Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my 33rd birthday! Yay happy birthday to me!!

Here are some pictures of me throughout the years...

Here is a horrible scan of the pic taken of me when I was born. When I had Anthony they wheeled him into my room in his little plastic bassinet and he looked exactly like me here. I really wish I would have taken a pic of him like that, oh well.

Two years old (I think? My mother will tell me in comments)

I think I'm 3-4 here....see how I loved Mickey Mouse! lol I remember my mom made me a Mickey Mouse cake for my birthday one year and she used to always draw Mickey for me because I was obsessed!!

With my brother Jason riding the go-cart our dad built us. That thing used to terrify me!

Christmas at my Aunt Ruth's house with my parents and my brother. Judging by the decor, it was obviously still the 70's. lol

Skip waaaay ahead to me at 16. Man did I have a bad hair cut!!

So preppy at 17! I only wore my glasses for the picture too....they gave me headaches so I never wore them, and still don't, although I probably should.

My 18th birthday, holding my hockey cake. My two fav teams back then? Dallas Stars and the Vancouver Canucks!

My senior prom....and an attempt to grow out my hair. Didn't last long and I chopped it all off again!

This is my fav pic of me and Anthony. I am 20 here.

Here I am at 22 in Austin on my way out to a ska show. SOOOO much fun!

I am 23 here and pregnant with Emma.

This was taken the same day as the pic above.


Here I am at 24 with Anthony and Emma when we brought her home from the hospital.

Here is Aaron and I, both 25, on our honeymoon (this part of our honeymoon we were in Vegas)!

Here we are at Texas Stadium when Anthony's football team got to play here. I am 27 here.

At the Alamo with the kids. I am 29 here.

Me and Aaron in Seattle. I am 30 in this pic.

This is me and Aaron just last December so I am 32 here!


And this is me and Kristen 4th of July...so I was still 32! lol

Blog Hop-Fav pic

Welcome to the Blog Hop! The theme for this week is your favorite picture!

This is my all-time favorite pic of Aaron and I. It isn't terribly good, but it was our first morning in Seattle on the vacation we took there a couple of years ago. It was just me and Aaron exploring the BEAUTIFUL city by ourselves and it was just awesome. Best vacation ever!

4th of July pics in Dallas-longest pic post ever!

I wanted really good 4th of July pictures of the kids so we took them to a couple of spots in Deep Ellum and Garland and the pictures turned out great! I will definitely do them in the same spots next year.

Sara all ready to go.

I love this pic! She looks so tan!

Deep Ellum. When we got there the kids were cranky and not really in the mood for pics. Especially since it was sooooo HOT!!!

They are all squinty because the sun was in their eyes...but it was unavoidable, it was bright no matter which way they faced.

I LOVE this pic!! This wall is exactly why we drove all the way down there. Awesome.

Could not get them all looking at the camera of course.

This is a really cool, totally un-posed pic. I had wanted them to sit on the step together but it was too hot so I told them to just look at me so I could take a pic.

Sara saying "I just want to go home". It was just really hot and I wanted a couple more pics of her without a hair bow on.


This is in Garland. They had a display of over 500 full sized flags. The kids loved it here. They were in much better picture taking moods. These are my fav pics, I think that I got some really good shots of the kids.

This is the car ride back home.

We were waiting for Ashley while she was in Walmart.

Emma posed for this and Sara didn't know I was taking a pic. She just happened to lean over and growl at Anthony right at that moment. lol

I have a couple more 4th of July pics that I will post later. When we went to see fireworks, I accidentally left my camera back at Kristen's so I have to wait for Carrie and Jennifer to send me the pics they took with their cameras.

I hope everyone else had a happy and safe 4th of July!!

3rd of July Fireworks

We went out to Roanoke for fireworks on the 3rd of July. The kids were really excited about all of the cool things for the kids to do but we got there right before fireworks so they only got to do a couple of things but they still had fun.

Emma and Sara with my grandma.

Tons of surveys!!

I saw this on another blog and thought it was pretty cool so I snagged it. It's pretty long though, so we will see how cool I think it is when I'm done with it all!! At least it might answer some personal questions y'all might have about me or my family!!

Questions about me and Aaron:

♥ What are your middle names? Katherine and Lee

♥ How long have you been together? We've known each other for 11+ years b ut we have only been married for 7 (8 in September)

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? A few years actually. We knew each other and hung out together in groups but we never "liked" each other that way. Not until we started hanging out more and more and became best friends who ended up crushing on each other.

♥ Who asked who out? It wasn't ever like that. We were just friends who made plans to hang out together.

♥ How old are each of you? We are both 32.

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most? His.

♥ Do you have any children together? well yeah!! lol

♥ What about pets? We have Caleb, our border collie

♥ Did you go to the same school? Yep, both of us were LHS class of 95 (but we didn't know each other in high school)

♥ Are you from the same home town? No, I'm from California and he is from Texas

♥ Who is smarter? Me. I guess he can do math better...lol!

♥ Who is more sensitive? Me!

