Last Fling Before the Ring...

Abbie and Josh are gettin' hitched!!!!!  These two are such precious people...and they are such a wonderful couple!  We are SO excited for their wedding day!!!  But first...we had to celebrate them as a bachelorette and bachelor before the big day!!!  Abbie's bachelorette weekend was so much fun.  It was a weekend full of laughter, catching up, and celebrating the beautiful bride-to-be.  There were about 20 girls that traveled to Ft. Worth to spend the weekend with Abbie and just kick back, relax, and have fun!!!  Abbie's future sister-in-law found this amazing weekend house that was right on the lake.  I say house...it was a huge mansion!  It had tons of rooms, a huge living room and kitchen, and a beautiful boat dock that we went and layed out on on Saturday afternoon.  It was gorgeous and the perfect place to celebrate the future Mrs. Harrison!!!

The fun began on Friday night after everyone arrived to the house.  That was the night of the lingerie shower!!!  But first...us girls had to get some food in our bellies!!!  Jenna and Kayley brought taquitos, enchiladas, and chips for dinner and Kayley made her famous corn dip to top off the delicious Mexican food.  All of it was so good!!!  There were also lots of tasty cocktails to go around.  Jenn (Abbie's almost sister-in-law) made a yummy drink mixed with Crystal Light pink lemonade and rum...it was delish!  And of course...there were margaritas!  You can't have Mexican food without margaritas...especially when it's at a bachelorette party!!!  After we ate, it was time for Abbie to open up all her goodies!!!  She got TONS of super cute stuff and we had so much fun watching her open everything up!  Oh...Jenn had also filmed Justin (Josh and Jenn's oldest brother) asking Josh questions about him and Abbie.  It was hilarious!!!  We talked and laughed for the rest of the night and finally went to bed around 12:30.  There was a full day ahead of us on Saturday...we had to get some beauty rest!!!

Saturday began pretty early...due to our internal alarm clocks!  I woke up around 7:30 and heard Jenn, Abbie, and Abbie's sister, Amber talking downstairs.  So, I headed downstairs to join my fellow early risers!  They had been up since around 7:00...so we just laid around in the master bedroom until everyone else started waking up a little bit later.  Misty had been up even earlier than the rest of us and had gone to the store to get some goodies for later that night...and make a McDonald's run!  All of us are pretty much all alike...we wake up hungry and need coffee in our systems ASAP!!!  Around 9:00, Jenn and Abbie's moms came by with the breakfast goodies...and coffee!!!  It was such a delicious spread of yummy treats and the coffee was to die for!  They brought us sausage balls, a breakfast casserole, muffins, scones, danishes, fruit, a frozen fruit slush to drink and Dunkin' Donuts coffee with Italian Sweet Cream coffee creamer.  Holy yum!!!  I'm a huge coffee drinker...so as soon as I got back to Abilene, I made a run to the store for some DD coffee and Italian Sweet Cream coffee creamer...my mornings are just so much better now that I have that to drink...thank you Sandra!!!  After breakfast, the weather was warming up, so we headed out on the boat dock to relax and lay out a bit.  Sandra and Connie came out with us for a little bit and then headed back home to get ready for that night and leave us girls to our crazy selves!  The weather was supposed to be a little chilly...so some of us (me included) came unprepared to lay out.  So we had to lay out in just whatever while the other smarty pants had their cute little swimsuits on!  Oh well...bras and panties work just as well as a bikini!!!  Plus it was all girls...so no big deal anyways!  We laid out for awhile and about 3ish we headed back in to get ready to go out that night.  Jenn had made dinner reservations at Reata, a delicious steakhouse in Ft. Worth.  Before dinner, Josh and Abbie's parents came to pick everyone up and took us all downtown to hang out a bit before dinner.  There are lots of fun things to do and see in downtown Ft. Worth...so we made the most out of it and had a blast!  Dinner was amazing and we may or may not have played some really fun games!  After dinner, we headed out to celebrate the bride-to-be and give a toast (or a few toasts) to her pretty self and her upcoming wedding!  Saturday was a blast!!!

