Life of the Lays

The Bahamas

2011-03-21T14:51:00.003-05:00

Our family was fortunate to be able to go to the Bahamas over Thanksgiving Break. Here are a few pics...Landry had a blast playing in the water, almost as much as her daddy did. I don't know that I'll get back to blogging for good. But I do want a place to keep up with pictures of our girl and to be able to share with friends and family.

Catch Up!

2009-08-31T15:23:00.006-05:00

I can NOT believe that it has been 3 MONTHS since I have blogged. Robert asked me about it yesterday and wondered what happened to the blog. Umm...Life happened.

Since the last time I blogged, Robert has had an entire summer off of work. Well, kinda. Football coaches tend to work all summer. He's already been in classes a week and football is now in full swing.

Also, Landry Kate turned 2! She acts like she is 22 most days and thinks she is in charge, but we oh so enjoyed celebrating her big day. She got a big girl bed and bedding from mommy and daddy and she loves it. Especially the freedom it gives her to get up whenever she wants. *yikes* We are enjoying this age so much. Her vocabulary is incredible and somewhat scary at times! Lately, she loves to say "delicious" and "amazing". She still has a playful attitude and loves to tease us. I'll tell her "I love you, Landry" and she likes to reply, "I love Daddy".

Here are some pics from the Big 2 Celebration!

Love to All, Amy

If It Weren't for Bad Luck...

2009-05-26T13:17:00.003-05:00

I'd have no luck at all.

I have been saying that for a few weeks now. I don't really believe in luck, which makes it silly, but it is certainly how I have felt the past month or so. Thus the blogging absence. My sister said I need to document the ridciculousness of it all so here goes....as to not bore you all to tears, I will make a list. (i love lists, btw!) This list may be TMI for some of you.

Had jaw pain
-went to dentist for x-rays
-found nothing abnormal
-went home
-woke up with excruciating pain
-went to emergency room
-hydrocodine!! good times!
-later that day, more pain
-meet dentist at 8PM
-temp. filling
-root canal following monday
-get ER bill, more excruciating pain! yikes!

Pipe breaks & House floods
-live with friends/hotel for 4 days (difficult with a almost 2 yr. old)
-house has huge fans/dehumidifiers for a week
-bathroom jacked, must replace vanity, some tile

Have girly probs
-doctor describes antibiotic
-bad reaction to antibiotic, burns esophagus
-now on nexium

Robert breaks his front tooth
-looks like Lloyd Christmas from Dumb & Dumber
-$$$ (yes, that is the sound of my bank account drying up)
-gets tooth fixed...all good. handsome once again! whhheww!

Close Robert's truck door on my hand
-have to open door to get finger out
-finger swells, throbs, bloody
-go to doctor to have it drained.
-needle in fingernail. wouldn't recommend.

Upside:
-Get a new bathroom
-Expect Christmas Cards from all the doctors we have visited as of late....
and at the end of the day...

I get to be this girl's momma!

A Few Easter Pics

2009-04-16T10:34:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple pics of Landry from Easter. I just love this hand-me-down dress from cousin Morgan! Wanted you all to see how sweet our girl looked. The Easter Bunny spoiled us and it was a wonderful day. Love to you all, Amy

Grandparents: This is for You!

2009-04-02T09:07:00.003-05:00

Grandparents: This is for You!

Landry is talking so much lately, it's scary. And repeating things...whew! I really need to get Robert to quit calling me "honey lovey sugar bottom"! Just kidding...you all know he calls me "hey"! :)

So Miss Landry Lu has quite the repertoire of words! A few of her new words/phrases include: dark, be quiet, Robert (haha), Where are you, I want to, truck, duck, cow, brush, up, are you ready, chocolate milk, woo hoo....and others. I am sure I am wearing y'all out.

The other night I was taking cookies out of the oven and Landry was in her highchair. She saw the pan and yelled, "cookies, woo hoo!"

She also is learning sounds that different things make. For cow, of course, moo! For the puppy, ruff, ruff. And for daddy's motorcycle, boodnnn, boodnnn...

Last night we practiced counting...

She is so much fun right now, but so independent. The special moments are super ooey, gooey, special and the fits are doozies...BUT wouldn't trade her for ANYTHING! Love ya'll!

Jeepin'!

2009-03-09T14:30:00.005-05:00

I took the top off my jeep for the first time this weekend. The jury is still out on whether Landry enjoyed the experience or not.

Robert's 29th Birthday

2009-03-09T13:50:00.003-05:00

Robert's birthday was yesterday and we had a fun time celebrating with friends and family.

We started the day with breakfast with our Bible Fellowship Group at church.

After church we went to his mom's for lunch. Landry had a big time playing in Mimi's backyard and in the playhouse. Apparently sand was on the menu, because that is what the girls cooked with. It was in every little tea pot and dish and even in the appliances. After we cleaned up the playhouse and played a little longer it was time to go in for lunch. Mimi fixed one of Robert's favorites. Gulosh. Goulosh....Goulash, that I am just now realizing I don't know how the spell. We also had mashed potatoes and corn and of course birthday cake. Cousin Sarah gave her Uncle Robert a card in which she had written "I Like Robert." Isn't that special...?! He then told her that even somedays Aunt Amy doesn't like him, so he really appreciated the sentiment. Here are Sarah's parents, those silly Clapps! They are funny, funny as you can see from Russell's expression!

Landry and I never practiced until yesterday but she was able to tell her daddy "happy birthday"! So sweet!With my man...who is now caught up to me in age. Whew! For 8 months or so...!Landry found Mimi's harmonica and had quite the time with it. R only had one candle on his cake. Mimi said it represents the year he has until he is 3-0! Yikes! Lucky for me, I am a girl, and we stop aging at 29. Thanks everyone from the Birthday Boy!

That Day I Was the Best Wife Ever

2009-02-17T09:01:00.007-06:00

I wanted to save my 100th post for something really special. What could be more special than the day I was Robert Lay's favorite wife ever! (Coincidentally, I am his only wife, but details, schmetails!)

So on Friday, I was the best wife Robert could ask for....after years of him talking about, hinting about, and downright nagging about his desire for a motorcycle, I surprised him with his very own for Valentine's/Birthday!

This video is horrible and the gift giving scheme was clearly over his head, but at least you can hear his reaction. Too funny!

The next morning (Valentine's Day), Robert got up early and made a huge breakfast for me & Landry. While we were eating, the doorbell rang and I opened it to a lovely bouquet of roses and gerbera daisies!

Afterward, Kerrie (9 mos. pregnant cousin Kerrie) and her girls went to get pedicures.

Then we got to spend the rest of the day with my parents, sister and her kids! We ate at Cracker Barrel, where we witnessed some amazing singing valentines! They were fantastic and had Landry dancing in her chair!

That night mom & dad watched Lulu so Robert and I could attend Chocolate Indulgence! Oh. My. Word. I have never consumed so much chocolate in one setting and it was wonderful! I had chocolate covered strawberries from three different chocolate fountains: white, milk and dark!

Valentine's is my favorite holiday and this year was no different. I know it is totally a made up, retailer's holiday, but what a sweet thing it is to celebrate our love for one another!

(Playing with Joshua's new cowboy hat....

does anyone else think she looks like Strawberry Shortcake?)

Love to you all....

Amy

E - I - E Uh-oh!

2009-01-28T09:01:00.004-06:00

oh. bless. my. heart. Every video I post has me laughing hysterically like a hyena, but this is too cute not to share. We got off to a rough start because Landry only wanted to see herself on camera...

As you know, our girl loves music. When we sing the ABC's she can now sing A, B, H & I and this week she added Z. She also sings "bible" when we sing "Jesus Loves Me." This week, she picked up on "Old McDonald" and well...see for yourself.

2009-01-23T14:34:00.004-06:00

Bad blogger...Bad, bad blogger. That's me!

Lately we have been too busy just living life for me to keep up with this blog.
Soccer season is in full swing and Robert has hosted/attended a tournament the past three weekends. As I type he is in North Richland Hills with his soccer girls for the weekend. He has chaperones and parents but the thought of having his team have to stay overnight in a hotel away from home makes him shutter. Is it bad when you want your husbands team to lose just so he can come home.

Last week our baby girl turned 18 months old. What? How did that happen? I had plans to take her to the doctor last Friday for immunizations, but it never fails, our well visits end up being sick visits. Being the competative family that we are, I am proud to say that Landry came in third place in order of flu diagnosis! Yes, only three comfirmed cases in the entire pediatrician's office (that's 5 doctors worth of patients) and my girl was one of them. Shouldn't we get a bronze syringe or something. Dr. Lipscomb was gracious enough to write a Rx for me & Robert for TamaFlu as well. It's been a week now and our girl still isn't quite back to her sweet spunky self but we're working on it.

While Robert is soccer-ing it up this weekend, Landry Lou is going to stay with G'Momma & Dewdad. This will give me an entire evening to prepare for our cousin Kerrie's Baby #3 Shower. Kerrie is due on Valentine's Day and I couldn't think of a better day to bring home a new little lovie! I cannot wait to meet this little Mr. or Miss! Yes, it is a surprise!
Here are some pictures of our Landry Lu as of late.

About to head to church Sonic with daddy

Does she not look like a little homeless kid in this picture? We were having a picnic in the pressbox during daddy's soccer game.

Can you tell how badly Landry felt in this picture? Well enough to bark order to her mama. Actually she was So So excited about her friends the Little Einsteins.

Cracker Barrel bacon...mmm. Tasty.

It may seem like I only take pictures when Landry is eating, and you are thinking 'oh, how rude.' In my defense, I would just like to say that the kid is always eating. What can I say...we love food!

Holy Mole-y!

2009-01-08T14:41:00.002-06:00

If this doesn't make you want to clean out a closet or two, I don't know what will.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,477873,00.html

Keeping Up With This Blog: NOT My New Year's Resolution

2009-01-06T09:23:00.004-06:00

Thankfully, my new year's resolution is not to keep up with this blog. Who am I kidding? That's not gonna happen! But I do finally have some pictures from Christmas morning to share. Our daddy spoiled us for sure...as did G'Momma & Dewdad, Mimi & Papa, Grandad & Grandma, Aunt Lissa & Uncle Justin, Aust Traci & Uncle Russell....you see where this is going. We were overwhelmed by everyone's generosity, but mostly we just enjoyed spending time with you all!

Santa brought Landry a new toy box.

Landry received many new baby dolls for Christmas.

It's like a baby doll daycare center at our house. : )Landry got some new Nike's from Coach Daddy! Someone saw my hubby coming and suckered him into buying every lip gloss known to man.

Oh yes, even Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor! What?!

Landry's weapon of choice: backscratcher.

Scratching Dewdad's feet...Brave Girl!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from The Lays

2008-12-12T09:35:00.004-06:00

From our family to yours....
And for those of you that really know our family....

Landry's First Haircut

2008-12-01T09:13:00.002-06:00

Last Wednesday we took Landry in for her first little haircut. She had been working on a pretty good mullet and we wanted to clean it up a little. I also thought the trim may stimulate some growth! Apparently our girl is a sucker for a sucker. She sat so still and did so well. She appreciated the attention, of course, the little ham!This is the sweet hairdresser that cut Landry's hair. She was so good with her.
The results. Barely anything to save, but I scraped every last hair into an envelope.
Our girl looks cute as ever and no more mullet! ; )

Weekend Update!

2008-11-24T10:01:00.005-06:00

Doot-Doot. Doot-Doot. Doot-Doot. This is your weekend update.

Friday night, Denison beat Dallas Lincoln to win the area championship. We played at Mesquite Hanby Stadium, which was very nice but VERY cold! I got to pick up my friends Molly & Brian on the way, and we had a really good time. Didn't we, Molly? Well, I did! It is fun to laugh with friends. & it is fun to win football games! Good times Friday! Next Friday we will play Sulpher Springs at Texas Stadium. Woo hoo!

Saturday, Landry & I rode with G'Momma to Decatur to go to my High School friends baby shower. She has a little boy, already, but is due with a sweet baby girl, Brynlea Ruth. Isn't that sweet? Landry was a handful, and this is what we did in the car to entertain the little Goob, as her daddy calls her.

Here are some of my High School girlfriends. On the top, Shelby, myself & Ashley. On bottom, Alison, AKA: Hoot-Al the Poot-Al, Amanda & Jennifer. It is so nice to have friends that you can just pick right up with. We laughed so much and made fun of each other, just like the old days. (By the way, good cupcakes, Shel, got anymore? Alison needs a snack!)

