Houston or Bust!

Again, I'm playing a bit of catch up. :) After we got back from our great little trip to Lubbock, Brett worked a couple days and we were off again, this time to the other edge of Texas for the wedding of my dear friend and former roommate Jackie. We really miss being close to all of our friends and family back home, partly because we miss out on so many festivities. When Jackie told me she was getting married, I was so happy for her! When she told me it was going to be in Houston, I jumped for joy! I was so happy to be able to celebrate with her and though Houston is still 6 hours away, we knew we had to be there. She was not only an amazing roommate, but she was there through all our time dating and she even threw my bridal shower for me. She's such an amazing woman and a great friend!

Exploring Galveston, we found this awesome old
phone booth!

Once again, miss Kayla Rae was a great sport during the long car ride. We left early on April 11, Thursday morning and when we arrived in Houston, we picked Jackie up to spend some time with her. Her fiance had a bachelor party to attend and Jackie's family hadn't arrived yet, so she got to accompany us on our trip to Galveston. I've been there before when I went on a cruise, but Brett hadn't been. We just wandered around and enjoyed the sites of the touristy type town. We also had lunch at Panera, one of our favorites!

BUT, the phone was broken. Kayla's face seems to say,
"Dad is so silly to think that will work..."

Kayla's a little traveling queen! Where will she go next?

Later that evening, Kayla attended her first bachelorette party! :) Jackie's fiance's friends had planned a party for her. It was fun meeting the great people there. I love meeting new people. Everywhere I go, I meet so many interesting people from different walks of life that have such interesting stories. I even saw someone I used to visit teach back in Rexburg! Its a small world, but it gets a lot smaller when you're Mormon. :)


The next day, we had breakfast at IHOP and went to this awesome little park. It was nice going somewhere a little more lush with vegetation than either Lubbock or the RGV had. Kayla loves being in her carrier. As much as I miss Idaho, I love that we've been able to be outside so much this winter and spring. Kayla has never been lacking in Vitamin D and fresh air.

It was such a beautiful park!

Kayla and her Papi!

During our little hike

We had a late lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and we were stuffed to the brim! We then drove to the temple where I was able to attend Jackie's personal endowment session. It was the first time I'd been to the temple since before the baby was born. Though I missed having Brett there (he stayed out with Kayla), it was so rejuvenating to be able to attend a session. I love the peace and comfort that the temple brings. I feel even more meaning as a mother attending the session. It was also so special to see and be with Jackie as she attended the first time.

Saturday morning, Brett got up early to attend a session himself while I stayed at the hotel with Kayla. Now, I'm always raving about what a good baby she is, but we had our first mishap that morning. Just as Brett arrived to pick us up to head to the sealing, I was changing Kayla's diaper on the hotel bed. I hadn't put down the changing pad because we were hurrying and she had never had an accident anyway. Well, there's a first for everything! I heard it before I actually saw her peeing. I hurried and grabbed the diaper, but the damage had been done, all over the down comforter! I was mortified! I wanted to leave a note that it was baby urine and not adult urine, not that it makes a huge difference except for the fact that I don't want them thinking I pee the bed, but we didn't have time. Oh, the adventures of parenting :)

We were both able to attend the sealing in the temple for Jackie and Jonathon. We left Kayla with a niece of the groom. It was such a beautiful wedding and I'm so happy for Jackie! It was also wonderful to be reminded of the covenants Brett and I have made to one another and to Kayla and any other children that will come into our family. The Gospel is such a beautiful thing that brings true happiness. I'm so grateful to know that Brett will always be mine. He and I together are a partnership that will last into the eternities. Each and every time I attend the temple, its reaffirmed to me how blessed I am to have Brett as my husband. He's the perfect man for me and I love and respect and honor him more every day.

When Jackie came out of the temple, she was simply glowing! And I LOVED her dress! It was perfect for her and so elegant! Her and Jonathon seem perfect for each other as well. He is such a kind man, and I wouldn't pick any other type of guy for Jackie. After the sealing, we had a luncheon with Jackie's family and had a great time. They are all such wonderful people! We drove home that evening and had another great car ride with miss Kayla. We had a wonderful trip and were so happy to be able to be there for Jackie and to get to spend quality time together as a family and to attend the temple. Blessings! :)

Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw!

Crandall family at the Houston Temple

I love those chubby cheeks!

My beautiful baby!

I'm so grateful she's forever mine!