Sunday morning was pretty close to Saturday morning...early risers just can't ever really sleep in!  Sandra had brought over these delicious cinnamon buns on Saturday morning that were for breakfast on Sunday morning.  I'll tell you something...I love Abilene...but it holds no candle to the amazing eating places that the Metroplex has to offer!  They were amazing...like melt in your mouth amazing.  I've never had a cinnamon bun like this one.  It was coated in cinnamon and sugar instead of the sweet icing on most traditional cinnamon buns.  I'm debating copy catting that recipe...that may be my first summer food project!  The sweet mommies came over again with our survival drink...coffee!!!  Coffee and cinnamon buns...it was a delicious Sunday morning!  I have to say that Sandra and Connie are two of the sweetest ladies that I know.  They are so loving and caring and are like surrogate moms to all of us when us when we're with them.  It was wonderful to have them there with us those two mornings!  We had to pack-up, clean-up, and be out of the house by 11:00.  So after we ate, we did just that.  It was sad to say goodbye to such sweet girls after such a fun filled weekend full of laughter, gabbing, and celebrating a precious friend who is about to be one of the most beautiful brides!  We love you Abbie...can't wait to watch you walk down the aisle and become Mrs. Harrison on June 9th!!!

The Thompson Trio!!!

Meet Hadee McCall Thompson!  Already gettin' her guns up!!!

Our precious friends, Mark and Jacki Thompson, brought a beautiful little girl into this world on April 22nd.  Hadee McCall Thompson was born early that morning around 5:00 am and has been such a blessing to this amazing couple.  She is such a beautiful little girl...but I knew she would be!  These two are so full of life and love and Hadee couldn't be more lucky to have them as parents.  I have known Jacki since college.  She was a sweet little NuNu pledge my senior year and I got to know her through club and we have been friends ever since.  I first met Mark when Cody and I started dating, and he has been such an amazing friend to both of us throughout the years.  These two met at Perini's one night when we went out to eat with everyone for Josh's going away dinner.  Josh is now back in Abilene and he and his precious fiance, Abbie, are getting married on June 9th!!!  But, Josh had moved to Abilene for a short stint back in 2007-2008 and then moved to Austin for a job.  Anyways, we went to Perini's to eat because he was moving to Austin, and Mark was with us...of course!  Jacki was actually our waitress that night...I think she was a junior that year.  Since Jacki and I knew each other, we talked throughout the night and she made quick friends with everyone at our table.  There was someone that she especially hit it off with...Mark!  By the end of the night, they had exchanged phone numbers and it's history from there!  I think that their first date was actually to our wedding!  Mark was a groomsmen and Jacki came with Mark and sat several other Kojie girls during the ceremony.  We have had so much fun with these two and it has been so fun to watch her cute little belly grow!  I remember when they first told us they were pregnant back in August.  It was such exciting news and Cody and I were thrilled for them!  Jacki and I have both been finishing up our Master's degree this year...so when I see her every Friday morning for Body Pump...we always talk about how much closer we are to being done.  We also got to start talking about how many more months, weeks, and days were left for Hadee to be here!  What's been really neat is to see the anticipation that Mark has had for his sweet baby girl to be here.  He has wanted to have kids for awhile now and when Jacki found out she was pregnant, I know he couldn't have been more ecstatic!  These two are amazing people.  They have such a love for the Lord and will raise Hadee to be a faithful Christian little girl and woman.  Mark and Jacki are the kind of people that would give you the shirts of their own backs if that's all they had to give.  They are such amazing friends in every way imaginable.  We love them so much and can't wait to watch Hadee grow-up!!!

Beautiful Jacki!!!  She is absolutely glowing and so ready for Hadee to make her debut!!!

Sweet and beautiful mommy with her gorgeous baby girl!!!

Look at this guy!!!  His smile couldn't get any bigger!!!

Hadee already sporting her camo!  Gotta teach these babies from an early age that hunting is a way of life!!!

This seriously melts my heart!  So precious!!!  She has already got her daddy wrapped around every finger and toe!  He is so proud of her and I know Jacki is one proud little momma herself!

The Thompson Trio!!!  Precious couple and their perfect baby girl!  We love ya'll!!!

