All About Audrey

Happy Birthday Sweet Audrey!

2012-01-06T20:53:00.001-06:00

I can’t believe she’s three…My sweet, sweet baby girl turned three the day after Christmas. And what an amazing three years it has been. Jeff and I were blessed with such a beautiful miracle and we love her more than I could ever begin to put into words.

Christmas Day

2012-01-06T20:26:00.001-06:00

We always spend Christmas day with Jeff’s side of the family. We have a late lunch at Nana and Frantz’s and then open tons of presents. It’s so nice that our families live so close. After presents, we usually get in our comfy clothes and just enjoy the rest of the day.

Christmas Morning

2012-01-06T20:09:00.001-06:00

It’s more fun every year!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T20:33:00.001-06:00

Our Christmas Eve tradition is to spend time with my side of the family. We go to dad and mom’s for an early dinner, then over to my grandma’s next door for dessert with the extended family. Then it’s back to my parents where dad reads us the Christmas Story from the bible by candlelight before opening presents. It’s one of my very favorite days. And so much fun for Miss Audrey.

Christmas Dress Parade

2012-01-05T20:09:00.001-06:00

Nutcracker

2011-12-23T23:11:00.001-06:00

Audrey & Hope had a dance recital earlier in the month. They performed the Nutcracker and Audrey was a flower and Hope was the Chinese doll (how very appropriate). I use the word “performed” very loosely in reference to Audrey. She looked awfully cute, but refused to dance. She went on stage and never cried, but never danced either. That action shot you see was taken after the performance, when she decided she was ready to dance on stage. Hope on the the other hand, danced beautifully. I think we may have a tiny ballerina on our hands, she is so graceful~Audrey, not so much….

It’s Beginning to Look…..

2011-11-26T00:14:00.001-06:00

A little bit like Christmas at our house. So far only Audrey’s tree is up, but she is loving the decorating, gonna be a fun Christmas season…

THANKFUL

2011-11-26T00:04:00.001-06:00

For so many blessing in my life: Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving Day. We got to spend it with the people that mean the most to us, so we couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the day of thankfulness. Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead halfway into celebration number two with my family, so if you notice fewer pictures from the Ball side, that’s why.

Not one picture of my big sisters, little sister, grandma, dad, Sunnie or the big boys. I’ll make up for it at Christmas!

Halloween

2011-11-18T20:40:00.001-06:00

What do you call a Butterfly Fairy, Cowgirl Princess, and Superman? The three cutest kids ever on Halloween…enjoy!

Supermodel

2011-10-31T00:39:00.001-05:00

Audrey has become quite the little poser lately. I guess after nearly three years of the camera flashing constantly in her face, she has just decided to make the best of it!

Tiny Dancers

2011-10-31T00:25:00.001-05:00

Audrey and Hope both started taking ballet and tap dancing lessons at the beginning of September and they both love it! I have to admit, Hope seems to be showing a little more potential, she is so graceful and serene. Audrey on the other hand, reminds me more of a “bull in a china cabinet” to use a phrase from my grandma. The girls performed at area nursing homes to dance during Great Days of Service in our community. This was the first “performance” for both and they did so good, I was so proud! Can’t wait for the recital in May!

Fair Time

2011-10-31T00:10:00.001-05:00

This year we took in two fairs- the Fannin County Fair and the Texas State Fair. So here are some pictures from both. Audrey loves to ride the fair rides. She is one adventurous little girl about things like that. She takes it as a personal insult that she is too small for some of the rides and will ride anything we’ll let her get on.

Audrey especially loved petting Elsie’s calf at the Bordon booth. While we were there, a lady came over to look at Elsie, who has horns, and the lady actually asked the Bordon representative if Elsie was a boy. The Bordon person said no, Elsie is always a girl and that is her calf next to her. The lady then commented that she thought that the Elsie cow was a boy because it had horns since boy cows have horns and girl cows don’t! Are you kidding me?!!! She could not have been from Texas….

Family Time

2011-10-30T23:47:00.001-05:00

We don’t get to spend nearly enough time with “Jeff’s side” of our family, but we always have fun when we do. We all got together for dinner for mine and Billy’s birthdays and the kids played in the park across the street afterwards. We also got to go to one of Trey’s football games, the first of many I hope. He did great!

Am I Really 35?!!!

2011-10-30T23:37:00.001-05:00

That sounds really old! Oh well, life is good…

First Trip to Chuck E. Cheese

2011-10-30T20:49:00.001-05:00

It was so crowded and crazy I probably should have titled the post “First and Last Trip to Chuck E. Cheese!” Audrey loved it though, so we’ll go back I’m sure. Hope, Sunnie, Ben, and Mom went along for the fun, but it was way too chaotic for me to get many pictures.

