Memorial Weekend

I can't believe how long it has taken me to post something, just a few days but it seems longer. I've gotten so used to writing often that I felt like something was missing in my day. This has been such a busy week. Good but busy, so I haven't really had much of a free second to write. Plus, my hubby, Ella and I have all been feeling still a little crummy since are last battle with the stomach virus. Tuesday night, I came home from work, played with Ella as much as I possibly could, passed her off on my husband (which he loves) to put to bed, took a hot bath and went to sleep. This morning I felt much better after forcing myself to actually get 8 hours of sleep, something that only happens if I am ill. I forgot how great 8 hours of sleep feels! It's very rejuvenating. I don't get out of bed with squinty eyes, stumble into Ella's room with barely enough energy to carry her from her crib to her changing table, all while cursing the light. I really need to do the 8 hour thing more often.

Anyway...enough random thoughts.

We had a fantastic Memorial weekend. We really didn't do that much until Sunday night, since I missed our Saturday service due to our enemy, the stomach bug, attacking.

Sunday night we went to a surprise party for a good friend of ours from church, Holly. Her boyfriend, who many know, planned this huge party for her at the Oasis. She was very surprised, and so was everyone else in the restaurant, when 50 people suddenly yelled SURPRISE.

Monday, we went joined the Murrell's at our friend's Kristin and Todd's for the day. It was very fun. The babies played and played. We started outside in their fun baby pool fountain thing. Then it started raining and the babies started shivering so we put them in a warm bath.

This is the first time Ella has experienced dirt. She is such a prissy girl. I'm not kidding. It's pretty funny at times and adorable how prissy she is. So far she is not much like her mama. I was very much a tom boy. My daily activities growing up always included climbing a tree or two, watering down dirt just so I could play in the mud and getting stuck on the roof. However, my mom did tell me that one time when I was Ella's age, I was playing in my great grandma's backyard and walked in some mud and started screaming, terrified at what had just touched my body. So maybe Ella won't turn out as prissy as I'm expecting.

This was Ella's first time to play in Kristin's fun pool thing. It's the cutest pool activity I've ever seen.











































As we've learned, Ella loves the swing.
















This was my favorite thing of the day. Is there anything cuter than three naked babies taking a bath? Precious!

Anniversary Dinner!!!

My husband and I had a fabulous celebration Friday night!! Thank y'all so much for your sweet comments about our story on how we met. The Lord truly intervened and miraculously allowed us to have Ella in bed asleep by 7:00 so we could thoroughly enjoy our evening just the two of us! When does that happen?

Heath choose for us to not go out, it had been raining all day and what I really wanted to do was go to Gloria's and sit on the patio, but that wasn't an option and I'm sure glad it wasn't. Heath went to the store and got all the ingredients to make homemade chicken fettuccine alfredo. This has always been a special meal for us because it has been my favorite for years. We always have it on Valentine's Day, Heath had our friends, Peter and Melissa, bring it to our picnic dinner the night he proposed, and it was the last meal I ate at Olive Garden with Curtis and Amanda when I went into labor 5 weeks early. Fettuccine alfredo is a part of big happenings in my life.

But never have I had homemade. Heath used 4 different kinds of cheeses, Asiago, Parmesan, Mozzarella and a little Pepper Jack. It was the best thing I've ever tasted. I'm obsessed with it. A total party in my mouth, as Sunni would say. It really is consuming me it was so good. I feel like when I was pregnant and I obsessed over one thing constantly until I finally got it. Thankfully we have lots of left overs, so I can enjoy it all week! In fact, I just stopped writing for 15 minutes so I could go heat up a bowl and eat it. Yum!

















On a totally different note, maybe y'all should stay off of your blogs for a while because the stomach virus going around landed at our house Friday night around 3:00 a.m. It started with Ella and ended with me. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad of a strand for us. We were both only sick for about 12 hours and then totally fine.

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

Today is my actual anniversary, even though we celebrated it last weekend in SA! We have been married for 5 years! Hard to believe how much has changed in our lives!

Heath and I met our freshmen year at DBU. DBU is a really small college, however, it is growing substantially, but because it was small it was kind of like a large high school. There's the most popular, the class clown, the weird one, the best athlete, etc... Heath from the moment he stepped onto that campus was immediately the most popular and the most funny. He had everybody, from freshmen to seniors, under his spell of hilarity. There was not a time when he was not causing everyone to roll on the floor in laughter, especially in big groups.

I, myself, was not so much the popular one nor did I hang out with the popular kids. One reason was that I registered late and was put in the upper class men dorm instead of with my fellow peers, so I became great friends with girls that were a year older than me. Heath had no idea who I was and probably didn't really care to know who I was, not because he was mean, he just already had tons of friends. In fact, our first semester I had a class at noon and he got off work at noon and we would pass each other on the same sidewalk 3 times a week and I was maybe lucky to get a smile from him. (Heath to this day denies this.) I was not at all bothered by this, but looking back I think it's hilarious!

So how in the world did our two worlds finally collide?

The second semester of my freshmen year, I enrolled in my most dreaded class, Speech! I do not, at all, possess a gift of public speaking and so I knew this was going to be a semester of torture. So the first day of class, I nervously walked in a couple minutes late (very not like me) and took a seat in the closest chair, which happened to be on the front row. I didn't take the time to look around the room to see who all was in my class, with the hopes of being not noticed myself.

This is what was happening behind me...Heath was sitting on the next to last row and unbeknownst to me I grabbed his attention as I walked in, not passing by him on the sidewalk 3 times a week, but when I walked in the door to our boring Speech class. Heath has told me that he thought, "hmmm, she's pretty, maybe she wants to sit by me."
The next class when I walked in, totally prepared to keep the seat I previously possessed, when what to my surprise there was Heath waving at me and pointing at the seat next to him. Shock and wonderment were going through my head. Of course, I did sit next to him, it was Heath AND did I really want to sit on the front row all semester? Heath told me much later that he purposely got to class extra early that day so he could get his same seat and spread his books out on the desk next to him to secretly save it for me. To this day this strikes me as extremely sweet and bold! I would never ever be so aggressive.

The semester was filled with much flirting, mainly from Heath's end. It was the most fun semester and it lead straight into the best summer! That summer, we both remained on campus to take classes and work, which at DBU there was a very small number of people that did that, so if you were one of the ones still there, it was a blast because all the summer people hung out with each other everyday, even if at the beginning it was somebody you didn't know. I can't even describe the fun we had! Starting at the beginning of that Speech class and throughout summer, established in us such a great foundation of friendship. There was no dating throughout that time, just hanging out as friends.

However, Heath would have definitely been more on the side of dating. He didn't make any attempts to ask me out during the semester, but as soon as summer started, there was no holding back. He did the most creative stuff to tell me in a not subtle way that he wanted me to be his. I would always find random things from him, like flowers in certain places, a huge stuffed pooh bear in my car's driver's seat, sweet notes. This went on and on all summer, but still I was not liking him in that way. I don't know what I was thinking. It just wasn't the right time yet in my head.

