Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Story of Us

I let mine and Brent's 5 year anniversary get away from me without posting a blog about how we met in the first place.
Girls, this long narrative is all for you.
One of the things you hear when you start as a freshman at Baylor University, where your Daddy and I went to college, is that you are highly likely to meet your spouse there...same as any college I guess.
I didn't think that would be me. I dated a little in college but by my senior year I had pretty much given up on meeting the Baylor guy of my dreams...until one night in December during the week of final exams :).
At a wedding in West, 2005
Let me back up, your Daddy and I were both business students so we had relatively the same degree plan. We both opted out of taking 4 semesters of a foreign language and took classes in Communication instead. (A big mistake girls. We both agree learning to speak Spanish fluently would have served us much better in our careers and life and those communication classes we took instead were pretty much a joke...yet, it did bring us together, so everything happens for a reason.)
Seeing The Piano Man at Treff's in Waco, 2005
Your Daddy and I had Small Group Communication together in the Fall of 2003, our Junior year. We happened to be paired up in a group project together. Daddy, myself, a sorority sister of mine and another female classmate were assigned to create a presentation displaying the dynamics of a small group in a movie and we chose the movie "Ocean's 11."
I have to admit, your Daddy was quiet in our group meetings, he didn't say much unless he had something important he wanted to contribute. He also wasn't really excited about the project in the first place so when we assigned him to place the appropriate clips from the movie in our PowerPoint presentation (a major part of the whole project) and bring the finished product to class the day of our presentation, my sorority sister and I were a little nervous. :) He came through big time! The presentation was a big hit and we got an "A".
We didn't see much of each other in the Spring semester or that next Summer other than occasionally out on the town with our respective groups of friends. We'd always wave and say hello as we passed by.
This leads me to the Fall of 2004, our Senior year. The first day of our 8 am Public Relations Writing class, your Daddy and I discovered we were classmates yet again. We sat next to each other because we kind of knew each other and each day after class we'd wait for the other to walk back to the business school together. We'd talk about our classes, our friends, our weekends on our walks and we would e-mail each other if one of us missed a class to find out what we needed to know for the next class or test.
Bluhm Rd, 2005, who knew we'd end up building a house here years later :)
Your Daddy always wore a hat to class (what I later found out was due to a head shaving incident with his buddies and he was trying to let his hair grow back out) and I thought he was funny, sweet and really cute but I never imagined he was the slightest bit interested in me.
Until one night during Fall final exams week. I was out to dinner with a group of friends when I got a text from a phone number I didn't immediately recognize. (this was back in the day when the name of the person texting you didn't show up on the text, just their phone number.) It said, "Have any plans for tonight?"I turned to my friend, Steve, and asked if he recognized the number on the text. He said no, but if I hit "call back" and that person's number is saved in my contacts on my phone then their name will pop up. I hit call back and "Brent Huse" popped up on the screen. I was surprised but happy surprised :). I texted back that