The Holleman House

Lawson's 1 Year Video

2011-02-06T08:27:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Lawson!

2011-01-25T14:36:00.004-06:00

Exactly this time last year I was timing contractions while doing laundry and picking the house up, hoping the contractions were "for real" and that we were headed to the hospital SOON! Preston was getting his afternoon nap in and Jason was at work. To my delight (I was past my due-date) the Doctor told me to come in and get checked. And the rest is history... :)

Lawson, you have added more delight and joy than I ever knew possible. May the Lord grant you many, many more years to shine that smile of yours! My heart is full. So proud to be your MOM! Happy Birthday!

My lil Pumpkins

2010-10-02T16:18:00.003-05:00

We love to go to Calloway's each Fall. They have a fun "Kid day" where they have activities for kids and we enjoy trying to get a few pictures too. and by a few, I mean take 300 and get 10 that look okay.

Since I was a horrible blogger in 2009, I'm including pictures from last year and this year. Can't believe how different Preston looks 1 year later, and of course there's a new addition to our family this year! ;)

2009::

2010::

Preston's 1st day of school

2010-10-02T16:11:00.003-05:00

Here's Preston's first day of "school" Pic this year. He goes on Tuesday/Thursdays and continues to love it. One of his best friends, Truman, is in his class this year which is so fun for him! He is my social bug...asking each day to have a friend over to play! So I love this little outlet for him!

Couch Pictures (1-6)

2010-07-27T14:57:00.009-05:00

Lawson will turn 8 months tomorrow and I haven't posted 1 monthly picture. A dear friend told me yesterday that she still checks my blog for pictures...so convicting. I would LOVE to spend more time on here. It is my desire but LIFE has just not allowed the time for it. Hoping this is a first to many more posts!

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

Glasses!

2010-05-10T08:57:00.003-05:00

Our little (big) boy got glasses {in March}. The question I get most often is - How did you know he needed them? And I think that most pediatricians check children at their 2 year appt. Preston was checked using some sort of machine and it came up that one eye was slightly stronger than the other and I was told to take P to see a specialist. But that it was nothing to be alarmed about.

So a few weeks later we got in to see the Doctor and long story short - he cleared us to go home and said his eyes were fine.

Obviously that's not the end of the story! :) Around Jan/Feb of this yearJason's grandmother and dad came to us and said they thought Preston may have a problem with his eyes. They could see that one of his eyes was moving in slightly when he looked at certain things. {I should mention Jason's dad and one of his brothers also had a similar problem so Mimi had a pretty good idea that this was the same thing.} So of course I started watching him like a hawk and thought I was seeing it myself. Then I did some research and decided to get a second opinion.

We went to another specialist and she confirmed our suspicions. He has strabismus - commonly confused with lazy eye, but it's not. Strabismus is more of a crossing of the eyes when they focus.

I had so many thoughts when they told me he needed glasses, but honestly one of the first was how in the world was I going to keep glasses on a 2 year old boy???

But true to Preston style, he adjusted smoothly. We went and picked some out (not a ton of choices in children's glasses, but we found some we liked), put them on and he only asked to take them off a handful of times. And now he asks to put them on when we forget. sweet boy. :)

We don't know how long he'll have glasses, maybe for life? We are praying that the glasses will do their job and strengthen the eye so that we won't have to move on to the next steps...patching and/or surgery.

Jumping.

Quirky!

Happy Easter

2010-04-08T16:35:00.002-05:00

In case you didn't get yours in the mail....

2010-04-01T16:43:00.001-05:00

Cowboy Preston

2010-03-24T09:57:00.004-05:00

Rodeo Day at school (MDO):

Big thanks to Mimi who provided most of the outfit! :)

Looks like....

2010-03-24T09:53:00.009-05:00

The Jury is still out on who Lawson looks like....what do you think?

J and Lawson

J and Preston

Lawson - 1 month

Preston - 1 month

Law - Newborn sad face

Pres - newborn sad face

Lawson - first picture

Preston - first picture

He's here!!!

2010-03-24T09:45:00.005-05:00

proof that I was very much pregnant. 39 weeks.
Right after delivery. we brought preston in and he was so sweet to Lawson. First thing he said was that he wanted to share his toys with him.
Sweet girlfriends who were there in a moments notice to share in the excitement.
ready to go home.
first pic of Pres holding Lawson. I love this.
The Patterson's coming to visit. More visitors...co-workers and friends.
Friends visiting. Sweet Charlee is just a few weeks older than Lawson. Such a blessing to have a good friend to be pregnant with! :)
Carri Wellborn helping Pres hold Lawson. Preston stayed with the Wellborn's while we were at the hospital. another blessing!!
More friends!

I will not be writing Lawson's "birth story" for the public to read (I will say it was a great experience) but will share some memories:

*Not having a "scheduled" labor may be a little more stressful, but the excitement is worth it

*Laboring at home pays off.

*The way Jason drove to the hospital...let's just say...mad driving skillz

*After arriving my doctor saying we'd have a baby by dinnertime!

*My phone losing all battery when arriving at the hospital because I had been using it all day to time my contractions.

*Walking around upstairs in the hospital with Preston looking at the fish tanks with contractions that took my breath away, but loving those moments of just me and him.

*Sweet friends and family hearing the news that I was in labor and coming up to the hospital.

*Everyone taking guesses on his weight, hair, length, time of arrival.

*The nurse asking me if I wanted to go all natural = no epidural.

*Getting extra bags of fluids because I was so dehydrated from throwing up all night the night before.

*How fast my delivery went...didn't push for very long.

*The immediate love I felt for another child.

*The lungs on Lawson...that boy can be heard!

*The ease with which Preston accepted Lawson into our family.

*Celebrating with friends and family after delivery.

*Lawson never leaving the room after delivery...getting a bath and everything inside the room.

Eating Aina's dinner at 11pm that night because I was starving and she was so kind to share.

*Rachel getting us a "better" recovery room because she went and talked to the nurses.

How big and grown up Preston looked the next day when I saw him.

*Not getting ANY sleep the first night because someone was in the room every 30 minutes doing something.

*How much easier things felt the second time around.

*Fun times visiting with friends over the next 2 days as they came to see Lawson.

Friday Flashback - Boy or Girl?!

2009-10-16T21:23:00.003-05:00

I stole the idea of "Friday Flashbacks" on another blog. She was behind on blogging and decided to use Fridays to catch up on important things that had been passed by - whether it be years ago or just days ago. So I thought I'd try to do the same on Fridays. I don't think I'll have any problem finding stuff to post on Fridays.

Here's one I've been meaning to get up for a while...

On Sept 8, I had my 20 week sonogram where we could find out the gender of baby #2. We wanted to find out, but I thought it would be fun to have the sonographer write down what we're having and put it in an envelope. Then we would open it later that day at dinner with friends. I'm not sure where I came up with that idea, but I liked the thought of celebrating with good friends as opposed to a stranger. (no offense to the sonographers out there)

So Jason and I enjoyed every minute of the long awaited sonogram, capturing each movement and looking at baby #2 in amazement. Jason kept trying to sneak a peak and swore at first look at the baby that it was a boy.

I went into the appointment thinking it was a girl. My assumption was based on how I felt this pregnancy. First of all, very different from Preston, and not nearly as sick. Which was a huge blessing, but still - different. And the cravings I've had seemed to match up with all my friends that were having girls!

The sonographer turned off the screen at one point so she could take pictures of the gender "evidence" clearly and filled an envelope with a note and lots of pictures! In that moment I wondered what in the world we were thinking by waiting?!!

But wait we did, and it was so worth it. We had invited some close friends (and their kids) to meet us at a restaurant where I had reserved a room. We set up a kids table and adult table. I went ahead and put the party favors out on the tables...bad idea. Don't give children free access to pink and blue jelly beans. Let's just say they were gone before the meal came. I'm sure the parents loved me!

We ate dinner (well I nibbled out of pure excitement) and then Jason told the story of our first sonogram experience with Preston. Long story, but let's just say they told us we were having a GIRL!

