Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Caution: Long post with lots of pictures!

The holidays are my favorite time of year. I love being off work for two whole weeks spending time with my stink-pot, and actually trying to be a domesticated wife (david and I worked out a new system, he ALWAYS unloads dishwasher, and I ALWAYS fill it)! Which is working out very nicely if I do say so myself!

 This year I hope to have started many Christmas traditions with my love-bug! The first tradition is baking and decorating cookies with Georgia to put out for Santa Claus!

Hayden was doing a great job! Just couldn't quite get the 'ball' effect!

She kept making them into little tubes!

I loved this! Did you know that Math and Science are the two subjects that girls do not exceed at as well as boys? Being a teacher there is always room for a science lesson! I loved how they saw the cookies go from eggs, butter and powder to dough, then onto cookies. It really does let your child understand more on how things work. Let them HELP you! 

The learn sooo much more being hands on!

Then it was time to decorate! Let the messy fun begin! I was afraid that Hayden wasn't going to have enough decorations for her cookies because she kept eating all 

the marshmallows and m&m's!

They had so much fun and so did I. I love it that Hayden got to 

participate in this new tradition!

We always have so much fun at Georgia

s house!

After we decorated the cookies we traced our hands onto the sheet that we sat on, 

that way next year we can leave another mark and stamp our memories!

We started off our week with a visit from my brother and his family!

Hayden and Brookie, the princess' of the family!

Hayden and her Uncle Danny! She just loves him!

Brooke is getting so big. She has two big ole teefers!

It was so much with Brookie! She is such a laid back easy going baby!

Hayden had a lot of fun playing with her cousins. 

My pictures posted out of order, but this is

 Hayden & uncle Jimmy (david's brother) on Christmas eve.

Brookie is so cute here! 

She just lets everyone do whatever they want with her!!

On to Christmas eve...after family left our house we set out to 

put reindeer food on the lawn for all of Santa's Reindeer.

I'm not sure if Hayden fully understood that Santa was coming

to her house, but she does know who Santa is, and that we were feeding Reindeer.

I had a blast with her!

Getting ready for bed we put our new Pj's on that we got from Aunt Teresa, 

then we put out cookies and milk for Santa!

This is what the view of what Santa brought looks like from our staircase!

My First Dollhouse!

Art Easel with Magnetic letters and a chalkboard on the other side!

One of her favorites...her "bike". 

She also got this Karaoke machine that plugs into the TV and you can 

see yourself on the screen. She loves it!

She also got a toddler size basketball goal!

Then we noticed something....Santa ate all of the cookies and

 left only marshmallow crumbs! How exciting...

]

This year was very exciting, I can honestly say it wasn't much work hiding gifts from her because she didn't really realize what was going on. However, I am not looking forward to next year, when she will actually have list and santa will have to be more discrete!

Memory Lane

I began working at the Children's Courtyard when I was 18. I was a Senior in High school about to graduate. I continued to work there until I was a junior in College. I loved working there. The hours were great and it was super easy! While I was there I made some friends that will last a lifetime. I talk to Ashley almost every week and Angi and I live only a couple of miles from each other now. Sara and I just got reconnected and I am sure I will see her a lot more in the coming year. I feel very blessed to have them in my life. Ashley's little boy, Landon, and Hayden are only 2.5 months apart in age, which makes for lots of fun when we hang out!

The Shack

After countless conversations with people regarding their love for this book, I just finished reading "The Shack" by William P. Young. It is a very powerful story that I challenge you to read and walk away from unchanged. It is a story of love, forgiveness, and undeniable faith. They are even in the works into making it a movie. Which I will be going to see as soon as it comes out!

I love to read new things that other people love and were affected by. Any recommendations?

Santa Baby!

Christmas 2007

Christmas 2008

What a difference a year makes! These are Santa Overalls from Canton, I just felt that they were appropriate for her santa picture!I am so glad that she liked it! Christmas is here!!! yay!!

