December 14, 2010

BIG SISTER

"I want to hold him"

Is this my baby?

After 24 hours of wellness...it was time to meet Rhett.

Elle was thrilled to be the new big sister....she could hardly believe her luck at getting to hold her precious new brother. She thought he belonged to the baby nurse that brought him in at first. Lauren, the nurse, was so touched by the sweet reaction Elle had holding her brother---it brought tears to her eyes. When she realized that she would get to bring him home, she shared this smile of pure joy. She loved on him and kissed him sweetly on the head. She spoke to him in a tiny high pitched voice and kept telling him..."it's alright". She's going to be quite the protecter!!

December 13, 2010

Happy Birthday Rhett

Welcome to the world baby Rhett--- 7 lbs 5 ozs of perfection! My handsome grandson Rhett joined our family today just after noon. He made his debut despite most of the family having the stomach virus. Poor Aubrianne spent the middle of the night in labor alone. She had a great nurse taking care of her . I was taking care of Elle who was so very sick, Rusty was very sick and Kate was recovering and super helpful with Elle. It was such a nightmare amidst a miracle. Rusty made it in time to see his son born...but still felt so awful. We were all glad to have him here safe and healthy.

The end of a long first day of life!!

December 1, 2010

Elle's 2nd Birthday

Elle's Birthday- the Big 2

Elle with cousins Becky and Lillian

Princess Balloons

Party hats were not optional....Ellle insisted we all wear them!

the Princess cake!

Elle got many princess related gifts and loved each one. I video taped the birthday song and blowing out of the candles on my phone...she still asks me to watch it each time I see her. She sings with it and claps at the end . It's so cute!

Thanksgiving Weekend

DISNEY PRINCESS DREAMS ON ICE
We went with Elle to Disney Princess' on Ice for her 2nd birthday. She is very crazy about everything princess- her favorite is Cinderella. As a part of the pre-show 'Cinderella' came out to see her fans. I got a shot of Elle when she first saw her....a picture really is worth 1000 words, but I would say one word for this expression....JOY!

Uncle Brannon bought her this magic lighted Cinderella wand.
She loved it!

Be Our Guest

Aubrianne - 38 weeks

November 2010

Orange Beach, Alabama-

Perdido Beach Resort

I want to Alabama to speak at a State Conference.

My hotel was on the beach and the view was so peaceful.

I loved the sunsets the most!

AUBRIANNE'S BABY SHOWER
Aubrianne and her friend Emily.
A beautiful and delicious cake made by a generous friend who owns a cake shop in Downtown McKinney.
"Baby Rhett"

Halloween 2010

Halloween Trunk or Treat

Rusty went as Aubri....Aubri went as herself...

and Elle went as her favorite thing....a Disney Princess!!!

The funniest part was when Elle looked at Rusty after he got ready and said, "Daddy looks funny, he's wearing Mommy's dress. " and "Daddy, why are you wearing mommy's shoes?"
A lot of the people at the trunk or treat also looked at Rusty pretty funny.......go figure!

Oktoberfest in McKinney

I went to Oktoberfest in McKinney with Rusty, Aubrianne and Elle.

We rode the train....

she loved the petting zoo.....
and danced for us to the lively German music....
and reminded us that she still remembers how to "power-up".
A trick she started at about 3 months old!

October 2010

Aubrianne and Rusty had some family pictures taken by Skyewolfe Designs. I think that they are the cutest family...and Aubrianne was radiant and looked so beautiful.

I was along for Elle entertainment and control. Enjoy......

Thanks to Amber Palmer --owner/photographer for letting me share these.

I taught a class in Dallas. They were quite the lively bunch. They were so sweet to me. They took me to lunch and gave me a digital photo frame....how did they know I loved taking pictures?

The Dallas Class

The Chuck E. Cheese Experience

Elle went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time.

She loved getting 'money' to put into the rides.

Her daddy played some games and she loved picking her prizes.

San Antonio Riverwalk -

International Accordion Festival

I went with my friend Mollie to San Antonio.

We went to the International Accordion Festival.

It was a blast! My favorite band was an Irish band called Solas.

The weather on the Riverwalk was perfect.

Thanks Mollie for a fun weekend break - I needed it!

(I also got to have a great reunion dinner with my friend Jen -
a transplanted Texan. We picked up where we left off years ago......

Jen you're the greatest-Miss you!)

Garland High School's - Ollie Owl

Elle went to her first Garland High football game and met Ollie the Owl....

She was not as thrilled as I had hoped!

Time Out for Women -2010

Kate met her favorite LDS author -Brad Wilcox

My friend Chris and I got a picture with one of my favorite LDS music artists - Hilary Weeks!

September 2010

I went to Columbia, SC to teach a class. They were delighful and wonderful to me. They gave me a bag of goodies for my office as a gift and also a set of Palmetto Earrings and a necklace to remember them by.....

I went to Savannah on my Saturday off....and ate dinner on Tybee Island. It was great. I knew that it would be my last class there, so I wanted to take advantage of my opportunity to see one of my favorite cities.

One of Savannah's beautiful historic buildings.
I love Tybee Island and the Crab Shack!

My Columbia Class