navy blue star selfies

The Dallas Cowboys season opener last night was a nail biter.  

We're Texas folks and will always love our Dallas Cowboys.  Layla and Hayden were awake for kick off and then had to hit the hay for school this morning.  

Anyone else watch the last of the game with toothpicks holding their eyes open?  I was so sleepy, but I couldn't look away.  I have some friends who are New York Giants fans (what in the world are they thinking?) and I just couldn't sleep not knowing the outcome of the game!  

We kicked some booty THANK GOODNESS!  

hacked

These are the things I find on my phone.  Layla loves to 'hack' my phone and change my wallpaper.  

She grabbed my phone when I wasn't looking, took four selfies and then even had time to create a collage with a green background.  I can't believe I was away from my phone that long...hahahaha!

She's a real stinker, but really cute too!

chop chop, snip snip!

This little lady got a much needed haircut today.

It's been long overdue and she ended up getting 5 inches chopped off.

We have been fighting like cats and dogs for weeks over brushing her hair.  She finally decided to get a shorter style and I couldn't be happier.

I love the before and after shots.  

She is beautiful either way, but her shorter hair definitely looks more fresh and flowy!

Yay for a fun bob!

dance dance dance

I am one proud mom!  

Layla tried a dance class tonight and loved it.  She didn't want to go AT ALL.  She doesn't want to do anything extra curricular because I think she gets so nervous that she talks herself out of everything.  Good thing I made her go.  She loved it and asked to go back.  

Hallelujah can you hear the angels singing?  

We've been trying to talk her into piano lessons, soccer, softball and/or gymnastics.   I think she was so nervous starting a new school.  I know that was a huge thing for her and it's so different and new.  I don't think she was ready to try more new things, but she's good now!  I hope she will play softball too, but I'm not gonna push her too hard.  Now, she can't wait to go shopping for all the dance attire she will need!

The class was 1.5 hours long.  I wasn't able to watch her, so I was just sitting there in the waiting area hoping she'd love it.  I was worried she was miserable and would be ready to run from the building after it was over.  The last 5 minutes of class we got to watch what they learned for the day.  She was grinning from ear to ear and I knew she loved it.  She'll do 30 minutes of each, Ballet, Tap and Jazz.  When we got home she was showing me all the things she learned and she was even using a few big 'dance' words.  

I know this is one of the many things she'll try in her life.  I'm so happy to see her growing and learning and turning into a little lady!

I love me some Layla

I am so proud of my 2nd grader.  Layla is doing a great job adjusting to 2nd grade.  In my opinion so far second grade is different than 1st.  It seems like the teachers expect more independence from the kids than last year.  I know each year kids should be more responsible for themselves.  I'm glad Layla is taking this in stride.

My sweet silly girl is exactly that...silly.  She always makes me laugh.  I love her giggle and her amazing smile.  I hope she knows every day how proud I am of her.  I tell her, but I know I didn't always listen to my parents.  I hope she listens to me and can feel my love!

Layla has the sweetest heart when it comes to animals.  She has never been a big fan of baby dolls  Instead, she loves stuffed animals and of course real animals!  Daisy is her best bud!

Layla was giving Daisy a full medical physical.  Daisy wasn't too happy about it.  She decided to show her sharp teeth!  Ha!  These two girls make me laugh.  They are two peas in a pod.

I love this little peach to the moon and back.  She is smart and funny and I am so glad she is my little princess!  

First day of 2nd grade

Layla was excited and nervous when she woke up this morning.

I made her fresh strawberry muffins for breakfast.  She took a few bites, but didn't eat much.

I know I'm just her Momma, but I think she is so adorable.  She picked out this dress at Old Navy for back to school.  Last night she said, "Mom is it too dressy for the first day?"  

Um no!

Daisy seemed excited for Layla.  She was jumping all over her when I was trying to take pictures!

Hayden was very excited for Layla too.  After we dropped her off about 30 minutes had gone by and he was ready to go pick her up!  He has checked the clock 5 times today waiting for it to be time to go get her.  He really misses his best bud!  They got really close this summer.

I could tell Layla was nervous.  Bless her heart.   I'm sure once she got there everything was great! I remember those first day stomach jitters.

I just had to post a picture of her Thirty-One book bag and lunch thermal.  She designed them herself and she was so proud to show them off! 

I hope she is having a great day.  I can't wait to pick her up!

busy month & my little piggies

The month of May is SUPER busy for us!  

Just thinking about it makes me excited and stressed out.  It isn't a surprise though, the end of the school year is always busy for us.  It seems like we have something to do every single day and some days we  are double booked.  Sheesh!

