A Little Miracle Safari Baby Shower

Yesterday we hosted a baby shower along with our friends, Jenny and Brandon (even though we missed Brandon for the actual party), for our wonderful friends, Katie and Jason. These precious couples were part of the first life group we ever lead at Gateway Community Church. We were the core group for a little while, but our "family" quickly grew to include several other couples that will all be life long friends. Yesterday was the first time we've all been together in a couple of years, and what better reason to get old friends together than to celebrate a new life!

Katie and Jason will soon be welcoming Amy Grace into this world, and we couldn't be more happy for them! We based the theme of this shower on the bedding they picked out for Amy, which is a little safari. I have to admit I went a little crazy with the animal print...ask anyone that won a prize (they were all leopard print). Jenny did an amazing job on the cake especially for her first time to ever work with fondant!

And what's a baby shower without a couple of games? (Sorry friends, but yes, I am posting these pics!) The first game we played involved putting a plate on top of your head and attempting to draw a baby on the plate. Katie got to be the judge and decide on the cutest baby. Everyone was a good sport and participated, and we all got some good laughs. Jason was the winner of this game, and therefore, his picture was framed for the lucky couple to take home.

The next game was baby block scrabble where the goal was to come up with the most baby words in scrabble style. We divided into two teams, split up the blocks, and let the game begin! The winning team came up with five words...some of them created some laughs as well.

Eventually, we got down to business and let the excited couple open their gifts...

I didn't get any pictures of the kiddos, but we had several running around playing in the backyard and upstairs. You can see Audrey decided to join the adults for the games. She looked at us a little funny when we put the plates on our heads, but fortunately, she hasn't decided to imitate that action yet.

We all had such a great time being together again that no one wanted to leave, and we didn't want them to go! We ended up pulling out some frozen corn dogs to feed the kiddos and continued snacking for our dinner. It was so wonderful to have everyone together again!

As always, there are more pictures in the album.

Strawberries!

We made our way to Froberg's Farm on Saturday to do a little strawberry picking! Last year we went a little late in the season, but we knew it needed to become an annual trip based on Audrey's absolute LOVE of strawberries. This year the crop was ready early, and the timing couldn't have been better! We had a free afternoon and needed fruit for a baby shower we were hosting the next day! It was drizzling rain as we drove out, but we continued anyway with our hopes high. It worked out perfectly...the rain stopped just as we arrived, which also meant there wasn't a crowd! There were TONS of strawberries, and they looked delicious after being freshly rinsed by the rain. See...

Looking at the pictures from last year, it's fun to see how much Audrey has changed, but her obvious love of strawberries has not! She managed to fill her bucket before taking the first bite, but then we couldn't get her to stop eating them!

Jackson on the other hand still doesn't like strawberries, but he had a blast picking them. He was careful to find the good ones and keep us entertained!

We managed to squeeze in a couple of family shots just before the rain began again and we headed inside to the farmers market where we collected a few more goodies.

On the way home there was a full rainbow in the sky, which is always a beautiful reminder to me of God's promises. I absolutely loved getting to spend the day with my family and enjoy the blessings that surround us!

As always, there are more pictures in the album.

Be My Valentine

Here are a couple of pictures of our silly, but sweet valentines. If you look closely you can see that Audrey is covered in the stickers she got from her friends at school. Jackson and Audrey gave all of their friends "bear hugs" as valentines this year. I didn't get a picture of them, but they were little bags filled with teddy grahams and a tag that said "Bear Hugs from Audrey" or "Bear Hugs from Jackson". Jackson even took the time to write his name on every card, which was great practice!

Happy Belated Valentines!

Video of Jackson dancing at Mardi Gras

Here is the video of Jackson dancing at Mardi Gras in Shreveport as promised by Elizabeth. Pretty cute, if you ask me! You might also notice Audrey dancing a bit in the background as well as my mom and my uncle Ronnie.

Mardi Gras in Shreveport!

