Jessica Visits Texas!

Jessica and I worked very closely together at Dell.  She is from Boston, and came to my wedding with her oldest daughter, and then came to Austin a couple years later with her son for his 10yr old birthday trip. We both left Dell around the same time, but have stayed close friends, and she is still an amazing mentor.  I don't know how she does it, but she is an amazing wife, mom of 3, and a VP .. but yet, she is the most genuine and real person you will ever meet.  She always puts her family first, and is just a great resource for any career advice and work/life balance.  I am so thankful that we have become friends for life.  

All of that being said, she came to Texas for work and we were able to get together.  I am so happy she met Eli and Everley, and we were able to hang out and get some good 1x1 time to catch up.  Thank you for vising Jessica!!

Eli loved meeting Miss Jessica and seeing all the animals on her phone.  He was hooked!!

Jessica is from Boston, so we HAD to do something TEXAS when she got here.  I found out that they did cattle drives everyday at the Ft.Worth Stockyards, so we made it just in time. And yes, I made Jessica get on the Longhorn :)  ... her Boston family and friends didn't know what to think at first - ha!

Afterwards, we had to go get some good BBQ - <3 Coopers!

Our Mambo Taxi night at Mi Cocina!!  We had to have a swirl margarita!!

Back to Work

Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho its back to work we go.  I had an amazing 12 weeks with Everley AND Eli. It always goes by WAY to fast, and it is never easy.  Thanks to my mom, she made the transition a little easier.  I cannot thank her enough, just being here as another support was amazing.  Plus she brought Everley up to work during lunch every day so I could nurse.  Thank you so much MOM WOW MOM!!  You are an amazing support, and an amazing mom.  We/I could not have done this without you.  Love you soooo much!!

The Sunday before I went back to work, I would just have random break downs.  We were on Congress getting some jewelry, and Perlas was conveniently right there.  We stopped for some apps and a glass of Rose.  She really knows how to put a smile on my face.  Perlas is my absolute favorite, and even better with my favorite people.

Everley has already been to Perlas 3 times.  She will be a regular pretty soon, if not already.

Mom bringing Everley to work, and hanging out in the Mother's room.  It ended up being a great place for them to hang out while I worked ... we just didn't tell anybody ;)

Evi napping in the car until I could come out and meet them.  She looks pretty conten

Even Derek took a shift while I was in the office.  Nothing better then sweet baby naps while working from home.

She transitioned to daycare really well, and lives up to her nickname of "Smiles" Davis.

Her first "official" day at daycare, I come to see her during my lunch and she doesn't wake up for me at all!!

Sweet snuggles with Mimi!

Parent Child Dedication

We were so happy and thrilled to dedicate Eli and Everley together.  Eli was so happy to be up on the stage with the band, and wanted to run around and clap for everybody being announced.  Love them so much, and love that they will learn about Jesus together. 

Our Commitments for Eli and Everley:

1) Pray with Eli and Evi daily, and pray for their salvation and their relationship with Jesus

2) Lead them in a way that shows that we put God first in our household before our marriage, family needs, self desires, etc.

3) Lead by loving them unconditionally the way our Father loves us, and show them the Grace they deserve as He has given us

I love this picture.  If you look closely, Derek is holding Everley with one arm, and holding all of the books they gave us for both children in the other hand.  I am trying to wrangle Eli so he wouldn't run on the stage and play every instrument behind us.  And oh yeah, this was on stage in front of  about a 1,000 person congregation.  LOL - #RealLife

In the Army Now

I forgot to post these pictures!! Kyle enlisted in the National Guard. This is just a good side gig for him so he can go and "play army" once a month or so.  He will always be a marine, so this was a good fit for him in this new chapter of his life. It was fun to go and hang out and watch him get sworn in.  Even Everley was happy to be there and support her Uncle Kygoo!

You quickly remember that the Military is not fast or on time for anything ... it is their timeline!  We were supposed to be there maybe an hour or two, and slowly turned into the whole day.

Even Kyle was bored and decided to join us in the waiting area

Getting Sworn in.

Mom and I being silly in the room ... it was so quiet, and it was hard to maintain a "military presence" with all of the waiting.  I was just hoping the Everley stayed alseep.

Kyle's recruiting officer, or as I called him his "Coach"

Eli's First Prayer All By Himself

I want to document Eli's first prayer.  So sweet and hilarious - just like our little E-man.

"Dear Jesus, dear Jesus, dear Jesus ... (sigh) ... OK... LOVE YOU!!"

My heart is full.  Nothing better then your children learning to love and talk to Jesus. <3

Family Time - April/May

Maternity leave was a blur.  It went by so fast! This time around I wanted to make every moment count with my babies and family.  I was basically in recovery and dealing with blood clots the entire 12 weeks with Eli, so this time I cherished every moment.  There were some definite hard times and sleepless nights, but overall it was great and I am so blessed for an amazing recovery compared to last time.  Here are some random fun family photos of our time together.

Lunch with Derek and Dell. 

Eli gets into the cabinets and pulls out some of my pumping gear.  He uses it as his megaphone and marches around saying "Hooray".  I know I should stop him, but I can't stop laughing.

Hanging out with mom taking care of the gardens

Babies, cats, and afternoon naps

Play Date! Brooke (left) was our original missional community leader for our newlywed class at church.  Now they live in Texarkana and come to Austin on occasion to visit friends. Half of our group is still from the original, so it was fun to get together with all the babies now.  

Wyatt, Eli, Ruby, and Ellis - so much fun, and such a sweet group.

Eli wanted to make sure Everley had a bow to wear.

Headed to Maudies (or the Taco Shop as Eli says) for Breakfast tacos....he is our child!

Summertime in the back yard.  Making it work in the already hot summer heat

Derek's mom, "Neena", came in town to visit and meet Everley.  Derek took her to one of our favorite hot spots - Sweet Caroline's Snow balls!

Just our typical Saturday morning

Can't get enough of these sweet cuddles

May was the month of monsoons in South Texas.  I drove to the park to rescue my boys from the rain, and this is what I drive up to...boys laughing, running around, and splashing in puddles.  Love them!

Pool time!