.

Hello

2010-08-11T13:49:00.003-05:00

For anybody still trying to keep up with us, we've been a little busy. Lots of fun has been happening over the last several months and I apologize for posting more of it on facebook than on here. Until I can do a proper update (probably not until after school starts), here's some links to my facebook pics...

Destin trip
More Destin
Misc. Summer

Quick updates- I currently have two 4 year olds. :) Brynley turned 4 on August 3rd and Makayla will be 5 on the 25th. They are SO ready for school, as am I. I'll be teaching P.E. at their school this fall. We've had a great summer, but are all ready to get back to a fall routine. Jaron has been extremely busy as well. He just finished up some INCREDIBLE videos for our VBS. Seriously, you missed out if you didn't see them.

I'll let Brynley close us out with our feelings about the past few months...

Happy 4th!

2010-07-04T16:23:00.004-05:00

I realize I'm waaaaaay behind on our "normal" activities... I'll try to catch up soon!

Just wanted to say happy 4th and I'm so proud of my brothers- both serving in our military. Love ya'll, thanks for serving our country to keep us free.

Catch up...

2010-02-17T16:36:00.016-06:00

I've been working on this post for about a month. Feel free to skip through it, I know you only care about the pictures any way. :)

On January 6th, I had the pleasure of meeting the Woods family at the airport to welcome home their newest addition, Rhett. Brian and Amy are such great examples to us and I was so honored to share in this special time of their lives.

On January 23rd, my cousin, Kanyon Brown married Erika Anthony in Abilene. Jaron and I headed out on a little road trip and had a great time seeing family and friends and celebrating with this sweet couple.

February flew by, even though, looking back we didn't have a whole lot going on. Well, unless you count school 2 days a week, working at the gym, working at Prestoncrest on Tuesday mornings, MOPS, small group, Valentine's activities, getting in a date night once a week and other various activities. :) Oh, and SNOW!!

Of course, if you know me, the end of February/beginning of March highlight was DIVINE CONSIGN! Here's a little of the amazing purchases that were made...

The last week of February, Jaron went to L.A. for a few days. He had a great trip. If you're on facebook, I will be posting an edited version of his trip journal soon.

On February 28th, Jaron took the girls to the "Princess ball" at Brookhaven country club. I got to help out, so I snuck in a few pictures. :) They were so cute and had such a good time.

This past Saturday, we got to take pictures with Kristin! I was so excited and we had such a great time. Who knew taking pictures could be so FUN. I'll post the link to the gallery when they're up in a couple of weeks.

On Sunday, I helped a friend with her sister in law's wedding. It was fun to feel like a "professional caterer". :) Aimee and I helped execute a very well-planned reception by Erica and Beth and it turned out great! (Pictures are on facebook).

Today, we got back from a short family trip to Glen Rose. We visited Dinosaur World, Dinosaur Valley state park and Fossil Rim. The girls loved it and the weather was perfect (even with the rain at Fossil Rim). Here's the facebook link...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=164223&id=502260078&l=0a8a9c9bb2
And here's my favorites of the girls...

I'm really loving this time in my life and am so thankful for my beautiful family.

Happy St. Patrick's day!

Welcome baby Jack!

2010-01-19T22:22:00.006-06:00

My new nephew, Jackson Shane was born at 8:40am this morning (7 weeks early!). He weighed in at a whopping 4 lbs. 10 oz. and was 17 3/4 inches long. Chelsea's water broke at 6am and she avoided having a c section (Jack was breech) b/c he stuck his foot out!! 2 pushes and he was here! He's doing good, but may be in the NICU for a little while. Seeing him today took me back to my sweet Brynley and those precious couple of weeks we were challenged in the NICU. It was soooo hard, but I made some sweet memories with my little girl. I pray the same for Chelsea and her sweet little Jack. Happy birth day, little guy!

My little bit, 3 1/2 years ago...

Chels with Bryn... can't believe she has one of these now!!

New Years Eve/New Years Day 2009/2010

2010-01-04T23:17:00.005-06:00

What a fabulous end of the year/beginning of the year! We spent New Year's eve at my parents house eating waaaaay too much food. Before midnight Jaron and I took off to catch the fireworks downtown. We stayed at the Spring Hill Marriott and got to sleep in a little on New Year's day. Then, I met up with the girls to celebrate Mema's 70th at Mimi's! After a little rest at home, we had a fun time at Mema's house with pizza and chicken foot... oh, and some teams were playing football. It was a fun day!!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T15:54:00.007-06:00

We've had a great Christmas this year! We had my Mema's Christmas on Dec. 13th, celebrated with my parents at their new house on Christmas day, and had Christmas at Jaron's parents house yesterday (Sunday). And we're not done yet... Hayes Christmas is next Sunday. Its been so great to be with family, chillin, eating and enjoying each other's company. We saw the movie "Avatar" on Christmas night- it was really, really good. Jaron played at all 3 Christmas Eve services at The Branch and they were all great. Here's a video that he and Tim Scott worked on...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MquW9T0quw

Overall, its been a relaxing season and we've enjoyed celebrating with our family and friends the birth of our Savior. Merry Christmas, I pray God's richest blessings over your family in 2010!

Thanks Christel, for taking these amazing Christmas Eve pics! And thanks mom for the Christmas Eve/day pics...

Thanksgiving

2009-12-06T13:39:00.012-06:00

Started this post a while ago and we've since had our Christmas at Mema's, but here's some pictures... :)

We had a great day of relaxing at Mema's and lots and lots of FOOD! It was so great and such a gorgeous day. We got some great pics of the girls....

Freedom Stones

2009-11-21T22:17:00.006-06:00

I was blessed in some amazing and unexpected ways today and I'd really love to share...

Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with all the different "causes" and "charities" out there- It always seems like there's someone you know doing something really good and you think, "I really need to support them". And it usually stops there. At least for me.

Well, my good (no, I'd say great) friend, Jessica sent an email out a few weeks ago to a few people, asking if they'd be interested in coming to a Freedom Stone jewelry making party she would be hosting, with the founder, Leah. I had heard a little bit through the grapevine about this project, didn't know a whole lot about it, but offered to have it at my house. Mostly because I love Jessica so much. :)

So, the crew came over this morning, we made a nice brunch and set up the tables and just hung out for awhile until everyone got there. We ended up having a lot more than we thought- over 20 people! And I at this point, was still not really grasping the whole concept of what we were doing. Then, Leah gave a brief overview of her work, and this new Freedom Stone project that was starting up- the Ghana project. It immediately took my breath away- such a simple, but powerful concept. Here's an excerpt from the Freedom Stones facebook page...

"We are currently working with trafficking victims and those at risk in Thailand, Cambodia, Ghana and Nigeria. Women in poverty are often preyed upon by traffickers who trick or coerce them into selling their bodies or their children. Economics often drives this problem so we are seeking to change the economic situation which often leads to human slavery. We are developing jewelry projects and marketing these fair trade products in the states to sell to socially concerned consumers. While in the program, women and teenagers are able to attend training and classes which focus on holistic development (spiritual, relational, emotional, physical, economical healing)"

Today, some amazing women made some incredible pieces of jewelry from stones made of recycled glass in Ghana and stones from Thailand. I have never seen more gorgeous colors in my life- and the creativity of the women in my house today blew me away.

Jaron had taken the girls out, and we were still working on jewelry when they got back. They were interested in it for a little while, but there was a little too much excitement for them to really help. After while, Makayla figured out what we were doing and decided she needed to be involved. I let her help me make a necklace- she picked the colors and we made a pretty fabulous pattern, which turned into a pretty fabulous necklace. She THEN decided she needed to make a necklace by herself. I let her. With a little guidance from me on a pattern, she hand picked and strung this entire necklace by herself...

I helped her with her unraveling string a couple of times and my patience was definitely stretched (those bead holes are SMALL!), but I have never been more proud of my precious girl!!! She meticulously spent over an hour on her creation. What a blessing to watch and know that the purchase of that necklace would go towards enriching the life of a child recently taken out of slavery. Or giving a poverty-stricken mom facing the horrible threat of having to sell her child, the gift of a better life.

My heart is full tonight and I know God is going to do some big things through this incredible project.

Let me know if you'd like more information and thanks for letting me share my heart.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T11:18:00.002-06:00

We had a great Halloween. Their first "real" trick or treating experience and they loved it. Jaron made Makayla's costume and did a great job.

Introducing, Cinderella and Batgirl...

Catch up time...

2009-10-20T11:38:00.028-05:00

I know you've all been on the edge of your seats waiting for a Pitts update, so here you go...

**Disclaimer: my camera still does not have a flash and I haven't had a chance to upload all my phone pics, so I have "borrowed" some pics from friends and family. Thanks in advance ABL, Aimee, Becca and Jason. :)

Its been a fun, but exhausting couple of months. With all the birthday fun in August, I forgot to post about Divine Consign! I worked both Plano and Grapevine and they were great (as usual). The girls are gonna look super cute this fall/winter! Here's some of my favorites (including a different spin on Christmas dresses this year)...