Baby Hay #2!

Welcome to the world Drew Kevin Hay!!!

Drew Kevin Hay is finally here!!! Drew was born on April 18th and weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 19 and 3/4 inches long.  He is a handsome little guy with a head FULL of hair!  It is the cutest thing...and so dark too!  I went up to the hospital to see them the next day and it was just little Drew, Julie, and Tony in the room.  Logan, their two and half year old was on his way with Tony's mom.  Let me tell you...he is one proud big brother!  Julie said after Drew was born and they were back in their room and could have visitors, Logan wouldn't let anyone touch or look at Drew while he was holding him.  He was saying, "My Baby!" So cute!!!  Cody got to see him the day he was born and let me know that everyone was healthy and happy.  He was on his way out of town, so he didn't go up there with me the day that I went to see them.  It was so nice to see them and get to visit with them and their new little guy.  All of our friends are having babies and they are so cute and tiny!  It's hard to believe that Logan was once that small and he's already going to be 3 in November!  I remember when Tony and Julie first got their little schnauzer, Maverick.  Cody and I were still dating and he was living in his townhouse that we first lived in when we got married.  We only had Sarge and they brought Maverick over to have a play date with Sarge.  Maverick was just a tiny puppy and Sarge was only 3.  Now, they have a 2 and a half year old, a newborn, and a doggie!  And we have been married for four years and have three four-legged babies of our own!  I really don't know where the time goes...but I can say that I'm so blessed to have been able to have spent these past few years with such an amazing group of friends that we call family.  It's been so much fun to watch couples grow into families and add new tiny little members to our close knit group!  These sweet babies are so much fun to be around and are all so good.  Even though we are all so busy and so many of us have precious little ones to take care of, we all still manage to get together and spend some quality time as one big group.  It's so much fun and we can't wait to watch all these sweet babies grow up and become friends themselves!  The Hay family are the sweetest family of four and Drew could not be more blessed to be a part of this family.  We love you guys!!!

We had a surprise baby shower at our house for this sweet family a couple of weeks before Drew was born!

Sweet Mommy and precious Drew!

All the Hay boys...except Maverick!

Snuggle time!!!

Precious Hay Boys!!!

4 Year Anniversary Trip to LA!!!



Cody and I have been married for four years!!!  Where did the time go?!?!  It has been the best four years and we have made so many memories and done lots of fun things.  This year, we started talking about what we were going to do and where we were going to go for our anniversary...then Cody decided he was going to surprise me!  He was going to wait until the day we left to tell me...but then he decided to go ahead and let me in on it so that I could pack and we could maybe plan a few excursions for the trip.  And...he just couldn't hold the surprise in!  I guess he probably told me about a month before we left for the trip.  I'm so glad that he told me.  Not because I could plan on what to pack or what excursions to go on...but because it gave me something to look forward to after finishing my last class.  We left for our trip on the last day of my class...so I could just go, get-away, and not worry about homework or any of the other stresses of school.  This last class I took was the hardest class of my entire program and it nearly did me in.  So, this trip came at such a great time.  We were able to go on a vacation and me not be a bundle of stress and worry the whole time.  It was also a perfect way to celebrate our four year anniversary.

So...the surprise anniversary trip was to LA!!!  Not Louisiana...but Los Angeles, California!!!  OMG...it was amazing!!!  The weather was perfect and California was beautiful.  LA was pretty busy, and the traffic was a bit insane.  But, we had a blast and did so many fun things.  We actually only got stuck in some pretty horrendous traffic one time.  It was on Friday around 2:00 (there was a Lakers game that night...that we went to!!!) and we waited about an hour to go 8 miles...blah!  It was pretty bad...but that was the only time that the traffic was that bad.  Every other time, there were just always tons of people on the highways.  So, I would say that for being there for 4 days, we got pretty lucky with the traffic.  Santa Monica was our favorite though.  It was only a 15 minute drive from LA, so we went there twice.  The first night we got there and the last night we were there we drove down to Santa Monica and walked along the beach and ate at some AMAZING restaurants!  It was perfect...and so fun!!!

