One lucky Aunt

My last two weekends have been so great because I have gotten to see both of my nephews! First Kim brought Jet down and last weekend Brooke and Liam came and stayed with me! Unfortunately the only pictures I got of Jet were of him in the tub, but here are a few pictures of Brooke and Liam.

What a big boy sitting up on the couch!

Liam was a little fussy Friday night, he didn't have all his fun toys and treats that he normally has at home. So, I introduced him to Baby Einstein. I love YouTube!

We had a fun day of eating out and shopping in Market Street. We were out of the house all day and Liam did a great job.. he only got fussy once for just a moment. He was so precious! I loved getting to spend time with Brooke and see how much Liam has grown.

Happy Halloween

Here are a few pictures from our Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest with our Homegroup from church. The group chose to 'dress up' this year. We all just found something cheap to throw together for fun. Wes and I were 'SICK AND TIRED' really just an excuse to wear our pj's. It was perfect.

White pumpkin bad idea.. very hard to carve!

Kent and Jana, by far the BEST costume. She is Rosie the Riveter. Isn't that precious?!?! And he is her World War II man! I love it!

Migraines= Cupcakes

Isn't it beautiful? This is what my sweet, darling husband brought me today while the kids were napping. SO here is the story: Lastnight I had what I believe to be my third migraine. I guess I have gotten one a month for the past three months. ...I am going to start tracking them in case they continue... Anyway, it started around 5p.m. and when I got home from church lastnight at 9p.m. it was full blown sweating, nausea, and of course a severe headache. I called Wes on my way home to let him know how I was feeling and when he was talking all of his words were running together and I literally wanted to throw my phone across the car to make the words stop, but I grasp some rationality from deep within and told him I would see him at home because I felt horrible and could not talk. But when I got home he came and helped me get my things from the car, got me a cold clothe for my head, he had already cleaned the dishes, and was just completely sweet and understanding.. I have been SO Blessed, because everytime I have gotten these symptoms of whatever is going on I have been able to lay down and sleep!! The first time I got one I went to BED at 5 p.m. There is no way I could do this unless someone up stairs was shining some love down on me, and helping my body to rest! So that is what I did I went to bed, and woke up with just a slight headache.... ANYWAY this is the best part! Wonderful Wesley called me moments ago and asked me how I was feeling, and that my diet would have to go on hold for the day because he was bringing me something. Hm... WHAT COULD IT BE.. I was so excited to see what sweet, delish dessert I would be getting?? And a Crave Cupcake it was! I have never had one.. and it was AMAZING! After looking at the website I have decided I would like to try one of each! They all look so yummy! Here is the site, if anyone in Houston wants to try them! Just my opinion, but I think it was better than Sprinkles Cupcakes!

http://www.cravecupcakes.com/about

Just wanted to let everyone know how great my husband is to take time out of his busy day to take care of me! So precious!

Jet is all ready for Halloween

Here is my OTHER adorable nephew... Jet Briggs Cocotos in his Halloween costume. God blessed and added to our family this summer! I cannot wait to see him for Thanksgiving. He is growing SO fast.

His beautiful mommy, Kim. Doesn't she look great for just having a baby!

Perfect Friday Night... for us old folk

So I have known for a while now how pathetic Wes and I are, but I think he just realized it a few moments ago on our way to the grocery store... yes on Friday night. This weather and the smell of everyone's fires has really gotten me in the mood to go camping, so I told Wes I think it would be romantic to go just the two of us for once. Than I was thinking maybe just one other couple would be nice, so I asked him who he would want to bring... THIS is the moment he came to the conclusion we are loser home-bodies. He asked me... 'well who do we hang out with alot???' HAHAHAHA..ummm.... NO one. We both get home at 8:30 or later at night.. and stay pretty busy on the weekends as well. We go out of town alot to see family... but hardly go out with friends. So there it is.. we have admitted we have a problem so now we can take the appropriate steps to fix it!

And now that we are back from the store we are making a LATE dinner and I am drinking coffee with my new creamer! One of the best parts of fall/winter.. all the seasonal creamers come out! I am enjoying the Pumpkin Pie Spice this evening, and I highly recommend it!

