the McClures

It is funny the twists and turns that life can take you on.  We met the McClures back before we were married and living in Richmond.  Then life took a turn and we moved to Seattle, Scotland and finally Austin. Meanwhile the McClures moved to Raleigh and then to Austin.  They landed here in 2008 and we landed here a year later.  Now they are heading back to Richmond but we'll still get to see them since we travel there multiple times a year to visit my family.  We are thankful for their friendship and thankful that even though their leaving Austin that we'll still be able to see them in Richmond!

Last Saturday we all got together for some organized chaos. The McClure family has 3 children and with our 2 that makes for a lot of little kiddos.  Amazingly enough it went really smoothly and we actually got to carry on a conversation and eat dinner while the kids played happily in the background. When does that ever happen?!

The babies- Ashby & Isla

Isla & Sadie

the Mens

sweet little Sadie chasing after the boys

Knox & Finley having a race around the pool

see what I mean- he needs a haircut? I mean, it is blowing in the wind!

the boys playing cars and super heroes

the adults!

We're sad that their moving but selfishly they couldn't be moving to a better place for us!  We'll miss you guys!

-Stacie

Photoshoots

It has been a little while since I have done a photoshoot so I tried this weekend. You never know what you're going to get when your subjects are one and three but you have to try!  I had a hard time getting Isla to even look at the camera let alone look happy but that one is feisty and she has no problem letting you know how she feels! I don't have any idea where she gets that from…

Here are the best from the shoot:

she's even pretty when she's crying...

this is her scowl...

not looking, but not crying either

just tell him to be silly and he's in!

he was telling me about fighting the bad guys here...

Knox is oblivious to Isla's distress, haha!

my favorite

leg rolls and tattoos- gotta love it!

This year was my first attempt at bluebonnet pictures. It's a Texas thing and I haven't bought into it because nothing can compare to the tulip festival in Washington. But they are pretty and they do make for some cute photos, so why not?!

he picked his flowers "for daddy"

Knox & his buddy Avery

That's all she wrote!

-Stacie

First Haircut

This actually happened about 6 week ago but I just found the picture so thought I would share!  I wanted to get Isla's hair trimmed so that it would grow out even and she wouldn't have a toddler mullet.  I wasn't sure how she'd do but I she was a trooper and didn't even flinch!

 You may not know this about me but I am generally laid back. However, my inner crazy OCD comes out when it has to do with my kiddos hair and I hover and give out nervous instructions.  The poor hairdressers probably hate me.  But I recognize that I have a problem, that's half the battle right?  Even given my meddling and nervous energy Isla came out looking good and no worse for the wear.

pretty girl

Now I just need to get the courage up to cut Knox's hair. I have had multiple people tell me how cute my "daughters" are…hmm, maybe it's time for a trim? I'm not sure my blood pressure can handle it.

Stacie

February Montage

We haven't been up to too much here at the Sale household.  So I thought I would do a little photo montage of the past month of our lives...

hanging out in the driveway eating popsicles

bathtime

minus the snot it captures how pretty she is...

spending sometime at Bull Creek on a Saturday afternoon

16 months already 

family pic from Dedication Sunday

Knox asked for a ponytail, I delivered…the bow may have been artistic license

Knox's first attempt at bowling

My first attempt at braiding Isla's hair

trip to the Austin Rodeo

Well that is our February in a photo nutshell!

-Stacie

Dedication

It has been awhile coming but a few weeks ago at church we finally had Knox & Isla dedicated.  Our church doesn't do infant baptism but they do child dedication instead. So Kyle & I had to sit down together and write out specific commitments that we had for ourselves in our own walk with the Lord and also specific commitments we made in how we will raise Knox & Isla to love and know the Lord as well.  After we submitted our commitments to the church we got to stand up in front of everyone at the service and have them all pray for Knox & Isla. Of course this isn't some magical act that will save their souls but it was meaningful to have our church pray for our children and for us to commit to each other specific ways in which we will raise them to know Jesus as their personal savior.  

We didn't get any great pictures but a very gracious friend in the audience took these for us so you can at least get the idea. 

First tie, lovelovelove!

After church we went out to lunch at a local burger joint with our community group- very classy :)

Ketchup face Knox & his buddy Blythe

-Stacie

texas family

It's funny to me that I ended up in Texas raising my family, but even funnier is that my second (or third, who knows) cousin from Florida also ended up in Texas raising her family.  Jenn & I saw each other every few years growing up and then hadn't seen each other since early high school when we both found ourselves living in Texas only a few hours away from each other.  Jenn & her husband Rob have a son Evan who is 3 just like Knox. It has been fun for us to get together with them once or twice a year to hang out and let the kids play.  This past weekend they drove up from Houston and stayed with us.  

Knox & Evan had their first "sleepover" together which went incredibly bad- ha! But I guess that was to be expected, I figured it was worth a shot.  They ended up finally going to bed around 10:00 pm (after we separated them) and then were both hugely cranky and whiney on Saturday.  Oh well, you live and learn.  

Here are some pics from when it finally stopped being freezing and we could get outside on Saturday! 

Isla loves playing in the sand

Knox is painting the playscape with water and a paintbrush he found- whatever works kid! 

Isla & Evan playing "together"

this was Knox's attempt to smile for the camera

Evan trying out Knox's new swing 

Isla loves going down the slide

It was fun to have family in town this weekend!

-Stacie