Happy Brithday Ansley!

Today was a big day for Ansley because she turned 3 years old! God blessed me with Ansley 19 months after having Emily. Ansley has always been a very laid back baby and can make anyone laugh because she is so funny! She is quite the ham! We never quite can figure out if she knows just how funny she really is...

Like I said here are a few pics of my silly Ansley

Trying to stay warm in the cold!

Movie Star Diva who still picks her nose!

When I was little my mom had birthday candles for all of us so I have carried on this tradition. This candle gets burned down to the year they are turning each year and when it gets to the line, they get to blow it out! Here she is already to number 3!

For lunch I got out our special Happy Birthday plate that you eat off of when it is your birthday. I thought it was so cute and the girls get so excited when it is their turn.

A closer view of the plate

Then just as we did with daddy on his birthday we asked Ansley where she would like to go for her birthday dinner. She picked a local restaurant about 20 minutes south of us so off we headed to eat dinner.

Ansley and Daddy

Ansley likes to pay at this restaurant because she likes to pick out a York Peppermint Patty while she is up there. She also told the owner that it was her birthday and she got a piece of cake out of the deal. She knows how to work that smile and those cute little dimples!

Enjoying her cake!

Tomorrow is her birthday party with our family. She has picked out the menu (which includes hot dogs!) and wants an Abby Cadabby party. She can't wait! Happy Birthday Ansley! We love you so much! Mommy, Daddy, and Emily Grace

Thankful Thursdays

Here is what I am thankful for this Thursday:
1. My sweet Ansley who turned 3 today!
2. God who blesses me with so many blessings:-)
3. Emily's love for books
4. My husband's birthday this week too!
5. Hot water during this drop in temperature!
6. Warm cozy blankets:-)
7. Water with lime
8. Easter decorations that make my house look so "springy"
9. My dishwasher-makes keeping the dishes clean so much easier:-)
10. Fun and laughter!

Brrr.....

I woke up this morning to cold weather. I was so excited! I enjoy the colder weather and find it refreshing from the heat:-) Maybe it's because I have grown up with warm weather most of my life so it is a treat to have cold weather. We put on our sweaters and headed into town to run some errands. I decorated the house for Easter and had a few more items I wanted to pick up at Michael's. Then we had to go to the grocery store to pick up cookie dough. Ansley's birthday is tomorrow and I asked her MOPS teacher if we could bring in cookies for the occasion. She said yes so of course we got busy baking. We decided to make "A is for Ansley" cookies with pink sprinkles. She was is so proud of them!

Ansley hard at work

She even let Emily help out:-)
Tonight we went to church and then headed home for some hot showers! Of course I had to get in my show of American Idol. I have to say that right now my favorite is David. He has a great voice and seems so sweet. Well, now I am headed to bed-I have to keep up with the birthday girl tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Andrew!

Today is my hubby's birthday! In our family the birthday boy or girl gets to pick their favorite restaurant to eat at on their birthday. Tonight we took Andrew to one of his local favorites and the four of us enjoyed our time together. The girls and I are very blessed to have Andrew in our lives....

He is an awesome preacher,

great golfer,

super daddy,

loving husband,

and did I mention he is awesome????

Happy Birthday Andrew/Daddy!

We love you!

Heidi, Emily, and Ansley

Book of the Week

My book pick of the week is Someday by Karen Kingsbury. I read this great book last week and abolutely enjoyed it! As I have said before Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors. This book is part of a series (#13 in a 14 book series). This one just came out this month and the last one will not debut until the Fall. I recommend starting this series! The first book is called Redemption and then you will go from there. Our local library has all the books but this last one. My husband knew I was eagerly anticipating it so he surprised me last week and bought it for me:-) Thanks to my sisters-in-law Emily and Steph I got hooked! Now my sister Audrey is hooked and we have this unoffical book club...LOL! Just a warning though....you won't be able to put these books down! Very addicting!!! LOL

Well, today I stayed home all day! My cold seems to be sticking around but I pray I will be much better in the morning. Thank you for all the prayers, calls, and emails to check on me!

Middle School Friends

This morning the girls and I went to the early service and then to our weekly grocery store visit. Well last night we had gotten a call from Andrew's best friend from middle school. He and his wife with their daughter came to our hometown to go to church with us. They are vacationing this week near where we live. After Andrew finished up the last service today the girls and I met them for lunch. It was so nice seeing them again. They are a great couple who love Jesus! We are supposed to meet up with them one more time before they leave. It is so neat how sometimes your school age friends are friends for life.

