. I tear up just remembering his precious provision of not just a friend but one of my best friends who was able to not just sympathize with me, but be there experiencing the same thing during one of our family's hardest days.


But, the Lord didn't stop there, he blessed us both with healthy baby boys, just a few months apart.

Look at those precious babies, they both recently turned 3!!! Where does the time go!
Our husbands just happen to love each other too!!
Just to keep us tracking together we got to be pregnant together again with, you guessed it, some little brothers.

The above blessings are AMAZING and I truly thank God for a friend who can relate so easily to my day to day triumphs and struggles. The next two similarities are just hilarious to me.

Not long after getting very similar haircuts, from way long to pretty short, we showed up to a baby shower wearing the EXACT SAME THING. Even our jewelry was similar! Seriously, who does this?

Then, without communicating about it at all, last Halloween we dressed our boys up as the same thing!

I could go on, but you get the idea. On the up side of this move (along with following God's will for their lives) I think this might actually get her blogging, so you can be on the look out for "Doha Days" or the like soon. :) We can't wait to see how the Lord uses you and Nick and grows your family over the next few years. We will miss you terribly, but look forward to every visit and all the email, phone calls, blog posts, etc. in between. I love you friend!

State Fair of Texas

We went to the State Fair of Texas yesterday and got our fill of farm animals and fried food for the year.

The boys discovered the joys of cotton candy.
And it is hard to beat a corny dog and some tornado tators - YUM!
Big kept the treats coming. Once Wyatt saw him coming with ice cream he didn't take his eyes off the prize until it was gone.

The sugar rush did help fill in the gaps as we waited for the pig races to start.

They had a baby giraffe at the petting zoo, so cute!! III was a little more freaked out by the animals than usual, probably because the first thing we saw when we entered the fair was a GIGANTIC pig, seriously it was the biggest pig I have ever seen and it was not one bit cute! The boys were in their strollers at the time so he kept saying, "I don't want to see it! I don't want to see it!" as in, get me the heck away from this thing!! He warmed up by the time we made it to the piglets at the petting zoo.

I made the mistake suggesting we take the boys down the Midway in search of some kiddie rides around 8:00. We found them, but it was crowded and totally chaotic. I think we all felt about like Stacey looks in this picture, so we quickly turned around and made our way out of all the chaos. I'm thinking the KidsWay would be a lot more fun during the daylight hours.

Stacey (Daddy) loves the car show so we always wonder through the sea of vehicles and this year was no exception. I think my feelings about the car show are probably similar to Stacey's feeling about say...a fabric store. Bored to tears! But, there were real live race cars, just like the ones in Lightning McQueen, and the boys thought that was SO COOL!! Those ropes are invisible to a 3 year old.

Here we are with Big Tex, or at least his boots :). It was another great family outing. I feel so blessed that the boys get to share memories like this with wonderful grandparents that love them, spoil them rotten and make every effort (even if that means overdoing it on bad ankles and knees) to be there, so they can enjoy every minute with them. Thanks for treating us Big & Nannie!!

Autumn at the Arboretum

Nannie (Stacey's Mom) treated us to a last minute trip to the Arboretum today along with Shelley and Brylie. It was Mommy and Me Monday as well as Columbus Day and the Pumpkin Festival so it was pretty packed, but we had a GREAT day!!

Little farm boy rolling in the hay.
Wyatt carried this thing all over the place. At one point Shelley hid it in some pumpkins, but in no time at all he found it, dug it out and started lugging it around again. Such a funny boy.
Check out this model pose! Such a ham.If Wyatt was a super hero I think he would have to be SUPER SMILER.
Stacey loved our picnic and climbing on this tree.
The petting zoo was another hit. Wyatt wasn't sure what to think, but Brylie loved it!

Stacey got to do a fall craft and he really enjoyed using the glue stick. Obviously his skills caught the eye of the stranger next to him!
Wyatt did a little costume change after lunch in case you were wondering why he is in orange half the time and navy the other (as I type that I am laughing at myself for thinking anyone would notice or care - HA!). I have some pictures of him eating his lunch (still the messiest eater I've ever seen) and him sitting in the one mud puddle in the park, both of which lead to his quick change, but I'll spare you. Such a fun day thanks Nannie!!

Playdates Rock

We got to play with Noah and Haley this morning. And the good times just wouldn't quit. A playroom full of new toys, shows, a huge ball barn, flashlights in the "fort" (otherwise known as a winding mostly empty storage closet) then lunch topped off with suckers. In the 3-year-old world it just doesn't get much better than this. And in my 30-year-old world I love getting out of the house and catching up with my sweet friend Karla!

Here are the boys in a hug...or maybe a headlock, always hard to tell.

Wyatt LOVES talking on the phone...wonder who he has seen do that?

Proud Papa taking his phone for a stroll.

How fun to have this contraption up stairs!!

