Running, Goodbye's, and RSV

Devon and I braved the freezing temperatures, and ran in the GHS 'Fillie Trot'. It took us hours to defrost after the race. My body feels like I ran another half marathon, but it was only a 10k. What is that all about.

Carrie's parents - aka 'The Undersanders' are moving to Minnesota. I am truly heartbroken. Their house holds more memories than I can put into words. Clubbing Adventures, Senior Release Parties, Hot Tub Parties, Oktoberfest, our Stock the Bar engagement party, Carrie's wedding...too many to count.

Above: Rob getting his new towlie. Below: Gavin the 'Ladies Man'. He had every girl at this beckon motorboat. It was too cute.

While we were at the Undersander going away party, Grand Daddy-o called and said Aslynn wasn't feeling well. In the hour we were gone, her temperature shot up to 104 and she was miserable. Our Doctor told us to take her to Cooks Urgent Care, and we were told she has RSV.

My babies in the waiting room. Not much you can do for RSV, so we will just be home waiting it out. GiGi and Grandpa, & Mimi and Grand Daddy-o have already been over to help. I love having Grandparents so close.

11 Months

Aslynn is 11 months today. She had a rough day. Usually, she is a pretty content kid. Today, she was just fussy. I thought about waiting to take her 11 month picture, but instead I decided to take it anyway.

"Mom, STOP taking my picture"

And this one says something like..."I've had it, leave me alone MOM'.

Im so exhausted right now that I can't think, but here are a few updates off the top of my head....

- She sleeps like a frog with her butt up in the air. She always rolls over on her belly now.

- She will point out feet, ears, mouth, nose

- She is standing with out assistance, but hasn't taken those first steps yet

- She really learned the word "NO", and did the hyperventilation cry when I told her 'NO, don't touch mommy's computer'. It hurt me more than her.

- It's a whole new world now that she is crawling. She gets into everything. We have baby proofed a few things, but I don't think any amount of baby proofing can get you ready for what they get in.

Dad's 1st flight on the 777

We are very proud of Dad/Poppi. He flew his first flight in the 777 to Asia.

FedEx Express celebrated the delivery of the world's largest air cargo carrier's first 777 Freighter.

In typical FedEx operations, the 777 Freighter has revenue payload capacity of 178,000 pounds (81 metric tons) and can fly 5,800 nautical miles (6,675 statute miles, 10,740 km). The 777 Freighter uses 18 percent less fuel than the MD-11 Freighter on comparable FedEx Express routes, reduces maintenance cost and provides quieter takeoffs and landings that meet airport noise standards.

Mt. Fuji is partially blocked by the window post. This was on the way from Tokyo to Beijing.

She works hard for the money....

No, it isn't halloween. It's Moulin Rouge/Cabaret time. I sang at a party with a Moulin Rouge theme. It was fun to get all dressed up and sassy.

The really cool thing is that I thought this party was last weekend. I got all dressed and ready, and showed up to this place and I was told the party wasn't until the next weekend. I guess it was a nice dress rehearsal, but I felt like a hoochie all dressed up and nowhere to go. I really need to master my schedule a little more.

Aunt Kelsey is back.....

Kels came in town from Austin for the weekend, so we haven't wasted any time playing.

Aslynn's 1st piano lesson

She is really loving the piano

She looks so tall in this picture.

Mama time....

She likes getting into all her toys now.

Nothing like a little family challenge of wii bowling.

Scott's 30th Birthday Bash

In case you didn't know: Scott is one of Eric's best friends, but we also go way back as well. I have known Scott since elementary school, and my mom was his music teacher. SO..we wouldn't dare miss his big 30th surprise party. Lori got everyone together and had a party at one of the newer wine bars in Grapevine. It was a good night out :)

This was my brown rice dinner. I knew because of the fast I wouldn't be able to eat anything at the party and to Carb it up before. Yummy - blah.

Eric and Rodney with their popped collars...

Ben, Eric, Scott

This was Alli's reaction to the child birth story....hilarious. She was not having it.

I take a little credit for Scotts debut with the Beatles cover band. I think because my mom gave him 5th grade music student of the YEAR, he has been able to step out of his shell and enjoy music. Like Scott always sings "There once was a cat Don Gato..Meow".

Hey Mr Tambourine Man.....

Some of the gang at the wine bar

A little 'Happy Birthday' from everyone in the place

Of course, Kirst and I

Round 2: Cowboys VS Minnesota

Well, we got further than anyone expected in the playoffs. It is too bad it had to end here though. At least we were in good company to take our minds off of the score.

Happy Birthday Granny

It was Granny's birthday, so we decided to spend the day at her house in McKinney. We had a fun day of cupcakes and lots of laughs. There is nothing better than spending time with your family.

Daniel Fast

Day 1: Liquid Diet for 24 hour.

Around noon I started to get pretty hungry, but as the day went on I just forgot about it. I stayed focused on my 'to-do' list and learning songs, and before I knew it the day was almost over.

Wish us luck...our church started the Daniel fast again. You can read below to see what we will be eliminating from our diets for the remainder of the month. Eric and I did the Daniel Fast almost 3 years ago, and it was amazing. Instead of focusing on food, we put our focus into God, and our goals for the coming year.

I can't lie and say it didn't cross my mind that I would be really skinny at the end of that time either. Of course, that was going to be a pretty cool bonus. Last time, after the 21 days, Eric weighed himself first and lost 16 pounds!! I was so excited I almost pushed him off of the scale. When I stepped on, I had lost a whopping 2.3 pounds. SO - it isn't about the weight loss. But on the vein side of it, I have never felt better than I did in that time period. I didn't have to take any of my prescription meds for my stomach or allergies. It was incredible how much our diet really did affect every aspect of our lives.

Let me know if you interested in doing this with us. We have a lot of great recipes using the foods we can eat.

FAST FOCUS

Fasting is a spiritual discipline designed to better connect us with God. It’s all about aligning ourselves with God and what He really wants to do. As a church, we are fasting together in order to deepen our relationship with God as well as get in step with His plan and purpose for us during this coming year. Over the next 21 days, we will substitute our regular food intake with those disciplines that help us better connect with God—reading the Bible, praying and journaling. The overall goal is to experience a genuine hunger for spending time with God.

Foods to Avoid

• Meat, Poultry, Fish
• White Rice
• Fried Foods
• Carbonated Beverages
• Foods Containing Preservatives or Additives
• Refined Sugar or Sugar Substitutes
• White Flour
• Margarine, Shortening, High Fat Products
• All Breads
• Dairy (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.)

FAST FRAMEWORK

Sunday, January 10 • 24-hour Liquid Fast
Drink water, natural fruit juice and herbal caffeine-free tea (lunch will be our last meal and we will resume meals at dinner on Monday).

Monday, January 11 • Begin the “Daniel Fast”
At dinner, begin to introduce meals with pure foods of fruits and vegetables. This plan will continue for the next 20 days.

The Weekend of January 30 & 31 • Break the Fast

We're Back...

Poppi and Grammi came in town to get Kyle situated for his 2nd semester at OU, and to see the one and only grandbaby show off her new crawling skillz.

Cowboys vs. Eagles

Go Cowboys! It was nice to finally get a playoff win. It is also nice not to feel sorry for the coach, Wade Phillips. I hate when everyone Wade bashes, because he is so sweet and round. I love when he gets excited and runs with his arms up along the sidelines. Makes me laugh every time.

We all got together at Kyle's condo. Aslynn had her first sleep over at a friends house. I was singing all weekend, so Eric brought Aslynn everywhere he went. It worked out great. She was comfy in her pack and play, and even had her own guest room! You know it was a good time when one of her toys became the hit of the evening.

Riding the Lion....

Alli was pretty amazing riding the lion :) I only wish I had a picture when she flew over the top and skidded on her belly the rest of the way. I am dying laughing as I type this.

The only cowboy gear I have are some Cowboy slippers I stole from my sisters mans stocking. He is a Saints fan, so I knew he wouldn't put them to use. The girls wouldn't hold my foot up (i don't know why not :)...so, I was forced to put it on my hand.

Victory!

Nick Jonas

The Jonas Brothers - I know you have at least heard of them. They are basically the New Kids on The Block of our time. Well, the youngest brother decided he wanted to break out and create a solo album. My voice students are more than obsessed, and they wanted me to find out what all the hype is about. SO...one of my students got a ticket for me under the conditions that I would be their chauffeur.