And then this happened, I went to Kansas to visit family and while there we went on a nature walk. I am highly allergic to poison ivy and of course had a reaction. But it wasn't on my arms and legs like usual, oh no, it was primarily on my face. My face and eyes swelled up twice the normal size and was bright red. I was a sight to be seen. Heath, so sweetly, wanted to come over to my parent's house and spend time with me, but what girl would allow the guy that they now have a crush on to see them in such a state. I refused. A day later I received a delivery of 2 dozen beautiful roses with a get well card from you know who and that was it. I could no longer resist! That night we had our DTR (determine the relationship) conversation over the phone. We talked for 4 hours. After my face mostly healed and I could face the public, I finally headed back to DBU and that started our long dating relationship.

I wish I could finish this story. Maybe I should write a book. It would be filled with story after story of romantic dates and gifts. It would filled with the funniest stories you've ever heard. And it would be filled with precious memories.

Heath, you have filled my life for the last decade with fun, laughter, tears, frustrations, joy, love, excitement, adventure and family. Thank you!

AI - The Winner

Highlights
1. Melinda singing with Bebe and Cece Winans!! THE reason why she should be the winner this season. It was incredible. And I was praising Jesus along with them!

2. Doug E. Fresh and Blake's beat box performance! Favorite part of the entire show.

3. Carrie Underwood's performance. Very moving! She rocks my world! I love her.

4. Sanjaya! NOT really a highlight, but must be mentioned! Sanjaya, if ever you read my blog, I don't know why you would randomly stumble upon it, but if you do, please know that AI does not think you are good. They are making a joke out of you, just like they did with William Hung. Sure he's got lots of money now and is famous, but is it worth it? Please stop, stop now.

5. Clive Davis' praise for Chris Doughtry. He was my favorite last season! I just wish we would have had a performance from him.

6. Kelly Clarkson's (my AI favorite) two songs! Two songs! I was so excited when she came out for a second one!

7. Oh, but the BEST part of the night was when the show went OVER the two hour time allotment and I missed the ending!! That was definitely the best part. AI, can you let us know next time when your show scheduler can't read a freakin clock? And then it was so fun when I had to flip through news channels for 15 minutes to try to figure out who won, just be told very nonchalantly from a news reporter that Jordin is our winner. That was so fun! Just how I imagined finding out during my 4 month devotion to this show. But I guess that's what I get for refusing to watch a show while it is actually on.

So Jordin in our American Idol! I'm not surprised, maybe a little disappointed, but not surprised. She is going to be fantastic! Melinda, Blake and Jordin are definitely going to be the ones to have long, fabulous careers!

DWTS - Who's The Winner?

Please, please, please be Apolo!!! I have definitely had some disagreement on my opinion of Apolo being the best. I am certainly biased, but I really do think he deserves it.

At the start of the show, each couple got to choose one of their previous dances to dance again for the judges. The judges are actually judging them on this dance and the score they get tonight is combined with their scores from last night in determining who gets cut first.

Apolo: They picked their pase doble. It was a great choose for them because it was amazing then and it was amazing again tonight! I love the music they picked out for this song! Perfect Score: 30!

Joey: They picked their tango. It was the Star Wars inspired dance. This is maybe one of those dances that is technically great, so great if the judges are scoring you. I honestly didn't remember this one. On the entertainment side it was a little boring. The judges loved it! Perfect Score: 30!

Laila: They picked their mombo. Even watching her now, I am amazed at her gracefulness! It's remarkable. Who would have thought? The judges loved it! Perfect Score: 30! Which totally voids the judges opinions.

The first cut: I'm so nervous!! Laila is cute. HUGE SIGH! It was just who was expected really to be third. How amazing she was, however I think we all knew in our hearts it was going to be between Joey and Apolo in the end.

This Is It: Who will it be?!! After 10 weeks...the champion is...APOLO, APOLO, APOLO!!!!!!!! OH YEA, IT'S APOLO!!! YAY APOLO!

AI - The FINALS!! AHHH!!

I can't believe we are already down to our final two!!! Right now (since I never watch a show in live time) I am alternating between typing and voting for Blake. Plus, I am still extremely bitter that Melinda is not a finalist!

The two finalists are singing three songs tonight. First song is Idol's choice of a song they have already sung, so obviously the best song they sang all season. Second song is the Idol's choice, but it must be a song they have not performed previously. And the third song is the song that was written for the American Idol winner's first release.

Song #1
Blake: "You Give Love a Bad Name" It was even better than the first time. This is without a doubt my favorite song of all the idols for the entire season!!! This is the song that makes me LOVE Blake so much, think he should win and is the reason why I am voting for him right now.

Jordin: "Fighter" Her voice sounded great. As a performer though I think she is lacking and that probably has a lot to do with that she is ONLY 17! I agreed with Simon though, I also felt her vocals sounded a little shrieking at times.

Round One goes to Blake.

Song #2
Blake: "She Will Be Loved" I agreed with Simon again. I didn't think it was the best choice for Blake for the finals. It was really good, but not blow me away good, which is absolutely necessary at this point.

Jordin: "Broken Wings" Same with Jordin. I definitely did not agree totally with the judges because they were giving her much praise. It was a little better than Blake this round, but it still did not blow me away.

Round Two is a tie for me.

Blake: "This Is My Now" The song that is brand new, written just for the Idol winner, is always a good chance to really be able to see the capability of the singer. We have no point of reference. I thought he did a great job! Like Simon said, Blake doesn't have the better voice, but he is a better performer.

Jordin: "This Is My Now" Already it's better than Blake's, but that's because this song fits her voice exactly. It's kind of not fair. She did an AMAZING job! The song was flawless. But if they had written a song made for Blake's voice, she would not have done as well. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Jordin was unable to finish the song because she became overwhelmed with emotion. I wish I could be moved by her tears. If I wasn't such a die hard Blake fan I would have been crying right along with her. Is everybody totally disagreeing with me right now?

Round three goes to Jordin.

All week I thought for sure that Blake was going to win. However, after Jordin's last song and the judges comments on her last song, I think Jordin just won it, even though I've already voted for Blake 20 times. I'm pretty sure she's got it what with the chatting fans and all. She did a great job and she will be a great American Idol.

What do y'all think? Who did you vote for?

After The Rose!

Who loved Bevin even more after last night's After The Rose show? Me, me, me! She was so gracious and understanding!! They should make her the next Bachlorette.

The Bachelor producers brought back the exact bachlorettes I wanted them to, Amber, Stephanie and Danielle.

Amber was still heart broken, no surprise there.

Stephanie was VERY surprisingly decent. She even admitted that her one regret was how badly she talked about the other girls to Andy, which was the main reason for her dismissal.

Danielle was still as sweet as ever.

My stomach knotted up with neausea as soon as Tessa came running out for the big reunion. I just am not getting a good vibe from her still. But they seem happy. It's really only because I'm still bitter over it all. I'll get over it soon.

Seeing cute pregnant Trista made me so happy!

I am already ready for next season's! It's been fun!!

My Anniversary Trip!!!!

Heath and I had a fabulous time on our Anniversary trip! We decided to go to San Antonio and stay on the Riverwalk. We stayed at a very fun, modern hotel called Hotel Valencia. We didn't really do much this trip, except for lots of sleeping, which was pretty much the whole purpose, we just thought it would be more fun to do lots of sleeping in a nice hotel room instead of our own bedroom.

