Catching up on LOTS of memories made!

As usual, I have to start by saying that I am the WORST blogger ever. I always vow that I am going to do better. Well, that's the story of my life. Ha! I have so badly neglected my little online scrapbook...for almost a YEAR.  So pathetic! I am going to start where I left off in November and just take it month-by-month...the thought of even trying to do this is overwhelming to me!
Thanks for the motivation, Shelby!

I sure do love a clean baby!

Such  a happy boy! Look at those knee rolls!

I don't look very thrilled in this picture, but believe me...Thanksgiving has always been such a special holiday for our family. I am not sure how old Aaron and I were in this picture. I just know that times are so different these days. We used to all get together as a family (no questions asked), but now that everyone is married it's so hard to get all the cousins, aunts, and uncles under one roof it seems.

 Another thing that makes Thanksgiving hard is that we are missing our loved ones. I miss how Erika was so excited to always eat my mom's green rice and how MiMi & PaPa would be shouting, "Go Cowboys!" as loud as possible at the television. I miss all that!

I am THANKFUL for what I do still have, the family members that are still able to get together, and the new memories we can make.

Thanksgiving morning, Mike took our little family of four out to the cemetery. We left beautiful flowers for Erika, MiMi, and Papa. Doing this always makes me feel so good!

The plan was to go over to my brother's house once the boys woke up from their naps. I was really looking forward to Mason's first Thanksgiving. Sadly, he woke up with a high fever and was sick. Mike stayed home to take care of our little turkey. Madden and I enjoyed spending the day with mom, Charlie, Jayme, and my brother's family. Madden had so much fun with his cousins!

Lots of stuff went on in December...Picture OVERLOAD!

Mason turned 8 months on December 5 & got Big Blue off on the 20th! We literally pushed him around the house in a stroller. He wasn't crawling yet and he was just SO heavy. He really liked this way of life back then:) 

My Madden boy! I heart that little smile:)

Madden got his own tree this year. He was so proud! He had to have a blue star and skirt of course:)

Family Christmas party in Ovilla

I went to my friend, Heather's birthday @Painting With a Twist. This was my second painting and I think it turned out pretty good! 

I don't always go to my work Christmas party. This was only the second one I had gone to in the 7 years that I have been at Starrett. Shame on me. It was fun! 

Our Family Portrait that we used for the Christmas cards

My mom turned 57 on December 21st. Love her! 

I took Missy out to eat for her birthday...love her, too:)

How cute are these tiny couples? This was Madden & Whitney's second year to make their gingerbread house. I hope we keep up this little tradition:)

On Christmas Eve we had the family over to celebrate. We decided that we wanted to all be comfy and cozy. Pajama christmas was born! I would love to do this EVERY year! 

This is real life, people! The sad part is....this was the best picture out of the bunch. Ha!

Mason posing with his new monogrammed blanket (thanks Shara)

 I guess there is just something about a bald-headed baby

 These two are so special to me:)

Kelli, Amy, Kaitlyn, and I just having some dorky fun...thanks Aaron for being patient

The Family

We claim her...she claims us...We're family

Memories Made

 Brother Love

 Madden and Mason in the same outfit and box. Madden was about 8 month older than Mason though.

 We had a white Christmas!

 They are so easy! We are not used to a lot of snow...so the littlest amount is very exciting!

My World

These are the moments...

 The boys made these three tiles for Mike. The candy cane was made out of Madden's thumb prints.

I love how they turned out:)

 Christmas Morning

The day after Christmas, we went to Grandbury to check out mom and Charlie's new lake house. It is super cute! Madden really got a kick out of feeding the ducks. Definitely his type of place!

NYE morning Mike and I went out in the freezing cold to put some artificial gerber daisies on Erika's marker. Real flowers would not of survived in those temps. Gerber daisies were her favorite.

That night, we went to Jinbeh and a movie with Pam and Brian. Mike and I always have the best time with them. It was a night full of laughs and fun!