We celebrated my Mema and Grandad's 50th anniversary at 3 Forks in August- had such a great time with our family!!

We got to go to Hillsong United (on Makayla's birthday, Aug. 25th). It was incredible! Awesome to worship with a big group like that. New favorite worship song- With Everything (My favorite part's about 3:45 into the song).

The first weekend of September was my cousin, Chandra's wedding. My mom and sisters and I made their cupcake cake and it turned out great! We had such a blast- who knows, there may be a future business. :) Here's some pics...

We spent Labor day at my cousin, Josh's house and had a blast with a bunch of family and friends- thanks for being great hosts, Josh and Jeff (not that they're reading this). :) Here's what the kids did...

The girls went to the first of FOUR princess parties we will have over a 5 week period at the end of September. They had such a fun time celebrating Addy's 4th- there was even a bounce house- so fun!!

That was about it for September...

Our 2nd princess party was for Nat and Lainey. The girls were in heaven! REAL live princesses came (Ariel, Belle and Cinderella) and they put on makeup, got their nails painted, made necklaces and got to hear Cinderella's story from Cinderella herself! But the kicker was the ride in this...

It was such a blast and the girls are still talking about it. Here's some more pics of the princesses...

October 11th was my niece, Emmeline's first birthday. We celebrated the day before at my Mema's house with a fabulous tea party (but in the girls mind, it was their 3rd princess party). :)

And the highlight of October (well, maybe the year)... Jaron and I went with Aimee and Eric to the U2 CONCERT!!! Muse opened for them and we were on the floor- about 10 feet from the outer circle. During the first song, the Edge made his way over the ramp and stopped right in front of us!! Aimee and I about lost our marbles. It was very surreal. As much as I love Bono, I think I was a little more excited about seeing the Edge- he's incredible! Great experience and something I will never forget.

Other than that, our lives have consisted of Sunshine school, work and church. I've joined MOPS at Irving Bible Church and absolutely love it! We've also been doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, which has been VERY helpful- I definitely recommend it. I've enjoyed doing the Beth Moore "Esther" study and we've started a small group with a couple of couples that has been SO great. Wow, no wonder I'm so tired. :)

Lastly, I wanna brag on my hubby a bit... he's been taking such good care of our yard and did this while Makayla and I were gone yesterday....

I couldn't get very good pics of the whole yard, but the plants add so much and he did such a great job. Thanks honey!!

We enjoyed lunch outside on this fabulous day, hope ya'll are taking advantage of this gorgeous weather, too.

Ok, we're caught up... have a great rest of the month!!

CRAZY GOOD DEAL!

2009-09-10T15:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, you definitely need to do this, so listen up...

www.restaurant.com

Find the restaurants you want to eat in (read the minimum purchase amount to the right of the restaurant name), and click the gift certificate you want. When you're ready to check out, enter this code- NINETY and get 90% off the gift certificate amount! There ARE stipulations, so make sure you read the fine print for EACH restaurant. And..

THE NINETY CODE IS ONLY VALID TODAY (it was supposed to only be good yesterday, but it looks like they've extended it through today)!!!!!

I just spent $5.40 on $135 worth of gift certificates (including Mercy Wine Bar)!! CRAZY!!! I got this info from one of my couponing websites that hasn't let me down yet, and I've had friends use this site and say its legit. Just printed out the coupons and everything looks good. SO excited- hope ya'll take advantage of this too. :)

My little girl's growing up!

2009-09-03T16:54:00.007-05:00

Makayla finished her second day of Sunshine School today and absolutely LOVES it. I think she's going to be one of those people that just loves to learn. Both days, she has given me a hug and kiss (and Bryn today), gone right to her desk and opened her notebook. Its the cutest thing ever!

Its worked out great b/c Bryn gets to spend some time with her daddy on Mondays while I drop off Makayla, head over to the gym, pick her back up from Sunshine and then head home. Brynley comes with me on Thursdays and gets to be apart of the "Monkey Business" class we have at the gym. Its been such a fun week!

Makayla's also been riding her bike (actually, Brynley's bike- Makayla's needs a little tweaking). She looks so grown up and is getting really good.

No, I'm not super obsessive with the elbow/kneepads- they were in the bag with the helmet and she wanted to wear them!

So that this is not purely a "Makayla" post, here's some super cute pics of Brynley from earlier this year. Not gonna lie, I kinda miss the bangs...

That's it for now... if you're interested, I put several videos up on Youtube- www.youtube.com/bekahpitts

Have a great Labor day weekend!!!

Happy Birthday, Makayla!

2009-08-28T11:32:00.012-05:00

Well, I'm posting this late (of course)... my sweet girl turned 4 on Tuesday. I cannot believe I have a 4 year old!!! She had her favorite breakfast- chocolate chip waffles with syrup and then we were off to get the girls nails done! They had a fabulous time- they just kept looking up at me and smiling. They loved it. I wasn't super thrilled about their color choices (Bryn got bright green, Makayla was a little better with purple and red). They looked so big in those chairs and were such perfect little ladies. Here's some pics of that adventure...

This is their new pose any time they take a picture- how cute are they???

Look at Makayla's smile. :)

Trying to get a close up of their flowers

Didn't quite work.

Backing up to Saturday, we had the girls party/housewarming. It was a whirlwind of a week, getting ready for the first week of school at the gym and trying to get my house presentable, but we ended up having a blast. Poor Brynley threw up in the car on the way to get balloons that day, so she had to miss out on the big party. :( But she still got to open her presents and then went to Grandpa and Grammy's for some sweet lovin'. Thanks so much mom and dad for taking such good care of her! Here's some pics of the party (still no flash on our camera, so inside pics don't look so great; thanks for the outside pics Angie!)(Also, I'll have captions on these pics and more pics in facebook, if you're interested)...

Lastly, I took the girls for their 3 and 4 year checkups on Wednesday. They did such a fabulous job and it was a looooooong appointment (the nurse screwed up Brynley's weight (by a lot- she wrote it was 22 and she's 27 lbs!!) and Makayla's height so their BMI's were off, so the Dr. had to redo everything). They actually had fun since they play doctor at home. That is, until it was time for Makayla's shots. She didn't really cry until the last one and then looked at me like I was the biggest traitor... so of course, I took them for ice cream immediately (before lunch). Got some cute pics, since we had such a long time to wait...

Makayla got ahold of the camera without me knowing it for these next few...

Ice cream makes everything better.

Bye Bye Summer

2009-08-16T19:18:00.002-05:00

Well, its been a fun, but exhausting couple of weeks... VBS was last week and I did all the music for it. We had over 200 kids! and I was not prepared for that. But I think we adjusted well and the kids had a blast, which is what its all about, right?

We had our first real playdate at our new house with Natalie and they had a blast!

I'm starting back at the gym this week (just helping get ready for school and then I'm going to cut back some on my hours this fall) and we're gonna try and finish our house by the weekend (I'm sick of these boxes in the office just staring at me).

These pictures are taking way too long to load, so I'm going to be lazy and just give you my facebook link...

Facebook pics

Have a great week everyone!!!

Happy Birthday, Brynley!

2009-08-03T10:54:00.001-05:00

What better day to play catch up than on my baby's 3rd birthday!?! I can't believe she's that old and it REALLY hit me this morning when she slept till almost 9 (that's pretty much never happened) and went potty without me even knowing it! We've had a fun day... I let Bryn pick out all three meals- pancakes for breakfast, pizza for lunch (first time at Farnatchi's and it was excellent!), bananas, applesauce and fritos for dinner. She got to watch her favorite shows (Dragon Tales and Spiderman) in the morning. We went to the library before lunch, then Bryn and Jaron got a nap while Makayla went to the store with me to get cake stuff. We made a yummy chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, green sprinkles and a yellow #3 candle (to incorporate B's favorite colors). Our mail comes late, so she got her birthday cards right around the time we were eating cake, which was so fun! Jaron took her to the store to pick out her gift and she was so sweet to share her Prince Charming and Cinderella dolls with Makayla.

I love you sweet little Brynley and am so glad God chose me to be your mommy- I can't wait to see how you continue to grow and learn to love God and others. Happy Birthday!!

Ok, catch up time (feel free to skip along to the pictures, I just want to document the last couple of months so I don't forget- thank goodness for iCal, twitter and facebook- they definitely helped with the jogging of the memory)...

End of May- Jaron released his Green Lantern trailer (which now has over a million hits on Youtube!) and did lots of interviews about it. Being #1 video on Attack of the Show was probably one of the biggest highlights for him. Still so proud of my talented hubby!!!

4th Anniversary (June 5th)- I was at a women's retreat on the actual day of our anniversary, so we celebrated the weekend before and at the end of the month. Fri, May 29th we dropped the kids off at my mom's and went to see "Angels and Demons". Then we just happened to check Craig's List for a house, and the one we are currently residing in had been posted only the hour before! That was fun. And totally a God thing. THEN, we went to see Alpha Rev (one of my favorite bands) at House of Blues (my first time). And THEN, we saw "Night at the Museum 2". That was a really, really great night with my hubby.