Sunday after church, the coaches families had a luncheon and we had so much good food. Landry and daddy played on the football mats. There were so many kids running around; it was fun to watch the kids interact. There were exactly 3 boys, and like eleventy-seven girls.
Last night, we had our annual church Thanksgiving Dinner with MORE yummy food, and then to our neighbors house to celebrate a birthday, with MORE food. I was bound and determined to head to the gym during lunch today, but I just found out we are having a spread at work for someone's birthday-MINE!

More food! As for the gym, why do today, what I can put off until tomorrow? Now I'm off to eat!

Fun with the Flynts

2008-11-10T10:37:00.005-06:00

Friday we met my sister and kids at the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville to play on their playground. It is an amazing fun fort with multiple slides and bridges and tunnels. Even I liked playing on it, but not nearly as much as Landry Lu. She played peek-a-boo with her cousins. Here they were all in the dog house and Jerod claimed they had a new puppy named Landry.Miss L also enjoyed swinging and she was her little independent self as always.

After playing on the playground for a while Joshua informed us it was our turn on the train. Landry thought it was fantastic! Sweet Morgan was kind enough to be our photographer for the duration of the train ride and she got some pretty good shots.After lunch at Cici's, Melissa and I traded girls and she took Landry home for the night and I got to keep Morgan. Morgan and I went to the pep rally and the Denison/Sherman Battle of the Ax football game. It was cold, but exciting because we won, 34-17! Go Jackets and Congrats on a 10-0 perfect season! This made Coach Lay very happy!So much so, that he actually buried Landry and himself in leaves in the backyard on Saturday. We definitely have no shortage of leaves in our yard...which equals lots of fun for the girl. Which means even more fun in the bathtub later!
Sunday, as we were getting ready for church, I heard strange noises coming from the hall bath. Landry Lu found her way back to the tub, fully-clothed this time and was having a ball playing with her toys.

What a fun weekend and my oh my, how fast my girl is growing. This week she officially stopped calling me "mama" and now refers to me as "Amy". What?! My 16 month old calls me by my name!? I don't think so...I am trying to roll with it, because I am sure it is just a phase. Until then we are working on saying "Robert"! : )

Monsters on Main

2008-11-03T09:41:00.005-06:00

Monsters on Main was a wonderful event and there were little "monsters" everywhere! Landry had a fun time and has learned that Dum Dum suckers are heaven on earth. I lost count at 4.

It was dark and hard to get pictures but here are a few we managed. Landry was a bumble bee or I guess, a yellow jacket, if you were to ask her daddy.

After the Main Street event, we went to Robert's football game (9-0, yay!) and there Landry ate more Dum Dums, along with nachos, popcorn and anything else she could beg for.

Saturday, I had a garage (minus the garage) with my friends at City Hall. Yesterday was church and feeding the coaches, so needless to say, the weekend flew right by!

It is nice to come back to work to recover from the weekend....ahhh!

Stylin'

2008-10-29T11:38:00.002-05:00

Guess who got a new hat and gloves this week?

Take a good look. This is the last time they will be white.

Sleepy Head

2008-10-29T11:09:00.002-05:00

Apparently, I make a pretty boring grilled cheese...

TAG, I'm IT!

2008-10-28T16:33:00.002-05:00

I have never been tagged before and I was so excited to find out that Ashli tagged me. Then I discovered it is the hardest Tag ever for someone like me who can't remember words to songs, much less, who actually sings it, but here goes...

You have 7 minutes to think of 7 songs and share them with everyone.
These are the 7 songs I thought of....

Shadowfeet by Brooke Fraser
She Cheated on Me-Gavin DeGraw
I'm Not Who I Was by Brandon Heath
So What-Pink
Love Remains the Same-Gavin Rosdale
I'm in Love with a Girl-Gavin DeGraw
21st Time-Monk & Neagle

I know....a weird mix, right? That's ME!

Okay, Janelle & Kara...you're up! (Sadly, you are two of the few that will admit to reading my blog! ha!)

Hair Report & Landry Lu

2008-10-16T08:43:00.003-05:00

For every picture of me you get one of Landry free

...because, come on, isn't that why we are all here?

Landry came up to my office to work a couple of Fridays ago.
Here is Landry and her daddy hot rodding around the 'hood. We have to make her pop a wheelie because she won't keep her feet off the ground, but she does love it.
Here I am with my "dead squirrel" as my friend Cheryl called it.

My donation for Beautiful Lengths.
And here is the back minus all that hair!

Sorry the pics aren't the best but I can only do so much with the timer on my camera.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2008-10-13T12:11:00.003-05:00

That's right! Tomorrow my hair will be GONE!

Okay, well, maybe just short!

I decided many months back to donate my hair to Pantene's Beautiful Locks and tomorrow is the day. I came to this decision when my friend Judy was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is such a strong, generous, funny woman, as well as a dedicated wife, mother and friend. I am donating my hair in honor of her.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths creates wigs specifically for women with breast cancer and I'll be sending my 8 inches for the cause.

I'll be back with pics soon to show you the new do!

Giving Thanks!

2008-10-07T15:49:00.004-05:00

Wow! What a busy time in our lives right now! It goes so fast, but I love it!

I just wrapped up Denison's Fall Festival this past weekend and it was a wonderful day full of pancakes and corn dogs and kettle korn. You can tell what our family does for entertainment! The weather was perfect and my sister and her family made the trip from Wise County to be there! Thanks Sister!

Robert is smack dab in the middle of football season and the Jackets are 5-0! This week is Homecoming in Denison. The homecoming parade with all our queen candidates and sweethearts is Thursday in Downtown and then the game Friday night, where they will crown the queen. Saturday is Robert's 10 year class reunion and I am sure there will be lots of Jacket football of years gone by to be discussed! With all these festivites you can bet Landry will be decked out in her Yellow Jacket garb!

Speaking of Landry, she is such a hoot lately! My neighbor pointed out the other day what a great auditory vocabulary she has. Landry basically understands what I ask her to do.

Shut the door, sit down, throw this away....etc.

Depending on her mood, she may or may not obey. HA! She is learning more words on a daily basis and she is finally interested in books! Her favorite is a counting book. It has pictures of things she recognizes and she loves to turn to them and tell me what they are. Her favorites are ball and fish.

She has learned to say please (pssss) and thank you (tank to) but she is as stingy with those as she is her kisses. Other words she has learned are Nandy, which is her name for our friend Andy, dog and nose.

Landry is obsessed with shoes. Mostly taking them off. She does like to find my or her daddy's shoes and try them on. She gets terribly frustrated when she can't walk in them, and she only tries to put them on her feet while she is standing up. If she has to sit down to put them on, it is a failure and her interest is lost.

Our girl has also turned into quite the climber. She loves to climb onto the couch, her highchair, or the rocking chairs in her room---in which we often find her standing.

Bath time is always a fun time for the girl. It inevitably calms her after a tired day. She also enjoys:
being outside
brushing her teeth
playing monster with daddy
unrolling the toilet paper
sneaking into our shower
opening and closing cabinets
pulling the grape jelly and barbeque sauce out of the refrigerator
and any type of device with buttons (radio, remote controls, computer, mouse, etc.)

She is the light of my life and I am so thankful on a daily basis that the Lord chose me to be her mommy. I love you Lucy!

Hope you all are having a delightful fall. Especially as the season of Thanksgiving draws near, I pray the Lord reminds you of all the blessings in your life.

There are no words...

2008-09-25T12:58:00.002-05:00

Robert has to squeeze in play time with Landry right before bed each night, since daddy/Landry time is limited right now. They get very creative in their games and activities and this is what they were doing last night. Can you imagine getting this girl settled down to go to bed?!

Please note: I was in the middle of changing the sheets on my bed, please don't judge me by the condition of this room. Also, my husband is in fact topless in the video and if you are offended by that, this is not for you.

Lastly, after Robert sees that I have posted this for all the world to see, I am certain that I will be looking for a new place of residence. It was nice knowing all of you!

10 Years Later

2008-09-22T08:18:00.004-05:00

This weekend Robert & I attended my 10 year class reunion in Decatur. It was a lot of fun catching up with old friends. So much so, that I have only a few pictures from the night. Ryan Mitchell, Ashley Christian Chapman and myself.

Ryan and I came to Decatur Middle School the same year (8th grade) and were good friends immediately. We also went to DBU together. It had been over 7 years since we had seen each other...way to long.

Me & Amanda Meador Smith

We were also good friends from 8th grade on. You can't tell in this picture, but Amanda is 6 1/2 months pregnant with a baby girl! : )

Me, Amanda, Ash & Shelby
Friends catching up!
Mary Ann Morgan Cox & myself

Mary Ann and I have caught up through MySpace, but I am pulling her over into the blogging world! ha ha! Isn't she beautiful?

It was so weird to visit with people that I hadn't seen in forever but still feel so comfortable, just like yesterday we were doing the same thing. Hopefully we won't wait another 10 years!

I Heart Fall!

2008-09-09T13:12:00.006-05:00

Don't you just love Fall?

It is a muggy 72 degrees outside with drizzling rain, and I am doing everything I can to not to go put on a sweater and boots! I am just so anxious for Fall to arrive, I want to give it some encouragement, to get here already!

I have always loved Fall. When I was younger it meant, my birthday and thanksgiving with family and cheering at football games on Friday nights. Now that I am older, I have an even greater appreciation for it.

It still means my birthday and thanksgiving with family, cheering at football games on Friday (& Tuesday night & Thursday night. LOL.) but now it also means taking my baby's picture in a pumpkin patch, decorating our front porch with mums, dressing Landry in sweaters and tights and reminiscing to first meeting Robert.

I can still remember early days in our relationship involving Homecoming games, flannel shirts and crisp fall days. Driving around with the windows down listening to music. And endless road trips between Dallas & College Station.

It gives me the most romantic feeling, even now when I walk outside and feel the cooler temperatures. It really takes me back. Back to a new semester of classes, a ring on my finger and taking engagement pictures.

It makes me fall in love with Robert all over again.

And fall in love with fall.

Piper Palin Licked the Hair & Tickled Peoples!

2008-09-04T10:11:00.005-05:00

For the first time since, well ever, I was excited to watch the GOP convention last night because I wanted to see Sarah Palin's speech. She did not dissappoint. She was charming and witty and real.

Although her sweet little Piper stole the show as she cared for wonderfully perfect little brother Trig. It was my favorite part by far!

Weekend Report

2008-09-02T09:16:00.005-05:00

Thursday night the girl and I went to the Yellow Jacket scrimmage and sported our new Yellow Jacket gear! We do love football, but we like dressing the part of the fan even better. We lasted all of 45 minutes at the game, mainly because Landry has a new obsession with stairs and low and behold Munson Stadium is like one big staircase. So we went home after throwing a fit on the front row, and falling and skinning our knee, while trying to flee from our mama. (Landry, not me.) I let her run around in the yard when we got home for a while, but all that girl wants to do is head for the street. She does not like grass or dirt so it is a B-line to the driveway and Highland Park Drive every time!

The girl and I headed to Leonard Friday night to meet up with Sister and her kiddos at the Parent's. It was our last visit with the Flynt's before they start school this week. How I do love a Watson slumber party! (Sorry Morgan for the mediocre night's sleep due to my daughter who can only sleep in her own bed in her own room. What a sweet big cousin you are to her.)
We got to celebrate Jerod's 6th Birthday while there and I do believe he liked all his presents. Sunglasses. Watch. Bibleman mask & cap. Light/Sound sword. That is one over-accessorized superhero, huh? We love you Buddy!

Josh-a-woo-woo was loving playing the big cousin to Landry! He calls her Landry Lu....isn't that cute?

When we got home on Saturday, we headed straight to our Sunday School party. We had the gym all to ourselves which was great...except Landry thinks she is a big girl and should do everything the big boys were doing. She has bumps and bruises all over, because she is a wild woman!

Sunday was church as usual before Daddy had to go to the field house. Landry and I took advantage of the Clapps and Mimi & Papa camping at the lake and went out for a swim. Can I tell you how high maintenance Landry is? She didn't like the sand at all and would go to anyone who would rescue her from the icky stuff. Aunt Traci was kind enough to let Landry sit under the umbrella with her and eat Cheese-Its until her heart was content. We stayed a few hours, long enough to tire out the little camper. She was asleep before we got past the campground gate.

Yesterday was a restful day and we hung around the house and waited for Robert to get out of football practice. After that he took us for a late lunch at Cracker Barrel. Yum!

