full of gracie

Update!

2010-06-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

So, its been quite a while. Good to see that everyone in blog land is doing well. I must share that although I haven't been posting, I have been reading every one's blogs. I haven't posted in a while because I just haven't felt inspired... I know, I know. With so much stuff going on, how could I not blog about it, but (sigh), I just wasn't feeling it. So eventually I will post about all the fun things we have been doing, for example, Gracie's 3rd birthday party, Vacations to Vegas, Mother's Day and such, but for now I have an even bigger topic to post about!
Joey and I are pregnant! (again)
We are still keeping this quiet in our everyday lives, so if we are facebook friends, please don't say anything to me on facebook. I feel fairly certain that I have very few blog readers, so I felt like it would be the perfect place to "shout it out" without making too much of a ruckus.
We are only about 7 and a half weeks along, and are praying for a healthy pregnancy. Its been super tough on us this time. I didn't realize how pessimistic I would be this time. After three miscarriages in a row, how can I not be? We have weekly sonograms and every time we are in the room, I am scared of the bad news I am destined to hear.
But then, I have a few overwhelming moments, when I look at Gracie, and feel this intense rush of emotion. Its in these moments that I feel the powerful hands of God. I am constantly reminding myself that He has a plan for my little family, and that He promised us that He would never fail us. This is where my faith is.
Last night, Joey and I were sitting on our porch swing, eating snow cones while watching Gracie play in the grass. Joey asked me what we will do if this one doesn't work out. What will we do when the floor falls out from under us? And out of nowhere came my answer. We will survive... that was my answer. It seems like that is the only thing I have learned over the last few years. I know for sure that if this pregnancy comes to a sad end, God will not fail me. I will survive. I know I will, because I have survived the past three. God has carried me through them and we are now on the other side.
So say a prayer for me. I definitely need it! I have a sonogram tomorrow and will keep you all posted!

Dear God,

2010-02-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Dear God,
I am feeling overwhelmed today. I know that the source of my stess and sadness is very small in the "Grand Scheme of Things", but could you please intervene for me today. I need a lift in spirits, a ray of sunshine would help.
Thanks,
Sarah

Something Fancy

2010-01-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

My little Gracie started dance two weeks ago. She loves it!! They offer it once a week at her preschool. She has talked nonstop about dancing at school since she started, so Joey and I went with her this morning to watch our tiny dancer in action.
It was so Precious!! Gracie was quite shy while we were there, so we snuck out to watch through a window. She perked up once she thought we were gone.
I think this was by far the cutest thing I have ever seen. All the little girls were dressed in their dance leotards and tutus, and they were wearing their tap tappy shoes.
Well, all of them but one.
Gracie doesn't have a dance outfit yet... I felt like the worst mother ever! Here I am, the boutique mom of the group, and my baby didn't have on anything that resembed a rhinestone, sequine, or sparkle!! She told me last night that she needed something Fancy! Well, thats gonna change quickly!!
So, if anyone has any suggestions on where to find the cutest dance outfit ever, let me know!! I am desperate for one!!

Patience & Blessings

2010-01-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

Today I had an epiphany! (is that how you spell it?)

So, most of my readers know that I have had 3 miscarriages in the past 2 years. It has been so difficult for me to heal and move on. Miscarriage is an indescribable loss! Well with the support of my sweet husband, precious daughter Gracie, family and friends, I feel like I have finally climbed out of all the sadness. Don't get me wrong, it still sucks! I will always mourn my babies, but today, I know that God has a plan. This is a quote that I have heard over and over again throughout the past two years. I must be honest, I hate that saying!! I have really struggled with that, but hey, that's another blog. On to my epiphany!!

I just finished reading one of my favorite blogs, Beth & Company. If you are a mom and you don't read her blog, you should!! No one writes a more honest portrayal of how we feel as moms. Anyway, Beth just had her second Baby. A girl. She has two little girls now! A set of Sisters!! To have a sister is one of the most precious gifts God has give to me, and I have been desperate for Gracie to have one as well. Well this is where my Epiphany happened... I was looking at the beautiful pictures Beth has posted of her sweet girls and I thought, " What blessing, Carter is old enough to remember the day her little sister was born. She is old enough to understand, she was is old enough to dream of her little sister to be. God truly had a plan for Beth, Nate, and little miss Carter. The timing was perfect. Carter is going to be a great big sis.

So my Epiphany?? Here it is: God truly does have a plan. He also works on his own time, and from the looks of my friend's blog, His timing is always perfect. Thank you Beth. God has been trying to show me that His time is perfect for a while now. I finally got it!

I may not have another baby this year, or ever for that matter. God only knows, but eventually, one way or another God will give little Gracie a sister, and when He does, Gracie will be up for it! She will just the right age to qualify for sisterhood (no matter how old she may be)!

Missing my mama!!

2009-08-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to talk my parents into coming to visit me... They won't! My dad hates Dallas, and there are just too many fun things to be doing in Gardendale, I guess....
I have so many things I need them to here.
My tree is broken...
Gracie needs to teach Nana the Hot Dog Dance...
I I desperately need my mom to take me shopping...
Poor pitiful Me!!

Welcome Baby Addison!

2009-07-29T08:48:00.001-07:00

Addison Elizabeth Vander Woude is finally here! She was born July 27th, 2009 At 9:34AM weighing in at a healthy 7 lbs ans 6 oz.
Joey, Gracie and I could not be happier for our dear friends Jeff and Ashley.

Jeff and Ashley,

Congratulations on your tiny blessing from God! I can't wait to hear about all of her firsts... her first smile, her first hiccup, and eventually first word...

Lots of Love!!

S. J. & G.

Blah Blah Blah....

2009-07-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ok. So its been a month since I blogged. I don't think I will waste the time to catch anyone up on whats been going on during that month. I will just hit the high points.

Gracie got a new pair of shoes.

We went on vacation in Pagosa Springs, CO. It was beautiful. While we were there we had to take Gracie to the hospital. After lots of poking for an IV and a Barium Enima, she ended up being okay. It was awful!

We had Katy's baby shower! It turned out so cute!!

Other than that, it has been work, work, work!

It has been a busy month of just the regular mundane stuff.

For all of you who love to see pictures of my Gracie, here is a cute one. It was taken last week when we went bowling. Enjoy!!

Its Monday...

2009-06-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

So today is Monday, but this girl is counting down the days til the weekend!! Gracie and I are so excited for all of my family to be in town. We are going to have so much fun!! Although, we will miss Katy and Sunshine (dustin). They will not be able to attend any of our Market festivities because Katy is on strict bedrest. BOO!!

Father's Day

2009-06-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I took this picture. I took it last year. My dad took our family to a Cabin in Colorado for a week and Gracie fell in love with the piano there. We already knew she loved music. Its in her blood. I love music. My dad loves music and so did his dad. It is something that connects our souls to each other.

Well, when my sisters and I were little, we would sing the song Daddy's Hands at the top of our lungs. I don't know if we ever sounded good, but my dad always listened when we sang. We would stand on the hearth of the fireplace and act like it was our stage. We never had to beg him to be our audience, he was always there when we were singing.

Anyways, I am glad I took the picture. Not only because it is my dad playing the piano with my sweet Gracie, but because it is a picture of his hands. I love his hands. These hands held me when I was a baby. These hands held mine when he would walk me and my sisters to Sunday school. These hands wrapped around mine, when I was little, while he showed me how to hold a bat. These Hands taught me how to throw a softball, and took a beating as I grew older,stronger, and threw harder. He never complained, he was proud of the pain and would play catch with me for hours. These are the hands that held mine as he walked me down the isle and now, these same hands have held my tiny baby. I love his hands.

My dad's hands have carried me through my life, more than just working day and night to provide for my family. These hands have shielded and protected me from so much. They have been my stability, the source of my strength, and comfort threw lots of heartbreak. They worked to send me to private school, then college. I hope that my hands will, one day, do all this for my family. Thank you so much daddy! Happy father's Day!

Work! Work! Work!

2009-06-20T10:06:00.001-07:00

The first two months that my store, The Fairytale Frog, was open, we were busy. Since school let out, the traffic has slowed some. At first, I was slightly concerned, but over the past few days I have taken the opportunity to create new things. Creating was the reason I wanted to open a store in the first place. I have always had a passion for art. I love to paint and have learned to sew, but college put a damper on my creative and artistic side. I was constantly busy with softball, friends, boyfriends, then wedding plans and trying to finally graduate. I never found the time to just sit and be inspired.

