Hot day at the Arboretum

A group of us went to the Arboretum yesterday to visit with our friend Sari and her baby Whit before they returned back to Minnesota and of course to enjoy the beauty of the Arboretum. It was a HOT day but it didn't slow the kids down one bit. Ava loved walking all around the grassy areas and following the boys around. We found the perfect shady spot for a picnic too right next to some beautiful waterfalls. I let Ava get a little wet to cool her off and she loved it. Made me think that she would love playing in the sprinklers.

The group

Me and my precious girl by the waterfalls

Brinley and Ava having a chat

Tryin to steal someone's drink. Gotta watch that girl!

Picking up sticks and handing them to anyone who would take them

Playdate with Family

My cousin Devon, her little girl Aubrey, and my grandmother recently came over for a playdate. I thought it would be a great idea to get the girls together to play and for Granny Jean to spend some time with her two great grandaughters. I loved every minute of their visit. The girls played so nicely together and Devon, GJ, and I had great converations. We will for sure be doing it again soon!

Pretty in pink and waiting on our guests

Granny Jean reading books to Aubrey and Ava

What's a playdate without playing in the sandbox?! Ava and I like to pretend we are building sandcastles at the beach. Ahh, someday...

My 2nd Mother's Day

I had an amazing 2nd Mother's Day with my sweetie pies Ava, Mikey, and Macy! We had a relaxing day at home, went to church in the evening, and then Mikey made me a delicious dinner. My gift this year was a pretty basket filled with things they knew I would like such as chocolate, coffee, a book with sewing projects, crafting supplies, and a very sweet personalized card. Being a mother to Ava (and Macy! hehe) is one of my greatest blessings. It's a job I treasure with my whole heart and one I look forward to everyday. God has been so good to me!

Owens Farm- Part 2

Here is the second installment of pictures from our trip to the Owens Farm. :)

Before we enjoyed the farm festivities we brought a picnic lunch, Chickfila, and ate at some of the picnic tables there at the farm. It was the most gorgeous day!

Me and my sweetie

We fed the goats right out of our hands

Ava's probably thinking, "what are you?"

It didn't take her long to warm up to the goats and feed them herself

Me, Ava, and Gigi

Gigi, Ava, and Mikey (remember he came from work, hence the business attire)

These goats get fed a TON

For $5, you can't beat the amount of fun we had. Can't wait to go back!

Owens Spring Creek Farm- Part 1

I have been trying to upload these pictures for about a week now and blogger is having some issues with picture uploading aparently. These are the only ones I can get to upload but I will keep trying. So, here is part 1 of our trip to Owens Spring Creek Farm last Wednesday while Gigi was in town. I had heard about this farm from some friends and it is owned by the Owens Family who makes Owens Sausage. It is right in the middle of Richardson which was a little odd but it is so cute and the staff was incredibly friendly. It's a great spot for a field trip or playdate. I am so surprised I hadn't heard of this place when I was teaching in Richardson. Mikey met us there on his lunch break so that he could take part in the farm action. I love family field trips and having Gigi with us made it even better!

Here are pics from the hayride

Ava's new sandbox

Gigi was in town visiting for a few days and while she was here she bought Ava a new sandbox!! We play in it almost every day now and I have been finding sand in all kinds of nooks and crannies. ;) Bath time has never been more necessary since getting the sandbox.

I wanted to include these cute pictures too. Ava showed Gigi how she carries around her "purse" aka the camera case.

Up and down the hall we go dragging our purse between our legs. She cracks me up on a daily basis!

Coloring with Gigi

Thank you Gigi for the new sandbox and for coming to play with me. I had fun with you, especially at the farm (pics coming soon)! I love you!

Love, Ava

My little climber

First of all, I must say how much I LOVE this authentic mexican dress that Ben and Tana gave Ava for her birthday. I would dress her in it every day if I could! She looked precious in it and all my picture taking must have inspired her to show off her new climbing skills.

Senorita Ava

My girls
"Please mom can we go outside and play?"

Since Ava has discovered how much fun it is to stand up on the seat of her pink car she now tries to climb into or on top of everything. She loves to climb on top of her chairs and then onto her table. Uh oh! She taught herself that little trick and now it is a fun game. She always starts shaking her hands and talking to us when she is on top of her table like she is giving us a speech. Really cute! Unfortunately for her safety I am going to have to break her of this bad habit of climbing up on things.

I found her sitting in this cubby in our kitchen and so I made her do it again so I could take her picture. It's her own little hideout.

Giving another speech from her car

Fun Outings

Last week Ava and I met up with some close friends and went to the Ft. Worth Zoo. This was Ava's second time to go to the zoo and she seemed to enjoy it so much more now that she is a little older. We had a lot of fun, despite the ridiculous crowds, and I am glad we got to go with our sweet friends.

Christy with her girls Kate & Kara, Rebekah with Henry & Margaret, Ava and I, Amy & Brinley

Eatin some snacks to hold us over till lunch


Pointing to fish

Playing in the dirt (this might have been the highlight for her)

Kara and Ava looking at the elephants

Christy is one of my friends from high school. She is an amazing friend and mother and since she is a veteran mommy, she is pregnant with her third, I have gone to her with lots of advice.

The kids loved playing on this ant hill type thing (Kate's in the background. It's the best picture I could get of the them)

Ava loved the Meerkats too


To celebrate my birthday with the family the three of us, along with Alli and Greg, went to the Horse Track on Saturday to see some horse races. It was dollar day at the races so everybody and their mother was there. We brought a couple blankets and enjoyed just being outside to enjoy the pretty weather.

That evening my sweet husband made me a birthday cake and The Wolters came over for pizza, cake, and game playing. Alli and Greg were there too and I enjoyed every bit of the day!

I was very impressed with Mikey's cake making skills. He even floured the cake pans before putting the batter in.