Zoo

2011-10-30T20:18:00.001-05:00

Here are pictures from our trip to the Dallas Zoo last month. We had a lot of fun. It was an absolutely beautiful day in the middle of the week so we did not have to deal with a big crowd. Audrey had so much fun. She loved all the animals, but probably the giraffes most of all. She thought it was so funny how the giraffe had to spread his legs so far apart to bend down for a drink of water!

Daddy’s Girl

2011-10-14T23:15:00.001-05:00

Audrey is a major daddy’s girl right now! She is all about her dad. She has decided that daddy is the most fun to play babies with and even locks me out of her room when they are playing babies! I asked her why she likes to play babies with daddy and she said because “it’s so much fun!” She just leads him through the house pushing strollers, carrying babies and diaper bags. It’s so cute. And daddy really looks like he is having fun too! When Audrey really wants something from him, she reverts back to calling him “da-da” so, so sweetly…and it works everytime. Such a smart girl!

Slumber Parties!

2011-10-09T20:28:00.001-05:00

Audrey got to spend the night away from home a few times over the summer. She had “slumber parties” with Hope and Sunnie and Trey and Kaylee. Audrey loves spending time with these kids so much~definitely her favorite thing to do right now.

August Pictures

2011-10-09T20:18:00.001-05:00

Just a catch up of random pictures from August.

Rodeo

2011-10-01T10:26:00.001-05:00

I’m finally trying to do some catching up on my blogging. So here are some pictures from Rodeo at the end of July. Every year, we make all try to make to the Rodeo at least once. Now, I am not exactly always excited about this little excursion, but it usually ends up being fun. Audrey really loved it and this year was her first rodeo experience. I’ve gotten out it the past couple of years because Audrey was too young to enjoy it, but this year, there was no getting out of it. Hope and Sunnie talked about it so much that Audrey was bound and determined to go. Plus, my nephew was riding his horse, Dixie, in the grand entry.

So off we went to the Rodeo. Audrey was such a good girl at the Rodeo! I was worried that she would not want to sit in the stands and watch the whole thing, but she did. She loves cows and horses and she just sat there like a big girl. Toward the end of the night, seeing kids walk back and forth in front of us with glow in the dark toys and necklaces and anything else you can think of got to be a little too much for her. So Misty and Sunnie went down to get a little something for Audrey and Heath. And what did they come back with……glow-in-the dark, flashing pacifiers! You have got to be kidding me….but Audrey thought it was about the coolest thing she had ever seen in her life, so we just had fun with it.

It ended up being a really fun night, even for the end of July, in Texas, during the hottest summer ever! I think it was probably at least 100 throughout the entire event, at least until dark, then it might have cooled down to 98 or so. But we toughed it out. And glad we did because we got to see Tyler ride Dixie in the Grand Entry and just a month or so later, poor Dixie developed some health problems and now resides in horsey heaven. I just hate that I didn’t get a decent picture of those two that night, but I am sure my mom or sisters did.

Family Beach Photo Shoot

2011-09-03T23:04:00.001-05:00

Audrey’s Beach Photo Shoot

2011-09-03T22:52:00.001-05:00

More Vacation Pictures

2011-08-28T18:33:00.001-05:00

Still posting pictures from our vacation to Orange Beach, Alabama back in July. I am a little behind. I just had so many good pictures of everyone, especially the kids. So don’t be surprised to at least one more vacation post!

Bikini Body

2011-08-21T21:21:00.001-05:00

Orange Beach, AL

2011-08-02T19:56:00.001-05:00

Audrey had a ball the entire trip. She loved the pools and beach. She was a little scared of the ocean and waves because the first day we were there the waves were pretty rough, but by the end of the week, it was so calm and she was finally getting used to it. She did have a lot of fun in the sand, but like her mama, she really prefers cleanliness all the time, so the sand all over her and her stuff was a little bothersome. She had a great time in in the sand until she got wet, then it was not so fun anymore and she would be ready to go “cean up and get in da pool!” These are just a few pictures from the beach and pool. More to come….

Vacation (On the way)

2011-08-02T19:33:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, we packed up and headed to the beach with Jeff’s family. We had such a good time. I was a little worried about the 11 hour drive for Audrey with her history of motion sickness, plus the fact that she’s two and half and just gets tired of being in the car, but she did so great. Granted she was drugged up most of the time to prevent car sickness, but still, she was a good girl. These pictures were taken along the way. We stopped in Vicksburg, MS and in Mobile, AL. In Mobile, we visited the USS Alabama and the submarine there. Audrey loved the bunks in the sub. Everything was so cramped and tiny, she thought it was for kids.