Jaron had a staff retreat for 3 days during the second week of June, so my mom and Aimee offered to take the girls with them to Houston to visit Chelsea (who's been nannying there all summer), so that I could get some packing done- at that point we had signed a lease on our house in Farmers Branch. That was SUCH a blessing, because I got SO much packed and was not nearly as stressed the rest of the month. Thanks again ladies!!! I was a little sad that I didn't get to go to the beach at Galveston; it was the girls first time. If you're friends with my mom and/or sisters on facebook, they have some cute pics of that trip.

Father's Day- Sent Jaron to get a massage after church and then we swam together as a family for the last time at our apartment (have really missed that pool this summer).

The Monday after Father's day, we dropped the kids off at my parents house and started our vacation off with, what else?, 2 movies- "Year One" and "The Proposal". Then we headed off to the Tallent's gorgeous lakehouse for some much needed R & R. It was so great to have no agenda, watch a ton of movies and cook without little rugrats crawling all over me. Ahhhh... I miss that.

We left on Thursday morning and our landlord let us get the keys that afternoon- a whopping 6 days early!!! Jaron worked his cute little booty off all the way until that next Tuesday moving all of our junk into our new house. We had lots of help from our family as well- thanks guys!!!

Wow, that was exhausting just remembering all that...

July was a little bit less intense, at least for the girls and I. We spent some time checking out the wonderful town of Farmers Branch, meeting neighbors, going to the library and pool, deciding where we were going to shop and going up to the church for Camp One meetings (youth camp). Oh, and a lot of unpacking (I don't do well living out of boxes). My mom and Mema took us shopping to get some house things. They definitely spoiled me a little :) and I can't thank ya'll enough for helping me spruce up my house. My kitchen is my favorite part of my house (which has never happened for me before) and its all b/c these 2 lovely ladies got me some IKEA goodies (sorry about the picture quality)...

I love them!!!!!!

The 4th week of July, Jaron and I packed our bags, sent the kids to my parents and headed out with the student ministry and volunteers to Camp One in Tanglewood, TX. Jaron helped with worship and did the video work, while I helped Tina with admin. It was fun, but I felt really, really old and really missed my kids. I was definitely glad to get back to my own bed and shower (I slept on the top of a bunk bed all week), but it was great to see God working in the lives of our students.

We celebrated Aimee's 26th birthday on July 25 (the day after her birthday) at Houlihan's, my favorite restaurant of all time. Then, Aimee and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Houston to see Chelsea this past week (the last week of July), from Wed-Fri. It was fun to see how she's been living all summer, but she's going to be pretty spoiled when she gets back to DFW. :)

I guess that about catches us up... This past weekend was a little nuts- Aim and I got back into town Friday night, I went to a bridal shower for my cousin, Chandra on Saturday at 2, got to rehearsal at church by 3:30, church at 6, home after 8 (we were a little chatty- sorry, Christel!), up at 6:30am Sunday to get to rehearsal (thanks Angie for sacrificing so much sleep to watch my kids!), at church till 12, went to a couple's shower for Chan and Derrick at 1:30, went to my parents, met Jaron at the church for the Spotlight performance at 6pm, went home and CRASHED!!!!

I'm never waiting this long again between posts, that was CRAZY!!! And if you're still reading this (Mom and Mema), YOU are crazy! :) Love ya'll!!

Too tired to caption each picture, so here's the general ideas...

1st trip to FB library
Play date at Frisco splash park
Playing in sprinkler in our front yard
Pics in our back yard and girls room (Hopefully, better house pics will be coming soon)
Pics from today- at pizza place (playing "Rock, paper, scissors", Bryn not wanting the camera in her face, Makayla loving the camera, the "Brynley face"), Makayla "helping" make the cake, Makayla's card and present (crayons) to Bryn, playing in the swim play thing Nana brought over.

NOW, the pictures...

Important

2009-07-23T09:12:00.003-05:00

I know, I know... I will get to our family update soon. This is really important and I want to spread the word every way I can. This family recently joined The Branch- please take just a minute to read Erica's blog and lift this family up in prayer!

I'm still here!

2009-07-01T22:53:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know we're in our new house in Farmers Branch and loving it! Its been a crazy couple of months and I'll try to post more when we get a little more settled. Happy 4th!!

Mother's Day and VIDEOS

2009-05-15T14:03:00.004-05:00

Jaron really knows me well and sent me to the Spa on Mother's Day. I got a pedi, mani AND a massage. It was fabulous and a much needed break. Thanks, honey, you're the best!!!

Not much going on around here- we're definitely ready for summer and definitely ready to get into a house (we have some great prospects and should make our decision in the next couple of weeks). My babies are definitely not babies any more and that realization is a little weird for me. I love them to pieces and know we're going to have such a fun summer together.

Ok, I'm just kinda rambling- this is what I really wanted to post- videos! **Make sure you watch the last 2 videos- the last one is Makayla in 2007.

Updates...

2009-04-17T12:29:00.013-05:00

Not much to do on this rainy day, but its a GREAT excuse to take a break from laundry and blog a little. We've been pretty busy around here, but the girls definitely prefer it that way. Every morning, their first question is "where are we going today" or "who's coming over today"? They love spending time with our families and we're so thankful they get to do so on a weekly basis. Easter was VERY busy, but a lot of fun. My goal for the weekend was to not let the craziness get in the way of teaching our girls what Easter is all about. I knew I had succeeded with Makayla when she was talking all about the Resurrection in the car on Sunday night. The verdict was still out with Brynley, but I figured she might be a little too young still. Well, Monday morning, we were all still pretty wiped out from the day before, so we were all in our bed. The girls were their usual chatty selves, but were mostly having conversations with each other instead of talking to Jaron and I. As I was dozing in and out, listening to their talk about mostly nonsense, my ears perked up when Brynley all of a sudden said, "Kayla, remember that Jesus died and then rose from the dead? And now Jesus is alive!". It was SUCH a precious moment and I was so thankful that amidst the 12 easter egg hunts we went to over the course of the week, she picked up on what we were really celebrating.

Speaking of Brynley, her new favorite question is WHY? I really don't know the reason (I almost typed why there :) ) every child is born with this question, but it seems to manifest around 2- 2 1/2 and I don't know if it ever goes away. Even when I give her a legitimate reason, there's always that question that follows. Its cute sometimes, but mostly I just want to pull my hair out. I've finally started making a game out if it and just give her ridiculous answers that don't mean anything to see her reaction.

Both of the girls have grown so much over the last couple of months- Makayla hasn't had to wear a pull up to bed in a couple of months, loves to pick out her own clothes (and is very particular about what she wears) and is constantly soaking up all kinds of new knowledge. She's very interested in seasons and months of the year (she's ready for spring to be over so we can swim in the summer!) and loves to tell me where all of her family lives ("we live in Dallas, which is a city and Texas is our state"). Its pretty cute. She's very helpful around the house- and really likes to help me cook. She enjoyed her six game soccer season (even though the Unicorns didn't win a single game). She did score some goals, but was more excited when her teammates scored a goal (I think we have a future cheerleader on our hands, sorry Jaron). They ended the season with a party at Peter Piper Pizza and all got a trophy, so it was worth it in her mind. Other big news is that Makayla got her hair cut! She's been begging me ever since we got Brynley's cut to have her hair short, too, so I finally gave in. It looks pretty cute, too.

Bryn is a little more high maintenance than Makayla, but she still loves playing with her big sis. Her imagination is so big- she's constantly creating scenarios and stories to share with us and loves bringing her sister and barbies in to her imaginary world. Sometimes I don't really know what she's saying, but SHE knows exactly what she's talking about and has confidence in her story telling. She definitely makes us laugh and reminds me SO much of my brother, Chase when he was her age (not in physical appearance, but in actions and mannerisms). She's a ball of energy, but will still go to sleep almost anywhere when she's tired. She loves cuddling with her "Ellie" and sucking her thumb, and I like that those things still make her my baby and I'm not quite ready to wean her (I'm sure I'll hear otherwise from her pediatrician at her 3 year appointment).

Outside of our girls' world, this is going to be a pretty big summer for our family, but I'll have more on that when things are finalized- please just keep us in your prayers (we're hoping to move into a house, Jaron's looking for a new car and we're looking into preschools for the fall).

Ok, I'm sure you're sick of reading, so here's some pictures! I just put them all in order with captions for each picture on facebook, but failed to do so here, sorry. The first ones are soccer games and the party and the other ones are Easter activities, with a few random ones thrown in.

