Rolex Lexington 2012

Every year Lexington sponsors The Rolex out at the Horse Park.  This is a three day event with all types of equestrian show... jumping, reining, dressage, etc...
Friday evening was the Ariat Reining Cup and we had some friends in town to show for this competition.  We were able to have lunch with them Friday (of course, they loved seeing Caylee!) and then when Matt got off work, we headed up to the competition. 

Before the event started.. another one of the painted horses around town :) I'm bound and determined to get their picture with as many of these as I can--- Matt is less than thrilled :)

Playing and listening to the music before the event!

Watching the event.. Caylee did really well! She loved watching the horses run fast, but she especially watched when the ladies came out in all their bling.  Their sparkly shirts definitely caught her eye.

Before Shawn showed (he was the last to go).  His wife Michele and oldest son Cody.

Caylee riding her first horse (Wimp's Chocolate Chip) with Shawn... Shawn won the whole event too!! Caylee only rides with the best :)

She wasn't so sure about touching the horse's mane, but given that it was already an hour past her bedtime she was doing really well!!! And yes, she once again has no socks or shoes on... we really only have dress shoes and socks fell off as soon as we got inside the arena.  Luckily we were indoors, so it really didn't matter too much.  

So that was Caylee's first horse show with her Daddy and first horse ride.  She enjoyed it and did really well the entire night, even with all the noise and it being so late for her.  The Rolex went on for 2 more days, but we didn't go to any other events, maybe another year because I would love to see the cross-country where the horses jump over logs and streams and such.  

6 Months!

      Caylee Ann is 6 months today!  We're back from her appointment and she did GREAT!  I was so proud and happy when all the nurses and doctors said how pretty she was!  Caylee is 27 inches and in the 89% in height! She may have some of my looks, but she'll be TALL just like her daddy!  She weighed 17lbs and 6oz.  The doctor said she looked fantastic and at 6 months they just look for her to be sitting up for a few seconds... she sits up for hours!  The nurse came to give her 2 shots.  With the first shot Caylee just stared at the nurse, then when she began to get the 2nd one ready, Caylee started screaming!  Only a few seconds and then I held her and she quieted down very quickly.  She's still a little sore and will cry here and there, but she also missed her morning nap because of the appointment.  With a long afternoon nap, I'm sure she'll be just fine! 
     Caylee JUST started rolling from her front to back.  Literally, 2 days ago.  (She had rolled once from front to back and once from back to front about a month ago, then just decided it wasn't worth it).  She only rolls when she's in a super good mood- otherwise she just screams to get off her tummy.  She still spits up when on her tummy, so I think it just doesn't feel good.  However, she much prefers sitting up and can sit very well.  She only tumbles backwards if Sammy gets too close and she loses balance.  She sits in grocery carts too!  She can also stand up, just for a brief amount of time, but without help (leaning against something, but not needing my hands to hold her up). 
     She's eating all sorts of things these days.  She's even eating well enough (cleanly enough I should say) to take her out in public :)  I no longer need to strip her down to eat!!  Her favorite is still Sweet Potatoes, but she'll also eat: applesauce, peaches, peas (mixed with bananas only), carrots (mixed with cereal only), apples and blueberries, squash (sometimes), bananas (plain or they are strong enough to mask flavors she doesn't like), apples and cherries, green beans (maybe, some days) and we just tried corn (not a huge hit, but she will get some of it down). 
     Caylee is smiling at everyone these days... she smiles at all the people we see in the store, at the library and just anyone she sees!  However, she is beginning to cry when I leave the room, not too much, but a little.  If Matt is there it helps. 
    She can sleep through the night, but usually does not.  We don't do any nighttime feedings and we're not sure why, but she just starts crying in the middle of the night.  If she can't find her wubbanub close by she'll keep screaming and I have to go give it to her.  If she can find it, she puts it in her mouth all by herself and goes back to sleep.  However, if the crying starts before 1am it's almost a guarantee she'll cry again around 4:30 and then ends up in bed with me (probably just 2 times a week this happens).  She will sleep in with me until 7 or 7:30 though. Matt moves to the couch so his alarm doesn't wake us and because she sprawls out and takes up lots of room!  She is not a cuddly sleeper :)  She takes 2 good naps a day- about 1 1/2-2 hours both times. 
     We have been spending a little more time outside on nice days.  She does great on our walks and has even enjoyed her friends more (they notice each other anyways!).  She LOVES her dogs more than any toy and squeals whenever they are close.  After naptime she always looks for them.

Here are some pics!

Little blurry, but she is standing on her own!

Love this one!

Early morning playing...

Twin friends!

Always trying to pet the dogs... Caylee and Diego

Happy 6 Months Caylee Ann!!! We love you soooo much!

Food Truck-ies!