Here's a little recap:

Friday late morning we got up and headed to Market Street so I could eat a bowl of tortilla soup from La Margarita, which I am now addicted to.














This is us on the trolley. We spent a lot of time on this trolley going from place to place after we decided we were tired of walking so much. It's our vacation and sore muscles are not part of that equation.













Heath and I have been to San Antonio three times. The first time was for our 1 year anniversary. The second time was for my cousin Jerry's graduation from the air force, which necessitated a day trip to the Riverwalk. And this was our third time. The first time we went, we discovered our favorite place on the Riverwalk. It's called Jim Cullum's landing and we visit it every time we are there. It's a very small area right on the Riverwalk and every night there is a jazz band that plays the softest, most relaxing music. We love to sit there and listen, while we eat and Heath smokes his annual cigar. Friday night we spent a couple hours there enjoying the view and the music.






























After Jim Cullum's, we could not pass up the chance to go to the MOVIES!! The movies, do I even remember what that is? Every parent knows the loss joy of this luxury after they have children. We could not pass up this opportunity. I think it would have been a sin.

By the time Saturday night came, we were kind of bored. We had already done LOTS of eating, LOTS of shopping and LOTS of sleeping. So we decided to do the cheesy boat tour. It ended up being so much fun because we were on the boat with a very sweet couple of Indianapolis that we got to chat with and our tour guide had us cracking up the entire time.













After the boat tour, we went to eat at this Mexican restaurant called Rosarios. I must give much props and thanks to BigMama! She recommended this restaurant to us as a must eat at while we are there. It's not on the Riverwalk, so we never ever would have discovered it on our own. WOW!! It really was the best mexican food ever!! I am saddened that I wasted other opportunities to go there and just didn't know. Thank you BigMama! It was are best meal we had while there. The perfect last dinner.

Heath savoring the delicious fajitas!











Do you know what the best part of the trip was? Coming home to this!

I know this will possibly sound pathetic, but I missed Ella so much! It was really all I could think about at times. I blame some of that on the fact that San Antonio is very family oriented, so there were little punkins Ella's age every where I looked. I was constantly being reminded of her and picturing her there with us. Overall, it was good for Heath and I to get away and have some time for us.
But, wow, it was the best to see our baby again!

She loved her pink maracas we brought her. And she did very well with her Grammy for the weekend!

The Bachelor - Who Will It Be?

This is it! I'm a little nervous. Right now, at the beginning of the show, I am pulling for Bevin a little more than Tessa. That could change though because I am not totally in love with her.

Tessa Meets Andy's Family

How CUTE is Andy's grandad?! I love cute grandpa's. My grandad is the cutest of them all!

Andy's mom apologizes to Tessa for not being able to stop staring at her because she is so beautiful. Mom loves her, Grandad loves her. Things are looking good so far for Tessa.

The three tough questions for Tessa were: What is your religious affiliation? Why did you choose social work? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Personally I think she fumbled on all three. The answer to the 5 years question is "with Andy." Simple!

Tessa and Andy's family seemed to mesh very well together.

Bevin Meets Andy's Family
I am nervous for her going into this! Tessa raised the bar.

So far Bevin is doing well, they are asking her about her job and what she does. She's sounding good, very interesting and then...cute grandad's head sure did pop up when Bevin mentioned her latest project of researching sexual dysfunction in women. And then Andy's mom did not offer the invitation of Bevin helping her with dinner like she did with Tessa. You could hear the crickets chirping.

Grandad asks, "Are you affiliated to a religion?"
Bevin responds, "My parents raised me in the Baha'i faith."
Grandad and Grandma, "huh?"

In preparation for tonight, last week a couple of us in my office researched The Baha'i faith so we would know what it was about when Bevin brought it up. Their essential message is unity. That there is only one God and that all the world's religions "represent stages in the revelation of God's will".

Andy's mom and grandma questioned Bevin privately and fell in love with her. The grandma told Bevin to make this happen and they will help. Sounding good!

I love that she tested her name with his. Bevin Baldwin. Didn't we all do that?!

Last Date
Bevin: A helicopter ride. Okay...why is she freaking out so annoyingly? Heath heard her from the other room and asked, "Is she okay?" Really Bevin. I think you'll be okay. After laughing nervously for an hour before boarding, then she screams like a little girl as they are flying. She finally settled down and it turned out to be very romantic.

That night at the villa, did Andy say he is in love with Bevin?!! Does that mean he is not going to pick Bevin? Those tricky editors are getting my hopes up!

Tessa: Horseback riding: That is perfect and so much fun! After that, some playtime and make out time in the ocean.

That night back in Tessa's hotel room, she completely opened up to him and told him she has fallen in love. Is that just what Andy needed to hear to make him choose her?

Does Tessa not open her mouth when she talks? It sounds like her jaw is wired shut. Tessa gave Andy a collage of their time together. Andy was so excited about it, he threw her on the bed and said over and over "I freakin love you!"

I'm so confused at this point. I really have no idea since he has now told two women he loves them. After the last dates though, I have a feeling he is going to pick Tessa.

The Moment We've Been Waiting For
Andy is in position and it's all about who steps out of the limo first. In all Bachelor seasons, but one, the girl who gets out first is the one who is being rejected.

Dang, the first girl out is Bevin. I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping for her even though I knew those tricky editors were trying to fool me all season. This moment is always hard for me, it's the moment when I know that she is about to get her heartbroken, but she doesn't know yet. It's hard to watch, but isn't this the reason we do watch? I always try to detect the moment that the girl being turned down figures out in the speech that she is being turned down. She figured it out pretty quickly. Poor Bevin. I am heartbroken for her. She really had no idea. I'm so glad Andy cried and showed her how much he knew he was hurting her. Thank you Andy. Bevin showed great maturity in the limo on the way home. Yes, she cried and was heartbroken, but she didn't blow up and curse and go crazy.

I'm not really excited to watch this next scene with Tessa. I'm kind of mad that she's the girl. Why? I'm not sure. Tessa is obviously a very nice girl.

She's been stand offish the entire season. In the limo on the way there, she was sitting so calmly, showing no emotion. Maybe that's the way she handles her nervousness, but this is what Andy has been complaining about all season with her, that she doesn't show what she is feeling.
So Andy proposes and she accepts. It was a beautiful scene.

And now after 6 weeks of total commitment, we all know. And according to Andy's interviews on various shows throughout the season, he has and is still in love with this girl.

I can't wait for tomorrow night! "After the Final Rose"!! That's even better than the Women Tell All because we get to hear from the rejector and the rejectee!

DWTS - The Show Down

The dancers danced two dances last night. The first was a dance that the judges picked, probably the dance the dancer had the hardest time with during the season. The second dance was the free style, my personal favorite to watch. The dancers get to do pretty much whatever they want, including lifts, which are forbidden during the entire competition.

Dance #1: The Judges Choice

Laila: Pase Doble - There was LOTS of passion with this dance. Laila gave it everything she had and you could tell. She did great! Score: 29

Apolo: Rumba - Len and Carrie Ann agreed that their wasn't enough chemistry and romance. Bruno disagreed with them so much that there was a big arguement between himself and Len. I must say, I can never ever judge the dancers technique since I know zero about dancing, BUT I can have an opinion on rather there is chemistry and romance in a dance and they certainly had an abundance of both. Score: 28

Joey: Cha Cha Cha - Each judge had something negative to say. I didn't think it was bad at all. It was very entertaining, but apparently the technical was not so good. Score: 26 OUCH!

