Uh Oh the Summer Nights!

We had a fabulous weekend followed up by a disappointing Monday morning {but more on that another time}. Let’s focus on the positive!

We had a relaxing Friday night at home and our friends Jill, who’s pregnant with her first bundle of joy (yay!), and her husband Heath, came over and visited. Blake and Heath had played in a golf tournament earlier that day so they discussed their game while Jill and I had girl talk time!

Saturday was a lazy day around the house.



{Stella LOVES dogs, so she got some good lovin' time with our Australian Shepherd, Rambo}





{Daddy was getting some SWEET kisses from this girl}

Then our friends Richie and Katy, and their little boy, Jayden who is 3 months older than Stella, came up from Austin to stay the night with us. I was so excited to get Stella and Jayden together to play and boy were they cute! I just love watching Stella interact with other kids. And Jayden was such a little sweetheart! Richie and Blake went to high school together and have remained in touch over the years. Although Richie and Katy have moved around for his job we try not to miss an opportunity to get together if they’re in town. Katy and I became quick friends when we first began hanging out!

{Katy, Jayden, Stella, and I before heading to The Harbor}



{Cutie pies in their car seats}

That evening, we went to The Harbor in Rockwall and met Lauren and Cody {and their two adorable kids, Avery and Cutter} and Matt and Ally {who’s also preggers – YAY!} and we had dinner and played around the fountains. Well, the kids played – we just herded them around. The Harbor is a great place in Rockwall that is right on the lake with lots of restaurants and shops. People will dock their boats and come up and eat and hang out. Although the wait to get seated at the restaurant was a bit longer than we wanted {especially with kiddos who were quite hungry}, we still had an awesome time with awesome friends.



{I'd like to say we have them trained well....except for my baby is being cradled like a football...}



{Blake gave me a hard time and said I dressed Stella like Huck Finn - well she's a darn cute Huck Finn!}





{Ally, Katy, Lauren, and me}





{Stella, Cutter, and Avery - LOVE these kids!}



{My little family}



{Stella and Ally - Stella kept reaching out wanting Ally to hold her...it was too cute}



{sorry this is so dark - Lauren and Stella!}



{These were the fountains and when they went off you would have thought we had taken Stella to Disney World - she was so excited}

On Sunday, while Blake {again} played golf with my dad, my mom took Stella and I to their neighborhood pool for a quick dip. I say quick because Stella lost interest REAL fast and didn’t seem to be too in love with the water. But, I bet by next summer she’ll be enjoying herself a little more.



{Bahama Mama}



{Pretty much wanted OUT of the pool}

{She was way more interested in climbing on those tricky pool lounge chairs}

{Success! Kind of...}

One Year Pics

Picture overload warning!

I had Stella’s pictures taken a little over a week ago to commemorate her first year! I wanted them taken when she was actually a year old, but not too far past a year old. Picky, picky – I know.

We went up to the farm {where we will be moving…eventually} and took the pictures at Blake’s Aunt Brigitte’s house. Blake’s cousin, Kim, took the pictures and they turned out just precious. I’ve been so consistent about having pictures made of Stella because I LOVE looking back at pictures {I am, admittedly, not as good with video as I wish I was}. I have album after album from the last 6 years of Blake and I being together and I love opening them up and reminiscing. I could honestly decorate of every square inch of wall space in our home with pictures of this baby girl, but I will refrain!

I bought Stella's purple, ruffle romper and headband on Etsy a couple months ago. And then, my girlfriend, Lauren, gave Stella the shabby chic romper for Stella's birthday. I was so happy with the way both outfits turned out!

Since we had over 300 pictures, I’ll just share my favorites…which is a lot. But I forewarned you! And yes...I HAD to comment on each and every one ;)

{oh this face! I could die of cuteness}

{our little clapping girl}

{somebody found a shotgun shell - what do you expect in the country?}

{tea time}



{this swing made for some adorable pics}



{I can't lie - I kind of think it's cute when she hangs her tongue out like that}

{sweet baby girl...er, toddler girl}

{tAke yOu FoR a rIdE oN My bIg GreEn tRacTor}

{she has a much better Peek-A-Boo face than this - but this cracks me up!}

{Stella has mastered blowing kisses...she just blows them with the back of her hand}

{happy girl}

{this face makes me smile...I love the whispy hair and little teeth}

{for some reason this expression just does me in}

{cutest booty EVER}

{yep...nuff said}

{hey, like you've never done it before?}

{one of my absolute favorites}



{doesn't she look like a cute little peacock?}



{another favorite because it so accurately portrays every single roll...and I love each of them equally}

Father's Day '12

Happy 2nd Father's Day to the best daddy! Stella was born right in between Mother's Day and Father's Day last year, so Blake got to enjoy his first father's day when Stella was about 2 weeks old!