Let me tell you about all the fun things we did!  Our flight left from Abilene around 9:00 and we got to DFW around 9:45.  We got into a little bit of a pinch because Cody's carry-on was a little too big to fit in the over-the-head compartments and so the flight attendant took it while we were boarding.  When we were getting off the plane, we were told it was taken to a different gate for some odd reason.  So, we had to rush around and go back and forth a few times before we found it.  Then, we only had like 10 minutes to get from our terminal to a completely different terminal, then find our gate to board our plane to LA from DFW.  Craziness!!!  We were a bit rushed, but we got on the plane just in time and shortly after we were in the air headed to LA!  Our flight left at about 10:20 and we arrived in LA around noon-ish.  The only problem was that there was a two hour time change and we were still on Texas time...so our stomachs were telling us it was way past lunch.  By the time we landed, got our rental car, drove to the hotel, and checked in...it was a little after 2:00.  That means that it was about 4:00 back in Abilene...and the last time we ate was before we left to go to the Abilene airport.  I guess that was around 7:15.  We had a few snacks on the plane...but nothing to keep our stomachs from grumbling.  After we checked into the hotel, we just went straight over to the restaurant in our hotel, dropped our bags, and ordered lunch.  We were both so hungry we didn't even want to go to the room to drop our bags off!  So, we ate some yummy food...I got a huge salad with lots of yummy goodies in it and Cody got a hamburger that looked so good.  I may or may not have stolen a few fries off his plate :-)  After lunch, we went back to the room, unloaded all our stuff, went to the work-out facility and got a quick work-out in, showered, got ready, then headed to Santa Monica to being our California vacation!!!

Our first night there was a Thursday night (which was our anniversary, March 1st) and we wanted to go to Santa Monica since it was only 15 minutes away and see the Santa Monica pier, walk along the beach, and eat at a really amazing restaurant!  Santa Monica was so beautiful.  It was getting close to sunset and the glow from the sun on the water was breathtaking.  The pier was amazing...better than what you see in pictures, in movies, or on tv.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  It was cool but warm enough to enjoy walking outside without being bundled up...i was able to wear skinny jeans and a light three-quarter sleeve jacket without being the least bit cold!  The air was so fresh and clean and it felt amazing to be outside walking around in it....especially after being in an airplane for most of the day!  After it started to get dark, we found this amazing little Italian restaurant right off the ocean called Il Fornaio.  We shared a bottle of our favorite wine.  Cody ordered an amazing pasta dish and I had a flat bread pizza.  Then we headed back to our hotel to just relax.  Our first night in California was simply perfect!!!

On Friday, I woke up earlier than Cody.  Even without having to set an alarm clock, I can't seem to ever sleep in for very long!  So, I changed clothes and headed down to the work-out facility to run a few miles and do a CrossFit workout.  When I got back, Cody was still in bed, so I showered.  He was awake when I got out and was heading down to go workout himself.  I finished getting ready and we he got back and showered, we went down to have breakfast at the restaurant in our hotel.  It was a buffet...and they had everything imaginable.  I had them make me an egg-white omelet with tons of veggies with fruit on the side.  Then, I piled another plate high with lots of things I just wanted to sample!  Cody had sausage, eggs, pancakes, and some fruit.  I also drank a ton of coffee...it's my favorite drink other than water!  That day, we decided we just wanted to drive all over LA and see all the sights.  We drove up to the Hollywood sign as far as they would let us go, then drove up and down Melrose, Sunset, and Rodeo Drive.  No shopping for me this trip...I would have gotten into major trouble!!!  We had lunch at Luna Park then headed to Beverly Hills.  OMG...I've never seen so many ginormous mansions!!!  They were beautiful...and the street signs even had crystals on them...amazing!!!  That night we had tickets to the Lakers game, so around 2:30 we headed back to the hotel.  That's when we got into major long traffic...but we made it back in plenty of time to shower, change, and go eat before the game.  The concierge told us about this amazing restaurant called Engine 28 that we decided to eat at.  We walked from our hotel to the game...it was only like 3 miles away and that way we wouldn't have to deal with parking or all the traffic.  So, we headed out the door around 5:00 to go eat, then to the game.  That restaurant was amazing!!!  I had seared ahi tuna that was on a grilled vegetable salad.  It was so good!!!  Cody had gumbo that he said was to die for...definitely a good recommendation!  After dinner, we were off to the game.  Cody got us amazing seats...we were in a section where servers come to you and ask you if you want to order anything so that you don't have to wait in the long lines at the concession stands or bars.  We also saw Jamie Foxx...so that was pretty amazing!!!  The game was so fun and The Staples Center is something to see.  I thought the American Airlines Center was awesome...but it has nothing on The Staples Center!  The Lakers won and played amazing...they are so much better to watch in person than on tv!  It was about 10:30 when the game was over and a little after 11:00 when we got back to our hotel, so we called it a night and headed to bed!

