Busy life!

Whew! March sure was a busy month! We were on the go ALL THE TIME! Now, onto another busy month! Drake's 4th birthday is in TWO DAYS. I can hardly stand it! It HONESTLY feels like yesterday we were waiting on his arrival! I can't believe it has gone so fast. When people tell you that it will fly by, you better believe 'em! He is so into his birthday this year. He wants every thing he sees on television & if I don't look fast enough & I miss the commercial I am in BIG TROUBLE. He's so into Super heroes & all that jazz, so that's his theme for this year! We went the Avengers route ;) I had him & Dru the cutest little superhero shirts made by Perfectly Paisley Designs & they turned out PERFECT! Drake's shirt has his all time favorite, Iron Man & Dru went with a blonde Super Woman! Now, to find Mommy & Daddy some shirts! 

 Drake has started T Ball & we are having a blast! Well, not at last night's practice. Daddy had to miss because he is trying to get the corn all planted before the big storms & rain come. So, Drake did not take it as serious as he would have if Dad had been there. Ole Mama gets taken advantage of when she's chasing a non-stop ALMOST 2 year old around, too! ;) He did pick me some flowers & I loved them, but I had to explain he can do that at home not at T ball! Ha! 

 I've still been on my photography journey and I am having a blast! I even bought me a new little logo from the cutest little shop & the sweetest gal! Check out her Etsy shop, Crate and Petal! Here's what mine looks like! 

I AM IN LOVE!

How cute is that? Anyway, I'll share some of my favorite shots from some of my sessions over the past month! It has been so much fun & I am so thankful for everyone who has let me take their pictures! & of course all of the support from my sweet husband! He really is my biggest fan. & if I say I "need" it, he makes it happen! Oh, & Drake now wants to take pictures of everything! We had a guy come over to fix something in our yard & Drake is standing in his window sill with just his undies on saying, "Mommy! Can I take a picture of this guy? He is the coolest!" Haha! Dru is pretty annoyed when I bring out the camera & just comes to sit in my lap so I can't take any of her! Stinker. Anyway, here are some pictures! 

Enjoy! 

 Sweet Annie! Isn't she beautiful? It was a VERY windy day!

This beautiful bride, Stephanie!

This sweet newborn, Chevy!

These three handsome boys! 

Maddox, Luke & Sawyer!

Our friends, Jason & Rachel!

The sweet Moore Family!

My best friend Randi & her husband Brandon!

My other bestie, Ashley & her family!

Have a blessed day!

Family Session

I took some family photos for one of my best friends and her family yesterday! We had a great time and a lot of laughs from her little brother, Chet! I love how these turned out and her baby Hazel was in the best little mood, so I was so happy we were able to get some good shots of her with her grandparents, aunt & uncles who came from out of town :) Here are some sneak peeks of the beautiful family!

To see more of their family photos, check out my photography page here! 

 I am having so much fun on my photography journey. My husband has been nothing but supportive and has provided me with literally everything I've asked and needed (wanted, really). He really is the best and my biggest fan. I just had to brag on him for a minute :) 

 I am looking forward to all my sessions in these coming weeks because of the NICE weather! Woo hoo! But, now the warm weather only reminds me that I need to start working out again... BUT, that's a whole other blog post! Ha!

Life Group

We had our usual Life Group yesterday, but this time we had a new little member! 

Our good friends, Zach & Alicia welcomed baby Hazel in December. She was a month early, & with all the yucky sickness going around, they have been staying home. So, this was her first LG appearance and her sweet mommy & daddy wanted a couple of pictures. 

We couldn't be more blessed to be a part of this little girl's life! (& her mommy & daddy) We've prayed so hard for her and we are so excited to be on this journey with them! 

Here are some sweet pictures I took. I definitely got teary eyed taking them. Our God is so good to us. 

We are blessed. 

              That last picture! Oh wow.

            God is good. ALL THE TIME.