actually, I did have plans, I was going to a party at a friend's house and then we'd probably end up at Scruffy Murphy's, a bar across from my apartment, before the end of the night but he was welcome to meet up with me there. Your Daddy said he was with some friends right then but he'd try to catch up with me later that night. I have to admit, I was disappointed when I didn't see him at Scruffy's that night. (I later found out that he did drag his friends over there but I had already left. :) Your Daddy texted me late and said he was sorry we didn't meet up and asked would I mind if he called me sometime. I said sure but that I'd be studying for the GMAT the rest of the week and I was taking the test that next Wednesday. He said, "How about I call you Tuesday afternoon and we can make plans to go out after your test on Wednesday?" I agreed. And, your Daddy did exactly what he said he was going to do, he called Tuesday afternoon. (Bonus points) We were discussing our date the next evening and I was pleasantly surprised that he had already thought it through and made plans instead of all of that, "Where would you like to go?" "I don't know, wherever you like to go..." stuff. I hate that. Instead, he said, "I was thinking I'd pick you up and take you to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then we can go to Crickets to meet up with some of my friends." Excellent, I thought, a guy who isn't afraid to make a decision. (More bonus points)
I took the GMAT on Wednesday morning (I didn't do great on it, I don't think my heart was fully in it) and your Daddy picked me up right on time Wednesday night. (He picked me up in Grandaddy's truck. Your Daddy drove a silver Chevy truck through college that he worked hard to buy himself, but I guess he was already trying to impress me by taking me out in Grandaddy's nicer truck. :)
We had a great dinner together and it was so comfortable like we had known each other forever.
After dinner, we went to Crickets in downtown Waco to meet up with your Daddy's friend, Pav, and his girlfriend. We had fun and I think we went a few other places before he drove me back to my apartment, when I realized I had locked my keys in the condo and had no way in. I had NEVER done that before and I was really embarrassed. I had to call my roommate at the time, Megan, and ask her if I could come get her key from her. Your Daddy sweetly drove me across town to pick up the key and then took me back home.
Graduating from Baylor, May 2005
Unfortunately, since our first date was right after Fall Finals, I was leaving the next day to spend Christmas vacation in Brady, TX at Grammy and Pop's ranch. Your Daddy and I spoke by phone over the break but didn't see each other again until Spring rush, a week before school started in January 2005. From that point on, we were pretty inseparable. We spent all of our free time together and eventually had to designate study nights away from each other so we could pass our classes.
We were head over heels for each other FAST. The first time we said "I Love You" was on Valentine's Day 2005 and we both knew that was it, we'd be together forever.
We both graduated from Baylor in May of 2005 and were engaged by September 28th.
New Years Eve 2005
Engagement Picture
Our wedding was May 13, 2006 at Balcones Springs Resort in Marble Falls, Texas.
At the Rehearsal Dinner at Balcones Springs
Happy, Happy! Wedding Day, 2006
Honeymoon in St. John, VI, 2006
After 5 years of marriage, 3 baby girls and 1 on the way, your Daddy and I still hold hands all the time, we talk about everything and we can still make each other laugh so hard we cry.
Addison, Reagan & Baylee's Newborn pictures, 2009
Addison, Reagan & Baylee's first Easter, 2010
And most of all, we love you girls more than life itself.

