We're Back!!!

WOW. What a crazy and AMAZING 2 weeks :) I've literally been counting down to the past 2 weeks for months. I can't believe its all over. Uhhh, I hate that part! Our trip to Arkansas was just perfect! Thanks to everyone that sent Good Traveling Vibes our way. Both the flights were easy. The kids slept the majority of the almost 3 hour flights. We also had to drive 5 hours to Fayetteville from Dallas and the drives were surprisingly great too. They actually went pretty fast. I did spend most of the drive in the back seat with Kallen (Raya was back there too) He really doesn't like the carseat. Luckily, the only time it was terrible was the last 2 hours of our drive there. So all in all I'd consider it a huge success! It was sooooo great to see my good friends. Fayetteville was just like I remembered it. It was really great to be back. And I knew when I went back I'd either miss it terribly and want to move back, or be ok that I didn't live there...and I decided that it was great to visit and I didn't need to move back. It was the PERFECT place for College. And I love the town dearly, but I don't miss getting starred out everywhere we go. Lol. I forget how Not Mixed the South is. It's getting better, slowly but surely, but its got work to do. I will say about 80percent of the time we were treated great and strangers were very warm to us...but there were still those people that couldn't handle our family. I'm sure they hate the fact that my kids are so dang cute :) Hehe. And I will say that its not just like that in Fayetteville, that's just where I was this weekend and compared to where we live now I was reminded of what its like living in a more conservative town. And to be honest, it was like that when we lived there and despite that I still Loved living there. Send good thoughts that way because they are experiencing severe weather! Horrible flooding and tornado warnings and craziness. I hope everyone stays as dry and safe as possible!!!

But anyways, back to the trip. It was a much needed vacation and I wish we could've stayed longer. I really don't think I've gone out like that since I had babies. So needless to say I am still recovering. I really miss my best friend Jen, and it was so freakin good to spend the weekend with her. Me, her and Jodie had FUN. Lol. I was so sad to leave. I hate that its so expensive to fly to Fayetteville because we'd do that a couple times a year for sure. But either way, we pinky swore we'd go to the Black Alumni Reunion/Weekend every time it was being held (which is every other year) I can't wait until April 2013!

After you graduate from The University of Arkansas your name is etched into "Senior Walk." I was SO EXCITED to see my name :) That's one of the coolest things ever. Ever! 

I have a bunch more pictures...these were just some of my favorite. The rest are in my facebook album: Arkansas Weekend

I have so much to blog about! Raya's 2nd BIRTHDAY!!! Easter. Kallen's newest accomplishments. Life. I gotta get on it! It's been a hectic 2 weeks. So sad they're over. I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things...can't wait to get all blogged up! (That's code for caught up on my blog ;)

Big Girl Moments

So we're getting ready to fly to Dallas tomorrow morning and then drive to Fayetteville for Black Alumni Weekend. (Obviously I can't miss that ;) and packing and getting ready for a trip now that we're a Party of 4 is ALOT of work. So I really shouldn't be blogging but Raya learned to ride her bike today!!! We were going to give her the tricycle for her bday but she saw it in the garage last month so we gave it to her early :) For the most part she just sat on it to watch TV (I really need to get her a chair) or would use her feet to push herself backwards. We tried explaining "pedaling" and Gentry would walk behind her with his hands on her feet pushing down on the pedals, but nothing really. Then today she went out, sat down and pedaled! It was so cool!!!! Definitely a big girl moment. I got a couple of videos and Gentry got some when he got home. I need to upload them to YouTube asap. The last 2 weeks have clearly been growth spurts. She's been eating like a horse and sleeping a good amount and doing all kinds of new things. Its a really fun time. She's so much fun!!!! And then tonight I rocked her to sleep tonight in the rocking chair and realized I wasn't really holding her and rocking her. It was more like she was laying on me and holding onto me. She's so big now! Tear. I know I saw it all the time, but it's so fun to watch her grow and breaks my heart at the same time.  

I love the one because it looks like she has lip gloss on :)

Laying in the sun, waiting for her toes to dry

 She's also never really been into dressing up and today she soooo was. She's been pulling her hats out lately and wearing them around, but today was a proud moment for me: She brought a dress and tutu in!!! And then got a bunch of her mardi gras beads and sunglasses. Oh I am so proud ;)

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Lady Gaga would be so proud

 I'm SUPER excited about our trip. I'm a little (or alot) anxious about us flying with 2 lap children. This should be interesting. It's Raya's last trip as a free kid! Next time we fly with her we're gonna have to buy her her very own seat. But as of tomorrow there will be 4 of us in 2 seats. Hehe. Pray for us ;)

Wedding Bells for a Bestie!

So one of my best and longest friends got married 2 weeks ago. It was such an amazing wedding. It was easy and fun and simple yet magical. It had such a great vibe and was filled with really great people. It was soooo great to be a part of such a special day for one of my very special friends. Cathleen and I have been friends since the 4th grade. So she really had no choice when it came to having me in her wedding ;) I mean if she's gonna have her sisters, well I guess I'm a shoe in. LOL! I'm kidding (kinda.) And Raya was a flower girl. Cathleen and I kept talking about how surreal this sentence was (Said by Cathleen): "Your DAUGHTER is in my WEDDING!" We just couldn't get over that we were really at this place in our lives. How did this all happen?!?! I really can't get over what a special weekend it was.

