I love a relaxing weekend!

The Four Seasons Resort is our new favorite place in Dallas!!! It took relaxation to a new level for us. We found ourselves by the pool most of the time, just talking. It was so great to not have any distractions! We also were upgraded to a villa instead of being in the hotel... glad I mentioned it was our anniversary!

Thank you, again, Mare and Reid for keeping Harper!!! You have no idea how much we appreciate it! She was talking about Samson last night, so it's safe to say she missed y'all!

The view from our room... overlooking the 18th green

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5 years and still going strong...

Today, Corby and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. As I think about that day, it really does seem like it was just yesterday! It was the perfect way to celebrate the rest of our lives together! I really don't know how I would've made it the last 5 years without Corby by my side. Although our actual marriage hasn't had too many issues, we have had obstacles within my family that have been very hard. He has always pointed me to the Lord in dealing with these things.

As far as our celebration goes, we're heading out for the evening, and Harper gets to be with one of her favorites couples, the Grandles! Yes, I am thrilled about being with Corby for the night, but I also can't wait to relax by the pool and sleep in at the Four Seasons! Who knew I would be so excited about sleeping in?!?!

I can't wait to see what the next 5 years hold for our family!!! I love you, Corbs!

Back-to-school Show Hope Deal!

My sister works for Show Hope, which is an amazing adoption fundraising organization. Below is a post from her blog... and check out that precious model!!! My niece couldn't be any cuter!!!

I love coupon codes…and am so excited about this one!! From now until September 7, 2010, you can enter the promo code SCHOOLTEN at the Show Hope store site and get 10% off your order!! So, your kids (and you) can look super cool going back to school while supporting an amazing ministry and cause. Help us spread the word….feel free to post it on your facebook, twitter, and blogs. Don’t forget to send us your pics sporting your Show Hope gear!! I hope y’all have an incredible beginning of the new school year!

Blessings,

Lindsey

A fabulous birthday was had by all... or at least me!

Today I celebrated my 28th birthday, and it was such a great day! It was especially fun because Leah was in town for the weekend, and she stayed an extra day to celebrate! She decorated the den with streamers, balloons, and birthday hats after I went to bed last night... something my mom always did growing up! It made the day extra special! I enjoyed cupcakes with friends, dinner with my wonderful family, and phone calls and texts from everyone I love.

For 3 years now, I have had a hilarious birthday tradition with my brother-in-law... and I look forward to it every year. It probably isn't funny to anyone else, but I love it. My sister's birthday is the day after mine, so 3 years ago he called me freaking out about what to get Lindsey... and I thought he was calling to wish me a happy birthday. The conversation lasted a long time and my birthday was never mentioned! He had obviously forgotten about it, so later that night when Lindsey asked if he had called me, he felt horrible. Now, every year, he calls me twice. Once to pretend like he is really in a bind and doesn't know what to do for Lindsey, and the second call is to wish me a Happy Birthday. If you know him, then you know he is more and more dramatic each year! This year he was especially hilarious! I'm confident this will be will something he does every single birthday! Here are a few pictures from the day!

Twinkies! Leah showed up on Friday and we were matching.

If you know us, you know this isn't out of the ordinary!

The streamers that Harper didn't pull down! I was shocked!

Party hats!

Harper loved them! She also said happy birthday to me a few times!

It was precious!

My delicious cupcake from The Society Bakery... my new favorite place!

And Happy Birthday to my precious nephew, Lake!

I can't believe you are 3!!!

Sunny days...

Harper goes crazy when Sesame Street begins, but she quickly loses interest. So don't worry... she doesn't watch the TV that close! She simply dances and then goes on her merry way. She usually runs back and forth squealing with delight, but she decided to stay in one spot today. I love this little girl so much!!!

Holdin' On...

This is how we found Harper last night when we checked on her before going to bed! Her leg is always through one of the slats, but this was the first time she was holding on with one of her hands! It's shocking that neither taking the picture or fixing her leg didn't wake her up!

A Sunday Treat

Sadly, our swimming pool closed today for the summer! I'm not sure what we are going to do each day now that we can't spend our morning or afternoon at the pool! Harper has had so much fun there, and the lifeguards have been so great! To show them how much we have appreciated them this summer, I decided to make some cupcakes. They certainly weren't my best baking product, but I figured that if I put enough chocolate icing on them... they won't care! They enjoyed them, and I think it's safe to say that Harper thoroughly enjoyed her cupcake too!!!