Dance #2: The Freestyle
Laila: Tribute to the 80's, including the running man! Gotta love that! All season I have not thought Maks, Laila's partner, was that cute. But I only have DWTS eyes for Apolo. However, my 28 year old friend Rebecca, has had a crush on him all season. Then tonight, my friend Kim told me that Maks makes her 85 year old Nanny have a hot flash!!

The judges all agreed that Laila's freestyle missed sex appeal. Score: 26 Yikes!

Apolo: They did a hip hop routine with some 80's dance moves thrown in and it was HOT! Crowd goes crazy for them every time! Carrie Ann didn't even say anything, she just gave them huge hugs! I am LOVING how this is looking for Apolo! Score: 30!

Joey: BIG sigh of relief that they were NOT going to waste their freestyle dance to a slow version of "Last Dance". It was very entertaining! Score: 30

The past 2 seasons, they have brought the competition down to the final two. This is interesting that this season, we are choosing our champion from the final three. I'm excited about tonight!! Crossing my fingers for Apolo!

Vacation Here We Come!!

We leave today in just a few hours for our much needed, much anticipated 4 day annivesary vacation! Back in March, I wrote about how badly I needed a vacation. My body is so happy that it is finally getting one, filled with great food, much sleep and relaxation by the pool!

This will be the first time I have left Ella for longer than one night and even then she has only ever spent 2 nights away from me total. Both nights were weeks apart and I was only away from her for about 14 hours. I'm sure the whole time we are on vacation I will be thinking, somthing is missing, constantly checking for that thing that you know you have forgotten but can't think of what it is. Part of me knows I will be wishing Ella was with us to experience the fun. But the other part of me is desperate for some rest, to actually eat at a restaurant or take my time eating, to have no nightly routine for just a few nights.

These are the things I will NOT be doing for the next 4 days:

I will not change a single dirty diaper.
I will not clean up the floor and high chair from smashed noneaten food.
I will not watch a Baby Einstein, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, Backyardigan, or The Wonder Pets.
I will not heat up a bottle in the microwave.
I will not start my day at 6:45 a.m.
I will not carry a heavy, packed diaper bag around.

Other things I will not do:
I will not be greeted at 6:45 a.m. with the biggest, happiest smile on the face of this earth.
I will not get 50 waves and "hi mamas" a day whenever I look her direction.
I will not be filled with such joy my heart wants to explode everytime I look at that beautiful face.
I will not get to see her walk to the door as fast as she can when dada gets home from work.
I will not get to play Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
I will not get to see some dancing anytime music starts playing.
I will not get to see the joy on her face of the accomplishment when she walks across the room.
I will not get to enjoy the swings and slide at the park.
I will not get to give her a bath and brush her hair.
I will not get to tuck in and say goodnight to this little being that needs me so much.

Ella I will miss you so much! I will be anticipating Sunday afternoon when I walk in Grammy's house and you come running (because by then you will probably be running) to us with that huge teethy smile!

AI - WHAT?!?!?!?!

Okay...how can I say this? How can I write without screaming? I can NOT BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING? I don't even know if my fingers can move on the keyboard to spell it out. Mmmeeellllinda will not be on American Idol next week. REALLY?!!?!?! Seriously?!?!?! How is it that the BEST singer BY FAR will not be in the finals?!! It CLEARLY should have been Blake and Melinda as the final two! I did spend time voting for Melinda and Blake, so I can't feel personally responsible for this.

I can tell you that next week, all my votes will be going for Blake.

I guess the only plus to this is that Melinda will not have any American Idol restrictions.

AI - The Final Three

First Song: Judges' Choice

Jordin - "Wishing On a Star" Simon choose this song for Jordin. I had never heard this song before so I had no frame of reference. They all thought it was good. Simon did not like it as much even though he choose it. He said he didn't like the jazz style arrangement of it.

Blake - "Roxanne" Paula choose this song. This was another song I had never heard. Wait a second, I have heard this song, it's just a different arrangement. Kind of weird. Blake's voice sounded as good as ever though.

Melinda - "I Believe In Miracles" Randy's choice. PERFECT choice for her! Melinda wins this round, hands down. (I totally wrote that before Simon said it!) Totally goosebump inducing.

Second Song: Producers' Choice

Jordin - "Works Hard for the Money" This was a good choice for her! It was a bit karoake, but I actually enjoyed it and wasn't bored. All judges agreed it was terrific.

Blake - "This Love" Could there be a better choice for him? NO! This was fantastic! I am loving the producers' choice for him. They are doing a much better job than the judges.

Melinda - "Nutbush City Limits" What is this song? No idea. I thought the title was Not Bush City Limits, but I knew that made no sense so I had to google it to find out what she was saying. What is wrong with me that so far I have only known 3 out of 6 of the songs?

This is tough who took this round. It's between Blake and Melinda. Simply because the Maroon 5 song was SO perfect for Blake, I got say he won Round Two.

3rd Song: Idol's Choice

Jordin - "I Who Have Nothing" Gorgeous dress! She did it right!! This song was amazing!! Perfect for her. That high note...I still have goosebumps just thinking about it. I don't think Melinda or Blake can beat this one. Did I say how gorgeous her dress was?

Blake - "When I Get You Alone" His jam session in his video was amazing! Mixing it up with sir mix a lot and his beat boxing was one of the coolest things I have heard. The song was incredible. Blake knows how to pick the perfect song for his style.

Melinda - "I'm a Woman" I thought Jordin had this round in the bag, then came Melinda. Simon said he gives her the award. I think after the judges comments, we all agree Melinda should be the winner.

What do y'all think? Who do you think will be in the final two?

DWTS - The Results

Oh my gosh!! I was sweating, totally stressing out when it came down to APOLO and Ian! If Apolo went home last night, I would have been done. I really don't know if I could have watched the rest of the show. Oh APOLO...all my votes will go for you next week!

Ian went home and I did get a little teary eyed. Him and Cheryl had some very sweet things to say about each other. My mother-in-law was sitting with me watching DWTS for the first time and she couldn't understand why he was leaving because he looks so good from his clips. I told her, "That tells you how amazing the final three are."

The next 2 weeks are going to be blow us away! I can't wait.

"So, you say she likes the swing."

*scroll down for DWTS and The Bachelor recaps
My church recently started a 5 day a week child care for employees. It's one of the greatest things because my baby can be right down the hallway all day and I can go check on her anytime and eat lunch with her. I only work 2 1/2 days a week and my mom watches Ella, but since this child care started, I wanted at least one day my baby was right there at work with me. So Heath and I decided Wednesdays would be that day. Plus it gives Ella a chance to play with other babies and do fun activities throughout the day. Hopefully it will also release her of her major stranger anxiety stage she is in.