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Genghis Grill

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? California

♥ Who has the craziest exes? I do....he doesn't have any exes

♥ Who has the worse temper? ME!

♥ Who does the cooking? Usually me, but Aaron is better at cooking...I like to bake

♥ Who is more social? Me. He is so quiet!

♥ Who is the neat-freak? Me over him for sure

♥ Who is more stubborn? Me

♥ Who hogs the bed? Neither, we have a huge king size bed and we totally stick to our own sides.

♥ Who wakes up earlier? I do...usually in the 7 o'clock hour and Aaron sleeps in until almost 9.

♥ Where was your first date? We didn't really have a first date, but he did show up at my house to pick me up to play pool one night and for the first time he wasn't wearing a hat and he had dressed all nice, so I consider that to be it. The date was June 30th, so that is just around the corner!

♥ Who has the bigger family? I think they are both pretty big.

♥ Do you get flowers often? No, but that is because Aaron knows that flowers aren't my thing. I prefer plants (so un-romantic I know)

♥ How do you spend the holidays? At our house with my mom and this year, his dad (since he moved in with us last October)

♥ Who is more jealous? Both of us, it's crazy

♥ How long did it take to get serious? Not long at all...I knew that he was "the one"

♥ Who does/ did the laundry? ME!!!!

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Actually, I am (I think).


Questions about my senior year of high school:

1. Did you date someone from your school? yes and no

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? YES! But we didn't know each other until after high school

3. Did you car pool to school? Nope, I rode the bus!

4. What kind of car did you have? 1972 Mercury Comet (only my freshman year though, my brother wrecked my car and I didn't get another one until I was 21)

5. What kind of car do you have now? 2006 Chevy Uplander (it's new and I LOVE it)!!!!

6. It's Friday night...what were you doing? Hanging out with my friends, probably at Amy's house

7. It is Friday night now where are you? Home with the kids

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? Cashier at a grocery store and a data entry clerk....I also had jobs as a cook in a restaurant and a airbrusher

9. What kind of job do you do now? Very proud stay-at-home wife and mom!

10. Were you a party animal? No, not really

11. Were you considered a flirt? No, I was shy

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Choir....but I went to a tiny high school (168 students, 9-12th grade) and there wasn't anything else for girls

13. Were you a nerd? Nope

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? No, but I did get Saturday school for being late to math class too many times

15. Can you sing the fight song? Yes!

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Commander Culwell (NJROTC), Mr. Isom (algebra) and Mrs. Merritt (English my soph and senior years)

17. Where did you sit during lunch? At our table with my friends

18. What was your school's full name? Lewisville High School

19. When did you graduate? 1995

20.What was you school mascot? Fighting Farmers.....no, I'm not joking, google it

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Yes!!!!!

22. Did you have fun at Prom? Yes!!

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? NOOOOOOO, that is Anthony's father and he has no contact with Anthony

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Yes! I missed the 10 year, but I definitely want to go to the next one

25. Do you still talk to people from school? YES!

Questions about Mommyhood!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
No

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
No

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Scared to death!!

4. [Previous blogger erased this one]


5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
19

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
I took a pregnancy test!

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
I don't even remember, probably Michael

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX
Yes, but I didn't find out until one week before he was born

9. DUE DATE?
June 3, 1996

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
Yes! And I hated the smell of eggs!

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
oranges! lol

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
All of Michael's family

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
Boy! I always watned to have a boy first

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
Not at all!!

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
80!!!!! I was put on bedrest, I was so swollen all of the time

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yes!

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
I knew about it

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
Not the pregnancy, but Anthony wasn't breathing when he was born so they took him away quick....but he is fine, no lingering side effects

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Lewisville

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
16 1/2!!!

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
First my mom, then they sent me home and then Michael's brother Joe drove me back

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
My mom and that was it, I wouldn't let anyone else be in there.

23. Was it natural or c-section?
natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
You bet I did!! But I was 10 hours in labor first, I couldn't take it anymore, his head was facing up instead of down and it caused horrible back labor.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
8 lbs 13 oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?
May 31, 1996 at 3:16 pm

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Anthony Michael

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY?
13!!!!! He just turned 13 and I still can't believe that I have a teenager!!


ABC's of Me:

A - Age: 32, almost 33 (July 9)

B - Bed size: King

C - Chore you hate: Dishes!!

D - Dog's name: Caleb

E - Essential start your day item: hair band to pull my hair into a ponytail

F - Favorite color: brown

G - Gold or Silver: I like both.

H - Height: 5'7"

I - Instruments you play(ed): Piano and flute.

J - Job title: I'm an incredibly happy wife, mom, and keeper of our home :o)

K - Kid(s): My beautiful Anthony, Emma and Sara

L - Living arrangements: Renting a tiny little house until we are ready to buy our own!