Miss Priss

2011-07-10T23:21:00.002-05:00

Our little Audrey is one girly girl! If you ever see us out and about, Audrey will most likely have on bracelets, necklaces, headbands and/or bows and will either have a backpack or purse filled with toys, make-up, cell phones, etc. She most certainly has her own sense of style. And she loves all things pink. If she had her way, the whole world would be pink. I love it, she is something else!

More Summer Fun Pics

2011-07-10T23:12:00.001-05:00

Our summer fun continues… We are a summer loving family, so you won’t catch us hiding out inside much, even on all these 100 plus degree days!

4th of July

2011-07-10T23:04:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th of July! We spent the fourth at my parents house. Audrey had a ball with all the kids as always. We watched the fireworks show at the lake from mom and dad’s house and then had our own fireworks show courtesy of my nephews and cousins. Audrey wasn’t too comfortable with the big fireworks unless they were really far away. She doesn’t like the loud noises they make. But she did like holding a sparkler all on her own and thought she was pretty big stuff!

Father’s Day

2011-07-02T10:28:00.001-05:00

There is just something special about daddies and their little girls…

Summer Fun

2011-07-02T10:22:00.001-05:00

We love summer! Audrey has been having the best time the past few weeks. We’ve spent a lot of time playing with cousins and lots of time in the pool. Audrey can’t get enough of either one. She even got to have sleepovers with both sets of her cousins when Jeff and I went out of town for a couple of days. She loved it…..until bedtime!

Mother’s Day

2011-06-07T20:06:00.001-05:00

My beautiful baby girl!

Mother’s Day was wonderful this year. Got to spend the whole day with my girl and had a chance to celebrate with all the other mothers who mean so much to me too. We celebrated with Jeff’s mom, grandma and sister on Friday night and then with my mom, sister’s and grandma on Sunday.

I thank God every day for giving me the chance to be a mommy! Audrey is my pride and joy. Sometimes I look at her and can’t believe she’s actually mine, she’s a dream come true. I love every little thing about her.

I also thank God every day for my mom. I am so blessed to have her as my mom and Audrey’s grandma. My mom keeps Audrey for us while we work and it is such a blessing. I cannot imagine having been able to leave my baby anywhere else and I am so thankful for my mom (and dad!) for the sacrifices they make in their life so that they are able to help us with Audrey.

My Silly Girl

2011-05-11T23:29:00.000-05:00

Cuties

2011-05-11T23:21:00.000-05:00

More Pictures from Easter Weekend

2011-05-11T23:14:00.000-05:00

Easter

2011-04-26T23:03:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday and got to celebrate this special holiday with both sides of the family. We went to Church twice, had two family dinners, two Easter egg hunts, and lots of fun. More pictures to come….

Bluebonnets

2011-04-26T22:53:00.001-05:00

Taking pictures in the bluebonnets was not as fun as we thought it would be, so there weren’t many good ones to post. Audrey found them to be too big, too tall and itchy.

Sweet Kids

2011-04-26T22:44:00.001-05:00

The Easter Bunny

2011-04-26T20:56:00.001-05:00

Mom, Carmen and I took Audrey, Hope and Heath to breakfast with the Easter Bunny a few weekends before Easter. Heath liked the Easter Bunny, Hope liked the Easter Bunny, and Audrey emphatically disliked the Easter Bunny. So Audrey was a little out of sorts at the breakfast, but cheered up for the egg hunt later when the Easter Bunny disappeared. It was fun anyway.

Audrey’s face when I asked her for the last time whether she would like a picture with the Easter Bunny. I took that as a “no.”

Aunt Hope

2011-03-29T18:31:00.001-05:00

How fun would it be to have a six year old aunt! Audrey is one lucky little girl to have her Hopie!

Spring Break

2011-03-29T18:26:00.001-05:00

We spent most of spring break in the house or very close to it this year because Audrey came down with Fifth’s disease right when our week of fun was supposed to start. Although she did not feel bad the whole week, she definitely wasn’t herself. Sunnie and Hope both had Fifth’s disease in the last few weeks, so I had a feeling Audrey would come down with it too. She is pretty much all better now. Still has a little bit of a rash, but her doctor said that was normal and it might come and go for 4-5 weeks.

Two Little Monkeys

2011-03-29T18:12:00.001-05:00

Heath and Audrey had a slumber party a few weekends ago. Audrey was so happy he got to stay at her house and play with her all night long. They had so much fun and so did I. Audrey was especially excited that they both had monkey pajamas to wear, which was very appropriate for these two!

