boo-yah, america.

I saw that phrase written on an old Mexican La-Bamba car window.
It brought joy to my heart and a tear to my eye.

I still love to say it. Sing it with me, "BoO-YaH, AmEriCa!"



I just voted. Yes, I joined the "early birds" and voted today. Being that this was my first voting experience (since, yes, I just turned 18), I have to say, I was surprised at the feeling of gladness I experienced as I walked out of the city hall. The sun was shining a little brighter, the birds were singing a little louder (those blasted grackles!), and all in all, I was happy.

Yes, I felt a sense of civic pride, people.

Now, what could possibly top that feeling? I'll tell you.
A-dawg (he hates it when I call him that) just called me on his way home from school (11:00 a.m., mind you!) AND!!! (mind reels there could be more) he was on his way to the City Hall. Mr. I'm-Not-Going-To-Vote-Because-My-Vote-Doesn't-Matter is actually standing in line right now to vote. !!!

(Yes, I tried asking him, "what if everyone in america was like you? then where would we be?"---but alas, now he has TRICKED me and TREATED me!)
ha. little halloween joke.


Wonder of wonder. Miracle! Miracle!

Shocker of all shocks.

Good on ya, mate.


Today is a good day. Halloween is here, candy is everywhere, we are a voting family, and I'm making home-made soup (pray for us). Let freedom ring, my friends.

p.s. Aaron, if you really did vote for the "other" candidate, just to discount MY vote (like you threatened on the phone), you are dead meat. Dead meat with a captial "D".

boston trip: day one.

well, it is about time, eh? two weeks later, and I feel on top of life enough to post some pictures of the great adventure we had.
This was the first REAL day we had in New England.
We decided to start it off with a trip out to Lexington and Concord. Wise decision. It was beautiful.
Here is Walden Pond in all of it's autumn glory.


Next, we ventured into Concord (which happens to be the town right next to Lexington). Our trip wouldn't have been complete without seeing Louisa May Alcott's home!!?! I know, I was really excited about this part. It was wonderful. Any kinks? Yes, we almost missed our guided tour b/c of our little Tillie. She decided to show her love to us by BLOWING completely out of her diaper right as we sat down to enjoy the little precursor movie. Not so cool. Yes, that was RIGHT after this picture taken below.



Luckily, I was prepared with an extra little pair of pants and onesie in the car. I had ALMOST taken it out of my diaper bag, thinking, I've never needed one before. hA! Serves me right! So, poor baby, we had to strip her down completely in the freezing cold (we didn't dare get the rental car messy) and try again. We ran back into the house and joined back up with the tour. It was great! I am such a fan of Little Women, they could have said pretty much anything and I wouldn't have been disappointed.

It was awesome to see so many of "Amy's" or in real life, May's, drawings and sketches all around the house. She even drew on the borders around the windows. It was crazy to see that these were REAL people! with REAL lives.

But, I must say, I was a little sad to learn that even though this was the house Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women in, she had moved into it when she was 26 or 27. Meaning her childhood and all the stories had NOT taken place in this house. Cool? Not so much. So, we found out, that actually, this house, NEXT DOOR was the one they actually grew up in! Unfortunately, after the blow out situation and busy time line, we decided to forgo the ACTUAL house of her childhood. But, we did take a picture of it (see below). Neat tidbit, right?

Next, we drove into Concord. It is such a cute little town and we ate the most amazing paninis at Main Streets Market and Cafe. I was brave and even had "roasted red pepper" on mine. Delicious. My mom will be so proud of me.

Oh, did I mention that we drove by this, the Sleepy Hollow Cemetary? Yeah, it was right there too. So neat.

It was about 2:00 pm-ish and we were feeling good, so we decided to venture out to the Berkshires. Even though we knew it was a few hours away, we thought maybe we'd hit it in enough time to see the "most beautiful fall foliage in New England" before sundown. So, we left. I fell asleep (my favorite past time), and when I woke up, I see that we aren't on the freeway anymore, but we're winding around these small little country roads. Confused, I turned to Aaron to ask if we were there yet. He was smiling and really excited. He kept wanting me to guess where we were going, and that he'd changed his mind about us really making it so far away in time to see the leaves, so he had a surprise up his sleeve. I kept looking for signs to see where we headed----and then finally I saw it, "The Red Apple Farm"!!!


Aaron knew I had wanted to go to a real farm to pick apples in my life, and he found this one! And they had lots of pumpkins and all sorts of fun things! Apple doughnuts, apple dumplings, a huge fun barn, a crazy store, petting zoo, and of course... beautiful apple orchards! One tree had 108 different types of apples growing on it! Can I get a what?! what?!

One word? Incredible.

As we were walking into the orchard and the sky was starting to turn to a pretty golden color, Aaron and I looked at each other and realized life is good. We hoped that heaven would be like this. This amazing-ness. It was perfect. I told him I would never forget it.
-----then I told him I had to find a bathroom!
Nice, I know. Way to kill the moment, but I was ready to die! We'd been driving around for hours... luckily, they had some nice restrooms, and all was good. We ordered up some apple dumplings and doughnuts and ate and headed back on the road.