St. Louis apparently has TONS of food trucks.  You know, the kind you'd see outside an office building selling tacos or something.  But in St. Louis, they have all types of food trucks and people are OBSESSED with them!  You can even follow your favorite truck on Twitter and find out where they will be on a certain day.  Occassionally, especially in Spring and Summer... they have Food Truck Round-ups!  This is where several food trucks meet in a parking lot and lots of people come out to taste the food.  They happened to have one this past weekend and we were so hungry after the zoo, so we headed out to one...

Parking lot with all the trucks and people...

Greek food! I got a Chicken Tahini... delicious!

Holding cupcakes from the cupcake truck...

We had so much fun at the round-up!  The food was amazing.... we tried Sweet Potato chips, Italian fries, fish tacos (not for me- blah!), and cupcakes! Yes, we took full advantage of all the trucks and it was very worth it! 

That was our awesome weekend in St. Louis- there is so much to do in that city! We had a blast!!! 

Monkey-ing Around!

This weekend Caylee and I drove up to St. Louis.  My mom had flown in from Florida to see my sister and we headed up to visit both of them!  The drive up was fine, although I think Caylee is showing signs of teething, so she's been a little more irritable and wasn't thrilled to be in her carseat that long....
Once we got there she did fine!  Saturday was a very cool morning (only 43!), but it warmed up to a crisp 65 and was very sunny.  We headed out to the St. Louis Zoo.  This is a FREE zoo!  Can you believe it?!  It was very pretty too, lots of big shade trees, tons of exhibits and animals.  We had a great time.  Caylee was awake the entire time, and seemed to enjoy herself... although watching all the people was all the entertainment she really needed.  Here are TONS of pics from the zoo... :)

Apparently the South entrance is prettier, but the parking was INSANE, so we parked on the road and walked a bit to this entrance...

At the Bear Pit...

With Grandma at the Giraffe/Ostrich exhibit....

This gorilla was the cutest thing, he looked at everyone through the glass!

Me showing my little monkey the gorilla.... she held her hand out a few times, but couldn't figure out why she couldn't touch his face...

Flamingoes... so pretty!

Aunt Cassidy and Grandma

Mommy and Grandma

Mommy and Aunt Cassidy

All of us!

In front of the Zebras....

My little monkey!  Ok, so I didn't plan on her wearing a monkey outfit to the zoo, but I also thought it'd be much warmer than it was, and this was the warmest thing I had brought for her!  So, no, I'm not typically one of those people that dresses my child for wherever we are going... but she did look super cute!!!

I Knew You Could!

The title of the book I read Caylee this morning was "I Knew You Could" by Craig Dorfman.  It is a GREAT book and one I really needed to hear today!!  I intend to buy this book for her library soon, but today I just read it online (wegivebooks.org is a great website with free online reading for all ages!). 
Anyways... it's part of the "I Think I Can" train books... here are some of the words... (much cuter with the pictures too of course!)

I knew you could! And you knew it too-

That you'd come out on top after all you've been through.

And from here you'll go farther and see brand new sights.

You'll face brand new hills that rise to new heights.

I wish I could show you the stops that you'll visit,

But that isn't my choice to make for you, is it?

Instead, I can tell you some lessons and tales

That I've learned and re-learned in my time on the rails.

**It goes on to talk about the different tracks you might take and stops you might make, hills you will have to cross and valleys you'll have to go through... then it continues with this:

You'll go through tunnels, surrounded by dark,

And you'll wish for a light or even a spark.

You might get scared or a little bit sad,

Wondering if maybe your track has gone bad.

So here's some advice to help ease your doubt:

The track you took in must also go out.

So steady yourself and just keep on going-

Before you know it, some light will be showing.

And then you'll be out, heading to a new place.

You'll be ready for the next tunnel you face.

**Then it talks about the train wishing it were a plane or car and encouraging it to just be itself. It encourages the train to be proud of who they are. And then...

You'll follow your track

through twists and through bends,

And stop at new stops and pick up new friends.

They'll all come aboard with smiles and greetings.

You'll have such great times

with the people you're meeting.

On days when you're sad and feel you can't go

Speak up and ask a friend for a tow.

That's what friends do, so don't be afraid.

You'd do the same if your friend needed aid.

**Then it talks about the train continuing on, leaving some friends and finding new places.  It encourages the train to take in the views and not rush the journey because...

If you rush forward as a general rule

Before you arrive, you could run out of fuel.

Don't overwork, but save up some strength.

That way, every day, you can travel great lengths.

**The book ends with...

There's more about life you'll learn as you go,

Because figuring things out on your own helps you grow.

Just trust in yourself, and climb every hill.

Say "I think I can" and you know what?

You will!

**The only thing I would change would be to "just trust in the Lord", but this is not a Christian book :)  Anyways, we have a few unexpected changes going on now too (more in a later post) and this book was just a great reminder that life will take us on MANY journeys.  Just like the little train, we can make it with lots of prayer, friends and some hard work!!   What a sweet sweet book that I will have to buy very soon!!



What's New!?