Ben’s Birthday

2011-03-17T00:51:00.001-05:00

Okay, this makes me feel old! My third nephew, Ben, turned 16! I was a senior in high school when he was born….We all had dinner together to celebrate his big day (he’s the cute guy in the fedora).

Ben, Hope & Bradley

Heath signing Ben’s card.

Don’t know if she was going for a hug or a headlock….

Audrey just can’t keep her hands off of “Baby Heath” (that’s what she always calls him).

Nana’s 60!

2011-03-15T11:05:00.001-05:00

Nana turned 60 on March 2nd, so we all celebrated with a weekend in Dallas, eating, shopping, and hanging out at the hotel pool. The kids had a great time swimming and we all enjoyed spending time together for Nana’s birthday. Audrey still loves the water; a long winter hasn’t changed that. She still thinks she can swim, so we have to watch her like a hawk!

Miss Attitude!

You can see why Audrey and Kaylee had a bed to themselves. No one wants to sleep with these wild girls!

February

2011-03-15T10:44:00.001-05:00

February sure did fly by! I hardly had time to break out the camera all month!

Snow Days!

2011-02-09T15:15:00.001-06:00

We’ve been having a lot of these lately! Certainly more snow this winter than I ever remember. Audrey has loved having mommy home with her all day long on our snow days and I love it too. We’ve ventured out a couple of times, but Audrey is no fan of the snow. She says it is “too big” and “too cold.” She had more fun her second experience in the snow because she had some playmates, Sunnie Kay, Hope, and Ben, but she still did not last long. At least she humored me long enough to get some pictures of her enjoying her first times to play in the snow.

Audrey

2011-02-09T14:31:00.001-06:00

Our Little Longhorn

2011-02-07T18:18:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Audrey!!!!

2011-02-06T14:58:00.001-06:00

Audrey turned two years old on December 26th. I absolutely cannot believe she is already two. The past two years with her have been the best of our lives and they have gone by so quickly! We are so excited to see her grow into a beautiful little girl, but there is a little part of us that longs to keep her our baby forever. I guess that is what it’s like being a parent and I am so blessed to be able to experience it with Audrey.

Dora the Explorer was our party theme and Audrey loves nothing more than Dora right now, so she was in heaven. All our favorite people were able to come which made the day even more special.

Here are some things Audrey is up to at age two. She loves Dora the Explorer as I mentioned earlier and also Max and Ruby. Those are her favorite cartoons. She loves, loves, loves playing with her dolls and with her kitchen set. She also loves to clean. Audrey helps me sweep and dust around the house all the time. She even has her own vacuum which she uses when I use mine. Audrey adores Buddy and he loves her too. Every night she has to give him a hug and kiss before she goes to sleep. They are great playmates. Audrey also loves to play with all her cousins and her little Aunt Hope.

She talks all the time and speaks very clearly, which is surprising because she does keep her pacifier in her mouth as much as possible We try to make her take it out when she talks though, so maybe that has helped. Already I have gotten some criticism about the fact that Audrey still has her paci. We do plan to take it away from her at some point, but right now, I am okay with it. It is something that is soothing and comforting to her and we will transition away from it when I feel it will be least traumatic for her. We are working on potty training but have not made a lot of progress yet. I am thinking when the weather gets a little warmer and we aren’t always so bundled up in layers of clothing we will get a little more serious about it.

At her two year check-up, Audrey weighed 28.5 lbs and was about 32 inches tall. She is now in the 50th percentile for both weight and height. Everyone says she seems to be “slimming down.” Her hair is still curly, but getting a little straighter on the top and front, so I am thinking the curls won’t last. I know I am a little biased, but I am certain she is the most adorable little girl in the world.

Personality wise, Audrey is Audrey! She is like no one else. She is strong-willed, dramatic, a little stubborn (a lot actually), but also so sweet, tender, and loveable. She is very affectionate. Audrey is funny and loves to make you laugh and she loves to laugh herself. When she laughs, you can’t help but laugh with her.

So that’s a little about our Audrey Elizabeth. I could go on and on and on and on about her, but I will spare you.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Audrey. We love you so very, very much! You have been the sweetest blessing to our lives and we are so thankful for you!

Christmas Day

2011-02-06T13:53:00.001-06:00

We spent the rest of Christmas day with Jeff’s family at his mom and Frantz’s house. Audrey always has fun playing with Trey and Kaylee. We ate dinner, then opened tons of presents! And Audrey played and played and played. Then we all went driving around town to look at Christmas lights. It was the perfect end to a beautiful Christmas. And once again, I did not get all the pictures I wanted to. But I did get several good ones of the kids, that’s who everyone wants to see anyway!