Last Saturday, we spent our afternoon partying on the side of East Kings Hwy by the Duck Pond waiting for The Crewe of Centaur Mardi Gras Parade. Ross' Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Laura host an awesome gathering every year where family and friends gather together to have a good time. There is always good food and good entertainment. Despite the freezing weather (and thanks to heaters and a fire pit), we let the good times roll!

There was a little singing...

Karaoke has become a tradition for this family, and it's a lot of fun. Although, I'm only willing to embarrass myself in the privacy of Ronnie and Laura's backyard at our family reunions. I'm not willing to do it in public!

There was a little dancing...

Jackson was movin' and grovin' to just about every song. We got a pretty cute video that we'll try to post at some point. That boy loves to dance! Not only did he keep folks entertained, but he also got quite a few folks to join him, including his second cousin, Anna Clair, and his Grandmother!

And, of course, there was a parade!

Did I mention it was freezing? The low that night was supposed to be 23! Poor Audrey was SO cold. She spent a lot of time wrapped in a blanket sitting in someone's lap (usually Grandmother or Granddad's) in front of a heater. Despite the cold, she desperately wanted to be part of the action. Her favorite spot to be during the parade was on Ross' shoulders. When a float would come by, she'd put up her hands, but kept them as close to her as possible and never moved them.

The kids got quite a collection of beads and toys this year that included a sword, several stuffed animals, frisbees, whistles, bouncy balls, and more. Jackson took a lot of the beads to school today to give to his friends for their Mardi Gras parade.

As usual, there are more pictures in the album.

Sci-Port Discovery Center

Last weekend we made our way to Shreveport to spend some time with our families. Friday afternoon we went to the Sci-Port Discovery Center, which has some awesome activities that are really designed to give you an interactive learning experience.

Audrey had a blast learning how different things responded to her actions, and you can tell by the look on her face that she was amazed and entertained by everything she did.

Jackson was into figuring out how things worked and where things should go. He was very focused at times and was good at giving directions to those that were with him.

Our nephew, Mitchell, had a great time too! He enjoyed checking everything out and running around.

We really enjoyed spending a little time with some of Ross' extended family in addition to Nana, Leslie, Philip, and Mitchell while we were there. There are a few more pictures from the afternoon and weekend in the album.

Moody Gardens Field Trip

A couple of weeks ago, I went with Jackson and his class on a trip to the Moody Gardens aquarium. This year's trip was a little different than last year. They had a guided tour this year and got to learn a little about a lot of the different animals in the aquarium. The tour was a bit rushed but, like last year, Jackson's favorite part was the penguin exhibit.

We also got to see some sharks, turtles, seals, and other sea life that fascinated Jackson. After the tour, we had lunch and then played "Let's Make a Seal." This was a fun quiz game that Moody Gardens staff did for the kids. Jackson really wanted to tell the lady leading the game something but I kept telling him not to interrupt. After the game was over, he walked over to her and said "sharks have teeth to eat us." One of the early questions mentioned sharks' teeth and I guess he felt it was important for her to know why they have them.

After the game, we watched a 3D movie about sea life off the coast of Africa. A few of the kids took a nap since it was getting well into their nap time but Jackson was focused on everything going on. It was a fun trip and I'm glad I got to go with them. There are more pictures in the album.

Shreveport in January

A couple of weeks ago we made a trip to Shreveport and Ruston so I could attend a Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation meeting. While I was busy talking with folks about the state of the university and college of engineering, Ross and the kiddos got some quality time playing with Grandmother and Granddad. They spent some time in the gardens at The Norton Art Gallery on Friday.

I caught back up with them Saturday afternoon just in time for a fishing trip at The Wheless' house on Cross Lake.

Jackson still hasn't caught a fish, but he continues to try! Audrey doesn't have as much patience. She briefly gave it a try, but after throwing the pole in the water, we decided she should stick to goldfish for now.

It was a quick, but fun trip! There are more pictures in the album.