Our last full day in LA was Saturday and that was the day that we planned to go dolphin and whale watching!  The excursion left at 9:00 that morning, so I woke up early to CrossFit and run before we left.  Cody decided he was going to work out afterwards so he could sleep in.  We also decided to just grab Starbuck's instead of going to eat at the buffet...it was good but really expensive!  So, after I worked out, I went and got me a Venti coffee and both of us their oatmeal...which is so good!  We got ready and were headed to Newport Beach by 8:00.  The watch was so fun...a little chilly on the water...but I had my hubby there to help keep me warm!  I didn't realize how much colder it would be on the water than it is on land...so all I brought to wear out there was one of my Juicy sweatsuits...not quite warm enough!  However, the excitement of the cruise made me think less about how chilly I was.  We didn't see any whales, but we saw hundreds and hundreds of dolphins.  They are such beautiful animals...I'm slightly obsessed!!!  The excursion lasted about two and a half hours, so we were ready for lunch by the time it was over.  Our waiter at Engine 28 told us about the fresh seafood right off of Fisherman's Wharf in Newport, so we headed there to eat.  It wasn't either or our typical places that we would want to go eat, but it was more for the experience than anything else.  You got to pick what you wanted and could get however much you wanted.  They priced everything by the pound and then you could have them cook it however you wanted.  Cody got a pound of shrimp and had them fry it.  I also got a pound of shrimp, but had them make it like fajitas with tons of veggies and corn tortillas.  I would have to say that it was a place that we wouldn't normally go to and probably wouldn't do again...but it was kind-of a must for being in California and having fresh seafood at your fingertips.  After lunch, we headed back to the hotel.  Cody went to do some CrossFit and I showered and got ready for that night.  When he got back, he showered and then we headed back to Santa Monica to spend our last night in California walking along the beach and eating at an ocean front restaurant.  Before that, we decided to go to Venice Beach just to see what it was all about and visit the original Muscle Beach.  I'm glad we went, but it reminded both of us of the Jersey Shore.  There were muscle heads everywhere, store front shops that were selling crazy things, people selling "medicinal" marijuana (something we definitely were not used too!), and it was a bit on the dirty/trashy side.  But, we can say we saw it and have been there!  So then, we were off to Santa Monica for a more upscale evening!  We ate at Shutters on the Beach and had a table on the patio right off the beach.  Once again, perfect weather for sitting outside right off the ocean.  That night, we also saw Luke Wilson dining at Shutters too!  However, neither one of us could figure out who he was until we sat down and started talking about it...grr!  When he walked past us, we recognized him...but couldn't put a name with his face.  He did have on a fedora and glasses...so it was pretty hard to tell who he was.  Dinner was amazing...as all of our meals were while we were there!  I got another salad with tons of goodies on it and Cody got a hamburger.  His hamburger was on a pretzel bun and he raved about it.  I just couldn't seem to get enough salads while we were there.  All the ingredients were so fresh and so different than anything back home...so I took advantage of the freshness and off-the-wall ingredients!  Well...that was our last day/night there...so we walked on the beach a little more before we headed back to our hotel in LA.