Pope offspring

2009-03-29T23:53:00.027-05:00

Aimee and I took some pictures of our kids a couple of weeks ago. My mom got them cute matching brown/blue outfits, so we had to capture them before they all outgrew their clothes. We also got the girls in some special Divine Consign purchases (scroll down to see what I'm talking about). :)

Jaron photoshopped/enhanced a few pictures, and I worked on a few myself. Here's the end products, and I must say, these are some pretty gorgeous children. (It's important to know that even with all the photoshopping, we didn't TOUCH the eye color! :)

My little Brynley angel...

Beautiful Makayla...

Zane, the stud...

Princess Emmeline...

LOVE the way this one turned out...

Cuteness overload...

Jaron worked hard on this next one and it turned out awesome!!! Thanks babe!

Definitely frame worthy...

Ahhh... Saturdays

2009-03-28T16:19:00.001-05:00

I started this back in December when I got tagged by a few people and don't know why I picked today to finish it. :)

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Houlihan's
2. Chick Fil A
3. Which Wich?
4. Pei Wei
5. Abuelo's
6. La Madeline
7. Chipotle
8. Mooyah

8 Things That Happened Today:
1. Woke up early to Bryn saying she was hungry
2. Popped a waffle in the toaster for Bryn.
3. Went back to sleep b/c its Saturday and I'm not supposed to be up before 8am.
4. Listened to Jaron work on the worship set for tonight.
5. Played with all the new toys I stayed up till 2am organizing (with the girls, not by myself). :)
6. Put the girls down for a nap.
7. Had a convo with the hubby before he left for VR.
8. Took a shower and am now typing this- I LOVE Saturdays!!!

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1. Taking my hubby and children overseas (not soon, but someday).
2. Getting an iced soy chai from Starbucks today- haven't had one in a couple of weeks!
3. Summer!
4. Swimming this summer!
5. Hopefully moving into a house this summer!
6. Emmie's dedication at church tomorrow
7. Seeing my girls grow up into strong young women who love the Lord.
8. Going to a beach

8 Things I'm Scared Of:
1. Moving away from family (which would only happen if it was STRAIGHT from God's lips).
2. Snakes
3. This crazy wind that feels like its about to knock my windows out!
4. Not being the best parent I can be.
5. Not trusting God in ALL situations.
6. Oprah (I think she has WAY too much power).
7. Losing my parents.
8. Leaving Texas again.

8 Things I Wish For:
1. Vacation to the beach
2. A million dollars (or just financial stability).
3. A nap every day.
4. Being able to go to Starbucks every day.
5. Never having to cook or clean or do laundry again (or a maid).
6. A massage every week.
7. Complete health for my whole family.

8 Things I Watch on TV:
1. Chuck
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Heroes
4. LOST
5. Private Practice
6. The Office
7. In the Motherhood (Funny first episode last week!)
8. Lots of animated movies (yesterday was Bolt- cute flick)

8 People I Tag (no pressure, b/c this definitely took me almost 5 months to do):
1. Britney K.
2. Leslie C.
3. Angela F.
4. Kyla M.
5. Angie D.
6. Liz M.
7. Kelli G.
8. Shelbi R.

Laser Tag!

2009-03-13T21:22:00.006-05:00

I wouldn't say I'm a lazy person (Rebekah might) but I like to go all in when I play with my kids.
I will roll around on the floor and run laps around the living room, whatever it takes...until my flabby-out-of-shape body breaks down.
This is where I've discovered the greatest invention of all time.

For those of you that don't recognize this little guy, it's a "Laser Pointer".
You may have seen the red dot flying around a movie theater and you would find it in the hands of annoying teenagers, or in a lecture with a power point presentation. Another common use I've seen for them is as torture for pets. It's hours of fun to watch the pets chase the little red dot around running into walls, ect.

The funny thing is - it works on kids too!
When you can't run around anymore, just take a seat on the couch and pull out the laser.
They will chase that little red dot for hours, and enjoy every minute of it.
They love it when it crawls up on their shirt and they can't get it off or when they pounce on it on the floor and it jumps to the top of their hand - and the best part is it doesn't wear me out.

More Soccer

2009-02-27T15:17:00.006-06:00

Last weekend I had to miss Makayla's game because I was at Divine Consign, but Jaron got some great pics. We're heading out to practice in a little while and another game tomorrow. Go Unicorns!!! :)

Also, DC Plano starts this weekend! I can't wait to finish up the girls summer wardrobe. If you've never been, this would be a great sale to go to- www.divineconsign.net
Jaron should have a preview video up Sat. night, so you can see all the wonderful things being dropped off on You Tube.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

This is a good reminder that they are 3 year olds. Hehe.

These last 2 are Makayla scoring the "winning" goal. It was the last seconds of the game and our team hadn't scored yet...so when the whistle blew after she scored - she thought we won. :)

Little Soccer Superstar...

2009-02-14T22:32:00.006-06:00

Well, we had our first soccer game this morning- in the FREEZING weather. We didn't get their uniforms until right before the game and they were purple (Makayla's favorite color) and she was the first to pick her number (3, of course). I was SO proud of Makayla- she got right out there and didn't slow up once. She wanted to play the whole time, which was fine b/c most of the other little girls were so cold, they didn't want to stay out long. Makayla didn't complain once about being cold and was SO excited to score 2 goals!!! It was a very interesting game- not just because it was a bunch of 3 year olds who really didn't know what they were doing, but also b/c our team (The Unicorns) only had one 30 minute practice the night before. SO, all in all it was a pretty good start (even though the other team beat us by about 10 goals- but I think they've had more practices than us). Of course I forgot my camera, so the game pics are from one of the girl's dad's camera. I've also included some pre-game pics of Makayla practicing at the park with Jaron. She had SO much fun this morning and has been talking about it all day. And so, a soccer mom, I mean player, is born. :)

New favorites...

2009-02-06T23:43:00.004-06:00

Well, 2 posts in 1 day, I'm very proud of myself.
Just wanted to talk about a few things that have been going on...

1. I have a new favorite place (well, I've only been there once, so I guess I can't REALLY say its my favorite yet). Market Street has everything I've been waiting for in a supermarket- getting wholesome foods and picking up everyday items (toilet paper, shampoo, etc.) all in the same place!!! Their produce and meat selection was outstanding and everything was so clean and well lit. The service was unbelievable and the nice old gentleman who took my groceries out to my car told me that all of Market Street's produce comes from Lubbock and is never in the warehouse for more than 24 hours (Walmart keeps theirs for weeks!). They had a pretty good organic selection (everything I buy organic, they had in stock) and their prices were not bad at all (DEFINITELY beat Whole Foods on most things). I do NOT like going to multiple stores to get all my groceries, so this store is a perfect fit for me. Anyway, I'm sure there are things I missed, so don't go there expecting to find something in particular and get mad at me when its not there. :) I'm not super picky on items I buy- as long as it has limited ingredients (less than 5), whole grains and is free of yuckiness (high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, etc.), I usually don't get hung up on a certain brand. Don't get me wrong, my family DOES still occasionally indulge in "fun" stuff, but I find we're really enjoying how our bodies are feeling after eating right. Which leads me to something else...

2. I can attribute some of our health consciousness to being in our 3rd month of taking Juice Plus. After about a month of taking it, I could definitely tell a difference in the way my body felt towards food. We've been racing through water and I'm actually CRAVING fruits and veggies (yeah, I know, crazy!). In the past, when I've been up late doing laundry or watching a movie, something sugary has ALWAYS sounded good. But tonight at 11pm, I went into the kitchen and made a FABULOUS salad- organic greens, tuna, carrots, organic tomatoes and cucumbers, the BEST avocado I've ever had (from Market Street, of course), some natural shredded cheese and a little bit of all-natural Poppyseed dressing. It was AMAZING and I feel great!
Again, I'm not necessarily a "health nut" (the girls and I definitely made some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies earlier tonight that were NOT all-natural), but for the most part, I'm listening to my body and learning what gives me energy and makes me feel good. Its definitely not as hard as I thought it would be, and I love that I'm getting my girls started early so they can experience these good habits for a lifetime. Now, if I can just get some more exercise into my daily routine, my body will start looking how I feel. :)

3. This Friday, Feb. 13th, I will officially become a "soccer mom". I still don't have the minivan (even though I want one), but Makayla will have her first soccer practice next week. It was kinda unavoidable because she's loved kicking around a ball for a good 2 years now, and is actually pretty good. I think she's more excited about the uniform, but I know she's going to have a blast! I can't believe we're already to this stage in life- its a little scary, but SO fun. I can't WAIT to post pictures. :)

4. Its February and time for Divine Consign!!! If you've known me for at least the last 6 months, you know about DC, so I won't go into detail. Just go to the website and check out the greatness for yourself. I'm working both sales this year (Grapevine and Plano- Arlington is no more) and cannot WAIT to outfit the girls for summer.

5. I really want to do something fun for our wedding anniversary this year (June 5th), but REALLY don't feeling like planning a whole big vacation (its so exhausting!). Anyone have any good ideas for something to do locally- or some non-local destination that's all-inclusive (a cruise or resort)??

