Happy Father's Day!

We are blessed with six amazing men in our lives that we get to call Dad or Daddy, Jimbo, Grandad, Grandpa, Papaw or Poppie!

Maddy wants to tell each of your Happy Father's Day and give you a big wet sloppy kiss (those are her specialty you know!).

Jimbo - it was so fun seeing you yesterday and playing at the pool with you. I can't wait to ride horses and drive a tractor with you some day. I love you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much!



Grandad - I'm sorry I can't be with you today. I love reading the paper with you and seeing your dogs. You are so fun and have great stories for me every time I see you! I love you Grandad!!




Grandpa - You always have a big smile on your face when I come around and I like that a lot. You were so happy to give me your mother's name and I like my name so much! Thanks for loving me and giving me such great hugs. I love you Grandpa!!



Papaw - You are a great shopping buddy when Mommy and Nana take off. You love pushing my stroller and always offer to hold me when everyone else is busy. You love putting me on your lap and were the first person to make me laugh. I love you Papaw!!



Poppie - You always sing me sweet songs every time you hold me. I love coming to your house and seeing all the big trees. I wish I could be in Knoxville more often to cheer on the Vols with you and sit on your knee. I miss you and I love you!!!



Last, but certainly, not least!

Daddy - Thank you for being my daddy. Thank you for letting me chew on your phone when my teeth are hurting. Thank you for taking me to church, teaching me about computers, sports, video games, and the guitar. Thank you for feeding me chicken nuggets and milk shakes when Mommy is not looking. Thank your for making me laugh and smile every time I see you. You are such a good daddy and I can't wait to learn more from you each and every year. I love you so much Daddy!!!

"Best Month Ever"

My dear sweet husband said that this has been the, "best month ever." (Next to getting a wife and a baby...those months were pretty great too he added.) I thought I better blog about it some to let you know why June 2009 has been so great.

Well, the first weekend in June we were in Knoxville for a weekend. I already posted about that, but here are a few more pictures.





The week after we got back from Knoxville we got our new i-phones and saw Coldplay all in the same day. I just posted about Coldplay today. (Side note, I had it saved as a draft for forever, but finally hit publish today. I'm still testing out blog writing tools for Macs to find one that is fancy!) I have a new phone number now, too. So if you don't have it, let me know!

That Saturday we made our way to Seguin for a LLYC wedding! Krista and John said, "I do" in an amazing outdoor garden with all of the plants listed in the Bible except for those that don't grow in Texas. We got to see lots of camp friends and enjoyed really good food by the river. It was a beautiful night.





On Sunday, one of our college students from Trinity University came to stay with us. Jenna and I met at LLYC in '05 and when she came to San Antonio, her and some other friends started coming to the AHUMC College Life. This week, she helped out with VBS and has gotten to hang out with us all week! We have been to some fun places with our guest: The Cove, Spectrum (of course), McCarthur Park, and Paloma Blanca (our fave Mexifood).

Jenna also came with me to my work's end of the year picnic. That night when we gave Maddy a bath, we found that her water was sooo dirty since she had played hard at the park. The rest of Maddy's fan club were there too to play!





Oh, but wait there's more! On Wednesday night, Jenna stayed with Maddy and we saw "Wicked." Here's the best part...on the 2nd row!!! I saw it in Dallas a while back and fell in love, singing with Cecily at any opportunity we could to captivate an audience, but up close was all I needed to fall in love again. It was awesome. Thanks for the special hookup Jessie and Sally! Well, there's still more to come, but I will just write another post since it has to do with Father's Day!

Coldplay

This was Coldplay on June 10th. It was amazing!









It was all yellow.


Near the end of the show the band came up to where we were sitting for three songs. They were about ten seats away from us!

Knoxville Nuptials!

Logan's cousin, Katie, celebrated with all of the family last weekend for her and Nathan's wedding! We traveled to Knoxville on Wednesday and had a full weekend of visiting family and friends, shopping, resting, and celebrating Logan's birthday and the Mize wedding. Now that we have been home for a few days, I'm finally posting about it before we head to our next wedding (John and Krista) in Seguin tonight.