Christmas Morning

2011-02-06T00:10:00.001-06:00

Christmas morning at our house was so much fun this year! We actually woke Audrey up because we were so excited. She was a little confused at first I think, but then she noticed the Dora chair and realized all those gifts were for her. She had a good time looking everything over and trying everything out. It was so cute! Last year Audrey really didn’t get too excited, but this year she was definitely into it. It was a really wonderful Christmas morning in our little family.

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-02-05T17:36:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve with my side of the family was the kick-off for our holiday celebrations this year. As usual, we spent time at my parents house. This year we all attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service at their church. It was beautiful. Then we dinner at mom and dad’s, dessert at my grandma’s with even more family, and then back to my parents to open lots and lots of presents. Audrey had a ball! Before we open presents, Dad always reads us the story of Jesus’ birth from the Bible. He has done this as long as I can remember and it is such a precious tradition for us. Even the kids seems to know it’s important and sit still and listen. It was a tough year for us with Wade not being there. He has been a part of my Christmas Eve since I was a little kid. We all did our very best to make this Christmas special and we have all learned a whole lot this year about treasuring the time we have together, so that’s what we did. Unfortunately, I did not get as many good pictures as I would have liked. Keeping up with a two year old during Christmas is a full-time job!

Ty Ty

2010-12-14T20:11:00.001-06:00

Audrey loves hanging out with her cousin Tyler, she calls him Ty Ty. And even though Ty Ty is fourteen now, he doesn't mind hanging with Audrey every now and then. Sweet Tyler, we love you!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2010-12-05T15:47:00.003-06:00

Audrey's great-grandma celebrated her 82nd birthday the weekend after Thanksgiving. Happy Birthday Grandma, we love you!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T19:23:00.002-06:00

Our Thanksgiving was a happy one. We got to spend the whole day close to home. First we had lunch at Nana's house and then headed to PaPa (Audrey actually calls him that, the first of his grandchildren to do so) and Becky's house for dinner. Audrey had the best time playing with all the kids. Here are some pictures from both our celebrations. We are so thankful for our families!

Pumpkins!

2010-11-21T00:35:00.006-06:00

Recently we visited the Dallas Arboretum for the first time and it was so much fun. We went with dad, mom, Hope, and Sunnie. Audrey has been obsessed with "punkies" this year, so she was very impressed. As you can see from some of the pictures, Audrey is on the move all the time. She drove us nuts all day, running off just as we tried to snap a picture. She's a busy bee for sure. We all had such a fun day. Can't wait to do it again!

Halloween Part II

2010-11-21T00:08:00.006-06:00

We finished up our Halloween weekend trick-or -treating and going to our Church festival. First we visited Jeff's grandma, then headed to my grandma's house where we met up with a simply adorable little bumble-bee and the cutest little monkey. Then we stopped by my friend Tracy's house before heading to the church festival with Nana, Becky, Ty, Sunnie and Hope. After that, Audrey, Nana, and I did a little neighborhood trick-or-treating. It was a busy night and our little lady bug was worn out by the time we got home, but she had a wonderful time. I had hoped to have better pictures, but Audrey never sits still long enough to get a good shot.

Halloween Part I

2010-10-30T23:53:00.003-05:00

Our Halloween started Friday night with the Halloween on the Square. Audrey got to trick-or-treat with one of her favorite girls, Hope Marie. They were the two cutest little insects I've ever seen! More pictures to come....

State Fair

2010-10-23T01:28:00.005-05:00

We headed to the State Fair a few weekends ago with Nana, Lori, Trey, and Kaylee. Audrey is happy anytime, anywhere, when she gets to hang out with KK and Bo (Kaylee & Trey). She loved the carousel of course and had lots of fun at the Little Hands on the Farm exhibit. Hopefully enough fun to last a few years....it was super crowded the day we went and Jeff has vowed that it will be a long time before he is ready to go back again. Maybe we can talk him into it again next year. Audrey seems to have her daddy wrapped around her little finger, so I wouldn't be surprised.

First Ride on the Merry-Go-Round

2010-10-23T01:21:00.003-05:00

At the Fannin County Fair this year, Audrey got to experience the carousel for the first time. She loved every second of it. She rode several times with me or Misty. The only problem was that she did not feel that she needed someone beside her to help her hold on, so much of the ride was spent trying to pry our arms away from her so she could do it all by herself. This is a common theme lately for Miss Independent!

All Smiles

2010-10-23T01:16:00.002-05:00

How much fun would it be to have a five year old aunt to hang with all the time? Audrey is so blessed to have Hope in her life, we all are.

Park

2010-10-23T01:09:00.004-05:00

The park is a fun place for Audrey these days. Especially with all this beautiful weather. We manage to get there at least one evening during week and once or twice most weekends. She loves, loves, loves to swing, or "wiiiiiing," as she calls it. Leaving the park is never easy, it breaks her little heart every time.