I had all these flash forwards of taking Aslynn to concerts as I saw all the parents dropping their kids off at HOB. It was hilarious.

Nick Jonas - we were standing room only on the floor. I kept thinking how I was getting to old for standing room only :)

Waiting in line in 25 degree temperatures. I waited in the heated car most of the time - aren't I nice! I kept telling them that Nick Jonas was not worth catching pneumonia for.

It's Mama's Night...

Kirsten and I went out last night. It is scary what a night out can do for people like us. Keep in mind, we are in good 'ol historic Grapevine - but after a few drinks it felt like some big city. I was ready to hit the town. Too bad our choices were Whilhoites or Chill. That's when we decided a photo shoot on our iPhones would suffice.

The next generation iPhones need to have an app for easier pictures. It is so hard to take self portraits on that thing.

Hot Mama's...

Kirsten knows me too well. Thank you :)

Happy 2010

Is it sad that I drank more last NYE when I was pregnant? I had a glass of wine last year, and not a drop of alcohol this year. Eric and Aslynn have been sick, so we stayed in on NYE.

It ended up being a great night hanging out the with my baby girl and husband. We watched our entire 2009 from our video camera. I can't thank God enough for such an amazing 2009. I REALLY can't believe how fast it flew by. Aslynn LOVED watching us on TV (side note: i told Kirsten this, and she started laughing and said "just like her mama - loves watching herself"...thanks!!). Aslynn would point and clap the entire time.

Aslynn pointing to herself on the home video

She made it from Feb to October before finally passing out

Life is good.

Yup..im in my sexy robe to bring in the New Year, and Eric dressed up in his Race to R-Ead t-shirt.

I'm a crawler now

Finally. Finally. I have been wondering if she would crawl for quite some time now. I feel like everyone's younger babies were crawling. I just stopped talking about it after awhile. Don't get me wrong, she gets around. She would just roll across a room, or crawl backwards....but never the forward motion, until now! Eric left some component cables on the floor, and just like that, she was crawling to get them. I was so excited. I had the video camera ready and everything.

She is saying 'FREEDOM!!!'.

Christmas in Austin

We all headed to Austin after the cruise to celebrate another Christmas with Dad and Sally. We had our annual timed Target trip. We draw names, and have 10 minutes, and $13.40 to get gifts for that special someone. It is a highlight of our Christmas. Santa also delivered her wagon. Eric has been so excited to give her this wagon.

Relaxing in her new ride.

Mama wanted a ride too.

Wagon maintenance with daddy and poppi.

Kelsey gave Dad and Sally snuggies. Such an amazing invention and gift.

Christmas Cruise - Feliz Navidad

We spent Christmas on 'Christmas Island'. We cruised all around Mexico, and even spent Christmas Day on the boat. Aslynn loved her first Christmas, and she turned 10 months on the boat too. My family, and Eric's family were all together, and it was amazing.

'Who Are You'.......

The gang....

Babies first Christmas

Our 'Touristy' picture...I even remembered to bring her sign as her 10 month marker.

Christmas Cruise

thanks to kels and kyle for my new post pregnancy body.

I had the hat first.

Long day at the beach.

Family photo getting on the cruise

Cheers! Kyle was trapped on a boat so he had to have happy hour with the fam. He couldn't get away :)

Love my girl!

Kelsey's new nose ring..quite the Christmas spirit

Kelsey showing her thanks to Eric for such wonderful stocking gifts.

My happy baby on Christmas morning

She is definitely diggin the sombrero

Good Times.

Hawaiian shirt night.

At the comedy show.

Christmas Cruise - My water baby

Christmas Cruise - Mr Sanchos Beach

I think we would all agree that one of our favorite days was when we were in Cozumel. Mom knew of a beach that was away from all the tourist, so we all piled in a taxi and were on our way. It was paradise...except when Kyle had to rescue Mom from the tide :) Since we didn't have the car seat, our conclusion was tell the cab driver OVER and OVER to go slow, and to hold on tight. Nice, huh! Do you think that is going to deduct from my mother of the year award?!?

Humm, how many Americans can you put in a Mexican cab?!?

Poor Kelsey...shoved in the back. (MCU)

Aslynn loved the water and the waves.

Not just the horse whisperer anymore - the Baby Whisperer.

Christmas Cruise - Tacky Sweaters

Each night, we would pick a costume theme for the dining room. One of our favorite nights was Tacky Christmas sweater attire. However, the instructions got lost in translation. Kyle thought we said - bring a tacky sweater for Christmas...not bring a tacky Christmas sweater. Regardless, he managed to out sweater us all with a lovely Kwanzaa sweater.

The key was all being together, otherwise people thought we were serious. Eric had a couple people think he was very 'festive' (as one cruise go'er told him).

Even Aslynn had a tacky outfit

My brother didn't stop at just a sweater. He came with a fanny pack and a cougar hat.

Eric's even had shoulder pads.

Everyone at dinner.

CHRISTMAS CRUISE - Piano Bar

We were the regulars at the Piano bar on our cruise. They were having music trivia the first night, and we were in heaven. We quickly became besties with all the other patrons around the piano. By the end of the night, after everyone had witnessed our musical family, we were officially known as the Von Trapp Family (from the Sound of Music). We had people that would see us around the pool, or in the dining room, and they would say "Hey - There are the Von Trapps....". It was ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT (a quote from Gay Jay the Karaoke guy).

Home :)

Kyle helping out on vocals.....

I know..Kelsey and Kyle pointed it out in front of everyone. I have Dolly Parton hair. I'm a dork.

Karaoke!!

Pre Christmas Get Togethers.....

Like everyone else, December was a pretty busy month. My voice studio, and myself had multiple performances each week. We managed to get together with a few people before the holidays. We had Erica and Jakes Tacky Sweater/White Elephant party, Dinner with Lori, Scott and Grant, a visit to Gabby and Pablo's store, and Howard and D'Anne's Festivus Party.

These are some of my favorite photos from Erica and Jakes party. It is pretty cool having friends who have a photography business. They had a photo booth set up - even with props. Ummm, count me in!

Our best Tiger Woods impression.

It is hard enough finding a tacky sweater, but Erica had to find one to fit her baby bump. Nice Work. I stole Aslynn's Christmas hat, but Erica out did me with the poinsettia head band.

Yes, I won the Wal-Mart vest, and then added the beautiful dreads.

A tad bit camera shy - ha!

Grant was so sweet to share all of his Christmas toys. He even gave Aslynn a cute stuffed animal reindeer. Thanks Winsteads!

Hanging out with the daddies.....

We got to see Gabby's baby bump. Doesn't she look great!! We even got to see Jeb before she left for her Japan vacation. Love those girls! Gabby and Pablo have a Big 12 store, with all the collegiate merchandise you can imagine. Check out their store, Student Union, in the Galleria.

Christmas Card Comedians.....

Some of you may recall our Christmas card picture.......

WELL - While in New Orleans for the Cowboys vs Saints game.....apparently Brian, Jenni/Ginger, and my sister Kelsey had their own interpretation of our Christmas card. It is pretty hilarious.

My little Blog Model....

I am happy to report that it pays to be in the 93rd percentile for height, even at 9 1/2 months! Aslynn is the latest tutu model in the 'Crafty Texas Girls' blog.

If any of you girls need some cute tutu's (among other adorable things), check out their blog: http://craftytexasgirls.blogspot.com/2009/07/tutus.html

9 1/2 Months

Aslynn is 9 1/2 months now. Where does the time go? I can ask this every day. I love seeing her personality develop more and more these days. She is going through the 'I only want mommy' stage. Generally, her fits of rage from missing me SO much last about 45 seconds before something else catches her eye. It hurts me more than her. She loves reading books. We added a book shelf to her room, and she will say 'buk, buk' and grab books off the shelf one by one. She finally has a toy she is obsessed with. It is a baby plastic duck that was in Grant's birthday goody bag. She won't put that darn thing down. Thanks Lori!

Her 9 month Thanksgiving Picture

Her first Christmas gift arrived

Good times with the box

Look who scooted under the tree...

Yummy...

White Rock Half Marathon

I am not sure why I signed up for White Rock a month after I did the Rock N Roll in San Antonio. I have been so scared this entire week leading up to the race. I haven't really had time to keep training, and I just kept thinking about how hard the last leg of the race was. Good thing I had Katy and Diana to run with, and Mom, Charles, Eric, and Devon to cheer us on. It makes all the difference in the world.