We asked everyone to hold up the Hershey kiss color that corresponded with what they thought we were having...(blue for boy, pink for girl) and then

I quickly opened the envelope to find a note saying "It's a BOY!" and pictures that clearly credited him with being a boy! ;)

I was shocked, but thrilled. We feel beyond blessed and can't wait to meet baby boy! I could not have asked for a better way to find out what we're having. It was such a joyful evening - one to remember for sure!
Here's some pictures of the night:

School Days

2009-09-01T16:10:00.006-05:00

Preston started school last week. (MDO) He seemed to do great. When I dropped him off the first day he ran to play with the trucks and never looked back! With his birthday being in May, he's one of the youngest in the class. Most of the other children in the class are potty-training. I'll be interested to see how this rubs off on him. At home Preston has shown no interest in it...to the point where I was just going to wait until bebe was here and settled before I started that adventure. But after 2 weeks of school now his teachers have said that he's really trying and watching all the others go on the potty is very intriguing. Enough potty talk, now pictures...

A little gift for his teacher on the first day

Got some new kicks for school

the classic 'first day of school picture'...he wasn't interested in smiling!

Sleepy boy...he's not exactly a morning person! ;)

And last but not least, I'm including a link to a post I read. It's about ceremonies and traditions (i.e. starting school) and so much more. It's encouraging and convicting...I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Here's a little excerpt:

If we chose to "exult in monotony," to embrace habitual ceremony, would we be inviting the same God who instituted the observances of feasts, temple ceremonies, the service of communion, to be our strength too?

Perhaps the repetitiveness of ceremony does not stifle the Spirit, but ceremony invites us to regular meeting places, places to commune with the Spirit.

Preston's birthday

2009-09-01T14:50:00.005-05:00

As I said in this post, I have a lot of catching up to do! One of the events I wanted to recap was Preston's birthday. This year we planned a birthday party with a Firetruck theme! We were going to have it at one of the stations in town...complete with a tour and everything. Invitations were sent out, cake ordered, balloons bought, party favors made, etc. We were ready! Then 2 days before we get a call saying we could not have his party at the Firehouse because all public events in the city had been cancelled due to swine flu. :( We were bummed, and thought about just having a party anyway, but it didn't seem the same without going to Fire Dept. So, we might try again for birthday number 3! Hopefully his LOVE for all things Firetruck will stick around!

The best part about a cancelled party for Preston is that he had no idea! ;) So we had some family over to celebrate that weekend. Here's a few pics:

Mimi got you a very cool antique school desk! And you are wondering why I am taking your picture?!

Of course Mimi put gifts inside the desk just for you!

You got the hang of opening your gifts!

And you loved trying on your gifts!

I made Tres Leches cake for everyone else, but knew that you would love an Elmo cupcake because you happen to love everything Elmo!

Here's some fun things about you at 2:

You request to watch Sesame Street every morning while you eat your breakfast by saying, "Elmo Please!"

You have jumped up quite a bit on the growth percentile charts....growing 2 1/4 inches in 6 months.

If you fall down or hurt yourself you like to tell me exactly where it hurts so I can kiss it. And if you think I've hurt myself or am sad you will come over to me and pat my back. So sweet!

You love to jump off the side of the pool to us and could do this for hours on end!

Each time you see a Firetruck you shout EEEE-OOOO-EEEE-OOOO!

And just three short months later at 27 months:

You have become quite independent, saying the phrase..."I do it, No I do it!" This happens most often in the car where you want no help into your car seat.

You love to open and close doors saying Hi and Bye and you come and go. You have a much harder time opening doors than closing and I am so thankful for this. I am not ready for you to come and go as you please.

You are always asking what something is or what the name is. So you learn new words everyday and it's amazing to hear you repeat things that I didn't even know you knew.

When you count out loud you like to go back and forth between 2 and 3 over and over.

When you see that Bella's bowls are empty you pick them up and help get her more food.

Our car rides consist mostly of spotting planes, diggers, and buses...where you ask each time if we can "ride the bus!"

When we pass a Chick-fil-a you like to say "Fries!" and when we pass a Wendy's you say, "Ice Cream!" (frosty). Not because this is what you get each time, but because this is what you WANT each time! :)

Preston, you are loved and cherished and it's a joy to be your Mom!

Big Boy Bedroom

2009-08-16T08:43:00.016-05:00

We survived. After 48 hours of almost no sleep, Preston is sleeping in a "big boy bed!" Here's what he looked like when we told him with great excitement about his new bed. I should have known the night would be long just based on his expression. So after taking turns laying down with him, singing, praying, and more praying he fell asleep. Wow, that wasn't that bad - I thought...then he woke up countless times that night and for the next 2 days. He would not only get out of bed, but also sneak around our house in the middle of the night. We found him in the hallway, playing with toys in different rooms and he even went and got Bella out of her cage where she sleeps at night...I guess he was lonely. Ha! We had to laugh, but then quickly put a gate up in his doorway.
Let's just say we haven't been that sleep-deprived since his Newborn days.

Like I said...not really thrilled about the new bed!
BUT, here's proof that he does sleep. I took this during one of his naps.
Here's the other bed in his room. I have some fun "cow" material that we are going to make pillows out of and put on the beds also. His room has a cowboy theme, but I didn't buy much...it's really just a random collection of what we had around the house. The white shelves are from Pottery Barn and we got them when we got married. I bought the cowboy sheets at Target and the bedding is by Woolrich. It's no longer carried at Target so I bought them off Ebay.
The bed he sleeps in. The bed rail saves him every night! :) or else he would be hitting the floor. I highly recommend them! Curtains from Wal-mart...and were also used in the nursery.
Tea towels I bought in Canton. They were WHITE so I soaked them in a pot of tea to stain them and make them look a little more "antique."
These little windows I got in an antique mall after college.
We had this stool but Jason painted it. Rug is from Target.
Rocking Horse was given as a gift from the grandparents for his 1st birthday...it's also an antique.
Vintage wallpaper that Jason's mom had framed.
A little antique tri-cycle that I begged Jason to find a way to hang from the ceiling. He did so good! :) I just think it's fun.
Book shelf from Ikea...we've used that shelf all over our house, and it's been many colors! ;) I should have straightened up the bookshelf before the pic, but you get to see how it really looks with a toddler! :)
View from the doorway.

Bedtime

2009-08-06T17:16:00.007-05:00

I know I have much to blog about (see last post) but I'm feeling sentimental so I thought documenting this milestone might help! ;)

any guesses? No, it doesn't have to do with the shiny thing in his hand.

That's just a pinwheel that he found at my Mom's house and has fallen in love with. It goes with him around the house, in the car so he can let the AC from the vents blow it, and of course to bed with him.

See...he's giving you a closer look!

Back to the point...here's a pic of Preston's own little jumping session. Problem is..he can't have those in his NEW bed! That's right, we are taking the crib out and (hopefully) he will sleep in his twin bed tonight!

I'll let you know how it goes...because as you can see he can get a little crazy! ;)

But eventually he lays down and gets the blanket( night night) in perfect placement! And then he's off to dreamland. I'm praying he does the same in a bed. I mean, he can't always stay in a crib, right? ;)

Assuming I get some sleep tonight..then I'll post some pics of his "big boy" bed tomorrow.

"When you lie down, you will not be afraid.

When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."

~Proverbs 3:24

Sweet Dreams.

May & June Recap

2009-07-11T08:25:00.014-05:00

I have not posted in so long that it's pathetic. So before we head out of town (again!) I thought I would throw some pictures of our summer up here to somewhat summarize what we've been doing...although it doesn't capture every event...it does make me feel a little better about my lack of blogging.

Preston turned 2 on May 1st. This deserves its own post. But I will go ahead and tell you we did a little celebration with family after his firetruck party got cancelled due to Swine Flu! what?

This summer we've been reading...here he is checking out a book.

My dear friend Amy has been helping me (she's really doing all the work...I don't know how to sew)make some much needed pillows for our couch. we needed to add some color to our living room.

There's the couch with no pillows...see, told you! :)

Trains still keep us very entertained

and sometimes we swing...if it's not 104 degrees outside!

We've been to the lake twice...and these will get their own post too! :)

I turned 30 in May!

And the same week we found out we are expecting a second little one in the New Year!! It was a wonderful birthday present!

As another birthday gift, Jason surprised me with a weekend get-away! This will also get its own post! Can you tell how behind I am on blogging? :(

Preston loves to play at the playground down the street!