Normally I would have a collection of photos to document the weekend. Sadly the verdict is still out on my photos at Sam's. I thought it would be a good idea to bust out my 35mm for the weekend as opposed to my digital. I haven't used it in about a year. I got so many cute pictures of the lil' yellow jacket and the cousins, but the photo lab at Sam's seems to have lost it. The manager is suppose to call me today to tell me it their machine has taken it hostage or if they inadvertently put my negatives in with someone else's photos. I am trying to have a Christian attitude and remember that accidents happen. Hopefully I will be able to share photos soon. Unfortunately for you, there are no photos, just the 1,000 words a photo would be worth.

***One more thing. The Lord has really placed Bristol Palin on my heart today. For those who haven't heard, she is the pregnant, 17 year-old daughter of Rep. VP pick, Sarah Palin. The media is making a delicate and difficult situation even more so. Please pray that she feels the unconditional love and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father today.

Sister Friend Weekend '08

2008-08-25T10:50:00.006-05:00

Sister Friend weekend was so much fun!

First and foremost, thank you to all the daddys that watched kiddos this weekend so we girls could have some fun! We are well aware of football and hunting season soon to be upon us, and we will repay the favor!

The weekend started on Friday when I met my sister and Kara at The Children's Place. This began the Grapevine Mills Grande Tour! Ha! I am not a shopper but I hung with the big girls this on Friday!

Here Kara is modeling a hat that she thought Landry would just love. Gorgeous, Kara!

Sister racked in some deals for her youngin's. She bought clothing for next summer because they were all on clearance for $.99 to 2.99! WOW! She ended up with two huge bags of stuff for $92. She is such a frugal Fran! Good job sister!
This is Nuthan! She really helped up scan the heck out of some sales items. Sister is beaming with shopper's pride, is she not?
Guess, who we ran it afterward?

You guessed it! John McCain.

He asked Kara to be his VP and she gave him the thumbs up!

Kara took her role as VP very seriously. Then she was impeached.

Actually, if you would, please pray for Kara in this upcoming election. As you can see above, she is undecided in how she will cast her vote!

Later Friday we met up with Beth (Kara's sister) and Leah (Sister's SIL). We shopped some more and then went to eat at Uncle Julio's. YUM!

FYI: A pound and 1/2 of Chicken fajita is too much for 5 ladies, even if they have worked up an appetite by shopping all day.

We got back to our hotel and visited until wee hours of the morning! Love it!Saturday I got some batteries at the hotel gift shop and thus explains the rest of the pictures. Either blurry or non-existent! We started our morning with a delicious breakfast at our hotel! Then we were off to tour the Southern Living Idea House. It was very nice!
This is the office.
The Dining Room.
The Boy's Bathroom. The Boy's Bed.

And there ends the photos.

After the tour, we went to eat at McKinley's. So good. And then I had to head back to D Town. Some of the other girls stayed and shopped a little longer.

Thanks Ladies for such a fun weekend and I am looking forward to the next one already!

If you want to see the rest of the house go here:

Southern Living Idea House: Verona Park, Ft. Worth, TX

When I got home on Saturday afternoon, this is what I saw! What a good daddy to built a tent covering Landry's room. What a good husband to clean it up! ; )
See how much we missed each other. Sadly this is one of the few pictures we have taken together in months. And it is also one of the better ones. Sad. But true.

That's Using Your Head!

2008-08-25T09:50:00.007-05:00

Yesterday after leaving our mark on daddy's classroom, we came home to fine tune our martial art skills. Or maybe we just dressed the part.

I had to hem Landry's cheer leading uniform and this is what Robert thought to do with the extra fabric. Clearly, she has no idea this is on her head...or she would have already ripped it off. I think she is getting the hang of it in this picture. That is one cute karate kid!

After Robert's attempt at hair accessories, I wanted a chance. Lately, Landry's hair is really starting to grow...but only in the back. Can you say, Mullet? After her bath, we found the teeny tiniest little rubber band and ta da! A PONYTAIL!Isn't it sweet?

That stayed all of 2.4 seconds, but my heart beamed with joy in that short time!

In fact, I could not stop laughing.

Thanks Landry for being our real live baby doll!

Hello Football! Goodbye Daddy!

2008-08-25T09:15:00.004-05:00

Football is here, which means Robert is gone!

Not really, but it may seem that way to Landry because he leaves before she is awake and gets home after she is in bed. So lately we have been going up to practice to say Night, Night! Yes, that is my child in her pajamas. In public. Don't judge me.

Last week we had coaches' family pictures for the Football program. Here is the girl sporting some black & gold. Sting 'em! You can't see the cutest part of her outfit: THE SHOES! So imagine her in these! These are the only shoes that she gets excited to wear. Otherwise the girl wants to be barefoot.Yesterday we went to Robert's classrooom to help him get ready for the first day of class. And by help I mean, writing on his whiteboard, crushing Goldfish crumbs on the floor, and leaving a behind a smell that I am sure will invite students to soak in all the Geography knowledge possible. Or run as fast as possible in the other direction. Same thing.
This is the part where we told Landry about the map pop quiz she had to take. Bless her heart, she got all the continents labeled correctly, but had trouble with the oceans.
Have a great school year and football season daddy!

From your two favorite cheerleaders!

Sister Friend Weekend '08

2008-08-21T13:53:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I am off for a weekend of sisters, shopping and Southern Living! I am so excited!

I am meeting sister, sister's SIL Leah, sisters's friend Kara, and Kara's sister Beth. Got all that?

We will be spending the night together, dining, shopping, doing the girl thing! Saturday we are going to Southern Living's Idea House! I can't wait! Did I mention that we have matching Sister Friend Weekend Shirts? Yeah, we are THAT kind of people! ; )

The downside, no Landry Lou! I know she is in good hands with Cousin Kerrie and of course her Daddy!

Lots of pics to come! See you when I get back!

Warning: Mistreatment Ahead

2008-08-18T11:08:00.006-05:00

The Nester is hosting a Mistreatment Club get together over at her blog today. And there are lots of cute, easy, inexpensive ideas out there! So Fun!

Here are a few mistreatments of mine, inspired by the Nester herself!

I showed you my office make-over several months ago, but I don't think my desk was this clean...so look again! This is Tobacco Road on the walls, the highly recommended paint color from the Nester. Although I am pretty sure it looks better in a room with SOME natural light and not just fluorescent.

This may lead you to ask...well, then, Amy...why don't you open that window over there? Which leads me to my mistreatment. A FAKE WINDOW!

Shocking, right? The windows in City Hall really are this tall. They just forgot the part where they were suppose to put one in my office. I am the only office in the building without a window. But I am not bitter about it. I made my own!

Check out my fancy gold letters! It says Main Street on this wall because, well, that is the name of my office. See the thought process, there?

Here is a closer view of my fake window; the drapes are real. Real fake. It is basically like 8 yards of $35 fabric on sale for $7/yard. Clip Ringed Up! (Yes, I just made clip ringed a verb!)Oh, and like my pictures? Those cost $150...I mean $1.50/each at Dollar General. See Nester, you aren't the only one that is *Cheep*.

Another mistreatment as of late is this baby shower decoration for my friend Emily. We are having a theme shower for her and this little pennant if for baby Ryder's room! No sewing was involved. Lots of hot glue! Thanks Nester!Finally, here is memory board thing-a-ma-bob that the Nester showed us, for Ryder as well. (Although that is a picture of my baby girl, Miss Landry Kate!) If you look closely you can see a Yee Haw in the bottom right corner! Which is exactly how I feel about the Nester and mistreatments and the fact that I live in Texas! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Mistreating Y'all!

How did the paparazzi get in here?

2008-08-14T09:12:00.002-05:00

We all know that Landry loves music but where did she get these moves?

Landry the Model

2008-08-04T08:33:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Robert and I ran to the mall really fast to pick him up some sunglasses. We parked at Sears and we basically just ran in to American Eagle and ran out. On our way back through Robert offered to go get the car. Being eleventy-hundred degrees outside, I was happy to let him.

As Landry and I are waiting, we are standing near the photography studio and I look up to see....Landry! I know this picture is not the best, but I am sure you can see the black & white picture of our sweetie-face! Who knew she was so famous!? And all this I was walking around the mall with a Sears celebrity!

No Plans

2008-08-01T14:54:00.004-05:00

Isn't it so nice when you have no plans? We have the entire weekend ahead of us with nothing we just have to do. I want to squeeze all the life out of the last few football free weekends.

The only appointment I have is with the Saturday Morning Breakfast Club. I am one of the three founding members---more specifically one of the only three members. Each Saturday, Robert, Landry and I rise at an early hour (thanks Landry) and venture out before most people start their day. It is a family tradition I am glad to uphold. The breakfast club began only this summer but we have visited many fine eateries in our brief club history. My favorite is Chick-fil-a, and Robert enjoys Cracker Barrel. Landry likes any place where she can make friends with the other early birds.

Last week we met at Whataburger and she was the hit of the restaurant. All the little old people had to meet her and she was quick to smile and wave at them. She also showed them her love of music by doing the highchair dance. It was a crowd favorite.

Robert & I could not quit laughing. What a ham she can be! She can be a little piggy at Breakfast Club too!

Isn't it amazing how a baby can truly just make someone's day? Landry seems to be able to get a smile out of anyone. What a nice way to start a weekend!

I Want My Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back....

2008-07-25T09:28:00.004-05:00

Today I get my baby back! Woohoo! Boy, have I missed her!

Landry has been at her G'Momma & Dewdad's house since Wednesday night. Her babysitter took some time off the last couple of days and so I needed someone to watch the girl. My mom graciously accepted the challenge.

We dropped Landry off in Leonard Wednesday night and let Landry get acclimated to her surroundings. She was bouncing off the walls with excitement...until bedtime. She has always been pretty easy to put to bed.

Drink milk.
Brush teeth.
Sing some songs.
Kiss goodnight.

Then we added a new step in the routine. Scream bloody murder.

I don't know if it was being in a strange room, uncomfortable port-a-crib or just me leaving her alone, but she was not happy. Finally G'Momma was able to get the girl to relax, by singing over her and rocking her. They ended up having a slumber party together!

Today Landry will come home to the same ol' same ol' and she will realize how good she had it at G's. I hope she has gotten too big for her britches...or her mama for that matter.

My sister, aka Aunt Lissa is coming over today too! She is bring her 3 bambinos and we are all going to the splash park. Yea! For wearing a bathing suit in public!

All will be well, though! I'll have my baby back!

Pray for PaPa

2008-07-22T10:55:00.010-05:00

Fathers Day '08

Here are the Lay Boys with the Girl Lay! (Leon, George, Landry & Robert)

We spent Father's Day in Van Alstyne with Robert's Dad, and his PaPa. We also got to all be together this past Sunday. We know that PaPa's days are numbered...but then again, all of our days are numbered. Thankfully we know the God who is the Giver of Life, both here and beyond. More thankfully, PaPa knows Him too! Robert's PaPa has many health problem, the greatest of which is an aneurysm in his stomach.

Basically he is waiting for it to rupture and has been told that it will take his life in a matter of hours, when it does. Please keep him and his wife Pansy in your prayers.

Isaiah 46.4
Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

...And Many More!

2008-07-14T10:35:00.005-05:00

Happy First Birthday Landry!

2008-07-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I have written about the day Landry was born, so I that I won't forget the details of the day. If you are squeamish, you may want to skip this one.

Dear Landry,

Happy Birthday, Lovie!

Do you know what a special gift from God you are? We waited a long time for you, but you were well worth the wait. I am so thankful God chose me and dada to be yours.

I cannot believe you are a year old. It seems like just yesterday Dada and I were driving to the hospital to have you. I will always remember what an eventful day your birthday was. 2007 was a terribly rainy summer and Lake Texoma went over the spillway a week before your birthday for only the 3rd time ever.

Dr. Parker was out of town on vacation so we scheduled to induce labor on the first day he returned. I was thankful you didn't decide to come sooner when he was gone. We were told to be at the hospital around 6:30 a.m. We were on our way on Highway 84 just a mile or so from the hospital when the car in front of us started swerving and ran off the road right before the railroad overpass. Your daddy pulled over and ran down the embankment to see if everyone was alright, while I called the police dept. The lady, a nurse, had fallen asleep at the wheel on her way to work. Thankfully because of all the mud, it slowed her car down so she didn't hit the fence or the railroad tracks, which might have flipped her car. After the police arrived, your daddy politely excused himself so we could go meet you! Luckily it was a scheduled induction and I was not in labor or I might have had to leave that lady stuck in the mud! : )

When we got to the hospital, a girl had just beaten us up to labor and delivery and had gotten the last room. That was okay, because we knew her and she was due on the same day as you. We were at all of our appointments together and she had decide to let Dr. P induce her too. No argument there!