That next morning was Sunday and our flight left at 12:20.  We took it easy that morning...neither one of us worked out.  I went down and got Starbuck's again.  This time I got a Venti mocha...I had to splurge a little!  Both of us got their oatmeal again and this time Cody got two he liked it so much the day before!  We ate breakfast in our room and just vegged out while watching some tv before we packed up and headed back to the rental car place.  We left our hotel about 9:15 just to make sure we had plenty of time, plus we wanted to get a good meal in before our flight took off.  When we got to the airport, it was about 10:30.  We had to drop the car off, then take an airport bus to our terminal.  The reason it took so long is because there were lots of people on the bus that got dropped of before we did since their terminals were ahead of ours.  But, we got to our gate, got through security, then found a Chili's by our gate so we could have lunch.  It was all very good timing because we finished up lunch and still had about 30 minutes to spare before we could start boarding the plane.  We re-stocked on magazines and I bought a book, then we sat down and waited to board our plane.  Our flight was delayed about 20 minutes because a faucet busted in one of the bathrooms and the airplane was floor was all wet.  It's against flight laws to fly when anything is wet inside the plane, so we had to wait for them to shut off the faucet and dry the carpet before we could board.  But, we took off and actually got back to DFW only a few minutes after we were supposed to arrive to begin with.  We had about an hour and a half before our flight left to take us back home...so we ate at T.G.I.Friday's and then just sat and waited.  At this point...we were so ready to be home and see our babies!!!  We got back to Abilene around 7:30 and my parents were waiting for us at the airport to take us home.  It was so good to see them and be back in Abilene...we forget how much we miss it when we're gone!  But really...we REALLY missed our precious babies!!!  Cody's mom stayed with them while we were away.  It's always comforting to know that they're taken care of when we're out of town.  His mom is always so sweet to offer to stay and treats them like the prince and princesses that they are...they love her so much!  And we know she loves them too!!!  When we got home, we had three wiggly butts waiting at the door.  We got lots of kisses and snuggles and it was so good to see their sweet faces!  After we unpacked, showered, and got ready for work the next day, we crawled in bed so that we could snuggle with them for a couple of hours before we conked out.  It was so sweet...all three of them were laying on us or in-between us the whole time they were in bed with us before we put them to bed.  We had a blast in LA...and plan on going back to California in the future.  It is beautiful there and there are so many other places and cities we would love to visit.  I can't believe it's already been four years...but I am so thankful that these past four years have spent with the love of my life.  I am truly blessed that I get to spend the rest of my life with such an amazing man that God made just for me...I love you Cody Michael Kelley!!!

Valentine's Day

Well...this post is a little late.  But you know what they say...better late than never!  Cody and I have never really gone over the top crazy for Valentine's Day.  One reason is because our anniversary is March 1st which is just a couple of weeks after Valentine's anyways and we would rather just spend a relaxing evening at home and really celebrate our anniversary since they're so close to one another.  Another reason is because everything is so crazy busy and we really hate fighting an insane crowd just to go out and eat dinner somewhere.  So, when we were talking about what to do this year, we just decided to cook dinner together at home and spend the evening together with out three loves.  There have been previous years where we have ordered dinner to-go and gone and picked it up and ate at home...but cooking together just sounded more fun!  I planned the menu and then we headed to the grocery store the weekend before to get everything we needed...again so we wouldn't have to fight the crowds the closer it got to the actual day!  We love being around people...but too many people in one small confined area all going for the same thing and not being all that nice kinda gives both of us a little bit of social anxiety!  When we were talking about what to cook, we realized it had been awhile since we had done anything on the grill.  So, we each picked out the kind of meat we wanted...Cody got a steak and I got salmon.  I also made a salad with tons of yummy vegetables, a baked potato for Cody and a sweet potato for me, and oven baked "fried" okra.  Then, for dessert, I made a four layer chocolate dessert that had cream cheese, cool whip, chocolate pudding, and a walnut crust.  All fat-free and sugar-free of course...and the walnut crust was made with good for you nuts and light butter!  It doesn't get much better when your dessert is good for you!  Cody even liked it...so that was a major plus!  He always gives me a hard time because I make every bit of food that I can healthy...even desserts.  Sometimes he likes them and sometimes he doesn't...but this was definitely a hit!  This past weekend I actually made what he considers "real brownies."  They were definitely made with real sugar, real butter, eggs, and a frosting that was anything but healthy!  They're all gone...I'm pretty sure he ate 90% of them by himself...in one night!