Today after school we did some gardening.  I planted some new things in the front yard.

 I have been watering the shrubs we transplanted from the front yard to the back yard.  They are looking so dead and ugly.  I'm hoping they are in shock and not dead forever.

The kids took full advantage of the standing water.

It looked like MudRun take 2 in our backyard.

Ugh...little piggies!

They were giggling and pushing each other down.  It was a nasty mess to clean them up, but hearing the laughs it was so worth it!

As soon as we get more mulch for the front flowerbeds I'll post a few pictures of our before and after flowerbed makeover.  I think once the new additions start to grow the front will look so good.

Have a great week!

tuesday evening randoms

I didn't post about our weekend this week.  We didn't really do much.  It was cold, rainy and windy so we mostly just played inside and watched movies.  It was exactly what we all needed.  We needed rest and we watched a ton of football.  It seems like we didn't fully recover from the Thanksgiving holiday. Thankfully we are all rested and caught up on sleep.


This morning when we dropped Layla off at school Hayden saw all the kids getting out of the cars.  A teacher would open the car door and the kids would jump out and run into the school.  Hayden said, "Mommy, she is bustin' dem kids out."  I giggled.  It's so true!  I love a three year old little brain.  They are constantly thinking.



I got a new phone yesterday and I love it.  I had the slowest model iPhone they make.  I am very happy with my new upgraded iPhone.  I just need to know what new and fun things I can do now.  If you have ideas of apps I'd like let me know!  I am thrilled to be able to check twitter and Facebook from my phone again.  AND the camera rocks! Hopefully I will try Facetime soon too.



Layla has been listening to me talk about my Thirty-One business and she loves looking through my catalog.  She decided to created her own company.  She named her company Six Lex.  She created a catalog and has been selling to us.  She is just too cute!  I sure hope she is an entrepreneur when she grows up.



I am a tad bit irritated because both of our home computers are acting strange.  Computer issues stress me out.  You'd think computers would be smart enough to fix themselves.  I know one of them is non repairable because of age.  Let's just hope the other is an easy fix.


I bought new lotion yesterday.  I needed a thicker lotion for winter and I finally found the time to get a few new scents from Bath and Body Works.  I also got a few Christmas hand soaps for the kitchen and bathroom.  I am excited about their fun smells! Once I try all the different things I bought I'll share my favs with y'all. One of my most favorite things in the world is to take a warm shower and put lotion on and then get into my pj's.  I love smelling all pretty in my pj's. 



Tonight at the dinner table Layla said she had a Lady Gaga joke for me.  I stopped chewing and my face got beet red.  I thought OH DEAR...my sweet girl has lost her innocence.  haha!  just kidding, sorta. Anyway, she told me her joke, "How do you wake Lady Gaga? ......  poker face!"  Isn't that funny!?  Then she proceeded to explain to me that Lady Gaga is a singer and she sings a song called "Poker Face."  Did you know that?  She acted as if I didn't know that. Oh me, oh my!



Tonight I told Hayden since we stayed home pretty much all day he could skip his bath.  His eczema is getting better and it seems like when we don't bathe every single day he doesn't get AS dry.  All that to say...I asked him to put on his pj's.  Off he ran and he stripped down naked and ran his clothes to the laundry room.  He opened the door and screamed, "Momma, this pile is outta control!!"  So yep...there is that.  My 3 year old threw me under the bus.  I think I know what my plans are for the evening.  Laundry.


and with that I will talk to you all tomorrow.

all about Layla

I've had the best time being with the kids all summer long.  I love hanging out with my kiddos and they always make me laugh.   I don't want to forget all the things they are doing right now!

To recap our summer, I am doing a post for each kid this week just for the scrapbook. 

Layla can take a shower and wash her own hair and has been known to ask for privacy.  I am so proud of her for showering alone.  It is so big in my opinion.  Of course we do peek in on her to ensure she is scrubbing good and getting the shampoo out of her hair.

She is a great big sister.  She and Hayden have been known to play peacefully for hours on end.  This makes me so happy for several reasons.  1.) They are being nice to each other.  2.) I can get a million things done when they are playing.  It is so nice!!

Layla loves candy.

I am having a hard time realizing Layla is 6.  I see pictures of her and hear the big girl conversations we have, but to me she will always be my little baby.  I think I  need to accept that she is growing up!

Some of her favorite TV shows are iCarly, Victorious, and Shake it Up.  IMO...these are shows for older kids. This stresses me out, but we talk about them a lot.  I know I can't shelter her, so if she has questions about situations on TV we always explain our view.