Til and Andrew

Ansley, Emily, and Victoria (their daughter)

Sheila, Til, Andrew, Me and the girls on the front row

Then we came home to rest. I am not feeling well-yesterday I started coming down with a cold and today seems to be worse. Hopefully, I will get a good night's rest and feel much better in the morning. Good night!

My Awesome Friend Jane!

Last month Andrew and I were invited to a birthday party and our good friends Elgin and Jane were there. My hubby took this picture of Jane and I on his phone camera. He just emailed it to me today so I thought I would blog it. Jane is such a great friend. She is so beautiful on the inside and out! Thank you for all of your encouragement, support, and prayers-I love ya Jane!

Sister Sleepover:-)

Every Friday night at our house we have "Sister Sleepover" where the girls get to have their own little slumber party. They sleep in Ansley's bed because she has the bigger one that will fit both of them. They absolutely love it and look forward to Friday nights. After coming home late last night I went in their room to check on them and this is what I found...two little playmates fast asleep. They had their friend Chloe' over to play last night for awhile so they were exhausted from all the fun!

Ansley and Emily

Birthday Boys

Me, Andrew, Kip, and Cristy

Kip and Andrew

Andrew's birthday is on Tuesday and he shares this special day with his friend Kip. They are even the exact same year! Cristy and I wanted to take them somewhere for their birthday so we headed out of town to a Japanese Steakhouse restaurant. They had been there before and I have to say it was very good! I am stuffed! Then we headed over to the Marble Slab for some yummy ice cream. I can't turn down that! We had a great time with Kip and Cristy. Thank you for sharing this fun night with us!

Cristy and I (she is having a little girl-doesn't she look great pregnant!)

Andrew and I

Thankful Thursdays

Here is what I am thankful for this Thursday:
1. Rainbows-God is a promise keeper
2. My awesome husband Andrew who took us to dinner tonight-no cooking for me!
3. Emily's arms (I know this sounds wierd but everytime I look at them it so reminds me of my arms when I was little)
4. Ansley's manners-she says please and thank you and I usually don't have to remind her!
5. My sister BB's phone calls in the mornings on her way to work:-)
6. Sarah who thinks I sleep in every morning-HA! (those were the days!)
7. My friend Jody who fed my children lunch today
8. A much needed haircut (you know me and my horse's tail!)
9. Salad with balsamic vinegarette dressing
10. My cozy sheets that I plan to snuggle into tonight:-)

Girlfriends, More Hair Cuts, and Promises

This morning Emily, Ansley, and I headed over to our friend's house for some playtime. The weather was beautiful outside so we went out to enjoy the outdoors!

Emily

Ansley

Madeline

Having fun on the swingset

Getting ready to slide!

Posing!

We had a great time with Jody and Madeline. It's always so nice to drink a cup of coffee and chat for awhile. Then I had a hair apt. to get a trim. I had to use a new girl today because my regular hairdresser just had a baby. I went by some referrals of friends and she did an awesome job. Thank you Jody for feeding the girls lunch while I got my haircut. They absolutley loved it!

Tonight it started raining so no walking for me. Andrew wanted to take us out to dinner and on our way there, we saw this beautiful rainbow. It looked like it was coming straight out of this lake. It was absolutely breathtaking! I always love looking at rainbows because it reminds me of how God loves us so much and He never breaks His promises!

Emily and Daddy at dinner

Flexibility!

Now I wish that I could tell you that I taught Emily how to do these bridges but there is not a flexible bone in my body! Literally there is not! Also, when it comes to character growth this is one lesson I have had to learn too! It seems as I get older especially after marriage and children that I have learned to be more flexible with what comes my way and the unexpected. God had a way of teaching me by giving me a spontaneous husband and two girls very close in age. I always remind myself of the phrase "Those that are flexible rarely break!" I want to always keep in mind that what I might have planned for my day might be totally different from what God has planned for me. I need to be ok with that and trust Him with my daily schedule! I guess I need to start working on my splits next...LOL!

Emily and her famous bridge

Sideview-she is attempting to learn how to balance with one leg up!

