Gaylord Texan ICE for Anna's birthday

On Sunday we took Anna to the Gaylord to see the ICE sculptures... it was so neat and Anna had a blast. She got to do the ice slide a few times which she thought was a blast! It was a fun afternoon for her 3rd birthday! If you go, be sure to wear gloves... it is 9 degrees in there and although they give you the lovely brown coats to put on you still need something for your hands!

Happy 3rd Birthday Anna... yesterday

We had a super busy day with our precious girl yesterday and I didn't get a chance to post this.... Happy Birthday to Anna!!!

She came to be with us on December 9, 2004 at 1:00pm.
7 lbs, 14 oz and 21 inches long!

I can't believe that it has been THREE years already... time flies by so fast. What a huge change in life but what an amazing one. I knew I wanted to be a mommy but I had no idea how much it would change my life and how much I would love it! I wouldn't trade this job for ANY other job in the world!

We love you Anna! Happy Birthday!

Birthday weekend fun part 1

This weekend every year is very busy for us because Jimmy and his friends from high school all decided to have their children the first week (or so) of December. We started the weekend at Charlies birthday party. Charlie is the new kid on the block as this was his first birthday! It was a lovely day on Friday and parfect for an outdoor party in Charlies gorgeous backyard! The kids played in the beautiful weather and finshed off the party with yummy Thomas the Tank Engine cupcakes! What a fun afternoon!

On Saturday Jimmy's good friend Todd came over and brought his little boy Trey to play and bring Anna a birthday gift. Trey and Anna had a great time playing on the playground and then with the super fun AquaDoodle Trey got Anna for her birthday!

Saturday afternoon we went to another party. This time for Ava who was turning 4! She and Anna are exactly 1 year and 1 day apart in age! Anna had a great time at the party with all the other children and there was a special appearance by Cinderella, which all the children loved. One of the pictures is of Anna sitting in the circle watching Cinderella do magic tricks. Very fun!

Now, we have our last party today which is the best one of all.... Anna's! This year though it is just a family party, grandparents, aunt, uncle and two cousins! Mommy didn't quite feel up to a full blown party at 8 1/2 months pregnant! =) Anna is so excited about this day and can't wait to see her cake..... she asked mommy to make her a cake that said "happy birthday in blue letters".... I have been getting this request for 2 weeks now so of course I won't let her down! I am on my way into the kitchen right now to make that very cake! I did a blog a while back on the homemade cakes my Granna used to make for us on our birthdays and how much those meant to me so I am trying to carry on that tradition and make homemade cakes for my kids!

Ok, so pictures of Anna's party later today or tomorrow but for now here are some of the other parties from this weekend!

Gingerbread house tradition

The year that Anna was born Jimmy and I made a gingerbread house the night before she arrived. We did it to pass the time mostly because we were nervous! Anyway, it became a tradition to do this a few nights before her birthday so we can enjoy the house throughout the Christmas season! This year we decided to invite the cousins over to do it with us which made it even more fun for Anna!

My sweet sister-in-law had all three kids helping her make the house that was for their family so it was pretty crazy. =) She has much more patience than me so that was probably for the best! =) Just imagine six extra little hands and VERY sticky, messy, fast drying white icing... =)

The pic I am posting is of the house the kids did. I will post the house Jimmy, Anna and I made tonight after I take a pic of Jimmy and Anna with it!

Night at the symphony

On Wednesday night Jimmy took me to the Meyerson to see the Dallas Symphony and Michael W. Smith. We also went last year so I think this is becoming our special little Christmas date tradtion! Which is wonderful because there is nothing more beautiful than hearing a live symphony orchestra play Christmas music. Anyone who knows me well (Linds) will know that I get the Christmas music out EARLY.... I LOVE Christmas music... so going to the symphony at Christmas is very special to me! If you know Michael W. Smiths Christmas music, it is has lots of orchestra pieces with amazing arrangements of traditional Christmas music combined with pieces that he has written. Absolutely beautiful music!

Thank you to my hubby for surprising me with tickets again this year!

Oh and added bonus, Michael W. Smiths special guest was Melinda Doolittle from American Idol... she was FANTASTIC!

A recap of this years trips...

