Easter 2011

We had a VERY busy weekend over the Easter holiday. I had quite a few things planned for me and Pax to do on Saturday...the only thing that would have made the day perfect was daddy coming along. Unfortunately, he had to work all day, so Pax and I met up with a few different people for the day.

Our first stop was to meet the Easter Bunny. My mom always goes with us and I'm kind of glad. I think having her there calms Pax a bit. I have to be honest, I was SUPER nervous about this. You never know how she's going to react to these situations and you have to admit...the bunny is creepy as all get out. BUT-just like last year, she sat down right next to the ol' Bunny and chatted him up!!



It definitely made for some adorable pictures. At one point she turned, looked at the bunny, and made the FUNNIEST face. Like she forgot who she was sitting by! She kills me.

After we visited the bunny, we had lunch with my mom and brother and did some shopping. We used to go to lunch every.single.Saturday. But, we kind of got out of the habit. I miss it!! Hopefully, with the weather getting nicer, we will start going again.

We had a bit of down time and then it was time to head to the movies!! We met my friend Mandy and her son Hayden...who is Paxtin's age. They have been buddies since they were very tiny. They get along SO good and we're lucky to have them as our friends. :) This is a day I have been waiting for...for a LONG, LONG time. I remember when I was pregnant, I would daydream about taking my kid to the movies to see a fun cartoon. Weird...I know, but that's what I wanted to do so bad!! I'm a fun mom, what can I say. I couldn't wait to see how Pax liked watching a movie on the big screen. I tried to get a few pictures of the kids watching the movie, but it wasn't exactly easy! They watched the new movie, RIO and they LOVED it. Mandy and I did, too!! It was adorable...I highly recommend it. It's VERY kid friendly...which, these days, some cartoons are not. :/



On our way to the movies!!


Pax and her buddy Hayden...they are precious, holding hands all the time!!

Ready for the movie to start! They sat for most of it, but stood up when it got intense!



After the movie, daddy was home and we went to a cookout at our friends Ray and Anna Black's house. We love a good hang out night at the their house. =) They used to be our neighbors, but we've stayed in touch with them and have some of the best times there. They have kids, so that's nice for Pax to have someone to play with while we visit. Gracie, their daughter, ADORES Pax. I think she's pretty fond of P, too.

Sunday was Easter and Pax was SO excited to see her Easter goodies. I tried to not go overboard, but it's so hard not to get tons of candy and fun stuff!! Here's her basket (along with some gifts from my parents!!)


Then we got all prettied up and went to church. I felt like those people who only go to church on Christmas and Easter!! We have literally been out of town for about a month...every weekend was somewhere different. So, we have not been to OUR church in forever. I think we will be around now for awhile, so we will have no excuse not to go. Here we are all dressed up...Pax looked absolutely PRECIOUS. I LOVE the dress I got for her!!




After church we had dinner with my parents and it was delicious. I love a good holiday meal...although my waistline does NOT. ; ) Pax got even MORE candy and a few presents. We have candy stockpiled for MONTHS...

This was a super fun weekend, but a busy one. I had such a fun time with Pax and my family. Hope your Easter was just as memorable. =)

Princesses on Ice

Wednesday night ended up being a VERY fun night for me, Pax, and my mom. I had been eyeing some tickets to an Ice skating show that was coming to a town close to us. I looked up the price and was surprised they weren't expensive, but I had no idea how high we would have to sit for that price. I wanted her to be able to see and I kind of forgot about going after that.

Fast forward to Wednesday and I get a text from my friend Kayla. She offered me 4 FREE passes to Princess on Ice!! The only requirements were we had to go that night and she had no idea where the seats were. I was hoping since they were free passes, the seats would end up being good. I needed to find someone to go with me since I knew Cody wouldn't be off work in time to go. So, I recruited my mom and we took off. Once we got there, I kind of wished I had dressed Pax in one of her princess dresses...lots, if not all, the girls there were dressed up in cute costumes!! It was pretty chilly that night though and her costumes are tiny...oh well! Maybe next time.

pax absolutely LOVED the show. She clapped and danced, sang and laughed. All her favorite characters were there and she was in heaven!!

This was actually the ending with Cinderella in her carriage...

look at that face!! so into it...

snow white!!

Just a little view of the set...

and our view from our seats before it started.

This was my favorite song...Be Our Guest!!

LOTS of clapping and smiling. =) I think she enjoyed it!!

Pax & I...I think I enjoyed the show JUST as much. =)

Nothing like a t-shirt to take home-thanks Nannie!!



This is definitely a show we would like to see again. Any Disney on ice would be great!! I'm so happy we got to spend this special time together. I know Pax enoyed it immensely. Were are so blesses to have great friends like Kayla who are so kind and generous. It was a memory she will always have forever. =)

Happy Easter

** Shirt created by: Too Cute Creations



Saturday is our big outing to see the Easter Bunny. I hope she does well...last year she really liked him! It was Santa she freaked out on. I would rather not pay for years of therapy just to get a picture with a big, creepy, bunny. ; ) I guess if I don't post a picture, you will know she had a meltdown. I refuse to pay for pictures of her screaming.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend! After we visit the bunny, Pax and I (along with my friend Mandy & her son Hayden) are going to her very first movie!! I'm so excited for her. Sunday we will go to church and I can't wait to post pictures of her in her sweet smocked dress I bought. =)

HAPPY EASTER!!

sand, surf, and 70 years strong

I didn't intend to post these two events together, but I am lazy and would rather just do one massive post! I can probably tie it all together somehow...

