Texas Spring

What would Spring be in Texas without a climb into patches of our native flower, posing for the parentals in hopes of that perfect photograph being snapped, all while praying there are no snakes hiding out in the same patch?  Well, I guess last year we didn't succumb to the typical Texas spring because I did not get any pics of the little lady.  So this year, I tried to make up for it--and it was worth it!  It's amazing to see her growth in 2 years from this.  And quite frankly, we just didn't have the crop of bluebonnets last year compared to this year.

These are from the ranch of Easter and I just LOVE how they turned out.  Hat's off to JP!  And thank you, Reese, for taking my bribe to smile and look at the camera!

An Egg-cellent Weekend

We enjoyed another lovely Easter at the ranch this year.  We love that place, and Reese does too.  She's been asking this week if we are going there again this weekend.  The answer is no, but I can tell it is becoming one of those places she is giddy about, just like I was when I was a kid.  Oh wait, I still get giddy about going to the ranch--it's just that kind of place.

Because at the ranch you get to drink ice cream from the bowl at 10:15 pm with Uncle Mike

It was nice to sit back, relax, enjoy some great food and wine and watch take it all in.  We've been talking about Easter for a few months now and the children's book "All About Easter" gives a really good glimpse of what this great holiday is all about for a 2 year old.  She understands that it really is all about Jesus, and that's what is important.  Several weeks ago I asked her "Reese, where are we going for Easter?"  Waiting for her to say "the ranch", she quickly replied "church".  She.gets.it.

She also gets the Easter bunny and all he does.  She has hunting eggs down pat.  And eating candy, too.  I think there was one day over the weekend that the only thing wholesome she ate was a few bites of fruit for breakfast and a bowl of beans at 8pm.  Thankfully, we're back to a normal eating routine.

A little bit of chocolate on the face for the first of many times that day

And, if you're gonna live in Texas, you gotta break a pinata for Easter.  (make sure you sing that to the tune...If you're gonna play in Texas...it makes it that much better).  It's always a hit with the kids and there is no shortage of roadside vendors making a buck from them.

I hope you and your family enjoyed a blessed Easter and remember that HE died and rose for US.  Hallelujah!

Don't You Just Love Lists?

And here I am...still stuck in 2011--on the blog, at least.  So to catch up REALLY QUICK and get into 2012, I'm going to make a list.  Don't you just love lists?

1.  We had a great trip to the ranch just before Christmas and JP got a deer...yay! that we have a freezer stocked again!

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil

Not intended for human use...Reese's doll stroller is still intact...BARELY!

2.  We celebrated JP's birthday with lots of fried goodness (pickles and mac& cheese). I also made red velvet cake balls--I've made several flavors now and I'm totally into them!  They are easy, tasty and the perfect size.

YUMMY!

3.  I'm now trying to work off all the fun I had eating fried food, candy, cookies, etc.  Not easy, but I sure did have fun getting to this point.

4.  Reese totally embraced Christmas and all it had to offer this year.  She is really enjoying her tea cart and tea sets, new kitchen and all the wonderful food to go in it!

5.  Christmas with the Parker's was quite hilarious with 4 kids ages 1-5 opening gifts...we probably could have charged for tickets because it was pretty close to a Ringling Bros. affair.

6.  Reese still asks about Chippey every other day or so...she really misses him, but knows that he is in the North Pole with Santa helping get ready for next year.

I hope this new year is safe and prosperous for us all!  2011...OUT.

Hardly Lifting a Finger

We spent Easter weekend out at the ranch again this year, which is always a good time, but an even better time for me when you combine a toddler that doesn't stop and "big kids".  It's so true that kids love kids.  Reese was so entertained the ENTIRE weekend by all of the "big kids".  Miss Reese was so smitten with the Beverly boys, and Laurel and Kelsey Lowke were the ultimate little moms.

 getting the eggs ready!

Chase and Laurel helping Reese on her hunt

I think back to when I was a kid, and if there was a baby around, I was attached to it.  I loved babies when I was younger (and still do), but we all know it's not quite as novel when you are a parent of one.  I think we can all agree that being able to sit back and relax vs. constantly chasing and entertaining is always a nice break.