In May, we also had to cut down 5 of our pine trees. I'll post more on this too!

I had my first Mooyah burger experience. It was quite tasty I must say!

We have swam A LOT this summer. It's been HOT. Most of the time we swim at the gym we belong to, or we swim at friends' pools!

We've been able to fit some "down-time" in too!

Did I mention the trains? Oh yes, morning, noon, and night! Here he is building his own track.

We've had play dates with friends. Miss Lily dresses up to ride the pony!

And of course, we've had silly times too!

I better hit "publish" or I will never get this done. Even though I just remembered I didn't post anything about our 5 year anniversary! wow, another post. It's never done! ;)Happy Summer!

Couch Pictures

2009-06-07T21:50:00.017-05:00

Each month I take pictures of Preston on our couch. I started when he was 1 month old and so for several months he was very cooperative and stayed in one spot, but as you will see with this year of photos, he likes to move around...and only smiles when he wants! :) but I still love to take them and watch the growth that seems so subtle from day to day really turn out to be big changes.

If you'd like to see the first year in month pictures again (ahem grandparents!) just click here!

13 months

14 months

15 months

16 months

17 months

18 months

19 months

20 months

21 months

22 months

23 months

2 YEARS!!!!

25 months

Happy Mother's DAY!

2009-05-10T17:42:00.008-05:00

I love traditions. Here's one that we started on my first Mother's Day. Taking a picture by the Japanese Maple Jason bought for MD 2007.

2009

2008

2007

Here's a pic of the gift last year.

And this year he bought this beautiful plant!

Happy Mother's DAY to you all!

Happy Birthday Sweet boy!

2009-05-01T22:50:00.003-05:00

These are the pictures we used for Preston's invitation! Can you guess what kind of party he's having this weekend? ;)

I have so much more to post but I wanted to at least get these up today! We love you sweet P!

What a joy it is to be your parents! Happiest 2 years to you!!!

First movie

2009-04-18T13:42:00.003-05:00

At just a few weeks short of turning 2 Preston saw his first Theater movie! If you can't read the sign it was Cars. One of the theaters near us shows matinee specials and that week they were playing, Cars. I knew he would be a little young for a 2 hour movie, but Preston LOVES anything that has wheels and moves so I was counting on his attention holding out a little longer than normal.

And HE DID GREAT! He stood up right in front of my chair for the first half of the movie, and then sat down to eat his little popcorn and drink. And then he fells asleep near the end!! ha! ;)

But better that than running all over the place!

Here's Preston about to go in and watch with his friend, Lily!

Easter 2009

2009-04-18T08:34:00.006-05:00

This Easter took me by surprise in the sense that I had no idea how much I would delight in watching Preston. Last year he was not walking yet so an Easter Egg hunt was not in the plans. But this year I set up a little one in our backyard and he LOVED it! He would pick up each egg and say, "all done!" thinking each time that he had found the last egg!

THEN, he quickly realized there was candy {skittles} in each one! :) Only problem is he believes every egg has candy in it...even the REAL ones!

He had a blast...just pure joy, and I loved watching him. But what makes me really excited is thinking about the years to come and how great it will be when he starts to understand why we celebrate Easter!!!!

Hunting for eggs!

Full basket!

Searching high and low!

Making smores over Easter weekend and using little bunny marshmallows!

Preston's little Easter basket

Opening his basket on Easter morning!

Dallas Blooms 2009

2009-03-30T22:53:00.006-05:00

Over Spring Break our family, including my mom all went to the arboretum for Dallas Blooms!

It was a beautiful day. Here's some pics:

trying to get a picture to match his pirate shirt. P was not really into the picture taking!

Candyland!

Probably my favorite shot of the day...total boy. He's watching the fish and picking up rocks to throw.

Just a Japanese Maple that's potted, but I like the look....makes me want to do the same!

This bush is a Texas Mountain Laurel and I'm so glad we found out what it is because I've wanted one for our yard, but never knew what it was called. The picture doesn't show it in full bloom, but it produces these beautiful purple flowers that smell AMAZING! Just like candy sweet-tarts. anyways, we bought one last week for the front yard! :)

Sweet boy!

love those toes! ;)

walking through the azalea's

No way to fit all the flowers in a picture! If you've never been to Dallas Bloom's I highly suggest it!

Children

2009-03-07T21:54:00.002-06:00

The following is an article that I came across on a friends blog. It's titled, "Why don't Friends with Kids have Time?" and was published in The Washington Post. Since then, it's been "published" again and again all over the place..blogs, FB, etc.

So why would I want to post it on my blog? Because I think it speaks volumes and resonates with where I'm at. daily.

I will be the FIRST to admit that I didn't have a clear view of motherhood. When I was working full time I would look at stay-at-home moms with envy and wonder what exactly took up ALL their time. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think they were sitting around eating bon bons all day, but at least they could get laundry done and dinner on the table, right? Both of which I was struggling to do with going to work each day.

Obviously my thoughts have changed. And I still wouldn't change staying at home with Preston. I'm SO thankful for the opportunity to do so. Time is fast, but with young ones at home it seems to be in fast-forward with no pause button. And my favorite line from the article..."It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15!" This is so true for me.

So if you read it...I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

TELL ME ABOUT IT ®
By Carolyn HaxWednesday, May 23, 2007; Page C10
Dear Carolyn:
Best friend has child. Her: exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): Wow. Sorry. What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group . . .
Okay. I've done Internet searches, I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners . . . I do all those things, too, and I don't do them EVERY DAY. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events) and I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy -- not a bad thing at all -- but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a peeing contest ("My life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids and all us child-free folks get the same story and have the same questions.
- Tacoma, Wash.

Dear Tacoma,
Relax and enjoy. You're funny.
Or you're lying about having friends with kids.
Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them.
Internet searches?
I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed.
So, since it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. In list form. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.
It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.
It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.
It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well-meaning and otherwise. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.
It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything -- language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.
It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends, or marvel how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand or keep your snit to yourself.
Write to Tell Me About It, Style, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071, ortellme@washpost.com.

J's birthday pics

2009-03-05T15:54:00.005-06:00

Thank you for all the birthday wishes to Jason! Thought I would share some pictures of the celebrations. Please excuse the quality...they were taken from my phone...

Monday night we went to Maggiano's with our dear friends, The Carruth's. Baby Charlotte looks excited to eat a lemon cookie! Thought I'd also share that it seems to be a tradition that Caleb and J buy each other white russians on their birthday as well. ;)

On Wednesday, some of the office staff surprised him with a little celebration before his next meeting. Cookies-N-Cream ice cream cake from Culvers...yum! Thanks Ang, Jill, and Mack!

And last but not least we celebrated Thursday night on the patio of Blue Goose with The Bleecker's, Chandler's, and Patterson's. Then we moved our stuffed full bodies across the street to the theater to see Slumdog Millionaire. Fun night!

Thanks for celebrating with us!

Happy Birthday Jason!

2009-02-25T14:31:00.008-06:00

Wanted to give a shout-out to J since today is his birthday!! I've included some generational pics that were taken this past November. Been meaning to post some, but kinda glad I didn't because I think they're perfect for a birthday blog! :)

Jason actually gave me these as a Christmas gift and had them taken while I was at a 'Girls Weekend' with some of my college roomies! He did good...and it was an awesome surprise! Thank you Brian Braun for taking the pics and thank you Collin for being a good sport and helping out all weekend!

We will be celebrating all week so I'll post some pics of our outings later! In the meantime, Happiest Birthday Wishes babe! So thankful for your life and another year with you!

Here's a few of my favorites:

25 random things...

2009-02-15T14:51:00.002-06:00

So I was tagged on Face Book to write 25 random things...and since I have terribly neglected my blog I thought I would post them on here as well. My husband even asked me the other day if we still had our blog! ;( wow.

And in all honesty I still can't decide what I think about FB. It's a great connection place, and so fun to reunite with old friends! But, oh my, you can waste time on there!