Our day got more interesting as they set us up in what they called the "manger" because there were no more rooms. It was actually the triage room, but it really looked more like a storage closet. I got changed and settled in, they hooked me up to the monitors and checked my measurements. Praise the Lord, I was dilated to a three already! Praise the Lord again, I was having steady contractions that I couldn't even feel! They started me on pitocin to progress things along even faster.

We told our family that there was no hurry for them to come up to the hospital because it would most likely be a while before you made your arrival. But around 8:30 AM, we are sitting in the tiny manger with Dada, Dewdad, G'Momma, Granddad, and Aunt Kerrie! By this time I started feeling the contractions and started squeezing all the available hands around me. Some short time later Dr. P came in and broke my water and then I got to walk down to a REAL labor and delivery room. Shortly, your Aunt Lissa and Mimi arrived...along with Aunt Alice, Cousin Logan, Uncle Mark and Grandma...plus many other visitors too. It wasn't very long either before I could have an epidural and then I was very relaxed and could enjoy the company.

A little before 3 o'clock it was time to start pushing. Remember that girl that came in L&D right before me. She was ready to push at the same time! Dr. P was running back and forth between rooms telling each of us that the other one was winning! It was too funny!

Your dada and I had discussed before hand that we were going to be the only ones in the room while you were born. That soon changed when after one push, your dada turned white as a sheet and nearly passed out. I looked him straight in the eye and asked him to focus. Once I had his full attention I said, "Robert, go get my mama!" G'Momma gladly came to our rescue and was able to help coach me and your dada. Finally Robert's coaching abilities came out too! He kept telling me to focus on the goal and visualize the end zone. He had me laughing in the middle of labor! What a crazy!

All along, Dr. Parker said he thought you would weigh around 6 1/2 lbs. Boy was he surprised when you were so big you got stuck! He threatened to use forceps and that was the motivation I needed for one last big push.

You were born July 14, 2007 at 3:41 PM. You weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and were 20 1/2 inches long. What a big girl!

And now you are an even bigger girl as you are turning 1! Walking, talking, giggling and playing pee-a-boo. You and I make lots of silly faces at each other and laugh. You love TV remotes, telephones, hiding in little Landry spots that only you could fit in. You have 7 teeth with 2 molars trying to work their way in now! And you love to eat! You come by that honestly.

It was not long ago that I pleaded with God, after years of trying, to give me a baby of my own. I can recall singing "Your Grace is Sufficient for Me" at church one Sunday morning. And for the first time in a long time, I meant it. Not long after that, on a business trip to San Angelo, alone in a hotel room, I praised God and wept while holding a positive pregnancy test in my hand.

This year on Mother's Day, we dedicated you to God. Surrounded by our family, we once again sang "Your Grace is Sufficient for Me" and I meant it all over again.

Landry, you are my precious, precious and a true gift from God. Happy Birthday, Sugar!

I love you!

Mama

1 Samuel 1:27

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.

Sister Friend Weekend 2008

2008-07-03T15:20:00.005-05:00

My sister called me a couple of nights ago and told me about an idea she and her friend Kara had for a girl's weekend get-away! Yea! Not only that, Kara's sister Beth is coming too! I am so excited! It will be a like college again, except not.

So as you can tell it took me all of 2.5 seconds to tell her YES! I will be there! Nevermind that it is the first weekend of football season and the last time I will see my husband until Christmas. (You know, God willing we make playoffs! Go Jackets!)

Immediately Kara and I were like *click* in sync. I mean our thoughts were right on with one another, not that we were the popular boy band! We both said T-SHIRTS!!!

I thought it would be fun to come up with a couple of designs and let the bloggy world vote on them! Here they are! Happy Voting!

Design #1Design #2 Design #3

As you can tell, I was kinda on a vintage housewife look! Oh Well!

The weekend trip is not until next month, but I think I'll start packing this weekend! ROADTRIP!

The Dust Has Finally Settled

2008-06-27T16:07:00.005-05:00

The dust has finally settled and I have a new and improved floor in my house. Muchas Gracias to my husband who worked his booty off ripping out the old stuff and replacing with new! Landry and I appreciate you working so hard for us.

So here is a before shot. Our problem was threefold:
1. Gross old Berber carpet.
2. bad tile job
3. good tile job, that does match bad tile job

All three of these intersect in this area.

Here is a closer picture of the bad tile.

oooh shivers!

The previous owners (2 owners ago) tile straight over linoleum.

Made for a bad tile job but easier to remove!This is the during. See the power tools! It took about a week to get all the old tile removed. I thought even the concrete looked better than that nasty old tile job.

During the construction, even less cooking than normal, took place in here.Finally the finished product! Plus two of Landry's wooden blocks. Even Landry is enjoying it with her walker.
Yea, for nice new floors.

Do I regret forgoing a vacation in order to get new floors?

Not for a minute!

Thanks Robert!

When the dust settles....

2008-06-19T15:46:00.002-05:00

My house is a construction zone.

For the past four days, the Coach has been ripping up every last piece of flooring in our house minus the bedrooms. To make a long story short, the previous owners made some very unfortunate choices in the floor covering department, and we are ripping it out and starting over. To say I am excited is an understatement.

I was so happy to see the bad flooring go, I took off work just to do some demolition myself. I even was allowed to use power tools. Oh yes! At one point Robert looked at me and said, "you are enjoying this way too much."

Until today.

I was not aware that the palms of your hands can actually bruise and swell. I am whining with every stroke of the keyboard and only this afternoon have I been able to grip a pen. The loss of function in my hands is the least of my worries, though.

All of my furniture is in the garage. And I have a refrigerator on my back deck. If that doesn't scream, "yes, we are THOSE neighbors!", what does?

We aren't exactly using the fridge much anyway these days. Not because we don't LOVE food. We love it way too much and thus we are in the midst of:

THE GREAT WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE 2008!

Robert has challenged me to a little battle of the bulge competition! And let me tell you, it is getting brutal. The only reason I agreed to it was because there is a prize involved. A cash prize. And hello, bragging rights! See how health conscious, I am?!

So back to the brutality of it all. Robert and I are attending our respective work-out/fitness centers. Robert usually works out at DHS but has joined Nautilus this summer. At Nautilus you will find all sorts of pretty, tanned, buff individuals with their protein shakes.

I on the other hand have been a member at Health Trends since way back in the early days of marriage. At Health Trends you will find all sorts of older, not so tanned, and not so buff individuals with their fiber supplements. This is more my pace. Until recently, I simply had not crossed the threshold of the place since.....oh, November

....of 2006.

But now I'm back! And I am a girl on a mission! You better watch out Mr. Lay. I am on to you like white on rice.

One small helping of plain, unbuttered, unsalted rice.

Where's Landry?

2008-06-13T09:34:00.003-05:00

Lately, we have been playing "Where's Landry?" at home. She especially likes hiding under all the pillows on the sofa and then peeking out as we say "Where's Landry?" .

This week at the babysitter's, she found the perfect hiding spot for "Where's Landry?". The toy box.

She had her little friend Joe laughing so hard as he kept asking her what she was doing. Her response was to grunt and keep digging.

With this and her new dancing ability, I don't know whether to lock her up or put her in therapy.

That Baby Loves Music...Even Rap Music!

2008-06-10T15:41:00.004-05:00

One of neighborhood kids gave Robert a snazzy new ringtone and Landry has really taken to it!

You'll see what I mean!

Outdoor Family Fun!

2008-06-09T09:10:00.006-05:00

Lately, we have been spending lots of time in the out of doors. I love it! I don't want to ever forget Landry's dirty little toes and the smell of her soft baby skin slathered in sunscreen.

Each Friday night we have been at Music on Main. Downtown is hosting a free concert series for six weeks and we have been going and sitting on our blanket, listening to the music and watching Landry dance. She loves music and I do not know where she got her rhythm. Anytime she hears music, her little legs start to bounce and her head starts bobbing. Its a hoot! Her favorite song....Little Einsteins, of course.
Blue eyes just like daddy."Yes, this looks good. I think I'll chew on this."

(Landry is cutting 4 top teeth at once.)

Here's the little toe tapper in action.

Besides Music on Main, we had hood party. A fish fry to be exact.

As you can see sitting on blankets in the grass is right up our alley.

This weekend we took Landry swimming for the first time.

Well, besides in utero and the bathtub.

It was a bit chilly, but Landry didn't seem to mind.

She was motorboatin'!She wasn't scared at all...which kinda scares me a little.
Our babysitter has been on vacation for a couple of days,

so there has been lots of Dada-Landry bonding time.

Robert has kept Landry for a couple of days while I was at work.

Isn't this picture cute? Robert was not use to all the high-energy baby activites! Lorie, please come back! We need you! ; )

Why Reinvent the Wheel...

2008-06-04T14:11:00.002-05:00

...when you can beg, borrow and steal? We say that in Main Street all the time...and it is SO TRUE!

So what I am needing is ideas! Ideas for a 1 year old's birthday party. Because it is the most important of the birthday parties! You know, unless you are MTV following bratty little 15 year olds picking out their new luxury cars and delivering their party invites door to door.

Back to the begging, borrowing and stealing...I am going with a candy-themed party for the girl's first B-day, but need your thoughts and creativity. We are having the party at a nicely shaded playground/park. Here are the things/ideas that I have come up with so far.

1. Making a life-size gumball machine out of balloons...as well as fake lollipops!
2. Filling large glass jars with old fashioned candy and gum balls to make goody bags as party favors.
3. Make a homemade Happy Birthday banner to hang from tree to tree. DONE.
4. Make cupcakes to look like candy.
5. Go to Mom & Pop Corn and stock up on flavored popcorn balls...yummy!

Don't you love how all of my ideas involve food....hmmm, I don't understand why I am still hanging on to 7 lbs. of baby weight?! wow!

So now...what do little kids like to do? I thought about face painting or bubbles and a bounce house...but I am at a loss. I know they will play on the playground...but what else do I do to entertain them for 2 whole hours. Yikes! Any games or activities you have up your sleeve would be very helpful!

Yes, we are alive...barely.

2008-05-30T11:00:00.003-05:00

I feel as though I have fallen off the face of the earth never to be seen again...when in actuality I have been at home with a sick baby.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning a heinous stomach bug broke into my house and stole my child. I say that, because for the next 5 days, I did not recognize the tiny, whiny, sleepyhead person that took over. Landry, happy, smiley, can't-sit-still-for-a-minute, Landry was G-O-N-E.

My girl is also a big hungry and yesterday was the first day she had eaten solid food since the weekend. I am telling you, this was not my child. Bless her heart, she would try so hard to play with her blocks and musical toys, but would then just succumb to the overwhelming urge to lay her head on the nearest thing...the kitchen rug, her highchair, my shoulder (she never does that), the carpet, the tile...anything.

I know I will catch a load of grief for what I am about to say...but I am going to say it anyway. Staying home is not for me. Nominate me for worst mother of the year, if you have to...but I cannot pretend to be something I am not. A stay-at-home mom. I have the utmost respect for stay-at-home moms. My sister being the best of the best. A home-schooling, stay-at-home mom. But I, my friends, am a slacker. I love my job. I love event planning. But I am not a stay-at-home mom.

Today, I enjoyed getting up and getting ready for work, and the Lay Family morning routine. I enjoyed hearing Landry and Dada watching Little Einsteins...dressing Landry for the day, and everyone loading up to go to school and work and planning to meet again at the end of the day.

And you know what? Landry enjoyed it too! This morning, I took her to Ms. Lorie's where she saw her friend Deuce and hugged Ms. Lorie. And before I could tell her I loved her and to have a great day, she turned and looked at me and waved her fat little baby hand and said "Bye, Bye."

Yards of Fun!

2008-05-19T11:12:00.004-05:00

The weather was fabulous this weekend, so we logged lots of yard time. Saturday we sat and visited in our neighbors yard and after church on Sunday we sat in our own yard. Robert mowed while Landry and I played, took pictures and shot mini-movies. Oh, and we played "Landry Don't Eat That" with grass and sticks, and dirt. Yards of fun, I tell you!

Just playing in the yard...

I see you!And for my next trick...No you can't have it. This one's mine.

Get your own block... So what do you have to chew on...?

LOVE LANGUAGES

Our Bible Fellowship Group is doing a study by Gary Chapman on the 5 Love Languages. I always enjoy learning about interpersonal communication and of course how to make relationships better. I have been analyzing all my close friends and family to see if I can discover their love language.

My love language is primarily Acts of Service, but I also like Gifts. Well Robert scored mucho points with his gift for our anniversary. A ROOMBA! Its a robotic vacuum and it works great! Two love languages in one! WOW! Good job Bob!

