The Giggle

There are few times in a person's life when they are just supremely and uncontrollably happy... For me, a few of those moments include when I was accepted to Texas A&M, the first time I kissed Kit, when we got married, and when I found out we were having a baby... However, I had a moment this week that I think may have lept to the top of that list...

Since Kit is coaching football this fall, Rayleigh & I get a lot of time together, just us girls... Our afternoon routine includes me picking her up from the babysitter, going home & watching The Young & the Restless, making a little bit of dinner and giving Rayleigh a bottle or attemping some cereal and maybe a bath. While we watch Y&R, I hold her in my lap and play with her. This week, I was playing peek-a-boo with her when all of a sudden, she started CRACKING UP. It wasn't like her little squeal of glee that she normally does, but a full on laugh. She got the belly shake and everything. It was hysterical. I was trying to be serious because it made her laugh harder, but I couldn't keep it in. So there we were, both of us just laughing at each other.

That happened I guess on Thursday and then again yesterday. Yesterday I was smart enough to go grab the phone and call my mom so they could hear it. It was so funny, and her giggle is so precious. The smile on her face is worth more than any amount of money in the world. I am so fortunate to have such a beautiful daughter. I am so proud of her and humbled by her every day! It's an amazing experience to be a parent, to know that someone else's life is way more valuable and important than your own. I look forward to so many more of these moments!!

Already 4 months old...

I can't believe my little Rayleigh is already 4 months old. She is the best thing I have ever done, and I am eternally grateful and proud to be her mother! Here are a few pictures of her. She is trying hard to roll over and sit on her own.. She is making lots of new sounds and faces now, and it's so fun to be around her. I love her!

To view a more pictures, click here. You can see pics all the way from our wedding until now.

Labor Day Weekend

Working in the hospitality industry means I don't normally get the regular holidays off that everyone else does... While I miss getting those holidays off, I am extremely grateful to have such a flexible schedule and laid-back workin environment. It is definitely a fair trade-off.

Our holiday weekend started off by Kit & I driving Rayleigh to Oklahoma so she could stay with my Dad and Piper for the weekend while we went to College Station. It was a longer trip than Rayleigh would have liked, especially since she was sick for the first time... (Just FYI, baby throw-up is not exactly a good look on me) She was a trooper though, and did pretty well. I was so excited to get to go to College Station for the game with Kit that I hadn't really anticipated how far away we would be from her or how much we would miss her. Leaving her that night with my Dad was harder than expected... It really made me think about how hard it must have been on my parents when Cameron & I were growing up and they had to switch weekends and time between the two of them...It was especially hard for me to leave her because she was sick for the first time and because this was the first time that I was going to be more than 30 minutes away from her. After a few tears and lots of consoling from Kit on the way home, I was a lot better and looking forward to the weekend.

I had to work Saturday morning for a few hours, so we didn't get to leave for The Homeland until about 1:00p or so. We finally arrived to campus around 4:00p and headed directly to the Chicken to meet up with Matt & Lori who were well ahead of us in terms of consumption so we proceeded to do our best to catch up.

Then, we went to the game where the Aggies put a whooping on the Lobos of New Mexico: 41-6. It was a great game, and we had fabulous seats (courtesy of some Ol' Ags in the A&M club I started in Granbury). We had a great time at the game. We then headed back to the Chicken and had a few beers, a few shots, and a lot of good times.

It was so good to get to hang out with Matt & Lori!! We had a blast! I always love spending time with them because they are so much fun, and Kit & Matt get along so well.



We came home early on Sunday, and Piper, Paige & Dad brought RayRay all the way back to Granbury and spent the night with us. We all had breakfast together on Monday for my birthday before they headed back to Oklahoma.

All in all, it was a great time. Kit & I really enjoyed the time to ourselves, but we were sure happy to have our baby back! :)



To view pictures from Labor Day weekend and more, click here.

Baptism pictures

You can view all of the pictures by clicking here.

