"Christmas sure does go by fast"

The title definitely cracks me up because this was once said by Lindsey during an awkward moment... no one knew what to say, so that's what she came up with. Although it is an ongoing joke, it is true. This week has flown by! We have had such a great time with family. We spent Tuesday evening with my dad, opening gifts before he went to Oklahoma City to be with his family. Eliana had such a great time and LOVED the pig and cat that my dad got for her. The cat is pretty hilarious. It is a "Fur real friend"... and is kind of creepy. It meows, purrs, moves its tail, and hisses. Since Eliana has a love for Daisy (and sadly, Daisy doesn't share the same love), she now has a cat she can love on without being scratched all over the face. 

Christmas day was really meaningful for everyone. We spent the majority of the afternoon serving food at the Salvation Army. We did this 2 years ago and absolutely loved it. Too bad there aren't any pictures to capture me in my hairnet (I was briefly on the news...hopefully no one saw it), putting food on the plates. I might have missed my calling as the lunch lady. Everyone else served food and talked to all of the guests. My mom did such a great job talking to everyone. She has such a gift of loving on people and making them feel extremely special. It was really neat watching my family interact with everyone. I still don't know how I ended up in the kitchen, but I really enjoyed the perspective that I had. After that, we came home and opened gifts. We didn't have too many to open, but it was enjoyable. Once again, it was just neat to watch Eliana have so much fun! Then my mom made her Christmas tree pizza...which was MUCH better than mine! Our evening ended with a really fun game... and my Gran-D made the game even better! She wasn't too great at it, which just made it way more fun! Here are some pictures from our Christmas! 

How precious is Harper's stocking?!?!? She got a teething toy and a bottle in it! Santa knew exactly what she would need! 

Eliana with her new kitty

My dad with his girls

Eliana in her finest for the Christmas Eve Service

All of the ladies

Me and the Corbster

All the "kids"... and the picture my mom used for her Christmas card

Eliana's cross that she got from Gran-D, which doubles as a phone (bet you didn't know that!)

Lindsey, Chris, and Eliana got this dress for Harper... how precious! 

Fun can always be had with Christmas ribbon!!! 

Harper is VERY popular!!

Today was Harper's shower in Little Rock. It was so much fun! My friends did such a great job with everything. Currently, I'm not sure where I'm going to put everything that Harper got today... her room and closet are VERY small! But I am so thankful for everything that was given to us! Here are a few pictures from the shower...

The Hostesses: (L to R) Kelly, Chelsea, Mary Helen, me, Aubrey, Ann Marie, and Jeanelle

My best friends from high school: (L to R) me, Mary Helen, Jeanelle, Aubrey, Ann Marie, Emily, and Bethany

The VERY cute diaper cake that Jeanelle made!

My mom's living room with all of Harper's gifts.... unbelievable! The black and cream bag you can barely see is my new diaper bag!!!! I've been eyeing it for months, and Lindsey surprised me with it!!! I'm still in shock!

Make new friends, but keep the old...

No, this isn't a blog about being a girl scout, even though, as I wrote that title...I definitely just sang the whole song in my head (Shout out to Troop 503???? Was that our number?). On Wednesday night, we had our old home group over for dinner. We had such a great time together! One couple moved to Denver in August, so having them back in town was such a treat! I love these girls so much!!! They are definitely one of the reasons I love living in Dallas so much! I hate that we aren't in the same group anymore, but we know that the Lord had a purpose in splitting us up. Hopefully some day we can all be back together! 

And speaking of old friends, I am SO excited to see several of my best friends from high school and college on Sunday! They are throwing me a baby shower, and I can't wait to be around all of them again! Whenever we all get together, it's as if time has stood still from the time we were last together... and I love that! The Lord has definitely blessed me with amazing friends, both old and new, and I am forever thankful to Him for that! 

Harper and her "Greats"

Harper has a lot of family that is really excited about her arrival... but I would now say that she has a #1 fan! Chris' brother, John Jr "Bulldog", just found out that we were having a baby- and he is ecstatic! He found out through our Christmas card... which shows a picture of me looking rather pregnant and a mention of Harper's name and due date. John Jr has been making several phone calls and they have been HILARIOUS! 

Phone Call #1: To Chris

This is all left in a message: "Chris.... Congratulations! You're going to be an uncle. Lauren and Corby are having a little boy in March named Harper! I don't know what this means for everyone else... but I know that it means you are going to be an uncle and I'm going to be a great uncle!  

Phone Call #2: To Mr. Wheeler (John and Chris' dad)

This too is left in a message: "Dad... Congratulations! You're going to be a Great-great-grandpa!!!"