10 Months Old

2008-05-14T09:58:00.005-05:00

Landry is 10 months old today! She is so fun at this stage between baby and toddler. You can see the little wheels turning in her head as she figures things out for herself. She is becoming more independent and I feel like life as we know it will soon change.

Robert and I went on a date for our 6th Anniversary last weekend. We put the girl to bed and asked one of Robert's soccer players to come over. We tried to stay out late and really utilize all our time but couldn't really hack it. We turn into pumpkins about 10:30 p.m.

Our date included dinner at Olive Garden and then of course a trip to Wal-Mart, because isn't that the most romantic place on earth? Robert has been itching to buy Landry a walker - because if she is going to be a standout soccer player, she must learn to walk as soon as possible.

The first day she didn't quite have the hang of it, but as you will see below, she is learning FAST!

I must say, no babies, mamas, or toys were injured in the making of this video....oh, and sorry for all my high pitched laughing.

Now Enjoy!

Did someone order one fuzzy girl, with extra attitude...

2008-05-12T10:10:00.002-05:00

...and a side of stinky?

That's what I felt like asking Lorie, Landry's babysitter, when I dropped Landry off this morning. I felt bad leaving her...Lorie, that is, alone with such a cranky little girl.

Landry is teething. That means sore gums, spicy diapers, and a sour attitude. Thank goodness for Baby Orajel. It makes me so sad for her, but I know it will all be worth it when she is able to eat hamburgers, or steak or Chicken Mini's from Chick-fil-a. Mmmm. But trying telling that to a 10 month old. Just hang in there honey, and we'll get you a slice of pizza.

You know the same goes for cutting spiritual teeth. We may have to endure some sore feelings, spicy relationships, and a sour attitude (our own), but in the end it will all be worth it when we can relish spiritual solid food.

Hebrews 5. 11-14: ...I have a lot more to say about this, but it is
hard to get it across to you since you've picked up this bad habit of not
listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you
need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting
from square one—baby's milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago!
Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God's ways; solid food is for the
mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.

I have been struggling with this lately. I feel like God is going over the basics with me again and again.

-I love you with an everylasting love, Child.
-Love your neighbor, Amy.
-Don't forget to consider others better than yourself.
-Amy, worry about nothing, pray about everything.

Our preacher said something yesterday that really hit home with me. He said that people often ask why bad things happen to good people, but honestly, bad things happen to everyone. And there is no such thing as "good people".

Psalm 103.10-13: He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor
rewarded us according to our iniquities. for as high as the heavens are
above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions
from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has
compassion on those who fear Him.

The truth is that we can never be good enough. He is Good. We can never do enough. He did it all. We can never earn it. He gave His son willingly.

2 Corinthians 5:21: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our
behalf, what we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

So although I may feel like whining, complaining and maybe chewing on something, I know that His goal for me is holiness. Not just my happiness. And just about the time I want to go back to the comfortable, familiar milk, I feel a tooth break through.

Thank you, Lord, for loving me too much to leave me as is.

Dear Sister,

2008-05-08T08:56:00.002-05:00

Dear Sister...you are undeniably the sweetest person I know...entirely genuine, and kind to everyone. It is evident that you truly care about others more than yourself. Your humility is refreshing.

There is no mistaking that you love Jesus and bring your faith into each conversation. It is such an encouragement to me that you meet with the Lord often, and always have something to share.

You are so talented and can sing beautifully. You are a wonderful cook ,homemaker, organizer and decorator. Don't get me started on your mad cleaning skills...I am jealous. You are a great teacher and use each opportunity to teach your children something.

Thank you for loving me just the way I am, but gently telling me when I need to "build a bridge" as mom would say. I have told you this on several occasions, but I'll say it again: I am so thankful that the Lord chose us to be sisters, because I am not sure we would have found each other as friends.

Today on your birthday, please know that you are these many things and such a blessing to those who are fortunate enough to call you friend.

Happy Birthday, my sweet sister, my best friend!

Do you know these people?

2008-04-23T16:26:00.003-05:00

I came across some pictures at my parents house not to long ago and wondered how all the old friends in the pictures are doing. It is sad to go through such growing, learning, time just to lose touch. I blame that on living in the sticks. It has nothing to do with my capable skill of keeping in touch. What was my college major again....? Oh yeah, COMMUNICATIONS! Yep, that would be Janelly Bean Sandwich...can you see her squished between two Amy's?
Me and Kristin in my first dorm room...which was her first dorm room too!

Me and Melissa on the last day of freshman year. I was loading up to head to TBarM. Scared to death, but that summer changed my life. Thank you, Lord, for using my bad taste in boys to lead me to living in a tent for 3 months and having just you. Just enough.
TIMBER!!!

Sadly to say, on May 10th, it will have been 6 years since I have seen this fellow.

Say, anybody have an email for Tim?

Can't remember what we were all doing in the Great Hall...we aren't dressed warmly enough for it to be the hanging of the green. HA! Janelle, who is that silly boy on the right?

Ahhh! Such memories!

Our First Party!

2008-04-21T16:44:00.003-05:00

Photo Ops

2008-04-15T12:16:00.004-05:00

Here are a few photos from the past several weeks.

This is at Aunt Lissa's house. Landry has been crawling and pulling up all over everything for a while now. You've got to watch this girl. She especially likes to stand up in the bath tub and dance a jig in the water.

Here's the little Miss fresh from the tub! Look at those cheeks...all four of them!

Here is Landry with Maggie and Cousin Josha-woo-woo. Leah, Maggie's mom, and I were good friends in high school. Now her brother is married to my sister. Maggie is just about 6 weeks older than Landry Lu so it was fun to see them meet for the first time. They played nicely. We are jealous of Maggie's hair. She gets to wear real hair clippies!

Yesterday I was so beautiful. I went and got Landry on my lunch break and we went to the park. Fun times!
Then last night we went to dada's soccer awards banquet. Robert did a great job. We laughed, we cried, we clapped our hands. Oh, and Landry enjoyed it too!

Believe it or not, this is the better the two family photos we attempted. It is hard to stay focused for 10 seconds...that is an eternity for a 9 month old.Look at those blue eyes! Perhaps one of these days she look like me a bit.

Love to all,

Amy

Table + Lamp = Nothing I Want in My House Any Time Soon

2008-04-09T09:07:00.005-05:00

I visited my sister, Melissa, this past weekend. We had a great time and some good laughs. We always wait to long between visits, not by choice though.

We were sitting in my sister's living room and our attention turned to the lamp/table combo that is sitting next to her husband's Archie Bunker chair. Basically, it is a floor lamp with a small table built around it, circa 1970, perhaps. In the chair's defense, it is a lovely leather recliner, with built in massager.

In the table/lamp combo's defense....okay, there is really no excuse for the table/lamp combo.

Our predicament...what to call the table/lamp combo. Is it a tamp? or a Lamble? a TLC? All I know, it is nothing that I want in my house anytime soon.

I think Melissa has secretly plotted ways to get rid of this TLC, to no avail. Sadly, her dream nearly came true this weekend, only to snuffed out.

Justin was on the floor playing with Landry (b/c he is a good uncle that loves babies!) when he got up to sit in his recliner. All of the sudden sparks are flying out from underneath the recliner and there is a loud series of pops. Justin jumps about 8 feet in the air and then had to go change his underwear. Okay, maybe not the underwear part...but it shocked him, it did.

Meanwhile, I grab my nephew, Josh-a-woo-woo to protect him from the ELECTRIC CHAIR, while Landry sits like a duck on the water. Sorry Landry.

Justin turns the chair over where we see it smoking...and I kid you not, the first words out of my sister's mouth, "Can we sue somebody?" Then she began to daydream about her dream chair, with just the right shade of red and a matching ottoman.

The chair was fine. We then discovered that it was the TLC's cord that was pinched in the chair to cause the sparks. You could see the joy light up Melissa's face. The TLC was done for....until Justin said, "oh, I can fix that."

It's moments like this that I am thankful that my Robert is not a jack of all stinkin' trades. We would have been out the door and off to buy a new lamp and table. Not Melissa, 'cause her husband "can fix it." Poor sister.

So there Melissa sits, with her now burnt Archie Bunker next to her table/lamp combo, but now with a new accessory......

...black electrical tape.

I Heart Duct Tape...

2008-04-07T10:59:00.002-05:00

I feel like I owe a little shout out to my good friend duct tape. He has been so faithful and has really come through for me as of late.

Just several weeks ago my across-the-hall work friend, Jan and I took a little trip on our lunch hour to Hob Lob. We found the most beautiful fabric for her window in her office.

Yes, she has a real window and not just a pretend one like me.

We got back with the fabric and were so impatient to hang curtains. We were thinking of all the possible ways....

1. sewing...um, that takes too long, and I don't know that we could convince anyone that we were actually conducting city business.
2. safety pins...they might show.
3. hot glue...we didn't have a glue gun at the office.

...and it was at that moment that we looked at each other and shouted...DUCT TAPE.

and by golly it worked! Her window looks fabulous!

Why the looking at each other and shouting DUCT TAPE, you ask....?

Well, Jan and I have 'bonded' (pun intended) over duct tape the past month or so when on Fridays she will wear a certain pair of pants, and each Friday, she comes into my office and I tape the hem of her pants....with duct tape.

That is how deep our friendship runs.

And thus I knew I had to share my love of duct tape with the entire internet world.

And now if you'll excuse me, my hem fell out on the way to work.

My People

2008-03-28T16:03:00.003-05:00

I am currently doing a Bible Study this week and my homework is to write a letter of appreciation and affection...My appreciation to my parents is something that could never be contained in one letter...

I have the best parents...I really do. As to not to offend those that think they have the best parents, I will say I have the best parents for me.

They are super busy with ministry and being about the Lord's business and lovin' on every stinkin' person they meet, but sometimes find time to come see me. This especially happens on haircut Friday when they come to town.

So they came by today, just for a little visit at City Hall. (in my nice newly decorated office) I would be thankful just to call them friends or acquaintances, but I am super blessed to call them Momma and Daddy.

I think what makes them so fantastic is because they just "get" me. It's like a conversation that you can just pick right up where you left off and that no time has passed since our last visit. I have very few relationships like that, but blessedly I share that with them. I have a lot in common with my dad, same humor and sarcasm and personality. But my mom is who I want to be when I grow up.

Sadly, it wasn't always so. I think of how I acted at age 15 towards my mom and cringe that I could ever treat her (the sweetest woman of God I know) that way. I pray that generational sin just skips right on past Landry.

The older I got, the wiser my parents became and I learned to value their approval, opinion and encouragement. I remember one summer working at T Bar M, I would call or write my mom asking her what to do in a certain situation. She never told me her opinion but only gave me scripture to guide me. I asked her for a specific verse that she hoped for me and she gave me:

Romans 12.1&2
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act
of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

This week while reading I found what I have been trying to put into words. My prayer for Landry. Its Philippians 1.9-11:

9-11So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will
not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your
head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not
sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus
will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ
attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

Thank you momma and daddy for loving me like Jesus.

You Know You Need to Get Out of the House When...

2008-03-21T10:42:00.003-05:00

I was at home with a sick little girl for two days this week and I have become very familiar with the Disney Channel. (Molly, do you think you could get me a job?!) In fact, I think I like it more than Landry now.

Let me tell ya', there are some real dramatic twists and cliffhangers that left me on the edge of my seat, but best of all...Happy Endings! What more could you ask for?

ummm, well in my case, how about a life!?

You know you need to get out of the house when....

1. Phrases such as "Meeska Mooska Mickey Mouse" and "Oh Toodles" come to mind and you can actually perform the Hot Dog Dance....Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog.
2. You become sincerely concerned that Tigger and Pooh won't be able to reunite the Mother Bird and her lost egg...so much so, that you are late to work, because you've just gotta see how it turns out.

3. You start thinking that Johnny from Johnny and The Sprites is somewhat attractive. Nevermind that he is a 30 year old man who plays with magic puppets...

Thankfully the girl is feeling much and I will be seriously limiting my Disney Channel intake.

I've Gotten My Stripe!

2008-03-17T09:48:00.001-05:00

I forgot to post an after picture of my office with the stripe and my letters. I still need to get some other accessories but the big stuff is done!

Broccoli & Bananagrams

2008-03-16T21:02:00.005-05:00

I love broccoli and most vegetables for that matter. Robert on the otherhand eats corn. Oh and fried okra. Real healthy. And that is the extent of this vegetables. I was excited when Landry tried broccoli for the first time this week and liked it. In fact, she wouldn't give it back to her dad who was feeding it to her. Now if I could just get Robert to eat it.

