My 1st Baby Shower

Saturday, my dear sister threw me my 1st baby shower. It was amazing!! She kept the theme a secret from me, and it was perfect!! The theme was "Bedtime Stories" and all of the food and decorations went along with different childrens books.

Green Eggs & Ham

Paddington Bear

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

 

 

Winnie the Pooh, complete with honey sticks

Yummy Cupcakes 

Baby Girl received so many nice things, and I was overwhelmed with the kindness and genorosity of so many that love my little girl already!

Even the gift table was made to look like a bed, to go with the theme!

And., she has quite a library started already! Let's hope she likes to read as much as her mama does! 

Barbie even arranged for all of the guests to design their own page in a scrapbook. She is working on completing this, and I can't wait to see it!

Overall, my sister, my family, and my friends did an AMAZING job showering our little girl with so much love. I can only imagine how much she'll be showered with once she arrives!!



My Two Favorite Littles

This weekend we got to go visit my sister and her family for a very quick trip. No matter how quick and how short these visits are, they are precious to me and I truly treasure this time spent with them. Quinn is getting so big...

....and Maddie is not. She is a little skinny-minny and just as pretty as can be.

 

We had so much fun together! I'll post more later on all the fun we had, complete with a "dirt-day party"!

Spring has sprung

Well, it appears that Spring has arrived here in little 'ole Tallahassee. Aside from a little thunderstorm activity on Sunday, this weekend was absolutely perfect, and all the signs point to a new season.

• Our azaleas began blooming seemingly overnight Friday, just in time for the official start.

• The yard-salers were out in full force Saturday morning, and yes, I was one of them.
• The Bradford Pear trees all over town look amazing, with their tiny little white flowers.

• Easter dresses have taken over the little girl sections of Kohl's and Wal-Mart.
• And finally, on Saturday, I spent a while watching three brand-new lizards explore our porch. Watching them brought me back to the fond childhood memories of my sisters pet lizards, Larry & Maggie. Larry & Maggie were married and although they were "not domesticated", that never stopped Barbie from talking to them, catching them, and wearing them on her ears. 

All of these signs of new life. I love the signs of new life.

My First Photo Shoot

While my sister and her family were here visiting, they asked me if I would take some family pictures of them. Of course, I said yes, and I was so excited! I knew I would be limited with my little point & shoot camera, but I was willing to see what I could pull off. Despite some nasty cold & wet weather, we were able to get in a short little session. Here are some of my favorites:

I have to say, it helps make good pictures when the subjects are so good looking. My sister is beautiful, my nephew is precious, my brother-in-law is handsome, and I just KNOW my niece is gorgeous, even if I can't see her yet! I'm so blessed to have them in my life!

Halaby's Go To Tallahassee

My sister calls her blog Halaby's Go Upstate, but this weekend, then left the upstate of South Carolina and came all the way to Tallahassee....just to see me!! I finally got to talk to Maddie (my niece, in utero), got some major kisses and QT with Quinn, and some fun laughs and talks with Barbie & Jalal. This weekend was a total blast, and even nasty, wet, cold weather couldn't bring us down! It may have changed our plans slightly, but we adapted.

Quinn decided to sing along with Daddy & Uncle Wade's intense Guitar Hero game.

Quinn got to help Uncle Wade collect eggs and feed the chickens.

He LOVED sitting on Uncle Wade's motorcycle.

However, the experience was not complete until he had on his sunglasses.

Q got a little playground time...

And even got to visit the dinosaurs at the local museum.

Can you tell who the star of the show was this past weekend? I can't help it...I love taking this handsome boy's picture! (Stay tuned for some nice family shots of him with his beautiful mama & handsome daddy.) This weekend was so much fun for all of us. I can't wait until the next time we're all together.

The Most Amazing Sister

Beautiful. Strong. Inspiring. Faithful. Understanding. Funny. Caring. Smart. Sacrificial. Tender. Witty. Brave. Patient. Friendly. Sexy. Hard-working. Compassionate. Sensitive. Supportive. Courageous. Gracious. Genuine. Encouraging. Honest. Generous. Intelligient. Considerate. Kind-hearted. Humble. Silly. Giving. Selfless. Candid. Diligent. Adventurous. Gifted. Admirable. Trustworthy. Sincere. Wife. Mother. Daughter. Granddaughter. Niece. Aunt. Sister-in-law. Sister.

My sister, who also happens to be my best friend, turns 29 years old today and boy, does she look good for her age!

We've been together from the beginning. Well, almost. I got a 14mth head start, but who's counting?



One of my all time favorites...



The beach...



We've seen the Olympic torch together...actually, we've seen the Olympics together!



Boston...



And even, Italy...



Her Wedding Day...


and my Wedding Day...



I wouldn't be who I am today without my sister. She is an incredible women, and I consider myself blessed to call her not only sister, but friend.

Happy Birthday, Barbie!! I love you!!

Lord, I thank you for my sister and the blessing she is to everyone who comes in contact with her. I pray that this year would be overflowing with blessings from You. I pray that You would touch her in a special way this coming year. I pray that her marriage and children would be blessed. I pray a hedge of protection around her and her family. Thank You for who You are in her life. Amen.

Head over to her blog, Halabys Go Upstate, and wish her a Happy Birthday!