We love Bulldog and can't wait for him to someday meet our baby GIRL, Harper! He is hilarious with family titles. For instance, I am only allowed to call him my "brother" not "brother-in-law". So now that he's throwing around the word "great" totally cracks me up! 

Thank you, Bulldog, for being SO excited about Harper!!! She's going to love you so much!!! 

 

A Night at the Tartan Thistle

Last night, me and 3 of my very good friends stayed at a bed and breakfast in McKinney. It was quite a hilarious experience! From the outside, the house was absolutely beautiful! However, the inside was a whole different story. Nothing matched and all of the decor was "country clutter" (as my cousin Brent and I like to call it!). I kind of have a love for tacky country decorations, so I had a blast looking at everything. I was only able to capture a few of my favorite things. I was headed downstairs with my camera to take some pictures of the living room, but the owner was down there... so I refrained from mocking the room right in front of them. None of us slept very well, but we had a great time together! I am so thankful for those girls!! It is truly a blessing to have friends like them here in Dallas!

Some pictures from the Tartan Thistle: 

There are several things to note in this picture. The wallpaper is probably where your eye went at first, and rightly so.... it is very distracting! The "fancy" bed was also a favorite! And lastly, the ENORMOUS lampshade on the lamp gave us all quite a good laugh!

This picture is from the room across the hall from ours. Everything in it was pink...including everything in the bathroom too. It can be a lot to look at! 

We're pretty sure Karen (the owner) makes these little kleenex holders because they are ALL OVER the house! Each one is unique too: different fabrics, different positioning of throw pillows, etc. We laughed so hard when we first saw these! Country clutter at it's finest! 

This bear was at the top of the stairs. The picture doesn't really do it justice, but there were really long, fake eyelashes on the bear. It was hilarious!!! 

My favorite time of the Year!

I absolutely love decorating for Christmas! I definitely get that from my mom. She would probably keep up her Snow Village all year long if it was socially acceptable. Growing up, we had many traditions at Christmas, and this year we brought one of them to our family.... Christmas Tree Pizza! My mom used to make this on the night that we decorated the tree. Now we eat it the first night that we are all in town. Well... Corby requested it yesterday, so we ate it while we watched "Charlie Brown Christmas". It was so much fun, and I can't wait until Harper gets to experience this amazing time of the year! Here are a few pictures of our decorations and of the pizza. 

I love our tree this year. I wasn't in the mood to make bows, so I just wrapped the ribbon all around the tree. I really like how it turned out! It is artificial, so I have a wonderful candle that makes our house smell like we have a real tree. :)

I, too, love my Snow Village. Most of the pieces have some significance to me and Corby, and the ones that don't...they are just cute! I always think it's going to take way too long to put up and then it is always so easy! I really enjoyed putting it up this year! 

This is my favorite nativity! Corby and I got this the Christmas before we got married. I can't wait for Harper to help me put it up! 

And last, but certainly not least, the Christmas Tree Pizza. My mom's has many more details, but I decided to go for the simpler tree. It was very tasty. However, I am now even more excited about having my mom's pizza on Christmas Eve! 

Just as fancy as ever!

This past weekend, Corby and I went to visit Annalise in St. Louis. It was our first time to visit that city, so we really enjoyed the trip! Thankfully...Annalise hasn't lost her "fanciness". It is clear that she still wants to be just like Fancy Nancy. It was really good for me to see her in her environment and for me to see that she is doing well. She appears to really like her new nanny, so that makes me so happy. I didn't get to meet her, but I'm sure she's great too! 

Annalise pulled everything out of her jewelry box on Friday night and put it all on. She has on a beautiful necklace, clip-on earrings, and several rings. She's hilarious with her jewelry! She has to have something on...

in order to look fancy, of course. 

We never had very many pictures together,

 so I wanted to make sure and get one. 

Underneath her sweats, she has on her very fancy ballet outfit. She had a make-up ballet class on Saturday morning. We had so much fun watching her. I think it was great practice for Corby. He said that he loved every minute of it and couldn't wait to be watching Harper some day! 

Here she is in her Disney princess boots... please note the shiny black purse on her arm! She wouldn't leave the house without her purse!

Lastly, Annalise and Corby played "horse" several times over the weekend. My absolute favorite part of this is her riding "side saddle". This is how she rode on him every time... simply mimicking how Snow White rides a horse. 

26 weeks and counting...