Me, Kayla and the beautiful bride, Jackie

Our Road-trip champ - to Lubbock and back again

So, when we had a bit of a break from visitors, we decided to go do some visiting of our own! Its crazy how large Texas is! We can drive for hours and hours and not leave the state! We traveled up north to Lubbock to visit the Lucero family from April 1-5 (yes, I'm playing blog catch up). It was about a 10.5 hour trip with stops each way. We were a little nervous as to how Kayla would handle being stuck in her carseat for so long, but she did surprisingly well! She's such a champ! We took turns driving and sitting in the back with Kayla, entertaining her. She really was quite perfect until the last 30 minutes or so, when she started getting fussy. As soon as we arrived at Rebecca and Isaac's house, she returned to her cheery self. We had such a great visit with Isaac, Rebecca, and Wyatt. It was so nice to get out of the RGV for a bit and to be with family. They actually had a cold front while we were there and we got to use our heater for the first time since we moved to Texas! I loved it! :) We had a pretty low-key few days, just relaxing and catching up. I really love chatting with Rebecca. I love and respect her opinion and perspective on everything. We stayed up late every night just chatting! Brett was able to help Rebecca feed the horses. Its so great that we have family with horses. My favorite thing about visiting my Uncle Bill when I was little was his horses and I'm sure our kids will love it as well. We had fun playing with Wyatt. He is such a funny kid! I love that Kayla has so many cousins that are her age (there are five babies that will all be born within a year of each other)! We also really enjoyed getting to know Isaac better. We haven't been able to spend a lot of time with him and turns out he's even cooler than we imagined! :) We ate wonderful food and Rebecca, who is a blossoming Senorita, taught me how to make some delicious Mexican dishes! When the weather warmed up, we went for a walk. I forgot how different it is being in a dry climate. It made me even more excited to go home this summer! We also got ice cream a couple times - those Crandalls love their ice cream! I fit right in. :) We had a great trip and love having such wonderful family in Isaac, Rebecca, and Wyatt. We can't wait to see everyone else this summer!

The sunset was so beautiful with all the windmills in the horizon on our drive there.

Cute Cousins! He already looks like he'll be her protector!

Wyatt and Aunt Heather

Look at the little buddies holding hands! :)

They both look like they're humoring us while we take all these photos. 

He grabbed her face all on his own! Such a sweet boy!

Its a race! Wyatt's in the lead!

Beautiful spring weather

Such a pretty lady!

Handsome boy!

 We stopped in Fredricksburg on our way home and  toured the place. It was a fun little town that reminded me of West Yellowstone or Jackson Hole. It was a great way to break up the long drive home.

If that isn't the cutest little cowgirl hat you've ever seen, well you're just crazy!

Kayla was ready to be home. She was all tuckered out.

Kayla 4 Months!

Look who's 4 Months old today! I can't believe how fast my baby is growing! I look back at her newborn pictures and it amazes me! Everyday, she discovers something new, smiles a bit more, and brings more joy into our lives. Her little world has become our whole world. Kayla is still such a good baby, so much so that I get nervous to have more kids because I've been spoiled by her! 

She always sleeps at least 8 hours a night. 

She rarely fusses.

She loves playing on her playmat when I need to get things done.

She smiles at everyone she sees.

She loves looking at herself in the mirror.

She loves dancing with her Papi.

She is certainly a thumb sucker, mostly the right, but either will do. 

She is starting to get over spitting up, but now is a little drool monster.

She loves the pool.

She has learned to use her vocal cords and happily screams when she plays.

She loves being sung to.

She enjoys tummy time, at least for awhile, anyway.

She rolls from her back clear up onto her side.

She loves sitting up in  her high chair and being involved with whatever is happening.

She loves sitting in her bumbo.

She is constantly kicking her legs.

Her smiles are my favorite sight and her laughs my favorite sound. 

There is no limit to the crazy things we'll do to get her to giggle. 

She is the perfect baby for us! We're so grateful for Eternal Families! We've truly been blessed by our Heavenly Father.

Here are a few recent photos of our little lady!

Our pretty little lady!

Kayla in her ladybug floater at the pool.

Bright flash, mom!

She's looking so much like Brett's baby pictures!

Look at that happy baby! 

Pool time!

Playing with her "friends"

Kendra takes South Texas by Storm!

I have one friend that has been in my life longer than any other! When we were 2 years old, we lived across the street from each other, and our families became great friends. Fast forward 26 years, and this wonderful friend came to the RGV to see our little family! We loved having her here. We haven't really spent any time together since my wedding (which she was a lifesaver at). Kayla instantly loved Kendra and they became fast friends! Kendra would have adult conversations with Kayla and everytime she said Glycemic Indices (don't ask), Kayla would bust into the biggest smile! It was such a funny thing! While Kendra was here, we had the biggest storm we've had since the day after Thanksgiving. It was perfect because she kept saying she wanted to experience a good old fashioned southern storm! We always do our best to accommodate, and I happen to have a connection in the weather department. :) We got to see some of the sights and just hang out, which was perfect! Kendra also helped introduce us to the joys of vegetarian eating, which is something I want to do at least once a week. I'm really so blessed to have such great friends and Kendra is no exception! How many people are lucky enough to have literal life-long friends!? I know that Kayla is also going to benefit from having Kendra in her life. Here's a few photos to catalog our weekend together.

Kayla smiling at Kendra and her big, funny words!

She thought Kendra was so funny!

A perfect day at South Padre Island!

The water is finally warm enough to dip Kayla's toes!

We played at the park on the river. It was actually really fun playing on the swings! Afterwards, we ate at our favorite little Mexican restaurant, Costa Messa.