Ballard Bunch

We had a fun weekend, for two reasons: 1) my sister Sydney (better known as Jojo) came over Friday and ended up staying thru Sunday!! 2) Jason was off from the bank Saturday, so it really was a family weekend! The kids absolutely love my sisters, and it is so fun for me to see them all together. Sydney is the same age difference from Walker as I am with her. She and I are 12 years apart and she had just turned 12 when Walker was born. We were doing our makeup getting ready for church Sunday morning, and I said, "Can you imagine doing this with Lucy when you are my age and she is a teenager?" She said, "NO!!" I can't either, but I also can't believe my once little Meister will be driving in 6 months! Anyway, it is fun for them to have cool aunts that like to do things for them and with them. Saturday, Sydney took my camera and the kids outside. The weather finally warmed up enough where they could go outside. This week had been so cold, we hadn't gotten o...

I love movies. Funny ones, action, romantic ones, Disney ones, all kinds. I am not picky when it comes to movies- I just love being thrown into a world and getting caught up in a storyline for a few hours. When I was young, my Dad and I used to go to the movies every weekend that I was with him. Sometimes, we would even do a double movie day. Movie, lunch, movie- now, that was a great day. Jason and I used to go to movies all the time, too. Our very first date was to the movie theater behind Hulen Mall and we saw Deep Impact. On our first anniversary, Jason rented out one of the theaters at the Ridglea movie theater on Camp Bowie and had them play, wait for it... Deep Impact. He had Cafe Aspen cater the meal, and we ate in the movie theater while watching the movie. I told you he was a keeper!! Anyway, one of my favorite things to do is... Go To The Movies! I love to watch movies at home, too, and that is where we see most of our movies now a days. Pay-per-view, baby. But, there is so...

Walker and Daisy May taken Sat., Jan. 19 by Jojo

Memory Books from Walgreens Photo I made one of these for Jason's mom for her Christmas present, and it turned out great!! You get 20 pages with the book, and for each page, you can choose the layout of how you want the pictures and how many you want on each page. And it's only $19.99!!! My Uggs It has been COLD here (I know, I'm from TX, what do I know about cold??), and these boots are keeping my feet SO toasty. Thanks, Jojo!! BLOGGER!! Where would I be without my blog??? It is definitely my favorite new "hobby". I like to post, but the thing I like most is having so many friends, old and new, that I can keep up with. I love reading everyone's posts, and I know I leave comments that are too long and more like emails than actual comments. I enjoy getting a glimpse into friends lives and families. And it's nice to know I'm not the only one going through the things a mother, wife, woman goes through.

When I started my blog, I planned to post recipes and talk more about food. Cooking is definitely a passion for me, not just just something I have to do. I love Food Network, reading cookbooks, finding new recipes and cooking for my family. It is really fun to have a recipe for something, but change it up a little bit to make it "yours". One of my favorite all-time meals is.... BREAKFAST FOR DINNER!! When I was a kid, this was my absolute FAVORITE thing to have. Partly because I love breakfast food, and partly because it was just fun and different. Now, even as an adult it is still one of my favorite things to make, and my kids love it, too!! We have it when Jason is working late, as he prefers his breakfast in the morning. My favorite breakfast was at Dottie's in San Francisco. We waited an hour out in the street, but it was worth it. I have never had a better breakfast in my life. Favorite breakfasts to have at home- - Jason's breakfast burritos - french toast m...

This weekend was an important milestone in the Ballard household. Our 6 year anniversary was Saturday. WOW!! It is amazing how time flies when you are starting your career, having children and remodeling a home. There are a couple of things I have learned in 6 years of marriage to Steven Jason Ballard: 1. Don't serve him soup in the spring, or salad in the winter. 2. There should always be sweet tea in the fridge. 3. DON'T TOUCH THE MAGNETS 4. If you mention something once, it is LOCKED IN. He will remember! It is great for gift-giving (he always gets me what I wants!) not so great when I am trying to get by saying, "I don't know what you are talking about, I don't remember that." Ummmm, right. Happy Anniversary, honey!! Saturday, the kids helped me bake Jason's favorite cookie, his Nanny's Ginger Creams with Vanilla Butter frosting. The kids have really gotten into helping me bake, so they were thrilled to make "daddy cookies". It was a blas...

I have come to realize why I love blogging so much. I stayed away from it for awhile because I didn't think I had enough to blog about, and I would rather not have a blog than have a lame blog. Once I got rolling, I have become obsessed and LOVE IT! But, I have figured out why it works for me: 1. I am a naturally nosy person. 2. I love to talk about myself. Well, those two things make for a great blogger!!! I have always been nosy. I love knowing what is going on, even if I don't really know the people. I have always loved hearing stories, too. My Dad is a great story teller (read: slight exaggerator), and would often tell me stories as a kid. And, I love to talk about myself. I don't know why I think people are interested, but if they ask me ONE question, then I can go for a while. My mom sent me the email below, and one of the questions is "What do like least about yourself?" She said- " I think everyone is interested in my long, boring stories usually inv...

Got this email today. Instead of forwarding to everyone (your welcome), here you go! YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2008 when... 1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave. 2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years. 3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three. 4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you. 5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses. 6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries. 7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen 8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it. 10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting ...

I got a new camera for Christmas. I am very excited. It is a Nikon, and it is Fancy!! Anyway, we haven't had a good camera since we had the kids, and I was getting so frustrated with my old digital that would take a couple of seconds to take the picture. Well, the kids had moved in those couple of seconds, so I hardly ever got the picture I wanted. I took these on "sports mode" when we were outside playing the other day. I never would have even attempted this with my old camera. The kids got tickets to Playhouse Disney Live for Christmas. It was a live show with Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, My Friends Tigger and Pooh. All their favorite shows!! My kids probably watch too much TV, but they do learn stuff, and it helps when I am trying to cook dinner!!! They were very excited to be at the show. We were kindof high up, but it was no trouble to see anything. I put the extra zoom lens on my camera, so I could get some pictures of the stage. Before th...

I sit here ready to write my Friday Favorites , and I hear my sweet little girl playing with animals and telling them a story. My favorite little girl is.... Lucy Elizabeth Ballard 10-18-05 Current height and weight 36", 32 lbs. Lucy is a fun little girl to be around. She likes to make people laugh, and if you laugh at something once, be prepared to hear it again and again!! She loves to dance and sing, and is major into Disney Princesses and Dora. She has been talking since she was 16 months old, and it is hilarious to hear what she comes up with everyday. Her voice is the sweetest little munchkin voice, and it is so cute when she says things that end in r (like Walker, monster, hamburger), because she puts an n at the end of the word (Walken, monsten, hamburgen). My sisters are always asking her to say stuff that ends in r, just to hear her say it with an n. She is named after Monty's mom, Lucy Shaw. Some of Lucy's favorites: favorite foods: bananas, broccoli, macaron...

Yes, Christmas is over. I certainly understand why some people get the " blues " after the holidays. It is such a build up, especially for us this year with the kids understanding and participating more than ever. After Christmas Day, what else is there to look forward to?? But, I have really come to enjoy the few days after Christmas. Seriously... 1. The kids are great!! They are so absorbed with their new toys, they play all day, AND play great together. As soon as they get up in the morning, they run right into the living room or Lucy's room (where the Princess kitchen is), and start playing all over again. I really appreciate this because... 2. ORGANIZING time!!! We brought home SO much stuff, and I said, " Before we start undoing all the bags and put the new things away, let's go through the old things. " So, I got to go through the kids rooms and our closet with a Donate bag and a Trash bag, and make some room for the new stuff!! 3. More naps!!! Walke...