1. I am right handed but can also write fairly well with my left.
2. Sometimes I get carsick. Unfortunately, I think I may have passed this trait onto our son.
3. I think I could live on eating carbs alone. ;)
4. I don't like wearing a lot of make-up.
5. I really like to wear flip-flops. Much better than being barefoot.
6. I enjoy organizing and decorating.
7. I drink a latte almost every morning...made by my husbband!
8. I'm funny about the temperature of food. Ex: I don't like eating food that's supposed to be hot but has turned cold.
9. I think most everything can be "fixed" with a can of paint.
10. I have a love/hate relationshiop with running.
11. I'm not a morning person.
12. I love when my car is clean, but that seems impossible these days with a toddler in the back throwing food! :)
14. I'm good at remembering dates and directions...this is very helpful to my husband.
15. I think chocolate should be added to the food pyramid.
16. I prefer fountain cokes over canned.
17. In college I lived in the house my dad grew up in. In fact, I had the same bedroom he did.
18. I love public libraries.
19. I usually don't watch movies twice...once is good for me.
20. The Gospel is the best story that will ever be told.
21. Spring is my favorite season (love all the new life and growth), followed by summer.
22. When I yawn, I twist my tongue...not on purpose.
23. I love to swim, but water at night is scary.
24. It's a rare thing when people remember how to spell my name.
25. When I first met Jason I thought he would never "settle down". We've been married for almost 5 years!!

Christmas Tour

2009-01-19T16:45:00.015-06:00

Yes, you can laugh at the title of this post. But, since I took these pictures thinking I would participate in the tour again this year I thought I would still post them....exactly one month too late! ;) There are many excuses but I will save you from all of them except one. A very important one. My computer has been sick (wasn't working right) so we took it to the Dr. (the apple store) and they fixed it...sort of. And now it has different problems. So we will be taking it back. Thus, I've been delayed in blogging.

The Beautiful Christmas Tree. I say beautiful because my mother-in-law made it that way. She's a "Christmas tree putting together extraordinaire!" And she came over one night to put her special touch and I am so thankful. I think we put on around 200 ornaments.

Our dining room...
Another Mother-in-law work of art! If you will look again at last year's tour you will see the garland I put up was pathetic. I'm embarrassed.
Hall of fame...Christmas cards.
Living Room with our "real little tree" in it. It has all the cute, family, mismatch ornaments on it.
A Nativity scene...
A cute little "pocket" Nativity of Preston's....

A favorite ornament. My mom makes these with her preschool class. It's made from a laundry detergent scoop. It's a little manger...you can't see it but baby Jesus is sleeping inside!
side view...
And my other nativity. Preston tumbled into it one morning. I was gone somewhere and I got a phone call from J telling me he was okay, but the nativity wasn't. This is what I found when I got home. I think it was a conspiracy. J thinks I have too many nativities. (Again, just look at last year's and you'll see the Nativity in one piece.)
A closer look...if you double click you will see baby Jesus broke his arm.
And here's a decapitated wise man.

And at the end of the home tour I would offer you these pretty, fat-free snacks....
And of course the beverage of your choice!
Thanks for coming!

2008-12-11T23:33:00.008-06:00

This post is mainly for the record books (and grandparents). I am aware that it is all about Preston! ;)

He's been my Santa's helper! Here he is trying to help me with putting lights on the wreath. He also tried to help with the Nativity...I will show pics later because it deserves a post all its own.

Preston enjoys using Bella as a back support and enjoys trying to ride her like a horse. She complies, which is another reason why we love her!

Apparently he got a little friendly with the pen. Have a mentioned he's getting a bit mischievous?!

Here's where I found him the other morning when I knew things were a little too quiet. He can now reach into drawers. I was a bit annoyed, but happy to not find them in the toilet...which is usually his favorite spot for things.

Eating bananas in a box, of course. This goes along perfectly with my dads theory that children don't need toys, just boxes and pots & pans!

Eating ON the dishwasher. What's funny is I can remember doing the same thing as a kid!

Reading books in bed. I've found if I put his favorite books in the crib with him it will buy me enough time to take a shower!

At snuffers, first time for him to sit in a booster! What a big boy!

Riding the carousel last week...he wasn't the biggest fan.

Preston loves to push an pull things. Here he is at Thanksgiving helping my dad to his car.

t.r.o.u.b.l.e.

The blanket. oh, the blanket. He doesn't have to have it everywhere he goes, but it's a must at bedtime. And it's also a must to clear out his bed in the morning. He can't leave anything (blanket, stuffed animal) in the bed.

Loves to "talk" on the phone. He can almost slide my phone on which is very scary.

Loves, loves, loves firetrucks and anything that has a siren. This was a fire truck book I bought at Target for a buck! Great purchase!

Playing the piano in his p.j's. He still loves to play with his Dad!!!

17, 18, and 19 months

2008-12-08T22:41:00.006-06:00

17 months...

18 months...

19 months...

this is his new face!?!

It's late. and there's so much I should be doing...like cleaning, or wrapping gifts, or making gifts, or sleeping! but I REFUSE to get any further behind on blogging and pictures! I have hundreds of pictures on this computer needing to be put on this 'virtual scrapbook' of mine. It may look like Preston hasn't changed much over the last few months, but he has....with his personality, attitude, and opinion coming out more each day! And somehow (life gets busy) I have missed the opportunity to capture those moments on here - as they happen. So here's my attempt at getting something on here before bed, and hoping for more blogging tomorrow!

The Fair!

2008-11-09T21:37:00.009-06:00

Of course I'm posting these about a month late. I've about given up on posting anything on time! ;) But since I consider this our digital scrapbook I figured it's better to put it in here late than not at all!

towards the end of our day...if you can't tell from P's expression

pictures were taken...

and then more pictures were taken

Yummy, fried, low calorie food was eaten

babies were carried

and babies were strolled

babies were held TIGHT

and babies were pulled

animals were seen

and animals were pointed at

and animals were fed!

He LOVES the animals. In fact, he "moo-ed" the entire time in the petting zoo. because no matter what animal it is, it always moo's!

Family Pic 2008

Family Pic 2007

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T12:44:00.004-05:00

Last night we went to an early Halloween Festival. Preston, I mean, the Bear had no problem getting candy from those handing out. He caught onto the idea of picking candy from their buckets and putting it in his. He wouldn't even let me touch his bucket for the rest of the night. :) It's also worth mentioning that this sentence was said to us several times, "SHE is such a cute bear!" Next year I'm dressing him as the Incredible HULK!!

Meet the three B's:

The Bear, Bam Bam, and the Ballerina!

aka, Preston, Evan, and Lily

The Bear is way more interested in candy than taking a picture!

Daddy and the bear

Bear is confused by big Rabbit?!?!

Click here to see Preston at last years Halloween!

Grapefest 2008

2008-10-21T23:23:00.000-05:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sorry for the VERY late post...seems to be a theme of mine!

Things Lately...

2008-10-01T17:23:00.006-05:00

I ran in my first 5k this past weekend. That's right, my first. Just started running with consistency about 2 months ago. We'll see where it goes?!?

Carrie and I at the Vineyard 5k. She's a great runner!

Our families checking out the vineyards

A very beautiful couple, Mack and Colby. Preston and I went to their wedding a few weeks ago. Congratulations Ivey's!

Preston laying his head in Bella's bowl! Gross, I know.

Waffles and bananas for breakfast...almost every morning!

Preston and Lily playing at the fountains.

Scheming...

More scheming....

Lily was taught well and stays away from the mud. Her dad is Josh, after all.

"WAIT for me Lily!!"

Lots of teasing...

And more playing

They even share! sometimes.

And then they wrestle!

Pics of Grapefest Next!!!

Houston: Part 3

2008-10-01T13:23:00.009-05:00

We just got back from our postponed trip to Houston. Thank you all for always asking how my family was doing through Ike. They were blessed to only have faced some minor damage. My dad and Mary were without power for several days, but were able to get a generator a few days in.

Here are 2 blog posts by Amanda (Beth Moore's daughter) that I think give great perspective on Hurricane Ike. You can read them here and here.

My parents so graciously let us have their seats for the aTm game. We had a great time, but you can see from Preston's expressionless face that he was only half-way there. He seemed tired, but really he was coming down with a cold or virus that I was unaware of. Not sure what he has, but he's been pretty miserable the last couple of days! :(

Parachute jumpers before the game began.

