Ashley's 1st Birthday Party

Ashley had a blast at her first birthday party. She loved the petting zoo and I think her little friends did too. She also loved her farm animal cupcakes and opening presents. It is hard to believe her first birthday has come and gone! She is such a little ham and brings so much joy to her parents lives! We love you Ashley!!!

Giving back...

I am so grateful to my mom for instilling in me at such a young age the importance of thinking of others and giving back to the community. When we (my sister and I) were younger, my mom was always encouraging us to help others. I can think back on so many neat experiences that helped in some small way touch the lives of others in need, from making easter cookies to take the the nursing home to hand out to residents, to volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house, to serving food at a shelter downtown, to making and delivering 350 care packages to the men and women in the Corps at A&M when bonfire fell, to gathering up old clothes and toys and donating them, to cleaning up trash and helping to make the outside of an elderly persons home pretty again, to going out and shopping like crazy at the dollar store and 99cents store for shampoo, soap, toys, clothes, shoes and anything else that the victims of Katrina might need, to filling one, two or three shoe boxes every year for operation Christmas Child and so many others. When I was at Baylor I was involved in a service organization that allowed me to continue to serve and help others, Baylor Women's League. I loved BWL and the opportunities I had to give back as well as the many great friendships I made in this organization. I have missed this aspect of my life, the friendships and the bonds made while serving others...and have decided to join the Junior League of Plano. I went to the informational meeting last week and got to meet a lot of neat women who all had a desire to help the community in one form or another. I am excited to enter my provisional year with the JLP and hope to be able to serve greatly. A lot of people know the JLP for their annual christmas boutique sale, Neath the Wreath, but the JLP does so much more than that! It is a group of 900 women from all over Collin County who serve in TONS of different ways. Check out their website if you want to see more of what they do, Junior League of Plano. I'm excited to join this great organization and excited to once again make an impact in the community.

Happy Independence Day!

Ashley celebrated her 2nd Independence Day this week. It sounds so weird to say her 2nd anything, because up until this event everything has been her first! She got to see fireworks on both the third and the fourth and loved them. She clapped for them...it was cute! She also go to see her cousin, Alex, in his 1st 4th of July parade. Alex decorated a wagon with red, white and blue crepe paper and balloons and pulled it behind him in the parade. It was a fun day, we definitely enjoyed the day off and the three of us had a blast hanging out as a family!