Well, I now have the time!! I have enjoyed it so much and I know that I am so blessed to have a job that allows me to be creative and do what I love! (I also love my job because i get to hold every baby that comes in!

So, I thought I would share a few pictures of the things i have been working on and am very proud of.

TGIF!

2009-06-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

It's Friday!! Gracie is in a great mood because I let her pick her ensamble for school. Check it out!
Check out her shoes!

It is a beautiful day in Rockwall! My flowers are finally blooming!

I hope your day is just as great!

Life!

2009-06-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

My mom and I were talking this morning and she filled me in on everything that is going on at home. So many things happen at home and I have a difficult time with the fact that they all take place without me being there. {LOL! No. I do not think this world should revolve around me!}
I just thought I would share a few of them, because as I type this, I relize that this is "life".
My little sister, Katy, was put on bed rest this week. She is twentyfour weeks pregnant. Her doctor plans to start giving her the shots to develop the baby's lungs (just in case). I hate that I am not there for her. She is incredibly bored, laying in bed all day, worrying...
My grandma has Alzheimer's and is having a tough time with the fact that she can't drive because the doctors have finally taken her keys. She is in denial of the fact that she is ill, and is angry that we all are conspiring against her.
Hannah, my littlest sis, is over the moon in love with her new puppy, Patches. Hannah earned the new puppy after sleeping in her room for 30 nights. (we might have to bribe Gracie to do the same)
Holly is adapting well to having two babies. Jake is almost walking.

And I am missing all of this!

I miss living at home! I hate hearing about all the happenings everyday that I miss, but I am so happy living here in Rockwall. My store is here, Gracie's school (that she loves) is here, Joey's Job (that he loves) is here. I love the life that we have created Here.

So, this Life, I guess...

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-05-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Today my little girl turns two! Oh what an amazing two years it has been! Gracie,

Your daddy and I were so blessed to have a little girl with such a happy disposition! We are so proud of the little lady you are becoming! We love you so much!

XOXO,

Mommy & Daddy

On Call = Lonely Nights

2009-05-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

So, Joey has been on call for almost 2 weeks. I write this with melancholy fingers... Joey being on call is tough for us. It is so hard to be apart. I hate sleeping alone and it is tough on Gracie to not get to see her daddy before she goes to bed.
Joey is on call every third week, but often has to cover for the other residents when they are out of town or busy doing other things. Every time Joey is on call, I have a minor emotional breakdown! It is one whole week of bathing, feeding, playing, and parenting on my own. I have been blessed with a husband who helps, at least a little, where Gracie is concerned. He typically gives her a bath in the evenings while I take a few minutes to myself. These few minutes are much needed!! I often spend the time regrouping after all of our dinner ends up on the floor or all the dog food has been mixed with water and poured all over the couch. Needless to say, I need these bath time minutes!!
I am regretting typing all of this, I do know there are lots of women how lose their husbands for weeks, months, & even years at a time. I have an enormous amount of respect for them! I couldn't do it! I have been spoiled! God has given me a wonderful husband that has worked tirelessly to have a good job. It just sucks that that job interferes with our sleeping arrangements on occassion and infringes on my peaceful bathtime minutes! {oh I am rediculous!}
Okay, I am done venting!

2009-05-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

SO I am a little behind due to illness and travel, so I am going to post all the info I can in one blog.Here goes!!

First things first! Jaxson Evan Bartlett was born on May 7th!! He weighed 7lbs. 2 0z. He is a cutie!! I won't post pictures ( A. because I don't have any downloaded yet and B. because I will let Holly show her new baby to the world when she is ready.)

Ok Next thing!

Happy Birthday to My little sisters Hannah and Katy!!

Hannah turned 9 on May 6th!

Katy's Birthday was May 7th.

Happy Birthday to my favorite little sisters!!

and finally, Happy Mother's Day! I Love Mother's Day!! I spent mine with my favorite mommies on the planet! I love you mom, grandma, Holly and Katy!!

Swine Flu...Seriously??

2009-05-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

I am trapped in my house for seven days.... I feel awful!!...and when I say awful, I mean "I am praying that I don't die in my sleep" awful. I have the flu. I am waiting to hear if I have Swine Flu. You may ask, "How does she not know??" Well, the test takes 4 days to get back from the lab.
How about I start from the beginning. I went home to my mom's house for a baby shower two weeks ago. While I was there, I went across the street to take pictures of our neighbor in her prom dress. Well, her little sister had swine flu!! We didn't know it at the time, of course, but she eventually was diagnosed with it a few days later. A few days too late for me. You see, I went back to the neighbor's house the next day to get all the details about prom, and stayed for a few hours, giving swine flu plenty of time to infiltrate my weak body. BOOO! (My body isn't totally up to par when it comes to fighting of bacteria,viruses, or disease because I had mono in junior high.)
Anyway I went to the doctor on Thursday and they practically laughed at me when I demanded a swine flu test. The nurse went on and on about how it is limited in supply and how the test is quite painful....I didn't back down, I mean, Gracie could get it!! So, the gave me the test. The had to swab my nose.( but when i say they swabbed my nose, I mean they swabbed my brain via my nasal cavity. )The nurse was NOT lying about it being unpleasant.
Once the test was done and everyone knew I at least had the flu, the staff at the doctors office changed their tune. LOL! Every nurse that crossed my path wore a mask. They made me wear one too. So now I am in Quarantine. I can't leave my house for seven days. I am on Tamiflu (that kills swine flu), so is Gracie and Joey. Needless to say, we are all feeling like caged animals today. Joey can go back to work on Monday, Gracie can go back to school on Monday, but I am STUCK (and i still feel awful)!!

Rainy Days....

2009-04-27T08:49:00.001-07:00

It is raining here in Rockwall today. It is kinda giving me the blues... It is also a monday, which means it is slow at my store. I don't have much to talk about, except for the fact that I am putting off all the things I need to do today. We are having a phographer in the store to take pictures for our story coming out in a local magazine. I have to pick outfits for the little models who are coming to model the clothes and I am nervous about picking them on my own. I am not good a making decisions. I will post tomorrow about how the photo session went, but today I thought everyone might need a small dose of my Gracie.

So, here she is!! She is such a mess, and I love her so much!!

It's a BOY!!

2009-04-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

Katy, my little sister, just found out she is having a boy! Yay!!

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-04-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

Its official, Spring has sprung! Everyone I know is pregnant, having a baby soon, or just had a baby. As I was driving down the road this morning, I noticed that all the animals I passed had babies. Baby horses, Baby cows, Baby birds, kittens, etc... you get the picture. Both my sisters, Holly and Katy, are pregnant. I type all of this with a bit of irritation, because you see, I am NOT pregnant!! I am suffering from BABY FEVER!!
Well, everyone else gets to share their baby news, so I have decided to let a few people in on mine. The Fairytale Frog is currently my new baby and until I am able to get a website, I plan to debut one item from my store each week. I will alternate boy & girl items every week so that no one thinks I am playing gender favorites.
Here is the first item:

I HEART This little bubble Romper! I hope you love it too!

Single Ladies

2009-04-09T06:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Single Ladies! I thought this was hilarious!

Have a great day!!

Open!!!

2009-04-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

Ok guys, The Fairytale Frog is officially open! YAYY! I must say that it has been crazy around my house for the past few weeks, but I did it. I promised pictures, so here they are.

Poppin' In

2009-03-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! I am blogging from my store today! YAY!! I will get pictures up soon. I have been so busy trying to get this place in tip top shape for opening day. It is finally just about ready, so I plan to open on Monday, April 6th. I just wanted to check in and tell everyone that I am still alive. I hope all is well!

Happy Birthday MOM!

2009-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mom! May the next year of you live be happier, more fulfilling, and more blessed than the last! We love you and can't wait to see on Tuesday!
Love,
S. J. & G

Happy Anniversary!

2009-03-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

Mom & Dad,

Happy Anniversary! God has blessed me with two very amazing parents and I couldn't be prouder to call anyone else mom & dad. You have taught me that God is the foundation of marriage. You have taught me that marriage is about loving someone more than yourself. Thank you for that! Thank you for kissing each other in the kitchen and holding hands in public. I might have cringed when I was younger, but I have never doubted that you loved each other.

Thank you for sticking it out during the tougher times. Thank you for all the wonderful memories that we all cherish as a result of those "tougher times". You have always been the most supportive parents, supportive of each other and of all of us girls. My life wouldn't be as wonderful as it is if the two of you weren't in it!

I love you!

Sarah

P.S. I hope Joey and I are as happy together in 29 years as you two are today!