Back to Valentine's Day.  Since this "holiday" is so close to our anniversary, we typically don't get each other anything.  Well...we get each other a little something...but nothing too big!  This year (thanks to Pinterest) I gave Cody a little something every day starting February 1st.  It was the "14 Days of Valentine's Day."  Every day there was a little saying that went along with a candy bar or some other type of little gift.  I left them on the counter for him so that they would be there when he woke up.  Of course, I was already long gone (since I leave the house at 5:00 am to go work out before work) by the time he got up...so it was a fun little surprise for him!  There were a few days that I was actually out of town for a technology conference and my parents had to deliver the gifts.  I had given my dad Cody's key lock combination that he types in on the outside of his truck so that my dad could put the presents in the driver's seat before Cody left for work.  So fun!  On the actual day of Valentine's I had found a little picture frame that said "Love is a Four-Legged Word" and then had a red bone underneath where the picture went that was made out of all kinds of words that pertained to dogs.  I had taken a picture of the three babies (thanks to some help from Bella...my mom!) and put that picture in the frame for him.  When I woke up that morning I had a little surprise myself!  Cody had gotten me the most beautiful arrangement of roses and the sweetest card.  What's funny is that he had spruced up the envelope of the card with pictures of the three pups.  He had found a picture of each of them and then typed up a little saying on the computer and taped their picture with their saying above their heads.  We had to laugh because both of us gave each other something on Valentine's day that related to the dogs.  Can you tell that we love them to pieces and they're completely rotten?!?!? Oh well...they are definitely our babies and they get treated like the spoiled rotten little toots that they are.  There have been many times when we will get up from sitting on the couch and they'll steal our seats.  Or...they'll each be taking up the chair, love seat, and couch and we wind up sitting on the floor cause we don't want to make them move.  And if we do make them move, we call them back up to crawl up and sit in our laps.  Yep...we love them a lot!  We had a great Valentine's with each other and our little family!!!



This is the picture that I put in the frame I gave to Cody...precious pups!!!




I love this!  This is typical of all three of their personalities...Sarge has a "duh" expression on his face, Trigger is being mischievous, and Faith is being a little prissy pot...and smiling big!




Sweet babies!!!




My beautiful roses with a sweet card!




Here's a close-up of the card and their little sayings.  If you've met our dogs...then you know they're personalities and that if they could talk...this would be pretty close to what they would say!




BEAUTIFUL!!!  I have the best husband in the whole world!!!



Happy 21st!!!

Happy 21st Birthday to my baby brother!!!  I CANNOT believe that Michael turned 21 on February 5th!  Where do all these years go?!?!?  Granted...he's been 21 for well over a month now.  But still, I remember waiting at the hospital for him to be born and it seems like it was just the other day!

This year, his birthday was actually on Super Bowl Sunday...which made it even more fun because everyone was geared up to watch the game and grill out.  For lunch, he wanted to go out to Perini's and eat, which is a family favorite!  My dad called and made reservations for 11:30, which was nice because it gave us plenty of time after church to come home and let the dogs out for a bit and still early enough that there wasn't a huge crowd.  On Sundays, Perini's has an old fashioned lunch buffet...just like the way Grandma used to cook!  So they say anyways...I always order off the menu!  The buffet includes: fried chicken, chicken fried steak, smoked ham, pinto beans, green beans, corn, potatoes, gravy, green salad, cucumber and onion salad, hot rolls, and bread pudding and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  It always looks really good...I just don't eat foods like that.  So, I order the grilled chicken or grilled chicken sandwich...which melts in your mouth!  My mom is a vegetarian, so she really loves the buffet because she can get all the veggies she wants...plus they have a few special things on the buffet that don't come on the regular menu.  And of course the boys love the buffet because all the meat on the menu is only available on Sundays when you get the buffet.  Not only that...but you can go back as many times as you want!  My dad and mom both went back twice and Cody and Michael went back four times!  I do have to say...the pieces of meat they give you are smaller than you typical portion sizes...so really...they probably only had two good sized steaks...plus all the fixins!  Michael's girlfriend works at Perini's...and she was our waitress when we went!  So that was really fun...plus she's so sweet and we got to spend some time with her while we were there eating.