Now that it is over, I can honestly say I am very glad I did it. Katy ran with me the entire way, prayed for us at mile 10 (I really needed that), and even stayed when I started to fade around mile 11 and just stopped talking all together. It was kind of funny, Katy would be carrying on casual conversation and every now and again she would ask a question, and I just kept running. I couldn't find the energy to even respond. We had some good laughs today. AND, I improved my time by 12 minutes!! We finished in 2 hours and 12 minutes.

I could always spot my mom with her who-hoo, and Marine flag.

My support group!

Morning Sunshine, ready to run 13.1 miles?

Ahahahaaa - we just love running. Clearly, this is at mile 2 or something :)

My OU roomies

Katy, Me, Diana

A classic POST race photo

Christmas in the Stockyardslso

Some of my kiddos had another opportunity to sing at Christmas in the Stockyards. Don't they look adorable? They sounded great too. I am VERY proud of them. This was our 5th performance of the season. Only 3 more left. Basically, I don't want to hear anymore Christmas songs :)

Part of the festivities included Armadillo races. I have never heard of such a thing. I almost volunteered when they were asking BUT then I saw these people get on all 4's and start blowing on the Armadillo's butt. WTF - why the face - because that is just wrong! They passed out Armadillo milk for the prize. Blechhh.

Don't we look professional in front of the tree.....

A Bass Pro Christmas

Aslynn, Gigi, and Grandpa took a little trip to Bass Pro Shop....every little girls dream?!?!

I can't believe she isn't crying. Is it bad that I want a screaming picture with Santa?

Does Aslynn like the bow or the boat?

Grandpa - that is a funny face.....

Warm and Cozy.

Family Photo Day

We had a couple Christmas photo shoots with Erica Jaggears photography. It was fun to capture the TRUE personality of our family.

Enter at your own risk.....

We own a gun now. I have been pretty against it for some time, but Eric travels so much, and we wanted to be able to have some method of defense for Aslynn and I. Funny how I didn't really care when it was just me, but now that Aslynn is here, things are pretty different. We have some family, and own some land in Poolville, TX - so off we went to gun lessons. My brother who knows everything about guns was very eager to teach me how to handle everything. At first I wanted to cry I was so scared, but at the end, I do feel much more comfortable knowing all the bits and pieces.

Finger Guns are better :)

Guns 101

A Natural

Father/Daughter Fun

Parade of Lights

My Voice Studio and I had an amazing opportunity to sing at the Parade of Lights in Forth Worth. It was the day after Thanksgiving, so I was pretty exhausted, but it was worth it. I loved having my entire family out to hear all the performances.

The Fam after the big performance....

Yay, Kelsey came out to listen

Mimi :)

Dancing with my baby girl.

The Boys

Spreading a little Christmas cheer.....

Aunt Kelsey

Sally helped me get all the Christmas decorations up.

A Luby, Williams, Ashby, Gist Thanksgiving

Talk about Modern Family (which btw is our new favorite show). Our Thanksgiving was spent all over the metroplex. First, we headed to Fort Worth for the Turkey Trot. Our neighbor Rachel joined in the friendly competition. I kept telling my brother I was going to beat him. Even hung over, he still beat me. Ahh, the youth of America.

We had 3 Thanksgiving Meals. Gluttonous, I know - but we ran earlier, and that has to count for something, right?!? We spent time and ate with Eric's family, then headed to McKinney for Thanksgiving at Granny's, and then Thanksgiving with Dad. Phewww.

Turkey Trot

Let the games begin.....

Aslynn, Uncle Joel, and Lydia

Grandma

Aslynn and Grandma both wore their GOLD shoes..hahahaaa

Auntie M, and Granny

Yummm, Thanksgiving Dinner

Yummm, More thanksgiving dinner. 2 full boats of sushi. Nice.

Lauren turns 30

I guess it is official - I have known this girl for a LONG time! Lauren celebrated her 30th birthday at the Joule Hotel in Dallas. I think this is my new favorite place to have dinner and drinks. It was fun to see a lot of friends that I hadn't gone out with in awhile.

We have come a long way from making cookies at moms house.

We saw Gnarles Barkley and Marti Turco from the Dallas Stars. Quite the celebrity sightings in D-Town.

The high school girls...Jessica, Me, Lauren (obviously having a horrible time :) - Paisley, Tiffany, Ashley

Happy 30th!

Life With The Tracers

I love having Kirsten around. Although, we are missing one of our favorite girls (Carrie), we still manage to get together pretty often.

We went to a Hibachi place, and Aslynn was so enthralled with the nice Asian mans tricks with the mustard (a classic), and his fire.

The big girls and the kiddos

Whenever these two get together, Aslynn can't take her hands off of Gavin! She definitely gets that kind of behavior from Eric's side :) Poor Gavin doesn't know what to do with all this attention.

See...look at Aslynn. She has to be touching him!

We went to see Kirsten and Rodney dedicate their children at their church. We were their witnesses, and we were so happy to be a part of such a special occasion.

Highlights from the San Antonio Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon

I guess it is a good sign that I am smiling (at least at that particular mile). Coach Marshall found us during the race and ran part of it with us. It was entertaining running next to 'the hippie'. The crowd loved him. I'm just amazed he can run with a wig on!! I will stick with the 'mom' visor - especially since the race was so hot and sunny. Really November, Really?!?

Devon and Sunni

Sally

My sprint to the finish...well, lets just leave out 'sprint' and say FINISH.

My biggest supporters - Eric and family basically ran a half marathon trying to get to all the spots to see us. I saw them at mile 3, 8, and the finish. They were even climbing up light poles to see us. Spectating is no joke :)

Big finishers!

Grand Daddy-o keeping Aslynn entertained

She is so proud of her mommy - she is even wearing her new 'My Mommy Rocks' official marathon onesie

Grandpa Michael: My honored hero - The reason I was running :)

Team Morgan - The reason Devon and Sunni were running. Morgan was diagnosed at 11 months, and Devon and Sunni were his nurses until he passed away a year later. Thanks to all of you who helped raise money to find a cure for this awful disease!

Seriously, my favorite part was seeing my family cheering me on. I couldn't wait to find them in the crowd again. Thank you for my signs Kelsey and Derek!!

WE DID IT!

This past weekend was in my top list of awesome achievements for me. I really can't tell all you how much I truly appreciate your support, words of encouragement, donations, signs, fundraising dinner and parties, SO MANY THINGS. I love that I have the greatest friends and family. There is NO way I could have done any part of this with out you. I literally thought about each and every one of you during my run (I had PLENTY of TIME :), and how much I appreciate you. I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping find a cure for blood cancers, and helping me achieve one of my very important goals!

A HUGE THANK YOU FOR THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED ME:

Williams Family, Jaggears & Ferreri Family, Ashby Family, Granny/Beverley, Diana Beaty, Carrie & Ed, Moone Family, Lyndi Harris, Kim Kervin, Candice Costa, Lauren Fouke, Sunni & Will, Undersander Family, Rachel & Aaron, D'anne Carson, Howard Carr, Sheils Family, Burkhart Family, Chauncey Ford, Cheryl Garvey, Dede Springer, Jill Windle, Carol Cobbs, Kelsey Gist, Jessica & Dylan Harig, Christy Merrick, Penny Stone, Devon & JD, Kelsey Gist, Dad & Sal, Kirsten & Rodney, Kyle Irons, Jeff Payne, Jeannie & George Wolbert, Derek Davis, Betty & Forrest Rush, Ben & Alli, Brian Dandrea, Vicki & Haley Osier, Gabby & Paublo, Jennifer & Mike, Scott & Lori

Not so fast...

I thought I would be getting the cute red front loading washer and dryer this week. Thanks to the handy work of Eric and his dad, we will still have our same ones. One of Aslynn's socks was stuck in the drain pump and it was blocking all the cycles. According to other infant parents on the internet, it happens a lot. So, before you start getting excited, check the drain pump!

1st Trip to the Dentist

Sure, she only has two teeth - but is it ever too early to visit the dentist?

Aslynn's first tooth came in great. The second one - ummm, not so great. She has a split in the middle of her tooth. For awhile, I thought she was completely missing the middle, and that she was going to look like she was some hill-billy child. It is starting to look like a chipped tooth now that there is tooth growing underneath it.