I kinda feel like it's been a while since I've written anything, but really it's only been since Easter.  Nonetheless, I read blogs too and it's irritating when they don't update at least once a week- so I'll do my best :)

There is nothing really to say at the moment, so here are some pics to re-cap the last few weeks and what we've been up to!

Playing outside... Caylee and I enjoy sitting outside when the sun is out.  Yes, I put plenty of sunscreen on her and it's not always that warm (like this day) so usually long sleeves and pants for her.  Sammy enjoys keeping watch over the yard... Diego runs around chasing birds (literally every bird that even thinks about landing in the yard he runs after! Silly dog!) 

Riding in a cart... yep, she can sit up really well now (not even 6 months yet!) and she's getting too heavy for me to lug her and the carrier in.  So... we've been working on sitting in a cart.  She still needs the little seat belt because she's a little wobbly and we can usually get through half a store before she decides she's had enough.  This particular day we went to Bed Bath and Beyond to buy a mattress topper for our bed-- I love that store, good thing we don't go there often!

Going to church... we've been doing this, but I couldn't resist putting this picture in!  You can't see the full dress, but it's SO cute with little blue flowers everywhere :)  It's a sleeveless dress and it is still cool enough in the mornings to need a little sweater.  All the ladies in the nursery always compliment me on how well she's dressed and how sweet and cute she is.  I don't argue with them :)

Going to story time at the library...  We just started going to story time every Tuesday.  It lasts just about 30 minutes which is just enough time to entertain, but not bore :)  They have a noon session that is perfect.  It gives us time to get in a morning nap, lunch and then she's very happy by the time we get there.  She really does pay attention to the sweet lady, I imagine one day she'll want to walk around like some of the older kids, but right now she is loving watching every move the lady makes.  I have enjoyed it and have even started to make some new friends by going! 

Her new thing... screaming... not a mad or angry scream, just a happy, but very loud scream/squeal!  It's pretty cute, except at the dinner table when we're trying to talk over her squealing, thankfully a toy usually settles it down some.  She tends to squeal a lot at the dogs too- they aren't very amused with her, but she sure is enthralled by them!!! Everything is just so exciting these days for Miss Caylee-girl!

Easter 2012!

Happy Easter everyone! 

People asked me at church today if I had done the whole Easter basket thing for Caylee this year.  Well, technically I did buy her an adorable Easter basket, and I did buy those plastic eggs (which she LOVES to play with), but no, I didn't fill an Easter basket with toys and candy and such.  Next year, she will get all that stuff! 

Here is Caylee in her Easter dress with the basket and eggs... (these were actually taken earlier, but still... you get the point of what she wore today)...

She really loves the eggs and I have a bunch out for her to play with....

Ok... So this Easter Caylee and I headed off to church while Matt worked unfortunately.  Church was fine.  I actually helped out in the nursery and then had another great lesson by my sunday school teacher!  Her points are so applicable!!  Anyways, after church we headed home to take naps... yea for naps! Matt was able to get home about 3 and when Caylee woke up from her nap we headed out to our traditional Easter meal....  

 Yep.. Texas Roadhouse!  Easter was never really a holiday that we traveled home for because it's always such a short weekend.  Somewhere along the line we ended up eating at Texas Roadhouse every year, now it's tradition!!  I love this tradition because they have the best rolls and butter, that's really all I need there :)  This was at least the 7th year going, but I'm pretty sure it was actually the 9th year... there may have been a random spring break in there that fell over Easter that we were home, but for the most part you'll find us at Roadhouse every Easter...  Thank goodness Lexington has one!

Caylee was more interested in moving around and looking at what was going on than getting a picture...

These must be a new city "thing"... College Station has painted trains around town and Lexington has painted horses everywhere.  It is the horse capital of the world and I really like them, this one is extra cool because it has the state of Texas with it!

After Roadhouse, we headed to Matt's work to load up his truck and for him to finish up a few things.  Again, I tried desperately to get a family shot, but Caylee is just much more interested in other things :)

Helping Daddy work his ipad...

Helping Daddy read some radiographs....

Finally, home again!  She loves playing with the dogs, so this was how we spent our evening :)

We had a wonderful family Easter and maybe one of these years we can all make it to church together!!  But don't worry, we did make sure to explain the real reason for Easter tonight before bed as we read the resurrection story :)  We have been doing our family bible reading before Caylee's bedtime and reading her stories... these past few days we made sure to lead up to the resurrection.... I know, she's little, but I pray all the time that she'll know Jesus as her Lord and Savior one day and then when we celebrate Easter we'll all be able to celebrate the truth together!! Happy Easter and may you all know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior too :)

Mark 16:6

  “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

Mark 16:16

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Spring Part 2- Family Pictures!

Family Pictures!  I had a friend take some pictures of the 3 of us since the Spring was so pretty here. 

This is right beside our house.  That pretty pink tree is just outside our bedroom window! 

This is my favorite... I had to change Caylee's headband mid way because she kept messing with the other one, this one didn't seem to bother her :) 

More random spring pics from the farm....

Horse cemetery....