Each one of them landed perfectly on the 50 yard line. Amazing!

Part of the half-time show. It was Military Appreciation day. Running the flag across the field.

And the finished product. Beautiful.

And the rest are just random pics from the weekend...

Bella on point. (She gets a little excited at the lake)

Here's my nephew Tegan...fresh from a very fun (slightly terrorizing, I'm sure) jet ski ride with his Dad. My brother does not hold back.

And P with the new pup, Bogey. Yes, as in the golf term...he was the only one in the litter! ;)

Houston: Part 2

2008-09-20T21:51:00.015-05:00

Here are some more pics from our trip to Houston this summer. We stayed at my parents while they were gone, and had some friends come visit during out "stay-cation"! We had a blast.

Bella's new bff, David.

David and Natalie

Pretty sure this pic is of me...hard to tell. It was a great time to ski, the lake was like glass.

The fam

fun times

Kelli, me, and Nat on the boat. Preston hated wearing a life jacket.

Clapping with Avery! She's so sweet.

The gang: Heidi, Adelle, Andrew, Brent, Preston, J and me.

Heidi and Andrew searching for bugs!

The perfect smore...we enjoyed a few of these this summer!

There are no words!

Adelle and Andrew at the pond

Andrew makes a sand angel!

cutie!

Had to take a pic of this...just for the irony of it all. Saving the life vest!

Pizza picnic!

Adelle at the park

Andrew patiently waiting to go fishing!

Andrew driving the jet-ski! Y'all, he's four! Isn't that great?!

Until next time...

Houston: Part 1

2008-09-13T09:35:00.006-05:00

Our weekend plans included driving to Houston to see some of my family. Of course those plans have now changed since Hurricane Ike is just hours away from arrival. My dad said it took him about 4 hours to get home from the airport yesterday…this usually takes an hour! So the chaos has begun…gas stations running out of gas, grocery stores out of water, I-45 becoming a parking lot, etc!

The first hurricane I can remember was Alicia in 1983. It was a cat. 3 that came through Galveston as well. We were living in Kingwood at the time and I just remember staring out the windows and seeing the trees sway and then snap! Landing on cars, houses (splitting our neighbors garage in half!), roads…everywhere. It took days just to move the trees so people could drive again.

Well, I hope this hurricane is not the same, and we’re praying for the safety of all those in its path.

Because every post needs some pics here are some from this summer when we were in Houston!

The duck. Bella's reason for living.

Fetching the duck. Loving life.

Checking out Papa's briefcase

Enjoying the deck

Bubbles!

Splashin'!!

Boat time

Bella lovin life again.

Sound asleep

Nature. We saw an eagle too!

My mom's new puppy. we went and picked it up while we were in town. P loves her.

My mom named her Dottie. (See the dots on tummy?)

Just like his momma...loves the ice!

Afternoon thunderstorm coming in!

Golf cart rides! A must.

Sharing snacks with Bella

Walks in the morning with P and the dogs. Notice 2 strollers but only 1 kid. ;)

Little bit of fun!

14, 15, 16 months

2008-09-06T16:02:00.008-05:00

Thought I would give a little update about little P man. You can tell from his monthly pictures below that his appearance hasn't changed much, but his ability has! He has many new talents and milestones. He's down to one nap a day, and probably has been since 15 months. He played with 2 for quite a while. We have to keep most doors closed in the house or else he's getting into things. The bathroom is a favorite of his...putting toys in the toilet, unwrapping the roll of toilet paper, and pulling trash from the trash can. Oh yes, and he can manage to do it in seconds! He loves to open and close doors, and still bangs on the doors to go outside. Seems he understands a lot of what we're saying and will respond to simple commands. A new favorite word is hot said, "ott". And then he slowly and deliberately blows on his food...doesn't matter if it's already hot or cold. It's pretty cute. He enjoys playing peek-a-boo and covers up his face, and doing the motions to Itsy-Bitsy Spider. And of course with all this growth has come a new independence for himself. Like feeding himself with a fork/spoon, still objecting to diaper changes, screaming when he doesn't get his way, etc. so fun! ;) I think he also may be on the verge of getting some more teeth.

feeding himself and only some of it actually getting in the mouth

Dipping French Toast

It's so messy, but he has so much fun doing it that I can't help but let him. He loves to dip anything!!!!

14 months

15 months

16 months

Circus pics!

2008-08-30T15:04:00.003-05:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pictures from the circus earlier this summer!! Just found out about this website from christi. I've been wanting to use it, and thought circus pics might be a good start. We went with good friends, The Money's. I would direct you to their blog, but they don't have one! yet. ;)
Preston enjoyed the circus. I was glad that he's still unaware of all the 'goods' they are selling...like cotton candy at $12. His favorite part were the horses. He had THE biggest smile when they came out. And then he fell asleep! My fav? The elephants of course!

This weekend

2008-08-18T12:49:00.005-05:00

Here's a glimpse at our weekend. Friday night we went to the HV Hot Air Balloon Festival. This took me pretty much begging J to go. I convinced him it would be worth it once we got there. I had never been, but was wanting a fun family night out.

They had about 15 hot air balloons in the field. You can see some of their flames from the burners.

The first balloon going up!

And then coming back down!! It was TOO windy for any of them to go up.

So then we started looking at planes instead. ;)

I was a little bummed we didn't get to see the balloons, but the weather was very enjoyable, especially for August. And we had fun just hanging out.

Saturday Night we celebrated some very fun milestones in the Holleman Family!

Mimi and Papaw's 60th wedding anniversary and 80th birthday's!

Here they are on their wedding day...just 60 short years ago!

Preston and Aunt Julie. She was so sweet to try and entertain him. He's now entered into a stranger anxiety phase. Meaning - he won't let go of me...even to go to family.

Wish I had gotten his boots in the picture.

Family pic. Not the WHOLE family pic. I'm not sure we all fit in one picture. ;)

I really treasure these times where generations of family can come together. All of my grandparents had passed away by the time I finished college. So, I feel so blessed to have been given another set through marriage. Truly a gift from God!

Congratulations Mimi and Papaw. We love you!

Grab a coke and popcorn!

2008-08-15T21:09:00.004-05:00

This post is over 3 MONTHS late!

But thought I would post anyway. We showed this slideshow I made at his 1st birthday!

Just Because...

2008-08-06T15:11:00.000-05:00

2 things!

2008-08-01T22:34:00.002-05:00

I copied this from Elizabeth's blog...so I hope you copy it too!

Here's what you're supposed to do: Delete my answers and type in your answers. Then send this to a whole bunch of people or post to your blog.

Two names you go by:
1. Kristyn
2. Tiger...after Tiger Woods. story for another time...

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. tank-top
2. shorts

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Quality time with my family
2. Sleep! ;)

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Something sweet
2. House to be magically clean

Two favorite pets you have had/have:
1. Bella (current black-lab)
2. Walker (a cockatiel- small grey Australian parrot) lives at Mom's house.

Two things you did yesterday
l. went to the gym
2. went to Barnes & Nobles for magazine date night! yea!!

Two things you ate today:
1. Little bit of cotton candy at the circus!
2. Graham Crackers

Two people you last talked to:
1. Hubby
2. Mom

Two things you plan on doing tomorrow:
1. Working out

2. Reading

Two longest trips taken in the last five years:
1. Mission trip to Kazakhstan
2. House sitting for parents in Houston, TX

Two favorite holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Easter

Two favorite beverages:
1. Coke
2. Coffee

Family Camp 2008

2008-07-31T14:24:00.015-05:00

About a week ago we returned from a great week at family camp. We went with 50 other families from our church to Shepherd of the Ozarks (SOTO) in Arkansas. I can't begin to explain what a blessing it was to meet and get to know these families.

On our way there we stopped at a winery in Oklahoma. It took us almost 11 hrs to get there because we left from OK. Preston did amazingly well though. Big thanks to all who let us borrow their toys and gadgets for the road trip!

Route 66 Winery...J's already teaching Pres about the grapes.

I'll post this pic just b/c I think it's cute. Preston is obsessed with straws, cups, and drinks. The can is empty, but the addiction is already there...maybe because it started in utero?

Evan Bleecker, J and Preston at dinner. The food was not your normal camp food. It was delicious!!!