Tyrone & Sarah Maternity Shoot

I had my first shoot with my sweet friend, Sarah & her husband, Tyrone! They're expecting their first baby & I am so happy they let me share this special day with them. I had a blast with these two! They really are the sweetest couple. He kept telling her how gorgeous she looked. (& she did!) You can just see the love they have for each other & I know that baby Logan will just add to it. He sure is a lucky little boy! I told Sarah I wish everyone could see their marriage as an example, they really are that great!

We did the shoot at my parents house since it was close to where Sarah & Tyrone live. My parents have a good amount of land & some pretty spots, so it worked out perfectly. 

The wind was crazy that whole morning & early afternoon. I was so nervous that it would be bad during pictures, but it stopped around 4:00pm & I met with Sarah & Tyrone at 4:15! Perfect timing.

We got some props & walked around to find some spots. (I'm a poet & didn't know it) Thankfully, My parents watched the kiddos inside, so we wouldn't have a wild boy running around in his undies in the background of all the pictures! (We will just save those for when baby Logan can do the job!)

Damon has been so busy with putting out anhydrous, so he got out of his daddy duties for the shoot.

Any who, here's a peek of some of my favorite shots!

I told you they're precious! & Tyrone was right, she is such a gorgeous mama to be! Thank you, Tyrone & Sarah! I cannot wait to meet Mr. Logan Reed! 

Have a great day!

Looking forward to a great 2014!

Whew! Now, those were some busy holidays! I am officially back on track to my blogging!

We had an amazing Thanksgiving & Christmas! That time of the year is ALWAYS my favorite, & I think having kiddos just adds even more to it! 

For Thanksgiving at my mother-in-law's I made The Pioneer Woman's cornbread dressing with sausage, mushrooms, & apples. Sounds weird, I know. But, it was SO GOOD! Damon even liked it! If it didn't take "so long" to whip up, I would make it for a nightly meal! Yum!  You can find the recipe here!

Our kiddos had a blast at Christmas! Santa did a darn good job! But, thank goodness he did not have to bring a ride-on toy, because I don't think our back yard can handle anymore! 

We had a great time with all of our families & seeing our babies happy & teaching them what Christmas truly means IS what it's all about. 

So, on to 2014! Wow. So many things happening this year! I'm looking forward to so much with my sweet family!

First off, our 5 year anniversary is this year! We've been together for 8 years or so & I just can't believe we are having our first "big" anniversary! This guy deserves an award for putting up with me! My daddy told him the day we got married that he couldn't bring me back! HA! I'm just lucky he hasn't tried yet! (That I know of) ;). I love our life & there isn't anyone else I'd rather be spending my forever with. I am a lucky gal, y'all!

Second & third, my babies are growing!!! Drake will be a big four year old & Dru will be a big two year old! Where has the time gone? Somebody tell me how to stop it! It is so much fun watching them learn & grow everyday, though. They really make me the happiest, craziest, proudest mama! They're my babies, & no matter how old they get I will make sure they know it EVERY day!

& Fourth, We are getting a NEW baby nephew! We have 3 nieces & 2 nephews from both of my older sisters & their husbands. And, now Damon's brother & his wife are expecting! We are beyond excited & can't wait to snuggle a new little nephew! His due date is July 4th! I think he will be a little firecracker ;)

I've thought about taking up Photography for a while now. Damon gave me my camera for Christmas in 2012. This year he bought me a new lens and a seat at the Mamarazzi of Tulsa! I had a blast & learned a lot more than what I went in knowing. The ladies were so sweet & very helpful! So, I'm out on a new adventure and I'm very excited about it. I hope to keep you all updated on my journey through here! Here's a picture I snapped of my baby girl, Dru. She will be 19 months next week.    
(She's clearly in the boo boo stage!)

               Have a great evening!

