Fun with my new camera!

So any chance I get I have been trying out my new camera and taking pictures of everything!  So here's a few things that have been happening lately!

 Here's Cade getting to watch Daddy practice before church.  My heart melted.

He loves his swing so much!  I used to put him in this before he could walk and he would "hang" there.  He still loves it!  He doesn't love it when I put Lyla in it, though.  We're still working on the sharing!

Diaper? Check.  Boots?  Check.  Mower?  Check.

What more could a boy want?

Cade cut his hand.  Not blog worthy except that it started bleeding again on our walk and I didn't have a way to stop it so I put Lyla's pink sock over his hand.  So, the rest of our walk he had his manly boots on with a pink sock "puppet" as he called it.

This is Cade smelling the flowers.  Such a boy way to sniff :)

Ryan's band (Theophany) was really busy last week practicing for a Disciple Now that happened last weekend. So, my dad and some of our great friends came to keep me company.  (At least that's what I tell myself...I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the kids) 


This family is so dear to my heart and I talk about them all the time, so if you're wondering how we're all so close. Then see the note below.

 Sharyn and Lyla.

 Cade saw me earlier in the day picking weeds with one gardening glove on.  He had his glove on (because of his cut) so he started to pick flowers with it.

 The dads decided to help put the kids in PJs.  They had her upside down and backwards to Sharyn stepped in to help.  Lyla thought it was so funny!

 Our little Lyla has been movin' and groovin'.  Cade wasn't this mobile until he was 8 or 9 months.  Lyla is just crazy how fast she can get around.  She's now pulling up on things, too.  I'm afraid that I'm going to turn around and she will have stood up in the middle of the room and started walking.

Ryan's been getting to watch the kids in the afternoons while I work.  (like how I worded that).  He was giving Lyla a bottle and Cade just walked up stairs on his own and started playing in the playroom.  Then it got really quiet, so Ryan assumed Cade had gotten into something.  He walked up stairs and found Cade sound asleep.

Cade and I were playing outside and we heard something at the back door.  Lyla!  

Our little helper!  Cade dumped a new container of puffs all over Lyla's tray.  They both ate them all.  I love Lyla's expression in this picture.  "Cade did it!"

Spring Break! "What What"

With Ryan and I both being off this was a super fun Spring Break! 

Saturday:  Baby Showers and Flamingos!:  Yes, that was plural baby showers!  Pics from the Baby Showers will come in another blog.  It was so much fun and we had a blast throwing it!  

The flamingos flew in very cold and wet weather so Cade didn't have much of a chance to play with them, BUT I took him outside for a little bit in his pajamas.  It's okay that it was 5 pm and Cade was still in his pajamas right?  Remember I had been at 2 baby showers that day so you can imagine why he was still in his pjs.  

Sunday: Worship in our New Sanctuary!  Praise the Lord!!!  The dedication service will be in April so I will talk more about this, but Praise the Lord!!  Come worship with us at Woodlawn Baptist Church!

Monday: Butler Park.  This is one of my very favorite places.  I used to come here before kids just to take in the views, ride my bike, or play with my friends' kids.  I feel so at peace and love to look at the view of Austin.  

We met a few friends there and some had never been there before!  I was so excited to show them what they were missing!

Since Lyla is crawling all she wanted to do was crawl and eat the grass, leaves, bugs, acorns, trash, etc on the ground.  This is a video of her crawling last week at Butler Park.  

Cade totally loved chasing his friends, climbing up the hill, and running in the open field.  But I'm pretty sure that his favorite was our picnic where he got to eat.  He sure loves to eat!

Becky has become quite the photographer so she was able to get some pictures of my kids and our friends that came!!!  I will repay her someday!