Old & New Friends

2009-02-21T08:32:00.001-08:00

While at home for Valentine's Day weekend, I was able to visit with my dearest, and oldest BFF! Brandy and I have been best friends since the third grade. We have been through a lot together, so it was very special to the both of us to get our little girls together again. They met once before at my little sister's wedding, and were instantly friends!
Brandy's little girl's name is Breckyn. She is the sweetest and most well behaved little girl I have ever met. She has a sense of humor just like her momma!It made us so happy to get to visit and catch up while watching our littles play!

B & Little B,
Gracie and I miss you very much! We wish you would come and visit us in Rockwall! We can't wait 'til we get to come home and play again!!
We Love you!!
S & G

Valentine's Day ~ Saturday!!

2009-02-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!! I hope yours was as wonderful as mine! Joey, Gracie and I spent the day being loved up by our family. I love spending holidays with my family, they really know how to celebrate!

My Sweet Grandparents

My mom and Joey had a few loose ends to tie up before our official V-Day started, so they ran into town, leaving me to watch the little girls (Gracie & Hannah). While mom and Joey were in town, Gracie, Hannah, and I took our time showering and getting dressed for the day. I must say, Gracie's outfit was the cutest I have ever seen!!

Once mom and Joey got back to the house, we all loaded up in the car to go have lunch at Abuelo's. We were to meet the rest of the family there. Abuelo's is my favorite restaurant, so it was a special treat to get to eat there. While we were there, we all exchanged cards and chocolates. Gracie was given a big, red sucker.
After lunch, Joey and I exchanged our gifts. He gave Gracie a big, stuffed frog.
He gave me a watch, chocolates, and a card that explained that he and I were going to be spending the evening at a movie of my choice, dinner of my choice, and an entire night at a hotel. He was sweet enough to plan for Gracie to stay with my mom, or if I wanted her with us overnight, she could come.

We had a wonderful time! We saw the movie, He's Just Not That Into You!. It wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. We had dinner at Rosa's, another of my favorite Mexican food restaurants, then we went to the hotel for luxurious night of sleep. I think it was the first time since before Gracie was born that I slept all night long!

It was a wonderful Day! I hope your day was just as sweet!

Valentine's Day Weekend~ Friday

2009-02-13T07:12:00.000-08:00

Our weekend is off to a FABULOUS start!! To start with, my husband, Joey, brought me home for the weekend to visit my mom and sisters. It has been a few weeks since I have seen them, so this was a visit I desperately needed. Gracie and I flew home earlier in the day to cram in as much time as possible, but Joey took a flight later in the evening because he couldn't miss work.
Our flight was nice, Gracie kept busy by playing with Marker tops and Pinky ( Gracie's new BFF) read a few magazines.

Pinky

Once we arrived in Midland, My mom (A.K.A. Nina, that's what Gracie calls her), Holly, and little Jake were there to pick us up.

Jake (isn't he a cutie)

We spent the rest of the day visiting my grandparents and preparing for our V-Day festivities.

There's No Place Like Home!

2009-02-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

No, my husband did not give me a pair pf sparkling, ruby slippers for Valentine's day! But he did the next best thing! He is taking me for a short, but sweet, trip home for the weekend! Oh, I have desperately needed to visit my momma and sisters for the past few days. It has been so stressful around here with the store, and floors, and all kinds of decisions that must be made. I needed a break, and let's not forget that Gracie needs to see her Nina. (Gracie calls my mom Nina instead of Nana) Gracie has officially entered the boo boo stage. She keeps falling and scraping her knees. SHe is convinced that only Nina can kiss them and make them better. So, of to Grandma's we go!

Preparing for Valentine's Day

2009-02-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

Today, We (Joey, Gracie, and I) went shopping to for Gracie's Valentine's Day Party at school. I was on the hunt for special little treats to put in gift bags for the kiddos in Gracie's class. This is always a task since I want to fill their bags with healthy goodies that anyone under the age of 2 won't choke on. I also must keep in mind the endless allergies that plague a few of the littles at MDO (Mother's Day Out). I also had to find special gifts for the lovely ladies that teach Gracie's class. I know it isn't necessary to bring a gift on every holiday, but I want Gracie's teachers to know that I love them and appreciate everything they do for the children in MDO. So, I always try to get them something special.
After returning home with our Valentine's Day loot, Mommy (that's me) made pooch pops! I was very nervous to make them, but I think they are cute!! For all of you who don't know, I am awful when it comes to baking! But, If I don't say so myself, I think I found a treat that even I can bake.

I found the recipe in Parent's Magazine. Here it is for those of you who would like to bake your little Valentine something special:

Ingredients
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 roll (16 ounces) refrigerated sugar-cookie dough
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
8 lollipop sticks (about 6 inches)
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
1 tube vanilla decorating frosting
24 brown and/or red M&M's
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Knead flour into cookie dough until smooth. Divide dough in half. Knead cocoa powder into one half until smooth.
2. Roll out vanilla and chocolate cookie doughs until they're barely 1/4-inch thick. Cut out 8 hearts from each using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Place the vanilla hearts about 3 inches apart on cookie sheet. Insert a lollipop stick into each heart shape. Slice the chocolate hearts in half lengthwise. Place on either side of vanilla hearts as the ears. Press 6 mini chocolate chips, pointed side down, on each of the vanilla hearts as shown. Bake until just golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely
3. Pipe 3 dots of frosting on the cookie, as shown, and attach M&M's for nose and eyes. Tie a ribbon on the lollipop stick, if desired.

Tagged!

2009-02-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

I love these games!! Jessica Cameron, an old friend of mine, tagged me. The way to play this game is to go to your picture folder, pick the fourth file , open it up and pick the fourth picture. Then post the picture in your blog and write a little bit about it. Well, here is my picture...

Of course it is a picture of my little Gracie. Awww, she was so little back then. This picture was taken when she was 5 months old. She was very exited after her bath and started to shriek. She had just figured out that she could make that kind of noise.

I never realized how fast time goes by until I had Gracie. I wasn't much of a picture taker until Gracie came along, now I have my camera with me all the time. I am so grateful for all the pictures and video I took of her.

Thanks so much ,Jess, for tagging me. I don't go back and look at older pictures very often, but this little game made me do just that. It was fun and sad in a sentimental way. I forget how blessed I am!
So now I am tagging: Holly Bartlett, city girl in cowboy boots, Have A Lovely, Beth Spradlin & Natalie LaScola... Can't wait to see your pictures, girls!!

P.S. I found my camera, so updated photos of my Gracie will posted soon!

25 things about me

2009-02-10T00:35:00.000-08:00

I am sure you all have seen this, but I was tagged on facebook by a few of my friends and since I rarely am on facebook, I decided to post mine in my blog. Plus, I thought this would be fun to post while I search for my camera. (sorry to all of you who only read my blog to look at pictures of Gracie!)
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a blog with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 5 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
Here we go....
1. legally, my name is Sarah without the "H". On all of my legal documents the "h" was dropped due to an error on my birth certificate. It wasn't until I was in high school that I found out that someone mispelled my name a long time ago.
2. I named Gracie after a character in a book I read in 6th grade.
3. I read all magazines from back to front, not front to back like normal people.
4. I knew I would marry Joey on the first night I met him.
5. I have had the same cell phone number for 10 years.
6. I would much rather have a pap smear than have to give blood. I hate needles.
7. I am very particular about how clean my toilet is. I clean every two days or eveyday depending on how busy I am. (You never know wneh someone will be sick and need to throw up in you toilet. It would be awful if it weren't clean!)
8. I still watch Days of Our Lives everyday. I started watching when I was 12 and rarely miss a day. Thank God for DVR and the internet.
9. I am extremely clausterphobic and when I see a bunch of people crammed in a small vehicle, I have a small anxiety attack for them.
10. I hate donuts!
11. If I could be anything in the world, I would want to be a Pussycat Doll. I said this even before the tv show came out!!
12. Our refrigerator broke over the weekend and I am secretly thrilled because it gives us an excuse to eat out until it is fixed!
13. I love the shows One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Army wives, Greys Anatomy, Pirivate Practice, Secret life of an American Teenager, & etc. and am mildly depressed when a season is over.
14. I hate unloading the dishwasher!!
15. I miss playing softball! It gave me a reason to work out.
16. I suck at keeping up with friends! I wish I were better at it!
17. I best friends are my sisters and my mom!
18. I wish my best friend from elementary school were still my best friend! I think of her everyday!
19. I am one of those girls who thinks she can be friends with guys and it never be anything more than friends. ( My husband thinks that this is niave) is that how you spell it?
20. I love to paint but haven't been inspired in quite a while.
21. I get homesick alot! I have to get home every two weeks or so or I start to go crazy.
22. I hated living in Cleveland, but can't wait to go back to visit!
23. I often wish I had stayed in public school instead of moving to a private school when i was in 9th grade.
24. I can't wait to have another child! ( No I am not pregnant, but wish I was!)
25. I wish i could afford a cleaning lady!

