Flashback Friday ...

{May 16, 2007}

{May 9, 2008}

{April 29, 2009}

I took this pic of the kids a couple days ago ... it's my favorite pose, that I've kept up [without meaning to] every year since we've had the "final 3".

What's even WEIRDER is that for 3 years in a row, it's been within a 3 week time frame?????  [I can tell by the handy time-stamp since they're all digital photos]  I couldn't have done that if I'd tried.  That's just bizarre.  I hope we can keep up the impromptu, unintended tradition.  I love this shot & I love comparing their faces each year.  :)  

Flashback Friday - The Cowboy Outfit

When Brett was born (almost 7 years ago, sniff sniff!) Kyle's mom gave me a bunch of Kyle's old clothes. I especially liked the ones that Kyle had been photographed in! The cowboy outfit was my favorite! When Brett & Davis were both about 1 year of age, I put them in the cowboy & did a little photo shoot. So here are all 3 of my boys... from left to right, Brett (2002), Kyle (1977) & Davis (2005). I have all 3 of these in a frame together (turned black & white) with their names & dates. It looks so cute! So our family sort of has a little cowboy, cowgirl theme going on, despite the fact that we're Kansas City & St.Louis City Slickers. Okay, technically Libby is a born Texan so she can probably pull off the look! And maybe some of us are more Suburbanites than we are City Slickers. But whatever. As my family always says, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. :) [if you missed the Cowgirl Flashback Friday, click here]

B & his Lunchbox

Brett,

I am soooo sorry I have made you carry the same lunchbox for FOUR YEARS & to FOUR DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. I had no idea until I just stumbled upon these photos just now. These photos are dated September 14, 2004 - 4 years ago this weekend. {yikes!}

You carried this lunchbox to your 1st day of school in Jacksonville, FL! You were 2 1/2, almost 3! Then you finished the school year at another school after we moved to Corpus Christi, TX. The following school year we started you at a different (closer) preschool & you still had that lunch box. Now you are in 1st grade at yet another school & you STILL have that lunchbox.

Bretty, if you'd like I'll take you lunchbox shopping. But if you're attached to it, I can see why. It's probably like an old friend! :)

Love, Mommy

Flashback Friday - The Cowgirl Outfit

There's a cowgirl outfit that has circulated my family starting with my mom when she was a little girl!

My mom is top right, my sister Becky is top left, I'm bottom left (no, that's not Davis w/ a mullet) & my sister Leah is bottom right.

Well, guess whose turn it is to wear it? Yep... the next female in line [and so far the only one] is little Libby.

Today I glanced up at the shelf above her crib & saw her hot pink cowgirl boots that I've had on display since they were given to us as a baby gift (by our dear friends' mom, Chris Lopez). So put 2 & 2 together... and guess what Libby's going to be for Halloween? She'll be a retro cowgirl with hot pink boots! :) I think I'll just add a hot pink turtle neck under the vest & she'll be good-to-go.

I already got the cowgirl boots down so she can start trying them on. Which she will. She is a total shoe freak trying on all my shoes, Kyle's, Brett's, Davis's, her own... and usually in random combos. (Davis's blue croc with my ummm...pick a shoe, any shoe...running shoe.) Then she ditches that "pair" she put together & will try on a new combo. Which leaves us with deserted random single shoes all over the house. I have a TON of pictures of her doing this from the past week... so I'll have to post about that after Flashback Friday has come & gone! :) HAVE A GOOD ONE!

Flashback Friday - Swimming Photo

Soooo did some of you not believe me when I said I used to swim competitively?

Here's the proof. It's me... in print & in the flesh (but wearing a suit!)

This is from my high school year book. I swam all 4 years of high school, qualifying & competing in the State competition my sophomore & senior years. My claim to fame was the breaststroke, but I had a pretty mean freestyle, too.

I'm sure most (all?) of you aren't lucky enough to have a picture of yourself in a swim suit, in your yearbook. Ummm funny thing. I had forgotten ('til I saw it just now) that this was the year I was printed in my swim suit not just once, but TWICE. I'm also in a spring break (Panama City, baby!) picture wearing a bikini. Yowzahs - that's a lot of flesh for 1 yearbook.

3 kids later... you will not find me galavanting around in a swim suit in front of paparazzi. Those days are over. This is the best you'll get... a grainy yearbook shot that's 13 years old.

Me & Kyle - our first date, 1998

Are you ready for this one? :)

This is me & Kyle on our FIRST DATE.



My sorority (the DDD's) had a Date Party... and I invited my new crush who I had just met 5 or 6 days before... Mr. Kyle Twenter. Although, I think at the time I thought his last name was "Twinters". Anyway, this is me & Kyle outside of "the Fieldhouse" in Columbia, MO. We were on our way in, our 1st date had just begun! So I guess you could say, this photo is "the beginning of the beginning". I'm so glad the "Party Pic Guy" was there because otherwise I know I wouldn't have this photo. I would've been too embarrassed to get one of the 2 of us that early on! I believe the date was September 1, 1998. How cute were we?

Brett, Davis & Libby @ 1 year

For those of you new to the Blog World (myself included), there's another "theme" I've been dying to try out. I could pick between "Way Back Wednesday" or "Flashback Friday". Since it's Friday, guess which one I chose?

My little Bretty-Brett at about 10 months old. Love this million dollar smile.



















And my sweet Baby Davis. Man oh man, even at 12 months old you could see his little wheels turning.


















Okay, so Libby-Doodle's is only a "flashback" to March, but this photo is so cute & happy! Plus, I wanted to see all my kids roughly around the same age. (I'll give her more of a "flashback" next time!)




















Looking at the photos of the boys makes me realize how quickly time goes by ... and oh how I remember back when they were babies, that I used to always want to rush to the next milestone, the next stage. I wanted to rush to see what they were going to look like at 3, 6, 12, & at 18; what their personality was going to be like; what their talents were going to be. I wanted to watch them play sports, be able to go to the movies as a family, have pizza parties on Friday nights.

We're getting awfully close to "that place", but as I get closer I realize I'm going to miss the baby days... and with the sports & activities will be kids who are too cool or too busy to go to the movies w/ "the fam", or have pizza parties with mom & dad on a Friday night! :) Hopefully not. But just in case, I'm going to hang on & embrace every bit of 15 months, 4 years & 6 1/2. :) My friend Nikki recently wrote about "living the dream" (her boys are B & D's ages) & it inspired me to quit thinking about everything GOOD, EASY & BETTER being "some day". I sometimes need to remind myself of it, but LIFE now is pretty sweet.