This toy camera was a big hit (I think we can add a camera and flashlights to the boys Christmas wish lists). Shocking that they both new exactly what to do with this!! Stacey kept saying "OK, I'm gonna take a pichure of (fill in the blank with an assortment of toys)." Then he would encourage the inanimate object with, "Oh good job, good pichure."
Thanks for a fun morning!

Thanks Ryan!!

Ryan and Angie (please check out her blog for an awesome pic of me in some way to high wasted jeans :) recently passed on a huge bag of Cars cars, that Ryan wasn't playing with much anymore. It has been SO fun to give them to Stacey one by one. I've been stretching out the joy by giving him one for eating a good dinner or taking a nap without fussing etc. Last night he was NOT fired up about going to bed so I said, "OK I'll tell you what, if you go to bed right now without any fussing then you just might have a treat outside your door in the morning." He literally rolled over without a peep and shut his eyes. I know bribing isn't always a good solution, but it gets the job done and it is so fun to give him these special treats and see that little face light up. This morning he sprang out of bed immediately in search of the promised treat. It was dark in the hallway so he frantically went to the front door thinking that might be the door I was talking about. When he calmed down enough to hear us telling him to look outside his door he was elated to find Mater!!!!! Thank you Ryan for being so generous with your toys and making things so fun around our house. Stacey couldn't be happier. And just in case you're wondering Lightning is awaiting a rescue mission from under the fridge and was not available for the photo shoot.

Cutie

I know this makes two Wyatt posts in a row, don't worry Stacey is getting plenty of attention, but (ironically, because he is younger) Wyatt usually wakes up from his nap before Stacey so we get a little one on one time then as well as during MDO twice a week. And some days he just loves the camera, and since I am well aware that might change tomorrow, I'm striking while the iron is hot...or something like that. He was so proud of himself for crawling under this chair.

I've been going to a Watermark playgroup on Thursdays with other Moms who live in Richardson. I've really enjoyed having something fun to do with just Wyatt and since most of the kids are younger it has worked out great. It is beautiful here today so we met at the park this morning. One creative Mommy brought little pumpkins to paint - great idea! THANKS BROOKE!! Wyatt loved it and is VERY proud of his pumpkin. He's holding it below but it's upside down so you can't really see the masterpiece.

Muffin Man

I LOVE the seasons, and I am sure I will elaborate on that in a later post, because just typing it brings to mind a myriad of seasonal sights and smells that I am convinced send out some sort of happy endorphins that all the exercise in the world can't create. One of the things I love about Fall is all the yummy pumpkin recipes. They taste delicious and make the house smell like a bakery in Autumn...did I mention I love the seasons :). I've been wanting to try out a new recipe for Pumpkin Spice Muffins that I found blogging and this afternoon was the perfect opportunity. This is my Wyatt enjoying his afternoon snack.

Lil' Punkins

I saw these cute little dressed up pumpkins in my Mom's Good Housekeeping. I modified it a little bit by tying them at the top, but thought they turned out pretty cute. They would be even cuter in a big bowl with all different sized pumpkins. I LOVE ribbon and tend to have scraps around the house so this little project cost me exactly $3.
I found these other lil' punkins on a living room road trip. The car seats were inside waiting to be put back in my car and they are clearly more fun on the floor than in an actual automobile. These Halloween jammies (like SO many of Stacey and Wyatt's matchy matchy stuff) used to be Ryan (my nephew) and Stacey's. PTL for hand-me-downs!!

L is for Lila

I got to go to Houston this weekend for Kacey's first baby shower and some quality girl time with my Mom and sisters. The shower was darling, the food was delicious and the the gifts were plentiful. We can't wait for Miss Lila Elizabeth to arrive. Kacey, as usual looked as stylish and beautiful as ever.
I was reminded on this trip that I miss living with girls. I love my man, but lets face it he can't do my eye makeup, introduce me to Big Sexy Hair root lift, loan me accessories or give an educated opinion on my outfit :)

But I do owe my man a big thank you for keeping the boys and letting me enjoy a great weekend with my fam!!!

Stacey Smith Stacey Smith What Do You See?

I thought for sure I had one more year of persuading my preciouses into whatever Halloween costumes I selected, but I'm open to suggestions and obviously if III had his heart set on something then I'd be more than willing to make that happen. That said, I'm not sure if we're going to be able to make all of his dreams come true this year...

Yikes! Haven't seen to many boyish orange birds around lately. Here's hoping he changes his mind and decides a cowboy would be super fun for Halloween!!

Snug As A Bug

The boys LOVE to play on our bed. It has become part of the daily routine when Stacey gets home from work. He opens the door and (on most days) gets a joyful reception/tackle and then runs and jumps on the bed with four little feet chasing him as fast as they can. They throw each other down, wrestling etc. It is far too rough for me and since Mommy is a wimp I usually leave them be. The other night I was doing who knows what and came in to find them all tucked in bed pretending to be ready for lights out. I love these precious, silly, sneaky, roughhousing, all boy boys.