sweet animals.

how sweet are these little stuffed animals for your favorite little one. they are a little on the pricey side, but would be such a neat keepsake. 

you can buy one here. 

yesterday i cried. 

i cried because the holiday season is over. but not just that. i was sad that Little S' first Halloween, Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas + New Year's has come to and end. as a first time parent, i have dreamed about these "first." it's hard not to want these first moments to be perfect. did i take enough pictures? was her costume as good as i hoped it to be? 

and in reality it was. it all was pretty perfect. 

these are all such insignificant things though. in light of recent current events, i am just blessed that i have a healthy baby girl. she is here, and she is mine. what more could i ask for? it's easy to wish for perfection when it comes to menial things, but she is perfect. we are so blessed. 

kickin' off the year right.

so i (along with majority of society) am vowing to get fit + healthy (again) in 2013. my post baby body needs a little work, and with the holidays hitting right after the baby i have been going non stop. now that everything has slowed down, it's time to put important things (like my health) first. 

after husband and i got married, we would go to the gym together every week. it was kind of like our thing. as busy as he got during the day, it was nice having an hour to check out with him and talk. it is one thing that i miss these days. 

now that we have the little miss, i can't go to the gym like i used to. they have childcare, but i'm not ready to send her to that sickly environment. with that said, i have to get creative. being that it is winter and has been very cold, going for a walk or running isn't always an option. i bought some free weights and a workout dvd, and i am planning on trying it out this week. we have a wii, so i am considering get the wii zumba but wanted to make sure i would do it before i spent the money. 

regardless of what i decide to do to exercise, it would be a lot more motivating to get going (besides the fact that spring break wil be here before i know it) if i had some new kicks. i love all the colors nike has come out with these days. 

you can find this pair here. 

christmas traditions.

me on my 3rd Christmas (i was a december baby) 

as a little girl, my mom has always been big on making traditions. she is a perfectionist as holidays come (which i in return have inherited) and has always strived to make them special. 

a few of our traditions growing up...


1. holiday baking: we would always take a night and bake as many different kinds of cookies that we could fit in. one of our favorites was sugar cookie cut outs. we would always take pride in decorating them as best that we could.
2. christmas eve at my dad's parents: my grandmother would cook lunch, and then we would open gifts. we always got 4 gifts...2 toys and 2 outfits. it was fun as a kid to get a sneak peek of christmas.
3. candle light service at the baptist church: we would dress up in our christmas best and sing our favorite songs. Now as adults we get mad if they don't stick to the tried and true.
4. new pajamas: on christmas eve we would always open christmas pajamas. after we put them on my mom would present us with a new christmas book, and we would read it together under the tree.
5. pallets: on christmas eve we have always all slept on pallets on my parents bedroom floor. i have a child and husband and my brothers still requested that we do this this year.
6. christmas morning: we would come out of my parent's bedroom in order from youngest to oldest to see what Santa left us while Johnny Mathis plays in the background.

now that i have my own child, i look forward to making our own family traditions in the years to come. 

two_ months.

At two_months SKB...

weighs in at 12 lbs 
is 24 in long.. she is measuring long!
holds her head up by herself
smiles a lot!! and is starting to giggle
has flown in an airplane (twice)
traveled to another state (TX..this makes number 3)
been to her first college football game.. go aggies! (mommy's alma mater )
loves to mainly be held
went to church for the first time
met Santa
slept through the night for the first time
looks almost identical to mommy's baby pictures (minus daddy's eyes)
only loves milk from mommy (we are working on this)
continues to love the baby bjorn
loves to take naps with daddy
is starting to "coo" a lot more 
likes her baths
made her first trip to the Galleria in H-town

she's a growing girl!

november_1 : a lot to be thankful for

photo from our maternity shoot shot by david + tammy molnar

today is the first day of november. oh, what a year it has been. the husband + i have lots to be thankful for this year. i am constantly trying to take a step back + say "wow, we are so very blessed." 

most of all we are thankful for Jesus Christ. without him we would be nothing. i can't imagine fighting all my battles on my own. his love is unconditional + it is an amazing feeling knowing that we serve such a loving God.

so on this first day of november i want to thank him first. what a blessed year we have had.

happy 1 month sweet angel!

Little S is officially one month old. oh how time flies. i cannot believe she is already this old. i realize that in the grand scheme of she is not old at all, but it feels like she has already grown is much in the short amount of time. i want to take in every moment, every second of the day. i don't want to take anything for granted. i know understand what it means when mothers say they picture their children as babies because i know i will always see her this way. 

At one_month SKB...

weighs 10 whole lbs (22 in long)! 
is holding her head up very well for her age
starting to give me a little "smile"
is already has traveled through 2 states
seen the ocean
lived in two homes
has been to Starbucks numerous times
has made her first trip to Nordstrom
loves to be held
often is put in a milk coma
loves the baby bjorn
is a big fan of time with daddy
usually just wakes up once at night


basically we think she is pretty amazing...