Since it is so nice and chilly outside, I normally bust out Serendipity with my coffee because it reminds me of lounging on the couch with Michelle in college. But Wes has already seen it 3 times this fall.. yep in just a one month span.. SO my second thought was Sex and the City the last season with Alexander Petrovsky because it is winter in New York and Paris that season but like most men Wes hates SATC.... so after looking through all our movies P.S. I Love You it is! Another great night with the Hubs!

More Liam pictures

Proud Grandparents

Super proud parents!!!

Have you ever seen such a beautiful child???? It makes me want to cry! How can people not know there is a God?? Look how perfect he is...


Mommy and Liam are tired.. just takin a little nap together!

I am so excited that it is fall! The weather is wonderful outside today and I am ready to start a new season.. in more ways than one. I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago and we both found ourselves in the same position. Wishing our life away. I think I had this idea of where I would be in my life at 25, and I do not feel that I am there. I am constantly waiting for the next step in life.. husband, house, kids, job, whatever it is. And once I get what I was wanting I say my whole one minute of thank you for the blessing to my wonderful Father and am on to the asking process again! I want this season to be all about the THANK YOUs!! Praises to my Father for all that I have, instead of rushing my life. I am so truely blessed and I know this with all my heart so I am excited to stop and let God know I know.. if that makes sense!

Sooo.. what we have been up to...

Wes and I have been SUPER busy, both working 14 hour days, barely seeing each other! I wanted to take a picture of our apartment today. It was such a mess: 2 baskets and 3 bags of clean laundry, dishes all over the counter, Wes's work papers ALL over (really, like 7 piles), Chanel would have to search for somewhere to lay, poor darling! But I had the day off and got to CLEAN... not something I normally like to do, but it was so messy I was actually excited to have the time to scrub this place down, and Chanel was excited to have somewhere to lay her precious head!

This is an old picture, but I thought it was cute for the post.

I became a nanny over the summer and had every intention of going back to subbing if I did not get a teaching position (which I did not) but I was asked to stay as a nanny for the boys. I did alot of praying about it, and I felt that this is where God wanted me right now. So I stayed with the family. Walker is 4 and Grant is 2. They are precious.. sometimes it is stressful, but I just have to stop and remember how blessed I am to be able to see these adorable faces every day. Who gets to go to playgrounds and Barnes and Noble as their job??? Pretty nice when I stop and think about it! :)

Walker at the playground.

Grant eating some messy sauce.

Wes has been very busy also, and he has become a group leader for a small group with the students at our church. I am so proud of him for getting involved! He gave up his basketball night with the guys, which was a sacrifice cause that is his only guy time. But God has given Wes the gift of leadership and I can't wait to see how He uses Wes. But don't feel to bad for him, cause he is having a whole weekend of boy time right now. He left yesterday for Wyoming, and will being hiking and hanging out doing man things with his best friends Chris. So he can't complain. Hopefully we will have beautiful nature pictures to share when he gets back!

Little Liam is here

My darling nephew George William Egbert V (Liam) came into this world Sept. 5 ( 1 day after my sweet Wesley's birthday) at 10:55 am at 7 lb 10 oz and 19 inches. He was absolutely perfect. After 31 hours of labor the doctors decided it was time for a C-Section. Since Brooke was in labor so long, she had gotten an infection making her contractions stop and her body kinda shut down the labor process. So they had to go in and get him!! And thank God they did becaause we were sooo ready for that little bundle of joy!

Chase holding Liam for the first time! Such a presious moment!

These pictures are all mixed up, but this is Liam 3 days old.

His first time to eat.. without an umbilical cord that is :)

Mom's first grandbaby!! So excited!!

GW's first picture with their baby right after Liam was born. Thankfully the nurse took pics for us! I love this picture!

Haley still needs you!

It breaks my heart to say that Haley's condition is worse than they thought.