Spray Butter or Hair Product?

2010-10-23T00:59:00.004-05:00

Whenever I attempt to cook dinner (not that often), Audrey amuses herself by sitting right inside the refrigerator door and checking everything out. This works out pretty good actually because I can easily keep an eye on her and dinner. What is so funny though is that she is obsessed with the spray butter. Every time she gets in the fridge, it's the first thing she goes for. Then she starts trying to spray it on her hair. Apparently, she has witnessed a whole lot more of me primping in the bathroom and fixing my hair than fixing dinner...

Our Little Golfer

2010-10-21T20:54:00.004-05:00

Audrey loves going to golf course with her daddy. She loves getting into his golf bag and taking out all the tees and balls. She also likes to get ahold of his clubs whenever she can. Jeff is already counting on Audrey getting a golf scholarship for college, so we are starting early. Hopefully, she will take after her daddy and not me when it comes to playing golf!

Silly Kids

2010-10-21T20:44:00.001-05:00

If it isn't a broken camera, it's a crashed computer, which is why it has been so long since my last post. So the next few posts will just be catch up pictures from the last couple of months. These are just some of the kids being their usual silly selves.

Cuties

2010-09-11T01:17:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we were bored and decided to get the kids all color-coordinated and do a mini photoshoot. It didn't turn out as planned, of course. With two babies, it usually doesn't huh! Poor little Heath fell out of his chair in the first picture and was not happy from that point on. Audrey was happy, but totally uncooperative. We did manage to get a few cute ones though. At least we can always count on Hope and Sunnie to pose like pros.

A Family Heirloom

2010-09-11T01:09:00.003-05:00

This is the gown Audrey wore for her Dedication. My mother made the gown years ago for my niece and Audrey was able to wear it. It's absolutely precious! Hopefully there will be lots of other little girls down the line in our family who will also be dedicated in it. I hung it up in her room to get a good picture, but it looked so sweet, I've decided to keep it there for awhile before it goes back into mom's cedar chest.

Our Evenings

2010-09-11T00:55:00.002-05:00

Audrey loves to play outside, it's just about her favorite thing to do. She loves to play in her baby pool and in her Dora car. Most evenings, we end up playing in the yard until the mosquitos chase us off. Here are a few pictures of Audrey on a typical summer evening for the Arie household.

Dedication

2010-08-22T17:02:00.006-05:00

Audrey's baby dedication at our church was on August 15th. It was such a beautiful day for us. We were so proud to have Audrey dedicated and hope that we are able to help cultivate a love for Jesus in her as our parents and church families did for us. All the family on both sides were able to attend, so Audrey was a pretty popular girl that morning. She is so blessed to have so many people who love her so much. Both of Audrey's great-grandmothers were able to be there with us which is a memory I know we will always treasure. We are so thankful God chose to bless us with Audrey Elizabeth and I know He has a special plan for her life.

Buddies

2010-08-16T19:51:00.003-05:00

Audrey also got to play with her friend, Cash on Saturday. Cash is one of my best friend's sons. He is three months older than Audrey. They were really cute together.

Birthday Party Fun

2010-08-16T19:26:00.006-05:00

These are pictures from my cousin's baby girl's first birthday party. Audrey had a ball! She ran and played with the kids the entire time. She was worn out and fell asleep as soon as we got in the car.

Watch Dog

2010-08-16T19:20:00.003-05:00

Buddy never gets too far away from his little Audrey. He is such a good dog and is so gentle with her. We have to watch them closely because Audrey is all over Buddy all the time, more to protect him than her! She loves him as much as he loves her. She is always petting him and trying to hug him. She even tries to get him to wear her crown and one time I found her attempting to put high heels on him. Good thing he is such a pleasant dog!

Pizza Princess

2010-08-09T19:52:00.002-05:00

Wonder if all princesses wear their crowns when they eat pizza?

18 Months! (A little late...)

2010-08-09T15:33:00.003-05:00

Audrey was a year and half on June 26th. This post is late because I have been having camera issues all summer. So even though she is nineteen and half months old now, I didn't want to let this milestone pass with a post. I cannot believe our baby girl is a year and half! This has been the best 18 months of our lives and we are still in awe of the fact that we actually have her. Just last night as I was getting her out of her bath, it hit me again how thankful and blessed I am to have her and I got a little teary-eyed. Seeing family and friends whose kids are graduating and heading off to college makes me realize how precious these times are and I intend to cherish them. We love you so much sweet Audrey, happy year and half birthday!!!