Ok Ladies... Those are my 25 random facts! I am tagging Jessica Clarke, Holly Bartlett, Roxanne Spradlin, Beth Spradlin, & Natalie LaScola!!
Can't wait to read your 25 facts!!

It's Been A Long time

2009-02-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

So, It has been quite a while since I have posted anything on here. I apologize to those of you who have looked for new posts and were disapointed. Things have been quite crazy in my world lately. I know, there are no excuses... but I really have been extremely busy and I can't find my camera. BOOO! I am going to go ahead and blame Joey for my lost camera. LOL!

Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you what has kept me so busy lately.

Drum Roll Please.......

I am opening my own little baby boutique!! Yea!!!!

Between being a fabulous momma and doting wife, I have been working like a crazy women in my store to get the walls painted and the floors done.

The floors are a pain in my side right now. The people who were in my space before me put those sticky square vinyl tiles down. This wouldn't be such a problem if they had covered the entire floor, but ofcourse, they didn't. They decided it would be too much trouble to pick up their desks and put the floor underneath them. They only put the tiles where people could see them, thus leaving a mess of a floor once all the desks were removed. So, now all the tiles are gone, but the sticky adhesive isn't! I can't seem to get the glue off of the floor!

There have been some fun things about the store though. Like going to market, recieving all of my precious merchandise, and decorating my store exactly how I want it. I will post more about those fun things later.

So, hopefully, I will begin to find more time to post, but please forgive me when I don't. I haven't quite figured out how to juggle all the things I need to do.

Ski Bunnies??

2009-01-07T18:09:00.001-08:00

Every year, the week after Christmas, my family takes a trip to Colorado. Normally, we spend the week in Pagosa Springs and ski at Wolf Creek, but this year we traveled to Durango. I love Durango! It is such a cute little town with great little shops, but we didn't shop this year. No, we didn't shop, we SKIED!
We stayed in a three story cabin propped up on the side of the mountain at Durango Ski resort ( it used to be called Purgatory). It was fabulous! We had to walk a very short distance (maybe 30 yards) to hop onto a ski run and ski all our hearts desired.
The weather was great! A few of you know that I do not blend well with cold weather, I hate to be cold, but the weather was gorgeous! It even got hot enought to ski without coats! A few of the snowboarder chicks wore only spaghetti strapped shirts! Needless to say, I didn't get cold.
The resort offers daycare for the little ones, so the entire family (minus Gracie & Jake) got to ski together. We had a great time and no one was hurt, atleast no one was hurt skiing.

Me & Holly on the ski lift

Katy & Dustin on the ski lift

Mom & Dad on the lift

While on our trip; Katy, Dustin, and I traveled over to the dark side! We attempted snowboarding. I was not fun! It was borderline torture! We took a private lesson and thought we had it figured out, so we set out on our own to conquer a green run. Much to our disappointment, we learned that we hadn't retained anything from our lesson when we all collided as we tried to exit the lift on our own as first time snowboarders. We were such a mess that the lift operator suggested that we take a lesson before we attempted to snowboard on our own. While still on the ground from our lift collision, trying helplessly to get up, we informed him that we had just finished a private lesson. He then suggested that we try skiing. So we went back to skiing. So, Snowboarding is tough and I am impressed with anyone who can do it!

Katy on her board

Note: There are no pictures of me on my snowboard since I couldn't seem to stay upright while on it.

P.S. Gracie was a cute little snow bunny!

Christmas Morning!

2009-01-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

My little family had a very blessed Christmas this year even though we didn't get to spend it with my parents and sisters. As I previously posted, This was the first year for me to ever spend away from my family and it was tough! But not only did we survive it, we had a great day!

Gracie got a tricycle (amoung other things) from santa!

I hope all my readers had just as happy a Christmas as my family did!

I Need a Vacation!!

2009-01-05T09:03:00.001-08:00

I just got back from my vacation. We went to Durango, Co for a week and it was fabulous (i wil post about it later), but upon my return I realized that I need another vacation. You see, my dear husband was home alone for the week since he couldn't take of work, and my house is a disaster.
I cleaned until the wee hours of the morning before I left, and I remember joey saying,"Sarah, you don't have to clean! I won't be home enought to make a mess! I can clean up after myself!" Then we actually had a small arguement about how I obviously think he is domestically retarded. (I don't, I just know that he never thinks about taking the trash out on pick up days or unloading the dishwasher before putting dirty stuff in it.)
Well, as soon as I stepped throught the door, I wanted to turn around and go get a hotel until he cleaned up his mess! It is an art form to him! How can anyone be so unorganized and make such a mess! Even my furniture had been move to different places. He says he needed to be more comfortable while watching football. UGH!!!
Back to life!!! So, I am ready for another vacation!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T17:17:00.000-08:00

We hope you have had the merriest Christmas!

Love,

Sarah, Joey, & Gracie

Cookies for Santa!

2008-12-24T23:21:00.000-08:00

Today was a tough one. Now, I do realize that there are lots of people worse off than me today, but i can't help but want to be near my parents and sisters on Christmas. This is the first Christmas in all of my 26 years that I haven't slept in my childhood bedroomon Christmas Eve. I have never spent Christmas away from my parents or sisters and aam the first of the four girls to ever be away on Christmstmas. So, I am sad, but trying to make it a great Christmas for Joey and Gracie.

Joey had to work all day, so I took advantage of the time and did some Christmas cleaning, wrapped some presents, and sang Christmas carols. Gracie and I danced the day away. So much so that she thought we were supposed to dance while singing Christmas carols at church. She was so cute and innocent as she spun in circles to Silent night.

Church held a special treat for us tonight. We were suprised to see that Jason Castro (from American Idol) was the special guest singer tonight. He sang Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and played the Eukilele ( i don't know how to spell it).

While at church, Joey was called into the E. R. to treat a lady who damaged her foot in a car accident. So Gracie and I had to make our Christmas cookies without him.

Mom's Famous Holiday M&M Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of flour
1 Tsp of Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp of salt
1/2 cup of margarine
1/2 cup of shortening
1 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tsp of vanilla
1 large bag of m&ms

Recipe:

Stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set it aside.
In a seperate bowl, beat the margarine and shotening on Medium speed for 30 seconds.
Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat til fluffy.
Add the eggs and Vanilla and beat well.
Add the bowl of dry ingredients a little at a time until mixed.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes.

While Joey was in surgery, Gracie finally conked out! I wrapped all of the presents and helped Santa put together a tricycle. Joey finaaly got home tonight at 2:45 AM.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! Be Safe!

R.I.P.

2008-12-23T14:08:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize how addicted to my phone I had become. She had become my best friend, my only line to the world outside my home. My little pink phone has survived many water related accidents. She survived being tossed in Gracie's swimming pool, dropped in the toilet, and even survived an entire wash in the washing machine, but with a very sad heart, I must tell you that shes has finally passed away.
My little phone succumbed to death by accidental drowning. I accidentally dropped her in the bath tub earlier this week. I have not replaced her since phones are just so expensive and I am standing on principle. I refuse to replace a phone that I have owned for several years with her identical sister for close to 300 dollars. That is rediculous!
It has been a tough week, I am going a bit stir crazy. Our home phone line isn't working, even though I have continued to pay the bill since April. (It has never worked!!) I have been basically stranded without a phone. I was able to use my onstar phone in my car, but have now run out of minutes.
So, all of you who are my beloved friends, don't think I am mad or just not talking to you... I am just phoneless and If Idon't talk to you before, Merry Christmas!

Pretty!

2008-12-20T19:53:00.000-08:00

We went shopping with daddy today. Gracie had a great time picking out her Christmas gifts! Its easy shopping for her right now, she forgets about it once it goes in the back of the car. Anyways, I wanted to show off her precious outfit and enormous bow.
Katy gave her the frog prince onesie and the matching bow. I paired those withe a jersey knit bubble skirt and some baby legs. Gracie kept saying ,"pretty". She was proud to wear this outfit!

Kids do the funniest things!