I lay with Layla in bed and we talk every.single.night.  I love this mommy/daughter time.

Layla can read and writes all the time!  She loves to make lists for me.

She loves to have her friends come over to play, and has been to several sleepovers this summer.

We recently moved her room around and reorganized it and she loves it even more.  I strongly believe in making a kids room 'their own'.  She is loving adding her touches to her special place.

Layla loves to be busy.  She can't just sit around she always has to be doing something.

She is like a mermaid because she loves to swim. (her words)  At the beginning of summer she was very cautious around the water and now she is like a fish!

Layla weighs 42 lbs and is 3 feet 9 inches tall.  She has tiny feet and wears a size 11 in girls shoes.  She wears some size 6's but mostly 7-8's in clothes. She loves dresses, but we finally got her to wear shorts.  I couldn't believe it!!!  I took tons of pictures the day she wore shorts out in public for the first time.  Haha!

Layla loves to eat right now.  My kids go through stages and right now she asks to eat all the time!!  Her favorite thing is macaroni and cheese.  She also loves pizza!

She loves to play Wii.  A few of her favs are Super Mario Bros., Just Dance, and Wii sports.

Layla is super cute with her short hair, but is very excited to grow it out again.  She misses her pony tails!

Layla loves Bogey but wants a puppy of her own because Hayden and Bogey are best buds.  She really wants an itty bitty puppy in the near future.  She is hoping she can dress it up.  She loves to dress up her stuffed animals.

Her favorite movies right now are Yogi Bear and Peter Pan.

Layla is getting ready for first grade and a very busy school year.  She will be playing soccer and doing gymnastics.  She is also hoping for some fall camping trips!

Layla's bedtime is between 7:30 - 8:00.  She usually sleeps until around 7:30am.  Her sleep schedule may change soon though because school is starting and class starts at 7:45am. 

Her daddy says she is the sweetest, funniest and most athletic girl ever!
I agree with her daddy :)

I'll have an update on Hayden this week too.


Have a great Tuesday! 

random thoughts on Monday

We had a wonderful time this weekend being surrounded my friends.  We love our friends.  But, I am so glad it is over.  I don't feel like I over did the party, but planning and throwing any party (small or large)  is tiring.  I didn't want to get off the couch all day yesterday.  We ate left-overs and snacked all day long.

It is so hot right now.  I know I sound like I'm on repeat. We are on day 14 of over 100 degree temperatures.  We have solar screens on the west side of our house.  It helps so much to block the evening sun, but I am thinking we will get them on the east side of our house also.  Our house gets so hot.   I just worry that the screens will make our house WAY to dark and cave like.  At this point though I think they would be worth it!  I'm so thankful for our air conditioner.  It is working itself to death right now.  There is talk of a cold front heading our way.  Maybe it will cool us off to what? Around 97 degrees?  haha!

  

I woke up in the middle of the night with Layla.  She had a bad dream about the police chasing her though a forest.  They were flashing a big read light into her eyes and helicopters were flying overhead.  Bless her heart, she has been involved in so many police chases....you know.  Really?  Why would a 6 year old dream that?

Can you tell she got makeup for her birthday?  Let the obsession being. 

Hayden is really talking up a storm lately.  He talks non stop and I love it!  Having two kids that talk all the time is crazy though.  Their conversations are quite comical.  Hayden has been talking super fast, so fast that his brain works harder than his mouth.  He stutters.  Layla stuttered for  about 6 months and stopped.  I hope the same goes for Hayden.

I can't believe school is starting in a little over a month.  Where has summer gone?  It seems like it has flown by.  I am excited about shopping for school clothes with Layla.  She is so indecisive though, so sometimes shopping with her can be stressful.  I'm hoping to browse a few websites to get clothing ideas before we shop.  I feel bad...I think she got her indecisiveness from me.   She doesn't like shorts, but loves dresses, but has to have tights or shorts underneath.  She loves to wear tennis shoes, but wants her dresses to look sporty enough to wear with tennis shoes.  Blah blah...decisions decisions. 

If you made it to the end of this post...yeay!  This is our family scrapbook and I am glad I can post randomness.  It seems like random things are the most fun to read as time passes.  I can also look back next year and see how hot it was this year.  All I have been doing is whining about the heat.  I'm on my own nerves!

Have a great Monday!

miscellany monday

1.  I am freezing today.  I am sitting on the floor right next to the fire and I am still not warm enough! But I love winter and am so thankful for it.  Winter is short around here and before long the hot Texas summer will set in.