For all of the technical details you can stay updated by going to the Cassidy's blog at http://www.haleysupdate.blogspot.com/

I know that most of you that read my blog do not know her, but please keep her in your prayers. I know that God has a perfect plan for her.. He has already used her to bring people to Christ or closer to Christ. You cannot talk to Haley and have a doubt in your mind that there is a higher power out their watching out for us. I wish I were more articulate so I could discribe her amazingness, but I can't... so I am just going to ask that you read the update blog and pray, pray, pray for her every chance you have!

Prayer Warriors Needed

I was thinking the other day about what an amazing child Haley Cassidy is, so young and has been through so much... but you would never know it by talking with her. Five years old and just the most special, loving, joyful child! SO strong, SO amazing, SO inspiring!

Well last night I received a phone call and this wonderful baby is having some issues. I am fuzzy on all the specifics, but basically she had to go into the ER on Thursday and will have a MRI on Monday than possible brain surgery on Tuesday. She has had many before, and it is never easy. Please pray for her and her family. She is truely a blessing to everyone that she meets.

The Simpsons Come to Houston

It was a wonderful surprise when my dad called me Saturday morning to ask what our plans were for the weekend... he had to go to Beaumont to pick up a repo and would be bringing my mom and sis with him to see us! My dad had never seen our apt when he asked to stay, so he was a bit surprised with our what I like to call teeny tiny apt. But everything worked out great! The preggers sis got the bed of course and mom was not shy to say she would join her.. while my selfless daddy took the couch. And a special 'Thank You' to Cody and Jamie for letting us use their air mattress.



While they were in town we went to Phil's Roadhouse and Grill with the in-laws than went shopping for little baby Liam (Brooke's baby) who should be here in the next couple of weeks! We got him the CUTEST little swim trunks from Janie and Jack. We also got him a pair of little camo shoes in honor or his army daddy, GW!
Than we went to PF Chang's because dad just had to have some lettuce chicken wraps... mom and Brooke weren't hungry so they just got the Great Wall of Chocolate! Always a good choice! Pretty much we just ate and shopped the whole time, but I always love to see my family! It is going to be so hard when Liam gets here and I do not get to see him all the time. BUT Michelle and I tried out Skype the other day and it is amazing! So I will be able to watch all my little nieces and nephews grow up via Skype! ... hey I will take what I can get!

Sorry NO pics... Brooke is preg and refuses to take photos at the moment.

My Hero

I just recieved an e-mail from Dionne, who I work with in Special Hearts, and it has our darling sweet Haley WALKING for the first time. She is such an amazing girl. She has Spina Bifida and was never suppose to walk or talk, but here she is! Such a blessing! Shows you what God and determination can do! I am so proud of you Haley!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW6XdIEJnIw

Job Fair

Hello loved ones,

There will be a Tomball Job Fair on Thursday, and I could use all the prayer right now I can get. I am extremely uncomfortable talking to new people and the last interview I had I nearly cried 4 different times for no other reason than shear terror and anxiety... it was with the Klein HR department, interviewed by possibly one of the kindest men you could interview with! So please pray for me. I have been substituting for 2 years now, and I am so very ready to move on to my own classroom! Thank you all!

With all my love,
Candace

One down.. eternity to go!

So February 17th officially completed our first year of marriage. It feels like it has gone by so quickly, and so many things have changed. We have grown so much in this year thanks to our family, friends, Home Group, the Church, but mostly thanks to God. We have used the following verses to guide our marriage.

Ephesians 5:22-33 (New International Version)
Wives and Husbands

22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

This just puts it all in perspective for me. How our relatioship should be, not just look from the outside, but actually how we treat one another. The verses help me see that we are in this for so mush more than just ourselves... our marriage is a representation of Christ and the church. How HUGE is that.. how amazing is that! Just something that helps me see how much bigger marriage, than just hanging with the same person everyday. Luckily the person I get to hang with everyday is pretty stinkin Great... and I think he likes me too :)

So, anyway.... as my Christmas (Valentine's and Anniversary) gift, Wes planned a trip to New York. I have been wanting to go back, and he never really had a desire to go until he got a little taste of it on a buisness trip to New Jersey. So here are the photos from the trip.. enjoy.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

We left Saturday (Valentine's) morning and landed in New York around 3. This is the First picture of the trip. We were at the airport for about 2 1/2 hours after landing waiting for the shuttle to pick us up, and when it arrived we were in for a New York driving treat! This is our 'Oh my, we are going to Die' face.