Fam time before the Rehearsal 

Her wedding was at The Horizon Hotel in Palm Springs. We packed up and drove down, or over, or whatever, to Palm Springs Friday afternoon so we could be there for the evening rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Wellll. The hotel had a beautiful pool. With balls. Raya's 2 favorite things. And she couldn't touch either. So that was the beginning of one of the most stressful nights ever. Haha. I held Kallen through the whole rehearsal, which was totally fine. Babies are so easy at 2 months cause they just sleep :) Raya was off running wild. Like WIIIIIIIIIIILD. By about 7 she was exhausted and super fussy because she was beyond tired and beyond frustrated. Poor kid. Gentry took her for a drive and she was passed out within 5 minutes. And lucky for us it was perfect "leave your kid in the car" weather. Calm down. The car was parked literally right next to us. AND Gentry left his phone on in the car in her lap and called mine and I left mine on speaker so it was basically a baby monitor. Man we're smart parents. As soon as Gentry got back Cathleen and I called my Mom and BEGGED her to come to Palm Springs and baby sit. Really, it was the first time being a Mom that I truly and seriously needed extra help and I couldn't take No for an answer. So my mom came :) And after Raya's flower girl part was all done she whisked her off and they went back to the hotel to do Nana-Raya things like climbing tables in the hotel room and, Nana's newest teaching: "Surprise!" Yah, my Mom taught Raya how to Surprise me. That's a really awesome game when theres a 3 month old sleeping on the couch and your 23month old keeps popping up in the kitchen. And bathroom. And living room. Yelling "SURPRISE" every time. Thanks Mom.

On a side note Raya was a perfect flower girl. I was so stressed about whether she'd really walk down the aisle. I was sure she wouldn't, but when the time came, she held the other flower girl's hand and they walked down sooooo sweetly. Only annoying thing: the wedding coordinator forgot to send the flower girls down!!!! Uh. So she sent them down after they announced Mr and Mrs. Simmons. Either way the flower girls were so stinkin cute!

And Raya's dress! My Dad made that :) It was soooo perfect. I had an idea what I wanted in my head and this seriously was exactly what I pictured, fabric and all. Too good!!! I didn't get any of just Raya in the dress at the wedding. Here are some before I did her hair.

It's so stinkin cute!!!! AND I couldn't leave it at that, so my Dad has his hat maker friend make Gentry a matching bowtie and then I made myself a headband and Gentry a pocket square. I wanted Kallen to wear grey pants and a white shirt so I could make him a matching Tie, but no joke we spent like 4 HOURS trying to find pants and a shirt for him. In those 4 hours I found 75,000 cute girl things. Uhhhhh. Shopping for girls is so fun :) The night before we left Gentry found the green Polo at TJ Maxx and it matched our stuff perfectly.

We had a really great time at the wedding. I didn't get to dance :( It got pretty chilly and we had Kallen. BUT I didn't get to sit and chat with my good friend Steph and her husband Danny. Stephanie is another one of my long time girlfriends that I love dearly, so it was soooo great to catch up and Danny and Gentry finally got to meet.

Congrats to Tyler and Cathleen Simmons! Thanks for letting me be part of your Big Day. It was absolutely perfect. Love you guys!
Ps- As soon as the photographers put their pictures up I'll share the link. The pictures are going to be AHHHmazing!

The Simple Things

Found Simple as that through one of my blog friends: Sweet 'n' Sassy. On Sunday she has a weekly photo challenge: capture an image each week of the simple things in life that make you smile...the little things and little moments that make you happy... Thought it was a very sweet idea, especially because I just so happen to get one of the sweetest pictures yet of the kids-holding hand!  It was gloomy all morning but in the afternoon the sun came out and we took a walk along the beach. Right after we got them all strapped in Raya reached over for Kallen's hand. I didn't think my camera was on, but clearly it was :) And I gotta good one! 
Perfect weather, perfect walk, perfect company :) Such a simple afternoon that made me so happy!

Raya's such a sweet big sister :)

Raya Recently- 23 Months! Again

Just a little sumthin to go along with yesterday's post...

So once a week I get an email from BabyCenter.com. Well actually twice a week now that I have 2 kids. The one for Raya came yesterday. It was the email for "Your 23month old, Week 2" and guess what the topic was?! "Does your toddler ignore you?" This isn't the first time the email has been spot on. It actually happens a lot and I feel like its the Baby Gods laughing at me and then feeling bad for laughing and then sending me help via my email. They're good guys :) The first sentence in the article was: "Does your toddler ignore you? She's not doing it on purpose; it takes time and practice to learn how to listen well." Ahhhhh, so relieving. I love you BabyCenter.com. Here's the little snip-it if you're interested: Ignoring
Such a helpful little article!

AND, I've always heard people say "Yah, my toddler didn't talk much and then one day, Bam, all kinds of words and phrases." Well Raya did that yesterday. She's had a good amount of words, but wasn't a big talker. Well she was a talker, but not in a language the general public could understand. I took her outside to run around and she started saying "I got it!" I had never heard her say that, and that one phrase I swear popped the cork holding her vocab in. In the last 24 hours she hasn't stopped talking. And almost all of it has been words and phrases that we can understand. Its AMAZING how that happens! Seriously, she's saying all kinds of things. It's crazy. And so cool. And one more reminder that my baby is growing up. But it's all good :) It's funny because after I got her dressed today she looked different. Like a little girl and not a baby. We went and saw Gentry and my Mom at work and had lunch with them and she was just so chatty and grown. I guess the bitter sweet is never ending....But I'll take it. She's such a fun kid. And funny too. And gorgeous. And I'm so lucky <3

My Little Girl

She was fake falling. It was hilarious. And she knew it.

LOVING LIFE

So Purty