Tuesday: Austin Zoo. Ryan and I have lived in Austin all our lives and neither of us had ever been to the Austin Zoo.  We got a Groupon a while back and had planned on taking Cade for his birthday but it was raining, so we saved it for Spring Break.  If Austin has to have a zoo then this is definitely a zoo for Austin.  Some day we'll take the tots to the San Antonio Zoo and hopefully the San Diego Zoo, but for now Austin Zoo will work.  I take after my dad a little bit (well maybe alot, but that's for another blog) in that I don't really care for zoos because of the captivity for these animals, but the animals at the Austin zoo are all rescues.  So it's a little easier to look at them.  Cade loved all the animals and the peacocks that just roam around the zoo.  He got to feed sheep and goats and tried to feed a llama but he wasn't hungry.  I think one of his favorite parts was his snack and putting rocks in his pockets.  People have said it before but it's true...you really don't need to spend money to entertain kids!  Please notice my amazing wardrobe decisions for the kids!  Lyla in her giraffe onesie from Sharyn and Cade is in his monkey shirt!  That's right...I'm super mom.

Garden:  We planted more veggies in our garden!  By "we" I mean Ryan!  But I tried to keep the kids out his way.  Tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cilantro, beans, and more to come!

Wednesday:  Shopping with Baba! My dad decided to take the kids Easter shopping...so cute right?  I actually already had a dress for Lyla from my favorite consignment sale Mama Cents.  So we just needed to find Cade something.  Since I get some awesome hand-me downs I just wanted to find some special shorts or top to go with something he already had.  Simple right? 

3 hours later we still hadn't found shorts that would fit that weren't like $50. Geez...so my dad got Cade some church sandals and sunglasses and we called it a day!


But Cade did get to ride on an escalator, look at himself (and Lyla) in the mirror and he got a balloon from Nordstroms so he was super happy!

Thursday:  Strawberry Picking  We went to Sweet Berry farms to pick Strawberries...super fun!  It was mostly Cade and Ryan doing the picking because I had Lyla in a pouch so bending over wasn't fun.  The kids loved being outside and seeing the animals.  Cade got a strawberry popsicle!  He kept saying brrr...cold!  But he ate it anyway and was super messy!  


We hope to make some strawberry candies and some chocolate covered strawberries!  A Hancock House favorite!

Girls Night Out:  That's right!  The Woodlawn Women went to Matt's El Rancho and had a giggly good time!  I needed that!


Surprise!:  My dad surprised me with a super amazing camera!!!  You just thought I took a lot of pictures...just wait!  I'm hoping to take a class next week so I can actually know how to work it!







Friday:  Long Fun Filled Day with Old Friends!  I got to hang out with three amazing friends that I've know for about 15 years.  (They have all known Ryan longer than that!)  Between the 4 of us there were 7 kids!  Boy have times changed!  I only have 1 picture because I just let Becky take them all, but it's a good picture because Becky is in it!

The best part was taking the kids home, changing clothes, and going out for Ladies night (again!) then coming to my house for late night games!!  Thanks for the friendship and fun!!  We have already planned our retirement home so we can all be together!


Saturday:  Writing on my Blog and taking pictures with my new camera.

I took over 200 pictures today and this is about the only one that was decent enough to show you.  But I do love my camera and can't wait to figure it out!

Smocked My Socks Off

Why the Blog Title?  

My mom was an amazing seamstress (among being the best mom).  I never appreciated what she could do until now...I have a daughter.  My mom learned how to smock and made some amazing dresses for me.  She kept most of them so they now hang in my daughter's closet.  I look at them every now and then to make sure that my daughter hasn't out grown them yet.  She still has about a year to go before she can fit into any of them.  I can't wait and neither can my dad.

If my mom was still alive she would be a Facebook addict, a big time blogger with multiple blogs, and one of the pioneers of Pinterest!  She soaked up technology and boy would she love what we can do now!

I'm not a writer or an amazing seamstress but I am my mother's daughter and I want to share with the world.  My thoughts, my crafts, and my kids!  Bare with me as I write what I feel and share what I do!  

My mom and I are below.

  And then it is me in one of my favorite smocked dress.  The green crayon dress!

This Blog is dedicated to you mom...You Smocked My Socks Off!