M - Mom's name: Karen---Fran

N - Nicknames: Cor-tini

O - Overnight hospital stay: All 3 kids, when I had to have my gall bladder out and when I had meningitis

P - Pet Peeve: People who are fake. Just be honest and friendship is sooo much easier!! Even when the honest stuff is embarressing or it makes you vulnerable. Nobody is perfect and nobody's lives are perfect and that is normal and human. Maybe I should tell y'all when we are having a bad day since it seems that I only post the "good stuff"

Q - Quote from a movie: "Just keep on keeping on" Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused

R - Right or left handed: Right, but I can actually write with both

S - Siblings: Jason, who passed away and Jim, who I haven't seen since I was 13, but talk to occasionally

T - Time you wake up: usually before 8

U- Underwear: Really? Do you really want to know that? I don't think you do...remember people, I didn't make up the questions, I'm just answering them!!

V - Vegetable you dislike: Asparagus...I just don't like it.....but broccoli sounds soooo good right now!!

W - Ways you run late: I hate to be late!!! But when I am, it's because I wait too log to get ready to go

X - X-rays you've had: Teeth, knee, ankle, chest (ribs)

Y - Yummy food you make: I make a pretty darn good brisket

Z - Zoo favorite: It used to be giraffes....I loved all things giraffe, but now I really enjoy watching the gorillas

Okay, that's it...now you know a little more about me!! I would love to hear more about you, leave me some comments people!!! lol

Grandma & Uncle Mike

My grandma and my uncle Mike flew in from California on Tuesday to visit. My grandma is staying for the summer but my uncle was only in town for a couple of days. My mom, me and the girls went and picked them up from the airport and took them up tot he hospital to visit my other uncle, Dean.

The girls were so good and quiet the whole time we were up at the hospital.

We were on the 6th floor so they kept looking out the window to see what they could see.

Awwww me and my girls!

My sweet baby Emma.

My uncle Dean, my grandma and my uncle Mike. Sara took this picture.

Silly girls!

lol.

Sara took this picture of me.

The next night we met up to go to dinner. My uncle wanted a good bbq place so we headed to Fort Worth and ended up at Riscky's.

I tried to get a cute pic of us, but he wouldn't get off of the phone!

Then in the car, he purposely would NOT smile for me...what a butthead!

Me and my grandma! She kept looking at me and saying "Cortni, you sure are red" lol I had such a bad sunburn!

Me and the girls had gone swimming earlier in the day and even though I had 70 spf sunscreen on my face, I still burned!

I ordered the trio of smoked ham, brisket and pork ribs. It was crazy how much food they give you! When I ordered I knew that I was taking most of it home to have for lunch the next day, but dang!! That was a lot of food!!

But it was good and it's one of the few places that sells beef ribs and that was a plus to Aaron because he doesn't eat pork ribs.

They put a pink cowgirl hat on my grandma and sang her happy birthday! Her birthday was on June 7th and she was still in California so we didn't get to celebrate with her.

Me and my uncle Mike.

My uncle Mike and my mom.

So that was our visit. The next day I took uncle Mike to the airport. Hopefully he will come back and see us again soon, we had so much fun with him. The girls loved him, especially Emma!

VBS-Studio Go!

The girls had VBS this week. They had so much fun! The church gave them different gift certificates from different restaurants, so that was pretty cool. Emma's leader gave her a cd that had all of the music from the week, which I thought was pretty nice of her.

Here they are, ready to go!

Luke came with them this week.

After VBS we went swimming at Ashley's and this is what Ashley wrote on her little brothers back. hehehe

On the way home. The girls are so in love with our car (me too)!!

Father's Day

For Father's Day we went out to Aaron's sister Jennifer's house and hung out with and her new husband. Emma got to go around on the go-cart for like a straight hour!

Man is she a crazy driver! Next time I will be bringing Anthony's skateboarding helmet for her to wear because I was sooooo nervous that she would wreck.

We had a pretty low-key Father's Day. The girl's are making paintings for Aaron and they are still working on them, so he doesn't get them yet. Poor guy! lol

my brother

Happy Father's Day! I will have tons of pics to post later of our Father's Day but first I wanted to post about my brother Jason. He was killed in a car accident 13 years ago today. It also happens to be the summer solstice, making it the longest day of the year.

It was the worst day of my life and I still think about him everyday and I miss him everyday and I wish that my kids could have known him. I think they would have loved him. He did get to meet Anthony one time but he died when Anthony was 3 weeks old.

Here is my favorite picture of us. I only have 3 pictures of us really. This picture, taken on my 18th birthday, and 2 prom pictures which my mom has somewhere.

Here is a poem I wrote for him. I'm sure I've post it here somewhere before, but I thought I would share again.

For Jason

Time stood still.

I held my breath.

I thought that if I let it out

time would rush back in,

and the reality of you gone

would set back in,

and I would have to manage

through it for another day.

All I can do is hold on to

what memories I have left,

maybe a picture or two.

Time steals sounds and smells.

It's sometimes cruel

and twisted,

robbing me of what little I have.

Without you here there is so

little to take.

So I hold my breath

while time stands still.

A forgotten memory rushes back

and I smile,

wishing you were here to reminisce with me.

But I'll take what I can get.

A brief moment

that takes us back.

Then I exhale,

and wake up from my dream.