I told myself that in 2013 I was either going to start recording things in a baby book/journal or that I would keep up with blogging...Well, we all know how those New Year's Resolutions are! Ha:)


I ALWAYS eat black-eyed peas on the first!
I am one of those who would like to think they still bring good luck in the new year.

Mike and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary on January 4. I love this man so much! There isn't anyone else I'd rather share my life and raise our sweeties with. We went on a little weekend getaway to the Adolphus. It was so nice! Mike proposed to me at the Adolphus, so it was really special. Awwwwwww.

I wish I would have ordered these little ties with Madden. It's a good way to keep up with the monthly pictures. I remember actually having to put Mason in this box, just so that I could actually snap this 9 month shot. I just adore this little face so much!

This sweet face, too! Madden had his first indoor Soccer game in January. I wouldn't say we have a David Beckham on our hands or anything, but he sure looked the part:)

Hey, he's 3! I think we will try again in the fall:)

The boys and I went over to the Kane's to visit and buy girl scout cookies of course! 

We love Missy and her sweet family:)

1/12/13- Our first cousin dinner of 2013

Kelli and I also took ice cream over to Jayme's in honor of PaPa's Bday. 

Wylie's first birthday and another pic from around that time. I love watching little babies together!

Fun at the park while we were still on Winter break!

Clean baby pictures NEVER get old! 

By the middle of January, we finally realized that Mason had outgrown his carrier. It was time for an upgrade for this big boy!

January 29, Mason had his first surgery. He did so good! All the nurses and doctors were so sweet and it was as though they loved him just as much as we did! We were nervous about him having surgery at this earlier of an age, but everything went great:)

At the end of the month Madden and McKenna's team played each other in Soccer. It was fun for Lindsey and I to watch our little sweeties together.

After the game, we went out to eat with the Wells family. I love that Whitney & Madden and Wylie & Mason are the same age. We are already planning a double wedding one day. Ha! No...SERIOUSLY!!!!

Love Month

The monthly tie pic- 10 months old 2/5/13

I think this might be one of my favorite pictures of sweet Mason.

We celebrated Camden's 5th Birthday at the ballpark.

Fun times!

Me with my mom and brother

Look how happy the birthday boy looks! :)

 Two of my Valentine's

Pam's baby shower- Friends since grade school

 We had to get a pic of her Aiden bump.

 PF changs for Allison's Bday. 

Ha! I remember this day. We had to give Madden benadryl, because his allergies were just horrible that morning. We might have given him a tad too much! 

At the end of the month, they had their team pic. Madden looks thrilled!

We ended the season with one more soccer game on the Rockstars. All the kids were so cute! They had a fun party at Al's Hamburgers and even got little trophies and medals. 

Coach Sara and Katy were awesome!

March is a month that will always tug at our hearts more than any other month in the year. We choose to make it a month of celebration. Ours hearts are heavy, yet still full.

The tie did not survive the 11 month pic. Mason ate it. 3/5/13

This cousin love just melts my heart. It almost looks like a postcard. Love it!

My brother scored lots of extra points with me on this sweet day. He volunteered to help Madden with his T-ball skills. Aaron was so patient with him. Then the boys had fun being silly and playing. Madden is crazy about his cousins, Landry and Camden.  

T-Ball was short lived. This is the first and only game he actually played in. Madden isn't really into sports that much. I just wanted to expose him to different options to help him find out what he enjoys. We were going to give T-Ball an honest effort, but Madden got really sick at the beginning of the season and wasn't supposed to be outdoors much with his breathing issues. At least we can say, "Remember that day when you were a T-Ball player for ONE day, Madden?"

March 7, 2004 was the day my sweet sister passed away. I would give ANYTHING to have her back. I so badly wish my boys could have met their Aunt Erika. I know she's looking down on them. They would have adored her so much, just like everyone else who met her. Right now, both boys enjoy visiting her marker. They love picking out flowers and running around out there in the fresh air.