SO, last year was our 5 year anniversary...wedding anniversary. We had actually been together 9 years!! Anyways, we wanted to book a trip to the beach last August, for our 5 year and we both love, love, love Destin, FL. Unfortunately, the BP oil spill forced us to cancel our trip. I'm not sure if the oil every made it into Destin, but it wasn't a risk I was going to take. I made Cody promise that he would take me to the beach the next year...just the two of us. We both feel that since we had Pax, it is more important than ever to take time for just the two of us. We don't take HUGE elaborate trips all the time, but we do make a point to do date nights several times a month and over-night stays for Pax at my parents. We debated back and forth about taking her to the beach with us, but in the end we both really wanted some time alone. It did wonders for ALL of us. Paxtin came back happier, well-rested, and excited to see us. Cody & I came back refreshed, WELL-RESTED!!, and more focused as parents.

We went to Destin for 4 days, and it was just perfect. The weather was amazing, no rain...and we ate some of the best food I've had in so long. We both know that this will be the last time, for awhile anyways, that we will take a beach trip alone. I'm ready to take Pax for sure!





We got back into town on Thursday night and were SOOOO excited to see Pax. I swear she grew 10 inches! As much as we would have liked to just sit around and unwind from the trip and do LAUNDRY...ha, we had a BIG party to attend Saturday night.

Cody's grandma and grandpa celebrated their 70th (YES, 70TH!!!) wedding anniversary this past weekend. I always count up our anniversaries and think, WOW-6 years, that's almost 10! And then think about his grandparents, the epitome of a happy, normal, well-maintained marriage and PRAY that we will stay as strong as they have. They are SUCH an inspiration to every one of us in his family. I love to sit and pick his grandma's brain...listen to her tell stories about her and grandpa when they were young...and get advice on life in general.

We wouldn't have missed this party for the world. They both mean so much to Cody & I and Pax adores them!




It wouldn't have been a proper party without a little dancing! And Pax STOLE the show here. That kid is a dancing fool, especially to a guitar. I think I will be getting her one for her birthday...I may regret it later! Grandpa and Grandma taught Paxi how to do the jitterbug and she, to my embarrassment, taught them how to Dougie.






Sunday we all went to church together and had lunch at the farm that afternoon. I've written before about what a special place the farm is to EVERY person in Cody's family and we are both very hopeful that Pax have those same special memories of the farm.





It's been another CRAZY week around here and I am DYING for some lounge time!! I hope to take Pax to see the Easter Bunny Saturday and also a screening of RIO. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

34 Months Old

So, Paxtin at 34 months:

We've had a MAJOR change in Paxtin's life over the past month!! SHE'S POTTY TRAINED!!!! I can't believe how lucky we've gotten with it...she's really been the dream child. I decided on a Friday morning that I was DONE with diapers. SO, I took them away and put her in panties. It was slow going at first, but she never had an accident. And then the next thing I know, she's in there by herself peeing!! I was so proud of her...we squealed and clapped. She got to pick out a prize and a chocolate. And the rest is history. We are still doing a diaper at nap and bedtime, simply because she just isn't ready to go without anything at night. I hope that comes soon. I know one way to help that would be to cut out drinks before bed. :/ This will be really hard because she LOVES her chocolate milk during story time...before we brush teeth. Oh well, it must be done. Today we ventured out of the house for the first time since Friday and I have to say I was really nervous. She's only used to going in her little potty and where we were only had big ones. But,she did awesome. Just sat right on them like it was no big deal. We DID, however, have to go to the bathroom about 20 times, but what's weird is she went every time. CRAZY. Kids have some weird obsession with the bathroom, I guess. I hope to avoid using EVERY public toilet in town.

Paxtin & I have recently started working on writing letters. We started with her name and she's got the P and the A somewhat. It will take some practice, but she knows all her letters when asked, so it's time to start something new. She's SO bright, it amazes me sometimes how much information she can retain. On that same note, she has an amazing memory. It's crazy! She can literally her a song ONE time on the radio and she will start singing the words and can remember the tune. She's also VERY good at learning people's names and remembering them. She definitely did not get this trait from me!

We've decided our little Paxi is mostly an observer in most settings. She DOES participate at school and jumps in to play with her friends, but when she's a little unsure about the situation, she takes a step back and watches. THIS she DOES get from me. I am very reserved and calm. I take my time to warm up to people and I don't just come into a room talking. I try and involve her and make her feel comfortable when she's unsure. But most of the time she has to decide when she's ready to jump in. Which is totally fine.

We are starting to gather ideas for her 3rd birthday party! It will be here before we know it. I have a couple of ideas, but nothing confirmed yet. I have to make sure that I don't over do it, like I usually do. =) I don't know what I will do when I have two or three kids one day. I guess I better start saving now! ha!


We love you Paxi Grace! HAPPY 34 Months!!