No bake cookies! & a mommy moment :)

Everyone loves an easy recipe, right? Especially a NO BAKE, delicious one! These are so yummy & such a quick make. I remember my grandma always making these, too! My sister can make a pretty mean no bake cookie, also. 

I needed a quick dessert for our life group that was being hosted at our house this evening. So, I knew I had all the ingredients & these sounded amazing! Even though I am supposed to be eating healthy I couldn't pass up on these. (Plus, hubby is a big fan & the other fellas of the group are, too.) So, what's a gal to do?

My sweet farmer has been working so much lately with the soy bean harvest, so he had to miss out on life group this evening, but he made sure I knew to save him some cookies. I told him if there weren't any left I would just make more. (He doesn't need to know how easy they are to make!)

My cute tester, Drake, had to try them out before he went to his Bay Bay's (His Grammy) house for the evening & they passed with flying colors. In fact, I had to bribe him with one to actually get him to come home after life group. (Don't judge me, people!) 

On another note, my sweet girl, Dru, is teething & just a tad cranky so she stayed & enjoyed life group with us & she was our entertainment! (Climbing on the coffee table, riding everyone's "horsey" AKA leg, & running around squealing!) I've been a scattered brain mama with a wild, crazy (SWEET)  3 1/2 year old & a cranky, hurting (SWEET) 16 month old. I'm rocking my baby girl now while she is sleeping (this hardly ever happens) & Drake is laying in bed with daddy watching a super hero movie, I'm sure. Things get wild around here. I mean WILD. & I get cranky, too. But, laying here knowing I have two amazing, healthy kids who love their mommy & daddy with all of their little hearts makes things a lot easier. I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I just never had that "ah-ha" moment until...... I became a mommy. This is what I was meant to do. And even though I get cranky, frustrated, & every other emotion that applies to raising kids, I wouldn't change a thing. Because, I also get all of the happiness, kisses, hugs, "I love you's" & daily blessings that go along with it. I am SO thankful for our babies. God is amazing, isn't he? Yes, he is. I just had to get a mommy moment in this evening so there it is! & here is a cute picture :)

      Now, for the recipe!

             No Bake Cookies

  

2 Cups of Sugar

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Butter

3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add later:

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

1 teaspoon Vanilla

3 Cups Oats (I add extra until it gets thicker & tough to stir, so they're not runny)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large sauce pan

Bring to a rolling boil (continue stirring so it doesn't scorch)

After about a minute & a half remove from heat

Stir in 3 remaining ingredients 

Spoon them out & put on wax paper to let them cool

& the most important..... Lick that spoon!

       Enjoy!

Chocolate Gravy. Say what!?

Yesssssss. My FAVORITE breakfast! My mom would always make this for us & it was by far the best. I think this recipe differs from hers, but I can't tell the difference. Chocolate is chocolate, right?

The hubbs had NEVER had it before I came along. (He's so lucky! Hehe) & he never really wanted to try it at first, but now he is a chocolate gravy believer! But, really. I'm so shocked when I hear people say they've never had chocolate gravy! We are in the SOUTH people! It's such a quick breakfast, too. (My kinda cookin') I also love having breakfast at dinner. (Any type of breakfast food) Hubbs hasn't come around to that one yet. He always says, "That just doesn't sound good." (I end up making it anyway) & there are NEVER any complaints. ;)

This can be eaten with homemade biscuits, but like I said, I like a quick meal. So, I use canned biscuits. Now, for this delicious recipe! Let me know how you guys LOVE it!

      Chocolate Gravy

2/3 cup sugar

2 heaping tablespoons flour

1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups milk

2 tablespoon butter or margarine 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I usually put less)

Add all dry ingredients to a medium sized pot/stove top safe bowl

Add milk using whisk & mix with dry ingredients

Bring to boil, reduce heat, & stir constantly to prevent scorching

It will thicken & then remove from heat

Add butter & vanilla extract 

Mix well until all is blended

Pour over your serving of biscuits

           Enjoy!