Preston during kid's worship time. Obviously not sitting like the other children. ;)

One of the days we went to the Blanchard Spring Caverns. Preston is holding a rock, the only one they let you touch. I don't have any good pics of the caverns...too dark for the camera, but it was beautiful.

Here's our little one having a meltdown inside the caverns. And here's just a few reasons why he might be miserable:

* No touching of ANYTHING.

*No talking. (except when the tour lady is not). rare.

*No food.

*No drinks.

*No getting down. (because we didn't have a stroller, P had to be carried the entire time.)

*No exit.

So we might not be visiting there again for a while. ;)

One of my fav's: swimming at the creek, or more like sitting at the creek.

Awww.

Riding the SOTO firetruck!

Milkshake, the pony. Isn't he cute?

I guess P didn't think he was cute. Double click on picture if you can. It's worth it!

Our drive home didn't take near as long and we even stopped at this fantastic antique place! It was the biggest I had ever been in. My favorite was looking at the stained glass pieces from all over the world, dating back hundreds of years. The sign doesn't lie...there were over 5000 pieces hanging from the rafters of each warehouse!

And we're home. Just FYI, get out a suitcase for your kids to play in! It guarantees hours of entertainment!

No time!

2008-07-18T11:03:00.002-05:00

We are literally walking out the door for another week away. We just got back 2 days ago, so it's been a fast turn-around. But I just wanted to say I promise to post when we get back and there's more time! I basically have all of June in pictures, and will have most of July too!

Part of this next week we're at family camp in Arkansas...so no internet, but I'll take lots of pics!

See you in a week!

Happy Fourth Of July!

2008-07-04T15:10:00.002-05:00

Splash Class!

2008-07-03T22:26:00.005-05:00

Today we finished our first swim class. And probably our last swim class for a good while. Don't get me wrong, it was fun when the water wasn't freezing, Preston didn't swallow half the pool water, and we didn't sing Humpty Dumpty 25x!

It really wasn't that bad...you just had to be there. Anyways, here some fun photo's.

Pretty sure the kids had more fun in the locker room than the pool! ;)

Faith and Evan

They love me for taking this early morning photo! ;)

Nat and Lily

Me and P. As you can see from the pic, he almost had the backstroke down!

Blue Goose

2008-07-03T21:27:00.010-05:00

Tonight we ate at the Blue Goose Cantina. J and I used to eat at one in his DTS days! They just opened one up in our area and the food was just as good as I remembered. We split fajitas. I like the chicken, J likes the beef. The atmosphere is fun, and they bring fresh, warm tortillas to every table...as many as you want. If that isn't reason to go, I don't know what is!

P enjoying a snack before the food arrives!

Full tummy = happy boy

First time in kid fountain area & not real sure what to think?! Very wet, and very excited.. ooops! Got a little too excited. Fell down and bumped our head! Takin' a little breather! Much better!

06.26.04

2008-06-29T21:25:00.013-05:00

One very fun day, and four wonderful years have followed! Looking forward to many more!!!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T15:28:00.005-05:00

Here's to Dad, Keith, J, Mark, and Papaw!!

No excuses.

2008-06-07T12:45:00.001-05:00

OK, it's been a while since I've blogged...don't really have a good excuse, just that it's been a busy start to summer...I'll post more pics later but, here's a few of Preston (13 mo).

Preston enjoys

smiling!
and Laughing!
and playing with markers
being outside, playing with sticks, and getting dirty
cuddling with daddy
straws and anything to do with sippy cups, even if it's just the lid!
and playing the piano
and hoping to go outside ALL THE TIME!

He also really enjoys

* dumping containers of things

*climbing

*pulling on, hitting, and laying on Bella

*standing up in chairs!

*shaking his head No! You copied this from me - oops!

*saying OOOH!

*playing in water...Bella's bowl, the pool, fountains, water hose, and you've gotten really close to the toilet, but thankfully not quite in it!

*giving hugs, and patting while doing it...it's precious!

*You still like cruising everywhere, and have not chosen walking as your method of transportation. But you took your first steps on May 14. (abt 3 or 4)

*You also love your little push walker, and laugh hysterically every time it hits Bella.

*dancing. This is one of my favorites. You have a few different dance moves, depending on the music, of course. You have mastered swaying back and forth, a mini version of the twist, a little bit of head banging, and you can almost do the air guitar!

*Sleeping with your blankets.

*Pointing at anything you're interested in. This has proven to be helpful at meal time!

But I can't write all these things with out saying you still hate getting your diaper changed!! ;)

Firemen, but no Fire!

2008-05-21T13:35:00.002-05:00

I have a million things to do right now, but just had to share what happened this morning! Every Wednesday I go to a bible study/small group that meets at our church. Preston was unusually fussy this morning so I was anxious to get him in the car...knowing he would settle down b/c he likes car rides. So as I'm strapping him in his car seat he grabs my keys and is playing with the buttons....pressing them all, and listening to the horn honk as he repeatedly locks and unlocks the doors. I quickly grab the keys, start the car, close the doors, and run inside the house b/c I had forgotten my bag. I run back out only to find that the door won't open and is LOCKED. with. my. child. inside! He's strapped in his car seat and is happily waving to me from inside! My heart sinks. I immediately called Jason (he always knows what to do) and explain what I've done. He races home and starts working on getting the door open, but also calls a locksmith-just in case. The locksmith says that he'll be a while, and in the meantime Preston is starting to wonder why he's the only one in the car...lots of tears follow, and the more he sees me the harder he cries. So I just sit down by the car. I called Nat to tell her what happened and that I wouldn't be at bible study, but to please pray that we get him out of the car quickly. I was not panicking, but feeling very helpless. I got a text back from her saying to call the fire dept! Why did I not think of this?

I called the dept and the lady that answered said this was an emergency and she would connect me to 9-1-1. wow, really?

I told the 9-1-1 operator what happened and he immediately dispatched a truck. They arrived within minutes, and had the doors open in no time!

Thank you Amy for the tip to call the fire dept! So, if this ever happens to you, now you know what to do! or maybe you already knew.

And just so you know Preston was all smiles when the fireman took him out of the car! But is somewhat traumatized because I did end up going to what was left of b.study and as soon as I put him back in the car he started crying, and did not stop!

A few things to note before you judge too harshly:

*The air was running in the truck.

*Had the air not been running, I would have considered that an emergency and called 9-1-1.

*No, we don't have a spare key to the truck. I lost it a long time ago in a move.

*I have never locked my keys in my car before...or my child! This was a first for both!

*I was shocked at how fast they arrived at our house. Honestly, this has been a concern of mine b/c we live on the edge of where 2 cities meet...so they call the department for the city we live in, but that's def. not the closest. So after this little trial run today, I am confident that if our house ever caught on fire it might not totally burn down.

*The firemen were working on both doors at the same time, but with different techniques. One of the techniques was exactly what J was doing earlier before they got there. I think J would have had the door open given a little more time. You're still my hero, babe! ;)

*And yes, all this happened on my birthday. I will remember this birthday for a long time to come! Plus, I'm not counting anymore birthdays after this one anyway!!

Lambs, Hens, and Chicks!

2008-05-17T11:15:00.016-05:00

Here's my jumbled attempt at summarizing my Mother's Day Weekend! It started off with a trip to Houston on Thursday. I got to hang out with dear friends. As you can see we have multiplied since our college days! I treasure these moments when we get to hang out, even if we're chasing and feeding kids between conversations.

