School Days!!

My little girl starts her Mother's Day Out program next week and I just can't stand it!!

The idea is for her to make friends and learn some socialization skills and for me to be able to get all of my chores done while she's gone so I'm 100% her's when she's home. HOWEVER, I'm having SERIOUS second thoughts about having her out of the house, even if for just a little while!

But on to the pictures! My MIL took a few shots of her in her first day outfit and I used Camera Awesome to make them, well, more awesome;)

Oh, my, she's growing! Prayers for us both, please, as we transition! And for this week as I begin teaching AWANAS at church and she hangs out in the nursery;)



18 Months! What??!!?

So my baby is 18 months old today. How did this happen???

Here are a few out takes from her 18 month shots by my sister in CKay Portaits. Check her out on facebook:)

So what is she up to at 18 months? Well, up until recently it was like she was on a learning new words strike. Then suddenly in the last week and a half shes mimicing EVERYTHING! She has recently learned "See you later" and "Paw Paw". She also gives "pretty eyes" back to my dad and crawls around on all fours and growls like her daddy does when they play together.

She is fast - like, lightning fast. Quite the runner. And she is rounding out how last set of teeth before the two year molars.

She is also famously NOT feeding herself with a spoon. She wants no part of it. If I try to put a spoon in her hand she thinks it's cool for a second. Then she realizes I expect her to eat with it and not play with it. Then she jerks her hand away and turns her head until I quit pushing the issue.

She is REALLY into climbing on the adult furniture and sitting in it. Especially if I'm letting her watch TV. She still loves her anywhere chair, but she takes time to be in the grown up furniture too.

Mostly, she's just really starting to learn how to play and interact even more than before. She sneaks up on me  and "tickles" me all the time. She then laughs like it's the funniest thing on the planet. She really is the coolest person I know!

Leighton, you will never know how much you've filled our hearts and lives with love and joy. You are hands down the best thing that has ever happened to us and we promise to do our absolute best by you times 10. Big hugs and kisses!

Mom and Dad

Early Anniversary Celebration

This weekend we put the cart before the horse and celebrated our upcoming 6 year anniversary.

As if we hadn't been to enough wineries in Napa, I wanted to go to a grape harvest. Bill obliged and gave me tickets to Messina Hof's Harvest festival for my anniversary gift. I was so excited!

I've always wanted to do a harvest festival and this one was so much fun! The owners are such sweethearts and made the whole day enjoyable. They gave us great tips for photo ops to take advantage of while there and even took many of our photos for us. If you are ever in the Bryan/College Station area, you must pay them a visit. www.messinahof.com

We started with an orientation that morning:

Headed upstairs to the orientation room

Our knives and some "harvest music"

Then out to pick some grapes! Bill was a man on a mission and made sure we filled our crate!

Bill hard at work

I cut too!

Check it out!

Bill found a big bunch too

Our full bin

Gotta dump the bin!

After picking every one headed in for a Lucy look alike contest and a Big Kahuna contest for the most creative grape bunch.

People entering their Kahuna grape bunches

Bill with his official tshirt

A few Lucy contestants. Lady in the blue won

A few of the Kahuna contestants

Kahuna contestants stomping along with their judge, the man in the center. He has foodie radio show.

After the contests it was time to STOMP

In the grape pit!

squishy!

Yeah, Leighton is just destined to have big feet! Runs on both sides! LOL

After our grapes were generously pressed by our feet, we took a tour to learn more about wine making process and got to see a mechanical press in action.

Finally we tasted the "fruits" of last year's harvest attendees labor, plus a couple other choice wines.

Next was a feast and then later and food and wine pairing class. We had been working and celebrating in the heat all day and ate plenty at the feast. Needless to say, we were too tired to stay for the class. But we did sneak out with a bottle of the sparkling almond and a bottle of the moscato to take home. I don't always drink sweet, but when I do it's Messina Hof (in my best most interesting man in the world voice). And if you decide to by a bottle of the 2012 Port when it's out next year, know we helped make it!

After Bill took a long nap and I took a long rest, we pretty much acted like lazy bums. We did make it out for dinner and spend a little time at the pool, but mostly we watched movies on pay per view.

Dinner at Abuelos in College Station

 

Funny flashback, we had dinner at the Fort Worth location on our second anniversary;-)

 

So glad we went and so glad I get to be married to the greatest guy around! Love you, Bill!