2008-12-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

Gracie has a new favorite thing to do when she gets out of the bath tub! She loves to do like mommy and put on mommy's panties! I couldn't pass up posting this, I hope it makes you laugh! I just thought it was too cute!!

Shoes, Shoes, and More Shoes

2008-12-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

Ladies, My little Gracie has a shoe fetish!! She and I went shopping for a new pair of tennis shoes about a week ago and we came home with these little beauties!

I was feelin' fairly glum the other day and decided that Gracie and I needed a quick "pick me up"! So, I packed her up in her carseat and we drove into town. I new that if we went into T*rget I would do some unnecessary damage to my bank account. Feeling guilty I just drove by, trying to feel the exhileration of shopping without going inside. Note: You must be inside the store to feel the "Shopping High". Thats when I saw a Payless next door.

Gracie needed a new pair of tennis shoes anyway, so we went inside. I must say, I have never seen Gracie's face as bright as it was when we entered the shoe store. I had to coax her past the shoes that distracted her upfront, to her size section on the back wall. She wanted to touch every pair on her way to the back.

I found her a pair of tennis shoes that would suffice for the next month or so, but she found a pair that she will cherish for the rest of her life! She initially grabbed these little sparklers in a size that was much to big for her, but we eventually found a pair closer to the size of her feet.

She held them up to me and in her broken english said, "mommy, Shoes! Pretty!"

We had to have them! She wore them out of the store and didn't take them off for two days! She slept in them the first night!

Christmas Decorations

2008-12-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

We have been decorating our house for the holiday season. Of course, they are all only half way done since I tend to lose momentum half way through. LOL! I hope that I will eventually get the hang of decorating as the years go by. I have been looking forward to putting up a tree all year long, since Joey and I have never even put up a tree since we have been married. But, it gets expensive and I struggle with putting my creativity into action.

With all that being said, we DID get the tree up. We started our new traditions this year. We put some Christmas music on, drank some hot chocolate, and decorated the tree. Gracie had a great time, but didn't understand why the bells have to stay on the tree. There has been a lot of No! No!s thrown around and a few tears, but she has now gotten the meaning of Look, but DON'T Touch!

I even made a wreath to go over our fireplace.

Now if I could just finish hanging the lights on the house. I have lights hanging on only the left side of my roof. There is a tall peak in the center of our house that I didn't feel safe climbing over unless Joey was home to call 911 if fell. So we have the most pitiful house on the block. Ahhh, maybe next year we will do better.

Catch Up!

2008-12-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

So, I am playing catch up today! I am feeling fairly guilty that I have let my blog go unattended for so long. I feel like everytime I get the chance to sit down and write a new post, I am apologizing for the time that has gone between the last post and the new one. So sorry! I know that most of you are very forgiving, as you have little ones at home yourself. You totally understand how time escapes us. Anyway, on with the post. I wanted to write about everything that has happened between Thanksgiving and now, Catch you up on our little lives. So I will back post all of our events.

So, Thanksgiving was at our house this year. Joey couldn't leave because he was "on call ". We were very blessed to have Joey's brother's family in for the day. Sam, Staci, and Kirsten traveled from Waco to Rockwall so we wouldn't be alone on Turkey Day. I cooked the entire meal (an accomplishment, since I don't cook) and it was yummy!. We had a great time!

Daddies and the kiddos playing ball in the yard On Thanksgiving

Gracie eating a cupcake on the driveway on Thanksgiving

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was festive. Ours was uneventful, but we had a great time visiting with Sam, Staci, and Kirsten. The Holidays are going to be tough for us this year. We are so close to our families, but still can't travel to see them this year. I must admit, I am struggling to catch some Christmas spirit. Pray for me!

Early Thanksgiving!

2008-12-05T20:46:00.000-08:00

The week prior to Thanksgiving, my little family made or way home to Midland to visit my parents, sisters, and grandparents. I was so excited to finally get a weekend away from the hustle and bustle of the city and to spend some quiet time with my family.

Gracie in her carseat on the way to the airport

Gracie and I set out on Friday afternoon heading to the airport. Those of you who know me personally are very aware that I fly by the seat of my pants. I often push the limits on time and am typically late to the airport. Rarely do I miss a flight, but I cam make it a stressful event narrowly making it threw the airplane door. ( I have only missed a plane twice, I think) Anyways, Joey and I had planned to meet at the airport since we weren't sure he could get home before we needed to leave for the airport.
It was a good plan in theory, but much harder to pull off than we expected. Joey got caught up in surgery and missed our flight. It didn't suprise me but I was disappointed in the fact that (once again) we wouldn't be traveling together.

Gracie was too excited to sleep once we landed. She had to be a fairy princess for a while.

Thankfully, we were able to book him the first flight out on Saturday morning and he was able to make that flight.

Everything she needs at Nana's: cheetos, a barbie, and fairy wings

Gracie and I picked Joey up early and set off to a fast and furious weekend with my family. We all had our own agenda and hopes for the weekend and it was fun to fit them all into two days.

Joey taking a ride on the rope swing

Joey and Hannah fishing-- Its all Joey wanted to do!

Thanks mom and dad for a great weekend! We love you lots and can't wait 'til we can all be in the same place again!

Down the tubes

2008-12-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

On our way out the door to go to the hospital!

Since everyone has been asking, I wanted to post about how well Gracie did on the day she had tubes put in her ears. Ofcourse, I planned to post about it while it was still a current event, but I ran out of time and energy. Please forgive me.

So, it all started the night before her surgery was to take place. I was a nervous wreck because Gracie couldn't have anything to eat or drink after midnight. For a grown person, this is no big deal. But for a toddler, this is forever. She drinks her sippy cup all night long. I typically have to get up around 4:30 in the morning to refill it so that she has something to sip on until she officially wakes up. Well, lets just say, it was a long night and we both cried ourselves to sleep several times, but we survived.

We were at the hospital at 6AM with bells on. Ready to get it over with and get some breakfast. I was very anxious, Joey was calm as a cucumber. Gracie was "hung-y"! The faith that Joey has in medicine was slightly baffeling to me that morning. He tried to be supportive when I cried and had a small panic attack as they took her from me. He teassured mr that she would be fine as she disappeared behind the swinging doors that led to wherever the O.R. was.

Gracie wasn't gone for more than five minutes when they came to get us.

We joined her in the recovery room, where she cried and wallowed her body around. She couldn't get comfortable and was very confused about where she was.

We took her to the car. She stopped crying once she was in the confines of her car seat. She recognized it and felt better as her anestesia wore off.

We drove across the street to McDon*ld's, got breakfast, and went home.

We all took a nap for a few hours, then Gracie woke up. It was as if nothing happened. She played with the dogs, took a bath, and went down early.

Putting tubes in Gracie's ears were the best thing we could have done! We are very happy with how well it all turned out.

Busy Busy!

2008-12-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! I am so sorry I have been MIA these days. We have been very busy for the past two or three weeks. I totally intend to blog all about it, but I wanted to let all my people know that we are all well here in the Morgan household. Thanksgiving came and went, and now Christmas is upon us!!! Yeah! This year has flown by....

Well so I have so much to update you on, but it is off to the doctor with Gracie. I will post again soon.

I Hate Bugs!

2008-11-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

My little Gracie had a stomach bug this week! Ugh! I hate when she is sick! The poor little baby threw up all night long on Thursday night and had explosive things happening in her diaper as well. Of course, this set us back in our big girl panties as well! Needless to say, we were both upset.
We hoped and planned to go visit Ashley in Tyler and to witness her first show on the road, but things didn't go according to plan. We hate that we missed her!
Be praying for us this week because Gracie is getting tubes put in her ears on Wednesday! I know that it will be fine, but I am a nervous wreck about them wheeling her little body away from me!

New Store!

2008-11-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

So, I was very busy visiting my family in Midland this past weekend. I flew home to help my little sister, Katy, set up shop. For those of you who don't know, she has opened her very own baby boutique. I am very proud of her. To start your own store is a very nerve racking thing ( I wouldn't know, but a few of my favorite people keep telling me so).
So as of today, Katy has met her selling goal everyday she was open! Congratulations Bugs & Berries! I can only wish you continued success!

Big Girl Panties!!

2008-11-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

I am feeling the need to shout this from the roof top today.... Gracie is using her BIG girl potty!! Yayy! Of course we have just begun the potty training process and we do recognize that we have a ways to go, but she is trying!!! She Tee teed in the potty twice yesterday and once so far today!! I am so proud!!

Elmo is her favorite toilet reading material!!