Back row: Natalie

Front row: Kelli and Avery (6 mo.) Mandy and Oliver (3 mo) me and P(1 yr) Ellen and Summer (9 mo) and Ben (almost 3)
Here's a pic of my child trying to get everything within reach. He managed to spill a water and a coffee, as well as spit-up a couple of times. No surprises there! Thank you Kelli for being soooo understanding of all our messes!
Mandy and Oliver! They were in from Alaska and this was the first time we got to meet Oliver. You can't see in this picture but he's got some rolls...they are fantastic!
Some of the kiddos playing together.
Mr. P excited about Oliver's groovy moves in the chair!
They're actually sharing...isn't it sweet?!
While I was home I also got to go to this little boy's birthday party!!! Happy Birthday TEGAN!
I might have given P some cake...there's no evidence though!
It was a really fun party with lots of games of Dodge Ball, and just a few injuries! ;)
and it wouldn't be Tegan's party without some karate moves! Now onto Sunday, Mother's Day!
Here's one of my Mother's Day gifts! I love all the gifts I got, but these are from Jason and it's a plant called Lamb's Ears! It's one of my favorite plants, and we had them planted at our old house, and J has probably heard me say 100x how I wanted some where we live now! They are really fun plants with delicate texture, hence the name.
Love this plant as well. We've had this for a couple of years, but wanted to share it because it's a favorite of mine. It's a succulent, called Hens & Chicks. And if any of you struggle in the green thumb area, this is the plant for you...it's hard to kill.
This is Mother's Day last year. I think Preston was about 2 weeks old. And all I knew was that mothering consisted of very little sleep and feeding every 2.5 hours! My gift from J was the Japanese Maple Tree!

Mother's Day 2008: And here's the Japanese Maple Tree planted and growing!

Preston's Parties!

2008-05-12T21:00:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics from Preston's first birthday parties! We had a little one on his actual birthday and then another one with family. I wish I had better pics to share...it was hard to remember to take pictures with all that was going on! But you can see even more pics HERE on Natalie's blog! Thanks Nat!
And special thanks to Dad for catering our party with his delicious BBQ!!

We've come a long way baby...

2008-04-30T23:08:00.015-05:00

As you can see from the date of this post I tried to publish this 2 days ago, but was having problems with loading pictures in blogger?? Preston turned 1 yesterday (May 1)!! I still can't believe it...Guess it hasn't quite sunk in yet. Here are his "birthday month" pictures:

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

You can tell that his hair has grown right along with him! I will post a 12 mo./1 year pic later...just wanted to get these up.

We had a little party yesterday for P! It was fun, but I did learn a lot about throwing a first birthday party, and have a list of things that I would do differently next time. Top on the list would be: Spend more time with your baby on his birthday instead of spending MOST of the day getting ready for a party! ;) I didn't plan it that way, just kinda how it turned out. But we did celebrate his first year of life and that's all that matters! And thanks to all that called, texted (is that a word?), e-mailed, mailed, etc. to wish Preston a Happy Birthday... I felt like I was having a birthday too!

Just call me Crickett

2008-04-30T23:06:00.000-05:00

Your Preppy Name Is...

Eaton Oakleigh Newcomb the Fourth
But most people know you as Cricket

What's Your Preppy Name?

Celebrating...

2008-04-28T21:24:00.006-05:00

This week we will celebrate these birthdays!!!

Our little guy turns ONE!

Aunt Jennifer (J's youngest sis) turns 26! Pictured with boyfriend, Brian.
And Mimi, (J's mom) turns $%! Hope you win BIG!!!!! HaPpY BiRtHdAy!

Favorite Things

2008-04-25T20:29:00.009-05:00

Here are a few things that entertain our (almost) 1 year old. Who knows, some of these may bring you joy as well...

Playing in the drawers. Sometimes this ends very badly when he accidentally smashes his fingers in the drawer.
Perusing the fridge.
Sitting in the toy box.
Sitting in the other toy box. I did not put him in either of those.
But I did put him in this laundry basket and pushed him around the house. He loved it!
Playing and EATING Bella's food.

Licking toes! ;)

I already mentioned the food, but P also loves to grab the water bowl and pour it on himself! Lovely.

Playing with Bella. Lately, Preston has learned how to roll a ball to her, and he laughs every time she fetches it.
Carrying around mom's cell phone.
Turning knobs. This one is on the stereo, but he also loves the ones on his dresser and can now take them off too.
Listening to music! And damaging the speakers by pressing in the center.

Bluebonnet Baby

2008-04-22T21:10:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we went to Greenville and actually found some bluebonnets! They're hard to come by in the city. Anyways, I captured a few of P before he had a total meltdown. It was hot, and I had a hard time getting him to look at the camera with the sun in his face. Thought the grandparents would want to see...

Happenings around Here...

2008-04-16T15:11:00.006-05:00

* I just got a FREE personalized signature by Vanessa at Butterfly Sparks Designs. It's her website, and you should check out her stuff. She's quite talented and right now she has a great promotion going on. Check it out by clicking here and you can get a free one too!!

*Preston has been throwing food off the table when he eats. And I know it's food that he likes, so we must be in a new stage?? So I've been telling him NO when he does it and usually he stops, but sometimes I have to repeat myself and then he sticks his bottom lip out and it starts quivering. It's really quite cute and sad at the same time.

* A dear friend of ours just got back from serving in Iraq. You can check out their very sweet reunion!! They were apart for the majority of 2 years!!!

* You know that spring has officially arrived when Bella is back in the fountain! In typical lab fashion she LOVES anything water related! At least she's smart enough not to get in during the winter months!

I am taking a baking class. Well, really it's more about decorating cakes, cookies, cupcakes...that sort of thing. I really want to take a cooking class, but thought I would start with this...since I feel a little more confident with my baking skills. So here's my first cake for the class. It's a "cupcake" cake. This is how it looked before class....

And after class....
Preston is starting to let go while standing. We caught him in the action here:
We went to the Arboretum last week. Of course "Dallas Blooms" is happening so it's just gorgeous. Here's one pic while we were there:
After the Arboretum we met Mimi for some delicious Mexican food. Can't remember the name of the restaurant but it's in the Lakewood area, right near the theatre.
*I've been working out with some girls doing Crossfit. Well, they've been doing it for a while and I just started it. Last week we did a work-out of basically just dips, pull-ups, and push-ups and I couldn't move my arms for 2 days. Painful.

*Jason left his IPhone at a restaurant in town at the table where he was sitting. When he went back to go get it one of the bus boys had turned it in! I couldn't believe it, there are actually some honest people left in this world. ;) How is it that I can leave my little old Samsung phone at Disney and never get it back??

*I'm off to peruse through my Real Simple Magazine that just came in the mail...I love a new magazine!

The Six Word Memoir

2008-04-13T14:42:00.004-05:00

My friend Andrea tagged me to write a 6 word memoir and here is my weak attempt:

Mother

Believer

Wife

Community

Loyal

Daughter

it's harder than you think to write 6 words about yourself. so, i tried to think of 6 words that if i was gone, people might remember about me. with that said, i am going to tag 5 people (as per andrea's instruction) to write their own memoir.

Lauren C, Ellen B, Natalie P, Lauren W, Elizabeth E, and Ashleigh K.

the instructions are to write your own six word memoir.
post it on your blog, including an illustration if you’d like.
link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so that it can be tracked as it travels across the blogosphere.
tag at least five more blogs with links.
leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

Eleven Months!

2008-04-01T20:45:00.012-05:00

11 months old today!
Wanting to play with breakable items instead of take pictures
Sooo very sad that Mom won't let me stay on the table
Much better now that I have the camera cap
Nap time! He LOVES to stick the silky part of the blanket in his mouth.
Peek-A-Boo!
Hiding under the kitchen table
First time on his new swing!
Jason put this swing in our front yard and he loves it. J did a great job setting it up between 2 trees so that Preston can swing in all directions. I think his face says it all!

Easter in Pics!

2008-03-28T13:55:00.012-05:00

Preston's first Easter!
Digging in his basket...
...Happy to find an egg!
Don't you think Preston looks just like Cade, the little boy to P's right? It's one of Christi (Holleman) Spenrath's boys and I kept looking at him thinking that's what P will look like when he's 2. Christi is one of Jason's cousins and you can take a look at her blog here. She has 4 precious boys!!
Papaw Asa telling the little ones about the importance of Easter!
Mimi and Papaw with all their GREAT-Grandchildren! What a blessing!
Preston with his other PaPaw.
Playing with a few things found in the Easter Basket from Grandma.
Helping Grandma with her bubbles. We were so glad she was able to visit us for a few days!

Flash Back!

2008-03-23T22:00:00.016-05:00

I heard several news stations talk about how the war began 5 years ago last week. And my mind immediately thought back to where I was. I like to do that with major events and small ones. I like to think back to what I was doing, and how similiar or different life was, even if it's just a year back.