In true ranch fashion wearing Reed's boots 

                       and here wearing Reed's (or Kelsey's) titanium necklace (they're both ball players and both wear them) 

We also celebrated our 6th anniversary over the weekend, and 3 of the kids were flower girls and ring bearer in our wedding.  My how time flies!!!

We enjoyed a lovely weekend with the family and even had a few rain showers. 

Reese became spoiled as ever being pushed in her Cozy Coupe and pushed in the swing.  Hardly lifting a finger makes me a very spoiled mama of a toddler!

For that matter, by the looks of this spread, we're all spoiled!!



Celebrating 106 Years

We headed to the ranch this past weekend to celebrate a very special lady's 106th birthday.  Yes, you heard correctly 106 YEARS!  Aunt Cornelia's birthday is actually a week and a half away, but with other scheduling conflicts, this was the weekend to celebrate.  And, you know you have to celebrate when it's something like 106 years!

As I mentioned in my post about her last year, she did not have any children, so her nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, great-great, and so on are like her children!  About 35 of us gathered at the ranch to celebrate this past weekend and what a beautiful day it was!  Aunt C arrived from San Angelo a little after 10 am and didn't leave until 4:30 in the afternoon...I think she was pooped!

Of course, it's always great to see her and celebrate with her, but an event like this also brings lots of cousins we don't get to see very often.  I think Reese grew up a bit this weekend.  She had to run with the big dogs, and I mean that literally.  They were pushing her little walker around and Reese was literally running behind it trying to keep up and laughing the whole way!  The great thing about the new Lodge at Schulz Ranch are the large open spaces to get up and go!

And Aunt C loved every minute of being with Miss Reese.  She couldn't take her eyes off her and really got a kick out of her being an "endless pit".  It's so fun watching the interaction between them and remembering their age difference.

So, I'll leave you with the chorus from the song that was written for at her 90th birthday celebration, which is a true testament to how special this lady is to her family and really everyone who knows her.

Aunt Cornelia, we're here to say we love you

Your cheerful ways and kindness warm our hearts
You know we're thinking of you, we celebrate your life
And we say Happy Birthday now to you,
God's blessings too!

A Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I only wish I could be as diligent as all you other bloggers out there and get my Christmas posts out on time, but because I didn't, it's gonna be all wrapped up here!

I think back to this time last year and how I was growing quite large with only 4 weeks to go before Reese was born.  Then I look at all of our celebrations and festivities of the Christmas season this year and thank the Lord for bringing us such a beautiful little lady to entertain and delight us.  I mean, I know we weren't bored before, but dang, did we just twiddle our thumbs before her?

Christmas 2009

So, really it was a most wonderful time of the year, and we enjoyed every minute of it with our friends and family.  We headed west to the ranch on the 22nd to spend Christmas with my family, with a stop in Fredricksburg to celebrate JP's birthday.  Good wine at Lincoln Street and beer-battered 'shrooms at Auslander....yeeeaaaaahhhh!  JP didn't seem to have a lot of luck in the deer hunting category this year, as Christmas day came and it was time for us to leave, but one last drive around with Michael yielded an axis doe.  And let me just say...that is some good eatin'!  I'm also having the hide tanned and looking forward to new pillows for my sofa...you know I saw some at Christmas Affair for $120 a pop!

So, back to Austin we go on Christmas day evening (after the deer had been cleaned and cut up).  Then, to Brenham we went on the 26th to celebrate with the Parker's.  Yes, we were on the road quite a bit, which is fine for now, but I do look forward to Reese waking up at home on Christmas morning sometime in the future.

Many people have asked me how Reese enjoyed her first Christmas, and quite frankly, I think she was pretty much oblivious to it.  Yes, she is enjoying her new toys, but all in all, doesn't have a clue!  Even though I'm planning a nice party for her 1st birthday, I'm totally aware that it too won't mean a thing at this point in time.  I really thought she would enjoy opening presents, but actually all she wanted to do was eat the wrapping paper (which she did...it's great protein, right!?)

So, really, I'm already looking forward to Christmas 2011, because I know Reese will still be very young, but I know it will be much more magical for her than this year (and hopefully she's as easy going when we go to see Santa)!