Dr. Tate was great. He was very understanding, and even drew diagrams for me to really get what was going on with her tooth. Basically, part of her tooth didn't 'fuse' together and it happens a lot. He said it bothers the parents more than the kids (true). And, when she is about 2 and he can 'hog tie' her down, he will be able to bond it so you can't tell.

Thanks to Mrs. Tate for the picture!

The Race to RE-AD

This morning, Devon and I had our last group training for our half-marathon out at Grapevine Lake. After that run, I went to the local 5K Colleyville was hosting. Aslynn and I went by ourselves since Eric and my stepdad Charles are attending the NASCAR festivities at Texas Motor Speedway.

Anyway, I averaged about a 9 minute mile, and finished in 27:43. All while pushing the stroller! I ended up getting 3rd place in my age group. I don't know if I was more happy about placing, or still being able to participate in the 25-29 age group. I took Aslynn up on the winners platform with me, and we got our picture taken for the newspaper. I hope it actually gets published, because that would be fun for the scrapbook.

I saw a couple of my students out there too. One came up to me, looked me up and down, and asked if I ran the 'one mile fun run'. In my head I was thinking "Ummm - NO!", but I politely said I ran the 5K. And right about then, they called my name to come get my medal. Mile fun run...ha!

Aslynn wearing our 3rd place medal around her neck. I also liked how you could see her running shoes in this picture. They are cute little pink pumas from Kate. Love them:)

Major Tom

4321...

Earth Below Us

Drifting, Falling, Floating Weightless

Calling, Calling Home

You might recognize these lyrics from back in the day, but Shiny Toy Guns has a remake of the song, and it is incredible. The song is also featured on the Lincoln commercials now. We started a new series at Fellowship about the end of the world, and this was the feature song...featuring me!

I brought a cute sequence shirt to wear in honor of my song, but they had a different plan - a NASA Space Suit. At first, I wanted to run away, then I just started to embrace it. How often do people get to sing in space suits...well, David Bowie, but he doesn't count!

You can see a little video of the song at: http://www.twitvid.com/D97F6

My Little Lobster

There are two reasons I loved the lobster costume.

#1 - There will come a time in the near future, where my sweet baby will start to form opinions. I know she will want to pick out her own costume, and it will probably be something princessy and girly. So, I needed to get in the lobster outfit while I could.

#2 - One of our favorite movies "Love Actually" has a classic lobster scene.

Mother: So what's this big news, then?
Daughter: [excited] We've been given our parts in the nativity play. And I'm the lobster.
Mother: The lobster?
Daughter: Yeah!
Mother: In the nativity play?
Daughter: [beaming] Yeah, *first* lobster.

Mother: There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?
Daughter: Duh.

Tasty!

Her First piece of candy from the Fellowship 'Trunk or Treat' Halloween

Not a happy lobster

My lil lobster

Her BFF Maddie sharing her candy at the Main Street Halloween

It's rough being a lobster

The view from Main Street

Ran into a few girls from high school :)

Fall Voice Recital

Time for my voice recital! All the kids did so well. I always get so nervous for them, but they amaze me with their confidence. We had a costume contest too, and one of my favorite students, Holley won. She was dressed as a 'baby', and I told her it took a BRAVE woman to wear a onesie!

A couple of my high school girls

Kyli and I

Some of my students all dressed up

Super Star in the making?

Emily and Little Kelsey

NYC, Here we come...AGAIN

Dancing to Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

need more...must have...FRS

the birthday boy

Sangria and the girls....life is good.

Cabs in NYC are so cozy

NYC Pictures

NYC is a very special place for Eric and I. We have so many memories from when we lived there. When we arrived in NY last weekend, we had a plan to visit our favorite spots in one day. It was hard work, but we managed!

Eating our salmon wraps along the water at Trinity.

We use to run down to this pier from our apartment. It is the perfect view of the city, and where we took some of our engagement pictures.

Sushi Lounge Citrus Jewels..my favorite ever!

In Central Park by the boathouse - where Eric proposed.

Along my old running path in Central Park.

Oh, my....did you really catch me doing my stretches?!?! HA! My 'staged stretching'...I wanted a picture :)

Sick, blah....

I guess after going, and going, Aslynn and I just couldn't take it anymore. Aslynn got sick first. It was awful. She had a horrid cough, and at night it only got worse. She would cough every 15 minutes, and wake herself up and cry - which meant - we were also up every 15 minutes. I thought she was going to choke on whatever she coughed up. It almost is like the SIDS fear the first few months where you check on them ALL THE TIME. We got the bassinet back out, tried the swing, vapor rub, sleeping in the recliner - you name it, we tried it. It was just one of those things that had to get better with time.

Now, I have been sick all week. All I could think, was NOT NOW. I had my normal teaching schedule, a voice recital to prepare for, a pretty big solo at Fellowship (so the 'man voice' was not going to cut it), and my half marathon in 2 weeks. I went to the doctor to try and get some help before it got too bad. Since I have enough milk, I requested a steroid shot. Now I can't nurse for 10 days until all the meds are out of my system. Good times!

Last week to help my fundraising!

My half marathon is right around the corner, and this is the last week for donations (help!!). Please visit my website for more information on making a donation:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/rnrsa09/awillia1sl

Also, For any and all purchases on my moms Mary Kay website ~ all proceeds will be going to Team in Training! Look good while you donate!!

www.marykay.com/katieashby

A HUGE THANK YOU FOR THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY:

Williams Family, Jaggears & Ferreri Family, Ashby Family, Diana Beaty, Carrie & Ed, Katy Moone, Lyndi Harris, Kim Kervin, Candice Costa, Lauren Fouke, Sunni Yates, Undersander Family, Rachel Capps, D'anne Carson, Howard Carr, Sheils Family, Burkhart Family, Cheryl Garvey, Dede Springer, Jill Windle, Carol Cobbs, Kelsey Gist, Jessica Harig, Christy Merrick, Penny Stone, Devon Bank, Kelsey Gist, Dad & Sal, Kirsten & Rodney, Kyle Irons, Jeff Payne, Jeannie Wolbert, Derek Davis, Betty & Forrest Rush, Ben & Alli, Brian Dandrea, Vicki & Haley Osier, Gabby Hernandez

10022 (way better than 90210)

I surprised Eric with a birthday trip to NYC this past weekend. So, with this trip, we have literally celebrated for 3 months. It is tough turning 30! Although, he says this trip was really for me (noooo, me book YOUR birthday trip for ME?!? - I guess my husband knows me too well.

I can't explain how much I have been missing NYC lately. I went from living there, to going every month, to getting pregnant and having a baby and never going anymore. It has been hard for me. Then, to make it even worse, Jessica called me and told me Teniel was coming back in town, Carrie was going to take the train down, and then there is Jenn who already lives there - and they were all going to be together. It was going to be just like when we all lived there. I couldn't NOT be there with them, right?

My awesome husband helped me make it happen, and didn't mind sharing his actual birthday weekend.

Jess - where was this taken again? I think you said Sushi Lounge (2005/2006), but I can't remember.

(Jessica, Me, Teniel, Jennifer...The NYC girls)
This was taken the night Eric and I got engaged in 2005. The girls met us at the Woldorf Astoria where Eric got a suite for us to celebrate.

I remember calling the girls to tell them to come meet us, and to tell them I got engaged, and they didn't believe me. They thought I was just tricking them to come up to the upper East side since they were already downtown. Nice girls, nice.

You look good....

FOR JUST HAVING A BABY!

Trust me, I appreciate any compliment. I am just not sure where this one ever came from. So, if I didn't recently have a baby, how would I REALLY look? I have had this conversation with a few of my friends now, and we think if people really paid attention to what they were saying they would phrase it differently. Kirsten posted some of her halloween pictures on facebook, and she looks amazing. But, so many peoples comments are like "looking good for just having a baby".

8 Months

Today Aslynn is 8 months old. Really, 8 Months?!? Already?!

*Loves playing 'SO Biiiggg" and "Where's Aslynn"

*She is so tall that she has to wear 12 month pants and leggings, and those are almost capri's. But, she is so skinny that her 3 month tops still fit her.

*She has 2 bottom teeth. Her 2nd one just popped out.

