Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Friday was Chris' 32nd birthday. We celebrated at home Thursday night. Ella decided Daddy would love some homemade pizza for dinner, so that's exactly what we made. Cade couldn't wait for it to be done! He kept saying, "Mmm, Momma!"

After dinner, it was time for presents!

Ella was very proud to read Daddy the special card they made just for him...

Love this one!

Ella wanted to give Daddy her gift first. It was a bucket full of goodies to clean and wash the cars. Daddy loved it!

Then Cade gave Daddy his gift- a Cowboys flag for his new office...

And a Cowboys t-shirt. Look at that cute, little finger! haha!

Then Daddy opened some new tennis shoes. "Wow, Dada!"

I got a picture with the birthday boy...

Then on to some cookie cake!! Yum! Ella picked this one out at the grocery, because pink and green are her favorite colors. =) Cade worked hard to place the candles...

Cade had been walking around all day singing Happy Birthday, so he was SO excited to finally get to sing it to Daddy. They sang their sweet, little hearts out, then made some birthday wishes...

1-2-3, blow!!

Happy birthday, Daddy!! We love you so much!

A sunny day... finally!

We finally saw some sunshine a few days ago and the kids couldn't wait to go to the park. They were so excited to run around and play and get some fresh air. We rode on the swings for the longest time... Wheee!

Everywhere Ella went, her shadow was sure to go!

Cade wanted to swing some more and Big Sis was more than happy to push him...

Down the slide together...

I'm hoping this sunshine is just a sneak peek of what's to come very soon!!

Popcorn!

Anyone for some popcorn??! Definitely a favorite night time snack in our house!

"Pop-tin, Momma!"

I love this one! This little guy can never shovel it in fast enough!

Lil' handyman

The highlight of doing housework =)

Baby belly

Yep, it's there! My baby belly at 18 weeks. "Hi, Baby! I Tade! Duv do!" (I Cade! Love you!)

This little boy is pretty much the sweetest thing I have ever seen!

This pregnancy is flying by! As awful as it sounds, I honestly get so busy sometimes that I forget I'm even pregnant. I feel good. Tired, but good. This pregnancy reminds me so much of my pregnancy with Ella- nausea that lasts all day, cravings for all things citrus, the way my body is changing. I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday and everything looks great. The baby's heart sounds so steady and strong. I get tears in my eyes every single time I hear that precious heartbeat! We have an ultrasound scheduled in two weeks. We're still not 100% sure of our dates. I'm measuring about 18 weeks, and we think that's about right, but I'm looking forward to having a more definitive due date. We also have two weeks to hash out our decision about finding out the gender. Chris absolutely wants to find out, while I want to wait and be surprised. We shall see... I know July is going to be here before we know it!

Seven great years

Chris and I celebrated seven wonderful years of marriage on Monday. I can't believe it's been that long- I remember that day like it was yesterday! And in seven short years, our family has gone from this...To this...I love this man so much! He is just so caring and giving and thoughtful. He does all these little things to make my life better and easier. He makes me sweet tea, warms up my truck when it's cold, irons my scrubs before work. I could go on and on. All these sweet things just to show how much he cares. I remember having a conversation with my dad just a few days before Chris and I got married. He told me that all a dad ever wants for his daughter is to be taken care of, to be treated well, and to be happy. He said he had absolutely no doubt that with Chris as my husband, I would be all three. And he was so, so right. I am a very lucky woman.
Happy Anniversary, Baby! Here's to many, many more happy years together!

Happy Valentine's Day!

There was lots of love swirling around here on Valentine's Day. Ella and Cade were so very excited to wake up to special balloons. I'm pretty sure there is nothing more fun for a little guy than his very own balloon. This kept him entertained forever!

Ella has been on a Charlie Brown kick lately, so she was loving her huge Snoopy and Lucy balloon!

Then they opened some Valentine goody bags. Cade got his favorite M&Ms!

I said, "Cade, will you be my Valentine?" He thought for a moment and said, "No, I wanna play!" haha! That valentine stuff didn't sound as much fun! Little cutie!

Later that afternoon, my sweetheart walked in with this...

He's just the greatest! Ella said, "Daddy, you got me flowers?!!" haha! She was SO excited! Cade got some candy from Daddy, too!

Ella opened a very sweet puppy card...

And then she couldn't wait to give Daddy the special card she made just for him (Cade made Daddy a card, too, but no way was he going to pose for a picture when there was candy to be had!).

Later that night, we lined up all our valentines in front of Ella's (& Mommy's =) gorgeous flowers. Say Love you, Valentine!!

"It's gonna be crazy!"

When I picked Ella up at preschool yesterday, her teachers congratulated me and said Ella had told the class that her mommy was going to have a baby. They also went on to tell me that she said, "My mommy's going to have three babies- me, Cade, and the new baby. I don't know what she's gonna do! It's gonna be crazy!" haha! Thanks for the vote of confidence, E!

In the spirit of love

We are having so much fun getting ready for Valentine's Day! It's a pretty big deal around here, because it's our anniversary, too! We've been decorating and crafting and making all kinds of sweet treats. Ella has a party coming up at preschool and she has been working very hard on her valentines. She handpicked one for each child and then took her time writing their names on them. This one is for her best buddy, Mia.

We've been practicing doing kind things for each other to show that we care. We wanted to do something nice for Daddy, so we decided to make him a favorite sweet treat- chocolate-covered strawberries!! We covered some pretzels and peanuts, too.

I didn't get too many pictures of the process, because it got a little messy (if you can imagine!). I'm pretty sure Ella ate more of everything than she covered!

She wanted a picture with all the finished treats. As I was about to take the picture, she said, "Wait, Mom, let me wipe all the chocolate off my face. I don't want everybody to know I was eating them!" haha! Look at the corner of her mouth- you didn't get rid of all the evidence, E!

She was SO excited to give her daddy his special surprise! She made him close his eyes and said, "These are just for you, Daddy, because we love you sooo much!"

Surprise!

We couldn't wait to try them out! Look at Ella's face in the background, eyes closed and all! haha!

Yum!

For a little girl who's usually not too fond of strawberries, she sure loved these! She couldn't get enough!

Chris said, "Wait, I thought you said these were just for me!"

Ella's reply: "But, Dad, you have to share. These are for you, because we love you, but you love us, too, so you have to share." haha! I guess we can't argue with that logic!