Well, I took that picture by myself, so that's why the angle is pretty terrible. But I realized the other day that I haven't been very diligent about taking "pregnancy pictures".  So here I am, in all my glory... almost 27 weeks. I had another successful doctor's appointment today. Harper is growing quickly and moving all of the time! I love how it feels!!! My doctor did inform me that I'm anemic, so I am now on extra iron. I'm praying that it doesn't make me sick (or extra constipated...she warned me!). 

Corby has been busy this week painting Harper's room. I know it wasn't how he wanted to spend his evenings, but I REALLY appreciated all of his hard work to make her room look perfect! It is a very pale shade of pink....I love it! Here he is- hard at work! 

Lastly, we are heading to St. Louis this weekend to visit Annalise and her parents. We are SO excited to see her! Her dad informed me that every morning this week, she wakes up and asks if today is the day that Laloy comes! Isn't that cute?!?!? I can't wait to play with my little friend! We (and by "we", I mean Corby) are also hoping that Alabama pulls out a big win over Florida on Saturday.... it will definitely make the evening more enjoyable! 

That's about it...nothing else going on here. Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend! 

Thankful.

Corby and I spent Thanksgiving in Birmingham, AL with his family. We had a great time with everyone! Some of the group went to the football game yesterday, while his mom, my nephew, and I relaxed at the hotel. I had the joy of getting a massage, so that was wonderful! Lake, our nephew, is growing so fast! He is just the cutest and sweetest little guy on earth! At lunch on Thanksgiving, Jeff and Kacy told us that they are expecting another baby! We are so excited for them and can't wait to see how the Lord blesses their family. Lake is going to be a great big brother. Baby Pardue is due at the end of May!

Other than time with family (and 2 very intense games of spades), we were able to spend Friday evening with all of Corby's friends from college. They are the greatest group of people... we both had a great time with everyone! Here are just a few pictures from our weekend. Corby and I were supposed to take our Christmas card picture (since the scenery was beautiful!), but the weather didn't cooperate! 

Lake in his footie pajamas... I tried to get one of him standing, 

but that didn't happen!

Lake and Corby...they are best friends!

Corby with his best friends from college

Me with some of the most fabulous girls in the world!

Our Dear Friends...

I wanted to ask the few people who read this to be praying for our good friends Flint and Rebekah  today and in the many days to come. Flint's precious mom passed away on Sunday evening from heart disease. She has had a very long battle with this and is now fully healed in the arms of Jesus. Today is her funeral, so please just be in prayer that Flint, Rebekah, and all of the Harris family will feel the Lord's peace and comfort. Thank you so much!

No More Crayons...

The sweet Jetta has a new home...or at least a temporary home, until someone else chooses her. For the 7 years that I drove that great car, it ALWAYS smelled like crayons. I think it's a Jetta thing, and I honestly got so used to the smell that it never phased me. But every time anyone else would ride in it, they would bring it to my attention again. It really was a fabulous car, but with Harper on the way, we wanted something a little bigger and safer. So yesterday, the vultures at Toyota of Richardson gave us a deal that we couldn't refuse. We ended up buying a used 08 Highlander... and it is black, just like my precious Jetta. It was the longest process I've ever been a part of, even longer than the house buying purchase! The man who sold it to us was quite interesting...he was quite the lurker. Any time we would be looking in the car, he would be far away, but still staring at us. Eventually, he got the manager for us (he got tired of going back and forth, with each negotiation Corby made) and that is what sealed the deal. We ended up trusting the manager much more than the original salesman. It was fun watching Corby negotiate and get us things that I would've never thought to ask for. He's good at what he does. In the end, I'm so excited about my new car, and it was just a neat experience since it was our first car purchase together! So without further ado.... Here she is...

For some reason it looks like the whole side is dented in this picture... 

in reality, it is not! 

This time last year...

My mom, me, Lindsey, and Leah at the Shaohannah's Hope Fundraiser

Although I'm enjoying my relaxing Saturday, I can't help but wish that I was in Nashville with my family. Tonight is the Shaohannah's Hope adoption fundraiser, put on by Steven Curtis Chapman and his family, and I wish I were going! I went last year and it was one of the most amazing nights of my life. I guess it runs in the family, but I have always had a heart for orphans. And that is what the evening is all about... orphans... and what we as Christians are called to do concerning them. It was an amazing night being together as a family, and this year with the addition of Eliana, I'm sure the night is going to seem perfect. This event is something I can't wait for Corby to experience. I was hoping it would be this year, but it appears that it won't be until next year. 

Also, on this weekend last year, Lindsey and Chris spoke at their church regarding their adoption and the hope of one day having Eliana in their family. Well...this weekend, she's being dedicated at church. How amazing is our Lord! I just think it is so neat that everything has come full circle in a short 12 months (even though at times it seemed like a VERY LONG TIME!). 

