Trampoline

For her birthday, my mom and stepdad got Branna a trampoline. It's not the huge kind, but it's just perfect for Branna... And it seems very safe. It has secure netting all the way around (even on the underneath side) with a hole to climb through that zips up.

It took a couple of hours for me to get it put together (with Branna asking how much longer every few minutes), but it was well worth the time spent! She has had a great time in it and has wanted to go outside at every opportunity. I was even able to get her to finish her dinner with the promise that she could go jump again. I think we're going to be spending alot of time outside!

April 12: Happy Birthday

Wow! It really is hard to believe that my baby turns 3 today. I never knew how much joy she would bring to my life and she has taught me so many life lessons. As I usually do around Branna's birthday, I found myself looking through the pictures we've taken of her. How blessed I am!

Only a few days old

5 weeks old

4 months old

8 months old

1 year old

2 years old

Not only is this day special to me because of Branna's birthday, but also because it was Saige's due date. As hard as it has been dealing with the loss of our second daughter, I have also grown so much from her. Our family has become closer and we have all gained a deeper appreciation for each other and especially for God. I have not shared these pictures with many, but I thought today would be the special occasion to do so, to celebrate life.

Little Helping Hands

As the completion of my degree neared, I began to daydream about all the things I could do with my time: read a "fun" book, start Branna's school back up again, cross-stitch, and even having the option to do nothing! :) One activity that I also really wanted to get involved with was Branna and me volunteering in the community. However, I had no idea where to even start looking until I saw a news blip for Little Helping Hands.

This is an organization started by a mother of young children who wanted her kids to have an opportunity to serve others in the community as well. All of the activities are geared specifically for younger children. Some of the activities include making meals for families at the Ronald McDonald House, helping to harvest a local garden, and cleaning local parks.

It seems that there are many eager families willing to participate because spots go quickly for the month. Because of that, May will be our first opportunity to volunteer, but I'm excited about the opportunities we're signed up for. Our first event will be making toys for animals at the local animal shelter and our second will be filling bags with rice and beans for impoverished families.

If you're interested, you can go to http://littlehelpinghands.org/ to see what opportunities there are for you and your family.

Bluebonnets

Like most Texans, every year I anxiously await the arrival of the wildflowers, especially the bluebonnets. I think it's because it means spring is finally here! Each year, we've taken pictures of Branna in the bluebonnets, but this year I thought was especially fun since she was able to interact more and have a better appreciation of them.

Also this time, we found the perfect spot, behind our congregation's building. It gave Branna enough room to walk around and explore, and had SO many beautiful flowers.

I wish that we were able to have professional pictures done, since my camera isn't the best and I have no idea how to edit pictures. However, I think that all-in-all, the pictures turned out good... I guess that's pretty easy when the subject is pretty cute.

Soka, the Bunny

It's amazing how quickly time gets away! I hadn't realized that it had been almost a month since my last blog. This last month has been very busy for me while I was completing my master's degree. There's been alot of things that I've put off doing, like posting about our new pet : a bunny!

She's a very good natured animal and has been really sweet with Branna. As you can tell from the pictures, Branna has really enjoyed her, too! And you may have guessed that Branna came up with the name... :)

San Angelo Stock Show

This past weekend, Branna and I went to San Angelo to visit family and to see my brother show show his hog. He was a real showman and did a great job! Branna really enjoyed getting to see the animals and, of course, Jess.

After the stockshow, we went to the petting zoo, where Branna got to see (and feed) alot of exotic animals.... and ride a camel! She was so excited! As soon as she got off, she came bounding down the stairs saying that she wanted to ride the other one, too. What a kid!

Fallow Deer

Jacob Sheep and an Alpaca

Riding the Camel!

A Hair Cut

Branna got her first big girl hair cut today! I was concerned about losing her curls, but I think it turned out really cute!

LivingSocial Deals

I have recently joined a group called LivingSocial Deals. Everyday, they'll send you a special for a particular business in Austin (or whatever major city you decide to sign up for). For example, they've had deals for half off a meal at local restaurants, several specials for spa treatments, and a $15 oil change at Groovy Lube.

If you're interested in giving them a try, follow this link:

https://deals.livingsocial.com/redeem/777614-alana_?ref=lnk

(Edited: If you tried the link earlier and it took you to deals for Washington, D.C., the link should be fixed now for Austin.)

Snow Day

It snowed in Austin! It's been along time since I've seen any measurable amount of snow. It seems like our house always misses the wintery weather, but not today! Branna had a blast playing in it. She really wanted to build a snowman, but there just wasn't enough. She did get to have a taste of it, though.

Trying to catch it while it's falling

Brrrr....

Dino Diorama

Confession: I have slacked off in being the mother I want to be. Since December I feel like I've been caught the avalanche of life. I haven't done the things that I want to with Branna, my house is a wreck, and I have to grocery shop on Saturday... I hate grocery shopping on Saturday. Most of these are the effect of trying to finish my master's thesis by March.

However, today Branna and I managed to squeeze in a little time to do a Dinosaur Diorama. Even thought it wasn't the 'full size lesson' that Branna was getting a few months ago, we had a good time doing it. She enjoyed assembling the box and having a playscape to move the dinosaurs around in. Hopefully, come March we'll have more of these to show off. :)