Charity and her family were in town to celebrate Landri's first birthday. My mom, the boys, and I  got to spend some nice quality time with them over dinner.

Charity and I have been best friends for about 12 years. I love her so much!

(even if she did move to Midland)

This was around the time that Mason finally started to get a little bit of hair.

March 13th would have been Erika's 36th birthday. This was the 10th birthday we've celebrated without her. I planned a party at Painting With a Twist with some of our closest friends. I love remembering my sister in such a fun way. 

Mandy, Erinn, and Lindsay are three of Erika's friends that she adored! 

Nothing makes me happier than seeing my mom enjoying herself on a difficult day.

I love this picture! Reda and Amy are like family. I know that Amy misses my sister just as much as I do. These are two very special ladies that I know will always be there for my family and I.

I think my mom's cross painting looks extra special with Erika's name on it. 

So, my best memory of Erinn was from cheerleading. I remember when my sister was really sick in the hospital in high school and my mom had a welcome home surprise for her. I was young, but I will never forget how sweet Erinn was to me that day in our living room (sitting on that stylish blue carpet that we had). Not sure that you remember that, Erinn, but it meant a lot to me!

My funniest memory of Mandy was all of those crunches that she used to do. 

I remember my mom picking her up to go to Wet'n Wild with us. My mom said' "Are you ready?" Mandy replied, "Yep, I just did my crunches."

I love these four special girls so much! Their friendship means the world to me! I felt SO happy that night! I felt like everyone in the room was glowing with love!

My family had a great time! Todd was on a roll with the photo bombing:)

My sweet cousins and I are so close. It was always like all of us and Erika were sisters. 

I love y'all, Emmy and Laura!

It wouldn't have been a true Erika celebration without the Ater's. 

I can't say enough about this awesome, funny, and oh so special to us family!

Party People

Lots of laughs on a VERY special night! 

We had a fun birthday party at the land to celebrate Landry's 3rd bday and  Kaitlyn's 16th.

They even had a cute little Easter egg hunt for the kids. 

Easter  fell in March this year. Such a sweet pic of my little M&M bunnies.

Happy Easter! I love this pic of Mason. 

Happy Easter 2013!

I can't believe it's October and I'm just now posting about sweet Mason's first Birthday back in April. 

I'm such a great mommy!

I can barely remember Mason being this small! He got so big...way too fast! Donna did a really great job on his newborn pics. I will cherish these forever. I regret not getting newborn pictures of Madden. I just didn't want pics with all those wires/tubes and tape on his face. 

NICU or not, I wish I could take back that decision. 

Can you tell they are brothers? I see some similarities, yet so many differences at the same time.

Mason is a fan of cake! He's definitely my child:)

He's not crazy about his hands getting dirty though. Ha!

I love these three pictures. So very special!

I sure wish I got to see more of this sweet lady and her precious boys. Our crazy lives just get in the way at times. I am so glad that Kenli and Karter made it over for the party.

Mason loved the balloons and presents, while Mike and Madden had a blast in the bounce house!

 

If you know anything about me at all, you KNOW how much I love my mom!

 

We went with the Little Man Mustache theme. It turned out super cute!

4 of my favorite girls

Charlie, Mason, & Mom

They've only got eyes for each other. At least in this sweet MOMENT.

These are our people! We had a great time having everyone over to our house to celebrate Mason's 1st Birthday. Thank you all so much!

The next day, I needed a picture to send in for Mason's thank you cards. Donna is the real photographer, but I decided I would give it a shot this time. It was hot, difficult to get any kind of smile, but more than anything...It was SO FUN!

 Where are my big grins, Mason? I swear he was all smiles once we got home.

 Mr. Serious

Although he wouldn't smile, he came up with a whole new expression. This "lovely" pucker face.

My little old man

That's what he looks like here to me. I love the elderly, so it's all good:)

Modeling his Birthday outfit

He's such a stud.

