New Boots and Piano playing

Brooke was super excited about her new cowboy boots. She wanted to put them on the first thing when she woke up. So cute; boots and a onesie. Annabelle has been sitting in her bumbo seat for longer periods of time. We tied the foot keyboard to the kitchen chair so she could "play" the piano in her her bumbo seat.

Garden, Elliptical, and Double Stroller

We have some new house updates this month: Keith put in a LOT of back-braking work to make 2 garden boxes. He built the boxes, dug up the grass, added soil, and planted a variety of vegetables/herbs. We are excited to see and eat all the items in the garden. Keith and I talked for awhile about getting an elliptical. We would much rather get a gym membership, but at this point we don't really see when there will be time to be at the gym. Keith found a great deal on a used Elliptical and we made the big purchase. This is our first piece of gym equipment. We are vowing not to let is go unused. So far we have been getting up each morning and working out on it before work. Finally, the double stroller. We sold our previous double stroller because Brooke was too big for the seat. I looked at a TON of stroller reviews before deciding on a BOB. I'm definitely not a jogger but these strollers are so easy to push. I took Brooke with me to test out a few strollers and she liked this kind the best. I found another great deal on Craigslist; a local family moved and couldn't fit their stroller in the moving van. Their neighbor drove to our house with the stroller and showed me how to use it. We have used it so much in the last month. There is a park less than a mile from our house. We have been taking walks in the stroller after dinner to the park. Brooke can't get enough of the swings. I can imagine we will be doing a lot more walking once the weather cools down a bit.

Nanny for Annabelle

We had been searching for about a month before finding a part time nanny for Annabelle. We finally found "granny Val" and she is a perfect fit. She was nannying for an infant previously and the family just moved to Ohio. We feel like the timing was definitely a God thing. She comes to the house on Mondays/Wednesdays to take care of Annabelle. It didn't take me long to see that she loves Annabelle like her own grandbaby. I can go to work on those days and not worry about her. She even sends me pictures of Annabelle during the day. We are so thankful to find Granny Val!

Brooke's Artwork and new car seat

Here is the artwork from Brooke's school in the first week of August. Brooke has been having a blast at her weekly school splash days. They have all the kids come in their swimsuits and they do all sorts of water activities outside. We decided to get a car seat for Brooke in Keith's car. He is able to pick up the kids more often now and it was too much effort to try and switch them back and forth between cars. I found a great deal on a brand new car seat on craigslist. I think Brooke approves! She is also happy to wear her big sister shirt from Ryan and Michelle Murphy. The challenge is trying to keep is clean.

House Pictures

It seems like the house project list is never ending. We are making progress each week. Here are a few pictures of the house taken in the first week of August.

Annabelle 3 months

Our sweet little Annabelle is three months old. She was very happy to pose for these cute 3 month shots. Here are some things about Annabelle: *she loves to watch Brooke. She smiles very big when Brooke gets near her. *she sleeps 8-10 hours every night and loves her crib *she weighs 11 pounds *she likes when mommy sings to her *she has just started to coo and make gurgle sounds *she takes great naps in the swing *she is quite the snuggler. She always wants to be held *she sucks her thumb and wraps her fingers in her hair. We are so in love with our sweet baby Annabelle. She is such a wonderful addition to our family!

Keith's ad in the paper

Keith's new work ran an ad in the local paper spotlighting their new physician. We are so proud!

Weekend Trip to Dallas

We headed up to Dallas for the weekend to attend a wedding for one of Keith's best friends. They grew ups together in Sunnyvale. Brooke was very excited to spend the weekend with Grams and Poppa. We got to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics with them on Friday night. It was amazing to look back to the last Olympics. At that time I had just moved in with Mark and Shevawn. Keith was still in medical school and we didn't have kids or dogs. It is crazy to think how much has changed in 4 years. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was fancy but relaxed. Keith and I enjoyed a date night out without kids. We were very happy for Ross and hope to know his wife Julie better now that we are in Texas.

Keith's Birthday and Brooke's Artwork

We had a couple birthday celebrations for Keith's birthday. The first was at Buddy and Sharon's house. Buddy's birthday was the same day as Keith's; so they had a joint party. We love spend time at their house. They live on a lot of land. Brooke can run outside with their dog Lanny. On Monday we had a birthday dinner with red velvet cupcakes for Keith at our house. It was a small celebration with just our little family. Brooke loved singing happy birthday to Keith. Brooke absolutely loves her preschool. They do a lot of crafts and play time outside. here is a shot of her artwork from July.

Girls 30th Weekend Trip

We planned a big 30th birthday lake trip for our ACU girls. We road tripped to Tyler for a weekend at Jenn's parent's lake house. One of my favorite things about this group of girls is the way we all jump right back in like time hasn't changed. I had so much fun reminiscing about ACU times. We had a relaxing day at the Spa on Friday. The gal that gave me the massage said my knots were terrible. I was not surprised. That's what will happen when you move across the country and have a baby all in a matter of a couple months. We had some great dinners out. We ate at an Italian place on the lake that had a hilarious live singer. He was totally into his "gig" and thought he was a fabulous singer. The lake and relax time was awesome too. At one point we went around the circle and talked about the big things that had happened in our lives the past year. It was amazing how many big things happened the year we all turned 30. I am glad to be back in Texas for so many reasons, but another one is to see my girls more often. They are such wonderful people and I'm glad that we have shared the past 12 years of our lives together. Love you ladies!!