{Father's Day 2011}



{not sure why this is turned sideways, but I'm being lazy and not wanting to take the time to figure out how to "turn" it vertical. Father's day last year}



This Father's day Blake most wanted to watch the US Open, so we spent a little time at his dad's house and then came back home to watch a little more golf! I ordered a little shirt off Etsy for Stella to wear on Father's day that said "Daddy's Little Caddy." It was perfect!

I also have to thank the man responsible for providing and taking care of me for my first 23 years, B.B. (Before Blake) And yes, I am 27, but my dad's "responsibility" for me sort of left his shoulders when he walked me down that aisle - I love you, Dad! Happy Father's day! I know I could never adequately express my gratitude for all that you were and still are to me. And I'm SOOOO thankful for you! You're the greatest dad and G-Daddy!

Dirty Thirty

We had such a fun Saturday night spent with our closest friends! We celebrated our good friend, Cody's, 30th birthday at their 300+ acre ranch near Paris, TX. His wife, Lauren, is an amazing party-planner and threw an amazing birthday bash complete with a chuck wagon, live band, yummy food, and dance floor for two-steppin'.

{the birthday boy!}

We feel so blessed to have as many close friends that we truly enjoy spending time with. As I said in a previous blog post, Blake and Cody grew up together and I remember Blake saying how upset he was as a kid when he found out that Cody's dad wasn't actually Blake's "uncle." Lol!

{the invitation - so cool!}

Happy Birthday Cody!



{Katy and I}




{my ice-tea drinkin' man!}





{love these girls!}




{the hostess with the mostest!}



Bag Lady

I thought I’d dedicate a blog to one of my favorite pastimes…shopping. One blog post could never do justice to my retail habits, so I’m going to narrow it down to bags. And even further, I’m going to narrow it down to bags I’ve purchased in the last month.

I bought this little beauty on eBay a few weeks ago. I thought it would be PERFECT for our upcoming beach trip – plus, the pool trips I plan on making this summer. I’m absolutely loving all the hot and neon colors right now…and this bag happens to be by one of my favorite lady’s – Betsy Johnson! Call me crazy, but now I’m looking for a chartreuse swimsuit to match {my need for color-coordinating knows no bounds}.

Then, I have my “every day” bag from Groovy’s in Rockwall. There were three different color schemes to pick from but this one just had my name written all over it. It’s big enough so that I can stuff as much stuff as my heart desires PLUS it can double as a diaper bag when I don’t feel like carrying two bags. On several occasions I’ve stuck a diaper, wipes, and sippy cup in this bag and went on my way without juggling multiple bags.

Last, but not least, is this baby! I ordered this over a month ago from Tiny Tulip when it was supposed to be on back-order until July {thank you Pinterest!}. But it came early! And it’s HUGE, plus it comes with another detachable monogrammed bag inside…two for one – who can pass that up? This bag came in multiple colors plus different color monogramming choices. The choices were a tad overwhelming so I just picked as quickly as I could {or else I would have been changing my mind numerous times}.

So…I’m hoping I’ve satisfied all my “bag” needs – at least until the fall!

My So Called Life

This week was quite low key...which is really the way I prefer it sometimes! Here are just a few pics from our week!

{Girls' Night at Los Cucos}

{Learning to climb in her rocking chair}

{Her favorite direction to face}

{Pretty proud of herself}

{Leaning forward as far as she can without falling out!}

{Riding on PawPaw's shoulders at the farm}

{"Riding" Cadillac}



{Beautiful view}



{Can't get enough love from this boy - please notice my least favorite horse, Howard, in the background cribbing - *sigh*}

{One of my favorite pics! I love that she climbed in here all by herself and then quickly realized this was NOT what she had in mind! Help!!}



{This little colt was born in April and is a FULL brother to our Cadillac - so, I'm having an innner struggle on whether or not to get this little guy too...one can never have too many horses. At least that's been my motto for a few years now.}