*As much as we are trying, she doesn't really have any interest in crawling

*Is always saying "diddle, diddle, diddle"

*Loves clicking her tounge

*Hates peas, but who doesn't?!?

You can see her tooth!

No Hands! This is how she tries to drink out of her sippy cup. We will get it figured out soon.

"How big is Aslynn"....... "Sooooo Big"

Happy Birthday Husband!

I can't believe how old Eric is getting - he is the BIG 3-0! At least he still has a wife who is in her twenties, and can keep him young :) We started celebrating his birthday in August with a Nascar trip, and we should be wrapping up the 3 month celebration after this weekend.

happy birthday daddy! thanks mom for the elmo party hats - so appropriate for a 30th birthday.

birthday dinner with eric's parents

Poppi & Grammi

Dad/Poppi and Sally/Grammi came in town OU/TX weekend. Dad came from Memphis where is he is training to fly the worlds largest twinjet airplane - the Boeing 777.

You would think now that I am not a poor helpless college kid, I could finally handle the task of being a host in my own home - not just yet. Dad and Sally did the grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and babysat. Hallelujah!

A little family dinner of fish tacos

Poppi time


The stare-down

Attitude

I thought I had at least a few more years until karma hit, and the attitude really started to come out....

Baby Tatum

I finally got to meet Baby Tatum. She is adorable, and I am in love with her name! She was the perfect baby - she slept the entire time Jessica and I ate and chatted at Main St Bakery (I am really loving that place lately). Of course, Jessica makes me sick because Tatum is only 7 weeks old, and you would never look at Jessica and think she just had a baby. Not Fair! We managed to get a picture with my iphone from some random guy. I told him Jessica was from out of town (why I felt the need to lie to get my picture, I have no idea) and we really wanted a picture together. He ended up being pretty nice, and telling us all the 'kid friendly' events Grapevine has to offer. His thumb is also in the picture.

Nothing wrong with a little birth control...

Kyle came in town for his first official OU/TX. Of course, he has shared in many OU/TX with my girls and I. I think the one he remembers most is when Julie Peters/McKowen came to visit, and taught him some dance moves.

Anyway, it was Kyle's turn to have his OU/TX, and he brought along 3 of his fraternity friends. Now that I am older and wiser, I thought this would be a great opportunity to remind them of what could happen if they decided to be irresponsible during this 'party weekend'. I didn't really have to say much. I just went ahead and had Aslynn eat with us, and I didn't change rooms when she got fussy, and I really grossed them out with the diaper change. I think I got my point across.

Pregame 10K

The family that PLAYS together, STAYS together. I remember hearing this saying a long time ago. I made sure to throw that line in when I was convincing Eric to run with me. His new saying is 'The family that Plays together also gets knee replacements together'. He is such a jokester!

Saturday was OU/TX. We decided to start our day with a little pre-game 10K. Yes, bright and early, Eric, Aslynn and myself were out for a jog. I made Eric wear my first Zeta OU/TX t-shirt to sport around the neighborhood. Nevermind the fact that it says 1998 on the back. Seriously, I feel old. I mean, it wasn't that long ago we were all in college making the roadtrip to Dallas. I remember making friends with the band, getting rides to the game with Uncle Todd (shannon, what were their names??), date parties, getting left at date parties, Grandpa, and I guess there are a lot of things I don't remember :)

My first OU/TX Shirt.

The CHHS Band was having their annual parade through the neighborhood, so we stopped to watch. Ahh, reminds me of my glorious band days.

Victory! We made it 6 miles, and I pushed Aslynn the entire way.

Pumpkin Patch Princess (this time i don't mean me...hehee)

Despite the misty weather, we made it out to the pumpkin patch. This time last year, when I was pregnant with Aslynn, I kept telling Eric I couldn't WAIT to take her. And now, a year later, it was my turn to take her....oh, and Eric, Mimi, Gigi,Grandpa, and Granddaddy-o (charles' new name) turn to take her too. Let me know if any of you want to go to the pumkin patch. I really want to go back and play when it is better weather. I think Gigi did a great job taking the pictures, and Mimi did a great job with the outfit - what would I do with out them?!!?

OU vs Baylor

Devon met me at my house at 7:30am, and we headed to OU. We picked up Katy, and headed to my brothers apartment to get ready for the big OU/Baylor game. I think all of the Sooner fans were pretty excited to play Baylor, since we were really needing a win - ha! Thanks for the tickets Katy!

This was my brother's first OU game, and I am glad I was with him. I think it will be hard for him to go back and be a 'student' at the game since we treated him to several luxuries most college kids don't really get.

1. We paid for parking - Kyle was prepared to walk miles in the cold.

2. We went to the VIP tailgating party with free food and beer - a college persons heaven

3. We had actual seats, and didn't have to arrive 2 hours early and save seats to see the game - did that really never bother me back in the day? how annoying!!

get ready..BOOMER...SOONER

Me and the roomies reliving the glory days

meet the new faces of OU

at kyle's apartment - and it was pretty clean :)

beer and party hats - we must be in a college apartment...

You've Got Mail...

For some reason, I love checking the mail. I am not sure Eric has ever had the chance to go to our mailbox and get the mail, because I beat him to it every time. Today proved just why I love the mail - I received the first holiday pottery barn magazine (which serves as the first reminder the holidays are right around the corner!), a letter from Carrie with her new CT address, a letter from Devon, and a letter from my sweet Granny telling me how much she loves looking at the pictures she has of Aslynn. AND, everyone's stationary matches! It doesn't get much better than that.

Just the Three of Us..

Lunch at Main Street Bakery

Today was fantastic....Eric, Aslynn, and I played all day. We got Aslynn's passport, ate lunch at the Main Street Bakery, and I made Aslynn try on all of her new winter clothes. Poor girl. She wasn't having near as much fun as I was by the end of it.

Passport

We are going on a Christmas Cruise, so we have to get a passport for Aslynn. She is official now! Passports for kids last 5 years. I definitely don't want to go through the passport process again, but come on - five years! I'm just guessing she isn't going to look like her 7 month passport picture.

ACL

Mimi, Aslynn, and I headed to Austin last weekend. I was meeting up with Kelsey, Derek, Lexie and Brian (my NY friends) for Austin City Limits. There were 108 bands playing over 3 days. I can't thank my mom enough for helping me keep some sort of social life. She drove us down, and watched Aslynn during the day while I went to ACL. Thank you so much mom! Aslynn really enjoyed her MiMi time, and Alison enjoyed her ACL time.

brian, derek, kels, and me

testing out our free acl goodies

the acl gang

the concerts turned into mudfest 2009 after all the rain

aslynn in her acl gear - 'the who' onesie

the best part of the concert - being picked up by mimi and aslynn

My Marathon..

Okay, it might not have been an official 26.2 run, but it sure felt like it. I started my Saturday with a 12 mile run, then went to Fellowship rehearsal at noon, then Fellowship services, and then Devon's 30th birthday celebration at NYLO (Thanks Lauren!)

Then, on Sunday, I had another rehearsal before the morning services, 2 more services at Fellowship, and then a birthday bowling celebration for Eric's dad. It was a busy weekend, but I was doing everything that I love doing - singing, family, and friends.

glow in the dark bowling...

happy birthday grandpa

great grandmother june

glow in the dark bloomers

devon's birthday sushi at NYLO

Happy 30th Devon!!

My Baby

These past couple weeks have been pretty stressful while I have been getting acclimated to daily working life with a baby. I am VERY thankful Eric hasn't had to travel (until tomorrow - sad), and that we have wonderful grandparents so close to help out. That being said, this past weekend I finally felt like I was back to normal, and my baby girl and I took full advantage of that and just played! Here are some of our adventures:

We went to my piano lesson together! I like bringing Aslynn because Mrs. Taylor plays with her, and doesn't really hear my wrong notes:)

I can just hear her now "MOM, STOP, you are so annoying with all the pictures"

Aslynn's first DVD, and she sat up the entire time, and never took her eyes off of the TV. She definitely gets that from her Daddy.

Lemme, Lemme, upgrade ya! Bye Bye Bumbo, Hello Highchair!

Our self family portrait today at Grapefest

Tracers

Everyone is always so busy these days, so to hang out with one of my best friends TWICE this weekend was fabulous! We had dinner at the Tracer house on Friday night and then met up at Grapefest on Sunday. We like to joke about how our weekend 'outings' have changed just a little since having kids.

