weekend at the chataeu

Saturday, husband and I left little Miss with my parents and headed to Branson to stay at Chateau on the Lake.  Its a beautiful resort hotel on Table Rock Lake.  Our stay was a gift from Adam's parents as a 5 year anniversary/housewarming gift.  We had never stayed there before, but definitely plan to visit again!

Caroline had the time of her life with Cece and Poppa!

The view from our room... it was so relaxing and beautiful.  The room had amazing blackout curtains and we slept until 10 am on Sunday morning!

We had the hotel brunch on Sunday. This was my desert plate. :/ 

Hey, I was on vacation!((And I pretty much only ate the strawberries.)

I never left the resort. Adam left only to go pick up Mexican food Sunday night and we ate it in the lounge next the fireplace and overlooking the lake.  By Sunday night the hotel was basically empty and we had the place to ourselves.  We had the best time just talking and laughing.

Monday morning we had breakfast again at the hotel restaurant (I had stuffed french toast and it was AWESOME.  ((Do you see a food theme, ha!) We then headed to the spa where we pretty much spent all day.  We had a couple's massage and I had a facial.  I guess I had never really been to a "full service" spa before, but we also got to enjoy the private hot tub, steam room, sauna, and lounges.  It was a Monday and we were the only ones there so had the place to our selves!  We ordered lunch and had it delivered to the hot tub.... we we're livin' it up!! 

I got these off the website but they were exactly as pictured.  We had such a great weekend away. We missed C terribly, but it was very refreshing to sleep in and just spend time together. We also have a couple of busy weeks coming up so we were totally fine with foregoing shopping to relax instead.  We leave for Oklahoma City Friday to attend a Thunder game and a work meeting on Saturday... then leave for Disney World the next week! I'm glad my sleep tank is full!

Five on Friday

1. Like most, I love the place that is Target!  There isn't much better than cruising the store, alone, latte in hand and checking out all the latest goodies! On a recent Valentine's gift run, I scored the following items that I'm quite fond of: 1) Baby Lips Lip Balm (Mabeline) 2) Coat for C on Clearance for $11 and 3.) Planner on clearance for $4.  I've struggled with organization since becoming a mom.  I've tried to keep everything in my phone, but its not the same as keeping things in a planner. I'm also not convinced that my phone doesn't randomly delete things! I'm hoping an "old school" planner helps me stay on top of things a little better.

2. We are going to DISNEY WORLD very soon!! I can hardly contain my excitement.  Adam's parents' gift to us for Christmas is taking the 10 of us next month.  I found this adorable printable at jennablogs.com and I have it displayed in our foyer in a picture frame. I love marking off the days... we're getting SO close!

3. I am leading the Tuesday night Bible Study at our church this semester.  By lead, I mean I basically unlock the door and make coffee. :) "Gideon" is a video- based study by Precilla Shirer.  It is SO good.  I'm really enjoying the group I have and I enjoy praying for and encouraging them weekly.  The overwhelming theme of Gideon's life is "God's strength in our weakness." It is so refreshing to read how Gideon was completely unqualified and inadequate (in his eyes) to complete the task God had for him, but God used him anyway in a mighty way.

4. The sun.  It came out this week! I feel like we've been in an eternal winter over the last several months and it has been so refreshing for the sun to be out! It has even been warm enough to go outside which Caroline LOVES.  

5. My nephews.  They live overseas but are enjoying a 6 month visit.  They are living in my hometown (3 hours away) so we still don't see them a ton, but when we do we have a GREAT time.  I traveled to Benton last weekend with C (Adam was recovering from round 2 of the stomach virus) and took both boys to my brother's baseball game.  They had a great time and I enjoyed spending time with them! It was also neat for me to watch my brother play college baseball. This is his second year to play, but I've just made my first game ever since they often play in the middle of the day during the week.

Lee plays for the Henderson Reddies.  He is having a great season so far especially considering he's recovering from a serious back injury during the off season. I am SO proud of him!

15 months * 12 month stats * MORE SNOW

Caroline is 15 months. Never mind that she will be SIXTEEN months in a little over a week. She is 15 months TODAY!  She is up to all kinds of things... its really amazing how quickly she learns. She is really talking well and says "thank-you," night-night," "NO," "please," "hello,""no," "go outside," and "NO"  Can you tell which word is her favorite?? It actually hasn't been as bad lately, but it never fails that we will be in public and she will shout "No NO!" to perfect strangers.