Strollin'

2010-08-05T22:29:00.003-05:00

Audrey and Heath in mom's double stroller. These two are so cute together! I can only imagine all the fun they are going to have growing up with one another.

Silly Girls Tea Party

2010-08-05T22:22:00.002-05:00

Audrey, Sunnie, and Hope at my parent's house having one of their "tea parties." Audrey loves playing with the girls. She follows them around like a shadow and has very little time for anyone or anything else at time like these.

Our Little Monkey

2010-08-04T20:28:00.005-05:00

Just one example of Audrey in a precarious position. This one was not so dangerous that I minded grabbing my camera to take a picture. Our little one is a monkey! She climbs on any and everything. So far, her most worrisome feats have been the climb onto the dining room table, onto her highchair tray, and out of her baby bed. We had moved her mattress to the lowest possible setting and figured there was no way she could climb out because the top rail is above her chest when she stands in the bed. How wrong we were! One night she just walked into the living room. We put her back in bed and asked her how she got out and she proudly demonstrated. We never really figured out what happens after the part where she is on her tummy straddling the top rail because it was so scary I just grabbed her off, but our guess is that she just falls to the floor. So needless to say, we now have a toddler bed and are working on getting everything in her room ready for her to be sleeping unconfined. I can only imagine how that is going to go....

Want Poooool!!!!

2010-08-04T20:02:00.006-05:00

Audrey loves, loves, loves the water. She begs every night (and usually gets her way) to play in her baby pool in the backyard. She spends most her time in the pool filling a cup with water and pouring right on top or her head or in her face!

Audrey in the Kitchen

2010-08-04T19:47:00.005-05:00

This is what Audrey does when I am in the kitchen cooking or cleaning (I do a lot more cleaning than cooking!). She has the most fun getting into the cabinet with the pots and pans or sitting right inside the refrigerator door taking stuff out and putting it back in.

Summer Fun

2010-06-20T22:40:00.003-05:00

Just a few pictures of all the fun we've been having so far this summer. Audrey loves to be outside more than anything else right now. She loves swimming especially and has absolutely no fear of the water (or anything else for that matter, it seems). She is such a little dare-devil...so unlike her mother!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T22:26:00.004-05:00

Audrey and I are so thankful for all the fathers, grandfathers, and uncles in our lives today and all the ones who are no longer with us. These are some pictures from Father's Day 2010.

He Did It!

2010-06-20T22:21:00.002-05:00

Just a couple of pictures from Caleb's High School graduation night. We are so proud of him!

2010-06-01T19:12:00.002-05:00

Caleb, my oldest nephew is graduating from High School on Friday night! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. Caleb was my first experience with a baby and I was so in love with him from the moment he arrived. He's a really special guy and I know he is going to do great things in life. We are all so very proud of him. This picture is from his Bacculaurate service last Sunday.

Zoo

2010-06-01T18:55:00.002-05:00

Jeff, Audrey and I went to the zoo over the weekend. Audrey seemed to have a really good time. She would point and laugh at the animals, but really got bored with them pretty quickly. She actually wanted to spend most of the time in her stroller with her snacks and juice, believe it or not! But when she did want out of her stroller, she walked around like she owned the place, she has a tendancy to do that wherever she is. It was a fun day!

Princess Audrey

2010-05-18T20:02:00.006-05:00

For a girl with an aversion to hairbows, she sure does love a tiara...

Mother's Day

2010-05-15T23:08:00.004-05:00

My second Mother's Day!!! I can't believe the time has flown by so quickly. This year, we had lunch with Nana, Aunt Lori and her family, and Grandma. Then we headed out to my parent's house to have dinner with my mom, grandma, sister's and their families. It was a good day, but I didn't get as many pictures as I planned to. With my mom though, we did manage to get a good picture of her with her four daughters, and then a group picture of all the girls. Being a mom is so wonderful and makes Mother's Day even more special. I am so thankful for my beautiful baby girl and for all the mothers in my life!

Audrey's New Ride

2010-05-15T23:00:00.004-05:00

I found the cutest Cozy Coupe car on Craig's List for Audrey. She absolutely loves it. It's the Dora the Explorer addition. Dora is Audrey's favorite right now.

Check Out the Curls!

2010-04-18T00:05:00.004-05:00

I don't know why I'm surprised Audrey has such curly hair. It could have come from either side of the family because there are some beautiful curls on both, but somehow I never expected Audrey to end up with curls. I sure do love it though! But then again, I love every little thing about her....