I got to help cut Katie's cake right at the very end, but I still loved it, of course! Nathan's cake was actually mud cake with some hiking shoes on it. Maddy loved all of the desserts and would sit next to anyone that fed her a yummy treat.



Baby Reyna (sp?) was there at just 4 weeks old! She is beautiful and was such a good baby for her mama.



Cousin Bryan was there to entertain.



We were so excited to see Warren and Jill for an entire weekend. We also got to go to Warren's ordination on Sunday night. Jill and I got to shop with the MIL's and the boys got to play some golf. And we played spades...and the boys won...as always.



Beautiful wedding weekend indeed!

Not Me Monday...or Tuesday

I haven't quite figured out the link for MckMama's Not Me Monday yet, but here is my post that should have been for yesterday.

I did not stay up till 1:00 am and then wake up at 4:45 am for our 6:45 flight. I did not let Maddy crawl all over the (I'm sure filthy) airport floor because I was just too tired of her squirming in my lap. I did not pick at my split ends from two days of not washing my hair on the plane today. I did not "freshen up" from my plane ride by putting in a stick of gum and simply washing my hands before heading to work at 12:30 today. I did not go to sleep at 8:00 tonight and wake up late at 6:15, which means I did not sleep for over 9 hours and still feel tired today. Nope, not me!

Happy Birthday Logan!

Today is my amazing husbands 28th birthday! I so wish I was better at planning fun things for the entire day, but with our crazy schedule and my lack of planning after becoming a mother, we are enjoying some R&R in Knoxville with his family. His cousin is getting married this weekend so we are actually getting to be with his family on his actual birthday for the first time in about 10 years! (Nana is quite excited as you can imagine!)



The best part of Logan's birthday is that he is sharing his gift with me this year! We are going to see Coldplay in SA next week! I can't wait. Here Logan is showing all of the college students the latest fashion and how to carve meat. What a wise mentor they have.



This Daddy loves his Squirt Bug! She is his pride and joy and I know they will be friends, fishing buddies, and faithful Vols fans for life!



Can you tell where that little lady got her pretty blue eyes? Thanks Logan for giving her such a beautiful face so everyone stops us in public and says, "What amazing eyes she has!" Thanks....we know.



Logan will be the first to admit that our world was rocked significantly about 11 months ago, but he is an AMAZING husband, INCREDIBLE father, and FAITHFUL friend and minister to those around him. This was Maddy's very first bottle.



I love you Logan and I hope you have a fabulous day today as we relax and enjoy some time in Knoxville. Oh, Nana made him his favorite strawberry cake so we'll get some pictures of that tonight and show you more of the actual birthday celebration later!

Reality

Reality means that you don't find a house right away, you don't have people accept your offer, you don't have three houses you just can't decide between, you don't have a dilemma over peekaboo ocean views or the downtown mercado feel. Nope, reality means you have slim pickins, see so many houses you get them all confused, get your hopes up and then...go back to your apartment. Reality means a home must be made, not bought. We know timing is everything so we will wait for our turn. This is reality.

Happy Birthday Jimbo!

Today is my dad's birthday. I am about to leave for the airport for OK for the weekend so obviously I can't be there with him. I'm not even sure if he will read this or not, but I will at least make an attempt to celebrate him with cyberspace and the few of you who read this blog. So here goes:

J--Jimbo--this guy is in love with his grandbaby! He sneaks in quality time for he and Maddy to watch John Wayne, play in the dirt, pet the dog, and just be together. I can't wait for all that he will teach Maddy

I--Intelligent--my dad is so smart. He is constantly teaching me about...well, pretty much about anything. Dad was the guy who asked for extra homework for me because he knew I needed the challenge. He also taught me how to drive and how to look people in the eye and start up a conversation with a stranger.

M--Married my mom...again, isn't he smart? But seriously, my dad is an AMAZING father, husband, son, grandson and is devoted to every person he knows. He loves my mom passionately, but also loves everyone around him.