PARK IT!

2008-11-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Before leaving for Mexico, Joey showed Gracie and I a great park to go play at. It has been hard to find a park that has toys that are safe for a little one. Well, Daddy pulled through. He found the perfect park for us! Gracie ca be such a Bee pie (big girl) climbing up the pathways to the slides.

Such a little girl in such a BIG park!

She conquered the toddler slide first!

WEEEE!!!!!
Then, she was off to bigger and funner things!

This is how we have been spending our Saturday afternoons!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:30:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!

Praise God in the good times... and the bad.

2008-10-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Praising God in the good times has always come easy for me. I'm sure that this is true for most of us, but praising Him in the bad had been much more difficult for me. God has been trying to teach me a major lesson on how to praise Him in the bad times, but I must confess, it has been tough.
I guess I should explain myself. The past few months have been tough around my house. When I say that, I don't mean that Joey and I are struggling in our marriage (the opposite actually), or that we have been struggling financially (we are surviving). There has just been a sense of melancholy hanging around in the air at our house.
In June, Joey and I had our first miscarriage. We lost our baby at six weeks. We had just gotten used to the idea of being pregnant again, when we miscarried on Father's day. We got through it. I knew God had a plan for us!
Then in early September, we found out we were pregnant again. We were thrilled! We just new that miscarriage wouldn't happen to us again. I mean, does that really happen to people???... It does! We were about six weeks along again when we were told that we were miscarrying again. We were devastated, but we still had faith that God would give us another child. Two weeks later, we went back to the docto because I just didn't feel right. When the doctor did an ultrasound, we heard a heartbeat. We were still pregnant!! To say we were excited would be an understatement.
We lost that baby on Saturday. We are devastated.
Our life has been an emotional rollercoaster. We have experienced so much hurt over the past few months. We also lost a very dear friend in early October. He was my little sister Katy's best friend growing up and our neighbor for about 16 years.
It has been tough! I don't write all this for everyone to feel sorry for me or my family or to air my families dirty laundry. I do appreciate all the prayers, but Iam writing this because I know that God's love is the only thing keeping us going.
A very wise friend of mine has continued to remind me that God is good. He doesn't need to use evil or pain to teach us a lesson. God knows this kind of pain first hand. He too lost a child once. I know that God has great plans for my family and that we will continue to grow in number. But for now, I will worship him for giving me Gracie and Joey. I will praise Him for carrying me through this tough time. His promise was not that we wouldn't get hurt, but that he would hold us up while we were hurting!

It's Been a While....

2008-09-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a while since I have posted anything. Life has taken me over, and I haven't been able to find much time to myself. Gracie is getting bigger and needs more of my attention these days. It is funny how I thought it would be the opposite as she got bigger.
We spent the day, yesterday, doing laundry and working on her forward roll. She hasn't quite conquered the task, but was working hard on it all day. We also spent some time creating a few fingerpainting masterpieces. She plans to give them away as gifts for Christmas.
When I am not with my little Gracie, I am doing what I can to make Joey's life easier. This is a task in itself because he rarely home. It becomes alot of guess work since I can't just call him and ask what he needs me to do. I hate to call him during the day because he might have his hands deep in someone's foot.
So, soon I hope to use that gift certificate my wonderful husband bought me. I can't wait to go get a massage, mani, pedi, and facial. Lord knows I definitely need it! I hope all of you are taking a few minutes everyday for yourself!

Our Weekend

2008-09-21T17:57:00.001-07:00

Our weekend was Great!

Friday, Joey's brother and sister in law came to visit! We had a lot of fun getting to visit with them on our turf. They had not been here (to our house) since we moved. Gracie had tons of fun playing with Kirsten, her only cousin on that side of the family. Those two girls giggled until they finally collapsed for the night.

On Saturday, we all shared Chick fil A breakfast and the girls played hard until Sam, Staci, and Kirsten left. Once they left, Joey , Gracie, and I cozied up to take a long nap on the couch. These have become a weekend tradition in our house and I love it! There is nothing better than all three of us cuddling up together on the couch and sleeping for three hours.

Once our nap was over, we got ready for a birthday party! Some friends of ours were having a birthday party for their 3yr old daughter Riley. We were so excited to attend, we hadn't seen Dallas and Rochelle since Joey graduated college.

We had a great time! Our friends hadn't changed a bit!
This was Gracie's first time attending a birthday party. She had fun!

Today, we started our day with church. We tried a new church and enjoyed it immensely! Then, we got pizza for lunch. We don't eat pizza often enough! It was soo... good!After pizza, it was off to the grocery store, then home. Once we were home, we cozied up again for a family nap. These naps are heaven!!

My little girl Gracie fell asleep but woke from her nap as a fairy Princess!

Her costume was falling off of her, but she refused to take it off! She kept rubbing the fabric and saying, "PRETTY!" She played in it for hours!She was Pretty! I am definitely going to have her twelve dollar fairy dress altered. I know it will cost more to alter it that it is worth, but she loves it and it is worth it to her. This evening, the fairy princess took her bath and went to sleep (in her costume, of course!)

BOOO!

2008-09-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

Gracie is sick again.... BOOO! I feel so awful for her when she is sick. Once again, we have ear infections in both ears. She is miserable. So, no school tomorrow... which means all day with mommy! I guess illness is just par for the course when you put your children in school.
I must say, she loves going to school and will be so disapointed to have to spend two days in a row with me. I am not half as fun as the other kids her size, nor am I as fun as the slide they have in her classroom.
Anyone have any fun ideas on how to entertain a sick child? Its not like I can take her to the park or anything. She has fever, aren't I supposed to keep her inside and down as much as possible...or is that just in cold weather??

She's an ARTIST!!

2008-09-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

Gracie recently did her first fingerpainting! I have to say that she wasn't very cooperative, and was more intersted in eating the paint, but after much hard work and help from mommy....She completed her masterpiece!

Gracie's First Day of School!!

2008-09-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

So, I have been meaning to post pictures of Gracie on her first day of school! She was so excited to carry her backpack that her nana (my mom) bought for her. It was too big for her, but she insisted.

9-11-01

2008-09-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

I will never forget the morning of September 11th, 2001. I was in my dorm room at UMHB, and my suite mate woke me up to watch the news.I was so shocked! That's not really how I was feeling, but there is no other word to describe it. AWE, maybe. Numbing, I felt numb. I was glued to the TV all day. Our campus was shut down so that students could get to their families. My family happened to be 6 hrs away, so going home to my mom wasn't really an option for me. God knows I wanted too. I was so scared. There were rumors that terrorist planned to bomb Ft. Hood since it was the largest miltary base in the country. ( Ft. Hood was very close to where I was-- maybe 15 miles, I'm not sure.) I remember we were told not to use our cell phones because they were trying to intercept messages... or something, I don't know, I just know that I hadn't been able to call my mom. It created a very desperate feeling in me.

I sat infront of the telivision for hours, trying to wrap my mind aroud the devestation of what occurred. I wanted information! I needed to know what was going on. I remember feeling like it was so personal. Like I, personally, had been attacked.

I now understand that I was. All of America was touched personally by this attack on our country. My sense of safety was damaged forever in a matter of minutes. The world will never be the same. This day affected my future forever.

The afternoon of September 11th, 2001, I met the man who would eventually be my husband.

Our campus was shut down and we had to leave the dorms. My roomate and I had nowhere to go, since home was so far away for us. So, we went to her boyfriend's house. This is where I met Joey. He was the roommate to my roommate's boyfriend.

I will never forget seeing him for the first time. I was infatuated immediately! I thought he had the most gorgeous blue eyes. He melted my heart when he let me call my mom (long distance) from his land line. I was in love right then! While on the phone with my mom, I told her that I was going to marry this guy!! I was serious!

We started dating that day and got engaged one year later. We were engaged for 3 and a half years and were married.

Now, seven years after the day we met, the day is bittersweet for us. We pray for those devestated families of the people we lost that day, but at the same time, we try to remember the day for the blessings it brought to my husband and I.We are so blessed to have one another and such a wonderful life! And because of 9-11, we have a precious little girl that we can't imagine ever living without.

Fall!

