The Masters

Our good friends Keri and Patrick live in North Augusta, SC.  Patrick called Bert on Tuesday afternoon, the day before we were supposed to leave for the Myrtle Beach for a mini family vacation (we were going to the beach with Keri, Patrick and their kids and staying at Patrick's family's condo) and let him know that he had two tickets for Wednesday at the Masters.  We thought about it for just a minute, but decided that it was totally worth it to drive down there Tuesday night and postpone getting to the beach by a few hours.  Bert loves all things sports, so I didn't want him to miss an opportunity to go to such a prestigious golf course/tournament. 

Here are a few pictures from their day...

I can't even believe they were this close to these big name golfers...

Left to Right below, Keegan Bradley, Fred Couples and Tiger Woods:

Fred Couples on the tee at 18:

Tiger Woods

2012 Masters Champion Bubba Watson, a UGA grad...Go Dawgs!:)  

Rory McIlroy:

Many of the players had their families as their caddies for the Par Three Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.  Bert said it was really fun to see the kids run around and the players be so laid back.  

Phil Mickelson with two of his daughters serving as his caddies at the Par Three tournament:

Phil putting with Bubba Watson watching...

Absolutely beautiful!!  

Bert and Patrick

Thanks so much to Patrick for offering Bert  the ticket!  He had such a great time, and the girls and I had fun hanging out with Keri, Kayley and Jackson!  The guys left August National early in the afternoon so that we could hit the road to Myrtle Beach before all four kids were ready for a nap.  It was a fun day!!:)  

Emily's big day!

We had already celebrated with Em's party, but we wanted to make sure she felt special on her actual birthday.  On the night of the 7th, Bert and I snuck in and decorated her room.  She woke up on her birthday morning with a smile on her face and excited about all the decorations in her room!  

When Bert came home for lunch we gave her one last present...a hula hoop.  She's played with one at church from time to time and she LOVES it!!  She's definitely not big enough to actually use it (correctly), but we knew she would be so excited!  

After opening her last present we came in for a little left over ice cream cake.  Yum yum!  

Happy birthday, Emmy Lou!  You are a precious blessing and I LOVE being your Mommy!:)  

My 30th

So this year was a big one.  I turned thirty.  Yikes! 

My birthday fell on a Sunday, so we started out the day at church, where I was greeted with "happy birthday" after "happy birthday."  Our church definitely knows how to make a girl feel loved!  After church we headed to Red Bowl for lunch.  I love that restaurant and they have a great little back room where we can all pile in and enjoy being together.  

After lunch the girls were past ready for their naps, but I of course wanted to get a few pictures before we put them to bed.  

My favorite kind of cake is, without question, an ice cream cake (from Dairy Queen).  I love birthdays so I get excited about the fact that it's my birthday, but then I also get so so excited about eating my ice cream cake.  Thankfully, DQ's ice cream cake is also my brother's favorite kind of cake, so I at least get it twice a year!  

A picture with my hubby and my brother just before we cut the cake.  The girls were actually napping during the cake cutting process.  Stanley had to leave before the girls woke up from their nap and he wasn't about to leave without getting any cake (also his favorite)!:)  Don't worry, the girls got some cake later.  

They're crazy!  

When I think about turning 30 sometimes I think...Yikes, that's old.  Other times I get tears in my eyes and am so overwhelmed with all the Lord has blessed me with in my 30 years.  I am so thankful for my loving husband, my beautiful daughters, all our other family, our friends, our church, our city, our house and my relationship with Jesus Christ. I pray that over my "next 30 years" I would desire to know Him more each day, love and serve my family well, and be a blessing to those I come in contact with.  I pray that my life would point others to One who gives true and everlasting life!    

Emily's Dora Birthday Party

Emily is a big fan of Dora the Explorer so we thought it would be fun to have a Dora party for her 3rd birthday!  We all had so much fun!  

Here are a few pictures of some of the decorations...

Lauren Buczkowski made the cake for me again for this party!  She did such an amazing job!  The cake could not have been more adorable and it tasted so good!   

Family picture before the party got started!