We were sick, however, that our camera's battery had died! We took some pictures on my cell phone, but it was all we had. So, I went to the "Red Apple Farm" website and found this picture to illustrate it's beauty (you'll have to click on the link, b/c the picture is copyrighted).

Anyway, it was a FANTASTIC first day, wouldn't you say? We finished it off by introducing Matilda to all of our favorite Disney songs---a'capella, of course. Aaron has the best version of Timone and Pumba's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"---in case anyone was curious. I don't know if I have ever laughed harder.

the first HaLF-BiRthDaY of her life...

where does the time go?

our little dolly is six months to date.

?!?!?!?!???!??

just thinking about her makes me want to cry.
I never knew how much I could love that little girl.
It's funny, I thought I reached my capacity of love for her when she was only a day old---how silly that seems now.
My heart seems to wrap more and more around her every day.
I love everything about her.

The way she buries her little face on me when she is tired. The way she squalks like a little birdy then starts laughing when I look at her. The way she "fake" cries when I take longer than .5 seconds to get her food to her. The way she squeezes my finger with her entire tiny hand. The way she smiles. The way she makes sure I'm always an arms length away. The way she rolls over onto her tummy and looks at me to make sure I saw her accomplishment. The way she beams with pride when she sees that I have. The way she lets me smother her with a million kisses every day. Her little songs. Her little crooked smile. Her huge bright blue eyes. Her perfect little eyelashes. Her tiny kicks. Her big stretches. I love it all. Every hair on her head and every move she makes.

She has turned our world upside down. How did we live with out her for so long? What did we do for all that time?









To Matilda:
Even though you can't read this now, and am wondering why I am putting a birthday crown on your head and snapping a billion photos of you today, I want to give you birthday wishes.

Happy 6 months, sweet Tillie Mae.
love. forever. and ever.

xoxoxo,
your mama.

TRICK or treat?

Remember when I thought someone had left us a big halloween treat on our front porch as I pulled in tonight? As I parked in the garage I was thinking to myself, "wow, that is so nice that someone would think of us!" and wondered who I would pass the secret treat to next, etc.

Yeah, I guess I owe thanks to the phone directory people. Their "treat" was THREE stupid phone books in a bright orange bag.

That is when I mentally put a big "L" on my forehead and called myself a loser.

nice.

happy halloween.

sneak peak

boston was, in a word, amazing.

we loved it. so much.

what i don't love so much? laundry, unpacking, and that little thing called "real life." so, until I have the motivation/gumption/desire to download ALL the amazing pictures and go through to find the best/most exciting/wonderful/descriptive/beautiful pictures... enjoy this little HALLOWEEN image in honor of the holiday here in minute.

oh, and while we're at it, let's post one of our bundled up darling too, shall we?



more to come soon.
i promise.

"a boston we will go..."

the title? because I could. that's why.
these images below? again, because I could. and did.
(i typed in the word "boston" on google and these were some of the suggestions it had).

boston terriers

boston red socks
(which aaron thinks we should pay $500 for a ticket to one of the games.
To that suggestion, I just had to scoff. (yes, good word usage).

boston herald.

n.e.way, let's talk Boston, aka MY Disneyland, aka Beantown (just found out why it's called that. Ever heard of "boston baked beans"??---yeah, Aaron and I won't be partaking in that delicacy. We aren't bean fans or tomato or cucumber or squash or sour cream (unless mixed with other things) fans... that's why we got married. we are SO alike.

So, yes, we are traveling to Boston. Aaron said last night that I am acting like a 5 year old going to Disneyland. Yes, friends, I am THAT excited. Now, you would think, with all this excitement, I'd have EVERYthing planned out--where to go, what to see, what to eat, etc.--- however, I mustn't be a liar. Really, nothing but the car rental, hotel and flight is finalized. Sorry. My bad. But, in my defense, there have been many things to accomplish. So, the time is up. Our trip is upon us, and now I am in the midst of planning it all.

Oh, you want to know why we are going? Okay, this is a good story. I'll try to make it brief.

Aaron got accepted to Boston University. That was my ticket to Boston. I've ALWAYS wanted to live there, even for just a brief stint. I was thrilled. Well, he also got accepted to another school and yes, a few others... but in the end, we decided to go to Tejas. Things like "great school" and that thing called "money" played big roles in that decision. Aaron's theory was this, as he pitched the idea to me, "Because Texas is so much cheaper, we will use the money we saved and go to Boston EVERY year!" Well, I'm a sucker. I agreed. And here we are. Third year in dental school and FINALLY going. Remember how it didn't go exactly as Aaron pitched it? That's okay. All that matters is that we are really going now.

So, we've been saving up our pennies and that, coupled with the fact that one of Aaron's favorite pastimes is looking up cheap tickets (good talent, hon), we're truly going!