Diving on in!

This girl will never turn down a treat!

Fun in the Sun

When the high is 103, we have to get any outdoor play time finished in the morning. So today, we headed outside to play with some water. Harper had such a fun time playing with Saylor's water table yesterday, so I figured we could come up with a make-shift water table. The clear container worked for a really long time... until she spotted her inflatable pool. So I decided to go extra redneck style and not only let her play in the pool in the front yard, but let her do it in her clothes. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than soaking a regular diaper in the water.... but today I didn't care! She had a great time, and it helped some time go by too!

Entertaining herself with her bath toys

But definitely having more fun in the pool!

And just because this is precious!

Thanks, ZZ, for the wonderful shirt!

Harper's Show Hope shirt was quite appropriate for today! After much prayer and hope, my brother-in-law Mike got a teaching job this morning! YAY Mike! We are so proud of you!!!!

Our Chilly California Vacation!

We have had such a great week together as a family. We left last Saturday for Pebble Beach, California, and we got home last night. The beginning of the trip was a little rough. I'm pretty sure the guy who sat by us on the flight to LA will never have children. Harper chose not to nap, and that wasn't a very good decision. Once we arrived, the awful flight was out of my mind because it was 60 degrees!!! I knew it was going to be cold, but when you live where it is 100+ every day, 60 sounds amazing. It was fabulous, but I was definitely colder than I expected to be. We stayed with our friends, Flint and Rebekah... his aunt has a house there! Harper and Cilla are 2 days apart, so they had such a fun time together. It was pretty relaxing... other than the fact that Harper doesn't do well in that silly pack-n-play! I took over 500 pictures, so this is just a small taste of our time together!

The Farmer's Market:

We got some amazing fruit on our first morning!!!

Dennis the Menace Park:

Harper had such a fun time at this park! It was HUGE!!!

Her face cracks me up in this one!

She LOVED the sand!!!

The Beach:

Although the water was FREEZING, the beach was really great!

Deer are everywhere!!!

Harper getting her first touch of the water!

This big guy hasn't missed too many meals!

The Monterey Bay Aquarium:

The aquarium was wonderful! Harper loved seeing all of the fish!

I love how loud the sea lions are! Or are they seals?

Is there a difference?

Harper tried really hard all week to catch the pigeons and seagulls

Date night in Carmel:

Corby and I took our night out in Carmel and ate at a wonderful restaurant, The Flying Fish. It had an Asian flare and was quite tasty! We ended with some ice cream and a walk around the town.

It was HUGE... and quite delicious!

Corby standing on the 17th at Pebble Beach

Short naps=Beach trips

Harper didn't nap nearly as well as Cilla, so I took her out one day to take some pictures

Ridge Winery:

Since my brother-in-law is in the wine business, he was able to get us into a winery. It is normally only open for the public on the weekends, but he has connections! Rebekah and I went for our day out while Corby and Flint stayed home with the girls. Don't worry... they also got a day out! It was at the top of a huge mountain, so the view was amazing! We had a great time!

Spanish Bay:

At this golf course, a man playing the bagpipes walks along the ocean every evening. We went one night to watch him. It was especially chilly that day, but we had a great time. Harper LOVED listening to the music! She also loved chasing the seagulls!

She walked as close as she could to listen to him

Group picture... thanks to our self-timer!

Chilly outdoors=extended nap for Harper

Several afternoons, Harper woke up really cranky, so I sat outside with her. She eventually fell asleep, and apparently Corby took this picture from inside!

Yes, we are under a blanket...outside...in the summer!

Possible Christmas Card??

Doesn't every beach trip have to end with the stressful photo shoot? Where you're looking for that perfect Christmas card picture? We have a few that are great, so I am really excited about them! Thankfully, Harper cooperated!

Fire Pit Fun:

Unfortunately, we didn't discover the glorious fire pit until our last night! Otherwise, we would've been out there every night after the girls went to bed. We had such a fun time with Flint and Rebekah! Thanks again for inviting us!!!