I'm back!

Well...it's been almost a year since I posted, and what a year it has been!

About 2 weeks after we got Dozer...SURPRISE!...we were pregnant! While it may not have been "planned", we are so incredibly blessed that it happened.

Fast forward to June 13th when we welcomed our sweet baby girl, Olivia Kathryn, into the world! Again...SURPRISE! She came 12 days early! At that moment, our lives and hearts were forever changed. While she may have been a little peanut (weighing 6lbs, 3 oz), we already knew she had the biggest personality! Wide eyed and curious at just 1 day old!

And just yesterday, she turned 3 months old! Where has the time gone?!

It got me thinking...with my family and so many of our close friends living miles away, I wanted you all to be able to see our lil Livi grow up! I have tried to not overdo posts on Instagram and Facebook, but it's so hard when every day she does something new, or looks cuter than the day before! Or at least we think so :)

So I thought I would take my friend Erica's idea for her blog, and try and post at least one photo a day. Most of the time, this photo will be of Olivia, because I just can't help it :) Other days, I will let our pup Dozer get the spotlight because he deserves some attention too! Probably not many of me because I swear I haven't been in more than a handful of photos since Liv was born. It really isn't about me anymore, and I couldn't be happier!

To kick off the "photo of the day", here is Liv chillin' in her Bumbo this morning, which we just started putting her in. It is the cutest thing when she goes in - she looks at us like..."Look at me! I got this!" Her head is getting stronger every day, but we still call her our little bobble head and I swear it never stops bopping around :)

I hope I can keep this up. And if I don't, please harass me (which I know you will, Teri!) :)

Meet Dozer!

Finally - the Mann's are getting a furry, 4-legged friend!

Meet Dozer - a 3.5 month old rescue who they guess is a mixed breed of Beagle and something with short, stubby legs - possibly a Daschund. What we do know for sure is that he is one adorable little pup!

I actually met Dozier (the original spelling of his name) at a Paws in the City (which is a local rescue organization) event on the Katy trail 2 Saturdays ago. Kristen and I were out on a walk and I couldn't help but look. I saw Dozier sitting there, staring up at me. The second I picked him up, he melted and laid his head on my shoulder. RIght then and there, I was sold.

Knowing Jeremy needed to meet him before I could really get serious about taking him home, I got on the website, found Dozier, and started conversations with the puppy coordinator immediately! Exactly a week later, Jer and I spent our Saturday morning playing with Dozier at the vet clinic him and his brother, Sampson, were being boarded at. After just 30 min, Jer was too, sold. At that point, we emailed the puppy coordinator back and asked what next steps were to adopt this little guy. After a quick home visit, signed papers, and a check filled out to cover the adoption fee, Jer and I officially became parents to Dozer! (Note: we are keeping his name, just dropping the "i". It seems to fit him perfectly!)

Since we are headed east for Brandon & Kaitlin's D.C. wedding this weekend (so excited!), we worked it out to pick up Dozer on Sunday evening. Luckily, they were able to find someone to foster him in the meantime so he wouldn't have to spend another weekend boarded at the vet clinic. With little time left before we head out of town, Jer and I spent an hour at Petsmart last night getting anything and everything we need to welcome Dozer home! It's all set up - now we just need him!

Jer getting Dozer's ID tag engraved!

(Crate not pictured, which we have learned is essential for potty training!)

More photos and details to come once we get the little guy!!!

Mom & Her New Knee

As I am writing this, my Mom is having surgery on her knee. Even though I know she is in the best hands (literally, her surgeon works on the Minnesota Twins) and surrounded by prayer and blessings (again, literally, the priest gave her a special blessing at church this morning), I still am super anxious. You know that feeling when you get a "lump" in your throat or a sinking feeling in your stomach? It's the worst. Especially when I am so far away. But all I can do is send positive thoughts and prayers her way and know that everything will be just fine. Even better, once she recovers she will be back to her normal self and can throw away that awful brace and cane she has been forced to wear the past few months!

Love you Mom!!!

A Year of Weddings!

It's been quite the year! Jer and I have already attended 5 out-of-town weddings, with one more to go a month from today! A quick re-cap of our 2011 wedding travels...

Kristen & Adam

January in Fort Worth, TX (which I know isn't technically "out-of-town", but we still made a weekend out of it and stayed at a hotel which is always fun!)