2. Today is Layla's last day of Christmas vacation. Wednesday Hayden will return to preschool.  I love having the kids home, so I am a bit sad about the fact that they will be gone to school again. BUT I love my time alone.  I am ready for our routine again.  Layla loves school, so she is ready to see her friends!

3.  I need a new dishwasher. Mine is broken and has been since November.  I am getting really tired of washing dishes by hand.  But you know, the budget and all...ugh!  Hopefully this month I will get a new one.  We have lived in this house for almost 5 years.  The dishwasher is the one the home builder put in brand new.  Why didn't it last longer than this?  If you have a good, quiet dishwasher let me know.  As I said before...I am shopping.

4.  My 5 year old Layla Kate is a tattle tail.  She tells on me, Hayden and Gary. She should be a news reporter.  Seriously. It is wearing me out.  News flash...we are not perfect and one of us adults may or may not saw a bad word here or there.  Hayden repeats those words, and Layla tells on him. Or if Hayden spills something, or throws something.  We know about it.  Fun times I tell you :)

5.  Layla got a new Wii game.  Build a Bear. IT is so annoying. Cute and fun for her, but very annoying.

That is all the miscellancy I have for today.   I am going to enjoy the day with my kiddos.

Happy Monday!

candy cane treat

I am so excited for my baby girl!  She has been so nervous about changing her earrings.  She literally freaks out!  I don't get it.  She didn't cry when she got them pierced, but she is terrified to change them.

I have purchased tons of earrings that would entice her to let me do a switcharoo.  Nope. 

Until the candy cane earrings!  Whoop!  Check her out!  She is so excited and even felt silly when she realized it didn't hurt at all.   And a real candy cane makes everything better....right?!

 

Hayden was lucky.  He got a candy cane just because.  Can you tell he loved it?

After he got all nice and sticky he played in the sandbox. Then I let daddy clean him up. Heehee!

happy monday morning...

To ya!!

I am loving the breeze blowing into my house right now...it is sunny but breezy and really is just a perfect day.  We are supposed to get rain, but I don't think it will happen.

We had an amazing Thanksgiving week.  I am so sad the kids had to go back to school.  We were loving playing and spending time with friends & family.  It was amazing....I can't wait until the kids are out for Christmas break!

This little girl is so silly.  She makes me laugh so hard!  Kids are so impressionable y'all!  On Friday night we watched the Taylor Swift special.  It was on Thursday, but we were too tired to stay up to watch it. We love our DVR!!  But, ever since Layla saw TS with a sweater that was 'off the shoulder' she has been walking around with all the necks of her shirts stretched out.  Gary and I try not to giggle every time, but it is just too cute.

I love that Layla sees singers and actresses on TV.  I want her to see everything she can.  I will shelter her from some things, but you know...kids are exposed to so much.  It is our jobs as parents to explain the things the kids don't understand.  Why hide the world from our kids?  We should parent them and explain things they don't understand.  When my friends and family talk rude about singers and movie stars it drives me NUTS!  They are people too.  If your best friend wrote a song and sang it would you go around saying they are a horrible singer.  Probably not.  So what gives people the right to talk smack about people they don't even know. 

 Ok, sorry!  Off my soapbox.  Who is anyone to judge anyone else?? I'm not saying I don't judge people, I do, and I shouldn't and I am working on NOT doing it.

My Auntie has been asking what the kids want for Christmas.  So you know what I did??  I took the kids to Walmart toy section and let them look.  When they saw something they liked I snapped a pic with my iPhone.  I downloaded them and will email the pics to my Auntie.  How cool is that?  I thought I was pretty clever :)

Hayden really wants this.  Even though we already have one a Mrs Potato head.  Sheesh!

(from Food Network.com)

Do you get the daily email from The Food Network "12 Days of Cookies"?  I do and I love it and am so excited about it!   I  love to see what cookies are getting baked up for the season!  I'm sure I will bake many batches of cookies between now and Christmas.  Layla loves to decorate sugar cookies.  Mmmm and they taste so good.  And this little guy loves to eat cookies....

Do you eat turkey and dressing for Christmas?  I try to do a different menu.  I'm thinking enchiladas this Christmas...we shall see.  I don't like to make the same thing within a few weeks.  BUT I have had so many people ask about my cornbread dressing recipe.  So, just in case you are having dressing for Christmas I am posting my dressing recipe this week if you want to use it.  It is pretty easy and it is Gary's grandmothers recipe combined with my family's recipe.

And I am off to the store for a few things while the kids are in school,

 AND I need to wrap some gifts to put under the tree. I hope you weren't too bored with the random Monday post...but it is what is going on around this house today :)