I fell in love with Pam's sweet Aiden so hard that day. Mike was like, "Step away from the baby." Ha!

Here's a random April pic of Madden. Love this boy!

By the end up April, Mason had turned into the gentle giant!

 When you're "Thor", 

a sore throat and ears can't keep you down!

 Mason rocked this tiny baby all morning. Such a sweet sight! 

I can already tell that he is going to have a gentle heart for loving others.

Mason is always my date for Donna's art shows. 

Amy and Donna sugared him up with all kinds of yummy sweets this night.

Look who slept until 9:30? That's awesome, people! Now he's calling Donna and Amy for some more sugar cookies:) Ha!

I spent the first part of Mother's Day with my mom, Jayme, and Kelli. We went to a nice church service, the cemetery, and then to a yummy lunch. The rest of the day was all about being with my guys.


Love is when...Brothers become best friends.

 We're ready for Taylor Swift! 

Amy, Kaitlyn, Mom, me, Missy, and Jayme

Of course we had to stop and eat at On The Border on the way.

RED! This concert was so much fun!

 I love this picture of my mom and I. So glad we got to share this night together.

 Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are AMAZING! Even Mike likes Ed.

 Great performances all night long!

 I was so excited when I learned that Florida Georgia Line was going to be one of the opening acts. 

I seriously love these boys. Their songs are upbeat and fun!

Look who we ran into! It was so nice to see Kim again and meet Brianna. 

Tia and I were best friends growing up. 

Her mom is just as sweet as can be.

My mom and I had a blast with the Cook gals.  They treated us to a great game! Every outing with them is sure to be fun. Amy is super sweet and she reminds me a lot of just me being with my sister. Reda is so easy to talk to and I genuinely enjoy spending time with her.  My mom and I are blessed to have these ladies in our life.

June 2- Fun in the sun
How cute is this picture? I can hardly stand it!

June 6- Madden fresh and clean
He looks so grown up with his slick back hair.

June 10- Last school day at Grammy's

June 15- Mason & Payton's belated 1st Birthday
I love that our kiddos are the same age Fun!

Payton and Mason are exactly one day a part. She definitely has him beat in the hair department:)

June 20- Beautiful Locks
Madden wanted me to dry his hair with my hair dryer. It turned out a little afro-ish, but still pretty.

June 21- Amy's 40th Birthday

June 23- Little Boys Play Dress-up, too:)

June 29- Donna took this photo of Madden on his 2nd Birthday. It is one of my favorites! She had it displayed during the month of June, so we were thrilled to go see it. So cool!

I remember July being a busy month. Mike and I had just finished summer school. 

We were all ready to relax and enjoy Summer.

 I crammed lots of fun into July 1.  We started our day with with Whitney and Katy. First, we saw Monster University. Then of course we had to ride the carousal. It was a great date for Madden and Whitney!

Then, the boys and I took my mom out to eat and gave her an official retirement gift. She has been helping us out since day one of Madden's life. Mike and I agree that there isn't anybody who is as awesome as Grammy. She is SO good!

I love this pic that my mom captured by mistake of Mason and I. We really enjoyed our lunch and spending time together.

That night I went to Gloria's with Emmy and Charity. I love hanging out with my cousin and BFF.

July 2- I got to see Charity again AND her cutie pie kids.

Braden and Madden had a blast at Punp It Up!

Mason and Landri did some bonding of their own. Love her face!

This little collage that Charity made is almost too much for me to handle!
OH.MY.CUTENESS

My Crazy Curly Head

July 3- We went to Pump It Up AGAIN! Mckenna and Madden somehow got me into this wind machine thing. Good times!

July 4- Freedom Baby!

We had a great time at the parade with our family. Mason sat in Emmy's lap the entire time. He was such a good boy! Madden did well for the most part, until the end that is. Then, the meltdown of the heat began. It was greatness I tell you.

Madden was a fan of the flag.