Opening presents.  You can see Grandmama (Bert's mom) on the right of the picture below...she FaceTimed with Aunt Carrie and Aunt Alison so that they could be part of the party too, since they weren't able to make it.  We were so glad Linda and Jeff were able to make it to the party.  They had several other things going on this weekend so they just came up for the day.  Since it's a three hour trip each way, a day trip makes for a long day of traveling, but they said they wouldn't have missed it.  They LOVE their grandbabies!  

About to blow out the candles.  She did it all by herself this year...she's growing up.:)  

Eating some cake at Emily's new table.  Don't they just look too cute?!  

After opening presents and eating cake we headed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather, and it was beautiful!!  It was so fun watching all the kiddos run around!!

Group shot...all the kids...minus one cute 4 month old who didn't make the picture.  

It was a fun party!  We are so thankful for our family and friends who came to make our sweet girl feel loved and celebrated!!:) 

Patterson/Coker Wedding

Our friends Megan and Chris got married last weekend.  Emily was a flower girl and I was a bridesmaid.  We were honored to be a part of their special day!  

Hanging out with my cutie before pictures started!  

Bert was a huge help the entire day.  He helped entertain Emily when I was busy taking pictures, etc.  He also announced the wedding party at the reception and did a great job!  Mimi came over to Greenville to keep Hannah.  They had a fun day together of shopping and playing. 

Family pic minus Hannah Banana...

Playing a little hide and seek with Daddy while we waited...

Emily and McKade (the ring bearer).  McKade (8 yrs old) did such a great job helping Emily and showing her where to go.  He was so patient and sweet to her.  They were absolutely adorable together!!  Bert said he was keeping a close eye on him walking down the aisle with his baby girl....haha!:)  

Emily did so great during the wedding!!  As she was walking down the aisle she only dropped one peddle at a time and had to inspect each one before dropping it.  By the time they got the the front she had only dropped 6!:)  She climbed up on the stage and stood right beside me for the entire service.  When she first got to the front she said "I did it!!" with a big smile on her face and pretty loudly.  I just quietly told her "good job" and helped her climb up the stairs.  A few minutes later she said "Mommy, I'm going to sit down."  Almost no one heard that, so she must not have said that as loud as I thought.  She stood up and down a time or two, held my hand and then dropped it, took my bouquet of flowers one time and then gave them back, but all in all she did GREAT!!!  She stayed in one spot the entire time, was very quiet, and looked absolutely precious!

When we got to the reception everyone just kept talking about the fact that they couldn't believe she was 3 and had stayed so still and quiet.:)  We were definitely so proud of our girl!

After the wedding we took a few pictures outside and Daddy let Emily borrow his coat.  

It was a fun, beautiful day!!  Congratulations Megan and Chris...we love y'all!:)  

Cookies and Milk

I doubt you'd be able to find another human being who loves cookies and milk as much as my husband.  I've certainly never met one.  Not long after we were married he walked into the room I was in with a HUGE stack of cookies (he doesn't think anything about eating 10 at a time) and a big cup of milk.  My mouth fell open at the number of cookies he had in his hands!!:)  

He's been excited about passing on his love for cookies and milk to both our girls since they were first born.  He's succeeded with Emily (Hannah's still a little young)!  Em LOVES eating cookies and milk with Daddy!  She gets so excited when he starts pouring himself a glass of milk because she knows he'll always share with her!:)

I love they have daddy-daughter-cookies-and-milk dates!  It makes me smile to see how happy it makes both of them.  Hannah, they can't wait for you to join them, baby girl....they're saving you a cookie!:)  

Come on Spring

We're pretty excited about the warmer weather over here at the Watts' house.  Emily's been talking about wanting to do sidewalk chalk for months.  Hannah just loves to be outside and especially loves to ride in the wagon.  The other evening Bert wanted to get outside and work in the yard some, so the girls and I decided to play outside while he was working.

Here's a picture of Emily....as happy as a lark!:)

Hannah's got her foot propped, drinking some juice, without a care in the world.:)  

We enjoyed all being outside together....we're looking forward to many, many more evenings like this as it continues to warm up!!