A True Pack of Dogs

Casey and I took our 4 dogs up to the farm in his Prius.

We met my mom and sister, who brought their 3 and 2 dogs.

There were 9 dogs running around, barking at horses, chasing (and being chased by) cows.

Truly amazing. And cute.

Love Is In the Air...

Happy Valentine's Day! We spent the evening in Houston with Taylor and her fiance, Craig, at their engagement party. It was such a fun way to celebrate the day, especially because Taylor LOVES Valentine's Day. We are so excited for them and the good things that lay ahead of them in their life together.

Casey surprised me with a stay at the Omni hotel. We enjoyed sleeping in with no whiny puppies to feed the next morning :) Only 10 more weeks of sleeping in for at least several years! Yikes!! We enjoyed listening to a Robert Ludlum book on CD on our drive down, between and back. It was a happy, fun, full and complete weekend, Valentine's Day and trip.

Austin with the Stokeses

I neglected to document on camera our time with Morgan, Walter, Felicity and Nautica. But I think it was because we were having so much fun, we didn't have time to take any pictures :) We got to go out to their favorite restaurant - which is quite a treat for them these days - and Felicity drew us pictures on her kids' menu while Nautica, who was sitting between Casey and me, be-bopped up and down and all around. They are precious and we are so thankful for them.

On Valentine's Day morning, Casey woke up and made breakfast, along with the girls, for all of us. It was perfect and so fun. We love our friends and can't wait to see them all again soon!

Holly's 30th

Casey's sister, Holly, turned 30 this year. Appropriately, we celebrated her for the week. "The kids" (Holly, Jeff, Cheryl, Casey, Morgan and Barron) went out on Friday, and ran into some old friends - it was yummy (Cuba Libre!) and fun. We went dancing after dinner, too. Jeff and I fell asleep in the car between activities because apparently we're not as fun and energetic as the rest of the crowd.

Margaritas and black bean dip x2 :)

Jeff, Casey and Jared.

Jeff, Casey, Colby (and Jared behind Casey)

We also got to surprise Holly on her actual birthday - Monday, February 9 - at one of our favorite home cooking spots, Babe's. She was definitely surprised, because despite Morgan's subtle nudgings for her to shower, she came unawares, unshowered and wearing a sweat dress and tights (and looked absolutely cute, as always). This outfit did not, however, meet Holly's standards for 30th Birthday Party attire, and so she traded outfits with Morgan mid-meal :) So funny!


The Hauns had birthday dinner, (Chicken Alfredo) the following evening, but sadly we didn't make it, due to a long day and severe headache :(

Love you, sweet Holly. So glad you were born, so glad you're my friend and my sister.

31 Feels Good

First off, I've never realized how many people I know with birthdays close to mine... I went to three birthday parties the weekend before my birthday - and none of them were mine! I know at least 10 people who have birthdays within a week of mine. Very strange. Maybe it's just because I'm 31 now and I know a lot of people?

Casey Haun made me homemade buttermilk wheat biscuits and honey butter for breakfast, which I enjoyed right after my luxurious morning routine in my newly remodeled master bathroom. My sweet friends - well, really just Tay - decorated my office for me, which was a fun surprise. I ate lunch with my mom at Mariposa (Neiman Marcus' restaurant) and got to ride the escalators through the white hanging butterflies. For those of you (girls) who have never done it, it's just magical. Sorry I didn't take a picture; I thought I might get sued.

Then the freezing rain started, making the roads dangerous, so I got to go home at 3! I love cold freezing precipitation of any kind and thought it was a very nice little gift from God. After I hung out with Casey for a couple of hours, we braved the slippery streets to Frisco and made homemade pizza together with the Haun clan - YUMMY! I got birthday kisses from some very special gentlemen, but Barron and Jeff flat out refused. I'm not sure what kind of message they're trying to send with their reluctance to participate in family traditions, but I can't say I'm not a little concerned about it...

What can I say? I got to wear a tiara and eat creme brulee! It doesn't get much nicer than that. We braved the weather, which by that point was way more treacherous, like the true adventurers we are and made it home safely. I didn't have to go in to work the next morning until 11, so we slept in and had another leisurely breakfast and Casey drove me to work and worked from my office all day. It was just perfect.

I received so many texts, emails, facebook messages, electronic cards, physical cards and phone calls! It's amazing to know so many wonderful people. Thanks for celebrating with me. I've continued the birthday week, as is our custom, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. Now, onto Holly's birthday...

Marci's Visit

We had the special privilege of celebrating our friend Marci's 30th birthday (5 months after the fact) in Dallas. We loved getting to hang out with no agenda but fun...

We ate a lot of good food, watched a great movie, experienced a gospel choir/buffet and talked a lot. Of course, we thought our time was much too short and was gone way too fast, but we are thankful for it! Love you, Bubb... Thanks for coming to see us :)

Hauns' New Year's Eve / Christmas

Every year we prolong our Christmas (yea!) until New Year's Day. The big boys golfed on New Year's Eve, we met up at the senior Hauns' house for a yummy dinner, the kids opened pajamas and headed to bed so Santa could come - again. Although, Beau told me a disturbing rumor that Santa is his daddy... and sometimes, Tatu! The grown ups stayed awake to ring in the New Year, but Morgan and Barron were too weirded out to get in the hot tub with the entire fam, so we skipped it this year. Barron didn't want to rub legs with any of the hairy boys or Kaye Haun - funny. Anyway, we all headed to bed and woke up to have our Christmas morning together on New Year's Day. Wow! There was a lot of wrapping paper and lots of fun gifts :) We ended our time eating at Babe's Fried Chicken and, oh man, it was so good. It was a perfect ending to a perfect last Christmas.

Morning coffee...

Brady's third or fourth jam packed stocking!

Tatu helped Beau find his inner pirate. He just couldn't keep that earring on.

Betsy was into her stocking. And she was walking just in time for her 1st Birthday. We're so proud of her...Holly and her mama.

Such a smiley guy, that Jeff.

What do you think of Kaye Haun's new boots and scarf? It's a good look, I think.