Rayleigh's Baptism Weekend

Yesterday, August 22, we baptized Rayleigh at Saint Frances Cabrini church here in Granbury. It was truly an amazing experience. I was very surprised how emotional I felt as the deacon baptized my little one with holy water. I became choked up and overwhelmed as my precious, perfect little angel received the Holy Spirit. I find comfort in knowing that we are beginning her journey as a Christian together as a family, and that she will forever be in God's grace. Rayleigh is an amazing gift from the Lord, and I am so thankful to Him for her and the love that she brings into our lives.
We were really excited to have everyone in town. I got to spend a lot of time with my cousin Lori, whom I love like a sister. Lori & her husband Matt (who is also a college friend of mine) are Rayleigh's godparents. We feel so honored to have them take on that task. I know from my experiences with both of them that they are two of the most devout Christians I know, and I have 100% faith in their ability to counsel Rayleigh in the future and for them to help us raise her to have a stron Christian faith.
We also had my parents, Doug & Mary Kaye, sister Makemma, brother Cameron and my grandparents, Leon & JoAnn, visiting. I was thrilled to have Granny & PoPo visit us and get to see our home. I think they liked it! My friend Alissa came as well and hung out with us all night as we partied! Emily & Josh came to baptism and lunch with us. It was good to see them.
After the baptism ceremony, us big kids went and played golf and drank some beer. Then we went out to the Langdon ranch for dinner and more celebrating. It was a great day, and we all had so much fun!!

Livin' la vida loca!

So the last year has flown by!! I can't believe how much our lives have changed since August 2008. In the last 12 months, Kit & I both got new jobs, moved, bought our first house, and welcomed our first child. Whew! What chaos! It has been crazy but so wonderful.

The move was tough on us (especially me) at first, but as we have gotten settled, it has progressively gotten better. We are starting to make more friends and getting closer with some we already had.

Our friends Katherine & Terry Smith live across the street from us. I worked with Kat at my previous job, and it was just coincidence that Kit & I bought a house across from them. The Good Lord works in mysterious ways because Katherine has been my saving grace. They have an 8 month old son, Bryson. It has been such a blessing to have a brand new mom and great friend over the past year because I can bounce ideas off of her and get advice on mom stuff & just adjusting to life in Granbury. Our husbands are also both from Granbury and grew up playing baseball together. Kit & Terry love watching the Texas Rangers games on TV. It's been a real blessing to become such great friends and hang out with them all the time! I love their little boy like he is my own, and it has been so neat to watch him grow and change over the last year.

In addition to Katherine & Terry, our friends Jeanne & Aaron Stone live three houses down in the opposite direction. Aaron & Kit coached baseball together last year, and Jeanne & I have become friends through the boys. They have two little girls, Lynlee (2 & 1/2 yrs) & Rylan (10 months). We love hanging out with them too, even though they are Red Raiders and won't let us forget it! ha ha. Aaron is a photographer and is the one that took Rayleigh's baby pictures. This is a picture of Lynlee & Rylan with Cinch. They love him!! Aaron was mad because he can't ever get Lynlee to smile & pose, and the night I was taking these, she loved the camera!!

We've been out to the Langdon Ranch a few times lately too. I love going out to the ranch. It is so peaceful and beautiful there. It is definitely a nice reprieve from the hustle & bustle of town. Rayleigh has finally gotten to meet some of her Langdon family. She met her Great Aunt & Uncle Mimi & Jerry a couple of weeks ago, and she got to meet her Great-Aunt Julie on Monday.

I love this picture of Rayleigh & Joe (Kit's Dad). It cracks me up!

Here are RayRay & Kit's mom, Karen.
Last week, my cousin Sydney & Makemma came out to stay with us for a week so they could help with Rayleigh. We went swimming out at the ranch. It was my first time in a swimsuit since I had RayRay, and it was less than fun... But I am working on it!! It was also Rayleigh's first time to go swimming. She liked it ok, but was getting hungry (surprise, surprise) and got a little fussy.

Here are me, RayRay, & Makemma swimming at the Langdon's.

We went to Lubbock last weekend. My brother Cameron graduated from Texas Tech! Although I am sad he is a Red Raider and not an Aggie, I am very excited and proud that he graduated!! We had an awesome time hanging out with him and his buddies over the weekend. It was also a blast to hang out with my sister Sallye. I don't get to see her very often, but we always have a good time when we do! I don't have any pictures yet from graduation, but I will post them when I do.

That's about all for now. I have a lot more pictures, so if you want to go to my Picasa Album and check them out, feel free.

Say Cheese!

As I mentioned in my post on Friday, Rayleigh has started to smile at us a little bit and even coo and make cute little noises sometimes. It is the most adorable thing, and I finally caught a smile on camera. This picture just makes me beam every time I look at it, so I had to share. Enjoy!!