2008-09-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

So... Fall is here! I am not sure when the first day of Fall is according to the calendar, but in MY world....Fall has fallen!! I love the fall! Not that we really have the actual season here, but, for me, Fall presents a new season indoors. My fall lives in TV land. I love that all the season premieres for all of my shows have now started. For the few that haven't started yet, they will soon! I was so excited to see the new 90210! And am loving it! I can't wait for Survivor and Grey's to start up again. Private Practice starts On October 1st!! Yay!! I love what the fall season holds for me. These are only a few of the shows I indulge in on a weekly basis.
So, how do I catch them all?? I had to crank up two of the TVs we don't use and program their DVR's to record all of my shows for my viewing pleasure!!This way, my time with Gracie is not divided. I watch my shows while she is at school or asleep. I am loving it!!
So, for everyone who is living in far off places enjoying you beautiful fall season with your perfect weather and beautiful orange and red leaves, (you know who you are), there is a "fall season" here in Texas to experience. It just depends on how you look at it!

Aunt Katy Saves the Day!

2008-09-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

We took Gracie to the doctor yesterday.... She has an ear infection in both ears! BOOO!!! She also has a cold, but that is probably not what has been waking her up in the middle of the night. You know, it is amazing how going to the doctor will make you realize that you are not a fabulous parent, but merely adequate. I felt terrible when the doctor told me that my Gracie had double ear infections! How could I not know?!?

This doctor appointment followed a visit to the Urgent Care facility last week when I feared she might have a bladder infection. My mom, Grace, and I sat in the waiting room for a few hours to find out that Gracie was totally healthy. Not a problem with her bladder. I felt ridiculous for taking her to the Urgent care. Not only did she NOT need a doctor, she definitely did not need urgent care.

Oh well, I will eventually get the hang of being a parent, I hope.

Well, My sister Katy came into town to visit and to share in Gracie's first day of school. Since Gracie was ill and unable to attend, Katy provided us with the next best thing. She provided moral support at the doctor, and babysat Gracie so Joey and I could go on a much needed date.

We went to see a movie and got dinner. We felt awful for leaving Gracie and Katy at home while Gracie was sick, so we grabbed dinner to go and rushed home. Come to find out, we were not needed nor missed at home. Queen Katy and Princess Gracie were having a great time without us! Runny nose and all!
I love knowing that I can count on my sister to take great care of my child and make sure that she enjoys her time as well. I don't know why I worry.... The two are peas in a pod! The relationship between them is very special! I couldn't ask for more!

First Day of School Sniffles

2008-09-04T20:13:00.001-07:00

Today was supposed to be Gracie's first day of school. and mommy's first day off! What an exciting day I had planned, (sigh), but Gracie had the sniffles. She woke up yesterday and was extra clingy all day long. She seemed to be whiny and just couldn't be pleased. I was a little concerned, but not enough to skip school today. That was until she started coughing and licking the snot off her chest as it ran down her chin and neck. Gross! Her eyes were so glassy, that I though she was going to cry all day! I felt awful for her, she looked miserable!

So what did I do? I did what any mom does, who is on the verge of losing her fabulous day off! I started shoving medicine down her throat! I was hoping for a miraculous recovery! I decided that I would see how her night goes and reassess her illness in the morning.

Her night was awful! She slept, but not well. She coughed and sniffled all night long. The poor thing slept with her pacifier in her hand because she couldn't breathe when it was in her mouth. She wouldn't turn lose of it though.

When we woke up this morning, Gracie still had a stream running from her nose. I decided I just couldn't be THAT mom. You know, the one that sends her kid to school sick so he can pass his germs around to all the other children. I just couldn't, so I kept her home.

Luckily, Aunt Katy, (my sister and bestie) is in town. So, our day wasn't a complete wash out. We both enjoyed our time with Katy. I guess there is next week for school and a day off for mommy!

WOOSH!!

2008-08-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

I was so full of joy for my little sister on the day of her wedding. It was a beautiful day for such a memorable occasion. She had prepared for this day for such a long time, dreaming of it since she was a little girl. Katy worked very hard to make sure every detail was personal and perfect. Little did she know when she woke up that morning, how her sister would almost ruin it for her. Accidentally of course!

Hannah getting her hair done

The day started off like any other day. Jane, Hannah and I woke up, took our showers,visited with my parents, then left to go get our hair done right before lunch. Hannah had a very special hair appointment to make , as she was to be the Maid of Honor. She was incredibly excited and up for the task! I was exhausted. I had slept on the couch the night before because i didn't want Gracie to wake Jane up in the middle of the night. Silly, I know.

Katy and Hannah ,The Maid of Honor

The day seemed to fly by, as we had lunch at the hair salon and had our hair done. Once our hair was beautiful ,we ran a few other errands and made our way to the church. We were to be there at 4:00 to get dressed and prepare for pictures. Gracie napped until we got to the church and woke up about 15 minute after getting there.

Gracie taking her nap

This was a fun, but crazy time because I had to get myself ready, but also get little Gracie into her White dress. Needless to say, I was a little concerned about the damage my preciously, rambunctious, toddler could do to her beautiful white gown. There were Chick fil-A chicken nuggets and barbecue sauce in the dressing room for all of us to snack on along with a multitude of make- up bags for to her to get her little fingers into. So, I guess you could say that I was a little bit scatterbrained. Understandably so, I think.

Gracie singing into my make-up brush

Gracie putting on make-up

Craziness in the dressing room

Gracie's white dress

Once we were all beautified, all of the wedding party and family went into the Chapel to take pictures. This is the time that were were handed our flowers to keep up with. The were gorgeous flowers, in colors Gracie went crazy over. She loved them and wanted to pick them apart and eat them. She was also very excited to be awake, ( she woke up from a small cat nap as we arrived at the church), and have so many people to run back and forth to. Mommy had to run back and forth as well. I was a tired mommy be this time and was already ready for this event to be over. Luckily, Joey had just arrived in town, so he was able to help me corral our child as much as he could.

The Flowers

Gracie trying pull the flowers apart to eat them

It must be noted that Joey is often busy talking to friends and family about their ailments, and it is hard for him to step away when I need him. It is much easier for him to watch me out of the corner of his eye, pull my hair out as I run to the back of the church to grab Gracie before she knock over that oh so important Camera equipment. It would be absurd for him to try to excuse himself politely.

The Bridesmaids at picture time

While we were having our pictures taken, the wedding coordinator comes to me carrying a platinum wedding band encrusted with a row of diamonds across the top. It glistened in the sunlight as she walked in front of the windows. She said, "Sarah, you will be responsible for the groom's wedding band, keep it on your thumb until the pastor asks for the rings". I instantly tried to politely refuse this task. I did not need to be responsible for anything else other than me and Gracie. I was already having a hard time keeping up with just her. And with my luck over the past few days, I just wasn't willing to risk it.

Several other bridesmaids offered to take responsibility for the ring, but she insisted that I do it. She jammed the ring onto my thumb and said, "keep up with this! Don't lose it! Surely you can keep up with something for two hours."

"Fine. I will keep up with it."

I have to say that I was not feeling very confident about my new task. It took another hour and a half to finish up with pictures, then we returned to the dressing room to wait for guest to arrive and be seated.

Katy and my mom

While we waited in the dressing room, Katy was "banished" to the Bride's Room to spend time with my parents, pray,and collect her thoughts before the wedding started. I took this time to reapply some lip gloss and eat some chicken nuggets. Then I decided I should brush my teeth before I walk down the isle with chicken in my teeth. So, several of us girls went to the bathroom. While brushing my teeth, I decided I should "use the facilities" before the wedding started. I was in a hurry! The wedding party was lining up to start get the wedding started.

Katy wore boots under her dress

I was finishing up, and pulled up my panties. As I did so, the ring slipped off of my thumb!! Yes, it did! I will admit it, I said a few bad words as I didn't want to stick my hand into the dirty water to retrieve Dustin's wedding band. I bent forward to put my hand into the toilet and I heard a loud WOOSH, as the the very special ring that Katy picked out for the love of her life, flushed down the toilet and went sailing into the pipes below.

What do you do when you flush the ring down the toilet at your sisters wedding? You sob!! I Sobbed and Blubbered! Then I panicked! OMG! I have to tell her. The wedding was to start in five minutes. I had to tell her! I wanted to flush my own head down the toilet! I couldn't so sobbed into the wheelchair access rail on the wall of my stall. Bridesmaids kept running in to see what was wrong with me, and if it was a joke. It wasn't!

We only had a few minutes until the wedding was scheduled to start, so I went to find Dustin! He always knows what to do, he was a Paramedic and Firefighter at one point. They are trained to respond well in traumatic situations. At least he would be there to provide CPR, when Katy beat me to a pulp after she found out what I had done. She never would, I seem to let my imagination run when I am in a panicked situation.

