Merry Christmas!

So, I am officially on break for three whole weeks! It has been an amazing start to a great break thus far. I have been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life and I have been able to spend some time with those people this weekend! Chris, Amie and I went to Zoo Lights on Friday night after our school's Social Committee Christmas Party. I took Tammy out for pedicures as a Christmas gift, and spent time with lots of ladies at our Church's Ladies Christmas Luncheon, including a great friend Michelle. I even got to go on a special date with my hubby while Michelle watched Amie for us. It has been a busy, fun and special weekend! Today, I got to spend time with my friend Amy and her family at lunch after church listening to their funny family stories! I have only 2 days left here in Arizona until I take off for Alabama, so I know I have a few more days of spending time with important people in my life. It is a fast and furious way to tell everyone I know Merry Christmas, love ya, and see ya in a few weeks!

The highlight of my weekend was getting to watch Amie Lynn in our Church Christmas Play! She was an angel, a beautiful one, I may add! She was shy, overwhelmed, and scared, so she did her best for about 2.4 minutes and then cried, "I want my Momma!" A friend got a shot of her looking around for me and crying in costume! I can't believe that she is old enough to be in the play. I have watched the play for years wondering what it would be like to have my baby involved in it somehow, and this year, she was! It is a rite of passage that makes me proud and sad at the same time.

Here she is being ushered in to her spot in the manger scene! She is doing alright...

And, here she is on Amy's lap crying as Amy is trying to console her!
Just love it!
From our Angel to yours...Merry Christmas!
May your Christmas be filled with the reason for the season - Jesus and his unconditional love.

Halloween!

Halloween at the Conrey's was fun! It was a few days of wearing cute Halloween clothes, picking out pumpkins, carving pumpkins (at a party!), and then Halloween! It is so cool that Amie is really starting to understand Halloween. She was excited to dress up and go Trick-or-Treating, look at her pumpkin, light it up, pass out candy, and everything else that goes along with Halloween! Enjoy the picture of Amie's Halloween Extravaganza :)

Picking out Pumpkins!

After the carving of the pumpkins! Mine is the best of course - it is the ghost! Chris did a pack-man-o'lantern! It is on the end. Amie has a scary pumpkin!

Tinker Bell! Isn't she just too cute for words?

Daddy and Amie heading out to do some Trick-or-Treating!

Trick-or-Treating at her first house. She is such a big girl that she wanted to do it all by herself! she knocked, said Trick-or-Treat, and even said Thank You without needing Mom and Dad.

The after candy shot! She snuck a few chocolates while we weren't looking!

It's Been a While!

So, it has been a while since I posted last. What can I say? Life has been busy. I realized this past Friday, just how fast life has been lately when I was using every muscle in my body to keep my eyelids opens all day. But, I did it, I stayed awake for our Kindergarten Fall Festival, and a pumpkin carving party! Everything was fun and well worth the effort, but still I was exhausted! Then, yesterday, which was Halloween, I again just kept going like the Energizer Bunny. Life is so hectic sometimes, but lately it has not felt like sometimes, but all the time! Chris' schedule for the month of November looks something like this: I took a picture so that I can remember what he looks like, 'cause, I am not seeing much of the man until Thanksgiving! So, in all the craziness life has to offer, I am trying to remember to capture the small moments in life, especially those involving Amie Lynn!

Amie Lynn was Dedicated in August!

In September, Amie Lynn went on her first camping trip! She loved sleeping in a sleeping bag...wait, she loved PLAYING in her sleeping bag. It took forever for her to fall asleep!



A few weekends ago, we went with the Gooden's to the Florence High School Homecoming Game! We showed Liah and Amie what it takes to be Homecoming Queen.

Dancing at a local restaurant! We had a blast with my Aunt and Uncle. We do take time out to enjoy the little things in life :)

What Have We Been Up To?

The rest of our summer was good ol' down home fun! We traveled to Alabama and Mississippi to see family and celebrate Chris' Pop Pop's birthday and enjoy the 4th of July with all of our family. Well, most of our family, there were a few that couldn't make it. They were missed a ton! But, the family that we did see was awesome, and we had a blast. We also spent some time at the ball park this summer which is always a good time. Chris LOVES baseball, so anytime he can share that love with his Amie is a great time. Check out the fun that we had.

Good ol' watermelon on the 4th of July is so American, you just have to eat it!

