8 Months in 8 Minutes or Less

People have been asking if I am done blogging, and I really don’t want to be. I have so enjoyed this blog over the past SIX years. (Man, it’s hard to believe it’s been so long!) So this is my effort to wipe the slate clean and start anew so I can actually keep up with things from now on. But before I do, there are some pretty important things that happened these last few months, and I don’t want to forget them. So here is a very quick rundown of everything you need to know.

1. We ran, and ran, and ran. Kyle and I continued our training, running in several 5k's and completing our first 10k at the Redbud Classic with Tyrus and Lisa in April. After tackling that distance, I backed off running, but Kyle has done a better job keeping it up. He even ran the Heels for Hope 5k just last month.

 On Easter Weekend, I ran in the Knees 2 War 5k in Enid. It was a great day for a run, and I actually placed in my age division! 

 After we finished the run, we raced across the street to catch the last few seconds of Asher's soccer game. 

 We missed spending time with these little ones in Kansas, but I hear they had quite the egg hunt!

 Catching a ride back to the car after the Redbud Classic 10k

 We had fun with friends in Stillwater at the Scorcher 5k in June.

 Poor Kyle had to run the Heels for Hope 5k by himself this year. 

 But he had lots of cheerleaders. 

 We had a great crew walking in memory of Diane!

2. We have a new niece! Amelia Rose Payne was born at 11:21 a.m. on April 25, 2016. She weighed in at 8lbs. and was 21 inches long. Kyle and I got the news of her arrival laying on the beach in Riviera Maya, Mexico. He won a Toyota trip there that we just couldn't pass up. Fortunately, we got to meet little miss Amelia when we got back.

 We got to celebrate Amelia before her arrival with a shower in Ponca. 

 

 And before we knew it, she was making her arrival! 

 This was our view when we heard the news.

Secrets Riviera Maya was great. It was so much larger than the Secrets in Cozumel. 

We were greeted with free swag from Toyota including our fabulous hats and my bag. 

 Kyle got to golf with some iguanas and a monkey! 

 And we tried yoga for the first time with a couple we met on the trip.

 Our final evening. 

 Silly boys. 

 We couldn't resist this souvenir for Amelia! 

 Conner liked it, too!

 And finally, we get some cuddles! 

3. Olivia turned one!

 It took Olivia a little bit to dig into her cake, but I think she liked it! Probably not as much as her authentic Mexican maracas, though. :) 

4. Kyle bought a Corvette. And even though he said he wasn't buying another black vehicle, guess what color it is... :)

5. On the 6th anniversary of owning our home, we learned that it would soon get a little more crowded. Baby Fox is coming in January 2017! (More to come on that later.)

6. I took a 3-week vacation from work and spent it living life. It was a much-needed break and reminded me how grateful I am to work with wonderful people.

 Morning walks with Oliver were my favorite. When we were finished, we'd find a nice, shady spot in the grass and read for a bit. 

 Pool time at Paul's house. 

 Father's Day in Ponca.

 4th of July in Hennessey. 

 Asher and Quinn came down one afternoon to try out MoJo's. 

 It was a hit! 

 Then, I was off to Kansas to stay with these kiddos for a few days. We had so much fun! We'd play outside in the mornings, play games in the afternoon and pop popcorn in the evenings. Henry and Ella loved showing me their new popcorn machine!

 One evening, we even had time for a little slip 'n' slide fun! 

 Conner and Amelia came over to play with us. Poor Amelia wasn't big enough to join in on the fun. 

One last cuddle before they sent me off. 

 It was good to have some time away, but I missed these folks! 

7. I met O-Town!!! (Minus Ashley Parker Angel, but it was fabulous none-the-less.) That was one of many fun girls' nights/trips that I've enjoyed as of late.

 O-Town was on the My2K tour with 98 Degrees, so of course we had to go to Tulsa to see them! 

 Kelsey and Julie came along with us. 

 And finally, after much anticipation, they finally took the stage. We went crazy, along with everyone else in the crowd. What a wonderful night! 

 And then, we got to meet them! Dan, Jacob, Erik and Trevor. 

 I have now taken 2 trips to Branson with these ladies, attempting our hot air balloon ride. They are very good friends! Unfortunately, trip No. 2 was a bust as well, but we did actually meet our balloon guy this time, so we know he exists! His business may be a total scam, but at least we are getting some fun memories out of the deal!

 In July, Mom, Lisa, Stacy and I journeyed to Waco, the motherland of Fixer Upper. We had a great time shopping, eating and exploring Magnolia Market and the Silos. Unfortunately, there were no Chip and Jo sightings.

 We even fit in a trip to the Dr. Pepper Museum for Mom. 

 And, thanks to Krissi, we got to see Blake Shelton live in OKC! They were great seats. 

The Blake concert reminded me of our trip back in April to see Amy Schumer. What fun nights those were!

8. Ella turned 2!

 I was in Waco, so we missed out on the fun. From pictures, it looks like the birthday girl had a great time!

9. Conner turned 5!

 He is so grown up all of the sudden! :(

 Amelia was loving the party, but being on Nana's lap probably had something to do with that! She loves her Nana.

10. We celebrated Kyle's grandparents' 60th Anniversary. It was a warm and sunny September afternoon. We all gathered at Brad and Tasha's for a cookout and some family fun. We managed to squeeze in some time for family pictures before we all had to go our separate ways. I am so glad we have these to remember such a wonderful occasion that few get to celebrate.

11. Asher turned 7!

 We celebrated his birthday with Dad's once Mom and Dad got back from their 35th anniversary cruise.

 Uncle Kyle even got in on the trampoline fun. 

 I stayed in town so I could catch Asher's flag football game. It was his first year to play, but he really enjoyed it.

12. We've had a great football season so far.

 Introducing Blakely and Morgan to The Walk. 

 It has been the first year of the Lester-Morton tailgate, and I'd say it's definitely been a success! Lots of early games, but we've been making the best of it. 

Happy Homecoming! Kyle NEVER gets to go to early games because of his work. However, since it looks like we aren't getting any night games this year, they made one exception. I'm so glad they did. We had a great time and the Pokes pulled out a win!