ANYWAY, last Wednesday was her first day. The teachers at the end of the day give the parent a written schedule of what they did that day, including diaper changes. This is exactly what Ella's said:

Played in swing. 8:30
Fell asleep in swing 9:35 - 10:30
Bottle 10:30
Wanted back in swing 11:00
We tried to take her out of swing to play, but she wanted to swing.
Mom came for lunch 12:00
Played, climbed on foam shapes 1:00
Napped in swing 2:10 - 2:40.
Napped more in swing 2:55 - 3:50.
Snack 3:55. (not in swing)

"So I'm sorry, did you say she spent some time in the swing?"

DWTS

Dance #1: Ballroom Round

Apolo: Amazing, Fantastic, Excellent, Perfect Quick Step, Perfect score!! What else is thre to say?

Ian: Okay, he totally made me cry with his pre-dance video. Way to tap into your emotions Ian. His quick step was great. And he got his first 10.

Laila: "Walk Like an Egyptian" I love that song! Already points with me. Their quick step looked flawless too me. And they got a Perfect Ten!! Well deserved. She looked hot in her gold egyptian costume.

Joey: They are coming off of being in the bottom two. How that happened I have no idea? So you know they are working extra hard this week. PERFECT 10! Okay, this makes me less excited that Apolo got a perfect 10. If they are all getting a perfect 10, then what's the point of the scores. Ian must feel bad that he's the only one that didn't.

I loved to see Len get involved with the dancers and lend a helping hand! And it was great seeing his own dancing abilities. It proves that he really does know what he is talking about, especially when he is juding them so hard. He's really cute! "Len gave good advice. He knows what he's talking about. He's been dancing for what, 95 years?" Joey, you're hysterical.

Dance #2: Latin Round

Apolo: No they are not dancing to Salt and Pepa's Push It!! That is awesome. If I didn't already LOVE Apolo as if he were my brother (yea right), this would have put me over the edge. Way to step out and do something different. The audience again is cheering the most for them than anyone else. They have to win this thing! Thanks to Len, who said there was too much gyration and not enough technic, they did not get their perfect ten they so deserved.

Ian: Dressed up as Elvis? He made a pretty good Elvis. I wish my mother-in-law was here tonight. She will be here tomorrow night and I would have loved to hear what she thought about Ian's impression of her dream man. From the judges' reactions, I think they are getting their perfect 10. And yes they did.

Laila: They were amazing, but I'm really hoping they don't get a perfect 10. If they all do get perfect tens tonight, can they just eliminate the judges next week and make the show only 30 minutes? And they did get it of course.

Joey: Cute, Cute, Cute!! Hmmm...let's see, I wonder if they'll get all tens. With them, however, it is deserved.

The Bachelor

I still have not claimed a favorite. A few episodes ago, I claimed that Amber was my favorite, but boy was I wrong about her. I'm hoping tonight allows me see one of the girls shine so I can share the excitement of supporting the girl I like and hoping for her the win.

The Infamous Overnight Dates: Will they except the fantasy suite?

Each overnight date this season is happening in Andy's hometown, Hawaii. There's really no other reason to go anywhere else.

Andy first spends a little time with each girl showing them the monuments of Pearl Harbor. This is the first time I have been really envious of these girls. This would be such an amazing thing to experience. I would love to see the history of Pearl Harbor and see where this tragedy took place. I think each girl appreciated it like they should.

The First Overnight Date: Tessa
They are spending their date in Kauai! Uh, jealous! They started with a zip line. Andy said he loved this tom boyish side of Tessa. So far things are going great. They have shared some very romantic moments.

Okay...I must pause for a moment and vent. The previews made it sound like Tessa was really going to struggle with excepting the "fantasy suite". But when that moment actually came during the show, there was NO STRUGGLE! She excepted immediately! What the heck? The editing of this show is out of control sometimes. ABC I am not happy with you right now.

Overall, it went well. Tessa still seems like she is holding back though. There's something there that isn't right.

The Second Overnight Date: Danielle
Her date has started out awesome. They got to go whale watching and dolphin watching. Then snorkeling. Fun!

Danielle tells Andy about this time she went to see a psychic. *huh?* She told her that her college boyfriend who passed away would not be the one for her. But that the 3rd guy she fell in love with after that would be the one. That third guy is, drum roll...Andy. WHAT? I can't believe it? Well, it just must be then! I mean if her psychic predicted the THIRD guy she fell in love with is the one, then we can just end the show right now and get Tessa and Bevin on that first plane home.

That night at dinner, Andy surprises Danielle with a psychic reader. What will she say I wonder? Okay, she was using regular playing cards. Don't psychics usually use terra cards? Is that just my extreme inexperience with psychics?

Next is the "surprise" invitation to use the "fantasy suite". Will she except? Of course.

My friend Linsey just called to chat about the show. She thinks, without a doubt, Danielle is going home. In fact, she added that she thinks he has only kept Danielle around because he has to give out a certain number of roses and she happens to be better than the other crazies he had to choose from. I can agree with that opinion.

The Third Overnight Date: Bevin
She shows up nice and perky, sporting her pink Jansport backpack, ready for a day of hiking and kayaking.

After the intense waterfall make out session, he declared that the ABC producers "saved the best for last". He is always saying things like this to her. Could it be he is saying those same promising remarks to all the girls, but the editors are leading us to believe he is just saying them Bevin and she is the one? Back off editors. Remember I am not happy with you.

My friend Linsey is afraid they are going to get hepatitis with all the underwater kissing! I think they might need to worry about getting something else with all these "fantasy suite" dates.

Bevin and Andy that night attend a luau. Bevin belly dances for him and he thinks it's hot. But Andy gets to the tough questions and asks her again about her divorce. Although he questions her, he says he appreciates her sincerity.

Now that all that's over, let's get to the "fantasy suite" invitation. For the first time, I appreciated Bevin's response! I can now declare who my favorite is. It is Bevin all because of what she said when she excepted the invitation. She said, they know the passion is there, but they need to discover the other aspect of a relationship if she is going to except the invitation.

The Rose Ceremony
This is tough even for me. Usually at this point, there still is a girl in that I can't stand. But it's different with this season. I really like all three of these girls. I have no idea who Andy is going to take to the final two. Let's watch and see.

First rose goes to: BEVIN!

Second rose goes to: TESSA!
I guess Linsey was right, Danielle is going home. And I guess that means her reliable psychic was wrong. "How could that be?" Janelle says facetiously.

Andy walks Danielle to the limo and she is handling herself very well so far. As the limo pulls away we see tears from not only Danielle in the limo, but also from Andy.

I have to stop here and shamefully admit something. When I was in high school, I had my palm read. I didn't go out of my way and go to a palm reader and I sure as heck would never have paid for my palm to be read. I was on a gymnastic team my freshmen year and our coach was also a palm reader. I know, could this story get any better? So he told me as he was reading the wrinkles on my palm, that I would meet the man I'm going to marry by a creek in a park. I thought great, that's romantic. Well, I sure did meet the man I'm going to marry, not by a creek in a park, but freshmen year speech class at DBU. No park or creek in sight.