Easter

2010-04-17T22:59:00.008-05:00

This Easter was fun for Audrey. Last year she was too young to participate in any of the really fun stuff like Easter egg hunts and of course, eating lots of chocolate candy, but she made up for it big time this year! We went to early Church and then had lunch and Easter Egg Hunt #1 at our house. After that we headed out to Wolf Hill for the annual Easter Egg Hunt at my Grandma's house. Audrey had lots of fun playing with her cousins all day and eating way too much candy. Hope practiced Easter egg hunting with Audrey every day for about a week before, and she must be one good little teacher, because Audrey looked like a pro. Although it was really tough weekend for my family, still reeling from the tragic loss of my brother-in-law, Wade, everyone did their best to make sure things were as normal as possible for the kids. Family is just so very important and I am so thankful Audrey has such a wonderful one. Please keep my sister and nephews in your prayers during this difficult time.

Future Swim Suit Model

2010-03-19T15:26:00.004-05:00

The other day, mom got out one of Hope's swimsuits from her first summer here. She was three and half. The swimsuit is a size 2T and fits Audrey like a glove. Looks like my big girl is ready for swimsuit season!

Hangin with the Kids

2010-03-19T15:11:00.003-05:00

My attempt to get a picture of my 5 nephews, niece, baby sister, and baby girl all together. Not as easy as it sounds.

Bath Time!

2010-03-17T14:48:00.004-05:00

Audrey absolutely loves to to take a bath. I think bath time might be her favorite time of the day. She has so much fun in the tub. She plays pee-pie with her washcloth (couldn't capture a good picture of that), only she says "pie-pie," it's so cute!

Happy Birthday Nana!

2010-03-01T21:28:00.004-06:00

Okay, so last year on Nana's birthday, we made a card for her and precious little two month old Audrey posed so sweetly with it. It was so cute, we thought we would do it again this year. Only now, Audrey is 14 months old and not nearly as cooperative as she used to be. So here is what we ended up with. The pictures aren't perfect, but they are still cute. I posted a picture from last year too. Thank goodness this is the last year we will have to wish Nana a happy birthday from afar because it is wearing me out! Next year, we'll just pop over to her house and do the whole thing in person. So, happy birthday, Nana, we love you!

One Year Photos

2010-02-14T20:01:00.005-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T16:55:00.004-06:00

Audrey was not in the mood to cooperate for pictures today. She wouldn't hold her Valentine bear, cards, candy heart, or take her pacifier out of her mouth. But she wishes everyone a happy day anyway!

Snow Day

2010-02-14T16:47:00.002-06:00

Snow Day! Friday, every school in North Texas was closed and I did not have to go to work. I spent the morning snuggled up with Audrey and enjoyed every minute of it. Later that afternoon, Carmen brought baby Heath over to stay with us while she went to the basketball game. He is sooooo sweet! Heath is just a beautiful little boy as you can clearly see, I guess beautiful babies just run in our family, huh:)! Audrey was a pretty good girl, just a little bit jealous. She only stole his pacifier and bottle a few times, so overall, it was a success.

Snow, Snow, Snow!

2010-02-14T16:25:00.004-06:00

I could not let the biggest snow in Texas history go by without Audrey at least getting to have a little fun in it. It was super cold and so wet, but we bundled her up and let her play with Hope and Misty in the snow for a few minutes. Audrey thought it was big fun at first, then she tried to walk and face-planted into the snow since it was so deep. After that, she'd had enough. I got some pictures though. I'll show her these when she is older and in school wishing for the snow day that happens so rarely around here.

Don't worry, this is not where Audrey sleeps....

2010-02-02T22:10:00.005-06:00

This is an ongoing issue in our house. Audrey wants what Buddy has. Everything, from Buddy's toys and bones to his bed. It used to be the other way around, but now that Audrey is so mobile, the tables have turned. Buddy is such a sweet dog and he is so gentle with Audrey. I know she is going to have so many good times with him over the years and lots of fond memories of her Buddy forever. She can even say "Buddy"~ when she wants to.

My Big Girl

2010-02-02T21:55:00.004-06:00

Audrey is just growing up so fast. Everyday she seems to be doing something new. She loves wondering around the house, getting into anything she can. She practically runs everywhere she goes, she is definitely full of energy. We got to see Nana this weekend and Audrey always loves that. She is still the happiest little girl. She loves going to church, shopping, or just about anywhere people are and she usually has a big smile for anyone who looks her way. We are just a tiny bit proud of her:)!

Audrey's Favorite Toy

2010-01-21T21:38:00.003-06:00

Nana bought Audrey a "Busy Ball Popper" for Christmas and it definitely Audrey's favorite toy. It's noisy and pops balls up in the air and she just thinks it's the most hysterical thing ever. She is so cute playing with it. Good investment for anyone who wants to keep a busy little one year old entertained, at least for a few minutes at a time.