Emmy, Me, Jayme

Dallas and Madden became instant BFFE on the 4th of July.

Madden always says, "Dallas is SO nice!"

We ended the day at the movies. Jayme and I were feeling brave and decided to take the boys to a 3D show. Slurpees and popcorn helped us survive!

Madden was out before we even got out of the parking lot.

All-in-all, it was a Fourth of July to remember:)

July 5- Mason is 15 months

28 lbs. and 33 inches

July 9- We had our Grammy day. My boys can't get enough of my mom.

Grammy's house is fun! Mason's face says it all. :)

That night, Daddy took us on a snow-cone date. Yum!

July 15- Our sweet boy went to the dr. He hadn't been feeling well. We were having trouble keeping him hydrated.


Doesn't he look sad?

11 hours later, he turned a happy corner after a nice bath:)

July 17- First Family walk of the summer

I LOVE my three guys SO much!

It was such a pretty morning to spend time outdoors with my family.

Yes, we have two kids.

No, we don't have a double-stroller.

Don't judge!

Melt.My.Heart

Later that day, we had a cousin day at Grammy's. She is so blessed to have these sweet grandsons. 

Best Friends 4 LIFE

July 19- The Heat! 

Missy, Kelli, and I had a fun girl's night. 

The movie was hilarious and I sweet talked us into some yummy ice cream. 

Worth every bite:)

July 20- Pool Day at Willman's 

Amy is a natural host. She was so brave to have my little M&M's over.

She became Madden's new best friend:)

There were lots of laughs, tears, and bruises that day. 

July 22- Just a typical Monday morning

I am crazy about this wild child!

I had a meeting that afternoon. Mike sent me this pic with the caption, 

"Daddy is cooler than Mommy."

July 23- Madden's idea of hide-and-seek

This pic cracks me up! So glad I captured this.

HILARIOUS!

July 24- Madden and Whitney's Date

They both loved Turbo. 

I love their sweet, hand-holding stroll. Presh!

July 26- Pump It Up

Hannah, Hailey, and Madden bounce off some serious energy.

Ronna's girls are so polite and well-mannered.

July- 30

Powdered donuts make everything better! That's all.

July 31- Aaron and I turned 32

The day started with me going to training; which I had planned on lasting until about 3:00. I was so happy when they let us out early at 10:30. I came home and surprised the boys. Mike took our little family of 4 to Chili's. Madden and Mason were so good. That night, my mom and Charlie took Aaron and I to Outback.

Any meal at Outback is to die for, but these red velvet bundt cakes topped it all. Our 32nd Birthday was low-key and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

8/6: Madden had his first dentist appointment. He did a really great job! I was shocked that he let them do X-rays AND a cleaning with no fuss. He did get to sit on daddy's lap, so that probably had something to do with it. Either way, we were so proud!  Mike and I took him to Target to pick out a gift. Of course, we came home with something Thomas:)

 

Mason is so cool!

 

8/11: My boys love their special toy chest. It's special for many reasons. First, my dad built it. But more importantly, it was my sisters. That carries huge meaning right there! ANYTHING of my precious sister's will ALWAYS be a treasure to me.  I was proud of my mom for parting with it. I know it wasn't easy at all!

8/14: Madden turned 4! These years are just flying by. I need a rewind button.

I remember this day. First, Madden wouldn't even let me brush his hair, so that's a battle I didn't care to pick. Then, apparently...he thought he was doing an eye exam. Ha!


First, Mike went out and got Birthday donuts. Then, Madden wanted to see Despicable Me.

That evening, it was time for Pump It Up. This place never gets boring for Madden. He has had his last 3 parties there. Honestly, it's so much easier than doing a home party. 

These four ladies are such great moms! I love their sweet kids, too! 

Some of our party friends:)

The Gang

Some of My Girls

Love our Family

We had such a nice celebration. Thanks to all of our family and friends who were able to come and party with us. Love you all!

8/16: Madden got tubes.