Our first trip this year was to Park City, Utah in Feb.....home of the Sundance Film Festival, which had just taken place the week before we got there. Jimmy had to go on business for a week and I was flying up the end of the week to spend the weekend together. Anyway, it was a bittersweet trip in that I had just found out I was pregnant and was going to surprise him when he picked me up at the airport. However, on the place ride up I started experiencing lots of cramping and some bleeding and by the time my flight landed it was clear that I was miscarrying. I wasn't far along enough for it to require any procedures... just time to let nature take its course. It was a tough weekend BUT, it was good timing in that we had 3 days together without responsibilities and were able to just relax and heal because we were both very saddened over the loss.

We drove up into the mountains and stayed in a hotel with a gorgeous view of a snowy mountain right outside our window. We walked the Main St. every day and night, eating yummy sushi, going to the coffee shops, little bookstores and just enjoying being alone together. It was a good time of healing for my heart.

Our second trip was to San Diego in March. We actually stayed in La Jolla at the Lodge at Torrey Pines. This was a dream come true for my hubby being the big time golf fan that he is.... the 2008 US Open will be at the golf course our hotel was on. Jimmy got to play that course so it was big time for him. For me it was just some time to rest and relax and again have that special time just for Jimmy and I! The ocean views and gorgeous weather weren't too bad either!!

Our third trip was this fall to Boston, New Hampshire and Maine. It was wonderful getting to take Anna to Boston for the first time. She loved the plane ride, loved the city and of course loved the ocean! Anytime we drive to Dallas or Fort Worth now and she sees the tall buildings or when we see a big city on TV she tells us that it's Boston. I think the highlight of the trip for me would have to be Maine. The beach, the cottages, the lighthouses, the little villages.... it was all straight off the cover of a magazine.

Our fourth and final trip this year was to Orlando to see my brother and of course make our maiden voyage to DisneyWorld! Nothing more fun than watching your childs eyes light up at the sights and sounds... on a seriously funny note though... we had really been building it up, talking about seeing princesses, riding rides, just generally telling her how fun it was going to be. So we got to the airport still talking it up... we ate some dinner and then found a great little play area for kids. Kind of like the ones at the malls... with the soft padded stuff. It had lots of things to climb on, slides, etc. Anyway, soon enough we had to leave that area to board the plane. We start walking to the gate, holding hands on either side of her with her jumping and skipping between us when she said... "mommy and daddy, thank you for taking me to DisneyWorld, that was so much fun". We laughed until we cried but we also got a huge dose of perspective. She could have cared less if we spent hundreds of dollars on plane tickets, WAY too much for tickets to Disney and of course again WAY too much for food, drinks and souvenirs at Disney. She was perfectly content to play on that tiny little padded play ground and go home. How little the big stuff really matters and how important even the littlest things can be! Children are so good to keep life simple and happy. Contentment is a gift!

Now of course we are home for quite a while with baby Serene soon approaching and all in all with all the beautiful places we have been and seen this year I can truly say... there's no place like home!!

ABC's of me....

Ok, I was "tagged" so I am going to attempt to think of 26 things here....

A is for Anna, my most precious girl!
B is for baby that is kicking me right this very second
C is for Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year!!
D is for DisneyWorld where we just went in November
E is for excited, because I am very excited about this baby
F is for food which I crave a lot of right now
G is for Green Bay who the Cowboys are better than
H is for happy because I am very very happy
I is for ice cream which I have not craved even once this pregnancy... cheese however is another story
J is for Jimmy the worlds best hubby and friend
K is for Kite which my daughter wants for Christmas
L is for learn which I do every day from my husband and his NEVER ending patience
M is for my mom, a constant encouragement to me
N is for my Tiffany necklace my hubby gave me for my 28 bday and I have worn EVERY day since
O is for ocean of which we saw the Pacific in March, the gulf in May and the Atlantic is September
P is for Phillips, my maiden name
Q is for Quiet which I pray or my daughter to be tonight at the big band Christmas concert at my parents church
R is for rest which is I am finding it harder to get these days
S is for sleep.... again harder to get these days
T is for teach because I love to teach my daughter new things
U is for Umbrella which we just got Anna a Elmo one as a stocking stuffer
V is for VBAC which I want to have
W is wash which I need to go do to my hair before tonight
X is for X ray which I can't have right now cause I am preggo
Y is for YOU cause if you are reading this then you should do the ABC's of you, cause I want to know about you
Z is for Zimmerman