After lunch, mom, dad, and Michael dropped us off at our house because we had a few errands to run.  Brittany (Michael's girlfriend) had planned to have all his friends and family over at her and her parent's house for dinner that night.  They were going to grill out and of course...watch the game!  Because there were going to be so many people, we all had a few things that we were going to bring to the party so that we could help out and give her more time to get other things ready.  Since she had to work that day, there wasn't as much time for her to prepare for everything.  Cody and I waited until the last minute to get the things we were bringing...so off to the store we went!  Brittany was making hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, baked potatoes, chips, hot sauce, and queso, and of course all the fixins and a veggie tray with dip!  She also made funfetti cupcakes with buttercream frosting for dessert...Michael's favorite!  We were in charge of the buns for the hamburgers and hot dogs and all the veggies and cheese to go on them...and the veggie tray and dip!  When we left the house, we decided to go to Sam's because it would be cheaper.  Then Albertson's for the veggies and stuff since we didn't need as many of them.  Let me tell you...both places were a mad house!  There were so many people in both places buying things for last minute parties...and a lot of people just buying their everyday groceries.  Not the best day to just do your normal grocery shopping that's for sure!  We got home and had a couple of hours to spare before we headed out to Britt's, so we just chilled with the pups and watched some tv and pre-game stuff.

Around 4:00 we headed out to Brittany's house to begin the birthday/Super Bowl festivities!  Everything was still being cooked, but the pre-game show was on and everyone was ready to snack, eat, visit, watch the game, and have a good time!  It was so much fun to be with everyone and for all Michael's friends to be there to celebrate his birthday with him.  The food was also amazing!  There was so much to choose from and everything was seriously delicious!  Brittany's step-dad grilled the hamburgers and hot dogs out on the grill...which is always so good.  You just can't get much better than a hamburger and hot dog off the grill...all those yummy char marks...my mouth is watering just thinking about it!  They had also bought two different kinds of chicken sausage.  Both kinds were so good.  I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to eat because I wanted a little bit of everything!  So, I just had to cut a few bits off of a hot dog and both kinds of chicken sausage so I could have a little sample.  I just couldn't pass up a hamburger...so that's exactly what I had!  I put a little bit of the chili on it with a little taste of the queso...and man it was so good!  But like I've said a million times in this post...all the food was to die for!

For the rest of the evening, we watched the game and just sat around and visited.  It was so fun to sit back and listen to the stories Michael and his friends were telling.  Those boys are all a mess!  But, the good kind of mess.  You know...the funny, silly, light-hearted, and also loving mess!  These boys are really more like brothers, and have been ever since they were in elementary school.  It's a pretty unique relationship that they all have.  And it makes it fun for all of us because we feel like we have an extended family through them.  All their parents are precious and I really feel like I have seven brothers instead of one!  We laughed and joked and talked...really more than we watched the game.  But it was so fun!  Cody and I decided to head out after the halftime show.  We both had work the next day and we knew that the pups would be ready to play and be loved on before they calmed down and were really ready for bed.  So, we headed out and finished watching the game at our house.  Overall, I think Michael had a pretty good 21st and it was so much fun to celebrate his day with him!  I'm so proud of the man that he has grown into and for all he has accomplished in his 21 years and I look forward to watching him grow for many more years to come.  He's been my best friend and partner in crime ever since he was born and I'm so blessed to have him as my baby brother.  I love you Michael!

Michael and Brittany out at Perini's!

Me and my (big) little brother!!!  It's kinda hard to say he's my little brother when he's about 10 inches taller than I am!  And in this picture...I'm wearing 5 inch heels!

Cody and I with the birthday boy!!!  Happy 21st Michael!!!

All the boys that came to celebrate Michael's birthday!  Love them all so much!

The whole gang!!!  Such a fun group of people to be surrounded by on such a milestone birthday!  We love you Michael!!!