M--Minister till the end--Dad was a full-time minister for 7 years before he became the stock broker/rancher he is today. Even still, he has devoted his life to spreading the word of Christ in any opportunity --his office, prison cells, his living room, or his Sunday school class! Dad continues to live his life as an amazing minister to everyone he meets!

Y--young at heart--no matter how old you are Daddy, you will always be the big goofy guy in a green dinosaur costume ready to go for another round of horsie bights and a ride through the pasture in "Thunder".

So even though we'll be miles away this year on your birthday (and Father's Day too!), I just want you to know how amazing you are and how much I love you. Thank you for being a father to me, Andy, Logan, and Mary...a husband to Mom, and a grandfather to Maddy. We love you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much Dad!

Dad and Maddy recently with the new swing!


Dad and Maddy at 1 month.


Holding Maddy at the office at 2 weeks.


Jimbo and Marme on July 9, 2008 (Maddy's birthday)


P.S. Dad, Maddy destoryed your birthday card envelope so it is sitting on my counter. I will get it to you ASAP. I promise! I LOVE YOU DAD!!

Summer Food Finds

I am always looking for new recipes for the summer. Tonight we enjoyed turkey burgers (pretty much a year-round staple, but it felt "summery"), with avacado, sliced tomato...and a strip of bacon. Side note---since we rarely eat bacon, we choose to eat the good, fatty, greasy kind and only buy it every three months or so...we just can't stand the turkey kind. If you can, that's great! But not for the Fritts fam. So, if you have some good summer time recipes (few ingredients, fresh foods, and the least amount of heat as possible), please let me know. This week I'm going to try an avacado mango chicken recipe and then a grilled shrimp salad. Logan and Maddy will be alone for most of the weekend since I will be in OK for a wedding. Please pray for safe travels and no rain for Muskogee since it is an outdoor affair for the Watson/Wallingsford wedding!

Swing Kid

Jimbo and Marme got Maddy a new swing (her first swing) a while back and we finally got the chance to put it up today. You can tell by her face she absolutely loved it.






Jimbo took Maddy out another time by themselves while we were packing. This grandfather was pretty happy with his grandbaby and his puppy by his side.



Nana (Logan's mom) got Maddy some new shoes and I finally got a picture of them on her. She usually kicks her shoes off before we even leave the house so it was a rare chance I caught her with them on.



We also had Marme and Jimbo's 30th anniversary party at the ranch this weekend. Through all the business of setting up (in the rain), having the party (in the rain), and then cleaning up (not in the rain)...I didn't manage to get any pictures. A good friend and amazing photoprapher, Nicole, came up for the big day and will get us the pictures very soon.

Mary was able to do some touch-ups on their engagement photo. Aren't they cute?

We are full!

Life has been busy...scratch that...full lately. Two weeks ago Maddy and I were in Mineral Wells/Fort Worth for a busy...full weekend.

Saturday was Jane's graduation from TCU with her Masters in Education Administration, day of shopping for Mom & Dad's party, Bridget (friend from high school) & Andy's wedding and then Jane's graduation party. Sunday was a Mothers' Day celebration in FW at Granny & Grandad's house with most of the family.

Last weekend Jane and Scott came to visit and stay with us for the first time. (We're so glad SA is a fun town to visit and people like to visit!) The boys had plans of attending the Valero Open since I got some free passes from work, but the rain forced everyone indoors for most of the afternoon. Jane and I managed to get pedicures and eat lunch without the rain and then went to the mall. After the gullywasher (yes, Jessie it was a gullywasher!) we ate at the Cove, a complete organic restaurant with a car wash and laundry mat, that was recently on Diners, Drive-inns and Dives from Food Network. After church and brunch on Sunday, the boys played golf and the girls made our way to La Cantera to shop some more. After the rain on Saturday, we had a beautiful day on Sunday to enjoy the outdoors. This week it's been in the 80s here!

Jane got a new MacBook so Maddy was orienting Scott to all the tricks she's learned (or maybe just looking at herself in the camera!).