Ok, that about does it- I better get to bed. Scroll down to my last post for some pictures of my precious girls who I'm absolutely in love with!!!

Superbowl Fun

2009-02-06T15:20:00.006-06:00

We had a great Superbowl Sunday last week. My dad grilled some INCREDIBLE fajitas (bordering on the best I've ever had) and the girls had so much fun playing outside with their cousins. Here's some pics of the day. Yes, they're mostly of Brynley b/c she was being the most cooperative. And she looked SO cute in her red dress. :)

Park fun

2009-01-23T21:30:00.005-06:00

I haven't been posting a lot b/c I thought our camera was broken, but my awesome hubby fixed it tonight and we took advantage of this gorgeous 75 degree January day (only in Texas) and went to the park. Yes, that was definitely a run on sentence. The girls had a blast and we got some pretty stinkin cute pictures. I couldn't really find any of the girls packed away summer clothes, so the outfits are a little interesting, but at least they were brightly colored so I could locate them easily. I do have more pictures on facebook, if you need to see more cuteness. :) Enjoy!

Facebook Pics

Tired and lazy...

2009-01-02T00:29:00.004-06:00

So, I should have been in bed a couple of hours ago with all the crazy partying I did last night (haha, j/k- but we DID have some fun at Houlihan's and Victory Plaza). SO, here's some facebook pics from the last couple of weeks if you're interested...

Facebook Pics

Once I get some pics from people who DON'T have a broken camera, I'll try to do a better post of our SIX Christmases.

**BIG NEWS** Makayla and I finally sucked it up and had a day to potty train this past Tuesday. I read the book "Toilet Training in a Day" and we did it in 2 hours during Brynley's nap! She is doing fabulous and I'm SO, SO proud of her. I can't believe my little baby's so big- I've definitely had to stop a few tears in the last couple of days.

Brynley's a different story... she's not quite ready to quit diapers, but that's ok- 1 potty training is definitely enough for now.

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year's- It was wonderful for us, but I'm definitely ready to get back to a routine and "normal" life- whatever that means. :)

Merry Christmas to all!

2008-12-23T13:55:00.004-06:00

Well, I don't know how I can outdo the last post (how cute are my
babies?!), but I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I know there's a certain amount of stress that comes with the holidays, but I pray you can find a moment of peace and rest amidst the chaos. That moment is now for me- on a normal Tuesday, I'd be driving around town, dropping the girls off, heading off to work about now... but I'm still in my PJ's, listening to Faith Hill sing O Holy Night and the sound of my girls playing with Bryn's new tea set from Great-Grandmother Hayes and just enjoying this break before we head out of town in a couple of days. I'm so thankful and blessed to have the life I have and cannot wait to see what 2009 holds!

Here's a couple of things if you have a few minutes- the first is a couple of little songs from Makayla (thankfully, the video part of our camera is still working- FYI family: I will be stealing all of your Christmas pictures). The second is a poem my Grandmother wrote (I'm not sure how long ago- Hayes clan: anyone know what year?) that I received in a frame at our Hayes Christmas last night. What a blessing this is! Again, MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!

"Even If" by Wanda Hayes

Even if my eyes go blind, I can see Jesus in all His beauty.
Even if my ears are deaf to the sounds of this world, Jesus still calls me to HImself.
Even if my legs are unable to carry me, Jesus has promised to carry me to the Father in Heaven.
Even if my hands become gnarled and useless, Jesus gives me His Holy Spirit to bear fruit to His Glory.
Even if my clothes are full of holes, Jesus has promised to clothe me with His righteousness.
Even if bread is scarce, His words nourish and strengthen me.
Even if everyone forsakes me, Jesus has promised to always be with me.
Even if men bind me in chains, Jesus has died to set me free indeed.

Thank you, dear Jesus!

While I still have eyes that see, May they always be alert to the beauties and wonders of God's creation.
While I still have ears to hear, May I ever hear the singing of the birds and the cries of those who suffer.
While I still have two good legs, May I always use them to follow in the steps of Jesus.
While I still have two hands (such a marvelous creation), May I use them to serve Jesus by serving others.
While I am blessed with clothing in abundance, May I share with those who have none.
While I have more food than I need, May I give to feed those who are hungry.
While I still enjoy a comfortable home, May I ever hold it's doors open to strangers, and may it be a place of peace and refuge in this sinful world.
While I still am blessed with many loved ones and friends, May I be filled with love for each one.
While I still enjoy the freedoms that my forefathers died for, May I exercise this freedom to worship and praise my creator and to proclaim Jesus to everyone I meet. May I offer my prayers and myself to the preserving of these freedoms for my posterity.

Happy Birthday Rebekah!

2008-12-14T00:00:00.001-06:00

There is no way that I can summarize how much you mean to me in one post, but I will try. You are with out a doubt the most a man could hope for in a wife and mother of his children. Day by day you give yourself to your family without rest. You are in a constant state of sacrifice and you always keep the best interests of your family the first priority. Your daughters are learning so much from you and the reason for them being outstanding is because of the influence you have on them. You’ve taught them to be selfless, kind, loving, and to enjoy the relationship between them. As for me, you have taught me more about life than any other person, and I am still learning from you. Your presence in my life causes me to feel like I can take on the world, and sometimes allows me to. It’s been a dream of mine to have a partner that has strength where I have weakness, and to say this is true would be an understatement. Today, I am so thankful for you, and the happiness you keep giving me. You are incredible. I love you.

Happy 27th Birthday.

Here is a little something we worked on for you. Enjoy.

(Sorry Makayla looks like a hobo for part of it, it was just before bedtime) :)

Love,

Jaron

Trains, trains, trains...

2008-12-11T00:57:00.003-06:00

I know, I know, its been a while since I posted. But good excuse (kinda)- our camera's broken and I HATE posting without at least a couple of pics. So we gave in on Monday and took a few with our flash-less camera, and got a couple of ok ones. We were supposed to meet Santa at Northpark on Monday, but he was SICK. :( So, we headed on over to the Galleria to see their Santa and Makayla proceeded to jump on his lap and tell him she wanted a drum and a cello. That made me laugh. Bryn wanted nothing to do with Santa. We did find a train inside of the Toy store by the playground and they definitely enjoyed that. Jaron put a train around our tree and they've really enjoyed it (see videos below).

It amazes me every year how busy this time of year is, but its so fun. We're going out every night this week and I love it.

On a different note... I went to a Gentleman's Club last night. Yes, you heard me right. A girl from church (Lisa) went last year and brought the girls gift bags, with an invitation to our Christmas Eve service and just wanted to tell them how much God loved them. Well, this year Lisa got some more people involved and made 50 gift bags and a plate of cookies to bring in. There were 7 of us women who went (with 4 husbands standing guard outside). We were in the dressing room of this club for a good hour and a half and I was amazed at the response. They were SO happy to see us and SO grateful for the gift bags. They hugged us and kissed our cheeks. We were able to pray with a lot of them and a couple of them stayed in the dressing room almost the entire time, sacrificing money they could have been making out in the club, just so they could talk with us and share their lives. I was truly moved by the hearts of these women and am so glad I was able to do this, especially this time of year. It definitely put this whole season of giving into a new perspective for me.

Well, here's a few pics and video of my little angels (even though the actual pics aren't great, and Makayla looks a little out of it. Bryn's smile is her "pretty smile"). :)

Merry Christmas all...

Congratulations, Farley family!

2008-11-22T21:52:00.006-06:00

I know some of you have followed Boothe Farley's blog over the past year or so. In case you haven't, they lost a baby girl to Trisomy 18 last year. Her heartfelt and honest thoughts have really meant a lot to me and strengthened my faith so much. If you have some time one day or over the holidays, I would encourage you to read her blog (October 2007's "A vision for Eternity" definitely spoke to my heart and spirit. Some other good ones are November 2007's "Believe", December 2007's "Structure", February 2008's "The mystery of truth" and August 2008's "Simplify"). She has an incredible gifting for beautifully expressing such profound and unique insights.

Well, Boothe and her husband, Conor just welcomed a baby girl, Emerette McClure. I cannot stop the tears of joy for this incredible family. Only through Christ can I feel such love and happiness for a family I don't even know- what a privilege to be a member of God's community.

Here's her blog...

http://conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com

I probably won't get another post in before next week, so....

Gymnastics Fun!!!

2008-11-16T19:10:00.005-06:00

So, of course my girls are no strangers to a gymnastics center (for those that don't know, I work part-time at one, and they come with me quite often). BUT, we went to Nat and Lainey's birthday party yesterday, and Makayla informed me this gym was MUCH better than Mommy's. :) They did have so much fun. Jaron was in charge of the camera and got as many good shots of kids in motion as he could. We didn't get any of Natalie, but she's in the video at the end of this post for about a second. Love these kids...

Brynley on the airplane...

You can see Grant's little smile behind the rope- he was so cute!!

Love these next ones of Kamryn, what a cutie pie...

And their favorite part, of course...