Previews for next week: Are they not doing a Women Tell All episode?!! Please say it isn't so? That could be my favorite episode of the season. Maybe there just wasn't enough drama this year to justify it. But seriously I need to see how crazy Amber's doing. And Stephanie that thought she had it in the bag. ABC producers, you have so not made me happy with this episode. This is strike two.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day to me is not really much of a celebration in my head for me being a mother, maybe because it's still hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that I am actually a MOTHER! Some days I still feel so overwhelmed with my inadequacies to actually feel like I am doing good. Like last night when she woke up every hour crying, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then woke up this morning feeling fine, after she spent half the night on the couch wrapped up in her daddy's protective arms. But then I think about how far Ella and I have come and how much we have learned. It's really unbelievable.

Last year's Mother's Day was very exciting. Ella was dedicated at our church by my grandfather, so my whole dad's side of my family came in town. Looking back at last year, I see myself still so naive about certain things, but so grown up. In reflection on the last year and 3 months, we had a wonderful day in celebration of my mother and of Ella.

I've learned since becoming a mother how much I aspire to be the type of mother that mine was to me. My parents sacrificed a lot so my mom could stay home with me. Even as a young child, I can remember being grateful that my mom was at home waiting for me when I walked in the door from school, the big hug, the snacks. I remember being grateful and still am that she never ever had to miss a single event in my life. She was at every tee ball game, every piano recital, every football game I cheered at, every basketball I sat on the bench at. She was the one I ran to as a child and into adulthood for comfort when I wasn't feeling well. It still amazes me how much a mother's touch can make everything better. She is the one that made my bed every single morning. My mom had this philosophy that I worked so hard in school and in after school activities, that I shouldn't have to come home and work more. She spoiled me to the max. This is what I want to be for Ella and I've had the best example to learn from.

Today, in celebration, my parents, Ella, Heath and I went on a picnic! Ella loves the park and I love picnics so it was the perfect thing to do.


Ella and Daddy were high fiving on the swing!












Such a big girl!
















We were having a slide race. Ella and I beat daddy because he jumped off the slide halfway down due to the 3rd degree burns happening to our skin. I sacrificed though and Ella loved it! Now somebody pass the aloe.

My mother's day gift from Heath was perfect! A few months ago, Heath and I moved into our first house. We do not own this house, but it's our first one. We have lived in apartments since we got married, fabulous apartments, but they were apartments. Now we have a great backyard (which I am most grateful for because I know longer have to walk our dog 4 times a day). I have been begging Heath to help me plant a garden. I have never ever in my life planted a garden or anything really. I know ZERO about it. Me working in the yard would be like Heath going shoe shopping for me. It's unthinkable. Until today...Heath bought me a garden! Heath worked on grounds at DBU for a couple of years and knows lots and lots about trees, grass and flowers. He educated me very well as we strolled up and down the many rows of flowers at Lowes. Heath told me to pick out what ever flowers I wanted, so naturally I picked the flowers based on their color, like pink. But he helped me coordinate them with a litle variety besides pink.

Here's what the slice of land looked like pregardening. Pretty bare. We sure got our hands dirty. We were on our knees pulling weeds, tilling (like I knew what that was a week ago), and resoiling. I know so much now. I love learning a new task.










My sweet hubby planting the flowers. He has a great eye for things like this, unlike me, which is why we are perfect together!




Ta Dah! It looks like a slice of pizza...or heaven! And this is just the beginning. Now that I know how to do it on my own, I don't have to wait for Heath. Ella and I are going to spend some great times at Lowes.

Joshua's Fabulous Birthday Party

Joshua's 1st birthday party was so much fun! Melissa did a fabulous job with it. She did a Cinco De Mayo theme and it was adorable! I got some of the cutest pictures ever of the babies.













Joshua had a pinata that was for babies. Instead of hitting it with a stick, you pull on the streamers. The idea is that when the baby pulls on a certain streamer the bottom falls out and all the candy falls to the floor (isn't that so cute?), but this one had a bit of a malfunction and after all the streamers were pulled there was still no candy on the ground. So Peter ripped the bottom out and out came this huge pile of baby treats and candy for the older kids. They were in heaven.














The progression of the hat stealing! #1
















#2
















#3

















Laney, Ella and Ava were so happy eating their snacks from the pinata together!
And they also were all loving playing with Joshua's new toys! Thanks for sharing Josh!

10 Year High School Reunion

Y'all...my TEN YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION is tomorrow!! I have to yell it to try to make myself believe it! TEN YEARS! How did that happen? The last 10 years have been without a doubt the best ten years yet. I graduated from college that was preceded with 3 1/2 years of non stop fun and meeting the best life long friends a girl could ask for. A year and a half after college, I married my college sweetheart. We spent 3 amazing years together having so much fun and then had a baby! Could it be any more perfect? I have loved these last 10 years. So I'm not sad that I am an entire decade older than I was when I graduated high school...it's just weird.

Here's to 10 more years!

AI - The Results

Wow...Jordin is tall! Incredibly tall. How have I never noticed that she is an entire head taller than the other contestants? I can't get over it.

Ryan lines all four contestants up and tells us immediately following the break that Jordin is the first one safe. I'm disappointed because honestly I wouldn't be too sad if she left tonight. I know, I know, I'm crazy. I'm very loyal to my favorites. If they were my favorite in the beginning, I'm loyal to them throughout. And Jordin just wasn't one of my top couple favorites.

YES!! Ryan just announced that Melinda is safe!! Big, big, big sigh of relief!!

Okay, so none of us are surprised at this point that LaKisha and Blake are in the bottom two.

YES!!!!! Blake is SAFE! Another huge sigh of relief! And our LaKisha is leaving.

I am sad that LaKisha is gone. She's amazing. NOBODY can disagree with that. But Blake is different. And that's what I like. I would rather see him another week because I don't ever get bored with him. Can you imagine him in the finale? That would be a show.

I always get a little teary at the end when they do the goodbye video. Hers was very sweet and she cried a lot. But man, when she sang her final song she hung up those tears and gave it to us!

Tea Party and Creative Attempts

*scroll down for DWTS and AI Recaps.

My mom has decided to start a cute tradition with Ella to have an annual tea party and she wanted to start it this year. I think it's a great tradition, however, this year it was a little bit of a beating. Ella was not loving the boas and beads, the hats and tea set, quite like we had imagined. Really all she wanted to do was run around and chew on the tea set. Getting her to sit and take cute pictures was almost impossible, but we still were able to get a few super cute ones and I think Ella had a good time, especially after we let her let lose and run around, which is what mattered.




















4 Generations!! My Grandma Holloman, My Mom, Me and Ella!

The day before the tea party, my mom showed me the tea set she bought and it's a paint it yourself tea set. She was worried that she was going to make it look bad with her painting, so in my attempt to make her feel better, not out of my confidence to paint something remotely good, I told her I would do it. Since the Mavs where playing their inevitable last playoff game, I knew I would be up late and have the time. My last memory of painting anything was when I was in preschool and I was painting a rainbow and the teacher got mad at me for putting to much paint on the canvas and letting it drip down. Really? I was THREE! If I knew that teacher's name, I might have to send her a mean letter about how she is not a good teacher and send her a picture of my latest and only art work:

DWTS - The Results

This was the first emotional goodbye for me. We said goodbye to Billy Ray. Between Billy Ray and Joey, as much as I hate to say it, it had to be Billy Ray. It just had to be. The right guy went home, which is always a good feeling even when it's sad.