He had to make a phone call to Grammy to help calm his nerves, but did great. We are hopeful that this will help with his speech, so that he can communicate better. It's hard on a mama's heart when your child struggles.

8/17: Mr. Smarty Pants

8/18: As I was getting ready to start teacher work week, my mom gave me this awesome sign for my classroom. It is a wonderful reminder and I LOVE it!

 8/21: Missy, Kelli, and I having some Ranger fun! Thanks, Alisha for the awesome tix!

8/22: Our family had SO much fun surprising Charlie for his 60th Birthday.  He was shocked to see all of his friends. My mom did a great job pulling it off! I heart happy nights like these:)

8/23: To celebrate the end of teacher work week and the beginning of a new school year, my family and a few friends went to Rio Mambo for a girl's dinner. I was ALMOST too tired to even really enjoy it, but it ended up being fun.  

Bring on the school year, we're ready!

8/24:     The very next night, we celebrated Fred's 40th. Fred has had a rough year. It was so nice to see him smiling and having a great time. We love you, Mr. Leuzinger!

Jayme even brought Jackie and Emma with her. Blast from the past!


8/30: I survived my first week of school. I got to come home to these sweet faces, and enjoy a 3-Day weekend! Woo-hoo!

8/31: I thought we would do some family errands and let the boys get out a little bit. Well, it was an off day for both of them. We started at Chick-fil-a, where things went relatively well.  Then, I tried to take this pic on the way out. Notice the nice choke hold:) The fact that they are both sitting, is a success it itself. Ha!

Then, we made our way to Staples.  It was extremely HOT this day. As any good mom would do, I hunted down a double-shopping cart from the parking lot to contain the crazies in. I wasn't worried about the fact that it was a Target cart. Until....it wouldn't fit down any of the aisles at Staples. Oh well, I have no shame for trying to think logically.  We eventually made it over to Target.  Without going into detail, I'm sure you can figure out how that visit went just by looking at the picture. Good times!

Mason got a second wind that night. This was like 30 minutes past bedtime and no signs of sleepiness.

I was pretty bad about taking pics in September. The month went by so fast! We went to a few parties and a wedding. That's about all we had the energy for. Work and daily life has drained us!

 Here we are at Whitney's 4th Birthday. Madden had a blast on that big baseball slide. Mason might have devoured two cupcakes:) I definitely got a workout running around the Kids Zone after little man. Luckily, this picture was taken at the start of the party. For real! 

 Our Little Ranger FULL of energy

 Our Big Ranger

Mason's hair really started to sprout this month. He was practically bald for so long! I wonder if he'll have Madden's curly locks???? 

10/2: We took our second graders to River Legacy. It was a fun field trip! Lanee was a huge help to me that day. She's going to make a wonderful teacher:)

 10/5: Mason turned 18 months. He's such a big boy!

His  personality is sweet and he's such a funny little guy. 

Weight: 32 lbs

Favorite Foods: Grapes and Mash Potatoes

Sweets: Powdered Donuts

Clothes: 2T

Words: Mommy, Daddy, Ma (Madden), Grammy, MiMi, Down, Off (Office), More, WaWa (Water), No-No, dog, car, bubbles, Peppa Pig, George, milk, nose, eyes, ears....those are the main ones that come to mind. 

He jibber jabbers all the time!
Favorite Character: Peppa Pig of course:)

 I know this is random, but these are yum! Candy corn is one of my favorite! My sister would have went crazy over these. I bet they have candy Corn EVERYTHING raining down in Heaven:)

Madden got this pumpkin at speech for trying so hard.  He painted it so pretty. Buffy is so good with Madden. He is making improvements, but we are hoping to see a lot more growth before he starts kindergarten next year. Thanks Buffy for all that you do to help our sweet boy! 

As overwhelming as updating this was, I did it! I feel a sense of accomplishment. Yay, me! It was nice to take a walk down memory lane. A lot has happened in a years time.  Wow!