Just when I think Landry can't be any more fun, she does something else that melts my heart or cracks me up or makes me bubble over with love...or all at the same time. Landry has been noisy from day one. That is why she slept in our room with us exactly one night before being relocated across the hallway. She has babbled since early on and made motorboat sounds, but now we have words. I have questioned for a while whether she really knows what she is saying but there is no doubt in the middle of the night that she is saying mama. She also says Dada, or usually Da. (yes, it was the first word) This week there is a new word. Bobo. Oh bless her heart, the girl's got my sense of humor. : )

Have I ever mentioned how competitive Robert is? If you know him, well, I need not explain further. Let's just say, whenever Landry is old enough to play games, Robert won't let her win. But that will be okay, because from what I can see, the competitiveness runs deep. She'll be up for the challenge!

Our newest competition: BANANAGRAMS! Robert's mom got us turned on to it. The basics are to draw a certain number of lettered tiles and be the first to spell as many intersecting words as necessary to use all of your tiles. Not sure what this has to do with bananas, other than we act like some monkeys while playing. Playing by the rules was clearly not enough for Robert. He had to spell as many words necessary to use ALL the tiles. Of course we had the words Denison, Yellow, Jackets and Fan! Not sure about if all the words were really ones that Webster would put his stamp of approval on, but ALL tiles were used. I was happy to see this word!Between Bananagram challenges, we have managed to fit in some soccer. Landry and I even sat in the car for the entire Sherman/Denison game because it was cold but we are NOT fair weather fans!I am however a creative fan who had to come up with new ways to keep the littlest fan entertained throughout the game. And while in the past I have questioned the thought process of the Volkswagen engineers who determined that the horn will not honk unless the car is on, I was glad this night that it did not. (Except for after the game, when I honked at the Sherman opponent parked beside me.)These are Robert's girls! Robert's girls that will be going to the playoffs FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER in Denison Lady Jacket Soccer History. Robert, I am proud of you!
And afterward when the girls dumped the water cooler on you, I was still proud enough to stand beside you when you looked like you wet your pants.

You know, I think the girls might be proud of you, too! But not as much as this future Yellow Jacket! Love you Da!

Office Makeover: Amy Edition

2008-03-06T11:35:00.002-06:00

I decided to redecorate my office a couple of weeks ago and it is still very much a work in progress. On recommendation from Nester, I painted the walls "Tobacco Road" . It is so much warmer and more welcoming compared to the blah white that was here before.

They relocated City Hall to this old telephone building in the late 90's and they covered over the mauve walls with boring white, and it hasn't been updated since...until now!

I also have installed my very own imaginary window. The colors look very yellow because of my floresent lighting, but I got this beautiful fabric for only $7/yard....regularly $35/yard! Let me hear a whoot whoot!

Next I am going to paint a chocolate brown stripe on this wall and place these letters to spell out MAIN STREET...because well, this is the Main Street Office and because these are such lovely letters that I got 50% off, thankyouverymuch!
NOW! What to do with this mess!? (Hey Janelle, that's your blog on my screen!)
That concludes today's edition of Office Makeover: Amy Edition. Lesson of the day...Color=Good, Blah White=Bad

And Many More

2008-03-05T16:26:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we went to Robert's mom's house to celebrate his b-day. Technically his birthday isn't until Saturday, but since his mom will be in Cabo San Lucas (PLEASE, take me with you) we celebrated early. Can you see any wrinkles on his 27 year, 360 day self? Yeah, me neither!Landry and I were happy to celebrate with him! She...well, she's just generally happy whenever we sit her in our laps at the table and give her saltine crackers. Myself, I am glad that am no longer the only 28 year old in our house. And no, I don't want to know if you can see any wrinkles on my 28 year, 96 day old self. Thank you very much. Landry had a good time playing with Mimi and her cousin Sarah. Notice that she has little red knees in this picture, that would be because she is CRAWLING!!! Can she just break my heart growing so fast or what?! She'll be moving off to college before I know it. Sad face.So maybe Robert is a geezer after all. He partied so hard he fell asleep at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. (Or maybe that is because the girl kept us up all night with an ear infection.) Thanks for the fun gift cards mom-in-law and Clapps for the birthday boy! It is nice when I don't have to fund Robert's athletic apparel addition. (AAA for short) Happy Early B-Day Pancho!

Catching Up

2008-02-27T15:25:00.011-06:00

I have a mishmash of pictures that I just downloaded from my camera which reminds me that I have a lot of catching up to do. Here's a quick rundown of the past couple of weeks.

I asked for prayer for my dad and his kidney surgery a couple of weeks ago. After a very painful surgery and weekend spent in the hospital, he is going back this Friday for a follow-up surgery. At least that is what the doctor says. The stone that they broke up in tiny pieces has been slowly exiting and my dad has passed 40 pieces of stone (yes, 40) since Valentine's weekend. We are praying that they will all be gone by the time he goes back and no surgery will be needed. This is a picture of a Valentine my dad got from a little elementary school girl while in the hospital. I don't know you Hannah Berry but you totally blessed my heart!

After my dad came home from the hospital, we all gathered at his house to check up on him as well as celebrate my nephew Joshua's 3rd birthday. Joshua came in and saw my mom holding Landry and told his G'Momma, "Put that baby down and hold me." He's not the baby anymore but I am sure he won't lack any lovin'! As you can see, he just hated having to open presents.

We gave Joshua a Radio Flyer scooter for his b-day. He kept saying, "my scooter, my scooter". It was precious! Don't you just love it when people love the gifts you give them. What a joy! Joshua would pose on the scooter and say, "Picture me.", so I would take his picture. So cute!

Landry has a couple of new tutu's. She loves mostly to chew on them!

I love to turn them into wigs! What a good sport she is!

For some reason this just reminds me of my childhood.

Landry has been battling an URI and it turned into an ear infection. This weekend she had about all she could take. Here she is passed out on daddy. She slept like this for two hours. This is not typical of our wiggle worm so daddy was eating it up.

WARNING: The following photo contains nudity and large amounts of adorable!
One thing you can count on is Landry loving her bath time.

I am loving that Landry has her daddy's blue eyes. (for now anyway)

Landry helped me with laundry the other night. If you get motion sickness, this video is probably not for you.

Love to All~ Amy

Ode to Caboodles

2008-02-22T11:04:00.003-06:00

I just got off the phone with Mols. For some reason in the midst of talking about weekend plans, getting my car serviced and her hosting a "Sip N' See" (Yeah, this girl from the sticks didn't know what this was...apparently it's a baby shower after the baby is born and everyone sits around and sips something and meets the new little special. Thanks Mol for keeping me in the know.) ...we got on the topic of Caboodles. After 2 entire minutes of reminiscing, we determined that I must blog an "Ode to Caboodles".

My question to Molly was where have all the Caboodles gone? She tells me that they broke and were not replaced because they were off the market by that time. Or that people were just over the pastels. I do remember carrying the Caboodle and it popping open mid-air with all my toiletries and make-up spilling out all over the floor. Is that why I quit using it? Molly recalled the sweet time she spent crouched in front of her Caboodle while getting ready.

For a time, Caboodles were all the rage. I had a purple one. My sister had the larger version with 3 levels and the tilting mirror. It was pink! They were the perfect organizing functional cosmetic carrier even if they were just a pastel-painted tackle box.

We are pretty sure that the Watson and Borsh households still have a Caboodle in them somewhere. Now that I think of it, what do ladies use now to hold all of their essential beauty items?

So here's to you Caboodle for your many years of cosmetic loyalty!

What's in a name?

2008-02-19T11:28:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking about nicknames lately. There is something especially loving to me in having a special name to call a friend or loved one. I really love hearing what people call their grandparents or what their grandkids call them. I personally have a Mammie, and that name just fits her to a T. And my dad, whose name is Dewey, well, he is Dewdad.

I have found recently that not everyone shares my opinion on nicknames. I asked a woman at church the other day, what she called her daughter. She just looked at me with the most peculiar face and said...."um, Hannah."

I, on the otherhand, have an alternative name for just about everyone in my life. It may be just a shortened version of their name, or a lengthened made-up version of their name or a bizarre, off -the-wall name that makes no sense what-so-ever.

So, for Robert. His names include:
Bob
Bobby
Roberto
Umberto
Love
Sugar
and Pancho.

Landry
Landrus
Landru
Landruski
Landrini
The Girl
Tom
Tomgirl

My friend Molly is of course Mol, Mols or my favorite Hot Ta-Molly.

My friend at work, Jan Moon, she is Janster Moonican.

So what is your nickname? I've gotta know!

Oh, yeah! My bestie and my sister, Melissa. What else would I call her but....SISTER! ; )

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T09:45:00.006-06:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Valentine's Day...so naturally I had to dress my girl up like a little cupid.

This may be the worst picture ever because it is taken with my phone, but here is little Miss Valentine when I dropped her off at the babysitters.

Yes, she is wearing a tutu!

It probably stayed on for all of 5 seconds after I left, but for those 5 seconds all was right with the world!

Thank you Lord for the many "valentines" in my life.

Tag I'm It!

2008-02-12T11:19:00.000-06:00

Please allow me to apologize in advance for what I am about to put you through. I secretly have always wanted to be tagged and was ready for the challenge until now.

My friend Andrea tagged me with the following instructions.

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

So here we go...

the book closest to me is called "Historic Paris...." (ooh la la...)

which might be a exciting, if only the rest of the title didn't include:

"...and Lamar County Texas."

aaahhheemm...

Pg. 123 (history of the Kimberly-Clark Corp. in Paris, Texas....yes, they make Huggies!)

"The Paris plant has played a key role in the expansion and growth of the Huggies brand as three entirely new and innovative products were first launched from its facility: Pull-Ups Training Pants (1989), Goodnites Underpants (1994) and Huggies Little Swimmers disposable swim pants (1998).

Kimberly-Clark gives annually through the Paris plant to many community charitable endeavors, including grants awarding the 125th Anniversary Playground Project at Justiss Elementary School and The Salvation Army Capital Fund Drive and contributions to the Paris Community Theater, Paris Education Foundation, and the City of Paris Pumpkin Festival, just to name a few.

The company matches employee contributions to the United Way 1:1 and the matching gifts program enhances the financial support that Kimberly-Clark employees provide to qualified educational and charitable organizaitons by matching employee contributions on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to $10,000 per employee per year."

As boring as that might be, I am now glad I buy Huggies!

Since Andrea, Michelle and Abby have already gotten this, I'll tag Janelle, Kristin, Melissa, and see if BigMama and The Bargain Shopper Lady will participate! :)

...and sadly, that my friends rounds out my extensive list of blogging friends.

BTW, thank the good Lord for spell checking, or you all would be reading about Guggies!

Fat Tuesday & Much About Nuthin'

2008-02-05T14:03:00.000-06:00

For good measure and to combat the effects of Fat Tuesday, Robert and I decided to "eat fresh" and met at Subway for lunch. Actually I was telling Abby that I have had a news interview at our local NBC station today and so Subway was the closest, least greasy place to meet.

See, doesn't Robert just look healthier?...after his Subway Melt with no vegetables....what-so-ever....and a Dr. Pepper...and a chocolate chip cookie. He kinda misses the point of "eat fresh".

Are you aware that they now have Mini Subs? Yay! They are only 4 inches instead of 6! How great! Of course, Robert eats the equivalent of 3 minis...so he misses that point as well.

Today while eating fresh, Robert developed notable envy for the particular artwork above our table. We discussed how his life would be complete if he could only wake up each morning to see this:

Of course, we would need the matching cheese spread as well...perhaps, I will work on that for Valentine's Day. Keep your fingers crossed, Bob.

After the meat art envy, I went on to my interview about a Valentines' Drawing that we are doing Downtown called "Sweethearts Sweepstakes". We are giving away numerous flowers, chocolates, gifts certificates, savings bonds and prizes along with dinner for two and limo ride. If you are in the area, do sign up.

One other gift is DANCE LESSONS...offered by my church. Yes, First BAPTIST Church in Denison. (Janelle, wanna come?) For eight weeks we will be offering regular ol' folks like us the opportunity to Dance Like the Stars. This starts at the end of the month and I hope Robert will sign up with me. They will teach the basic waltz, fox trot, etc. It is sponsored by my Bible Fellowship Group with hopes to draw some new faces to our church. It's only $25 per couple with FREE childcare. Isn't that fun?

So even if you don't win the Sweetheart Sweepstakes, you can still be light on your feety with your sweetie!