Let's evaluate who we have left:
Laila
Joey
Apolo
Ian

Who goes next? It gets harder and harder. I think Ian goes next. After that, really I have no clue. I really feel like they are all equally good. Of course, I still have my crush on Apolo, going on 6 years now, so I would like to see him win. But is he the best? What do y'all think?

American Idol

Does it make me a musical idiot that I had no idea who in the world Ryan was talking about when he said the guest musician is Barry Gibb? Was I the only one? Please no.

Song #1

Melinda - Judges were NOT impressed. I agree. It was not mind blowing, incredible which it has to be at this point! I'm so disappointed. Simon just said they are singing a second song, please be better. I would be heart broken if this was the last night for Melinda.

Blake - Okay...because of our power outage last week I did not get to talk about the incredibleness that is Blake!! I am a HUGE Kelly Clarkson fan. I still believe that nobody can belt it like she can. BUT Blake almost took the prize for my favorite American Idol performance ever, just under Kelly's "Natural Women". Seriously, I can't even delete last week's show from my tivo because I loved it so much I want to watch it over and over. It will be close to impossible for him to top that.
Which brings me to tonight's performance...I couldn't tell when Blake was singing and when the back up singers where singing. The beat boxing did not work. It was like he was just fitting it in somewhere to fit it in because everyone loved it so much last week.

LaKisha - She looked great tonight in her black and white shirt! She was so into her performance tonight, ousing with passion. This is what I don't understand. The judges are saying these songs don't need to be changed, they are good the way they are. But I thought they were supposed to make the songs "their own". Either way, the song wasn't great.

Jordin - Already loving the song and she is just in her pre-singing video! Definitely the best so far.

Song #2

Melinda - A million times better than the first song! Showed off her voice to the max!

Blake - So so so so so much better! His voice sounded great. His beat boxing was subtle enough to where it didn't sound forced like the last song.

LaKisha - Sure it was good. She's never bad, but it was so boring I actually stopped listening at one point and started reading a friend's blog.

Jordin - I'm not sure what to think about this performance. It was good, but I think maybe her voice was strained. I guess two songs in one week is really taking a toll on these finalists. Please stop with the "creative" ways to hold your number up when Ryan is announcing for the millionth time how to vote. Why does that bother me so much?

Who will go? Probably LaKisha. Blake should be worried though. I need to start voting.

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!

My mom, Ella and I made it back from Kansas safely this afternoon!! We had lots and lots of rain, but no further tornadoes touched the ground where we were. I know many people are praying for the people in the town of Greensburg. It's so sad. My family lives about an hour away from there, so they were not effected in any way, except emotionally. Tornadoes in Kansas are horrible every year. There have been several times in my life growing up that we have called our family to make sure they survived the latest tornado. Fortunately, we did not have to worry much about it while we were there.

I am happy to be back home and in sunny DFW!

DWTS

Down to the final 5! Already? It's 3:00 p.m. and we just got home from Kansas, Ella is napping and I am trying to watch DWTS and The Bachelor as quickly as possible so I can be caught up with everyone else!!

Dance #1
Ian - The judges did not love this dance, but they didn't hate it either. They gave him a 8, 7, 7. Ian is amazing, but I think this is his "Last Dance." It's going to be between him and Billy Ray. If Billy Ray brings his passion and humor, he could beat out Ian's talent.

Joey - The judges agreed that Joey held back. And I agree as well. Since I know ZERO about dancing technically correct, part of me would prefer entertainment over proper dancing. Apparently he was right on technically, but very safe. He still got a good score of 26.

Billy Ray - I don't want him to go home this week! He makes me so happy! All 3 judges agreed, it was technically pretty bad, but as entertaining as ever. They only got an 18, so it's not looking too great.

Laila - Love the family pictures!! She looks exactly like her mom! Laila's straight hairdo looks amazing. She just blew a kiss to her dad in the audience!! What a great surprise! It was hard for me to focus on her dance at all after that sweet moment. Total score of 27!

Apolo - They fought for this dance. I could tell as soon as they stepped on the dance floor that they were in this for first place tonight!! Wow...I can not believe that Len gave them an 8! I could not disagree more with his negative comments. And whoa, a judging score controversy. This is what I like to see. Carrie Ann held up the 10, but meant to hold up the 9. Wait, but then she says she did mean to hold up the 10. They will sort it out during the break. And it's sorted out...she meant to give them a TEN...her computer made the mistake apparently. So their score is 28!

Dance #2
Ian - The judges are saying he doesn't look natural. Does anyone else feel torn with Ian? I think he is a great person, funny, cute, but I guess I just don't see his passion. Score: 25

Joey - This is what the audience likes to see!! So entertaining! Who do they keep pointing to? Does anybody know? Joey pointed to this lady and then Carrie Ann pointed to her. Is she someone special or was she just acting crazy to the point where they noticed? Score: 29!

Billy Ray - Sure did not pass up the opportunity to shake Mr. Ali's hand and throw some (or couldn't stop throwing) air punches up! Score: 20.

Laila - Could she be any cuter? Big time criticism on the beginning of the dance. They want more dancing! She's so good, they don't have to cover her lack of dancing up with a show. Score: 26

Apolo - They incorporate the music so well into their dances!! They get more cheers from the audience than all the other dancers. This dance could not have been more perfect. I could have not watched any other dance tonight, except for theirs and felt like I didn't miss a thing! Another PERFECT 10! Totally deserved!

The Bachelor

Have I said that I love that every show of the Bachelor this season is an hour and a half? I don't feel like I need more like I have when the 60 minutes were up in previous seasons. Is that pathetic?

Home Town Dates!!

Bevin
The first hometown date is with Bevin in Seattle. Andy's first words out of the car when he saw her was "I'm in heaven with Bevin!" His cheesiness is surprisingly not puke inducing.

Bevin still has not spilled the beans that she has been divorced. But here we go: I think she told Andy in a well thought out way. Andy was obviously shocked. He appreciates her honesty. He acts as if he is okay with it, but we see in his private camera time that he is worried about this past of hers and wondering how seriously she views marriage.

Okay, the moment between Bevin and her dad was touching! Usually when there are tears involved with these girls, I want to laugh. But this was different. I love Bevin's family! They seem so normal. They conveyed so much how they love each other and love Bevin. Her father is the sweetest dad in Bachelor history in my opinion.

Two thumbs up with this home date.

Danielle

2nd home date is starting out similar to the first. Same running hug, coldness, but no cheesy line, so far. What rhymes with Danielle?

So I was thinking, this is a pretty boring family! Sweet, but boring. Then all of the sudden, to my huge surprise, they headed downstairs to where they hold the fun. Her dad jammed on the drums, the girls were belly dancing. Who is this family?

One thumb up, one thumb down.

Tessa

3rd home town date. More running hugs, more cold. The difference: immediate fun! Snow ball fight.

Hard ball questions: "Is there anything the other women possess that you wish Tessa possessed?" Wow. Andy answers that it's her lack of affection. As of right now, Andy is thinking this has been a tough date and thinking that they are skeptics and quick to judge the process.

If I was Tessa, I would not be happy with my "best friend." She is asking such hard questions and making things awkward. Really, is she just trying to get camera time?