Ansley attempting the bridge-she almost has it-a little more practice before she gets her head up off the ground!

So she decided she wanted me to take a picture of her doing a front roll!

After church tonight we headed home and took our showers. When I came in to put them to bed, this is what I found...Ansley pretending to be asleep in a babydoll cradle with a bottle in her mouth! Unfortunately, I think she has outgrown this stage!

Dance, Dance, Dance....

Emily, Ansley, and I got ready to go to my sister's house to play for awhile before dance. Then my mom called and asked us to go to lunch with her. My dad went out of town today so I didn't have my guitar lesson. After a yummy lunch (I ate a tuna wrap which was sooo good!) I took the girls to their dance classes. It is so cute watching them practice for the recital in June. Their theme this year is music from broadway plays. They come home and try to remember the routine which you can only imagine! Every year I cry when I see them on stage dancing their little hearts out. It makes a mama proud! When I got home my friend Tracy and I went on a walk which I always enjoy. She is getting ready to move away in a couple of months and I don't know what I'm going to do without her! Now I am going to sit down and watch one of my favorite shows-American Idol!

Emily, Grandma, and Ansley during lunch

Sarah and Kylie cheesing

Potato Cheese Soup

The girls and I stayed home all day today so I decided to post one of my favorite soup recipes that I make in the crockpot. Here it goes:

Ingredients:
2 c. potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 c. carrots, chopped
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. onion, chopped
3 strips of cooked bacon (I use the microwave kind)
3 c. water
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 pint half and half
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. Swiss cheese, shredded
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Throw everything in the crock pot besides the last two ingredients (cheeses). Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Thirty minutes before serving add cheese to soup. Enjoy!!!!

Book of the Week

Little Girls Bible Storybook for Mothers and Daughters is a great devotional book! Emily, Ansley, and I read a few a week and they really enjoy the story taken from the girl's perspective in the bible stories (for example Mrs. Noah and how she would have felt in the ark with all those animals!) Then there are discussion questions after each story and a time for me as a mom to share something in my life with them. For all my friends with boys-there is a Little Boys book also:-) Enjoy!!!

Back in the Day...

My friend Jenn sent me this picture awhile back ago and I just happened across it today so I thought I would blog it:-) Back in the day when Andrew and I were newly married we got together with three other couple friends that were our age. We had a great time doing things together and would always say..."One day when we have children..." Well that day has come and now there are 10 children between the four couples all under the age of 5! Sadly, we all live in seperate cities now and do not get the chance to get together very often. But it is so amazing to see how God has blessed all of our lives in ways that we didn't know possible. We all have had our struggles but have remained faithful to God. When God brings special people into our lives, we are very blessed to have them for life!

Here we are at a mystery dinner-we borrowed a church van and rode all together...LOL! There is an extra couple in the pic and they came along for the evening but I can't remember their names.

l to r. front row: ?, Zach, Heather, Andrew, Me, and Jenn

l to r. back row: ?, Richie, Kristin, and Scott

(I remember getting my haircut that morning and absolutely hating it! The things a woman does remember...LOL!)

Bridal Showers and Haircuts

This morning Emily, Ansley, and I headed to their ballet teacher's bridal shower. Miss Margaret is getting married next month and the dance studio held a shower for her to let the students feel included. The girls love parties so they were so excited to go and take Miss Margaret a gift. Miss Margaret is marrying a guy that has a sister that I was good friends with at a church camp we went to in high school. They grew up about an hour away from my hometown. I can't wait to see her at the wedding:-) It is such a small world!!!!

Ansley, Miss Margaret, and Emily

Emily, Ansley (look at that face!), and Miss Emily (Miss Margaret's sister)

Ansley and Kylie thought they would be the big helpers!

Kylie, Ansley, and Emily having fun at the shower

Some of the students who take at the dance studio

After the shower was over I headed to my parent's house. I had called my mom to see if she could give Emily a haircut. She was home so we stopped by there, ate some lunch, and then got hair cuts. I wasn't planning on Ansley getting a haircut but she wanted to be like her big sis and have grandma give her one too.

Emily and Grandma

Ansley and Grandma-just getting a teeny, tiny trim

Thanks Grandma for being our hair stylist for the day! We headed home to hang out with daddy for awhile before church tonight. Then Sarah and Kylie drove up to play and eat dinner with us. I am ready for bed now:-)