10 months

Wow! I haven't been doing a very good job keeping up with things lately on the blog, so I'm going to use this post to get caught up. 

The past month has been filled with more football, reunions, hayrides, a trip to Fredricksburg, a quick trip to the ranch, and much more...hmmmm, maybe that's why I'm so behind! Miss Reese loves to be on-the-go (and her Mama does too), so we try to keep it that way.

hayride with the Ahrens fam

loving the slide and looking forward to many more days in the "jumper"

She is still not crawling as we all know crawling, but has figured out how to get around as long as she's on the carpet or tile.  Don't let this confuse you with being mobile.  She is a cruiser!  She walks laps around the coffee table, or anything else she can reach and walk to.  I'm still a bit leery of whether she will ever be a conventional crawler.

We have a great eater on our hands, although, I'm already worried we've created a monster. She would much rather have risotto and creme brulee versus Gerber ravioli or applesauce. She's got four teeth and two more on the way.  She's been a champ at transitioning from the bottle...we are just two days in to no bottles, but before that she only had one before bed, so I'm pretty sure doing away with the last one will go smoothly too.

I've been putting off  "baby proofing" my house since she hasn't hasn't been truly on the move, but I think it's time....especially since JP went in to her room this morning only to find our little lady standing up glaring at him from her crib. 

Oh, and how could I forget Thanksgiving!  Well, I know my husband would love to forget the game, but seriously, we have so many things to be thankful for, namely our Lord and Savior, and family and friends, who we love so dearly.  Of course, Reese was one of the first things that came to my mind when I thought about Thanksgiving this year because she has truly brought such joy to our lives and we are so thankful for the past 10 months as we have watched her grow.

I know it doesn't look like it here, but Reese was so happy to see Will on Thanksgiving at the tailgate...it had been a while!

....and now on to the Christmas season...one of my favorite times of year!

 Elle & Reese: already great friends! 

 with Leisha and Leslie at a much needed girl's night out at A Christmas Affair (note the tumblers of wine...the line to the bar was too long to stand in again...everyone was doing it!)

   bath in one of the new sinks at the ranch and lovin' the washcloth!

A 105 Year Difference

We headed out to the ranch once again to celebrate the Easter holiday this year.  As always it was a great time with family and a great chance for a little R&R.  Aunt Cornelia came out for a visit on Friday and since we missed her the last time we were out there, it was her first time to meet Miss Reese, and it was so special!

Before I go any further, I need to give you all a quick history on Aunt Cornelia.  She turned 105 years old on January 18--WOW!  Yes, that is just 4 days difference from Reese's birthday, so they are almost exactly 105 years apart.  Aunt Cornelia never had any children, but her 16 nieces and nephews were the stand-in, and then the great nieces and nephews, and great great, and so on are all truly like her grandchildren and great-grand children to her.  PawPaw (my moms dad) was one of her nephews and they were always very close, so it was so special to see her with Reese and see another generation get to meet our matriarch.  Aunt Cornelia, along with her late husband, Albert, are also the party responsible for giving our family "The Ranch".  It is such a special place to us and we are so thankful for it!

5 generations (with Grandma standing in since PawPaw isn't with us)

Now, I have to tell you a bit about her visit and some of her remarks.  As can be expected with 105 years of life, she is a bit confused these days, so she did ask me a couple times, "is this your baby?".  She was really in awe of Miss Reese.  It was a fairly warm day and Reese was dressed in some play clothes (a onsie and pants), but Aunt C harped on the fact that she needed to be covered up with a blanket so that she would stay warm and not get sick.  Well, Reese is a little heater, and we kept a blanket on her to make Aunt C happy, but I have a feeling Reese was quite steamy.

On to her swing.  For part of the visit, Reese was sitting in her carseat, with it attached to the SnugGlider and swinging away.  She loves it and I do to!  Aunt C kept asking, "Is she getting dizzy?"...so cute...we kindly replied, "no, it's just like if we were rocking her in a rocking chair".

I just thought it was all quite humerous to hear her remarks and what was going through her mind pertaining to a baby and such and how it differes from my thoughts and the way we care for babies on a day-to-day basis.  What a difference 105 years makes!