Addison, Reagan & Baylee's 1 year pictures, 2010
Mommy's 10 Year High School Reunion Trip to Vegas, 2011
7 Months Pregnant with Shelby Dale

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Building Our New Home - 1st Update

We've slowly but surely started construction on our new home. Brent and I always say, "Nothing is ever easy..." and that has proven true even in the beginning stages of building this home and preparing our new property.
Our lot before construction
I've tried to take as many pictures of each stage to document building our next home for the girls because they won't remember any of this. It has been an experience so far but I know for sure that it will all be worth it when we get to move in and enjoy what we painstakingly waited for.
Measuring out where the slab will sit on the property
They began digging out where the slab will be on the lot and bringing in load after load of dirt to create a level surface for the slab to be poured once the piers are in the ground. The girls, Gran and I have spent many mornings sitting outside under Gran and Grandaddy's trees watching the trucks bring dirt in next door.
Dirt work begins...
More dirt work...
This last week the forms for the slab started being placed, but they left a few holes open for the truck to get in to drill the holes for the piers to be installed. One of our setbacks so far was working with the engineer and our builder on a plan for the piers. Apparently, regular piers just won't do out here because of the soil type...of course they won't. So, we had to go back and have the engineer draw up plans for a slab with bell piers...I won't bore you with the details of what bell piers are and why we need them, but we do.
Forms for the slab in the ground...
Setback #2: BEES! Brent had a friend from work, Dave, out here Friday night helping him to start dozing out all of the trees and brush in the ditch at the road in front of our property. The ditch has to be cleared before the water company will come install a water meter...of course. Dave was going about his business dozing away when apparently he hit a rather large bee hive and was swarmed on the dozer. He jumped off and started running but bees can fly pretty fast and they chased him. His head was covered in bee stings and after that, Dave was about done dozing. Brent and I felt terrible. We checked on Dave through the weekend and you'll be happy to know that he isn't allergic so he took some Benadryl and had a good rest and ended up with about 8 stings on his head and neck.
So, after that, the dozer was stuck in the middle of a swarm of bees....hmmmm, how do we get the dozer out? Well, when you live in the country, you call a neighbor. We have some really great neighbors who bought Brent's grandmothers house which will be on the left side of our house. They are a few years younger than us and have an 8 month old daughter who I know the girls and Shelby will become best friends with over the years. Brent called up our really nice neighbor and said, "Is that dozer you have over there pretty bee-proof?" Wouldn't you know it, but our really nice neighbor came out right away on a Friday night to doze out the trees and brush around the dozer Dave had been using to try to get the bees to find a new place to live. He did a great job and we hoped they would be gone by the next day.
The ditch Dave was dozing at the time of attack...
The dozer stuck after the bee attack...
Well, even after all our nice neighbor did, those bees stuck around on one little piece of the hive that was left on the ground near the dozer Brent was using. Brent wasn't going near the thing until they were gone.
The remains of the hive and the bees crawling all over it...
So, Brent decided it was time to call in the professionals...who would you call in a time like this...well, The Bee Man, of course. Bees Be Gone came out right away on Saturday and took care of the rest of the hive for us. There were still some remaining bees flying around the dozer so Brent gave it until today, Father's Day, to see how things had settled down over there.
The Bee Man
Brent went to assess the situation and came back saying that there were still bees buzzing around over there but he wanted to try to move the dozer away from the area and work on the other side of the ditch. So, we fashioned a make-shift bee suit for him. :) Complete with a laundry bag over his head and tucked into his shirt. Mind you, it's like 106 degrees outside right now and he's in two layers of shirts, long-sleeves, jeans, boots, a hat and the laundry bag....HOT!
My amazing hubby...Happy Father's Day honey, we love you :)
Aunt Elizabeth, Uncle Adam and I drove Brent over to the dozer and watched from afar as he cautiously jumped into the dozer and moved it to a safer location.
After all of this, the rest of the day was pretty relaxing. We had a great lunch made by Gran and enjoyed Brent's fav, Red Velvet Cake, to celebrate his birthday. After the girls went to bed, I went next door with Brent to watch him get back to work dozing away.
Brent dozing a huge tree out of the ditch...
Hopefully, Brent can get the rest of the ditch cleared without any snags and we can get our water meter installed and maybe, just maybe, the piers will start going in this next week. Fingers crossed!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

First Haircuts!

It was time. I had been putting this off long enough and trimming their bangs to the best of my ability, and honestly, I just wasn't cutting it...no pun intended.
I made appointments at Kids Kuts in Waco for the girls this morning and overall they did very well. Baylee had the hardest time. I think she is very tender headed and having some stranger comb and tug at her hair wasn't very comfortable for her, but we got through it.
Baylee getting her hair cut...
The girls will be starting MDO again for the summer next Tuesday and they will be in a new class with new teachers and I really am worried about no one being able to tell Addie and Reagan apart.
Addison driving the Jeep...I think they need like a pink convertible or something for the girls...all they have is a Jeep
I mean, Brent and I have a hard enough time sometimes, how can we expect other people to know who is who when I DO dress them the same. (Side note: when they are old enough to care about what they are wearing, they will be able to choose what they want to wear, within reason. But, for now, it's just easier on me to only have to pick out one outfit each morning instead of three separate, equally cute outfits.)
Reagan being so good for her haircut...
So, I asked Brent last night what he thought about me cutting Addie or Reagan's hair a little shorter, like a cute little bob or something just so people can know at a glance who is who. He said, "You want to cut the length?! No, I don't want you to cut the length." So, that was that. Foot down, he wasn't budging. Plus, I knew my mother would kill me. So, this is what we ended up with, a little trim and the bangs slightly different.
Addie Before
Addie After
Reagan Before
Reagan After
Baylee Before
Baylee After
I'll just have to work on getting them to wear different colored hair bands or something so teachers and everyone else can tell them apart.