Amie Lynn and her Aunt Jenn getting ready for some pool action!

Of course, we had to play dress up! Especially when Gee Gee provided the outfits!

Amie and her Gee Gee. They have a special bond that distance will not break!
How much more American can you get than ice cream at a ball game? Gotta love the face, yes, even Uncle Ken loves this face!Yup, this is a goofy family picture, but it fits us so well!

And, of course, we have been just plain cute...too cute for words!

Mom is back to the swing of things teacher kindergarten, and Amie loves going to see her Ms. Tammy everyday. We are so blessed to have great friends like Tammy who care about Amie so much, and us too! It was a great summer, and I am just so sad that it is over...now, when is the next break?

Baking Cookies

Yesterday, we baked some cookies! This is the first time I have had Amie help me bake cookies. Up until now, I have been afraid to have her near a hot stove and messy ingredients. Since Amie has been feeling so independent, I thought why not? She is going to start helping me in the kitchen sometime, so why not now! We got everything we needed to make our cookies, and then the fun began! She was so proud of herself and her ability to help Mommy now. My little girl is growing up. Thank goodness she still likes to give me hugs and kisses, or else I don't know what I would do!

First, we got everything we needed to make the cookie dough. Doesn't she look proud?

We mixed everything together - Okay, she mixed everything together.

Mixing is hard work! A good baker needs to stay hydrated!

Next, we put the cookies in the oven...she was patiently waiting for her cookies to be done.
Daddy helped with the waiting process by doing what all Daddy's do - lick the bowl and spoon!

Finally, it was time to eat the cookies! They look so happy.

That looks like one happy baker. I think she liked her cookie, do you?

Okay, now what else can I do with her to pass the time until we leave for Alabama? She is so excited to see her Gee Gee. She wakes up every morning and says, "I go to Gee Gee's house today!" And, of course I have to be the meanie and say not today sweetie, in 3 more days we leave. Tomorrow we are going to go to a water park, so hopefully I can keep her distracted for one more day.

The Summer is Flying By...

So, summer break is almost over for me, but we have been having a lot of fun. What have we been doing you ask? Let me tell you! The first week of break was crazy because I had three days of professional development I had to attend, the next week was a relaxed one with swimming, friends and playing. Next, we were off to Colorado to visit family. I love that I get to see both sides of our family when we venture off to Colorado. We even got to see the newest addition to the family - Baby Chase. Last week we went to a Phoenix Mercury game, did some more playing, running in the sprinklers and watched Daddy play softball. This week, we are getting ready for our last adventure of visiting family in Alabama. I am so blessed to be a teacher. I love teaching Kindergarten, and I am so thankful to have these great breaks to share more memories with my family. Here are some pictures of our great time in Colorado and at home.

Amie and Grandlin walking in Victor, Colorado. We spent 2 days at our house in Victor. It was so relaxing and beautiful.

Cousins! They love each other.Grandlin is looking good folks! I think having her Amie Lynn with her makes everything better.

Seriously, how many shades of green can you count in this picture? GORGEOUS!Here is Amie, Baby Chase, and Amber. We went over for dinner and Amie had a great time meeting Chase for the first time.Amie during dessert with Matt and Amber. She loves her chocolate cheesecake.
More Cousinly Love!

Amie with some more cousins in Colorado. They have such a great time playing when they are all together.Amie at the Phoenix Mercury game. She cheered them on, and they won!Amie hanging out at Daddy's softball game with some friends!

What a fun summer, and we still have two weeks of it left. Who knows what other trouble we can get into before it is over?

A Few Firsts for the Baby Book!