Aslynn showing off her moves to her man Grayson

Grayson & Aslynn

See, I wasn't kidding when I said times have changed a little. Back in the day we were sneaking in through Willhoites, and using fake id's to get to Grapefest.

Celebrating some girl time while the boys have the kids

Baby Breathe Right

Do you think they have baby breathe rights?! I have the monitor on right now since Aslynn is sleeping, but I am not sure how much more of this I can listen to.  She is snoring SO LOUD, and I even have the volume down. Her toots and snores over this baby monitor rival any old mans!!

Fighting Cancer; One Drink at A Time

Devon, Sunni, and I decided to get creative with our Team In Training fundraising.  We have to raise a certain amount of money before we run in our race in November. So, we decided to have a little pool party. We had to do a little modification since the Monsoon blew through, but we kept the party going in Eric’s new bar (our garage). Thank you to everyone who continues to support this great cause! It means so much to me.

The Girls...

Our new favorite game: Bear, Hunter, Princess. Can you tell which one?!?

Team TCB Huddle

Eric's new room

Beer Pong with Charles and Derek - a classic combo

Sisters!!

6 ½ Months

After a long, and hard fought battle Aslynn’s first tooth finally arrived. I could feel it right under her gums for the longest time. It is her front bottom tooth, and it is so cute. I know this is just the beginning of the teething, but at least she has something to show for it.

She still has this one random hair on her head that is SO long. I guess it is a baby hair that decided to hang around. You can’t see it unless the light hits it just right. But when you do see it – it is just glorious. It has a mind of it’s own, and just floats on top of her head in all directions. I have even had people tell me to cut it, but I just can’t. I love that random piece of hair.

And now for the not so good news..my little baby is getting sick. Poor girl sounds like Darth Vader. These are the times I am thankful for all the nurses in my life – thanks GiGi, Devon, and Diana. And to my mom for buying the entire stock of Vicks Vapor Stuff. Hopefully, I can get her a doctors appointment in the morning.

Getting her game face on...

Gail sent Eric & Aslynn this cute onesie, and Eric was a proud dad with today watching the game with his girl.

Aunt Kelsey was in town - yay!

Sooner Born and Sooner Bred!

The Cutest...

If any of you need dresses for football season, my friend Ashley made me the cutest dress. You can kind of see it in the pictures I took from the game, but it doesn't do it justice. I sent her a Sooner t-shirt, my measurements, and she made me a dress. Check out her website to look at more of the t-shirt dresses...thepolkadotalley.com. Thank you Ashley!

This is my dress that Ashley made me for the OU game. Isn't it adorable!!

I don't know this girl (weird, I know), but she was on Ashley's website, and I thought this dress was super cute too.

Sooners (sigh)

I don't want to talk about it.

But, I will talk about how awesome the new Cowboy stadium is. Devon and JD were so sweet to ask us to go to the game with them. We tailgated, had amazing club level seats, and had a great time up until the last 2 minutes. I had to keep telling myself to watch the game on the field, and not the ginormous TV in front of me. That thing is amazing. Towards the end of the game we decided that if you couldn't beat BYU, just make fun of them. We were pulling out our best 'Big Love' - sister wives jokes. It helped ease the pain a little.

This was how close our seats were to Bob. Just kidding, its just a quick pick of Bobby that I stole off that little tv - ha!

The boys..JD giving his best thumbs up in his new cast.

The Girls :) We tried to take the picture below about 37 times. No joke.

Poppi and Uncle Kyle stayed and watched the game with Aslynn.

Doctors Orders

Aslynn went to the doctor the other day, and she was a little 'behind' on a few things. He said he wasn't worried, but she needed to be babbling consonants, and sitting up a little longer. So, we went to work. The past month, I have kind of been worried about her never saying 'daddadada, or mamamaaa, or nananaa' - something. Well, I guess Aslynn just needed to hear the doctors words of wisdom, because 2 days later she up'd her sitting time by minutes, and will NOT stop saying 'dadadadada, and nunnununn'. I try to not let these 'milestone suggestions' get to me too much, but it is hard. I am SO happy now!

Kitty Showdown....

10 Miles

I guess when you are running for two hours there is bound to be some good things to see. Devon and I headed out on our run this morning. We always see some rabbits, some random cats, but this morning, there was a COYOTE right in front of us on the trail. I pointed it out to Devon, and she immediately said “shut your face…that’s not a sweet German Shepard that wants to play catch?!?!”. We figured it was okay to keep running since we don’t hear of too many coyote maulings. Then I ran into one of my high school friends on the trail, Randa Kildow. She runs marathons, and is training for the white rock. And I use to think running was boring….ha!

CPR

The other day when I was feeding Aslynn, she gagged on some of the food and I freaked. It made me realize I didn’t know what to do if she really was choking.  So off to class we went. Everyone there was pregnant, and learning. Oops. I guess I missed that boat. Luckily our friend from high school, Justin, and his wife Jessica ended up being in our class. Their baby girl is due any minute! They made the class pretty fun. I think any time there are plastic babies around, there is bound to be a good time!

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY

My baby girl is growing up so fast. She is 6 months old now.  To celebrate the big half birthday we had fajitas with Mimi, Gigi, and both Grandpa’s over at our house.

Aslynn’s 6 month stats:

Weight – 14 lbs 10 ounces = 25%

Head – 16 3/4ths - 50%

Height – 27 1/4th = 93%

The doctor said at the rate she is going, she will be around 5’10’’. Obviously, the height comes from me J She is eating rice cereal, avocado, sweet potatoes, and squash.  She is also sitting up by herself for 4-5 minutes at a time. What an improvement! 

we were admiring the fact that Grandpa and Aslynn have the same haircut

my first mohawk

i love avocado

Nascar Nasti Part VI

We can check one of Eric’s items off his bucket list.  For an early 30^th birthday, Eric and I went to Tennessee to attend one of the biggest NASCAR races…get ready for it – the Bristol Night Race.  But, we couldn’t attend such a great festivity with out Carrie & Ed.  Ed was able to get tickets to this sold out race – thanks Ed (sort of). 

It was the first time I have ever left Aslynn – ever. I was crying so much at the airport that Eric thought the check-in lady and security were going to think he was taking me against my will. Luckily we were first class, and we got the drinks going pretty quickly.

Of course our flight was delayed FOREVER. At the time it was fine with me, until I realized I packed my pump in the checked baggage. Yet another rookie mistake. Never check that thing. I think Eric was glad, and had a whole different perspective, because by the time we landed I had MORE than DD’s going for me. Even the mimosas couldn’t take care of that pain.

I thought I would go ahead and start our white trash weekend off with a bang.  I waited to pump until we got to our rental car. So, here we were, driving down the highway in our baby blue FORD FOCUS, no tinted windows, and I was pumping away. When we pulled into the Sonic parking lot for food, I just jumped out and poured everything out in their bushes. Giving birth has rid me of any modesty; so sorry if that just grossed you out.

Carrie and Ed’s house in Knoxville is amazing.  They are moving to Connecticut for Ed’s promotion, so it was for sale. By the time we got back to Texas there was already a contract, and now it is a done deal. I am glad they didn’t have to wait long.

Once we got to the NASCAR race, we set up camp. Yes, I said camp – porta-potties and all. The boys got everything set up, and we knew it was time to party when Ed got his bluegrass music blaring. We grilled and chilled before the big race. I am not a big camper to begin with (shocking I know), but I think I did pretty well. The only thing was hard for me was the bathroom situation, and pumping while camping. I can laugh about it now. Carrie is a good friend. I would make her go with me. I hope she isn’t scarred for life J

 The race was actually really fun. We all had our race gear and we could hear the different drivers on our headsets. It was nice to see Eric SO happy. Happy Early 30^th Husband & Thank you Carrie & Ed for being such great NASCAR hosts!!

 

don't we look like professional fans?

Happy Early 30th Husband! I love you! (obviously a lot to attend Nascar)

Just because you are at Nascar, you think you can wear a shirt like this?!? Carrie and I loved the randoms!

Nope, you don't need a shirt for Nascar.

No caption really necessary!