The Bellah Family

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Up at Twilight

I will be the first to admit that I have an obsession...let's rephrase that..I have an addiction. I admit it, I accept it, and now I will try and explain it. It all started back in the spring when I was stuck on not being able to find something to read. I loved my Francine Rivers novels, and I dipped into a  little Cecilia Ahern, but I needed something more, something new. That's when Stephanie, led me to the most fascinating books I have ever read. The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. 250 pages in and I was hooked, 4 books and a movie later I am addicted. There is something about these novels that brings you back to the days when young love was dreamy. I have an absolutely great marriage. I love my husband and daughter with all my heart, no contest there. However, I cannot seem to stop thinking about my Edward. I am sickly addicted! :) I can't help but laugh at myself..I mean truly laugh at myself. What is wrong with me? Do I have too much time on my hands? 

After talking with my cousin, Mandi,I realized something. I am feeding my mind with the enemy. I do not think there is anything wrong with watching TV, or reading fictional books, but I do however, feel that there is something wrong with addicting yourself to these things. I am not sure how I want to word this blog, so I will end it here with a last thought. I still will go see all things twilight when they come out in theaters, and I will still read any books that Stephenie Meyer puts out because I still love the 'thought' of Edward Cullen, but this time I will read them light-heartedly. I am choosing to feed my mind with the spirit. I am choosing to fill my thoughts with Jesus. I am starting by reading my new book, The Shack. I hope it brings my mind back to where is needs to be focused, on Jesus. I want to focus more on being a wife, mother, daughter, sister and aunt of God. 

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!

I don't think I can put into words how I feel at this exact moment. I am happy, sad, anxious, jolly...all wrapped into one roller coaster. I cannot believe that Hayden is two. Where did the time go. I felt myself getting depressed when the party was over. I guess it made her getting older a little bit more real. I don't know what it is with time and me lately. I got very upset at my birthday 3 weeks ago too. I do not want time to keep going. As much as I like watching Hayden grow I don't like it that she isn't a baby anymore. As Hayden gets older, so do I and that isn't fun either. No longer am I the youngster everywhere I go, I am now the 28 almost 30 year old! 

We had Hayden's 2nd birthday party this past weekend and I always tend to go over board..well, this time I decided instead of catering to all the kids, I was just going to cater to mine! So...no gigantic bounce house, no big pile of dirt for the boys..nope, just a small bounce house that my brother gave me, and ....da da da dadda....BARNEY! Yep, we hired barney to come and sing and dance with our lil cupcake! At first she like it but wanted momma to hold her..but then Barney began to sing Head, Sholders, Knees and Toes and it was all over with..she jumped down and began marching, singing, smiling hugging and kissing on the purple dinosaur! It made all the stressing, money, and sleepless night worth it! I asked David if we could rent Barney again for her to play with around Christmas...he just gave me the look. haha... I just loved seeing her so happy about something! She truly enjoyed Barney and I love it that we did that for her. Papaw and Gan-Gan paid for it...as a part of her birthday present..but it was still my idea! :)

We had been practicing all week how

 to blow out her candles. She blew one 

out then didn't understand why there

 was still one more to go! Very cute! Her shirt says

"one cute birthday girl!"

Isn't she the cutest birthday girl you know?!!

Then there is the icing on the cupcake...Barney!

I absolutely loved it that she loved it! 

I didn't even mean to make them match! Look at 

her sweet cheeks!

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to update this blog...I have been  little pre-occupied with the party. However, we also went to six flags recently and I will definitely post pictures on Hayden's first trip! Ty and Drew are coming for  a visit this weekend and we will be sure to take lots of pictures then! 3 more days and we are off for a whole week! Yahoo!

Can't get enough of yo love babe!

I have been having so much fun being Hayden's mommy!!! She is the coolest chic I know! I can't believe that in one month she will be turning 2!!! That is so completely crazy to me. It seems like just yesterday I was having the baby blues, and running on no sleep! Now, I look back and wonder where the time went? I look back a pictures constantly and think about how much my baby has grown. I am so thankful that God chose ME to be her mommy. I am the luckiest momma out there, hands down! :) Instead of emailing a ton of attachments to friends and family members I am going to post some pics on here of our latest adventures! 

We could not get her to smile..only ELMO!

     Festival fun crafts!

Hayden & Georgia! So sweet!

Hayden and her laptop..just like her momma!

Hayden and in Dallas Cowboys uniform (halloween costume)

She is just so much fun to dress up! Wow..never thought I would hear myself say that!

                                                                      My big girl! 

I couldn't decide which pose of this picture to post, they were all so cute!

The Perfect Mom

Where did this idea originate? Why have we as women become obssessed with the idea of having perfect families? When did having a clean house become more important than sharing a popsicle with your child?

