Ruffle Bubble

My sister dropped not so subtle hints a few weeks ago that my niece would sure like a ruffle bubble for her birthday. I didn't put up much of an argument, so here's a bit of ruffly goodness. 

I used the Peek-a-boo Patterns Ruffle Bum Romper pattern because a snap opening for diaper changes was one of the requirements. The floral fabric is one of the Lecien Flower Sugar prints.

She's pretty cute from the front too!! Living far from family is pretty hard at times. I'm so thankful for Facetime and Skype!! Annie's (and our) favorite thing when she calls is to say "faces" to Avery or Tandy, so they will make funny faces for her. So thankful technology can bring us a tiny bit closer!

All photos by my sister, Casey.

Mary Poppins Party Invitation

I thought I’d wet your appetite for the Mary Poppins party pictures coming soon with the invitation that kicked everything off. I found this awesome Mary Poppins image on Flickr, but apparently it has since been removed. I contacted the creator for permission to use her work for our party invites. She was very kind to allow it! My sister created this perfect invitation that set the stage for our party.

Sweet Annie

I made a quick visit to Dallas to visit my sister and meet baby Annie for the first time. I did a bit of shopping, reading with my nephew, and cuddling with this new niece. Aside from the crazy travel arrangements that go with flying standby, the trip was a very nice getaway. Many thanks to my husband and in-laws for taking care of our girls!

On another note, Casey has the full nursery reveal up on her blog, so go check it out!!

An A&M Weekend

I could list off my excuses for being absent from the blog (sickness, a Halloween costume, birthday planning, …), but it all means I’m a week late with this post. What a weekend we had!! A full house plus an Aggie win over Ole Miss (sorry Todd) made for some fun. Game day was super cold and wet, but we were one of the few mostly Aggie tents in the Grove. It was fun in introduce these Aggies to Grove tailgating.

Opa took a break from the girls only long enough to attend the game.

Kelly and Doug make a special trip without their little ones.

And, Omie stayed in Dallas with Ford, while Casey and Lane made their way to Mississippi.

Let’s do it again in two years!!

Turkey Day 2011

We had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday last week. We opted not to travel with new baby Tandy, so we opened the invitation to my family to come visit us from Texas. Amazingly, they accepted said invitation and traveled the long distance to spend time together.

Aunt Sassy was able to meet Tandy for the first time.

Avery loved playing with cousin Ford.

Uncle Cool is always a big hit with the kiddos.

Avery pitched in with the big meal preparations by grinding the cranberries for the cranberry salad.

She also did some great quality control testing. (Of course, cooking in costumes makes everything taste better.)

I finally set a pretty table with our china plus the silver from Todd’s mother.

We are so thankful for our family, and we truly enjoyed the time we were able to spend together.

More from Sanibel Island

It seems we tried to fit in as much travel as possible this summer. I think we’re afraid of how hard it will be once baby 2 arrives. This trip to Sanibel Island was perfectly relaxing. Avery got to love on cousin Ford (whether he wanted her to or not).

My sister snuck in a few family photos.

Avery is our little water baby. She prefers the pool the best, but beach and waves are good too.

Not only did Omie and Opa treat us all for this great trip, but they even opted to have both kiddos in their condo while the younger adults shared the other condo. I can’t remember the last time I slept in until 8:00 am!

Dallas Adventure

Omie kindly drove Avery and I up to Dallas to spend the last leg of our two week Texas trip with my sister, Casey, and her family. Omie was able to enjoy a couple of days with her two favorite people.



Cuties!!!!



Casey and I took Avery and Ford to the Dallas Aquarium to enjoy some air conditioned fun.



Since they have a wonderful pool, Avery insisted on swimming every afternoon.



She got in some good big sis training as well.



Avery went from shy about getting her head under water in San Antonio to practically swimming in Dallas. I’m not sure what brought it on, but I couldn’t be prouder! Of course, Uncle Cool provided great encouragement.

Cutie Pie Cousins

My sister pretty much avoided visiting us in Laredo as much as possible, so we were super excited when they made plans to head to Oxford for a long weekend. Traveling to Oxford is generally not the easiest, and they had to manage it with a 5-month old. We had so much fun watching the cousins together, so we hope they visit more frequently than they did in Laredo.

Avery seems to adore babies and they basically have to deal with zero personal space when she is around. (Please ignore the fact that she is pantless in this photo. Have I told you how poorly potty training is going?!?)




Uncle Cool certainly lived up to his name.



Unfortunately, this is the only photo I could find with Aunt Sassy. Here she is with Ford consoling Avery after a particularly brutal run and crash scenario.



Thanks for making the trip Allens. Come back soon!

A Texas Christmas

We are still enjoying our extended stay in Texas through the New Year, so it is a bit harder for me to keep the blog up to date. For the few days surrounding Christmas we headed up to Dallas to celebrate with my sister's family. Avery was able to meet her cousin Ford for the first time. She adored him and referred to him as "my baby Ford" constantly.





You couldn't get the silly grins off of Omie or Opa's face when surrounded by their grandchildren.

Hot Cereal Mix Issues

You have to go check out my sister's hot cereal mix post today. It is seriously funny and sadly true. We're obsessed with this stuff. The post and the recipe will not disappoint.

P.S. Helpful hint - Double the recipe. You won't regret it!!

Visiting Ford

I'm in Dallas for a few days visiting my handsome little nephew.

Watford "Ford" Charles Allen

Introducing my newest nephew born to my sister, Casey, and her husband this morning at 11:14 in Dallas. This is the first peek I've had. He is a healthy 9 lbs 1 oz, 20.8" baby. Can't wait to meet you Ford! We're sending our love.

Ford's Room

I made it up to Dallas this past weekend to visit my sister, Casey, and attend her first baby shower. I finally finished and set up the bedding I made for Ford. Casey's MIL made a wonderful matching quilt too! Ford's nursery certainly is taking shape. We can't wait to meet him in September!

On the Road Again

Well, we've returned from the long road trip up to Dallas. Todd had successful Lasik surgery done on his eyes, and Avery had tons of fun visiting with Aunt Casey... ...and Uncle Lane. We were able to meet the latest addition to the Allen family, Paper. Lane gave Casey this Yorkie for their one year anniversary when paper is the customary gift. He is a cutie.

Avery and Paper were never quite sure what to make of each other.