8 Years...

June 6, 2003

8 years ago today I married my bestest friend. My partner, my compadre, my love. I have actually saved most of the cards and letters we wrote when we dated up until now. I love how silly and young in love you are at the beginning. I love that it grows into such a stronger more solid love as time goes on. It doesn't fade but just takes on different changes at different seasons. All of them being perfect in it's own way. To look back at those cards and see our 1st anniversary note to each other and we were like "Whoah! It's been a year! Crazy!" hahaha Oh just a year??! It's been 8 now! And then will one day be 20! I honestly can say I CAN'T WAIT to see what it's like at 20 years married. From what I hear that my parents say is that it just gets better. And you know the older I've gotten I've realized my parents were always right. (Man if we would just believe them when we were pipsqueaks!) So I'm pumped! They will be right! And at 20 years in we will have had even more fun, more adventures, more highlights and I'm sure lo lights that only make our love stronger. God is good. He is so good to bless us with relationship. Not only with Himself but with our hubbies or wives for guys ;)

So Chris, Yay for 8 years! I know the next 8 are going to be full of laughter, joy, bumps in the road but oh so sweet. I'm so glad God gave me you. You are such an excellent husband who loves me tons and spoils me. You are such an awesome dad who loves to be with his kiddos and hot wife (oh did I just say that? hahaha) more than anything else. I am so blessed that you would rather come home and see you kiddos and spend family time rather than eat out. We can eat our any ole day or week but you, my amazing hubby, want to be with your wild and crazy family. And THAT is a blessing.

I love you to the moon and back Pookie!

Night my love ;)

Word...It's been a while...

Teagan Kaye!

Homie Gauge

So I just started following some of my friends new blogs and it made me realize, "Tara! You have neglected your blog again!" Oops! And I saw two posts ago was about Duke who we haven't had in a long time. He is at a new home with loving people who love animals. I don't HATE animals but I don't want any REAL live animals. My kids can have the Fur Real cat and that's about it. What a bummer of a mom right? haha Oh well maybe later I will let me have a fish ;)

So summer is here! I have high hopes and aspirations for all that is going to happen but I'll be happy if I can just get a little done. The organizing OCD side of me has high hopes for a new cleaning schedule/ chore charts/ calendar/ organization/ cleaning out junk, etc...BUT every since having two kiddos I'm lucky to still get places on time and vacuum twice a month. Ugh did I confess that? But I did get a NEW VACUUM and I think I will bump it to vacuuming once a day!!! Ok maybe once a week. Let's start small ;)

We are going to start planning a little family vacay again. Since last summer our trip to Ft. Worth/ Waco went SO well, we are going to try it again!! :) The kids are just pumped to go stay in a hotel and swim. Haha. Kids. But I'm excited. I miss my Waco and Ft. Worth peeps and I need to hug Natalie and Lisa!

So I'm not promising posts but I know you love them Layne so I will work on it. Again. ;)

And since I'm on an old computer I'm gonna post some oldies but goodies pics! FUN! :)

Excited!

I'm super excited here these days. Because any day now I will be an Aunt again to sweet little Anaya Hosanna. Oh my heart is so happy and absolutely can not wait to hear updates and to be able to see that sweet face on Skype!

You know me, very little emotions due to hormonal changes after Teagan. Well I have been 'cryey' (that would be a made up word) lately. And I have a feeling more tears will come. Many from utter happiness of sweet girl Anaya being here. And a few from wanting so very much to be there to hold that sweet chubby (you know she will be ;) ) girl. I think we have been spoiled by not having any of us too far away as family. We have been close. I can remember Layne leaving to Arizona when I was big and preggo with Teagan in August and then my preggo self loosing it and the floodgates opening just wishing she could be here to hold Teagan. To come up to the hospital and see us. Layne I will be 'there' in spirit! :) I am rooting you on! I'm so excited! With pink bubblegum cigars and goober pink stuffed bears! ;) I will be praying and waiting and so proud to announce and show pictures of my niece Anaya. It will be wonderful!

So Anaya,

Your Aunt Tara Lou says come out! It's about time now girlfriend! We want to see your sweet face and I'm sure your amazing head of dark hair ;) And I want to ooh and ahhh over you on Skype! So hurry on now! My phone is waiting! :)

I love you Layne! Can't wait to hear your amazing and I'm sure hilarious birthing story. Write a book girl. Let's write a book ;)

DUKE

pointing a cat

SO. Over the holidays we fed and watched our neighbors dog across the street. The kids looked forward to feeding Hershey every morning and evening and always wanted to let him out to play with us. Chris has been wanting a Vizsla for a while now and I finally caved. Mainly because I knew the kids would be in heaven with a dog. Ah what you will do for your kids ;)

So last Sunday we made our trek to Houston to pick up our 8 month old Duke. He had been at field training school. haha funny right? He does point though! Birds, cats and I'm sure other things. He is a SUPER amazing dog. He rode the entire way home with me in the back seat like a baby. All he ever wants to do is lay in someone's lap and be petted. Well I did the first two days but like Layne said life has to go on :) He sleeps right by my bed at night and hasn't ever had an accident in the house. He is amazingly calm and gentle with the kiddos. They love him. Vizsla's are known as Velcro dogs and I believe the ride home from Houston made me the other half of his Velcro. He is also great on runs with me. We have run 2 miles several days now and he stays right by my side. He has his quirks that erk me like being all up in my buisness but he really is a great dog. We are lovin' our Duke. I called him ding dong Duke the other day and Gauge looked at me and said "No mom it's just Duke." haha

