Baby shower for Amy

Yesterday my sister and I hosted a baby shower for our friend, Amy, here at my house. Amy is a SWEET girl, and we are so happy for her! She and my sister have been close friends since Kindergarten, and I've had the privilege of getting to know Amy better since she graduated from college because she babysat Rhett a LOT when he was little. I never worried about leaving Rhett with her at all because she was so good with him (and kids in general!). She's going to be such a great mom...just a few more weeks until baby Samuel Fletcher arrives! It was fun getting to celebrate with her yesterday!

Micaela and Crosby before the shower

Micaela brought her drink dispenser that she received as a gift--it is so pretty, but huge! I doubled Kelly's cherry limeade recipe, but it still looked like a tiny amount! (I thought the recipe was good--I'll be making that again as the weather gets hotter!)

Micaela made these colorful pom-poms to match the invitation colors.

I just love baby showers!

The cake came from a place in Conway--I can't remember the name, but it was really tasty! (Lisa's Cake Boutique, maybe??)

We also had fruit and chips/sausage dip to go along with the cake.

Sausage Dip

1 lb. sausage

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese

1 can Rotel

Brown Sausage. Melt cream cheese over low heat and stir in sausage and Rotel. Serve warm with chips or crackers. (We used thin tortilla chips)

Some of Crosby's and Rhett's little clothes for decoration

Entry way table

Amy looks so cute!

Amy with Jaiden and Alexee

Amy with her mother and mother-in-law

Me, Amy & Mic

C's 12 month check-up

(I like how he's standing on his toes trying to reach the paper on the table. He loves to crinkle up that paper--it makes a lot of noise which he thinks is funny.)

Just so I have this recorded to look back at:

Crosby had his 1 year check-up this morning. He's doing great--a happy, healthy boy!

Weight: 25 lb. 10 oz. (80th percentile) All three kids have been big babies. Dr. B said noneed to worry or try to change his diet at this point--he should slim down when he starts walking. That was what happened with R & A.

Height: 30" (55%)

Head: 18 7/8" (85%)

He did get a prescription for an allergy medicine to try for a month. He's been coughing lately, and the doctor said that his eyes are slightly puffy. The pollen is floating everywhere right now, so I'm assuming that is what is bothering him.

As we were leaving the clinic, Lane called and said he could meet us for lunch so we went to On the Border. Crosby was so good and so cute at lunch. He was dancing to the music in the restaurant. :) From there C and I made a really fast trip into Hobby Lobby for a few painting supplies then it was time to pick R & A up at school. It was POURING down rain when Alexee got in the car--I could barely see the road driving home. The kids thought it was funny that we couldn't hear each other across the car because of the loud storm. We made a quick stop for half-price-Wednesday cupcakes at a local bakery (luckily the rain had almost stopped by then) and Rhett ran inside to choose a treat for everyone. When Lane got home to stay with the kids, I made another quick trip out to the garden center. It was lightning and pouring rain again at that time, and the wind was blowing. I was a little nervous about being in a greenhouse with the weather conditions, but I was determined to get at least enough plants for my two front flower pots. There were a lot more plant options displayed outside, but I chose to only shop inside due to the bad storm. Maybe I'll get to go back next week. Last weekend Lane raked leaves in the back yard, swept off the deck, cleaned the patio table and bought new cushions for the patio chairs. So now I'm inspired to get some colorful things planted to enjoy this summer.

Phone Photos #7

I love when this tree blooms every year (we go by it on our way to school). You can't really see it in the picture very well, but it is covered in beautiful pink blooms.So sweet for me to look at--I take dozens of pictures of him sleeping in the car. :)He's the third Garner child to love this little sitting spot!Alexee got creative with lip liner.This is what you can find C doing most of the time these days. Drawers and cabinets=fun!Alexee and her neighbor friend, Natalie.
I loved this smiling sunshine that Alexee drew.
On spring break.

Easter morning

The kids were excited to find two Easter baskets each on Sunday morning...one from the Easter bunny and one from Grammy and Bobba.

Alexee's pink basket

Rhett's blue basket

Crosby's yellow basket

Cards and baskets from Grammy and Bobba!

(Grammy, Alexee LOVED her pink puppy, Rhett loved Scooby Doo,
and Crosby loved the ball! Thanks!)

There were eggs down the hallway and down the stairs from the kids' rooms. Their baskets were at the top so they could collect eggs on their way to the kitchen for breakfast--they thought this was fun! Rhett was sweet to skip eggs along the way to leave some for Alexee because she was behind him--he even left her the pink and purple ones because those are her favorite colors. :)

Rhett yelling to Alexee with excitement when he saw the goodies! :) I think she was still half-asleep. ha!Crosby was cute digging in his basket from his Grandparents. The ball was the first thing he went for. Very excited about the pink puppy! She carried it around with her all day and slept with it last night. So once the baskets were looked in and lots of candy was eaten, it was time to rush around and get ready for 8:00 church service. I knew we'd be pushing it to get there, but we did it. We didn't have a lot of time for pictures though. :( Picture time is always stressful, and yesterday was no exception. But we at least got one family picture (I messed up our purple and white color scheme with my bright green shirt, but I didn't have anything to match!).

I tried to get pictures of just the kids, but no one EVER wants to sit still, look at the camera AND smile all at the same time. Oh well...just to prove that I did try, here are some pics of our cute, wiggly kids on a glorious Easter morning!

Here's Alexee running into church.
Here's Rhett holding the door for us. Thanks, R!
Church was wonderful. We sang so many of my favorite songs (like "I Will Rise", Chris Tomlin) and had a great sermon. Lane brought the kids home after service and I stayed to serve in the church cafe. I'd made all our lunch items the night before, so all I had to do was bake the casserole when I got home after church. We had Hot Chicken Salad, rolls (from Old Mill Bread), cucumber salad and pistachio salad (recipe below). I thought it was all yummy! :) For dessert we had meringue tarts (recipe here)--with jelly beans for the kids and fruit for the grown-ups.

"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus."

Luke 24:2-3

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Pistachio Salad
From Heather Boyer

1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 oz.) pistachio instant pudding mix
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

Mix pudding according to box directions. Fold in other ingredients and chill overnight.

First soccer game

Rhett is playing Upward Soccer this spring, and Saturday morning was his first game! He was really excited about it, and he did a great job. It was chilly when we first got to the field--I packed beach blankets and jackets and took coffee for myself and Lane--but then the sun popped out and it was a beautiful day. It had rained the night before, so things were muddy, but we were glad the weather cleared and the game was on!If you look closely, you can see an apartment complex way back in the distance behind the soccer fields in this last picture. That's where I lived when I first moved here in 1999! Lane and I were talking about how strange it is to think that I lived there by myself...and how life has changed. Now a little over a decade later I have three kids and one of them is playing soccer in that field (there were cattle in the field when I moved into my apartment)! I'm thankful for the things God has done in my life over the course of that decade!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11