GREAT WOLF LODGE REVIEW

2008-02-04T08:31:00.000-06:00

The Great Wolf Lodge was....well, GREAT! I just wish we would have had more time. We didn't get to the hotel until 7 p.m. on Friday night and then went to Salt Grass to eat, so it was even later when we got back to stay. Let me tell you, one could spend hours, no days, in this place and not get bored. Here are a few pics for those of you who are interested in going.
Here is the entry lobby, that as you can see, has a very lodgy feel to it. Yes, there is a tree in the lobby. You are not seeing things. Not to worry, it is a only a very real looking FAKE tree. So no threat of squirrels!This is the hallway leading to our room. The walls have murals on them as well as vines growing on them. You can also see the kiosk in the picture. That is part of an interactive videogame of sorts called MagiQuest. You can purchase "magic wands" and then the game sends you on a wild goose chase to find all the clues. There were treasure chests, bird cages, pictures, sleeping trees, amoungst a few of the items we saw.
Here is Robert in our bigger than life jacuzzi tub in our room. It was enourmous. We opted for the jacuzzi suite, but they have fun rooms where there is a kids cabin/fort inside the room with bunkbeds. Perhaps when Landry is older, we'll try that.This is the view out our window. This is the outdoor pool area, that was obviously closed.And Robert's favorite part was, you guessed it....Pizza Hut!There is also a yummy sweet shop with fudge and Blue Bell. And now...the main attraction. I think Robert said the waterpark is 80,000 sq. ft. which really doesn't mean a whole lot to me, other than it is really big. We also visited the archade, where I won 3 whole tickets, playing Deal or No Deal. Clearly, I am the lucky one in the family. Speaking of family, my brother-in-law, Justin's fire station is right across the street from the GWL and so we went by to see him at work. He let us ooh and aah over the fire equipment and answered all our stupid questions. Quite the educational fire house visit.

We thought we were going to get to see Justin sooner than that because the fire alarm at the lodge went off around 7:45 a.m. Saturday morning. I was already down stairs, but Robert got to get the full experience evacuating from the 7th floor in tiny stairwell. He said there were about 10,000 kids and 5 parents. One unfortunate incident involved a toddler and some gastrointestinal issues he was experiencing! Yikes! In the stairwell, mind you, with the other 10,004 people + Robert. Fun times! This didn't last too long and then Robert and I got to go for our relaxing massage! WONDERFUL!

All in all it was a great get-away, except for missing the girl, of course. I have to say I thought it would be a lot harder on me but surprisingly, it was harder on Robert. I tell you, we are slowly but surely, softening him up!

I would have to give the GREAT WOLF LODGE 4 out of 5 stars. Slight deduction for price gouging and toddler regurgitation.

99% Excited and 1% Scared, or is it 1% Excited and 99% Scared?

2008-02-01T10:54:00.000-06:00

I am excited because Bob and I are going on a little overnighter, the first one since little miss Landry Kate made her arrival. But I am also a tad bit sad/scared/nervous/anxious/obsessive because it will be the first night away from the girl. She will be in very able hands thanks to G'Momma and Dewdad, so I need not worry.

I gave Robert two options for our little trip, the Gaylord OR the new Great Wolf Lodge, both in Grapevine. Although both are wonderfully accommodating, the Great Wolf won out because:
1. There is a Pizza Hut in the lobby....and
2. There is a jacuzzi in the room.

Oh, who am I kidding? There is a Pizza Hut in the lobby. That is clearly why Robert chose it.

The Great Wolf also has an indoor waterpark, but neither Robert and I were excited about getting into a swimsuit in February. But we are willing to get 1/2 naked for a couple's massage.

I think I just convinced myself that I am 100% excited. I'll report back later with pics, but don't worry...none will involve swimsuits or massages.

Landry's Beauty Line

2008-01-29T16:46:00.000-06:00

Landry and I haven't been out of the house much since Friday. Well except to go see Dr. Lipscomb, of course. Our little Tom has croup again and it seems to be sticking around like a bad haircut. We have some medicine now but her little cough is brutal. Especially during feeding today...Do not sit too closely while feeding while your child has a cough. I have a new beauty regimen. Apples & Ham facial cream! Goes well with the saltine slobber hair conditioner!

Lay Look-alike Meter

2008-01-21T11:41:00.001-06:00

People are always asking who Landry favors. So I thought I would scientifically, once and for all, find out. I saw this on another friend's page and it said she looked 65% like her mom and 35% her dad. Without a doubt, it is official! Landry is 50% me and 50% Robert. You can all rest easily tonight knowing that tidbit of information, I am sure!

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Free family tree search

YES! You're in the right place!

2008-01-16T13:33:00.001-06:00

just a new look, that's all! ; )

Celebrity Look-Alikes

2008-01-16T12:04:00.000-06:00

I am sure by now you have all seen the website for the Celebrity Look-Alikes. For those you that don't share my internet addicition, here are the basics. You go to this website where you upload a picture of yourself, or your spouse, or your poor mistreated little baby (sorry Landry). You then tell it to find the celebrities that you resemble. Sounds fun, right?
So just for fun, I upload Landry's pic. Yes, I know I am one of those obsessive mother's. You're are not the first to tell me that this week. So anyways, Landry's celebrity look-alikes appear and include: Drew Barrymore, Katherine Hepburn and Norah Jones! Not bad!

So Robert is next; I upload his picture and get back, Matthew Perry, Matt Damon, David Beckham and Gavin Rossdale...woo hoo! Yes, my honey is a hottie! (We all know I didn't marry him for his teacher's salary.)

I get more and more excited and think what wonderful celebrities it will link me too...hopefully, it will be kind and say I look like Kate Beckinsale or Rachel Bilson....

I click the button, I giggle with glee.....the results are in and it's, it's.....Michelle Kwan! Michelle Kwan?

Great! At least she can ice skate!

On another topic, Landry has some new shades and I must say this girl must have a fabulous stylist...oh, wait, that's ME!

Happy Half Birthday Landry!

2008-01-14T09:41:00.000-06:00

Today is Landry's half birthday! I can't even believe she is already 6 months old. Where has the time gone? In honor of her 6 month birthday, here are 6 of my many favorite things about Landrewski!

1. Her sweet little hands that clutch to my finger, play with my hair, sweetly touch my face....and then rip my lips off.

2. Her animated little personality...oh, the many faces!

3. Her conversations...how she babbles and carries on, and tells us all about it.

4. She's a friendly girl and can make a strangers day with those bright blue eyes and warm smile.

5. Her squishy little bottom and oodles of fluffy rolls. She's a hearty girl.

6. How she loves me right back.

Thank you Lord for your sweet blessings!

Random Pics

2008-01-10T16:37:00.001-06:00

A few random pics for your fancy...
G'Momma loves her some Landry!

My peeps! We had so much fun on New Year's Eve...Love 'em!

Can I just say we have a very fun neighborhood? We have get togethers all the time. Watching sports and The Amazing Race are our favoritos! We had a 'hood Christmas party and our neighbor Tim showed up dressed like Flavor Flav. We did say it was a 'Hood Party! BTW, did I mention he is also my OB/GYN...? Uh-huh, would you let this man deliver your baby?

Here we are ready to go to Daddy's soccer game! For those of you that don't know, we are the Denison Yellow Jackets!

"Enter funny caption here."

Love to All!

Down in the Mouth!

2008-01-09T20:11:00.000-06:00

I have been trying to get a picture of Landry's new teeth. She is not very eager to show them off. I managed to get one picture with my phone, and as you can see, she was less than cooperative! Can you see them? They are the tiniest, cutest, little teeth I have ever seen!

Landry is not the only one with a sore mouth! Robert has been battling ulcers in his mouth for the past week. If you know Robert, then you know these are totally caused by STRESSING OUT! : ) Yes, soccer season is upon us! So far, the team is 2-0 and they have tournaments the next 3 weekends. I am officially a soccer widow now and will reunite with Bob in March sometime. Hopefully, it will be late March which means a playoff run. Now if only I understood a licking thing about the game of soccer. : )

My mouth...can I just say thanks to Dewey Watson for pitiful teeth. I brush, I floss, I have cavities, I brush some more, floss twice a day...I have cavities. I had a filling replaced today. I have never been one to do well with the "Happy Air" as my dentist calls it. I have once broken down crying afterward in the lobby, while hugging my hygenist and the last time I drove over one of the parking stops in the lot. Not good. Today I took my ipod and tried to drown out the sound of the drill. It semi-worked. Mostly, I felt like I was watching one of those slow flashbacks during a movie, where you can hear just music but see clips of the past scenes, you know....sometimes still pictures. John Mayer kept telling me "Say what you need to say"... It was bizarr0! As much fun as that was, it could not however prevent the pain I have now.

All three of us are down in the mouth. Between baby orajel and tylenol, hopefully we'll all be better soon.

Where's the teeth?

2008-01-06T20:25:00.000-06:00

Yep! We've got teeth! On Saturday I was feeding Landry lunch and discovered she had a tooth on the bottom that had broken through! and now it's little toothy neighbor is coming in too! two little toothies in two days...now, that explains all the slobber!

Goodbye 2007!

2007-12-31T11:31:00.000-06:00

They say (Robert, do NOT ask me who THEY are....) that goals should be specific and measurable, otherwise, how do you know when you attain them. I don't have specific and measurable goals for 2008 but: to be a better mommy, better wife, better sister, better daughter, better friend and better employee. Mostly I need to work on being a better Child of God and the others should take care of themselves.

It seems like my resolutions are always the same. Be healthier, be more organized, love others more (the previously mentioned). I don't need these goals to be specific and measurable because I know they are things I cannot attain fully and don't need to cease striving. I do know that God has and continues to bless me far more than I deserve. Here are a few things that I am thankful for in 2007!

1. my husband, robert lay, love of my life. he is my best friend and the one I want to share everything with. not to mention my baby daddy! what an adjustment the past 5+ months have been. there is no one i would rather experience deliriously sleepless camp outs by the fireplace with than you!

2. landry kate lay, so thankful to finally meet her this year! : ) she is the sweetest, happiest little joy bringer I could ask for. thank you Lord for doing things in your time, and not mine.

3. my family...man, I love them! they make me want to be a better person and serve Jesus better!

4. my job and co-workers...what a wonderful place to come to work and with such fun friends!

5. Lori, thank you for loving my baby girl like she is your own. so glad Tom has you!

a few other frivolous things i love.....our home, even though we will NEVER finish raking all the leaves off our 25+ trees, flip flops, hand sanitizer, lysol, and clorox wipes (i hate germs!), chicken minis from Chick-fil-a, baby shampoo, holding landry while she sleeps and the total trust she has in me, wrestling (or rassling as he calls it) with robert, our mutual love of fast food, lime slushes from sonic, hobby lobby, target, Landry's laugh, and my many wonderful friends.

2007-12-23T21:23:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Lays!
We are so thankful for our friends and family this time of year, but most importantly to our Savior whose birth we celebrate! May the joy and peace that only He gives, surround you this Christmas!

Love to you all!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

2007-12-05T15:46:00.000-06:00

Christmas Lights

2007-12-04T10:12:00.000-06:00

This past weekend we took Landry to see the Christmas Lights at Loy Lake Park. It is a really good display and I know it will be a tradition that we will enjoy for many years. The best part is that it is FREE! You can see Landry was ready to go, with her 1st Christmas Bib and all. Thanks Cousin Kerrie! You have to turn your lights off to go through the park, but my daylights on my car only turn off if you pull the emergency brake just a little. BUT we learned if you drive with the emergency brake on, the car dings at you. Robert is not a fan of Christmas music, but we turned on the radio to cover the dinging. We discovered the dinging wasn't so bad compared to the cruddy Christmas music they were playing, so we turned the radio off again.

This was Robert's favorite display...hmm, wonder if he is itching for a motorcycle?! Please, Santa, drive it over to our house. This was my favorite display...it was new this year and I am so glad they added the true meaning of Christmas! Landry didn't pick a favorite, but I know it is going to be a tradition that she will come to love!

Not a Fan of Rice Cereal!

2007-12-03T16:36:00.000-06:00

So I am thinking Landry is not a fan of rice cereal...what do you think?

The Sweetest Thing Ever...

2007-11-30T11:16:00.000-06:00

The Lost Retainer

2007-11-30T10:32:00.000-06:00

God is so good to me. Far better than I deserve. Sadly, sometimes I need reminding.

So the story starts when I was in middle school I had braces to straighten my smile. A very generous orthodontist donated his services to my family free of charge. My mom, sister and I all had braces for free. I got my braces off and wore my retainer for many years until losing it somehow in college. My teeth started to shift and by the time I found the retainer again, it no longer fit properly. Because of my pride, I didn't want to return to the orthodontist and tell him so I just lived with it.

