can it be?

Really? Burke is ONE? It never ceases to amaze me how fast that first year zooms by and yet I cannot imagine life without Burke, and it seems like he has always been here. I LOVE this little man and am so thankful for him.

I didn't know I could love him so much and could genuinely care about what kind of babbling noises he is making, what kind of demeanor he has on any given day, and what kinds of silly things he loves. I want to know everything that is going on with him and don't want to miss a minute. He melts my heart. Happy first birthday, my sweet nephew.

burke actually turns 1 on monday, but since kead turns 2 on wednesday, I wanted to celebrate him a little longer!

new food obsession

nonfat plain yogurt. that's right. I am obsessed with this stuff since I learned this trick; drain it! (here's a you tube video on how to do that) Seriously, it's fabulous. You can substitute it in just about anything that calls for a creamy-cheese or mayonnaise. My favorite these days is this simple ranch dip-It even passes Drew's tastiness test!

yogurt ranch dip
1 large container nonfat plain yogurt-drained
1/2 packet ranch dip mix

mix and serve with veggies...and don't feel guilty saying "pass the ranch!"

Next on the list is using it in a potato salad for a barbecue this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes.

my man

I love this guy more every year. I can't believe he's in his last year of the 20s. happy birthday 29th, drew.

natural light

I am loving my new camera, when we are outside.It's crazy how much better pictures look in natural light! So far, I don't think I have taken a single picture worth saving inside my house. If I try to change the aperture or shutter speed, my little busy bodies are always fuzzy. grrrr. any tips on how to get better pictures in a poorly lit house (without getting a flash-lit looking picture)?

my mama

This morning at church the sermon was about biblical womanhood. The passage was Proverbs 31. As I sat thinking about that woman and how she is a model for what a Godly woman should be, I got teary eyed thinking about my mom and how much her life reflects what the passage says a woman should be. She is hardworking, diligent, wise, a good business woman, a wonderful homemaker, a great wife and, above all, she loves the Lord. I am so blessed to have a physical example of biblical womanhood in my own mother and so thankful that I have such a great role model in how to do this mom thing.

Happy Mothers Day!

my mom's mother's day card

loving summer weather

thanks for that

So, its week two in the couch-to-5k. I downloaded a podcast that does the timing for me and has some sweet running music and it has made a huge difference. The guy on the podcast is usually encouraging but at about the 15 minute mark he come on and says "you should be feeling the effects from the run right now, but not be out of breath."

hmmm, either:
a) I am running harder than I should .
or
b) I am WAY more out of shape than the normal couch-to-5k runner.

I am pretty sure it's b.

I already said this...

but Sayla really really loves chillin in the hammock. (so does Drew, by the way)

maniac hair

I need your opinion please! It seems like in the last week Keadryn's hair has grown into a crazy, wild animal with a mind of it's own. WHAT should I do with this hair?! I mean, do I have any choices?

happy 25 "little" brother

I have always called Adj my little brother. Never mind that he was taller than me by the time he was 12, and that I have good friends younger than him, and that he is 25! He is still my little bro and I love him so dearly. We haven't lived in the same town in over 8 years and I miss being around him on a daily basis so much, especially on his birthday. Us girls use to make him do scavanger hunts and bake for him and do all sorts of crazy things to make his special day extra special, but I know that his rock-star wife, Tricia, will do an amzaing job of making him feel loved.

So from across the miles, happy birthday, little brother!

photobucket and new camera

thanks to my friend at lfh creative for filling me in on the awesomeness of photobucket! Did y'all know that you can host pictures in photobucket (for free) and then copy the html onto your blog for bigger, better photos? AND photobucket has all sorts of great editing tools (and layers!)

very very cool.

in other news, my new camera got here today! I ended up getting the Canon Rebel XS. I know, you Nikon people love your Nikons, but I borrowed both perspective cameras from friends and (I think because I already own a Canon) I found the buttons on the Canon more intuitive and it felt more natural to me. I am ECSTATIC with the purchase and ready to get out and shoot!

couch-to-5k

Inspired by my friend, georgia, we are starting the couch-to-5k running program today. This program is designed to get non-runners (me!) into running shape over nine weeks in a very gradual way. I've enlisted a few poor friends to do this 9 week program with me and afterward we are going to do a race...we haven't committed to one yet, but the West Texas Running Club sponsors at least one race a month so we have plenty of options.

Why, might you ask, put this information on my blog? To keep me accountable. Be expecting progress reports.

Oh yeah, and if you reside in Lubbock, you are more than welcome to join us! We are doing it three times a week at a park, right after work. If you can join, we'd love to have you.

hammock time

sayla loves watching the action (i.e. kead running around like a mad woman) from the hammock in the backyard. sweet girl.

little addie

just precious.

welcome addie!

After a long day of labor for Kate our niece, Addeline Elizabeth, was born at around 2:30 am. She weighed in at a teensy (for what they were anticipating) 7 lbs 13 oz and was 21 inches long. :)

I have yet to see pictures of the little doll (apparently the family is resting or something absurd like that) but when I do I will be sure to pass some on!

Big hugs and congrats to Kate and Dave...we can't wait to meet her!