There really is no specific reasoning behind this post except for the deadly mistake one woman made and I listened to her story on Oprah. I too get wrapped up in being the best mommy I can be, and I truly believe there is no fault in that. I do however believe there are mistakes made by parents everyday that end up deadly. There is really no one to blame, we all have our moments and our daily hectic schedules but what is more important that nurturing your relationship with your child. It was an emotional episode and I have yet to get the story out of my mind. I think I related to the woman because her child was 2, like mine, and she was an Assistant Principal, which I will be in a couple of years. I feel so much sympathy for her story, I know that is was a mistake, but it cost her the guilt for the rest of her life. I really do not want to retell the story, 1-for retelling it wrong, and 2-for not wanting to write the horrible events down on paper, or blog-site if you will. You can go read it here.

After hearing Brenda's story is really caused me to re-evaluate my life. I am in no way a 'perfect mom', but really who is? And what makes a mother a 'perfect mom' in your eyes? I do however, try to be "PRESENT" daily in my daughters life. I talk to her when she babbles, I pick her up and kiss all over her face, blow on her belly, and go outside and get dirty at least every other day. I try to be an ACTIVE PARTICIPANT in her daily life. I used to work at a daycare and being a teenager , you know when you used to you think you had it all figured out? I used to see those sweet little darlings that would get dropped off at 6:30 and would be the last ones picked up at 6:30 and I would think...I could never do that to my child. It wasn't until I became a mother and had to take Hayden to school that I realized, it wasn't a choice for those mommies, it was a fact of life. I drop Hayden off at school by 7:10-7:15 3 days a week, and I pick her up at 3:40. I feel absolutely terrible if she has to stay any longer than that. Plus it is an actually school that the kids have to be picked up by 3:45, if you can't be there by that time you have to pay for 'after school care'. I bust my bottom to make it there by that time. I worked out a deal with my principal that I will make up my time on Mondays and Fridays to exchange for leaving work 10 mins early on Tue, Wed, Thur to get to Hayden's school on time. 

But what about those mommies that do not have a principal that will work with them? Or what about those mommies you HAVE to stay and work to make the hourly wages that pay for food or clothes for their children? I am so sorry now that I ever judged them. They were doing what they had to do to survive. There is still not a day that passes, when I get into my vehicle to go pick up my child from school or to rush home to see her that I do not get ansy in traffic anticipation to get there. I can't wait to see her everyday. Now, please do not misunderstand it is almost a definite that when Hayden get into the car that she will start telling me "Baw-nee momma, baw-nee" and I will turn the DVD player on for her to watch on the way home. I also swore growing up that I would never let the TV be a babysitter for my child, and you know, IT's NOT. Like I said I am an ACTIVE PLAYER in her life. When I turn on Baw-nee I sing the songs with her, and I ask her about Babybops boo boo, what ever I can do to show her that her words mean something to me and that what she sees, feels, and says has validation in my eyes. I want her to know that she is important to me. 

I am in no way judging that poor mother that made that deadly mistake that day. I am however trying to open eyes, and trying to get all parents, grandparents, aunts uncles, child care givers, a clue to be PRESENT in the life of a child. 

I read this book a couple of years ago for work called, FISH. I highly recommend this book. It is centered around a fish market in Seattle, and it tells ways to be Present at works, but I think we can all relate on how to be Present in LIFE. I hate to sound cliche, but SOME of the main points in this book were:

*BE PRESENT

No more "good mornings" with your face down. 

Try a "good morning Tom, how is Lacy? Is she liking soccer"

*MAKE SOME ONES DAY

Which most people do not realize how EASY this is!

*PLAY

*CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE

There are days when I am so tired and all I want to do is get home from work, lay on the couch and watch TV, but my husband works nights, and everything at night depends on me. I can't just sit around and watch my daughters precious life pass me by, NO! I will be the most perfect mom I know how to be, I WILL BE PRESENT!

Just because your child paints at school, or colors, or plays in shaving cream, doesn't mean you can't do those things at home with them too. They might even learn more doing it with you. Here is an activity that I am going to steal and do with my classroom at work, and all of you out there will older kiddos, I think you should do this with your child. Get creative, "MAKE THEIR DAY!"