The Excelsior

Our Hotel

Once we got to our Hotel it was already dark, so we just walked around the blocks near our hotel and had dinner at an Indian resteraunt. It was the first time I have had Indian food, and it was pretty good. We went to a pub for awhile, Wes LOVES his pubs, than off the our place for some rest!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

We had the Sex and the City tour at 11 so we had the bright idea to get up early and have breakfast than walk around the area before meeting up with out group. Well this was not such a wonderful idea because NOTHING opens till 11. So we had our breakfast and walked around closed stores for awhile, but we were right next to Central Park so we did get to go watch the 'crazies' that run in the freezing cold. And so many people have dogs there! I was very surprised.

Some type of art exhibit that was on the side walk.

On our Sex and the City Tour we got free Magnolia's cupcakes. Yummy! We went back to another location near our place a few nights later because we had a tip that the Banana Pudding was secretly better than the cupcakes. I agree.



This is the location, Oniel's, they used for the bar 'Scout' that Aidan and Steve open in the show.

After the Tour we had to get back to the Excelsior to get ready for THE LION KING, but we were having a really hard time figuring out the subway. It was the weekend, so everything is different plus it was a holiday weekend (President's Day) so some trains weren't running at all. Wes was getting very upset. But we made it!!

It was so wonderful. I wish we had kids, so they could have seen it! The costumes were fantastic, and the kids playing Simba and Nala were so talented!

This is the view of Times Square, from the Minskoff Theatre.

Monday, February 16,2009

We chose this day to just run all over New York seeing all the predictable sights. Our feet were KILLING us.. so much pain!

Wes on the Brookyn Bridge. In true New York style, someone threw Wes 'the bird' for walking in the bicycle lane.

We were going to see the Statue of Liberty, but Wes decided it was enough from where we were. He didn't want to wait in the line... lucky for us a show was beginning. These men were so funny. And one of the men ran and flipped over 5 of us! It was insane!

We ate an entire pizza, just the two of us, at Lombardi's (the first pizzeria in America)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

We started the day off with some Starbucks than hopped onto the subway to Greenwich Villiage for our food tour. This was one of the best parts of the entire trip.

A cute shop in Greenwich Villiage, with 2 kitties running around.

A 'swanky' resterraunt in Greenwich.

The thinnest house in New York. It was so skinny. He said no one lives here for very long. The address was 75 1/2 because it was built in between 2 buildings.

Stopped in here for a chocolate chip cookie.. sooo very delicious!

This was our tour guide. He was so full of personality and very informative. It was a great tour, and we would recommend going on this tour to anyone going to New York. The Greenwich area is so great.. with amazing food.

A Baptist church we passed by. The archetecture is so beautiful in New York.

Wednesday, February 17, 2009

OUR ANNIVERSARY

I have been begging Wes to take me Ice Skating since we first started dating, so for our year anniversary of MARRIAGE I finally get to go in New York! It was fate.. because this rink was right next to our place, attached to The Museaum of Natural History.

He didn't want to go because he was afraid he would break something; he is 6'4 so he has a long fall down. He didn't fall though. I did once and it hurt bad enough to keep me from doing it again!

ALSO for our anniversary I got to go to Serendipity. Serendipity is my all time favorite movie, I just love drinking coffee on a cold day, sitting on the couch and watching this movie. Anyway, I have been wanting to go here for as long as I can remeber. Everyone kept telling us the wait is too long, you don't want to go. Well we got there and they told us the wait was an hour, not too bad we thought. So we went down to Dylan's (HUGE candy store) and got all kinds of delicious treats to snack on, and Wes of coures got his favorite sweet other than icecream, Cotton Candy. When we get back to Serendipity they call out like 3 different groups that were not there.. than said 'Okay, who is here that is a party of 2?' SO WE GOT TO SIT RIGHT WHEN WE WALKED IN THE DOOR. It was great!

We weren't really hungry, so we just ordered the clam chowder and the Frozen Hot Chocolate.

It was so adorable!