And because I didn't share her 12 months stats (oops...) here they are so my mommy brain can look back on them one day... I realize this was 4 months ago... but you know... its just been a hectic few weeks/months/year ha!

Weight- 18lbs (10%)
Height- 2 feet (45%)
head- 17.60 inches (35%)

Just yesterday, she started telling us when she was tired.  She kept saying "night night" over and over again until I finally put her to sleep. It was before her normal bedtime last night and nap time today... but sure enough, she went straight to sleep!  She doesn't usually cry or anything when we put her down, but she doesn't always go right to sleep either, and this time she did! Sweet girl was tired!

In other news, it has snowed A LOT.  So far, schools have been out for 12 days. TWELVE!! Many of those days my sitter hasn't been able to make it so its just me and C.  There are benefits to working from home, but if there were a negative... it means no snow days for me! I've had to work from home while also corralling a one year old.  Luckily, C naps for 4-5 hours a day (usually) so I actually get quite a bit done during those times.  I'm fortunate to work for a company that understands and doesn't give me too hard of a time.  Most people are complaining about the roads and snow but I secretly love it! I love being snowed in and being forced to cook, read, rest, and watch the snow. I think it's God's way of telling us to "slow down" and "be still."  A perk to living in Arkansas is that just as soon as you are sick of one season, it rolls over to the next. Spring will be here before we know it!

{Daddy had to work at home one afternoon because of the weather... needless to stay hes gone into the office ever since because he says he cant get anything done with us here! Rude!}

Let it Snow!

This is the first time I can remember getting snow BEFORE Christmas.  We've gotten it Christmas Day before, but never this soon.  I am scared to think of what Jan/Feb will look like... were predicted to have a tough winter!

 Our first snow at the new place. We had about 5 inches... it was beautiful!

C loved looking at the snow. We ventured out once, but she wasnt a fan. Its hard since she can't walk on her own yet. Plus it was actively snowing and very cold while we were out.

We mostly stayed inside, but we did venture out for a Hog basketball game with our friends! I love this picture of C and her daddy focused on the game! We won!

{ONE}

Who knew that my heart could grow so much in a year? It was already bursting at the seams when we found out we were pregnant on Valentines Day in 2012.

Then it swelled even more when we found out our babe was a girl in April.  

October 16, 2012 was the happiest day of our lives when we welcomed sweet Caroline Reese into our family. 

The last 12 months have been SO fun.  I can hardly get enough smiles, laughs, new milestones, cute outfits, and kisses.  It still amazes me how much growth and learning takes place in a year.  Our tiny newborn is now a petite ONE year old. She is full of personality and FUN. She is sweet and smart. I love her more every day.

We have had a lot of excitement over the last few weeks... our girl's first birthday party, first birthday, Halloween, moving, Thanksgiving, and in just a few days- Christmas.  We've jumped on a couple of planes in there too- one with just the husband to Vegas, and just this past weekend as a family to Austin,TX. Caroline has a mouth full of teeth, is learning new words daily, and just took her first steps this week {as an "almost" 14 month old.} I have much to catch up on, but I wanted to start with highlighting my girl's first year. She brings us so much joy and I thank God for her daily.

Giving Thanks

I've been reading this lately...

I'm not quite done with it, but its a great read. It basically focuses on the many gifts in everyday life. Things like a child's laughter, soap bubbles, or a sunset. It has encouraged me to be thankful everyday, and to appreciate exactly where God has me in this stage of life.

I have so much to be thankful for. My family, friends, our health; but most of all my Salvation.  Without Christ I am nothing!  

We just moved into our new house (one of these days I'll get around to posting about it.) We decided to host Thanksgiving at our house this year.  My parents and Caroline's nanny and her family (our friends) came over and we had a great time together.

We did a little Black Thursday (??) shopping and then the next day headed to Branson to meet dad's family at Silver Dollar City.  We had a great Thanksgiving weekend and have so much to be thankful for!

Pumpkin Patch and Halloween

This past Sunday, we went to a local Pumpkin Patch with the Green's.  It was a legit patch... no frills and you had to cut your pumpkin off the vine!  The kids had a blast and we got some great pictures.

Payne was watering the pumpkins.

C dressed as a strawberry for her second Halloween. Apparently we have an affinity for produce!