Birthday Bliss

I'm officially in my last year of my twenties as of yesterday. The last few days have absolutely filled my heart with contentment. My birthday celebrations started on Wednesday with lunch with my bestie Shannon and her son Parker. Our original plans were lunch and then a walk around Hermann Park but we soon found ourselves at the zoo. Oh my gosh! It's been probably 20 years since I went to the zoo last and I was absolutely amazed! Elle loved it too....it was her first time to be up close and personal with all those amazing animals.

We had so much fun with Shannon and Parker. I've said it probably 10x in the last few days but we are truly blessed to have them as friends. Shannon and I have been friends for over a decade and it is so amazing to think that our little ones will be able to grow up together!

Wednesday night we met my parents and brother for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Uncle BenBen and Elle had a great time together. I just love these pictures of the two of them!

Animal Print Friday (yes Elle still wears animal prints every Friday...) we met our friends for our mommy and me gym class and then we met up with my parents and Lee for lunch. We even got to see some of my former co workers after lunch and it made my birthday day even more amazing!

Dinner we met up with Lee's parents and grandparents. What a perfect way to end my birthday!

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Thank you to everyone for making my birthday so incredibly special!

one last pic of Elle playing with Lee's earphones....

Just Dance

Elle and Lee like to have dance parties...this one just happens to be in the car....

Momma's Gotta Have Some Fun Too....

This past weekend I escaped the dreary weather of H Town and headed to Mississippi for one of my besties bachelorette party. It was so much fun meeting up with all my favorite girls for a weekend of girl talk, dancing, eating, drinking, spa time and even a little gambling. We partied the weekend away at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi. It was soooo much fun! Lauren made the perfect bachelorette and is going to be an absolutely stunningly beautiful bride.

We spent Friday night exploring the casino and then Saturday afternoon (when we all finally got out of our pjs) we headed to the spa for manicures. After manis we sent Lauren on her merry way for a massage and some time in the sauna while we decorated one of the rooms for a little pre party.

Lauren's friend Lindsay even brought the serving trays and chargers! What a pro!

Lauren arriving for her party (greeted by her beautiful sister)

The first toast of the evening....there were many more to come

After our little pre party we went to dinner and then out for some dancing and eventually some gambling

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Laura was a big winner....

We all had so much fun spending the weekend together. It was the perfect bachelorette party weekend! Of course, traveling on Sunday was a little long but thankfully Meghan and I were on the same flight from Jackson to H Town. She had a lay over before continuing on to Colorado so she came down to baggage claim with me to see Lee and Elle. Elle was super excited to see her Auntie Meghan.

She showed Megs what a big girl she is and went for a little walk...i love these pictures!

I am so thankful that I was able to spend the weekend with Lauren and all the other wonderful girls. My heart is full after spending time with my girls who I usually just get to talk to on the phone (we all live in 4 different states). It was so much fun spending time and getting to know better Lauren's sister, cousin and best friend from high school. They are all so much fun and we all instantly clicked. The wedding is in just a few short months and after spending the weekend with a majority of her wedding party....I can't wait for the wedding! It is going to be soooo much fun! I came back renewed and ready to face the week and all Elle's appointments. The weekend cemented the fact that momma's gotta have some fun too!

News in the New Year

It's official...we have a WALKER in our house! New Years Day, Elle just decided that it was her time to start walking. She had been walking from sofa to chair to kitchen cabinet to wall for a long time but over the weekend she really started to walk more independently....standing up in the middle of the room and walking into her room or to the front door or to her new kitchen. We are so excited about this new milestone! After 8 months of crawling, physical therapy twice a week, and going to gym class once a week she is walking more than crawling! Whooo hooo!! Her PT was super impressed when we saw her the first week in January. Actually, everyone at TCH was. I didn't carry Elle back to therapy, I let her walk. She had to pass next to the nurses station and all of the nurses were standing there watching and cheering as Elle walked passed the nurses station and down the therapy hall towards the gym. What a little super trooper!

Elle and Lee playing in her room

Our New Years resolution this year is to do one home improvement project a month. It doesn't have to be big...it can be to hang up the pictures that have been sitting in our study for almost two years now....so....the first project of 2011 was to hang this bad boy above our fireplace. Our other tv was starting to develop a bad picture and it was going cost just as much to fix it as to buy a new television...so we took the plunge and bought a new (larger) tv. Anyone interested in a 50" tv with a not so perfect picture?

The cables from the old tv need to be moved and then I will be able to put more pictures up on the shelves on the left side. Elle likes the new tv...can you spot her staring up at Mickey?

Here's the before...there was a mirror hanging above our fireplace before it was replaced by the new tv

Elle is continuing to make strides. Her eating is still terrible but we do continually work on it. I'm hoping that one day she will just wake up and want to eat orally and not by the feeding tube. She has started to cringe a little when I put her backpack on her so I know she must get annoyed carrying around her feeding tube in her backpack 4x a day. Maybe that is what will be the straw that breaks the camels back...no more backpack if she starts to eat orally!

I promise she did get SOME food in her mouth

This is pretty much the progression of how this happens...I'm usually telling her "no - don't rub your face" and then she goes and does it...oh well...I'm glad to say that she doesn't seem to have any food aversions....now we just need her to eat enough to get some form of nutritional value

One of the things that has improved drastically are Elle's coloring abilities. Just this past week I found evidence that she is just as good on the tile in the kitchen as she is on paper. Good thing it's washable!