Daddy's Birthday!

Patrick is 31!! We celebrated his happy birthday by taking our little Eloise out on a "Date." I know, it sounds unusual for a birthday celebration, but we BOTH really wanted to see Toy Story 3 with her. The little ones stayed at home with a babysitter and the 3 of us went out to dinner and a movie! Cupcakes from The Cupcakery... yummmmmy!

Eloise loves anything chocolate!

Hippo birdie two ewe. Hippo birdie two ewe. Hippo birdie, deer ewe.

Hippo birdie two ewe!!!

(hehe)

Nursery Debut

I figured it was about time to post some pictures of Tessa's vintage inspired nursery. As you know, we didn't find out her gender ahead of time (s0 fun!), so we started with a pretty neutral "canvas" and added most of the decor after her delivery.

The first colors in her room were khaki, white and black. After she was born I decided to do a splash of about every other color in the rainbow! When you are working with such a simple canvas, you can go crazy with the details! Anyhow, here is her name hanging over the window.

The simple nursery bedding was sort of the rooms "little black dress." Meaning you can change the entire look of the room by changing the accessories and use the same bedding.

(Kind of like you do with your perfect LBD.)

The photo quality of this one isn't great, but I thought it captured the room in it's entirety.

The quilt on the chair is the one I made for Tessa. It has been pieced, layered and quilted. It still needs to be bound. I plan to hang it on the wall behind the crib in replacement of the one currently there. It's 6' x 6' so it will take up the whole space, and add a lot of color to the room.

This little "vintage" dress is MY coming home outfit that my Dad picked for me after I was born. This is my absolute favorite addition to the room.

On top of the white shelf rests a cute little vintage balloon lamp that once lit the walls of MY nursery (Oh, and my siblings, too!) It also serves as a night light. Also some "Bunnykins" china and the Baby Book (that you first met HERE.)

The baby changing station... a must have in any nursery!

Above the changing station is are two shelves that hold all kinds of little vintage treats! A Raggedy Ann and Andy, tin duck pull toy, a spinning top, lantern, baskets of baby goodies, adorable record of birth art and....My special little gift. The perfect perch for our new bear! It's like a little guardian angel watching over baby Tessa.

Also, one of my favorite additions to the nursery....

Dallas Arboretum Pumpkin Patch

My mom was in town this week and we decided to take the kiddos to the Dallas Arboretum. If you are ever in Dallas, you should make a point to go to the Arboretum! It is gorgeous any time of the year. However, during the fall, they have a HUGE pumpkin patch and fall play area for the kids! We loved the opportunity to take some photos

(not sure the kids loved the pictures so much, but too bad... mammarazzi was out in full force!)

First up was sweet baby Tessa.

I love photographing her.. because she has no choice but to sit right where you put her ;)

Lucie, on the other hand, didn't cooperate as well. She wanted to RUN and PLAY! So I got some action shots of her. The only way to have her sit still for longer than 2 seconds was to have her throw the hay!

And then you have the 3 1/2 year old... ahhh. Eloise cooperated most of the time. At the end she started saying "Mommy, I'm sick of saying cheese!" I can't blame her...

Here is the BEST attempt at a group shot.

(Meaning everyone is in it and no one is crying.)

Eloise LOVED playing make believe in the old pioneer village. Here she is in the covered wagon saying "goodbye" to me before she left for her long journey!

Before we left I wanted to get a shot with Coco and the girls.

(they were spent, can you tell?)

A Special Gift

The last few weeks of my Dad's life was spent under hospice care. VITAS took great care Dad and my family through difficult times. One of the wonderful things they do for the families in their care is make bears out of their loved ones clothing. I took my favorite "Dad Shirt" to them. It was the shirt he wore when Eloise was born. I just received my finished bear, and a photo of him in the shirt.

It brought tears to my eyes; it was just perfect. Now, all I have to do is find the perfect perch for our precious gift.... I have a special little spot in mind!

Stay tuned....

Baby Cole's Shower and Quilt

I have been on a blogging hiatus lately. With everything that was happening in my life, I just couldn't muster up the energy needed to keep up. I had great intentions. I kept taking my pictures, but didn't follow through with my blog. All that being said, I am going to try to catch up!

My bestie, Holly, was expecting her first little bundle. A bouncing baby boy named Cole! We couldn't wait to celebrate him with a shower!The Mommy- to- be!Welcome to the party!

There was some great company! Me, Eloise and Tessa.

("Where is Lucie," you ask? ...)Eating...

she did the WHOLE time!

How could she not... the food was devine!

About the cuisine...Tea and strawberry lemonade to wet the pallet.French house Chicken salad and Kuby's pimento cheese sammies, fruit skewers, tomatos capris, bacon wrapped little smokies (mmmm... you have no idea), kettle corn, and mini cupcakes!And a candy bar! The little ones LOVED it!

(notice who's there.... scavenging some more...)Holly and a cousin sippin' and snugglin'

I made baby Cole a personalized quilt. I used this pattern from Moda Bake shop. The fabric selection was the Blue "Lilly and Will" by Bunnyhill Designs for the border and aplique and a simple muslin for the center.

Throughout the smaller prints you can see bunny sillouhettes... so I chose to do a bunny applique along with the name.I did "stitch in the ditch" quilting on the border and a simple lined stich for the center.Holly LOVED little Cole's quilt!

(Sorry about the horible photo quality)

Did I mention that Baby Cole made his apperance? Yep!! That's right, he arrived on September 2nd! Isn't he scruptious?

(I can't take credit for the photo... It's by Sweet Louis Photography in Austin. Kerry does great work if you are in the area!)

Congrats to Holly and Phil on the new, adorable addition!

At Peace

Back in April my Dad had a routine medical procedure called a cardiac ablation. During the procedure there were some medical accidents made which lead Dad to have several strokes. He went into a coma on May 23rd. My Dad had been in the hospital almost ever since Tessa was born. After 3 1/2 months with little improvement, his health began to deteriorate and he went to be with the Lord on September 17th. I am heartbroken. I know Daddy is at peace, but human nature is selfish, and I want him here with me.

My Dad was a hard working, caring, God fearing man. He was my biggest advocate. He would be there for me, no matter what, even if it wasn't convenient for him. My Dad treated everyone with respect and dignity, no matter who they were or where they came from. He was an outdoors man. He enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his 7 grand kids. He was a college football enthusiast. He was a terrific example to all. He was a husband of 38 years, a grandpa, a coworker, a boss, a friend to many... he was my Dad.

I hold so many memories close: Meals around the table every night, family vacations, youth basketball coaching, college tailgate parties, weekends at the river house, special times with his grand kids.... I could go on for days. That doesn't even scratch the surface.

Give your loved ones a kiss and tell them how much you care about them and never, ever, take one moment with them for granted.

Love you Daddy.....