Birthday girls, minus Nat's head, but you can see her super-cute red leo (that's leotard for all you non-gymnast folk)...

Happy Birthday, Lainey!

My little twinkies (I think they look a lot alike)...

Bryn was trying to wake up, and the airplane ride wasn't helping. She warmed up later though. :)

Halloween Week!!

2008-11-02T19:32:00.014-06:00

We had a fun-filled week last week. We started it off last Saturday painting pumpkins in Coppell, then went to a party on Monday morning, culminating in the big day on Friday. Halloween is so much more fun with kids. Here's just a couple of pics for you. :)

Sorry these pictures are not the greatest (I broke my flash that morning). :( I just love Beckham's smile in this one. This was at our Monday morning party.

**Random picture alert** This was the other night at Phillip and Marissa's. Again, not a great pic, I just thought it was funny that all the kids were gathered around Jaron. :)

**Random picture alert** This was Thursday night at a birthday bash at Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth. It was SO pretty and the food was SO good- definitely worth the trek out there.

On to the big day...

Halloween day, we went to my mom's for some cupcake decorating, pumpkin carving, tree climbin' good time. We then went on a Trick or Treat excursion with the Smith's, McLawhon's, and Watkins to the homes of the Frank Pope's, the Clarke Watkin's, the Robert Scott's, the Fred Pattison's and the Larry Stewart's. We ended up back at my mom's house for some AMAZING pumpkin stew and did a little bobbing for apples. Well, Megan tried to show the kids how to bob for apples, but they were more inclined to use a net. And I can't wait to see someone's pic of the apples we were bobbing for... Brynley had taken a bite out of each of them earlier that day. What a funny little bug!! Thanks to all for making our night so fun- I'm so excited for the holidays!!!

Trick or treat, smell my feet...

2008-11-02T00:23:00.004-05:00

More pics to come, but I just LOVE this pic that I'm stealing from Megan- how cute is my little butterfly?!?! :)

And this one I just got from Angela (thanks girl!) of our kiddos last Monday for a little Halloween party. They had SO much fun (thanks for hosting, Leslie!) and I love how Bryn's arms are up- she's so excited in this pic. :) I was just amazed that they actually all stayed where they were put (well, for the most part).

Hope everyone had fun last night!!!

Fair Day!

2008-10-18T11:23:00.006-05:00

We made it to the fair yesterday. It was the girls first time, and Jaron and I hadn't gone since we've been married, so it was a fun day. Tymon, Eric and Zane joined us. Here's some of my favorite pics. The rest are on facebook (and some videos). If you're not a member, here's the link...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57298&l=cbfc4&id=502260078

Emmie is here!

2008-10-11T17:34:00.015-05:00

Eric and Aimee welcomed Emmeline Rae Smith a little before 1 am this morning (10/11/08)- on her due date! Mom and baby are doing spectacular and get to come home tomorrow. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking...

I stole this first one of Emmie's stats from Becca Schaefer...

And these first few are from our day yesterday... Jaron was home so of course he got the kids watching the animated Star Wars...

Here she is!!! I think Zane's still trying to figure her out, but Makayla and Bryn were very happy to see Emmie. :)

And here's a couple of videos for your enjoyment...

Quirks

2008-10-09T23:59:00.003-05:00

I got tagged by Kristina a LOOOOOOOOONG time ago, sorry. :(

7 quirks about me:

1. I cannot STAND scary/thriller movies. I've tried to see a couple with Jaron, but its been torture the entire time. I think I had my eyes closed for most of I am Legend (Will Smith), and yes, I realize that wasn't that scary of a movie. I'm just a weenie when it comes to that stuff... I think The Ring really did me in- just ask Jaron, I think he was a little surprised at how much it freaked me out.

2. The only foods I will not eat are bananas, olives and pickles. Over my lifetime, I have learned to at least tolerate other foods that I used to despise, except for these three- I just can't do it. And wouldn't you know, one of Bryn's favorite foods is bananas, and Makayla's is pickles. Of course.

**Side note: Thanks to Brigitte's LIFE changing message on nutrition at the Women's retreat, I have eaten mostly raw/organic foods and drank only water since Saturday. This is the first time I've changed my diet solely for my health, without really thinking about weight loss, and I'm LOVING it. But more on that later...

3. My favorite book series is the Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers. Through a beautiful work of fiction, I found a faith in God I had never known, and still read it once every year or 2. I've probably read all three books at least 6 or 7 times. In fact, just writing this makes me want to go pick it up. Its SO good!!!

4. Despite the up's and down's of the show, I am a die-hard Grey's Anatomy fan. I think I love it so much because I've watched it since the first episode- It was right after Makayla was born and Jaron was still in his rock band, and they practiced late on whatever night it was on (I think it started on Sunday nights). So, I just have special memories of holding my little newborn, watching this new show about some crazy, very unrealistic doctors. And its still a fun show, I don't care what you say. :)

5. I'm a night owl, almost to a fault. Its very hard for me to go to bed before midnight- I just feel like I can get more done at night. But, that means I'm a little grumpy in the mornings. When I had 5am reports in my Flight Attendant days, I felt very sorry for my crew and passengers. Luckily, most of them slept the whole flight. Well, everyone but the pilots of course. :) Now, I just have to keep my mouth closed early in the mornings so I don't snap at my hubbie and kids. Dora and SuperWhy have definitely saved us many a morning in the Pitts house. :)

6. If I had my way, I would live in Starbucks. I don't think I've had a drink there that I haven't liked. I try and be responsible and only go once a week (usually on a Sunday morning at 8:30, on the way to church), b/c, yes I realize the prices are ridiculously high and its really not that good for you. My fav is an iced grande soy chai tea latte. hmmmmmmmm....

7. My dream is to travel the world with my family. God willing, we will someday go to Africa (well, again for me), Italy, Greece, Ireland, France and hopefully many more places. Traveling abroad changed the way I thought about so many things and I can't wait for my girls to experience that.

Ok, I tag.... MEGAN!! I know you have a newborn, but maybe in a few months/years you'll enlighten us all with your little quirks. :) Love you all, have a wonderful Friday!!!

Arboretum pics...

2008-10-02T23:24:00.011-05:00

We went to the Arboretum on Monday with my mom, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Marsha, Grandmother, Aimee and Zane. Curissa, Cannon, Meg and Maggie met up with us later. Got some cute pics, here ya go...

Looking at rolly pollys outside our front door...

She's so grown up

These next few are the girls practicing their "pretty smiles". Makayla pretty much gets it, Brynley, not so much.

And Makayla had to have a pic of her new kicks

On our way to the Arboretum in Grammy's awesome car that can fit all 6 of us...

And let the posing begin...

Emmie, we're ready to add you to this circle!!!

Makayla waited for over an hour to get her face painted!

And she never wavered on what she wanted...

A purple and white and pink kitty cat! Meow.

Just pictures...

2008-09-26T17:22:00.008-05:00

Here's some pics from this month and I've uploaded some more videos on Youtube if you want to check them out...

www.youtube.com/bekahpitts

I'm ready for fall weather, anyone else?!?!

These are from our walk last week in the GORGEOUS weather...

These are at The Gymnastics Place...

These are at Addy's birthday party last Saturday...

These are last night at the Galleria, they were both trying to hide from the camera...

And, yes, I did give in and cut some bangs on Brynley (just the wispies that won't stay out of her face). And no, I know I didn't do a great job, but she's much happier not eating hair. I need to take them both for trims. Here's her showing off her new bangs...

Ahhh... girlie stuff...

2008-09-09T23:15:00.005-05:00

So, last night I FINALLY organized all the girls toys (with the new stuff from their birthday). So, of course we celebrated with, what else?- a tea party! I forced my very unwilling husband to at least sit with us and the girls were thrilled. Makayla could probably host a tea party for hours, and Bryn loved the chocolate chip muffins I made. It was nice and lady-like until we told Bryn to eat her muffin off her plate (as opposed to walking around with it)... this is what she took that to mean...

Here's some other pics of our fun little evening...

Here's what happened later... man, these girls have some lungs!!

On another note, it's been exactly a year since we launched The Branch at Vista Ridge. I have been so blessed to be apart of this community and am so appreciative of all the support and encouragement that surrounds our church. Jaron and I are constantly in awe of how God uses so many different people, with different gifts and talents, to further His Kingdom. I know God has great things in store for this next year- There are SO many individuals that have worked tirelessly over the past year to help make VR become part of The Branch. You know who you are and I just want to say THANK YOU for all your hard work and you WILL reap what you sow.

Ok, its already Wednesday, so I better go to bed. Good night!!

2008-08-31T00:07:00.002-05:00

Here's a video we took a couple of weeks ago. We made a copy and sent it with Jeff- these girls sure do love him and will miss him so much!!!

Army Strong

2008-08-30T21:39:00.005-05:00

My brother, Jeff, left for Georgia today and will be going overseas soon with the Army Reserves. Please keep him in your prayers- this is his second tour of duty. We're SO proud of him...