Lisa & Reed

March on the stunning beaches of Tulum, Mexico

Heidi & Ryan

May in warm & sunny Scottsdale, AZ

Tiff & Troy

July in one of our favorite cities San Diego, CA

Mal & Matt

August in my home-state - St. Paul, MN

Kaitlin & Brandon

On deck for October 1 in our nation's capital - Washington D.C.!

(Colby & Jake - SO bummed we can't make it to yours!!!)

When I look back at the list, I love that we have had the best excuse EVER to travel all across the U.S. - celebrating our friends as they tie the knot!!

What's not even included on this list are all the amazing bachelorette parties I have gone to in prep for these weddings. While I wasn't able to make it to all of them (darn work & a non-existent money tree), I was able to go to Austin, LA, Palm Springs and VEGAS this weekend! Again, best excuse EVER for a girls weekend with all my closest friends!

Even better, the wedding we just went to last weekend (Mal & Matt) allowed me to not only see my high school friends AND Teri & Danny, but ALSO my FAMILY! Talk about 2 3 birds with one stone, in a positive way, of course! Since Teri is so good with taking photos, I didn't even bring my camera to the wedding - ha! Check out her blog post & photos here! 

The photos I DID take help capture the time I got to spend with my family :) Here is a little glimpse...

My favorite home-cooked meal that my Mom makes sure to make EVERY time I come home :) This meal consists of Dad's famous chicken on the grill, Mom's twice baked potatoes, steamed artichokes (dipped in melted butter, of course!), and at least 1 dirty martini and multiple glasses of wine.

Pre-Twins Game!

Since Katie & Eric didn't make it on the official "kiss cam", we created our own :)

Loving the high 70 degree and partly cloudy weather!!!

Thanks Best Buy for the free photo op!

Best Mom & Dad ever! Thanks again for the great tickets!!

Cuddling with my new "niece" Penny!! She is such a love!! (And has a silly Daddy - check background)

Time to get out the board games! CLUE! Forgot how much I loved this game! 

The night ended with a game of Taboo. Of course, the girls won! Which ended in the guys just "being over it". Yeah, I'm sure!

Love Is All You Need...

Love is definitely on my mind (clearly, since I posted about it just yesterday!)

Maybe it's because I am jumping on a plane in less than 4 hours to head back home for my friends Mal & Matt's wedding (yay!). Or maybe it's because I am going home to a place I love after being away since the holidays. Either way, it makes me happy!

Inspired by my dear friend & a recent post on her fabulous blog, I came across this on pinterest today and wanted to share...

What does this mean to me...

I love my husband and I love how he loves me.

I love my family and I love how we make it a point to not go more than a few months before seeing each other.

I love my friends and I love that even though most of them live far away, we pick right back up where we were the last time we were together, no matter how long it has been.

Love really is all I need.

Love is all around...

Ok. So I might have taken the title of this blog post from one of my favorite movies - Love Actually - but I truly feel like love IS all around me. Not only by those who love me and those that I love, but by all the love that is happening in the lives of my family & friends!

When Jer and I moved into our new place, I quickly found out that our refrigerator didn't hold magnets. So, I quickly registered for a magnetic board from Pottery Barn and found the perfect spot on a wall in our kitchen to hang it on. This is what it currently looks like...

What I love most about this board is that it is always changing and being updated with new save the dates, wedding invitations, birth announcements, shower invites, holiday cards, new photos of my family & friends, etc. But best of all, it is a daily reminder of all the love around me.

:)

A girly weekend w/ Mom!

I have the best Mom in the whole world. When she heard my hubby was going to be out of town for a week, she called and said, "I have an idea, let's do a girls weekend in Dallas!" And a girls weekend we had! Just the two of us :)

We spent 2 days/nights at Hotel Zaza, slept in, ate delicious meals, drank dirty martinis, made cocktails from the mini bar, sat pool-side, went shopping, got massages, sipped on wine, went to an evening service at my new church, and best of all, just got to spend time together! 

Here are a few photos that captured a little taste of our weekend...

Screwdrivers from the mini bar to kick off the weekend :)

Trying to fit in at the "scene" at Zaza's pool :) It was so hot that they were pouring ice into the pool! 

Sipping on sparkling sangria during our last afternoon/evening together :)

Mom - I love you so very much, and I am so thankful for you! Can't wait to see you in just 2 short weeks!!