wonder woman, starlets, & ninja's! oh my!

>> Saturday, October 31, 2009

So tonight was the best halloween yet! we headed out to ricky and christina's so ava could trick or treat with the girls and dillon. Christina made a fabulous chili and cornbread (yummy) and then we headed out for some treats! Maddy was so cute with ava...she took care of her most of the time, holding her hand, helping her with her bag, just being so sweet! ava is so lucky to have such wonderful cousins! it was so cute to watch ava go up to the doors and trick or treat with her the big kids. And when doors would open and they would all shout "trick or treat" like a little chorus, oh, it just melted my heart! my girl even used her big girl manners and said her "thanks yous!" such a proud mama! the kiddos all had a great time and ended the night with bags full of candy!

a little wonder woman action for ya!

the gang.
such a sweet witch! this was one of the first houses we went to and they had it decorated so fun with dry ice and everything!
the ninja.
the hollywood starlet.
hope you all had a great halloween...there is no amount of walking that is going to undo the damage i did tonight...darn snickers...
xo,
a

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rockin' out!

>> Friday, October 30, 2009

We went to some old friend's house monday night to catch up {they hadn't seen ava since she was about three months old....that's how long it has been!}. anyway, i used to baby sit their kiddos when they were small {now they are in middle school and high school, dating girls, getting drivers licenses, playing with bands in deep ellum....makes me feel soooooo old!} ava got to play on mark's drums and loved it! at first she was kind of shy about it and just would hit them softly, but she let loose a little bit and loved every second! Thanks so much ya'll for such a great evening...we'll have to do it again...soon!




xoxo,
a
check out The Savvy Photographer for another great giveaway!

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rockin

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dorothy & the duck

>> Wednesday, October 28, 2009


Tried to get some pictures of the kiddos in their halloween costumes tonight. headed out to mimi and poppy's for a visit {& we needed zoe to pose as "toto" in the basket}. had such a nice night. my dad made is fabulous chicken & wild rice soup...it was delicious! i can't get enough of that soup! {especially in this cooler weather} so...here is ava as "dorothy". Hollis as "ducky" {i won this costume from Jonnye Bower...a local photog! yay for fun giveaways!} gonna try and get some better shots of him tomorrow...the light wasn't quite right and ava kept disturbing the little se up i had going on. funny how the child wants nothing to do with the camera until i turn it on her brother....hmmmm! & last, but not least, Zoe girl as "toto"!



i think every girl should have a pair of sparkling ruby slippers!

L.O.V.E.




this one is a favorite, too!



Ava & Zack

Ava pestering Zack! my crazy fun girl!

portrait of a little lady, right?! ha!

hollis the duck...

such a sweetheart...

my two little bitties...i can't even express how much i adore these two munchkins. they are my heart.

xo,

a


p.s. into giveaways?! check out this GREAT one on the creative mama. you have until friday night to enter! get busy!

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yummy

>> Monday, October 26, 2009

I got this in the mail today...it's one of my giveaway review items...my sweet tooth is definitly happy today! a giant chocolate covered fortune cookie....yummm-o!

isn't it pretty?!

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20 questions....

>> Wednesday, October 21, 2009

saw this on a blog i love to read...thought i would fill it out, too....

1. what is your favorite thing to snack on while you are blogging....
don't have a favorite snack...but i always have to have something to drink. diet coke, water...

2. what is one thing you wouldn't live without?
family.

3. Beach, mountains, or farm...where would you live if you had the choice?
beach, beach, beach.....

4. what's your least favorite chore/household duty?
dishes...i loathe dishes! we live in a really old house with no dishwasher and my husband refuses to put one in because we would lose so much cabinet space in our tiny kitchen.

5. who do people say you remind them of?
some people in my family say sandra bullock {obviously not looks, i think more mannerisms}
this is interesting because my husband can't stand sandra bullock {she reminds him of an "annoying" girl he worked with, he never wants to see movies with her in them...so...not sure how true that is...
in my earlier 20's, i had a lot of poeple tell me claire danes & posh spice {aka victoria beckam}....{i think those were just because of the short haircut i rocked & the old early twenties physique!}


6. prefer parties & socializing or staying home with the fam?
i love getting together with friends and family to visit and hang out. my favorite days are when we are all at the lake boating, sitting on the dock, fishing, eating, just spending time together and having a ball. but, most of the time we tend to be homebodies. it can be a bit difficult sometimes with bo working and me staying home. i am home so much that when he is off work i want to go out. but he works so much that when he is off work he wants to lounge around the house...i can't blame him. we compromise and always work it out, though :)

7. what's your all time favorite movie?
the notebook & braveheart....love 'em both.

8. do you sleep in your make up? or remove it every night, like a good girl?
take it off....if i ever get a chance to put it on...

9. do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you haven't had time to learn? what is it?
i love to sing and have always wanted to learn to play the guitar. i had a guitar once {it's a long story to what happened to it}, but never learned how to play... i thought i could teach myself. i should have taken lessons. i have visions of playing guitar and singing songs to my children someday.

