Dallas

Just for fun, and fun we had.

My favorite grocery store of ALL TIME = Sprouts.
My favorite section of Sprouts = The Bulk Aisles 

Eating at Uncle Julio's.

I had saved my Christmas money and birthday money...so shopping ensued...North Park Mall (where I got my new Swatch watch that I'd been eyeing online for months), Ikea (Molly's table and chairs), Sprouts, REI, Allen Outlets, Homegoods, Paradise Bakery, Hillstone (formerly Houston's), etc...  It is hard to believe, but it is true:  I walked into Sprinkles, took a whiff, and turned around and walked out.  Not that I didn't want one of their superb and delightful cupcakes, it is that we were waiting for our table at Hillstone, and it was closed by the time we were finished eating.  The new In and Out is open, but even after a month of service, the lines are still over 2 hours from open to close.  CRAZY!  We are used to just walking in and ordering the best burger, fries, and shake in the world...not waiting in an insane line.  Maybe next time we go the newness will have worn off a bit.

Movie Poster...sort of

Sunday, we were checking Molly into the nursery, and the sweet gal told us that they put a picture of Molly up in the hall.  She told us where to go to see it, but church was starting, so we had to hustle into the sanctuary.  After church was over, we picked Molly up (which is a race each Sunday to see which one of us can get to her first!) and headed down the ramp, turned right, and walked down the long hall expecting to see a 4x6 of Molly pinned to a bulletin board.  We were flabbergasted to see the HUGE photo of Molly framed on the wall between 2 other little cuties' pictures.  Unbelievable.  We walked halfway out to the car and turned around to go take a photo of the photo with Aaron's phone.

Quite a Day...6.6.11

13 years ago today...

14 months ago today...

And today...

Aaron begins his new job as a Business Banker II for Bank of Oklahoma.

At the Feet of Jesus

Counselors at MB Junior Camp...Summer 1993

Band Queen Candidates...Fall 1994

After courageously fighting cancer for 4 years,
my sweet friend, Metisha, went to see Jesus today.

Taking Cover

Aaron called me early Tuesday afternoon, asked me where I was, then we had the following conversation.

A: I want you to do me a favor.

H:  Okay.

A:  Get in the car and drive to your grandparents right now and don't argue.  Plan to spend the night if you have to.

H:  Really?

A:  Yes, I want you to be where you can go into the basement. You and Molly are just too important to me.

H:  What are you going to do?  I want you to come!

A:  I'll stay at the bank where I can go into the vault.

Then, I started scrambling.  I threw everything into bags and a laundry basket.  I just dumped a ton of Molly's clothes, diapers, and toys in a bag, grabbed my camera and a baggy of goldfish crackers and started driving. Grandma wasn't answering her phone, but Mom told me to go anyway and break in if I had to.  Thankfully there was no need to break a window as they got home a few minutes before we got there.

So, we were watching Gary England and his crew cover the Longdale/Canton Lake tornado which went right by my folks' house - they saw it, and it destroyed homes and a church a mile from their home.  They are fine - thankfully, but it was super weird to be watching it on tv.  I was praying outloud for them and my friends in Fairview.

Then, we got nervous for ourselves.   Grandma and Grandpa live in El Reno.  The sirens started wailing, and we took off for the basement.  The huge long track tornado (on the ground for over 70 miles) came right by El Reno, less than two miles from where we were hunkered in the basement listening to Mike Morgan and David Payne yelling on the radio.  We actually couldn't keep Grandpa or Jim in the basement. If it weren't for Molly I would have been up there with them.  Molly was a trooper, and we waited awhile for the "all clear" from Aaron to drive home.

My heart aches for the families all over the state who are suffering loss, but especially for the family who lost their 15 month old son and 3 year old son.  The terror, the tragedy...my mommy heart can't imagine what they are going through.  A good friend of mine was in Piedmont in a cellar with her family, and when she came up, everything was gone.  Her family is fine, but the entire neighborhood is obliterated.

My parents' house is right by Longdale.

 Grandma, Aunt Wanda, and Judy (her friend) in the basement.
Jim and Carolyn Ferris (Grandpa and Grandma's friends) were also down there with us.

Eggs & Such

Molly doesn't show much interest in food.  Bringing me dead leaves, trying to feed Fletcher rocks, rubbing mud on my legs, and emptying out the desk drawers are more her speed.  But, she is more likely to eat if she can get the food out of the bowl herself and feed it to herself especially if it is on a fork.  This time it was eggs.

You might notice in this top photo that there are two forks.  That is because I had to fill one while she ate off the other and then switch.

I had a birthday this past week, and it is best if you don't ask about it.  

I did make myself a lemon cake, though.

It was scrumptious, and I should know since I ate most of it myself. 

 We celebrated my birthday (a few days after the fact) yesterday at my grandparents.  I requested my dad's lasagna, bread, & salad.  Mom made Grandma's famous brownies.  Grandpa was in charge of ice cream, and Grandma made her sweet tea.  Yummy and fun.  The neatest thing, though, is that Molly really knows my grandparents (especially my grandma), and Grandpa got her to eat an M & M even though all the women were telling him not to.  He thought it was hilarious.  She found the stash of Snickers bars, too, which no one in the house even knew about (except Grandma).  That's Molly.  She is curious and gets into everything.

Molly and Aunt Brooke

Photos and Words

 She LOVES to read.  Seriously.  All the time.  Mostly it is Mommy reading to her.
She's sitting in her chair that Aaron and I gave her for her birthday.

 Can I just say how thrilled I am that she loves books?!?  I hope it leads to a lifetime love of reading!!

 She received a Cabbage Patch, Merrily Georgina, as a late birthday gift from a
gal that works in Aaron's bank.  She loves her.

13 months old...I can't believe it.

She's working on her 7th (and maybe 8th) tooth.

 She opened the Cabbage Patch last Monday night.  It was the first time she had shown any interest in a baby doll.  The next day, she latched onto this one that Aaron and I gave her for her birthday, and she loves her, too.  

 This baby doll has even been out to eat with us.

 Notice her new sandals?  We love them.  Now she can wear them outside in the sprinkler or rain or other watery situations!

 Mother's Day 2011

 I just could NOT be more blessed!

 Playing with her cousins, Turner and Kline, on Mother's Day.

 (See her babies?)

She's thinking about getting into Great Grandma Belle's bell collection.  Don't worry, I stopped her.

The lemon cake I made to take to Grandma's for Mother's Day lunch.