Last night, we did have a great time with our friends, the Nixons and Scovells. We went to the Dallas Mavericks game, and our seats were amazing! We were so close to the court! Sadly, the Mavs lost by 1 (and outplayed them the entire game!)... but we still had a great time. A night like last night really made me thankful for some of the friends we have here in Dallas! 

Cheering on the Mavs!

Iron-on Fun!

Since I have about a million things to do around the house, I'm just choosing not to do any of it today (smart, huh?)! Instead, I decided to have some fun with onesies! I bought the iron-on letters, hearts, and flowers at Michael's and kept myself busy this afternoon. I think they look pretty cute! I'm planning on making some more, but since I plan on "not doing the million things around the house" again... I need to have something else to do that day! 

We're praying...

Update: The insurance company is being difficult and hasn't approved the MRI. So until it is approved (who knows when that will be), please pray that the pain will go away!!! 

Tomorrow morning, Corby's dad, Lee has to have an MRI. He has been having severe neck pain that recently started going up into his head. The doctors aren't really sure what is going on, so we are praying that the MRI reveals the issue! If you think about it, please pray tomorrow (Friday) morning for Lee... we're praying that it isn't anything more than a pinched nerve or something like that! However, if it is something different, please pray for wisdom for the doctors and that Lee will experience the Lord's peace in a powerful way! We are also praying that his pain will be healed, no matter what the problem is! Thank you in advance for your prayers.... they are greatly appreciated by the entire Pardue family! 

Princess Aurora came for a visit!

This past weekend, Corby and I had a great time with Annalise. She spent the night with us on Thursday and Friday... it was so fun! She also had so much fun playing with her friends, Luke, Emme, and Hattie- she has missed them all so much! For Halloween, she was Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. She got this costume at Disney World and has been so excited to finally wear it! I had so much fun getting her ready and doing her hair. I think I could work at the Bippity Boppity Boutique at Magic Kingdom.... my recreation looked very similar to how they did her hair. She loved it and definitely looked like a beautiful princess! Saying goodbye was really hard (again), but I think that is expected. I am just thankful I finally got to spend some quality time with her! Here are a few pictures I took of her before she went trick-or-treating... 

The VERY proud Princess Aurora

She has learned to bow... it's precious!

She is just SO cute!

Her princess hair!

We miss you, sweet Annalise! 

Preparing for Baby Harper!

I am having more fun getting furniture for Harper's room!!! Oh yeah....we've decided on a name- Harper Ann. Harper is a name that Corby has loved for a while. One of his favorite books is "To Kill a Mockingbird" and the author is Harper Lee.... so I think that's where it stemmed from. We also had a little girl in our nursery class at church named Harper, and she stole Corby's heart immediately, so he was set on that name. Ann is after my mom's best friend, Ann Chami. Ann has been such an amazing influence in my life and in the life of my mom and sisters.... so I just wanted her to know how much she truly means to me. I look forward to the day that Harper knows who she is named after, because not only is Ann so important to me, but I know that she will be an influence in Harper's life too. 

This week I've been quite busy. I've ordered her crib, glider, and dresser. Now I just need someone to empty out her room and paint it (too bad I can't do either). And once those projects are completed, I'll be able to put her room all together! The crib is a dark gold (almost looks brown), glider is khaki, and the dresser is an antique-looking cream color. And aunt Leah is making her bedding (which will be cream and brown). As you can see, lots of cream and brown... I will add either a pink or light green or something with blankets and decor. In my head it looks beautiful...I just hope it comes out looking as great as I think it will! 

The rest of my week is going to be spent with sweet Annalise! She's coming into town tomorrow morning with her dad, and she'll be spending the day and night with us, both on thursday and friday. We are both so excited about seeing her! I think it's going to be good for her to see that we're still here and so are her friends. She's been acting out a little at school and going home saying she's sad (usually because she won't see Luke ever again- poor thing!). It will be interesting to see how Luke responds when he sees her. I think he has his feelings hurt and truly doesn't understand where she has been. It confuses him even more to see me without her, which has happened a few times. But all in all, I'm really looking forward to seeing her again and spending some quality time with her. I'll definitely post some pictures of our time together! 

We Miss Eliana!!!

Corby and I went to Little Rock this past weekend to visit my family. I then stayed a few extra days because Lindsey and Eliana were staying too. We had such a wonderful time together! This was Corby's first time to meet Eliana, and I must say, they hit it off right away! She loved being held by him! It was too cute!!! She also has a love for my mom's cat Daisy, who sadly doesn't have the same affection for Eliana. Every time she would walk past the cat, Daisy would swat at her. It didn't phase Eliana, instead, she would just hit back. It happened all week, and Daisy won every time! 