Go here, it's my cousin Mandi's blog. She is a stay at home with 3 kids! and you know what...SHE IS PRESENT! She did this project with her oldest. I love it! I will definitely be using her idea!

Tagged! Thanks May Fam!

Tagged!!
The rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, and 3 facts about yourself. Tag 3 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

3 Joys:
1) Hayden & David
2) Family
3) Friends

3 Fears:
1) I am worried about our economy. I have never been one to be up to date with the 'happenings of our world', but as I get older I find myself worrying about the future for my daughter.
2) My husband is addicted to 48 hours mystery, and all of these other true crime shows. He forces me to watch them with him and it leaves me terrified. I am so scared I will get kidnapped or that someone will try to hurt me or my family. As my dad would always tell me growing up when I got scared, "cara, your almost...28. Nobody wants to kidnap you and if they did, they would bring you back shortly after!"
3) Losing a family member. I can honestly say I am VERY close to everyone in my family. I don't think I could handle losing one of them. They are every bit apart of my life and my future.

3 Goals:
1) Start saving money. I throw money out of the window and I want to stop!
2) Get healthy. Not only do I want to lose weight, but I want to be healthy, for me and my family.
3)To bring myself and the people that surround me closer to God. I am finding out daily what it means to be a wife and a mother in christ. Jesus created me out of an image of himself, we should strive to be more like him.

3 Current obsessions/collections
1) Blogging - mine and especially others!
2) Reading. I LOVE EDWARD CULLEN!! I love to read, Francine Rivers, Cecilia Ahern, Gary Thomas, Shout out TWILIGHTERs!!!
3) my daughter, I cannot get enough of her! She's a silly thing just like me!

3 Facts about myself:
1) I am very overweight, and very self conscious about it
2) I have an passionate, obsessive personality
3) I love to GO GO GO GO GO on the weekends!

I am tagging Mandi, Steph, and Ashley

Lemonade, Corn Dogs and Funnel Cakes...OH MY!

Can't you just taste the foot long corny dogs with extra mustard and freshly squeezed lemonade? I just absolutely LOVE the state fair. David and I have gone at least twice every year since we have been together. I love to visit the exhibits, and walk around. There are also the famous Pig Races! You know you are in Texas when you go see a pig race! There is the also the bird show that we go to every year, and every year they perform the same stupid lame trick that they pick somebody from the audience and they 'accidentally' get knocked into a pool of water. I mean come on people..but I still love it, and I still laugh every time! David and I have a long standing squabble about the TEXAS LOTTERY GAME SHOW, I traditionally get picked EVERY TIME to go on stage. David says that before he met me, he always got chosen, (uh yeah whatever), well he has already warned me to stay calm and hidden that he wants to get chosen this year! We'll see about that! I can't wait to take Hayden this year. We were going to go today but other plans surfaced. We might go tomorrow after church and before the other Texas tradition, DALLAS COWBOYS game. They come on at 3, so we are going to have to book it over there after church which gets out at 10:15. I can't wait! I can just hear Big Tex now, Hello and Welcome to the State Fair of Texas, Hola bienvenidos a la estado fiesta Tejas..hehehehehe..hahaha...another way of knowing you are in Texas, when everything gets translated into Spanish! :) Adios!

Wash n' Curl

No matter where we go, people comment on Hayden and her curls. They either say, "I wish I had those curls", or "where did you get those curls". I wear my hair straight a lot of the time because it is less maintenance and it looks good right after a high-light. Either way, people do not see where Hayden gets her curls. So, here ya go me and my baby. This isn't even my curliest. 

 

Maggie Isabella Layton is here!

One of my best friends had her baby girl today. It just killed me not being there the whole day, but the little stinker decided to come while Auntie Cara was at work. Steph has made me feel like the "go to" mom for advice, and even though I am not a perfect mom, she sure has made me feel awesome.  Steph called me last night and started asking me questions about contractions, and being the pro baby maker that I am (hehe, I only felt two and got the epi), I told her my best suggestion. "call your doctor". Either way, I got a text from her early this morning as my kiddos were doing the pledges, that she was at a 6 and had already had the epi! At 2:15 Maggie entered this world and "oh the places she will go". I am super excited for my friend, there is no greater love in this world than the love you feel for your baby. I can't wait for Maggie and Hayden to be BFF's. Soo...Congrats Steph and David, I love you to pieces!