10. what's one strange thing you're really good at?
typing....{not sure if that's strange or not?} i am a super fast typer. i took typing in high school and it has served me well.

11. what first attracted you to your spouse?
well....it was probobly just "him"...his swagger...his eyes...the way i felt when i was around him {butterflies}. i knew he was going to be someone special in my life the first time i laid eyes on him. honest!

12. what is something you love to smell?
the smell right before it's gonna rain, lemongrass, & freshly bathed babies.
lemongrass transports me back to jamaica where bo and i got married. they had this fantastic lemongrass lotion at the hotel and i used it very sparingly so every once in a while i could


put it on, close my eyes,
and
remember.
i think i ran out around our two year anniversary...i should call beaches and see if i could get some more? aren't senses amazing?!

13. tell something about you that irritates people?
i talk...a lot. i guess that could be irritating.

14. when you have extra money, what is the first thing you think of to do with it?
save it. when we get our tax return every year, it goes straight into savings.

15. are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? what makes you laugh the hardest?
a mix of both, i think. ava's silly shenanigans and of course, my husband always make me laugh....& the cosby show. i know, it's weird, but it always makes me laugh.

16. where is your favorite place to shop?
target & forever 21. {why, oh why don't we have an H&M people?!} also love going to antique malls and flea markets when i can get the chance!
love to dream at anthropologie...i am hoping when i shrink a bit, bo might take me there and buy me something pretty.....

okay, i lurve shopping and i love, love, love clothes...it's a problem....

17. what's one thing you would do more often if you had more time?
exercise. i love to exercise and it is so hard for me to find time to do it...i should probobly be doing it now instead of sitting my booty in this chair! ha!

18. are you a big spender or frugal?
i take after my mother...i l.o.v.e. to spend. i try to find good deals and my husband has taught me a lot about saving money. thank goodness!

19. who is your favorite character of all time?
probobly dorothy from the wizard of oz. i was obsessed with that movie growing up {living in kansas probobly had something to do with that}. i have loved watching it with ava, she loves it! she is going to be dorothy for halloween this year, i am so excited! trying to decide if hollis should be a munchkin or the lion....i have the cutest huge lollipop...he could be one of the lollipop gill munchkins....decisions, decisions.

20. would you want to be famous?
nope...i really do love the simple life & wouldn't change a thing.

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swoonworthy...

i keep running across this lisa leonard jewelry & every time i do i just swoon! i think i may have to start dropping hints to the husband...could make a very gorgeous christmas present!


swoon.....
~a

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the hourglass

>> Tuesday, October 20, 2009

so, this is how i found supergirl this afternoon...she sat in hollis' carseat forever just rocking and playing with his baby einstien toy...she cracks me up! what is so very crazy about this is that i remember the first time we put her so carefully in that same carseat when she was just a few days old and she looked so small and fragile. when people tell you to enjoy each moment because the time goes too fast you have no idea what they are talking about until you blink and your baby has grown two feet, is speaking in sentences, and has become their own little person.

also, the savvy photographer is having yet another fabulous giveaway! check it out people!

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supergirl...

>> Monday, October 19, 2009

isn't feeling so super...
saturday morning, grams, popo, & i took ava & hollis to the circus. i knowingly {& stupidly} left my camera behind...it is a bit big and bulky and i knew i would have my hads full with the kiddos and diaper bags, etc. thought that it would be a bit much to handle since bo wasn't going to be along. even though i did get to wear my new sleepywrap {one of the first items i am going to be reviewing for my new giveaway gal gig...october 22nd..make sure you enter to win one if you have little ones...it's awesome!} i thought for sure grams would have her camera along...she always does....nope, she left it home with a dead battery. so no fun circus pictures for you...no ava riding the elephants & ponies...no mommy with hollis in the sleepy wrap {or "hollis in a pocket" as ava says}, no bears in tutus or flying men through the air....so sad! i learned my lesson...no matter how much hassle...bring the stinkin camera...or lovely husband...point & shoot for christmas would be a great present for you fabulous wifey! during the circus i noticed ava doing a lot of snuggling & wanting to be held...totally out of character for my little on the go girl. she started feeling warm and when we got home she actually fell asleep on grams' lap...WHAT?! i knew something was not right! she was running fever and long story short, took her into cooks urgent care {which was full of sick kids...even ones throwing up at the door} and found that she has a double ear infection {just as i predicted}. so off to the pharmacy, which was backed up as well, dropped off the prescription and got home to the baby and husband. {definitly didn't want to take hollis along to the germ factory} a few hours later, ava was on her meds and on her way to feeling better! it has been a rough few days, but this afternoon i really think she started showing signs of her old self coming through again! so hopefully that means she is on the mend.

a picture of the sleepywrap...seriously, they are so comfortable and hollis loves to be carried in his!


photo from http://www.sleepywrap.com



supergirl on the mend...
bubba relaxing...
hollis had his two month doctor appointment today...he is doing great & growing like crazy...the child is already in some 6 month clothes...he is so long! he is 14lbs 4 oz, 25 1/2 inches, and a total smiling, cooing dream of a baby. i could just kiss on those cheeks all day long.
~a

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oh, michael. so good!

