Hurry....before it's too late!

My friend Tina is hosting a giveaway for a gift certificate to Uniquely Monogrammed. This lady has some amazing items! Today is the last day to enter so check out Tina's blog! Here is the link:
www.itmaybeacrazylifebutitisourlife.blogspot.com

Don't forget.....enter before it's too late!

Proud Mommy

I am always proud of my girls. But today I am extra extra proud of Kara......she was selected as Student of the Month at Lakeview Elementary! She was told today at the beginning of the day and had her picture taken for the newspaper. She kept it a secret all afternoon and finally spilled the beans at dinner. Thursday she will get to do the announcements and is very excited. I don't have any pictures yet to post but I just had to share how proud I am of my wonderful daughter!

A quick Trip with 5 generations

After we checked out of the hotel on the 22nd from Kara's birthday party the girls and I headed home to pack the car. We had decided to make a quick 3 day trip to Houston to visit my family. My Aunt Dana, Uncle Bill and cousin Brayden live in Pearland and my Nanie and Nana were there visiting from Corpus Christi. It really isn't a bad drive....about 4 hours normally......so when Kara gets a holiday week I like to try to make a quick trip there to hang out and visit with them. This was only the 2nd time they met Karsyn....she was 6 weeks old our last trip in July....so they were so happy to see her and see how much she had grown.

The drive Sunday wasn't terrible but there was more traffic than normal and we also had to stop for 45 minutes at Buckee's (which is the GREATEST road stop ever off of 45!) to change Karsyn's diaper, use the restroom and grab a bite to eat.....they also make fresh fudge! It is delicious! So it ended up taking about 5 hours to get there but once we were there we were able to relax and visit with everyone. That evening Dana, Brayden, Nikki (Brayden's girlfriend), Kara, Karsyn and I went to see New Moon. It was a really great movie that we all enjoyed. Karsyn did really well in the movies. I nursed her and then she pretty much slept for the entire thing. Now I am anxiously awaiting for Eclipse in July.

Monday we did a little shopping for the girls at an outdoor town center and the weather was perfect. Sunny, in the 70's with a cool breeze.....perfect for walking around outside. I also found a perfect pair of skinny leg jeans at Ann Taylor Loft that I am really excited about.....I can finally wear all of those boots I bought! :) Monday evening I wasn't feeling very well and felt like I was coming down with a cold so I went to bed fairly early.

Tuesday Dana and I left the kids with Nanie and Nana and headed to an amazing Scrapbook store in Clearlake....By Design Scrapbook Boutique. I scored some awesome things for Karsyn's scrapbook. It is getting so hard in Dallas to find scrapbook supplies so it was nice to find things that I hadn't ever seen. When we got back it was time to load the car and head home. I was feeling terrible and was running a fever but I was afraid if I didn't leave then that I would be too sick the next day to drive. So we headed home for a LONG drive! It took us about 5 1/2-6 hours to get home and I got a ticket on the way back....BOO....for speeding.

One of the things that I find the neatest about my family is that we have 5 generations! My great grandmother is 88 years old! She says the funniest things and keeps everyone on their toes. It is really nice that my children can say that they have a great-great grandmother. Here is a picture of 5 generations. This picture includes: My Nana (1st generation), My Nanie (2nd generation), Aunt Dana (3rd generation), Me (4th generation) and Kara&Karsyn (5th generation). There are a lot of other family members not pictured but this is 5 generations all together.....pretty incredible!

Here is 15 year old cousin Brayden with Kara and Karsyn. Isn't he handsome?!? :)

We had a great time and I am looking forward to seeing them again....hopfully sooner than later!

A Pool Party!!!

This year for Kara's birthday party we decided to have a double birthday celebration with Kara's best friend, Maisie at The Embassy Suites in Frisco. They each invited several friends for swimming and then had 2 friends stay the night. Tara and I planned for weeks so that the party would be perfect. And it was despite a run in with the evening manager when we checked in. Long story short they ended up having to comp us a 2nd room because they were not going to allow us to have additional guests in the pool. Jeromy got everything straightened out and after that things were smooth sailing. The men even discovered that they have complimentary Happy Hour from 5-7 every night! Tara and I think we may have a joint birthday party for ourselves there. :)

The kids swam for 3+ hours and had a blast. They jumped, played Marco Polo, flipped and acted goofy as usual. After we finished swimming we headed up to our room for pizza and fun! My brothers girlfriend, Christa stayed the night and gave the girls pedicures and makeovers. They loved having her there.....and so did we! It was so nice to have a teenager that could keep them occupied. I recommend that for anyone having a slumber party!

In the morning we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast buffet and packed up our stuff. I think one of the greatest parts of not having it at our house was not having to clean up the mess the girls left behind!

Here are some pictures of the party:

BEWARE of being scammed!

Well.....we were scammed! Against my better judgement I purchased airline tickets from an independent airline broker and my instinct was correct. It was a scam! The company's name is Travel Smart Services and this is the link to their website http://www.travelsmartservices.webs.com .

We purchased our tickets over a week ago with promises of receiving flight confirmations with 24-48 hours. I waited patiently and e-mailed a few times for updates always receiving an auto reply response. Well......as of today I received an e-mail stating that my e-mail was undeliverable. LOVELY! I am just wanting to warn everyone else so this does not happen to anyone that I know.

So as of now we are back at square one for a vacation that begins in less than 25 days. Hopefully we will be able to find something fast within our budget. I guess that is what I get for not trusting my instincts!

So excited about my Etsy purchase!

I'm sure you are all thinking.....What is this? Well......let me tell ya! :) This is called an iSpy bag and I ordered 2 this morning from Etsy. It is a bag for all ages that is filled with small beads and little trinkets hidden inside. On the outside of the bag is a card listing the items inside. My girls are getting one of these for Christmas and I am going to give the other as a gift to one of our neices. This is such a great toy for kids going on trips or ones that get bored easily in the car! I will let you know what I think when it arrives. In case anyone is interested in ordering one the seller is cricketandsix. :)

8 years ago today........

I welcomed my beautiful daughter Kara Ashton into the world! She was born on a beautiful Friday at 12:34pm weighing 7lbs. 13oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. My labor was fast and very easy. My mom and sister were there and they kept shouting how beautiful she was while she was being cleaned up. I was pretty out of it after her delivery but the 1st thing I remember saying to the doctor was "Is it still a girl?" He laughed and of course replied "yes."

She has been such a blessing and I love watching her grow. She changed my life in so many ways and I can't imagine a day without her! She has such a kind heart, a free spirit and a playful attitude.

Today Karsyn and I took her Chick-fil-A for lunch at school and also brought cupcakes for her class. Her party is this weekend and it is a joint party with her best friend Maisie. (They share the same birthday!)

Here are some pictures from today:

Kara and Karsyn after Lunch

Kara and her best friend, Maisie (they share a b-day and both have red hair! Crazy coincidence!)

Kara and Mommy enjoying lunch

Happy Birthday Kara! Mommy loves you and I am very proud of you!!!