Tessa's father tells Andy in the kitchen that she is just going on the Bachelor for "fun". Andy is having serious doubts. He decides to confront Tessa about this. Tessa tells him that she naturally questions this process, which she doesn't want to do. So Andy establishes with her AGAIN how much he likes her and she is across the board what he wants. Give him a kiss Tessa. This would be a good time to show that affection. Good job girl. And he tells her he wants to fall in love with her!!

One thumb up, one thumb down.

Amber

This is the date we have all be waiting for, not because we finally got Andy to Texas, but because of the drama the show has given us peeks of since last week. Let's see how it unfolds!

She starts the date by showing Andy her class room and then she gets to see her students for the first time. There are lots of tears, which are very sweet!

We are now finding out with Andy that Amber's parents are so unsupportive of this that Andy is not going to be able to meet them. So then she tells us that he was supposed to meet her Aunt and Uncle instead, but now he can't meet them either because they can't make it. Why can't they make it? What do they have going on that is more important than supporting their niece and meeting The Bachelor? I am in such awe of this unsupportiveness.

So Amber takes Andy to the next best thing, her apartment to meet her dog and her roommate. This is one of the most awkward hometown dates so far. Not because Amber's family couldn't take time out of their schedules, but because of her roommate! Seriously, Amber, he doesn't HAVE to meet somebody. If you had the choice between him meeting nobody and him meeting your roommate, go with the nobody.

But what's this...a setup by the Bachelor producers possibly? The door bell rings. I wonder who it could be. It's Amber's Aunt!! Surprise, surprise!

2 thumbs down. Who could be going home?

The Rose Ceremony

Tessa gets the first rose.
Bevin gets the second rose.
Chris Harrison "This is the final rose of the night."
Danielle gets the final rose.

Our Amber is going home. No surprise there. I feel bad for her! She is so sweet, but it was just to awkward of a date without family to meet. I know she is probably more heartbroken over her family than this silly show or I sure hope she is. Maybe her parents and her can reconcile their differences now that she is no longer on the show. Wow...she is really sobbing in the limo. This is hard to watch. The sobbing, and cussing, total emotional breakdown. I must say, Andy made the right choice, especially after the limo scene.

Happy Birthday Joshua!

Today is Joshua's birthday and Melissa wrote a very sweet post about her life this week last year. Like Ella, Joshua also suprised us all, especially his parents, by coming 4 weeks early. I remember so vividly how I felt last year when we thought Joshua was coming, then he wasn't, then he was! You'll have to read her post. It was an exciting week of wondering if he was going to come for sure or not. I had just had Ella 2 1/2 months before this, so I knew exactly the thrill and excitement that Melissa and Peter were feeling and we were in the same hospital, so I was definitely reliving many memories. It's scary thinking your baby is coming early, but also there this huge feeling of knowing this is "it" and peace that there is a reason why God has planned for our baby to be with us now.

Melissa has been one of my closest friends for almost a decade! To be able to be at the hospital and see Joshua wheeled out of the operating room minutes after he was born, was very touching to me. I loved him from that first moment I saw him.

Happy Birthday Joshua, you big blue eye boy!! It has been a joy to get to see you almost everyday this entire first year of your life. Watching you and Ella grow up together is so special. Life doesn't get much better than watching your closest friends' babies grow and change along side your own. I love you and can't wait to celebrate your first birthday in a few hours!
Me holding Joshua 3 days after he was born. I have this really great picture taken on this same day of Kristin holding Joshua in one arm and Ella in the other but I can not find it. I'll have to do some serious searching for it because it's precious.

On a totally different subject, my mom, Ella and I are driving to Kansas this afternoon. We will be gone until Tuesday night. My cousin Soni had a baby boy a month ago and it has been driving me crazy that I haven't met him yet. Little David is the first baby in their family, so it's just him and Ella. This is Ella's first cousin! I can't wait to see that sweet boy and hold an itty bitty baby again.

When the Lights Go Down in the City

I didn't get to watch a second of American Idol or any other tv last night because Texas got another one of its whopper storms and this one effected us big time.

We are one of the lucky 300,000 in DFW that had none and still remains with no power. Last night at about 7:00 our power went out, but I wasn't too worried thinking, oh they'll get it back up soon. But as time went by I started to lose hope that I would be out of the dark tonight. By 8:00, Ella was in bed and by 8:30 Heath thought he would take advantage of the dark and nothing to do and catch up on some sleep. So I sat on my couch in the silence, with tea light candles lit all around, bored out of my mind. I called a few friends and talked on the phone until 10:30 and went to bed.

I was going a little crazy wondering what happend on American Idol and who the two were that got kicked off. I called my friend Linsey and she walked me through, who got kicked off. I made her tell me dramaticaly, like they told everyone watching, so I could get the whole feel of the show. And not to my surprise it was Phil and Chris. It would not have mattered who left the show last night, I would have been sad. At this point, they are all amazing and I like each one almost equally. However, Melinda is still my favorite, but Blake is definitely closing the margin with his performance Tuesday night.

The news is saying that some people could be out of power for a week!! Lord, please let this not be! Thursday night is THE night of television in our house, with Survivor, My Name is Earl, and the best show on tv...The Office. Plus, the Mavericks play their must win to survive in the playoffs game tonight and we might not have power!

Zoofabulous Good Time!

*scroll down for DWTS and AI recaps.

Monday, my parents took Ella and I and my grandma and uncle, who are in town visiting from Kansas, to the Fort Worth Zoo! It was Ella's first time to go to the zoo and she loved it. She spent the first 2 hours of the day pointing to every animal, smiling, and calling it a dog. The next 2 hours was kind of like, been there seen that. But it was so fun with her. One of the great things about having a baby is that as a parent, we get to experience things we enjoyed as a child again as an adult, but in a totally different way. Like hunting Easter eggs, swinging at the park, going to the zoo, dressing up for Halloween, Christmas morning.

The Fort Worth Zoo holds a special place in my heart. Heath planned the greatest engagement day ever for us 5 1/2 years ago!! The day he proposed he stole me away from work and took me to do all these fabulous things that we've always talked about doing but never had. We first went to Pappadeaux for lunch (which is where we went on our first date). Then we went to a winery in Grapevine. Then to the Fort Worth Zoo! After that we went and rode this really scary rocket bungee thing across from Speedzone. Apparently it was something I had said I wanted to do, but I did not love it. Then the most romantic dinner picnic at this park in Addison we love where he proposed. And then a huge surprise party with 50 of our friends and family to celebrate. It was one incredible surprise after another! The best day ever! So it was special for me to go back to that zoo for the first time since that day.


Waiting for the train. This was definitely Ella's favorite part of the whole day.
















I love this baby elephant because Ella's Grammy started buying Ella a book series called "Ella"!! They are the cutest books! The character Ella is this cute baby elephant. So I had to get a picture of Ella next to this elephant.











Grandad and Ella had such a good time looking and pointing to all the animals or "dogs".

Ella was lounging in her high chair at lunch time.


My cute grandma with the birds! This was a very cool part of the zoo! You basically go in this huge bird cage with hundreds of birds flying all around you. Ella would crack up everytime a bird flew right past her face.