>> Wednesday, October 14, 2009

just a little something making me smile today.

& it's so true...when you meet the one you are meant to spend your life with, their love does change you.

~a

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just a little somethin'

>> Tuesday, October 13, 2009

a sweet, sweet man left this for me in the tub today (no, my tub isn't brown...just awful light in there). isn't he a sweetie! who said those tub crayons are only for kids is crazy!
also, something new that jen and i are working on. check us out here...we need all the cheerleaders we can get on this year long journey!
that's all for now...
~a

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baby boy, bubbles, & mimi

>> Sunday, October 11, 2009

sweet hollis...hasn't he grown! {still has all that gorgeous hair, though!}
miss bubbles...decided that since she won't pose for the camera i would just get some shots of her doing something she loves & that would be good enough for now!

this has to be one of my recent favorites!

mimi & holllis {ava wasn't having anything to do with picures!}

can't wait to fill you in on a new project i am doing with this pretty lady...i'll probobly post about it tomorrow....so excited!
~a

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miss a.

>> Saturday, October 10, 2009

little miss gorgeous...
i got to take some pics for my friend lori's daughter today! they are for a peageant she is entering! first of all, this girl is gorgeous! second of all, she has personality plus! if she doesn't win this thing, i'm gonna be shocked! such a sweetheart!




















* they all had to be edited black and white for her pageant...

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it's official!

>> Thursday, October 8, 2009

check me out on giveaway everyday!!! soooooo excited about this amazing new gig! this is gonna be fun, ya'll!!!! i may even have to post about some of the products i test on this blog! i already know a few that i am getting and can not wait to try them out!

i also have several shoots set up for the next month and a half! pumped about those. doing some head shots for a friend, some senior shoots, and some family shoots! can't wait to share some of the shots i get with ya'll. it's gonna be fun! fingers crossed this generates some word of mouth buzz and i can get a little work each month. that would be sweet!
so, that's that. we had a great day today. grams came by and took ava shopping after she got off work. of course, she came back with not one, but two super fun toys involving disney princesses and strawberry shortcake and her berry bitty cruiser car! of course they also got a toy for bubba. our children seriously have the most amazing grandparents...all 7 of them! & not because the buy them stuff (even though that's a bonus...i'm not gonna lie!), but because they just adore them & genuinly love spending time with them! they are so darn spoiled already....& i wouldn't have it any other way!

~a

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giveaway girl

>> Tuesday, October 6, 2009

so, last week i saw that one of my favorite giveaway blogs posted that they were looking for someone to join their team to test out and write reviews on different products that will be given away through their blog. i almost didn't fill out the form, because i just thought the chances of them picking me would be so slim (i am not a "glass is half empty girl" normally, but i was trying to be realistic!) i am sooooo glad i didn't listen to my inner pessemist because i filled out the form and hit submit. imagine my total surprise when i opened my e-mail earlier today with an email from a giveaway every day saying i was one of the "chosen ones"! WHAT?! so, i am totally excited about this new opportunity! i am officially a "giveaway girl"!!!! this is wonderful, i mean, it combines two of my most favorite things, writing and giveaways! anyway, i already have my first products to review all set up and can't wait to get them and give them a try! i'll keep you updated on how this goes for me. i think it should be really fun and i am so excited to be a small part of this incredible blog! still trying to figure out how in the world i got so lucky...i mean, i am the one who enters all these giveaways and never wins...looks like i just may have won the best one yet! just some fun news about the mama tonight ya'll!!!
~a

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fun times!

>> Sunday, October 4, 2009

we had such a fun weekend with my cousin alex and his wife kirstin! they came down from minnesota for a visit. it was so good to see them, we hadn't seen them since there wedding last year (oct. 11th is their first anniversary! happy anniversary, ya'll!). we spent friday afternoon at the zoo and saturday made a trip out to the dallas arboretum..they have all the pumpkins out, so we thought it would be a fun trip! ava had a blast both days (she is soooo exhausted today and is napping in her room, as i type!), she loved all the animals at the zoo and had a blast playing in all the pumpkins at the arboretum! she especially loved the hay maze. alex got so many great pictures, can't wait to get them so i can share them with ya'll! i didn't take any pics at the zoo and only got a few at the arboretum...but enough for a fun picture post :)

alex and ava playing piano!
kirstin rockin' hollis

can you find the pumpkin?

grams & ava
a cool gray pumpkin! would love one of these on my front porch!


it was a super fun weekend and we were sad to see them leave for the airport. they are so much fun to be around and visits always make me wish we lived closer to one another.
bo and i took them to joe t.'s last night for a double date (grams watched the kiddos for us, thanks grams!). the food was awesome as usual, and even got to have a margarita treat! they have the absolute BEST margaritas in town!
hope ya'll had a great weekend!
~a

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