Today, Amie Lynn decided to do a few firsts, which can be exciting and also heart breaking because it means she is growing up! One first she did was poop on the potty all by herself! I was on the phone with my husband figuring out some logistics for our upcoming trip to Alabama, and when I got off the phone I heard a faint voice saying, "Mommy, I poopied on the potty all by my my self!" I asked Amie to repeat her last statement because I was in fear of where she was and how big of a mess she may have made in the process! She repeated herself, and I found her in her bathroom on the big potty, and yup, she did it all by herself! I was so proud and excited that we had to call Daddy and Gee Gee before she could even get off the toilet! (Just be happy that I didn't go Jon and Kate Plus 8 style and take a picture of the poop!) So, the potty training is going great, and she has finally gotten over her fear of pooping on the potty. I was starting to feel like a failure on the potty training train last night when she cried and cried about being scared to poop on the potty. But, today is apparently a new day.
Another first, Amie Lynn had today was swimming all by herself. Because of the big girl poop, she got to go swimming, and while we were there, she ventured on to he deep end by herself (Mom close at hand!) and put her face in the water, kicked her legs up and then the spashing started! She is feeling very independent today, and while that is good, it is hard to watch my baby grow up.
The last first is a great one! Yesterday, Amie and I went to the Men's Softball tournament to watch Chris play, and we took a cooler with us with water and gatorade to keep hydrated. Well, this morning after her big girl attitude was in full swing, she decided it was time to start acting like a Mommy and do some dishes! I said, "AMEN SISTER! Grab a sponge and let's get to work!" That was after I snapped a few shots of the situation first. I love my Amie Lynn and can't wait to see what new adventures we have in store for us on our trip to Alabama to see our wonderful family!

A Weekend in the Arizona Heat

This past weekend we got out and did what every family in Arizona does when it is 100+ degrees outside, we got wet! On Saturday, while Dad was at Mobifest (No, not the band, the mobile tech festival) Amie and I, went to Desert Breeze park and enjoyed the cement animals spit water at us. It was a little crazy with about 20 other kids there raging in age from 1 - 40, but Amie held her own and had a wonderful time. Okay, I have to admit, I had a great time to running around like a 2 year old - If you can't beat them, join them!Elephant Sprinkler

To be 2 again...

On Sunday, Chris and Amie and I celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary by staying home all day, making wonderful food, playing in the sprinklers and spending time as a family. It was the most relaxing day I have had in a long time. No stress, no worries, just my little family having a great day. The simple things in life really are the best. Give me a day with my Amie and Christopher with nothing to do, and I am in heaven. It is on those days that I really get to watch my daughter, listen to her, and watch her grow, which is scary and exciting at the same time.

Amie and Daddy Running Through the Sprinklers

Yummy Food

When Did This Happen?

So, my daughter who is only 2 years old, has decided that she can do everything "All by my myself!" (Not a typo, she says, my myself) Well, the other night while we were doing our nightly bed-time routine, she decided that she could put her pajamas on all by herself, and except for getting her head completely through her shirt, she succeeded. Here are the pictures of the big event...I know I take pictures of absolutely everything. I know Gee Gee likes it, and one day, Amie's high school boyfriends will get a kick out of all the glorious pictures!

The Shirt
One Leg
Two Legs
All Done!

Gardening in Arizona?!?!??!

Yup, I have ventured into growing vegetables for the first time since I have been married. I love to garden, and plant flowers, so I finally bit the bullet and planted tomatoes, squash, and carrots. I decided that even if I failed that I would do so having fun playing in the dirt. Well, the pictures are worth a thousand words....my garden is flourishing! My squash has taken over, and it is covering my poor carrots, but my carrots are survivors and they will make it! They are buried under the huge squash leaves, so you can't see the little guys right now. I planted the tomatoes (Roma tomatoes on the left, and in the pot is a regular tomato variety) and squash from plants, and the carrots I planted from seeds.
During Spring Break, I decided to not only plant some veggies, but I wanted to surprise Chris while he was away on business and build a garden! I chose the perfect spot. I cleared the rocks away in the corner of our yard that has a purple plum next to it. Put down the concrete borders all by myself, prepared the soil (Yes, I used organic soil, but I did add Miracle Grow...how awful!) and gingerly planted my lovely plants and seeds. I even made a blueprint, and measure the garden out! Chris was not as thrilled as I thought he would be, but he was impressed with my garden building skills none-the-less.It is not a big garden, but it is just the right size for the three veggies I decided to grow. I also threw in a tomato plant that can be grown in a container for some experimentation. I never thought that my squash would extend the little garden area sooooo much! One shoot is beyond the tree to the right of the picture, and I don't think it is done growing!
Almost every other day I wake up to find another squash bloom opening, and I love the contrast in color, and the potential for yet another squash. Seriously, those squash leaves are bigger than my head!
The heat has not posed a serious threat to my garden yet, hopefully this continues! Otherwise, you may have a very depressed Melissa on your hands. I am excited that I finally got off my duff and did something I have been wanting to do for years. I love my backyard, it is my sanctuary, and adding the veggie garden has made it even more so.