We've got a few things ready and are especially looking forward to wearing our LONG SLEEVED SHIRTS, SWEATERS, and JACKETS! Now, to those of you who live in Texas, let me introduce you to these articles of clothing... just kidding. But seriously, I have not touched my "sweater box" since we've moved.

So, we're going. Get excited. I am. Miss Kemy, (who most of you don't know, but she is a good friend of ours who lived in Boston before we met her, and therefore the expert on such matters) ---she has graciously emailed us a list of some ALL IMPORTANT and WONDERFUL things to do. So, basically, I have a good idea of what we will be doing, but in case any of you think there is something else we ABSOLUTELY have to do, we'll take your suggestions.

But, in case we don't have time for ALL of them, please, don't be haters. Only love.rs. (I had to separate that word with periods so you wouldn't get the wrong idea).

So, there you have it folks. We'll start taking suggestions starting..........
................
......................
wait for it.............
....................
..............
wait for it ..........
............
.......
............... now!

take a looky.

ok. we ALL loved this little photo shoot. Matilda was in a GREAT mood, we were home from church, and the weather was perfect... ah, this is the good life.

this last one captured tillie mae in the middle of a belly laugh. gotta love it.

a random assortment...

okay, we took a lot of pictures recently. so, instead of bombarding you all with ALL of them, i thought it best to stagger them out a bit. I'm saving the BEST for LAST, just like Vanessa Williams (love that now the song is stuck in my head, thanks Vanessa). So, the next time I post, you will die. You were warned.
nuff said.

But, these are pretty cute too. When I was still pregnant and my mom and Lizzy were in Tejas, we decided to go to the outlets and shop till I dropped (literally). While there, we found this DaRLinG hat. Unfortunately, it fits her right now. Did I mention that it is 90 degrees outside. Darn.

Well, we'll be able to use it a week and a half. Why? Oh, cause we are "...leaving on a jet plane..."---don't be haters, but we just HAD to buy a delightful tickets to good 'ole Beantown. Why they call it that, I don't know. But, when we find out (which I'm sure we will), I'll give you the low down.

Yes, folks, we're heading to B.O.S.T.O.N.
and yes, we are bringing Matilda. Lots of people seem surprised when we tell them she's coming. What else would we do with her? Leave her home? :) No way. I'm too excited to put her in her new little coat and have her wear her little hat.

More details about the grand event to come. But, let's turn our attention to the little one again, shall we? Good. Here she is, showcasing her little hat... with her purple onesie (remember? it's really hot outside---hence, the lack of clothing).

love the daddy/daughter bonding moment. I told Aaron his head is about as big as her entire torso! hA!

this one we had the flash on, so it was crazy bright. But, call me nuts---i'm loving those HUGE eyes.
She's either bright eyed and WIDE awake or asleep. I swear, there is no in between.

I came across these two images as I was scrolling through our pictures. Aaron and I laughed so hard when we saw it. I cropped myself out of it, but to set up the story: I was next to her on the laptop and she was NOT happy that I wasn't paying attention to her. Love her face.

the classic quiver lip.

the shunned look.
sorry, honey. don't be such a hater.
and yes, those are her crazy long socks pulled up over her pants. aren't tights all the rage again?
this is our version. we're fashion forward over here. proof of that in the very last picture on this post.

Now, these next ones are my favorite too, because this is our life pretty much each Sunday evening. We make the rounds through the neighborhood and lots of times, if we're lucky, we pick up a few crazies along the way. Here they are. Love this shot.

I love how happy Matilda and little Jaylie are in this shot.

(just a cool side note, these families live just a few houses away from us and these boys HAPPEN to all be in the same dental class... and we HAPPEN to all be members of the same church... what?! i know. did we luck out or WHAT?! i know. we love it. so much.)
Who's who? From the left to right: Kip, Aaron/tillie, Tim/easton, Kajsa (9 months pregnant and you can't even tell from this picture! she is SOO ready to have this baby!!)/jaylie, and Melissa/dylan. Not pictured? me. But, not for long...

yes, this is me. giving the peace sign to you, all my peeps. hA! Aaron felt bad that I wasn't in that group picture, so I obliged and posed for him. And yes, those are my huge awesome pajama pants (when I slipped them on, I had no idea we'd be traipsing around the neighborhood, and THEN having a photo shoot!)
in a word? Awesome. outfit.
rock on, melissa. rock on.

guadalupe river!

ahh, the guadalupe river.
we went with a few of our young women, and it was pretty swell.
here are some pictures.

that darling little Gracie was born just 6 days after Matilda... don't worry, she is such a cutie!

Oh, and we were trying out new functions on our camera---don't worry, you aren't trippy. it's the camera.
peace out.

oh, p.s. nicole, i don't know why i don't have any of you?? what? (she was my partner in crime in regards to the discovering of new functions on the camera! she is really smart with these kind of things! thanks!)