A Night Out

Yesterday, Chrissie and I got all dressed up to surprise our friend, Kelli, for her birthday. We don't get the opportunity to dress up often, so we had pictures taken! I think we cleaned up really nicely. Though the night ENDED in a way that made us forget to take pics with the birthday girl, it was still a fun.....hmm.....yes, it was still a fun night.



Look at her sweet baby belly. (it's a girl!)

Lovely Day

On Thursday, the high was 74, so Sage and I headed to Oxford Lake! She, as always, had a blast. Travis and I used to live right behind the lake there, so it was kind of nostalgic for some reason. Anyway, it was so pretty that I wanted to be outside all day. We ended the day with dinner outside, trampoline jumping, and a bonfire with our friends and neighbors, Karl and Renea.

CHEEEESEEE!
This is how she walked through the park--hands on hips.

I see so much of ME in her right here.
Baby you can drive my car.
HEEYYY Ducks!
So cute.
I love my "big girl," as she demands to be called.
And that she is.
Jump high!

An Ode to Chrissie

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.

A friend is someone who knows the real you and likes you anyway.

A friend loveth at all times. Proverbs 17:17

When I moved to Alabama almost SEVEN (so hard to believe) years ago, it was obviously life changing...and difficult. I left everything and everyone I had known. Ironically, the people I moved here with moved back to Kentucky and I remain, which lets me know that God had it all set up for me. I met my husband here, had a daughter, bought our first home, found a great church, graduated college...lots of milestones in life.

For many of the years I lived here, I lacked something which made it difficult to call this home: friends. Yes, I have Travis, but I still needed FRIENDS. I have several that I call that now, thank God! There is one in particular that is closest to my heart....

I was 7 1/2 months pregnant. No one knew me other than that "Christina Aguilera looking girl that sings good." I was waiting for Travis at the back of the church when this bouncy, skinny, beautiful girl with long brown hair goes, "HEY! I'm Chrissie! I just wanted to introduce myself. You're pregnant?! Oh my goodness, I hate YOU! You're tiny. We'll have to get together sometime." Not thinking much of it, considering pretty much everyone I met said that, I smiled and walked away. A few weeks later, she had a Christmas card for me and my family. A few weeks later, Sage was born. She had a gift for me. It was an outfit that I had seen and loved but never bought at Gymboree complete with matching hat. She had no idea. SOULMATES.

That's been years ago, and if I'd known what a jewel she'd turn out to be, I would've taken in each moment more than I have. She will find something amazing in a store full of junk. SHE always looks amazing, though she'd deny it. She has a flair for decorating and creativity that I secretly covet. And cooking?! Wow, amazing. If her blog wasn't private, I'd send you a link to some of the meals SHE has made. We can have fun together doing nothing, but we usually add to that by shopping and always eating. She can bargain and talk a deal like none I've EVER seen. I can honestly say she's one of the most thoughtful people I know. She's always listening, noticing things about others and then doing something for them in a manner they will appreciate.

She's always taking time to help me with whatever I may have going on. After already tagging her own TWO kids' clothes for a consignment sale, she helped me. She is always on the lookout for the best deal for me, best coffee maker, best bed...best whatever I'm looking for at that time. When I have a problem, she's trying to help me solve it. And that is the truth. And most currently, I've been really sick with an ear infection from hell...part sick, part anxiety...and she's listened every time and helped me through, what's been for me, a very difficult time. She is my friend in spite of the fact that I'm psychotic all or most of the time. Thank you, my friend. It is my privilege to call you that. I love you, and I hope I can give HALF to you what you have to me.

"The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them."
- John 15:13

Miss Priss

These were still taken at the party, but they were so sweet, I thought they deserved their own post.

Birthday Party

This past Friday night, Sage was invited to a birthday party of a friend, Alivia. It was at Party Cenral, where they have tons of inflatable toys for the kids to climb on. Needless to say, Sage had a blast. Check her out.

weeeeeeeeeeee!
Peek-a-boo!
Head first!
Bubbles!
Silly faces!
I don't know what it is with this kid and her tongue!
Sage and the birthday girl
Having a blast!

This was how she did the limbo...hahahaha.
I have identical twins. Did you know? Look closely.

One of my favorites.
Me and Cate.
Sage and Cate. How sweet is that?

Art Fun!

One of Sage's favorite things to do at school is to paint! I knew how much she loved it, so I thought it'd be nice to have our own set of washable paints for her. I held off on this idea for weeks because of the possible messes that could occur, but then I reconsidered. What's a little mess for this face? I think I made the right call.

She takes this pretty seriously.
Green was her favorite to start.
But she added some more for the finished product. I have a little artist!

Picnic at the Park

Being the thoughtful person that she is, Chrissie saw the beautiful forecast for today and suggested a picnic at the park in Pell City, which is the half way point for us. What a fine idea it was! Today's weather was absolutely amazing. I'm not exactly an outdoor kind of girl, unless we're talking a drink by the pool, but this was exceptional. Sage was soooo excited to get to see Harrison and Isacah. Chrissie's mom, Mary, even spent the day with us, with fresh, cracked pecans for all. Yum.

Unfortunately, the nice water front park we planned on going to was closed, and we had to go to the..."ghetto park." It wasn't bad though. The kids didn't seem to care a bit. They had sand, swings, slides, bubbles, and each other. Throw in some juice boxes and fruit, and they were good to go.

I think Isacah kept saying, "yee haw" or "yippee." I don't remember exactly, but it was really funny.
Sage riding Toucan Sam?
Harrison on a horse.

Harrison didn't want to get IN the swing, but he liked pushing Sage.
And she thought that was pretty cool. :)

Her new thing

For whatever reason, no matter WHAT she has on, whether it be pajamas (as is the case here) or clothes, Sage will put BOTH her legs in one. She will even do that with her panties. One second she'll be dressed, the next, you look and she's got whatever she had on wrapped around her chest or in one leg. She says, "I'm a mermaid!" when she does it. Behold, Ariel. hahaha.

Before School

I realized that I hadn't put up many pictures of Sage lately. She is growing so fast and looking more like a "big girl" than I'd care to admit. Taking pictures of her isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world either. You'll see what I mean.

First, we start off with something simple. It's a sweet, but a fake, somewhat awkward smile for her.
Still, more of the same. That's not her smile, but still she's adorable.
THEN we go to this phase. The goofy, take it or leave it, grin.
Here's a variation of the above mentioned.
I caught her looking at the tv, and I thought she just looked so sweet. There's a TRACE of baby here to me in those cheeks.
And lastly, here is her model pose. She is a winner. My girl.

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MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family name origins - Dynasty