SURPRISE!!!!

This past weekend was great. Some of the gals and I had been plotting for months. We wanted to surprise Anna Kate for the big 3-0, but we couldn't figure out how to get it done. Talk about a control freak! Nooooo way was she letting anyone tell her what she was going to do on a Saturday! Well, with the help of Blake, Sister, and the Decker's we managed, but it was NOT easy!

After many Decker meltdowns, Blake stealing her cell phone, and AK shedding tears at the lunch table at PF Changs because "she didn't feel like eating lunch there" , we FINALLY showed up. Stacey and I and walked up behind her, and the face was priceless. She said "What are y'all doing here?" Well let's see. Since I live in Atlanta, and Stacey lives in Miami, there isn't a ton of options! DUH! After going through the stories, and the lies, and the tears, we finally got to sit down and enjoy our lunch.

We spent the afternoon shopping around, catching up, and doing what girls do. We even got in a little time with this cutie! Aunt Stacey and Aunt Tara weren't about to let Miss Katherine miss out on our surprise weekend; she was part of the package!

Later on that evening we were just beginning to get dressed when BAM, we had another surprise! Claire decided to show up and join us!! Anna Kate at this point was getting nervous. She was scared to turn her back on us for a split second not knowing what else we had in store! So, the evening continued and all of a sudden the door bell rang... it was ANOTHER surprise! Mandy also showed up to celebrate the big 3-0 with us! We got on our duds and headed out to Bottega for a fun birthday dinner!

As you may recall, we celebrated my 30th birthday at Bottega as well. They didn't treat us wrong that time, and they sure didn't treat us wrong this time. We strapped this baby into the car seat and hauled it in the restaurant. Not everyone at our table could drink it, but the ones of us that could, did! And we drank every last drop of it too!

Anna Kate got a special birthday treat from Mr. Frank Stitt's himself. I fully expect for her to have this cook book memorized for me the next time I visit so she can whoop me up some deliciousness!

We had a wonderful surprise weekend, it just didn't last long enough. I think that Anna Kate was truly surprised and that alone was worth every minute of it! It's always a fun time with these girls, and I look forward to seeing them all again very soon! Boo-yah!

Merry Christmas!

Thankful

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend. It was so nice to be surrounded by friends and family. Each and every moment I am reminded of how many things I have to be thankful for. Often I tend to say "why me", then I realize I should be more aware of the blessings my life instead of the negative things. Here are a few of the things I am thankful for and they are of course in no particular order ;)

I am so thankful for my parents. I have the best parents in the world. They bend over backwards day in and day out for me, Felix, and Blair. I swear their main purpose in waking up every morning is for us. The state of our economy has really taken a toll on my household, and Felix and I have our family to thank for helping us through hard times.

I am so thankful for laughter. Where would I be without laughter? This is my cousin, and she makes me laugh. Don't you just love her button? Don't worry, we are going to get to that part of the post eventually.

I am so thankful that my Maw Maw could spend Thanksgiving with us. Last year was Pa Pa's last Thanksgiving with us. I missed it because I was on bedrest. I am so thankful that I could spend this year with his lovely bride in my Aunt's home.

I am also thankful for Aunt June and Uncle Mack. They did a stand-up job hosting Thanksgiving this year at their home. Everything was perfect, as I knew it would be. Aunt June and Uncle Mack are one of a kind. They are not for sale and you can't purchase them online or from any type of store. They are mine, and you can't have them.

Friends. I am so thankful for my friends. Here are a few of the top ones. I have all kinds of friends in all shapes and sizes. These friends here are AUsome. I'm an only child, so having good friends is important to me. This friend here will help when my parents are old, I just know she will. It was so much fun celebrating the Iron Bowl with these friends at the place where we all met. It was like "Homecoming."

I am very thankful for Auburn. I'm so thankful that my parents sent me to Auburn. It had to hurt my Dad to send that check every semester. It would me. But, I have no idea where I would be if it weren't for Auburn. I met some of my best friends in Auburn. I met my husband in Auburn. We bought our first home in Auburn. I even had my chest cut open in Auburn, and yes I am even thankful for that. So, here's to you Auburn and a job well done on the field last Friday! War Eagle!

Okay, we are getting close. I don't even know where to start, but I am MOST thankful for these two. Well, let's start with the bigger one because I wouldn't have the smaller one if it weren't for the bigger one. I am so thankful for my husband. He's pretty AUsome. I can't even tell you the stup sh*t he does for me (sorry to curse but that's what it is). I think the main purpose of his day is to make my day better. I know he wants to throw those little lists I leave him every morning in the trash can, but he doesn't. He somehow manages to do all those stupid things and care for our child. Man, I'm one lucky girl. And SMART, he is SO SMART! And our child is so smart! It's all because of him, not me. So when you notice her doing something that seems a excelled for her age, give the props to him, not me. I am so thankful he was my Management teacher's assistant at Auburn. I would not be where I was today if it weren't for that ;)

Last and MOST, I am thankful for this little chunk of love. I am thankful that she is so healthy and so smart. I am thankful that she is so happy and so lovable. I am thankful that she is so smart and hilarious. Stop me now, because I could go on and on! So, I am going to make a promise to myself that from now on when I say "why me", I am going to go squeeze this little munchkin and remind myself that SHE is the most important thing and no matter how bad everything else may seen, I have her and she is worth it!