They always have the best pictures with Maddy!



Jane, as Cat in the Hat, with Maddy at PB Kids.



Some more pictures to catch you up on our Bug.

Maddy's new favorite past time in the kitchen...



And in the bathroom...



And, of course, Maddy loves riding her horse...or Logan. She holds onto his shirt really tightly and giggles a lot. Oh, and I think she imitated me saying, "ruff, ruff" tonight while we were reading. Emerging onomatopoeias...I think so!



This weekend's "fullness" involves going to MW for the "party" and then the following weekend to Muskogee, OK for Chelsi & Jim's wedding. Lord, thank you for the opportunity to see our family and friends and to celebrate life with them in so many amazing celebrations. Please give us energy and positive attitudes as we travel and spend time away from home.

Daddy's home!

Logan has been in Austin for the past couple of days and blogger doesn't work on our old computer. I took this picture and sent it to him the first night he was gone just to make sure he knew how we felt about him begin gone. He had a great time at a conference with other staff members from the AHUMC and is leaving tomorrow for a fishing trip with old LLYC friends. I'm sad to see him go again, but know he has needed some time to be renewed and rest some as well. I think it's time for the girls to plan a trip now though! Lake trip again maybe?

Tonight we had our last official college ministry event. After yummy food and a good round of mafia (where the townspeople won!), we said goodbye to our amazing students for the semester until the fall. Next year I'm really hoping we can get more of the church involved in the college ministry...mostly just knowing that it's going on. We apparently still have some students in the dark coming to church on Sunday not knowing that we exist. Please continue to pray for all of the student ministries here. We are still new at this and want to bring glory to His name and nothing else. Thanks for your help.

When you're a celebrity...

Logan and I felt like total celebrities this weekend. We've known that our girl is a cute one, but the world caught up with us and they are telling us about it now. Yesterday we went to Fredricksburg for a little shopping and a short get-away from the city. One the way we ate lunch at Chick-fil-A. While eating, we probably had 6 or 7 people come up to us to tell us how cute our little girl is. After the many thank you's and, "oh she looks like her daddy," Logan told me he just wanted to eat his lunch in peace and not be bothered anymore! I laughed because how could not want compliments on your child, but eating in peace is nice too. I guess now we'll have to start wearing big sunglasses indoors like actual celebs and maybe people will think we're important and leave us alone....ha ha.

On another note, please pray for my Aunt Linda. She broke her hip about a week after her husband got home from the hospital with a knee replacement. So needless to say, they definitely need prayers for quick recoveries and good people around them to help get them healthy again. We love you and are praying for you Hudkins family!

House hunting continues...nothing yet.

Our Easter

We traveled north to visit family and friends for Easter for a few days. Of course, there wasn't any rest for the weary so we were busy seeing everyone we could with the few short days we had in the Metro/Westo-plex. Here is the shortened version since it's already too late and I need to get to bed.

Thursday...drove to M.W.

Friday....saw cardiologist for Maddy. (She is A-OK and her little ticker is just fine he said! Praise God!) ...Mom spoiled Maddy and bought her 5 new pairs of shoes. This girl has more shoes that I do I think! ...saw preggo Melissa and soon-t0-be-papa Andy C. ...had dinner with Andy, Mary, Marme and Jimbo!

Saturday...Logan golfed with Scott while Maddy, Jane and I shopped in FW....visited Mike, Sarah, and Noah's new digs in Aledo.

Sunday...went to church at TCBC...Easter lunch with the fam... helped Maddy "hunt" for eggs, took shortcut around Austin (thank you Jane for the travel tip!) ...got to SA by 10ish.
It was a fast and furious weekend, but beautiful nonetheless. God is good and continues to teach me something every trip up about how important my family is and how much I miss them terribly. I'm so glad we have gotten to see them and am also glad to get home and to stay put for a bit as well. (This girl loves to travel, but she loves her bed, too!) I'm getting ready for my next big project: the wedding. Mmmm...wedding you say? Who on earth could be getting married? Well, I've been to several this year, but the next big one that will be worth my while will belong to JJ & MB. My parents are celebrating 30 years of marriage this spring and have decided to renew their wedding vows to commemorate such a wonderful occasion. Don't worry, I'll probably be asking for your help soon so watch out, but please, don't turn me down!