This is several years ago, at his graduation from boot camp in South Carolina...

The girls saying goodbye to Uncle Jeff... Bryn was already asking me this morning when we were going to Jeff's house- Of course, I burst into tears. :(

Teeny got her braces off!

After the goodbyes, we went to Jake's to lift our spirits- chocolate really helps.

We love you, Jeff and promise to pray for you every night!!!

--------------------

The girls had their 2 and 3 year checkups yesterday. Since we've been playing doctor a lot recently, they knew exactly what was going on and actually enjoyed themselves for once. And the best part was NO SHOTS for either one of them- yay!!! Here's their stats...

Makayla:
-Height: 38.3 inches (a little over 3 feet)- 75th percentile
-Weight: 29.6 lbs. (still hasn't hit that 30 lb. mark!!)- 25-30th percentile
-BMI (they stop measuring their heads at 3): 12% (doctor's words- "she's very tall and thin").

Brynley:
-Height: 33.25 inches (almost 3 feet)- 10-15th percentile
-Weight: 23.2 lbs- 10th percentile
-FOC (head): 18.6 in. (her BMI is around 14%)

The nurse and doctor were both impressed with how well both of them were talking and interacting. She made me feel a lot better about the potty training thing (she said to lay off for a few weeks and see if she'll bring it up). We have had a couple of successful tries with both of the girls, so I'm hopeful that its not far off.

Here's a couple of pics from tonight of my cuties- I can't believe I don't have babies anymore!

Happy Birthday Makayla!

2008-08-26T21:32:00.004-05:00

Can't believe my little girl turned 3 yesterday!!! It really doesn't seem like that much time has passed. We had a wonderful day yesterday. It was my first day back at work, so the girls spent the day at grammy's (getting spoiled, I'm sure). After Jaron brought them home, we went swimming and had chocolate ice cream (2 of Makayla's favorites). Then, Jaron took her to Walmart to pick out a birthday surprise- her choice was a Dora purse filled with goodies.

Thinking back to 3 years ago, I could have never dreamed about my now 3 year old. She is such a special little girl. She's very feisty, but very sweet. She's always so concerned about everyone, especially when her little sister is unhappy. She definitely has a stubborn streak (hmmm, wonder who she gets that from?), but is learning how to be patient and understanding. She has learned her manners better than I could have hoped to teach her, and is SO smart. She's known her ABC's for a year and talks as well as most 4 year olds I know. She absolutely loves anything having to do with being a girl- dressing up, jewelry, makeup, the works. She's becoming so independent- wants to dress herself, leave her hair down (we're working on her independence in the toilet training area- she doesn't really care about that part). She is so much fun and very rarely has a bad day. She is so thoughtful and has to make sure she gives everyone hugs and kisses before she leaves a place. She loves to pray and talk about the Bible stories she learns. My heart melts every time I hear Brynley and her having a conversation- I just can't believe how much they are both growing. Makayla has held our hearts since her first appearance and has been such a blessing to our lives. We love you monkey!!!

Didn't get many pictures of yesterday, but she was happy to show off the contents of her new purse, so here you go...

Fall Preview...

2008-08-21T22:24:00.005-05:00

Ok, if you haven't heard me rave about Divine Consign, I'll let you read this previous post...

DC Obsession

My girls were happy to model their clothes this year (well, only one outfit each, but I got them a whole lot of CUTE stuff- and I still have 2 sales to go... yay!!!). Glad to be back home after a long week, but I had tons of fun. Have a good weekend all!!!

(If you're wondering what Makayla is holding, I got them a bag of Incredibles toys. They were both a little excited about that- and their Dora bean bag chair). GO TO DIVINE CONSIGN!!!!!!!!!

Party fun

2008-08-18T00:28:00.008-05:00

The girls had so much fun at their party tonight (well, I guess that would be yesterday since its after midnight, ugh)...
We celebrated by doing some of their favorite things- jumping, sliding, bouncing, eating pizza and of course cake/cupcakes!!! Thanks to all who were able to make it- you truly blessed our girls by being there and have created a great memory. I'm gearing up for an awesome week at DIVINE CONSIGN in Arlington, but I wanted to make sure and get some pics on here b/c I won't be on a computer for a few days. You're welcome. :)

Josh and Beckham zooming down the big slide

A couple of the cutest red heads ever

Birthday girl zooming away

E5- way too busy to stop for a pic

ABL and Cbug (I can call him that b/c I'm family, right?) :)

He has some really cute smiles, but I just love this Beckham face. :)

Hello, heartbreaker. Cannon really makes me like the idea of arranged marriages for my girls. Well, just one, I don't think he could handle 2.

Cutie pie preggos

This was after she said, I'm done playing- let's eat cake!!

"Sharing" the car

Bryn agrees with big sis- let's EAT!!

Addy pushing Makayla

Sweetie Ava

They were all supposed to be taking a picture- here's some of them...

...and a few more... they were all WAY too busy playing.

FINALLY, pizza and apple juice...

How awesome is this cake that Libby made?!?

LOVE it!!!

Bryn doesn't really like a whole lot of attention- she was just staring at everyone singing to her...

Ummm... can I just have a cupcake please??

Oh, yeah!! Going...

Going...

Gone!!

I keep forgetting to take family pics of us... here's our attempt after we got home

Brynley on her new comforter. Good NIGHT!!!

Here ya go...

2008-08-13T21:20:00.009-05:00

Pics from Bryn's birthday, sorry it took so long!!

In case you've forgotten the details of her fabulous day, here's the post...
http://pittshomeinc.blogspot.com/2008/08/happy-birthday-brynley.html

Makayla showing off Brynley's present- if you don't know what it is, it's Diego's rescue pack!!! Cool, huh? (One of Bryn's favorite phrases).

8.8.08

2008-08-08T23:30:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, I still need to get up pictures of Brynley's birthday... but it'll have to wait...

The marketing geniuses of the Olympics were very smart to start on this cool day. And the opening ceremony has to be the best I've ever seen (and I've watched them as far back as I can remember). I don't know what it is, but I always get a little emotional at the opening ceremonies. I don't know if its just seeing so many people so proud of their nation, or the innocence in the children's faces, or just the sheer beauty and artistry that's put into this spectacular production. This year was no exception- I've always been fascinated with the Chinese nation, and I loved being able to witness the beauty and nobleness of the people. I was completely blown away by the beginning portion and about lost it completely when the little boy who survived the earthquake led the Chinese athletes with a part of his hair gone. Hello waterworks! I just love learning about other nations, even in small parts, and being able to see them unified for something like this really takes my breath away.

Ok, that's it, just wanted to blog before it hit midnight... I'll try hard to get pics up of my cutie pies tomorrow. Again, I know that's all this blog's really for. :)

Congratulations Meg and Ryan on your precious little girl!!!

Happy Birthday Brynley!!

2008-08-03T19:54:00.004-05:00

My baby girl is 2 today, I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!!! This past year has gone by especially fast, and I've tried to enjoy every second. I will have to admit, though, I'm a little excited to be out of the baby phase... yes, both girls are still in diapers, but other than that, they are 2 very independent little girls. Its been so amazing to witness the transformation, especially in Brynley, over the past couple of months.

Brynley is talking SO well and is such a busy little bee. She will rarely sit through an entire movie or TV show (unless its The Incredibles, her favorite at the moment), and absolutely adores playing with her dolls. She's been using her "please's" and "thank you's" so well, I've been SO proud of her. She loves to swim every chance she gets and would eat goldfish and drink apple juice all day if she could. She absolutely LOVES to dance, and usually prefers to be naked. :) She has no problem going to sleep when she's tired; she'll even, very often, curl up to her "Ellie" (elephant blankie) and just sigh contentment when she's going to bed. She adores her big sister, and always has the biggest hugs and kisses for her when she gets up from her nap (Makayla tends to take a little longer naps). She loves to cuddle with her daddy and is still sucking away on her right thumb. She definitely can still throw some mean tantrums, but she's learned they usually don't get her what she wants, so they've become less frequent and she's mostly very sweet and loving. She definitely has Grandpa and Daddy wrapped around her little finger and Mema's even offered to trade Barney for her. :) Words are hard for me to find to express my love for this little girl. She has been our precious little joy and I cannot imagine life without her.

We hadn't made any concrete plans for her big day today, but it ended up being fabulous! Our friends, the Faris's took us to Ghattitown (we'd never been), and treated Bryn (well, all of us- thanks guys!!!) to lunch and play time. The girls had a blast, but I think Bryn's favorite part was getting a balloon and riding the train around the parking lot (it was definitely her birthday, b/c we would not have done that on a normal day in this heat). She had been kinda shy all day about her birthday (didn't want us to sing to her, would hide her face when someone would say happy birthday to her), but when we were leaving Ghattitown, she said, "No! My birthday!" It was WAY cute. After our naps and dinner, we enjoyed some yummy chocolate cake that Makayla helped me make, and then went swimming, of course. Jaron took Brynley to the store to pick out a birthday treat and she was so sweet to get Makayla a little something as well. We let them watch The Incredibles (of course) in bed. :) Great day for a very special girl. We love you Brynley!!!!