Pig and a Pup

Halloween came and went too fast as far as I'm concerned. I love that holiday so much. I know it doesn't have a religious meaning behind it such as Christmas and Easter, but I just love that it is stress free. It's all about the kids and their funny costumes (or is it all about me and what cute costume I want to put my child in? HA!). Anyway, Blair invited Quinn over to celebrate Halloween with us. It was a little rainier than we would have liked, but we managed to hang outside for a little while and get some cute pictures. I was a bit nervous of how well Blair may handle her costume, so we practiced wearing the headpiece earlier that week. Blair thought it was stupid...

Quinn came over after nap time, and we got the girls all dolled up in their costumes. Both of them did surprisingly well and didn't fuss a single time. I think they loved looking at each other.

Quinn was the cutest little puppy you have ever seen. She crawled all over the place just like a little pup would.

Blair was a little piggy. No, we are not trying to drop any hints. We just really liked the costume. Hopefully, she won't have a complex and hate me when she is older.

It was a great day, and I was so sad to see it end! I guess we will just have to start browsing for next years costume of choice! Happy November!!!!!!!

Out with a bang...

Well, 29 has come and gone. We sent it out in style this past weekend in New Orleans. Felix and I went on our first little vacation this weekend and left the baby with her Nonna and Aunt June. It was very hard for us to do, but we knew that we needed it, and she needed it as well. She has been with her Daddy every single day and night since she was born, and it was time she learned to depend on someone else for just a little while.

The weekend started off with brunch at Brennan's on Friday morning. This is one of my favorite things to do in New Orleans. Paw Paw said it was a "must" since it was my birthday weekend. We had the famous turtle soup, eggs benedict, AND bananas foster. It was just enough food to get us geared up for our walk around the French Quarter and Magazine Street. If you have children and love fine children's clothing as much as I do, then you MUST visit Orient Expressed on Magazine Street. It is to die for (and I literally almost died because Paw Paw almost murdered me because this was not a "must" on his to-do list).

After a tiring day of exploring and sight-seeing, Jason and Melissa arrived in town for my birthday dinner. Commander's Palace was the pick, and boy was it a good choice! The interior of this place is absolutely beautiful, and the food was wonderful. I started off with the shrimp bisque and then had scallops as my entree. And of course, Commander's had to put a special touch on the dessert, and brought me bread pudding with a candle in it! Okay, are you hungry yet by reading this post? Just wait, it get's worse!

Saturday was a big day for our family because it was rivalry day in Baton Rouge. Felix and I had on our orange and blue and were of course outnumbered by the rest of the family. We don't care though. We love our Tigers through thick and thin, and we will do whatever it takes and go where-ever it takes to root for them (even if it is called Death Valley). We started the day off at tailgate number one, the Pizzalato's. Gina prepared roast beef debris for the po'boys and brought a LSU AND AUBURN king cake. Paula made salad and lasagna, and we seemed to make room for ALL of it. Lloyd and Paula are always so nice to provide us such great hospitality every time we go to Baton Rouge (the food is the real reason we keep going back!). From there, we visited 2 more tailgates where we had the best crawfish etoufee we have ever tasted. The people there really are so nice and generous with their food and beverages. But be careful, because when the win is secured they turn into monsters! HA

No, we didn't win the game but we had a great weekend. We couldn't wait to get home to our little munchkin. Nonna and Aunt June took great care of her and we already have reserved them again for January ;) It was so nice to come home to a home-cooked dinner, clean laundry, and a clean house. I guess being thirty ain't too bad, and I'd do it again tomorrow if it meant that I get to have this much fun all over again!

Busy, Busy....

We have been busy at our house the past few days! We started the weekend off with Round 2 of Thirty and Flirty. Pop and Mimi came into town to help celebrate this round. We had a fun day of shopping, eating, and watching football. We even got a sitter on Saturday night so we could have an "adult dinner" out on the town. Pop and Mimi brought Mommy some surprises for her birthday, but THIS was one surprise that Mommy DID NOT like...

Pop, you are in big trouble!

Surprise Cake!

Dinner at Home

On Sunday, Blair and I met up with Megan and Quinn at the Pumpkin Patch. The cold weather kindof snuck up on us, so I had to run out last minute to get us some winter gear! It was quite cold and windy while we were there, but we still had a good time. We were there just long enough to get some good photos of the girls!