Dustin, The Groom

Of course, he did have a solution as to what to do. Although, several people offered to let us borrow their ring for the ceremony;he knew Katy wouldn't be satisfied with someone else's ring. So he sent Eric, Holly's Husband, on a wild goose chase to find a ring that Katy had bought him on a for Christmas a few years ago. Luckily, Eric didn't do as he was told. Instead, he and a friend of his drove a million miles an hour to the nearest mall and purchased a new ring. Then he drove just as fast to bring the ring to the church. Yay!! Eric saved the day.
While Eric went to find a ring, Someone broke the news to Katy that I flushed the ring down the toilet. She laughed!! The wedding coordinator explained to her that we could just borrow a ring for the ceremony. She refused!! She wanted to give Dustin his own ring. She then spoke to me and reassured me that she was totally happy and okay. Not mad at me in the least!! I kept sobbing!! I couldn't stop! She hugged me and I went back to the dressing room to fix my running make- up.

On the way to the dressing room, I tried to stop crying and take a deep breath. I was feeling better until the wedding coordinator caught me. She backed me up to the wall. Not aggressively, but in an "I'm in charge" kinda way. The ring had arrived while I was in the Bride's Room. While holding hostage on the wall and glaring, the wedding coordinator said, "Sarah! This day is not about you! Katy may be at at you for about five years, but I promise, she will eventually get over it! Now, dry up those tears, go wash your face and reapply your make-up. Get it together!" So I did.

The Bownds

The wedding party lined up and the wedding started. It was amazing! I was so proud of my sister! She truly has grown up to be such a compassionate and forgiving person. Lucky for me!

A Wedding Story

2008-08-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

My little sister and Best Friend, Katy got married on August 8th (8-8-08). It was a great weekend, but there were a few glitches. I wanted to share them now that I have beautiful pictures to remind us of the fact that regardless of a few mishaps, the wedding was better than anyone could have dreamed of. Katy was a RADIANT Bride in both of her gowns. (Yes there were two. One for the ceremony and one for the reception.) And Dustin very handsome as well, but I can't say that I was the right choice as a bridesmaid. Not that I didn't want to be a bridesmaid, because I did and was very honored to accept. I just happened to be a "Hot Mess" the entire wedding weekend!

Me and the other bridesmaids

How about I start from the beginning...

My mom's back yard
Rehearsal Dinner had been planned to take place at my parents house. Well, since January, my parents house has been under reconstruction and still isn't quite finished. Still, that is where the bride and groom wanted to have their dinner so my mom intended to be a fabulous hostess. That was until she smashed her finger off closing the gate at her shop, (My parents own a casing business called Permian Power Tong), 6 days prior to the big dinner.

My mom and Dad dancing with her broken finger
Well, being the perfect child that I am, I rushed home to her aid. To literally be her right hand.LOL! Not so perfect, I guess. Over the course of the week, lots of people chipped in to make sure the house was ready for guests. The part where my "hot messness" began was about 20 minutes prior to rehearsal. Everyone was suppose to meet at the church, so Jane and I loaded Gracie up in my mom's brand new car to leave...

I must note here that Jane from Janiebirdphotos came to photograph the entire weekend. Also, it must be said that I had just argued with my mom over whether I should take the rental car that we rented for Jane to the church or whether I should drive her car. She wanted me to take her car. Gracie and i had made quite a mess in her car, so my mom wanted to drive the cleaner, not cluttered rental car.

So, Jane, Gracie, and I loaded up in my mom's car. As I climbed into the driver's seat; Holly, my older sister pulled up behind me in the drive way. She asked me a question about shoes as she ran into the house. I am not sure where my brain went, but I proceeded to sit down and put the car in reverse. SMASH!!!! I backed into Holly's brand new car!!! My mom and Holly ordered their cars at the same time and both were about 6 weeks old.

My brain immediately dropped back into my head as I began to sob and apologize. Both my parents and sister did their best to console me as we all took a moment to assess the damage. IT was BAD! I felt awful. Jane could only laugh in shock. My very forgiving sister Holly

Still, we didn't need to be late to the church, so we all hugged and loaded up in our separate cars to head to the church. My foot trembling on the gas pedal and me blubbering the entire way.

The Church entrance
I couldn't stop crying once we landed safely at the church. News spread of my little incident as the night went on. I cried through most of rehearsal, having to tell everyone to ignore me and I would be fine.

My family at Rehearsal
(Katy hugging our little sis Hannah, my dad,Me holding Gracie, & Holly holding her baby Jake)

Rehearsal Dinner went great!! The caterers did a fabulous job on the food and tables. I thought my bad luck was over. Later that night I locked Gracie in the car. She was sleeping so she didn't know, but needless to say I am grateful to have Onstar!!

The buffet line at the dinner

Come back tomorrow to read about how I almost kept the wedding from happening!!

Finally!

2008-08-23T19:01:00.001-07:00

So today was the first day that I truly felt like a real family in our new house. We have lived here since April, so it was a long time coming! We have been so busy this summer, so it has been difficult to do anything as a family. As you know, Joey is in his first year of residency, so he is constantly on call. He is exhausted all of the time as well. On the same page, Gracie and I have been in and out of town quite a bit this summer, and when we go out of town, we stay out. LOL! We never stay anywhere for less than a week. So, needless to say, It has been a crazy place around here all summer.
Well, summer is winding down. Today was just a quiet Saturday afternoon, and I loved it!! We did whatever we wanted to do. There were no places we needed to be or anything we needed to do. It was glorious!
It was so hot here tod ay! Joey started the day by bringing Gracie and I Chickfil-A for breakfast. I love their chicken minis. Then we let Gracie take a dip in her pool. Joey did some yard work and I just sat with my tootsies in the water.
After we were baked by the sun, Joey took a nap and Gracie and I watched a Lifetime Movie.
Once he woke up, I took a 2 hr nap and he and Gracie played until she finally conked out.
I woke up to RAIN!! It was Crazy! It had been so hot outside, but it was so nice to wake up to the smell of the rain.
The rain blew over as quickly as it came. I was so disapointed. Everything outside quickly dried up, so Joey decided to cook hamburgers outside on the grill. YUM!! They were yummy!!
It was a great day!! Gracie went to bed without a fight (in her own crib).
Sooo... I didn't do any shopping today, but it was even better to just be a family at home.
My sister is coming to visit on Monday, so we will shop then. I hope you all had a blessed Saturday as well! I hope tomorrow is even better!

P.S. Once I learn how to put pictures on here, I will do so. Bare with me until then!!

TGIF!!!!

2008-08-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

I am glad it is Friday!! I am so looking forward to the weekend. I am planning to do a little school shopping for my little Gracie and am very excited. This isn't any old shopping!! NO! NO! This is our first school shopping experience and are hoping to start a few "new school year" traditions tomorrow. Any suggestions on fun traditions are totally welcome!

I know what you are thinking. Gracie?? School?? Oh yes! Gracie starts Mother's Day Out on Sept. 2nd. I don't know exactly what I will do with my new free time on tuesdays and Thursdays, but I plan to spend it doing everything I WANT to do.
First Stop.... Nail salon! I love getting a new pedicure! It makes me feel like a new lady.
My mom and i think that everyone should get a pedicure once every two weeks. Wouldn't that be fabulous!!!

I know I sound totally excited about little Gracie going to school two days a week, but I am also a little sad about it. My little baby is a baby no more. She is officially a toddler doing toddler things. She is growing up so fast!! It makes me want to cry just thinking about how things change in the blink of an eye.

NEWBIE!!

2008-08-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

So... Hi! My name is Sarah.

I am new to the blogging world and it seems as if the cat got my tongue as far as this first blog is concerned, so i will just rattle off the basic info that is necessary for my readers to have an idea of who I am. I am twenty five, (soon to be 26 in october). I am struggling a bit with my age these days. The idea of growing older is a little bit unnerving to me right now. I don't know why.
Anyway, I have a great husband, Joey. He is a first year podiatry resident. I am a stay at home mom to our precious little toddler named Gracie. She is 15 months old and Growing like a weed.
We recently moved back to our home state of TEXAS!!! We had been living in Cleveland, OH for a few years while Joey finished up Podiatry school. I am a Texas girl through and through, so I am sooo much happier to be home.
I have so much more to say about things but felt it necessary to get the awkward introduction out of the way first.
I hope you like my beautiful page. My friend Ashley (from the blog have a lovely) made it for me, as I am basicly incapable of doing anything more than turning this computer on. Well, I hope you come back to read tomorrow's post. I promise it will be way more intersting! So until then...