A WEEKEND AWAY…

Since we were in Tennessee, Mom/Mimi, Grandpa Charles, and Granny offered to clear their schedules and watch Aslynn. Thank goodness for technology.  My mom would send about 10 pictures a day whenever Aslynn did a new activity, then we were able to iChat. There is something to be said about actually seeing a person. I love iChat SO much. It made me feel like I was with my baby girl. My mom was super sweet, and she kept a journal of all Aslynn’s feedings and activities. It is going in the scrapbook! It is nice to be able to leave and not worry. Thank you Mimi, Grandpa, and Granny!

Chatting with my baby girl..

Aslynn's idea of a happy hour - Frosty's by the pool with Grampa and Great Granny

This is the picture I took getting out of the car for the airport. She was too cute to leave.

WORKIN’ OUT ON MY FITNESS…..

This is what you get when it’s Daddy’s turn to get Aslynn dressed.  Your daughter ends up looking like some 80’s gym rat.  My favorite part is the headband.

FELLOWSHIP

Before Aslynn I was pretty much singing at one of the Fellowship campus’ every weekend.  The past couple weeks I finally started singing again.  The first weekend, I sang at the Downtown Dallas campus.  Last weekend, I was back at the Grapevine Campus.  Singing is my favorite way to worship, so it was nice to be back.

I was really nervous, because we have to wear jeans when we sing.  I have been SO scared to try on my jeans since Aslynn was born.  This is why I am always wearing dresses! I dug in the back of my closet and found my favorite pair from NYC. When I went to try them on, the blue rubber band I borrowed from the janitor at Fellowship to hold up my jeans when I was pregnant was still attached.  I am a mess – I started crying because it made me think back to all those pregnant days, and how we have Aslynn now, and I just loved it. You would think my hormones were still jacked up! And the other amazing thing was – the JEANS fit!! Whoohooo!

I am not sure what I was doing with my jeans and shirt - at least it was in rehearsal!

Hug Me

We all have those days when our to-do list seems endless.  Today is one of those days. I am already sleep deprived after waking up every few hours last night to a teething baby. We are leaving town tomorrow to celebrate Eric's early 30th birthday. And, it is our first time to be leaving Aslynn. Needless to say, I have a lot to do.

This morning, I have been trying to multi-task...spend time with Aslynn while getting all my stuff done. I put her in her Bumbo chair - (not having it), then I tried Tummy Time - (no way), then I tried laying her in her crib thinking she would cry herself to sleep - (i should have known better). After a desperate call to mom asking advice, I just starred down at Aslynn with my most helpless face. And there it was...her random onesie that says 'hug me'. I picked her up, and she immediately stopped crying. She just wanted to be held.  So we just spent the past hour cuddling, and singing. Today's concert was a fine rendition of Hillary Duff's cover to 'Our Lips Are Sealed'. I probably sang the bridge 'hush my darling, don't you cry' at least 55 times. (Thanks to all my students who get these fabulous songs stuck in my head.)

I guess moms advice worked again. Things will get done. When Aslynn is 16, and yelling and screaming at you for waking her up, you will miss these precious days. This is a small window, take advantage of it before its gone. 

Who knew a onesie could provide the best parenting advice....... 

First Day at OU

kyle's new APT

Today we drove up to OU to drop Kyle off at his apartment. Let me tell you, I was reliving the glory days. It was bid day for the sororities, and everyone was running around in their first sorority t-shirts with their bigs. I looked over at Kyle, and he seemed to be in a little bit of heaven too.  I think that really sealed the deal for Kyle & the whole college thing -thanks ladies! 

I started thinking about all my Zeta girls, and how much fun we all had. I even thought about scanning some old pictures in, but then saw that the freshman 15 (and a little more) is still not pretty after all these years. I will be keeping those to myself. You can just think about those great memories! We watched the football team practice for a little bit, and that got me really excited about football season. I think my little brother better watch out...he might be getting 2 more roommates...Aslynn, and Alison. 

Dentist Drama

Might my strange face, and teeth be an example to you all - brush and floss ALL the time. I got a cavity, even though I think my dental hygiene is really quite excellent. I read the sign at the dentist that said "Ignore your teeth and they will go away". It made me laugh, or was that the drugs?!? Either way...check out my numb face - it is not pretty!

It Hurts...

Aslynn had her first wound the other day.  We were visiting Dad and Sally in Horseshoe Bay, and I decided to give Aslynn a quick rinse in the sink after our day out on the lake. Somehow she cut her foot on the drain. She started crying, which is really strange because she is always SO happy when she is around water. Then, I looked down and saw blood in the sink. My heart started racing.I I screamed for Kyle to go get Dad. It was awful. I think the mommy guilts got a big hold on me because, really, she only cried for a second, and there was only a little bit of blood, but it FELT SO much worse to me. Looking back, I might have overreacted a tiny bit :)

You can see how bad the cut actually was :)

Enjoying a little fine dining with daddy

23 weeks - it is getting harder to get the signs in the pictures now

24 weeks

Random Roomie

Even though she has been one of my best friends for quite a few years now, we still like to refer to Jessica as 'Random Roomie'. There is a long story behind Jessica becoming mine, Devon, and Katy's roommate at OU. Then when she was coming back from Europe, she ended up living with Eric and I in NYC for a little bit.

Anyway, Jessica made another trip down to Texas.  She is the last of my bridesmaids to meet Aslynn...which is pretty important to me.  And, she came with great gifts - clothes for both Aslynn and I from NYC H&M. Thank you Jessica! My New York girls are keeping us in style. Eric also likes when Jessica comes to visit because he has his beer drinking and meat eating buddy back.

It was Jessica's birthday, and I was determined to show her a good time. I wanted to show her I didn't just sit around and play with my baby all day (which is what I would LOVE to do...heheheee)! The first night, we went to Cafe Italia, and really took advantage of the BYOB. Jessica has always made fun of the 'historic Grapevine' title that the city gave themselves, and after some good wine and a ride home from her designated driver (me), she found herself shouting out of the car window, "I love HISTORIC Grapevine"!! It was hilarious.

Then we decided Jessica needed a birthday party.  For an impromptu party, we had a great crowd. Thanks to everyone who made it a fun day!

Lauren vs. the sunscreen

Some of the girls...Amanda, Lauren, Me, Jessica, Chauncey, Kirsten, & Devon

Jessica's car ride through Historic Grapevine

Mr. Big loves it when Jessica comes to visit

how old is she?!?

I am starting to confuse myself with the months and weeks, now that Aslynn is 22 weeks, or 5 mo and 1 week. This is confusing. Before Aslynn, I was never sure why people used the weekly system. I always needed them to tell it to me in months! ANYWAYS........

Here are some of her new accomplishments:

I was worried about her being a thumb sucker, and messing up her teeth. What is going to happen now that she is constantly shoving her foot in her mouth?

She is determined to get her hands on one of those kitty cats. They love to mess with Aslynn. They will get close enough so she thinks she can reach them, and then walk away.

7 miles, and a popsicle prize...

I missed running with my girls Devon and Sunni this week. We all keep having different schedules. It was good to branch out and meet new people though. I met a friend (Lisa) of a friend (Gabby), and we ran together. She was running at a faster pace than I am use to, but I managed to keep up and keep talking! Then, I ran into Kim, who was just out on her own jogging. When we finished, there were popsicles waiting for us. I never knew how much I loved popsicles until then :)

So far, I have raised 43% of my goal. Thanks Katy for donating this week! Thanks again to you all for your support. You keep me going! Visit my team in training website for updates: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/rnrsa09/awillia1sl 

Rice, Rice Baby...

It was a special day here in the Williams household, so we of course, HAD to have a theme song. Poor Aslynn. She is going to be so embarrassed of me when she is old enough to know better. To commemorate her first rice cereal feeding, we sang 'Rice, Rice Baby...(too cold, too cold)..., and now, even after she has gone to bed - it is still stuck in our heads. I guess that is what we get. 

I have a little shout out to give to my friend Shelley.  After reading her blog, I steal a lot of ideas for Aslynn. She started feeding Carson in her Bumbo chair. I thought that was a great idea, especially since the high chair still looks a little scary to me right now. Aslynn took it like a champ. She loves her some rice cereal! You should have seen Eric and I trying to buy and mix it all up....we finally figured it all out. AND, I also want to thank Kim for covering the fashion for this photo shoot. Kim gave her the cutest bib!  It is so soft, furry, monogramed, and cute - it was sad to see it get all ricey and dirty. 

Getting her game face on....