Here are a few pictures from our weekend! We can't wait until Christmas, for us to all be together again!!!! 

"Fighting" with Daisy

"Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters..."

Tia Leah is quite the seamstress...she made this precious tutu!!!

Eliana loves her Uncle Corby!!! 

It's a girl!!!

We are SO excited to announce that we are having a baby girl! We had so much fun watching her during the ultrasound, and we have tons of pictures! We have a mover on our hands...she was very busy putting her feet and hands in her mouth. I can't wait until she's here...wow, I have to wait a while! Now I can start figuring out what I want her room to look like. It's going to be so much fun! If I can figure out how to scan one of the pictures, I'll try to post one of them. There are some very clear ones of her profile. Oh, I can't wait to see what she looks like!!!! 

Too much anticipation!!!

When you're unemployed, how do you keep yourself busy so that your days go by quickly?!?!?! I still haven't discovered the answer! Today went by SO slow, and I just want to get to tomorrow at 2:30! For those who don't know (which probably isn't anyone, since it's all I talk about!), my sonogram is tomorrow and we finally find out if it's a boy or girl! I really can't wait...either way.... I just want to see our sweet baby again! I'll post the news as soon as I get the chance. 

After my appointment, we're going to head to the fair. Let's be honest...I might be just as excited about my appointment as I am about having a funnel cake! It should be a fun day! I just hope that it goes by quickly! 

On another fun note, my friend, Ashley, is being induced tomorrow to have their sweet baby girl! I am SO happy for them and can't wait to see their baby. If you think about it, pray that everything goes well for them tomorrow! 

Tagged...

My friend, Mandy, tagged me, so I figured I would play along! I am supposed to share 7 random facts about me. So here I go...ENJOY!

1. I was the MVP for my basketball team. So what if it was in the 3rd grade...it's still one of my greatest accomplishments. 

2. I learned how to tap dance to be in my school's musical my senior year. I had never taken a dance class prior to tapping in the play.

3. My sister, Lindsey, told me that I was adopted from China when I was younger, and I believed her. If you saw my baby pictures, you would understand why I fell for it.

4. Every summer my Mee-Maw would come to visit, and she always gave me a perm. This went on for many years (until I finally learned that perms weren't my best look!), and I loved every second of it!

5. Corby and I never lived in the same town prior to being married.... weird, huh? 

6.  I began college as a pre-pharmacy major. If you know me well, this will make you laugh! What in the world was I thinking???? Organic Chemistry was my downfall, and at that point, I turned to Child Development. I was SO much happier once I made the change. 

7. I have always loved going to the dentist. In fact, I was SO excited when I got braces because I got to go so much more often! I guess going every 6 months just wasn't enough for me! 

If you have a blog and want to list your 7 random facts...go ahead and have fun! 

Eliana's Homecoming!!!

I had a great week in Nashville with my family (everyone except Tia Leah....we missed her dearly!!!), visiting the newest Wheeler addition! Here are a few pictures from the week with little Eliana. She is the sweetest little thing, and I can't wait to be with her again. I miss her so much!!!! 

Her room is so beautiful! Lindsey did a great job. They are looking forward to the day when she actually sleeps in that bed! :)

Another angle... I just love everything in her room!

This was right when they came through to greet everyone. Here she's meeting Polly for the first time. It appears they have a love/hate relationship. Eliana likes Polly a whole lot more than Polly likes her! 

How cute is her little smile!

Eliana's boyfriend, Andrew, came to welcome her at the airport. Andrew and his mom lived in the house with Lindsey and Eliana in Guatemala. He was THRILLED to see her! 

It was precious!

She fell right to sleep in the car from the airport to her new house!

Here's a little preview of Halloween... She's going to be a goldfish!

She loved moving the chair out and getting into the corner... She doesn't sit still! 

Eliana and Aunt Laloy (the name Annalise gave me has stayed strong!)

She loves her little chair... and how cute is her dress?!?!?! She's 15 months, and the dress is a 3-6 month size! SHE'S TINY!!!!! 

On another fun note, I got to skype with Annalise tonight. She talked to me for about 15 minutes, which sure beats our 1 minute on the phone. The first thing she said was, "Laloy, how's your baby doing?" How precious is that?!?!? I assured her that the baby was doing just fine, and then we talked all about her ballet class and first day at school. It was SO good to finally see her sweet little face. I do miss her terribly!!! But thankfully, I'll see her in 2 weeks!