Lately....

Austin has been working away on different cases and I have been doing multiple things. I have been super busy between planning Paige's baby shower, grad school, and an extra certification course ( required for my principal's certification)  and teaching Highland Park summer school.

Paige's shower was last Saturday and it was a lot of fun. I am linking her blog posting below because her pictures did far more justice than mine. It was so good to see Paige out of bed and looking so cute, pregnant and in pink! She got lots of goodies at her shower and I can't wait to see Piper (Paige's future daughter) in her precious outfits and outfitted nursery.

Paige's Blog: http://taylorandpaigekelly.blogspot.com/


I am half way finished with my master's degree in Educational Administration. I will be completely finished this coming May and I will be so happy to be done. I have enjoyed MOST of the classes and it really has helped me prepare for possibly being a principal one day but more importantly it has made me a better teacher. The new school year starts on August 23rd and I am excited about getting a new class but nervous about starting all over with daily schedules and getting the little munchkins into the Kindergarten routine.

Here are some pictures we took of Maggie getting a bath which turned into fun water time with Dad:)

Mya's Birthday Party

Mya turned 7 on June 23rd. I have had her since the beginning of my junior year in college. It is crazy how time really does fly by you. We have always acknowledged the dogs' birthdays with a trip to Petsmart to pick out some special toys and given them extra hugs and kisses but never have thrown them an actual party. So I thought, this is the year! I have always heard of other people throwing their dogs a party but never really had a chance to do so. It was a great opportunity to get all of our friends together for dinner and some cocktails. I really wish I could have done more but I kept thinking, "Skylar, it is just a dog's birthday party." I invited our close friends and encouraged them to bring their furry friends as well. We served hamburgers, hot dogs and potato salad. I thought to do more of a BBQ since there were boys attending and it was also easier on me:) I also made my favorite artichoke dip and Nora brought a yummy salad. The cutest surprise of the evening was that two of my dearest friends actually brought Mya birthday gifts! I wasn't expecting anyone to do that but it was adorable. Nora brought her a birthday cake dog treat and the cutest dog bikini. Yes, they make dog bikinis and might I say that Mya will be rocking it this coming weekend at the lake. Kelly, one of my other dear friends, gave Mya the cutest monogram collar. It is pink with lime green letters and Mya loves it and has had it on since the party. I totally think that I have the sweetest and cutest friends ever. They helped Mya become ( if not already) the most stylish and hip Shihtzu on the block! The other funny event of the night was the fact that Maggie, the golden is petrified of balloons. I am not sure why but you would have thought that they were a ghost or something scary. I had to pop them all after everyone left because she wouldn't come in the house. It was overall a great time and a really good excuse for everyone to get together. Here are some pictures that were taken over the course of the night. Talk to you soon, Skylar

The Honeymoon Remembered

One year ago we went on our beautiful and amazing trip to Cayo Espanto. Cayo Espanto is a romantic and gorgeous private island off the coast of Belize. We were there for 5 days and boy were we in heaven! We had our own villa with a dip pool, private dock and beach. We were treated like royalty by the staff and our own houseman.  They served us all of our meals, snacks and drinks right to our own villa. We got to have massages, kayak trips, sailing and a snorkel adventure with sharks. Yes, I said sharks! We had a wonderful time there and can't wait to go back one day soon. 

The girls go to the beauty parlor!

Maggie and Mya went to the groomer this morning to get haircuts. Mya goes every 5-6 weeks to get groomed but Maggie never has gone before. She has only been there to get baths so this was a different experience! The groomer said she did great, I am so proud of her. With the weather getting warmer and the temperature reaching the upper 90's these haircuts were a must. We hope that they will be able to stay cooler and actually enjoy the backyard without getting too hot. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

New salad recipe

Hello! Everyone knows that I LOVE to cook so I thought I would share this new recipe that I just tried and loved. It is called Toasted Almond Asian Salad. Here is the recipe and a picture that I took of it. It doesn't look that good but it was really good. I hope you enjoy it! -Skylar

Recipe:

1 pkg of coleslaw
1 pkg of ramen noodles - chicken (keep flavor packet)

3/4 cup of sliced green oniions

1/2 cup of almonds

small pkg of peas

2 tbsp of sesame seeds

2 cups of cooked chicken- ( I used rotesserie )

Dressing:

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp. sesame oil

3 tbsp. rice vineagar

Chicken flavor pack from ramen noodles

Mix all togther and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Then pour over salad and serve!!!!

New Gate

Austin and I have been wanting to put an electric gate on the side of our house since we bought it two years ago. Yes, I said two years ago, it has gone by sooo fast! Last month we finally decided to pull the trigger and get the gate. With all of the nice weather and the gate the dogs are able to be outside in the back area unattended. Before the gate we were scared that they would run into the street.  The girls are loving being outside in the mornings before we leave for work and every evening before dark. They play, sunbathe, chase squirrels and watch other dogs walking on the street. They love their new freedom! Here are some pictures that we took.

Anniversary Cake

Panini Cakes of Dallas ( who did both of our wedding cakes) generously gave us a one year anniversary cake. It looks just like the top of my cake and boy, was it delicious :) It was much better than the frozen top of our real wedding cake that spent the last year in our freezer. Who ever made up that tradition was just silly. It did have some sentimental value but a year old frozen cake didn't come even close to the freshly baked piece of heaven. If you ever need a good cake or some yummy cookies, I really recommend you try Panini Cakes of Dallas.