Christmas 2010

We had a great Christmas this year with family! Chris' sister Tara and her hubby Robert were down along with his brother. The kids had a blast seeing them several different days and playing. We went to service at QTM Christmas Eve and then over to the Craver's for tamales and queso and chili. YUM! I let the kids take bath over there and get in their Christmas jammies. We had also made a birthday cake to Jesus so we sang Happy Birthday and had cake. Christmas morning we had our family time and then went back over to the Craver's. They got the kiddos one of those 2 seater little gators to drive. They LOVE it. It was hilarious to watch them. When they opened Gauge smiled and said "You got to be kidding me!" Priceless. We also had a fun gag gift game. Then we napped and headed over to my parent's for dinner. I had taken a Mucinex earlier that morning and apparently I took the DM which makes you drowsy. I was so out of it that night! I felt like I had been run over by a train! I couldn't wait to go back to bed. Needless to say I didn't even eat any dinner which I was sad about but I did take a picture of it :)We had a great time and can't wait till next year when Layne, Jon and Anaya will be here! YAY! Gauge asked me when I took all the decorations down why I was doing it and then sadly said "Mom I don't want Christmas to be over. Turn it back on." :) Gotta love kiddos.

New York

Outside our hotel window

Massive room! Loved it!

For reals?! It was only midnight and the tree lights were off?!

Serendipity's-This placed reminded me of my mom. I knew she would love it. It was all old school :) One day mom, girls trip :)

Bliss! That hot fudge sundae was out of this world!

Musuem of Natural Science and History

What the bride arrives in. Where was mine when I got married?? :)

We loved these minuature scenes

Chris dreaming he shot this...

FYI they need to dust. I checked :)

Oragami tree

Subway

Blue Man Group. The marshmellow was thrown into the audience and actually smacked me in the head. Good times :)

World Trade Center

Had to get a pic. It was the subway back from Staten Island Ferry and it was empty. haha

I wikipediaed the Staute of Liberty and gave us our own little info tour :)

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Burger. Killer. With french fries seasoned with ancho chili season. Whew!

Shrimp Tacos. He almost licked the plate clean.

World Trade Center

These tombstones had dates like 1781. CRAZY.

Church on Wall St.

Our killer meal at Toni Di Napoli's

View from our window. With some hot tea. I was freezing.

Dinosaur in Toys R Us

SO...I got behind again. :) Here comes major posts....

NEW YORK.

Aw lovely New York. It was fabulous. It was the coldest spell of the winter right when we got there and even the locals said it was cold. So if they thought it was cold then it was double or triple cold to us! Seriously FREEZING. I had to get a hat right when we got there or I wouldn't have made it! Our hotel was amazing and huge. A few highlights of the hotel (It was the Double Tree) was the hot fresh cookie you got when you checked in. I wanted more. Badly. The huge room with the Times Square view. Two flat screen TVs with a little sitting room and a bedroom and a coffee station with microwave. My favorite was the hot cookie. You couldn't guess that could you? ;)

I gotta fill you in on one thing. It was not cool. The night before we left I got the largest fever blister of my life right under my lip. I couldn't believe it. It was so big and so gross that I couldn't believe it. What the heck. So just FYI there is no photos of myself this whole trip. It's sad, I know but it was not cool at all.

So I had planned out this trip (ok mainly food) so we would get more done and not be wandering. We knew we were going to try the subway and thankfully it went so well and was so easy! Super smart way to get around and fast. When we got there is was about 1 in the afternoon so we walked down the block and shared a pizza at this little place called Crave. Funny right? Cravers at the Crave. Ok not funny. Anyhoo it was awesome. We did some shopping at the massive Toy's R Us and the M&M store for the kids. That night we had the most awesome meal. Probably our favorite meal of the trip at Toni Di Napoli's. It's family style so we shared this beef plate with pasta. WHOA. It was awesome.

The next day we went to the World Trade Center, Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and then we had our Blue Man group show. We also had reservations for lunch at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. That was one killer lunch. We did some shopping at Century 21 and sight seeing. Just walking around and checking everything out is so cool. For dinner we went to Junior's. Oh you know we LOVE us some Junior's. Then off to the Blue Man Group show. It was awesome! The theatre it was in was tiny and more personal. It was a really fun show. Then we had dessert at Juniors. DUH. :)

On our 3rd day we went to the American Musuem of Natural Science and History. That place is MASSIVE. Halfway through we decided we would leave and eat lunch. We ate at the Shake Shack and it was super yummo. HECK everything we ate was awesome. We went back and finished up and then that evening we had reservations at the Capital Grille. Super yummy steak and the mashed potatoes were out of this world. We went back to the hotel and at 11 decided to take a subway to Serendipity's for the famous hot chocolate. I was freaking out about riding a subway that late but it was totally fine. It is the cutest little place ever and the ice cream they use is out of this world. Reminded me kind of Katies Custard! The only wierd thing to me is that their whip cream was not sweet. I like me some SWEET whip cream!

Our last day we made our last stop at Starbucks, which we did every morning for a coffee and muffin. YUM. And headed home. We were so ready to see the kiddos. We missed them so much! The reunion with them was the BEST.

We left saying the same thing we did last time we went. That we probably wouldn't go back anytime soon. And then a week later we were watching Home Alone 2 lost in New York and both of us said we would go back soon! Hahaha. There is just something about New York!