Ellie on video!

"High Stakes" Parenting Conference Video from Steve V on Vimeo.

Schedules.....

I was going to get some mommy opinions on if at any point after the first year you felt like your kids schedules started to change? Ellie is a little over 3 and takes a nap 3-4 days a week. On those days she goes to bed at 8:30 or so. If she does not take a nap then she goes to bed at 7:30. I'm wondering how long I should expect her to nap? I know that no matter what she will have quiet time in her room for at least an hour. Anna is the one who is changing like crazy. It seems like all summer she would take these crazy 3-4 hour naps in the afternoon. She still takes a good nap, but it is more like 2 hours. It really is not long enough for her cause instead of waking up at 4:30-5:00. She wakes up at 3:30 or 4 and is really cranky. Tonight, I put her to bed at 6:45 and she was totally ready. She hasn't made it past 7:30 this entire week. I don't know whether to try and go back to her old schedule in which she went to bed later or just work with this new one and let her go to bed by 7:00. Ellie doesn't have meltdowns no matter what amount of sleep she gets which is really nice. Anna is like her mama she needs her sleep!

It is starting to feel like Fall....

Today, it rained and I loved it cause it dropped below 80 degrees! It was so nice and we now have a pumpkin for our front porch. Here are some more pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch!

What a difference a year makes!

We went to a pumpkin patch by our house tonight that a local church sponsors. We drive by it everyday and the girls always notice it. We had a great time and couldn't help to think that last year Anna was just a baby. She has changed and grown so much. Tonight, we couldn't keep her from running all over the place. They loved it! I also noticed how my awesome husband has lost 20 lbs. since last year. He's worked so hard and is looking so good! People notice it all the time and I know he's going to do awesome at the marathon in december. I can't say that I've lost 20 lbs., but I have changed a lot since last October. We are so thankful to not be "new" anymore and feel so blessed to have friends and our church! I will post more pictures soon. I have to go to bed cause 6 2yr. olds will have me busy tomorrow at pre-school!

I've been tagged....

My friends Tasha and Stacy tagged me and because I needed a new post on something besides our toddler filled lives, I am participating!

THE RULES::

* Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

* Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.

* Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

* Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

...Here you have it, folks: 7 Random Facts about me:

1.) I've lived in lots of different states such as Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Texas. My favorite of all is a tie between NC and VA. They are both beautiful and so unique in different ways.

2.) Since we've moved to Texas I have developed a strong craving for chips and guacomole. I love it and could eat it for my meal. Many parties here have it for an appetizer. I want to make it soon!

3.) Mike and I love to travel. We bought a timeshare off of ebay in seminary and it has been so much fun to get to go on vacation and stay at really great resorts. I feel like we work the system and get great use out of it. We are going to FL in November along with some free airline tickets from our air miles it makes for a pretty cheap trip!

4.) I grew up with all my family pretty much in the same town. I went to school across from my grandparents house and I stayed with them all the time. I loved having all my family right there. I have such fond memories of everyone being at my games or track meets. I loved Friday night dinners at Luby's or Sunday lunch at my grandparents house. I was really spoiled as a child with so much love and I had my grandma wrapped around my finger. We were really good friends and I miss her a lot as she passed away last year.

5.) I really want to adopt someday. It has been something I've always wanted to do and feel like it is a way I am gifted and have always seen it as a way to totally change someone's life. We will see when and if it happens, but I pray it does!

6.) I like to take a short nap almost every day. It is becoming way more difficult now with preschool and Ellie getting older. I function so much better if I can get 20 minutes of doing nothing on the couch in the afternoon.

7.) I like to cook and it has become somewhat of a hobby for me which is exciting to have something these days. I love to do it on days when the girls are both asleep in the afternoon. I brew some iced tea, turn on the ipod, and follow a new recipe. It is such a relaxing way to get dinner done opposed to when they wake up which is next to impossible.

I would love to hear 7 random facts about you. So I tag:

Amy
Cassie
Katrina
Katie
Jenn
Amy

Camp Barnabas

Barnabas 08 from Watermark Student Ministries on Vimeo.
Here's a video Mike and Bode put together talking about their trip to Camp Barnabas this past summer. Get some kleenex!

Saturday Night Live....

Well, since we are home on a Saturday night I thought I might catch up on the blog. We've had a good week and are home tonight watching our friends kiddos while they are out. We love them cause they return the favor often. It works out really well. Mike is watching the "Ultimate Fighting Championships" and is a little bummed cause the guy he wanted to watch is hurt. The guy also had a guy who is on staff at watermark in his corner (long story). However, we are still watching it and I don't really see why anyone would ever want to fight this way and it could be interesting when it is the ladies turn! Here are some random things from our week:

1.) I took Ellie and her friend to see the movie "Space Chimps" today at the dollar theater. I am very glad we did not spend more than a dollar on this movie. They loved it and thought it was so funny!

2.) Our classic pink toilet from 1959 broke this week. We now have a new one that our friend Russ installed in 3o minutes! We still have our pink tile, sink, and tub.

3.) It is supposed to be fall in Dallas, but it is still 90 degrees on most days. It is getting very old.

4.) Mike is training for a marathon in December and he is doing so good! He's up to 13 miles and is looking good. I think I am training for the 1/2, but it changes all the time cause of my crazy schedule, kids, etc.....

5.) Anna is talking/singing all the time now and it is very cute. She's becoming not so attached to mommy at home which is very nice.

6.) We cleaned out the garage all day and it looks so much better. I now need to do the house!

7.) Our good friend Sean came down for the weekend. He was Mike's roommate from college. We had a great time seeing him.

8.) We have been here for one year now and feel so blessed. We love our church and all that God is doing it here. It really is amazing to be a part of it all.

9.) Can you believe the election is in one month. A lot is about to change no matter who wins. I think we have lots of surprises still in this last month.

10.) I am reading the newest Karen Kingsbury book and it is so good. I'm sad I'm almost through with it.

8.)