My cup floweth over

I made it home last night from Austin after making my presenting debut at our conference. We packed the room with over 200 SLPs in the presentation and I got to take credit for about 2% of the 50 minutes we spoke. Nevertheless, I definitely want to present again and hopefully will get to continue to do so with PTA in the future.

Maddy is well and happy again. She is laughing, playing, giggling, and into everything she can get her hands on. Today we decided to enjoy the nice weather outside with a picnic and a walk through the park. The walk was longer than expected since we got turned around on the trail through the park.

Even with a bit of a cold now, I feel so blessed to have a healthy girl and fun times together as a family. The next few weeks will be a bit crazy with Easter travels, Logan's conference and fishing trip, and everything else in between. Maddy also has to get her heart checked out for a murmur next week. Her doctor told us not to worry, but just to have it examined to be sure. Please keep her in your prayers that the appointment goes well and that it isn't anything too serious. Even so, we know God is in control and will take care of our Bug.

Le duelen los orejas

When we woke up at 2ish this morming, I thought, "This isn't as bad as it has been so surely this will be a fairly easy night." 12 hrs later: 2 vomitting episodes, 4 hrs in the dr's office, 1 shot of antibiotics, and 2 ear infections. It was definitely quite a day. But I was super excited to see a happy baby when I got home after a long 3-(that's stretching it) hour work day.

Later, Logan went back up to work and Maddy cooked with me in her sling. This lead to a mini-nap and this photo with help from the mirror. Pretty soon we'll get some action shots when she is all better.

Tomorrow I leave for our state convention for SLP's in Austin. Say a little prayer that Maddy sleeps through the night for Logan tomorrow night and all goes well for their time together. I hate leaving them any time, but especially when the Bug is sick! Luckily, I'll only be gone one night!

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Side note: I accepted a new position today. It's very bittersweet since I do love my job now and am so sad to not be a part of all the changes in the future (groundbreaking video and article), but we can rejoice that God knows the plans and we can rely on life to change for His glory! I'm excited about the opportunity and will describe it more later.

Sick and tired

I have not blogged since I started reading about Stellan. Yes, it's true. My sweet cousin Cari got me hooked reading about MckMama and the whole MckFamily when this little boy had to go to the hospital. More than a week later his little heart is still struggling to find a normal heart rhythm, and I have been praying for him even though I have absolutely NO idea who this family is. It's amazing to see so many strangers connected to someone through prayer with technology.

With that, I think I've felt a little guilty worrying about Maddy's cold over the past week when this mother is spending night after night in a conference room floor getting kicked a few winks of sleep throughout the night. Last night I camped out in Maddy's room (thanks to my sleeping bag from Mom) since she was up about every hour coughing/crying/etc. The meds she is on do a number for her diaper so she is quick to tell us about it in the middle of the night. We have even had to cruise town several nights to get her to sleep when she is restless. Getting to sleep around 8 isn't the problem, but keeping her asleep for more than about 20 minutes past midnight is another issue. We usually grab a bottle, Bug, and the car seat and head to the 24-hr Starbucks. There is a lot of S.A. highway we just haven't discovered so we are making our way around the city. The doctor told us on Friday that Maddy is one more cold away from receiving breathing treatments since she has been sick a little more often than they would like. She definitely has not been herself lately....very clingy (a rarity unless grandparents are around), no appetite, and very still....all things that just don't typically go along with our Bug.

So I am still praying for Stellan and still praying for Maddy to get better. Colds may not be as serious as heart problems or nights in the PICU, but I know my God hears all prayers - both big and small - and is the Great Physician for these sweet little babies. If you can, pray that we can some sleep tonight...all of us.

Here is sick...

And here is tired...