I have a lot to clean up, so pictures will come tomorrow. Well, here's ONE for you...

Side note: Its 10:22pm and everyone is in bed but me... how is it that men can pass out with no thought as to the chocolate cake on the floor or wet swim suits that need to be washed? Crazy how different men and women are. Oh, well. :)

Missing my hubbie...

2008-07-31T10:47:00.000-05:00

Jaron's been at camp all week and we're REALLY missing him. :( I'm trying to get some stuff done while he's gone, but I have no motivation. SO, I thought I'd put some pics up and a video, that's all this blog's REALLY for, right? :)
Enjoy!

Our power went out for 2 hours last week, so Jeff and Kris came over and we went swimming... Jeff reading to Bryn.

Bryn LOVES Uncle Jeff (I think he's pretty fond of her too). :)

Makayla took this pic- not too bad.

It was HOT!!

This is my new favorite pic of them.

My girls this morning... notice Makayla's finger placement on the piano (I think Jaron needs to start lessons with her). :)

Early birthday present...

2008-07-19T21:20:00.003-05:00

So, Wednesday night the girls got to see their early birthday present from Nana and Aunt Teeney... Here's video and a pic of the final product. Thanks so much, it turned out wonderful!!!

Our babies can swim! Kind of.

2008-07-13T22:08:00.002-05:00

This past week was a pretty big milestone for our kids. They have started to "swim". We haven't done any classes, but they love the water so much that we try to take them as often as we can. We tried body floats that were built into the swim suits, but that didn't instill much confidence as they would flail around and bounce from side to side. Then, after witnessing the phenomenon that is Lainey Dickerson, swimming by herself with only the aid of arm floaties at the age of 1, we decided to give them a try.
And not soon after the 3rd trip to the pool with these "miracle floats", they were sailing around like mermaids.
I don't think I have ever been as proud of them as I have been the past couple of weeks as they have learned how to "let go" of me and venture off into the water by themselves.

Fun in the Sun...

2008-07-07T22:53:00.011-05:00

Just wanted to share some recent pics with you. We've been having a wonderful, relaxing summer, but its time to get serious because DIVINE CONSIGN is at the end of August and I plan to consign a LOT, so I better get crackin.

July 4th weekend was wonderful- lots of great company and great food. Of course I forgot my camera, but some of these pics are around that time, so it counts right?? Hope everyone had a great 4th. And Happy Birthday momma (yesterday)- I love you you!!! And Happy Anniversary, Brad and Brit (today)!

This was after our very HOT photo shoot with Baby Zane (we took pics for Grammy's birthday- SO cute, they will be on here soon).

Isn't her hair lovely? :)

Brynley's hair actually stayed up, amazingly.

Lovely smile.

Movie night in Mommy's bed.

Cheerios instead of popcorn.

Milk instead of soda (aren't I such a good mom?) :)

This may be my favorite picture ever. Can you guess which legs are whose???

In Mommy's heels.

I don't know why, but Bryn likes to lay down everywhere, even if she's not tired.

Cutie pie.

This is before we went to Michael and Lorisa's wedding a couple of weekends ago.

You can't really tell, but the girls are showing off their earrings... unfortunately, they didn't stay on, but they looked way cute.

Is it really almost JULY???

2008-06-28T23:09:00.005-05:00

Yet again, another month has flown by... I haven't even started on my summer projects, so I better get cracking! Just got back from M & L Miller's wedding at The Woods beautiful new home- it was so pretty, and the food was outstanding- thanks for having us Brian and Amy!

Last weekend, I spent some time with my old flight attendant friends in Cincinnati... yes, I was a flight attendant for a year- best and worst year of my life. Best, because I made some incredible friends- we FINALLY got together this year (its been 3 1/2 years since I left)... and had so much fun catching up and visiting some of our old hangouts. And it was so nice to just get out of town for awhile and spend some time with my gals... I've decided I will do something like that once a month, at least for a day, to relax and rejuvenate. Anyway, don't have any pics yet, but I'll get them up when I can.
For some reason, I couldn't find any old pics of my flight attendant friends and I, so I thought I'd put up some pics of places I got to fly for free that year...

Jeff's graduation from Basic Training in South Carolina...

Hawaii, for my cousin's wedding (rode first class for that one). :)

New York, to see Jaron and his band play (they drove, I flew)... Sorry, babe, I had to put this pic up. :)

That's pretty much all that's been going on... just enjoying being in the pool as much as we can and taking lots of naps. :) I'm loving summer!!!

Here's some pictures for your amusement... for some reason Brynley chooses to make the goofiest faces/smiles for the camera. She's so pretty, but you really can't tell sometimes in the pictures she takes. :) And is it just me, or are they starting to look SO much alike? We had someone ask us at the pool last night if they were twins... might as well be!!

Capturing moments...

2008-06-15T23:26:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to share a little video that I got of the girls on Wednesday. I know, I know... not the best parenting techniques, but it was just really cute, I had to let it go... What Brynley does/says at the end is our new favorite thing. Enjoy!!

And HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the wonderful dads out there. I'm so privileged to know some amazing, Godly fathers and see what a positive influence they are having in their children's lives. Keep it up!!!

Jaron, I love you and couldn't imagine a better father for my girls. You are their joy and rock, thank you for always putting them and me above everything else and always being there for us. XXXOOO

2008-06-09T21:56:00.001-05:00

Here's some more anniversary pics, if you're interested...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39284&l=6b991&id=502260078

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39565&l=a1afe&id=502260078

Anniversary extravaganza!!!

2008-06-07T22:18:00.007-05:00

So, this past Thursday was Jaron and I's (or is it Jaron's and mine???) 3rd anniversary. We both took off work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and he's not leading worship all weekend. We spent Wednesday and Thursday night at the Great Wolf Lodge (which is an AWESOME family place, btw)... we had some great food Wed. night and then played at the waterpark, which was a blast. We saw a movie on Thursday and then went to pick up our girls so they could play at the waterpark too. They had SO much fun. We took them back to my parents house to spend the night and checked out on Friday morning. My parents were so gracious to keep them for a third night, so Jaron and I could be at home by ourselves and sleep in again (which is really all we wanted to do). :) We've had a great Saturday, just organizing the girls toys and pretty much doing nothing, which is really, really weird. ANYWAY, its been a marvelous week- thanks so much Becca, Chels, Aim, mom and dad for taking such good care of my babies and for letting us get away to relax... it was SOOOOO great!!!! Mema, we hope you feel better soon!

Jaron, I love you more than words can express. The last 3 years have been the best of my life.
Ever thine.
Ever mine.
Ever ours.
:) I love you.

Here's a few pics and I'll put my facebook link up of more pics when its finished uploading...

The view from our room at Great Wolf...

The girls checking out the water park from the lobby...

On our way to the water park! I love this pic...

Washing off the chlorine in our whirlpool tub at the lodge...

Back at my parents house. I'm embarrassed to say that this is the only family pic we've taken since CHRISTMAS!!!

Definitely the best part of our Melting Pot experience last night... :)

We love baby Zane!

2008-05-30T21:24:00.007-05:00

Zane came over Wednesday morning to play and we had so much fun. Thought I'd share some pics and a video from the morning...

This is what happens when I ask Makayla to give me her "model face"... she's still a cutie to me. :)...

How cute are these little water bugs???

2008-05-19T21:20:00.005-05:00

I thought since it was 99 degrees today, it would be nice to swim. But it was pretty cold. But Makayla didn't care, she loved it and didn't want to leave. Brynley was pretty into it too. We also let them stick their feet in the hot tub... during her prayers tonight, Makayla thanked God for going into the hot water and the cold water and the hot water and the cold water. It was pretty cute. Enjoy...

This is right after Brynley jumped off the steps and landed under water. It was kinda funny, seeing her eyes looking at me under water. She's definitely my second child b/c that would have freaked me out with Makayla. :)

On her way to the pool- so cute!!!

Ahhhh, memories....

2008-05-19T00:16:00.005-05:00

Firsts with my girls have been so fun... first smiles, first laughs, first steps, first words. They're growing up too fast, but I'm trying to soak in as much as I can.

Another fun one for me was the first time dipping oreos in milk experience we had last night. Brynley was WAY more into it than Makayla, but they both enjoyed the deliciousness that is oreos. It was such a great bonding moment (well, anything involving my girls, chocolate and myself is a special time), and of course I had to capture the moment. Enjoy!! And if you haven't had some oreos in milk in a while- do it... it makes you feel like a kid again (or maybe its just me). :)

P.S. Thanks, Brit for clueing me in about Google reader- what a time saver!!! Check it out if you don't have it yet.

Love it!!

This is their "say cheese!" face.

What happened when I asked Makayla to give me a pretty smile.

Man, this girl cracks me up!!