This year I have had one tooth that had really started to bother me and make me self-conscious. Robert finally told me to just go see about getting it fixed. So here I got to the same orthodontist just knowing that he would think how irresponsible I am. Boy was I wrong. He was wonderful. I have started wearing a series of five retainers that will straighten my smile again and they are working already. I wore the first one for a month, and then on Thanksgiving I switched to the second retainer. That is, until I lost it last Tuesday. I felt so stupid and of course the pride sets in all over again. I can't call and tell them I lost my retainer. What an idiot! So my prayer is: God, you know I am an idiot but will you help me find my retainer anyway?

I knew I had eaten at Sonic and went back and even dug through the trash. I had gone to get my car inspected...not there. Tax office....nope. Insurance office, unhuh! I left a note for our janitor at work, and was hoping it would magically appear on my desk the next morning, but was sorely disappointed. I make the dreaded phone call to the orthodontist office. They make me an appointment for yesterday afternoon at 3 p.m.

I am driving home for lunch yesterday, praying and telling God, okay you have until 3 p.m. to prove yourself. (Like He needs to prove anything! Or needs to stick to my schedule!) I pull in the garage and think, I will just look through my car one last time! I slide my seat back and BAM! There it was, under my feet! I had already looked there twice! I found my self yelling in praise to God in my garage, with my neighbor confirming his suspicions that I am indeed crazy! But I didn't care. My prayer: thank you Lord for being faithful to me, even when I am dumb!

I called and cancelled my appointment! Called Robert (who was in class) and screamed in the phone! God is so good!

Now I find myself thinking, how often to I ask God for things, answers to questions, or wisdom but then never slow-down to receive them or see that He has answered me. Just like the retainer, which I prayed to find for 3 days, He had placed at my feet the entire time! Forgive me Lord when I rush through life, not recognizing the faithful Father that you are! All I have need of, His hands will provide, He's always been faithful to me.

San Antonio

2007-11-21T09:04:00.000-06:00

Our family took our first our first trip to San Antonio together last weekend. Robert had a soccer coaching clinic to attend, so Landry and I hung out with the other coach's wives and kiddos!

It was fun to get away and spend some time together as a family. I was worried about how Landry would do on the drive down, but she slept almost the entire way, only really waking to eat. She was in a car coma.

On Friday we all loaded up and went to the zoo!

Zoie was such a big help always asking what she could do for Landry. She watched her for me so I could get ready and pushed her in her stroller around the zoo. She is a great big sister to Ashlyn & Logan and will be a great babysitter for Landry. She has even taken a babysitting class.

Ashlyn and Logan went to the same babysitter as Landry...Miss Lorie! Ashlyn's babysitter nickname was Bob, like Landry's is Tom!

Here's the girl all bundled up...our cheeks were chapped by the end of the day! The rest of the time people would comment on her pretty rosy cheeks...so I guess it was pretty windburn.

Here's Robert & Landry on the riverwalk. Sorry, it was dark! Same expression...same haircut. ;)

RAKE ANYONE?
Each year we fight a losing battle with the leaves in our yard. This is the current state of the folliage and the trees still look full! Any volunteers?

Happy 4 Months, Landry!

2007-11-14T12:38:00.000-06:00

I can't believe Landry is 4 months old today. Where has the time gone? It is really crazy when you think that an entire 1/3 of her first year is just gone. Oh my goodness...I must take more pictures! Keep praying for our little Tom-girl! Her little body is slowly recovering from the mess of illnesses that have plagued us recently. She is such a happy girl though. This week she has started laughing out loud and it is such a sweet sound to my ears!

Preferred Customer Card

2007-11-06T13:56:00.000-06:00

Just the moment I think, "wow, we've had a great weekend...", the illness hits. It seems like Landry is sick every other week. Yesterday, Dr. Lipscomb confirmed what he called a raging ear infection. We've yet to experience this...just a cold, an upper respiratory infection, and croup so far! Oh joy! Needless to say, we have had little sleep the past two nights, but the little sweetie seems to be feeling better. I will say that the rug in Landry's room is surprisingly comfortable. I have logged quite a few hours there, as has Robert.

For those of you who know me and my germ obsession, it is unnerving to think I have subjected my child to so many illnesses in so little time. My friend Renee` and I were discussing this morning how on our way to work, we'll see no less than 5 kids running around on Crawford barefoot with no shirt on and covered head to toe in dirt. Are they sick? NOOOO! Just my little sweetheart...who I think may be learning to roll her eyes each time I give her a make-shift bath in hand sanitizer. And while I am on the subject of hand sanitizer...I don't know about it claiming to kill 99.99% of germs! What do you have to do, drink it?

So Landry is now on antibiotics, again. And we'll go back next week for her 4 month immunizations and to check up on the ear situation. We definitely deserve a preferred customer card!

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Here are some cutie pie pics of Tom we took this weekend at Sears. She did so good smiling for her daddy who was making funny faces for her. She doesn't look sick, huh? ; )

Don't worry grandma's...they'll be here on the 15th!

Would you like a little hot dog with that w(h)ine?

2007-11-01T13:39:00.000-05:00

Would you like a little hot dog with that whine?

Landry started off happy in her little pumpkin bib and Baby Legs, but for some reason we have discovered, she is not a fan of pressed meats, at least hot dogs anyway! ; ) She was one mad little wiener.

We all went to Monsters on Main last night and had a great time. Landry was a little fussy but after she ate, seemed okay. That is when we got the bright idea to put her Hot Dog costume on. Boy was that a bad idea. As you can see from the picture below, that lasted about 5 minutes only.

In case you are wondering about my costume, I am Rosie the Riveter, not Aunt Jemima.

Note to self: wiener=whiner!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'...over!

2007-10-27T17:11:00.000-05:00

Today Landry rolled over for the first time! She is fifteen weeks today. I thought she would never do this because she doesn't spend much time on her tummy since she prefers sleeping on her back. (that also explains the flat spot on the back of her head) Robert was outside mowing the yard when she did it the first time. I grabbed her up and ran outside to tell him (along with the postman who was visiting with him). Robert missed it the second because he couldn't take his eyes off the football game. He managed to catch it the next 2 times and couldn't stop laughing.

Deep Conversations

2007-10-26T09:33:00.001-05:00

Lately, Robert and Landry have had some rather deep conversations! Mostly consists of their love of Scooby Doo, Pizza and Hamburgers, but deep none the less.

Happy Birthday Dewdad!

2007-10-26T09:01:00.000-05:00

Last night we all met in Gainesville to celebrate my dad's birthday! We had a great meal together (thanks Justin) and a wonderful visit.

I think Jerod likes to sit by his dewdad because I just found another picture with a similar pose. I think I can recall another similar picture from dad's birthday last year. I guess these two are two peas in a pod.

Landry got lots of love from her Aunt Lissa, and Uncle Justin who ate with one hand as to not let anyone else hold her. Isn't it nice to be loved so much?!

As you can see, Landry was telling G'Momma just how big of a bottle she wanted.

Dad, We all love you SO much and thank the Lord daily for giving us just a small taste of His love for us through your example. Happy Birthday!

Fall Fun

2007-10-07T17:49:00.000-05:00

We have been having lots of Fall Fun this weekend, starting with the 20th Annual Main Street Fall Festival in Denison. I had to be downtown at six in the morning, so Robert got Landry up, dressed, fed and ready to go (diaper bag and all) on his own. He did a great job!

We saw lots of friends and family there! We got to see a few of our cousins too! Grandma and Daxlee were the first ones we saw! Daxlee liked the firetruck and had his camera there to take pictures of all the fun things!

Then we saw Sarah and Traci at Heritage Park where Russell's band was playing and singing. They did a great job. Sarah was so cute taking pictures of everything with her mom's camera. I took this sweet picture of her! Uncle Robert liked played with Sarah's "tails". Mostly he just likes to aggravate her, I think! She didn't seem to mind! : )

Morgan waited in line several hours to get her face painted! She was determined and didn't want to do anything else until she was painted up! It was worth the wait...see how pretty it was!

Jerod liked riding the ponies but his favorite was the inflatable slide. I don't have a picture of this because I was too panicked to take my eyes off of him for one second! He would jump out so far that he didn't hit the slide until he was 1/2 down! What a daredevil!

Although Joshua rode ponies and went on the big slide he was content to hang out and play with his G'Momma! Here he is playing pee-a-boo in his stroller!

Fall Festival was a successful event, despite the weather. People didn't seem to mind getting sprinkled and it was nice to have some cool temperatures for the day. The rain made the slides slick which Jerod enjoyed, and I am sure spray 'n wash will take care of all the "fun" that got on our clothes! Landry enjoyed snuggling under the information booth with Mammaw, G'Momma, Daddy, Mommy, Christy, Phyllis and perhaps a few others I may have forgotten. Thanks to everyone who helped with her!

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After church on Sunday, Landry and I went to the Pumpkin Patch just west of town. As you can see from these pictures, she was THRILLED to be there!

Landry slept through all the pumpkin patch excitement and waited to make her presence known to all while in Sam's Club! I was certain CPS would be waiting for us when we got home. Several little ladies wanted to help me, but the little darling was just hungry. Bad timing! I don't know who you are lady, but thanks for putting up my shopping cart so I could get my starving baby home!

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Next week I have to go to Fort Worth for a Texas Downtown Association Conference and Landry is going to get to spend a lot of time with Aunt Lissa! She is excited about that! : )

It is kinda ironic that last year when I was at the TDA Conference in San Angelo, I found out that I was pregnant! What a nice surprise! I never would have thought I would be finding a babysitter for the 2007 conference! Thank you Lord for your sweet blessings!

Homecoming 2007

2007-09-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

Homecoming was this weekend and Landry and I had a good time! Of course, she slept through the first half, ate at half time and slept through the second half, but I could really tell she was enjoying herself. She had her Jacket attire on and even had a mum for the occasion. Denison won~ so even daddy had a good time.

I Didn't Know You Had A Red Head...

2007-09-26T15:54:00.000-05:00

Neither did I!

Landry & I went to the football game with Robert last night. It is always fun because we get to visit with all the other coaches families. The kids run around on the turf, the wives chat, and the coaches, *BIG SHOCKER......WAIT FOR IT....talk football!

Robert mentioned to me yesterday that he noticed Landry's hair was looking a little red. It was confirmed by one of the coaches wives last night when she said, "I didn't know you had a red head." Well neither did I until yesterday! It is definitely changing, and this may just be a temporary stop on the way to another color, but right now I am entertaining the thought of having a little fireball on our hands!

A Kidney Stone...HA! God is MY Rock

2007-09-25T09:11:00.000-05:00

My dad has had kidney stone problems since I was in Middle School, passing several each year. He jokes that he is trying to repave the driveway. : )

Yet he never really complains. I have heard that kidney stone pain can be compaired to childbirth, and having been through that, I can't understand how he is not a big fat whiner!

Dad will be having surgery on Friday to 'blast' a couple of stones in his kidney. But there is no need to worry about a few little pebbles because

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2

and Jeremiah 32:27 says "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"

All you have need of, His hand will provide. He's always been faithful....I love you, daddy and am praying for you!

2 Corinthians 1:9-11

Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

She CAN smile!

2007-09-19T14:36:00.000-05:00

Many people have been asking me, "Does Landry always look so serious?" The answer is YES! But with some help from G'Momma this weekend, we were able to catch proof that she indeed can smile. She is stingy with them, but they are well worth the wait!

Sweet Dreams

2007-09-19T08:34:00.000-05:00

Praise the Lord!

Landry slept 9 hours straight last night!

Robert was cute as he felt compelled to get up and check on her several times this morning, you know, just to make sure she was still breathing.

It is little things like sleeping through the night that I have come to pray about, because God cares about the small stuff too. This morning when Tom (this is her name at the babysitter) was snoozing away I was able to spend some time reading God's word and found encouragement in the following verses.

Mark 11:22 (The Message)

22-25 Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake'—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins."

Isn't it wonderful that God cares about such things as a good night's rest, a stuffy nose, and a set of anxious new parents? Although I struggle with giving over all of my worries to him, it is a comfort to know that He will do the worrying for me. And that as much as I love Landry, He loves her more!

Landry's Got a Big Brain!

2007-09-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

Landry went to doctor today because she has a cold, but since we were there, they went ahead and did her 2 month immunizations as well. I didn't know her face could turn those shades of red!

They also weighed her, measured her height and head.

Length = between percentile 75 and 90
23 3/4 inches

Weight = between percentile 75 and 90
12 lbs. 8.5 oz.

Head Circumference = above percentile 95
37.8 cm.

So basically our girl is large and in charge with a BIG brain! ; )

Please pray for her little cold. She is pretty congested and this means less sleep for all of us!