And finally, we had Blair's 9 month check-up on Monday. She weighs 20 lbs and 10 oz (75th)and is 27 1/4 inches long (50th). She got the first round of her flu shot and got her toe pricked :( She did pretty well, but we were glad it was over! Dr. Pip says she is doing great and we can gradually start to introduce table food! We started off with peas and cheese last night and it seems she is a fan! She is such a big girl these days and has all kinds of new tricks. She is crawling, pulling up, climbing, and trying to stand. She waves bye-bye (at any random time) and can say ma-ma and da-da, although the verdict is still out if she knows what they mean or not. She hates most of the toys we have bought for her, but loves the cell phone, home phone, and remote control. She does have an owl that we call "Bird" that she really really loves. We are warming her up to her stuffed puppy dog and teddy bear because she seems to be a little scared of them. She's not a fan of the sippy cup (any suggestions are welcome) and only wants to chew on it. We are also dealing with a little bit of stranger and separation anxiety, but Dr. Pip assures us it is a phase and when she is older we will be begging for her to want us! HA!

So, that pretty much sums up what we have been up to. Daddy and Mommy are off to Baton Rouge this weekend for the game. It's our first "alone trip" since the baby and we are excited and nervous all at the same time! We are looking forward to a wonderful trip! War Eagle!!

Thirty and Flirty

This past weekend I was lucky enough to get to travel to Birmingham to have a little fun with the girls. As most of you know, I will not be thirty until the end of the month, but I believe that the big 3-0 calls for an entire month of celebrating (or crying, whichever I'm in the mood for). When I arrived in Birmingham, the girls had a little surprise party planned for me. We had some wonderful bubbly, cake bites, and a few other treats. Bobby and Diana sent me some "private label" vino to add to the celebrating. It wasn't private for long once I got into it! HA!

After the party, we got all dolled up and headed to Bottega for dinner. We had MORE bubbly at dinner along with a wonderful meal. Let's not leave out the pumpkin cheesecake and white chocolate bread pudding. YUM!!!!!!!

The birthday celebration was not the only thing we had in store for the weekend. My good friend, Claire, is 11 weeks pregnant and we decided she needed to try out the new gender test that is available at Walgreens. After following very strict instructions, she was able to take the test first thing Saturday morning. As she predicted, the test says she is having a BOY!!! Will the Walgreen's test and mother's intuition be correct, or will we be wrong? Stay tuned in the next month or so for the actual gender determination!

We started Saturday off at the stores and then took a mini-lunch break so we could get some Auburn football time in. By halftime, I was in need of a major attitude adjustment, so we decided to let the Tigers be and do some more shopping. Don't worry, we didn't forget about the Tigers all together. We just couldn't resist buying these adorable Auburn pajamas that can be found at Victoria's Secret!

We finished the weekend off with football, pizza, and vino at the Crowe house. It was a nice, relaxing evening. There are always good times to be had with these girls. Thank y'all so much for the surprise birthday party and treats! It is kind of depressing to be nearing the big 3-0, but at least we still "got it"!! Right, girls?!?!?!

Party Animal

Look Whoooooooo's One!!

Miss Katherine Crowe turned one last week. I can't believe that sweet baby has grown up so fast. It seems just like yesterday that her Aunt Blazer and I were racing to Birmingham to get our hands on her little teeny tiny self! Time sure does fly when you are having fun!!

Felix, Blair, and I of course had to be in on the celebrations. After having a wonderful evening in Auburn last Saturday night, we chose to hang around for the birthday bash on Sunday. Blair had her new smocked dress with tags still on it all crisp and clean for the party. We showed up just in time to get some cute pictures of the girls.

It is amazing that they are 4 months apart, but now they seem so much closer in age. Katherine still has to show Blair the ropes. If it's anything like her mama and I, then it will always be that way ;)

Martha, I mean Anna Kate, did such a fine job with the party. It was an owl-themed party (yes , us Chi-O's are physcho and admit it), and it was adorable. Everything from the cake, to the napkins, to the favors had owls on them. I mean EVERYTHING! One guest even asked Anna Kate if this was a sorority party or a birthday party; he can stick it ;) I would also like to add that the weather turned out remarkably well for the party. Anna Kate has always thought she had bad luck regarding outdoor events; especially since her wedding got rained out of her parents backyard. I think mother nature felt sorry for her this weekend and brought about a 2 hour span of sunshine just for the party!

We had such a wonderful time and before we know it, this will be Blair's one year party that I'm posting about. I'm not about to wish the time away though!! Speaking of Blair, I am behind on posting, but she turned 8 months last week. She is crawling and can pull up to a standing position. She has changed so much in just the past week! I will be sure to post some videos of her soon! Until then..............WAR EAGLE!!!