Don't we look like professionals?!

Catch Up...

Be prepared for some major catch up. I really miss updating my blog – is that weird? Since Eric is in Pheonix this week , I decided to make this a night for myself. I am sitting here with a glass of wine, my video monitor watching Aslynn, and simply enjoying the time to catch up. Ahhh, it is wonderful.

Dad and Sally are in town, and they just got back from taking Kyle to the Rangers game. (I opted out at the last minute so I could get some down time). They got free t-shirts from the Rangers T-shirt chicks, but not by waiting patiently. The girls weren't giving their area t-shirts, so in order to get their full attention, my 6'3'' - 22 year old Marine brother decides to get on the shoulders of my, 6'1'' - 50-something year old father. Sally, Mike, Kyle and Dad start yelling as loud as they can and finally the girls see them. The girls proved they had HORRIBLE aim, by shooting 2 t-shirts way over at least a 10 foot target. Finally, the girl just threw Kyle a t-shirt.

I really hope that free t-shirt was worth all the chiropractor bills my dad is going to have to pay!

Goo-die...Goo-die...Goo-die

I don't know what I am going to do when Jenn gets married and her last name isn't Goudie anymore. I think I will boycott using her married name. It always makes me laugh thinking about that flight to Vegas, and having the airlines keep calling for Jennifer GOO-die.

Anyways, Jenn finally came back from NYC and met Aslynn. Jenn also turned 30. All my friends are turning 30. It feels SO good to be SO young :) Jenn hooked my little girl up with the cutest outfits. She brought her all sorts of stuff from Spain. What a lucky girl - I WANT clothes from Spain! At this point, I think Jenn has bought more things for Aslynn than I have. Thanks Goo-die! We miss you!

Family Photos of Santa Fe

Aslynn turned 5 months while we were in Santa Fe. I also know that we have a lot of pictures of her in this outfit, but I am milking it as long as I can. I think it is adorable, and is her official 'wedding attire'. AND, I want to take full advantage of the time I have where she has no control, and can't fight what I put on her.

I love this picture with her and her daddy. Aslynn is grabbing everything she can now. She can't get enough of trees and plants.

I wasn't kidding when I said she was grabbing everything now....

MARIACHI TIME! Her face is priceless.

The Fam.

Sante Fe, NM

ROAD TRIP….Yes, we are brave souls and attempted a 10 hour road trip with our baby. The only thing I was really worried about was having a massive blow out that would ruin the car seat cover like on our last trip. But, we lived and learned and loaded that sucker down with protective covering – and it worked. Eric drove the entire way, while I stayed in the back and played with Aslynn. I brought my laptop, and 5 weeks worth of US Weekly to catch up on. I didn’t end up reading one magazine or opening my computer, because I was having so much fun playing with Aslynn. It was also pretty nice having a chauffeur!

Our friend and now our neighbor was getting married in Santa Fe. She asked me to sing in her wedding (actually, she has been asking me to sing since before she found her fiancé – love you for that Rach). We are very grateful for Rachel making it possible for us to get there.

What a BEAUTIFUL and FUN wedding. The chapel was historic and gorgeous. Rachel had people lined up in the streets to watch her walk down the aisle. I sang Ave Maria, and the Lord’s Prayer. Right after the doors opened, a Mariachi Band greeted us. We all followed the Mariachi Band to the reception. Rachel basically had her own parade through the streets of Santa Fe. It was great!

Getting ready to follow the Mariachi Band

Ahh, some of my Zeta Sorority Girls

No caption really necessary

I’m Sorry Mrs. Jackson…..

We had dinner with the Jackson’s and Bank’s the other weekend. You are pretty much guaranteed a good time hanging out with them. After a lovely BYOB Café Italia night, we headed to historic Grapevine for some good times. How we ended up a Whilhoites, I will never know…but we did. Not only did we see one of our old high school coaches there hitting on helpless women (It was Coach Bullard – I know you’re not surprised), we ran into the Jagermeister girls as well. Why do free alcohol giveaways always sound so good? They were passing out so many freebies, and looking back, I don’t want any of that crap.

Anyway, the jager girls wanted us to ‘earn’ our shirts, so Mr. Ben Jackson took one for the team – of course. He showed off his yoga moves (we were already making fun of him at dinner for that), and then he continued the talent portion by burping ‘I LOOOVVVEE JJJAAAGGGGEEERRRRR”. Score. Those girls gave us all their loot. The boys got shirts, and the girls got bedazzled jagermeister thongs, and not the flip flops. Really?! Did we really think we wanted that stuff?

The Visor...

Okay, so I am still training for the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon. There are some things I swore I would never wear, and training for this race has made me eat my words several times now. I guess the biggest change would be that I bough a visor. Yes, I said it – a visor. In my defense, I saw Sloan on ‘Entourage’ wear one and she is my new style icon. Since I try and stay a blonde, I also like to try and get my roots ‘naturally’ highlighted by the sun – prolonging a trip to the salon. Even after that little disclaimer, YOU ARE STILL MAKING FUN OF ME?!?

Well, what made it worse is that I was out in my pool with Gabby and Kate, and my mom stopped by. The first thing she said to me when she walked it was “Did you steal my VISOR???”. Turns out good 'ol mom has the same visor, and really thought I took hers.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS

I am on mile 7 for my training, and have raised 36% of my goal. $1,034.69, and my goal is $2,900.00 – THANK YOU!

I wanted to take a minute to thank some very special people who have made very generous donations towards my goal. THANK YOU to Michael & Jennifer, Penny, Lyndi, Fererri/Jaggear Family, Varley, Mom, and Forrest & Betty. You all are supporting such a great cause, and even getting a little tax break ☺  

Carrie, Chauncey, and Amanda also ordered Mary Kay product from my mom. 40% of their order went towards my fundraising. So, if any of you need any products, let me know! Thanks girls!

Visit my team page to make a donation……http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/rnrsa09/awillia1sl

Sooner Born and Sooner Bred...

My Grandfather, my Aunt, and I went to OU, and now Kyle is joining the ranks.  My Grandmother even bought bricks by the Memorial Union with our names on them. Now, Kyle will be getting a brick! It was neat to feel like we were all a part of enrollment day. I know my Gramps would have been so proud of Kyle. I showed Kyle around campus, and helped him enroll since I knew where I was going - sort of. Mom and Granny took care of Aslynn, and we would just meet up when it was time to change a diaper and eat. Eric told Kyle was pretty brave to attempt going on a roadtrip with the 4 of us. Now that I have another OU connection, you know where to find me during football season......

Group photo of Kyle's enrollment day.  Aslynn is sporting her OU gear. We are standing on the bricks of my Grandfather, Aunt, and Me!

Kyle and Granny playing pool and drinking Shiner Beers. A Classic Combo.

Glory Days at THE MONT

Since Kyle was enrolling at OU, and it was almost Katy's birthday, it could only mean one thing.... time to celebrate at The Mont! We borrowed Mom's car, and rolled up in the pink cadillac. Katy and I told Kyle that we were going to "show him how to party in Norman", and then Katy followed up with "well, at least until 11pm". So true. 

We ordered the famous swirl, and of course were asked for i.d's. I LOVE giving my i.d.! The waitress even asked ME for another form of identification. I was smiling ear to ear, and offering her my entire wallet to prove that I was over 21. Meanwhile, she just looked at me and says she isn't allowed to serve anyone with an expired license. DARN. I thought I could still look like I was pushing 21. Who even looks to see if there license is expired. Now, when am I going to go take care of that?!?

Katy's 30th birthday is coming up, so we decided to celebrate like we did back in the day. I bought her the famous birthday shot (now that I am a mother, I refuse to type or mention the real name of this shot). We went to the birthday booth, and Katy took the shot like a champ - with her hands behind her back and all! It was really hard to grasp that Katy celebrated her 21st birthday at The Mont - 9 years ago. Seriously, where does the time go b/c to me, I am still a college kid. Ahh, the glory days.....

Katy taking her birthday shot

Kyle's first visit to the Mont

Enjoying a refreshing beverage

Aslynn's 3/4 month pictures

Yay! Here are the pictures Erica & Jake took of Aslynn. They were suppose to be her 3mo pictures, but since they are booked solid, and I procrastenated - these are actually her 4 month pictures.

Just keeping it real. I already have this one in a frame even though Aslynn is bawling. This is our family :)