Of course as I travel across time in my mind I sometimes find myself thinking back on sad times, or funny stories, great memories or not so fond ones. Either way, I still enjoy the traveling.

So back to 5 years ago. It was Spring Break. I was not in school where Spring Break really mattered, but was inbetween jobs so I was able to join Jason on a trip with a friends' youth group. It was not a youth group from a church that we attended, but J was asked to go, and so I was going to tag along. (We were dating at the time.) So we drove to Colorado in vans and arrived late one night. We were all staying at the youth pastor's brothers' home...all 25 of us! We got in just in time to crash on the floor, but no worries because in just a matter of hours we would be in the bliss of snow-covered mountains.

Well. We woke up the next morning to snow. The start of a blizzard had begun. And I'll skip all the details to just tell you the kind of blizzard this was.

Denver received 31 inches of snow, and the Rocky Mountains a record setting 87 inches. They had not had snow fall like that since 1913!

So instead of skiing, here's a few things that we did:

*Shoveled snow because we couldn't go anywhere...couldn't see or find the cars parked outside.

*Jillynn and I wrapped trash bags around our shoes (homeade snow boots) so that we could walk around and get some fresh air. Literally! We were all sharing 2 bathrooms.

*Played way too many games of spades.

*Watched the war begin on t.v.

*Watched our friends drive away in their rental car, leaving us there to suffocate. Okay, that's a little exagerrated, but not by much.

Finally, the roads cleared enough for us to:

*Go to the mall too many times. I've never hated shopping so much in my life.

*Go to the indoor pool where J would bust his ear drum.

*Spend hours at the Emergency Room. (see previous)

*Drink way too much Starbucks coffee.

*Drive HOME!!!

So there was no skiing for us, but we have been able to go skiing a couple of times since then. I only have pictures of last year's Spring Break on this computer so I'll post a few of those. I was 34 weeks pregnant with Preston so you won't see me on the slopes!

Yikes! Got a little too friendly with the snow.

In the town of Breckenridge
Carolyn Scott made these. They happen to be my favorite cookie. These may or may not have been a contributing factor to Preston weighing 8 1/2 lbs!! I'll never say....

J and I with coffee in hand, of course!

A Duck Tale

2008-03-17T21:55:00.004-05:00

We asked PaPaw to give Preston another hair-cut this weekend. I've been holding off because I was liking the longer look. But on the back of his head his hair started to form what we like to refer to as the "duck tail". I wish I had a picture of it, but just imagine some really long hairs gathered together to form a feathered tail.

Preston was a little uneasy about the hair cut at first. But then Mimi came in with an early Easter gift for Preston. A cute little duck! How perfect!

A little frightened by the scissors!
Check out the hair flying off!
Mimi, Aunt Jen, and P
I love my Mimi!
Hugging Ducky and Mimi. So sweet!

Magic Kingdom

2008-03-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

Pirate and Princess Party!

2008-03-11T10:34:00.003-05:00

My Dad and Mary generously bought us all tickets to this party at the Magic Kingdom. There were only a couple thousand people there...compared to the 100,000 that the park holds it really felt like we had the place all to ourselves. We had great seats for everything and waited in line for nothing! The kids (and kids at heart) were all dressed up and searching for the hidden treasures! And Jason and I got to enjoy a very nice, quiet dinner on the patio while the others took care of Preston. Very fun!!!

WDW Characters

2008-03-11T10:24:00.001-05:00

No captions for this slideshow. Shame on you if you don't know who these characters are! ;)

The Animal Kingdom

2008-03-11T09:56:00.001-05:00

This was my favorite theme park!

Disney's Wilderness Lodge

2008-03-11T09:45:00.000-05:00

Snow Again!

2008-03-11T09:04:00.006-05:00

Below are some pics I took of the beautiful snowfall last Thursday. It was the second time for it to snow last week, but we missed Monday night's because we were out of town. When I heard that it snowed I was a little bummed to have missed it. I'm a sucker for all things Colorado...mountains, skiing, and of course SNOW. So you can imagine my delight to find the white wintry mix had visited us twice in one week. In Texas! I felt like it was a gift from God, just for me. Do you ever feel like that?

Snow falling, falling, fallling.
It's actually sticking!
Watch out. Bella makes yellow snow!
Bella - just a tad bit excited about the snow.
More snow.
P's reaction to the winter wonderland.
Daddy came home to play too!

Ten Months!

2008-03-10T22:34:00.003-05:00

Happy Ten Months!
Look what I can do with my tongue?

My sad face.
Hanging out with Bella...wishing we were both outside.
Dearest Preston,

I'm over a week late in posting this for your ten months. But that's very characteristic of me...great intentions, but a little late! But if I were to be truly honest I would say I've been avoiding this post. I'm finding it harder and harder to add words to pictures. I feel like I can't describe all of you in just words. It's been amazing to watch you delight in life. You are curious about everything and want to take it ALL in. I love to watch you giggle, and just tonight we had you laughing so hard that your dad and I looked at each other in disbelief...thinking, "Isn't this so fun?" You are pulling up on anything in sight and love to stand tall. Sometimes you fall hard and bump your head. But I'll scoop you up and you'll just rest your head on my shoulder. It seems to do the trick because seconds later you're ready to go again. and again. and again.

Oh how thankful to the Lord we are for you. You bring so much joy!

Disney Pics...I haven't forgotten! I promise to post them soon.

MICKEY!!

2008-03-01T11:23:00.002-06:00

I'm posting from Disney World!! We are here on vacation because my parents so generously decided to take us all on a trip here. It's been fantastic! We already have hundreds of pics, and I don't have much time but wanted to leave a few teasers for now. I'll post a full report when we return!! Until then, Have a Magical Day! ;)
We've been eating AAHHH-Mazing food! Here's one of the best salads I've ever put in my mouth! This was just the appetizer...it was followed by Lobster, and then a delicious dessert!
One of the rooms in our cute condo. A wonderful place to stay...and yes, that's Mickey made on our bed out of towels! Disney thinks of everything...every detail!
Not the best shot, but I was trying to get a shot of them on the boat..one of the MANY ways of transportation here at disney. Just this week I've been on planes, boats, roller coasters, rafts, taxi's, buses, monorail, hang-glider (it's a ride here). anyways, you get the point...we've been busy!

I've been tagged!!

2008-02-24T16:26:00.003-06:00

Just realized I was tagged by Elizabeth to let you know a little bit more about myself! So here goes:

10 years ago:

I was a fish at Texas A&M University! Whoop!!!!! I was loving college life. I lived with a few of my dearest friends in the house that my dad was raised in. I guess I was enjoying what the college life had to offer: studying hard, enjoying friendships and meeting new friends, hanging out at Sweet Eugene's coffee shop, attending Grace Bible Church, going to Breakaway Bible Study, working out at the Rec Center, and so on. You get the idea....I was having fun!

Things on my to-do list today:

Go to Yoga class at the gym

Clean out my car

Make a new crock-pot recipe I've been wanting to try out

Go to Target to return a few items that didn't quite work out

Start packing for our trip

Go on a walk with P and Bells. It's beautiful out.

Watch the Oscars

What would I do if I was suddenly became a Billionaire?

Give, give, give away. To church, people, ministries, charities, etc. Save some, and probably travel. alot.

Three of my bad habits:

-not hanging my clothes up at the end of the day...I tend to lay them on a chair in our bedroom and then hang them up later...when they begin to pile up.

-being late for stuff

-eating sweets late at night

Five jobs I have had:

Camp Counselor

Life-guard

Nanny

Teacher

Beverage Cart driver at a Golf Course

Five things people don't know about me:

-My mom calls me Missy. Always has. Always will. I'm not sure why or how it got started, but no one else in my family calls me that.

-I love garage sale shopping, or antiquing. I guess you could say I love finding that hidden treasure.

-I think I'm on like my 20th cell phone. Somehow mine is always breaking, or falling in my drink, or falling in the toilet. ;)

-I've only owned 2 vehicles and they were both trucks. We still have one actually, but J drives it most of the time.

-My favorite season is spring. I look forward to the warmer days, and working in the yard. I love to sit on the porch and drink coffee with J, throw the ball to Bella, and push Preston in the swing.

Now I'll tag 5 people: Molly, Bex, Elizabeth M, Lauren N, and Ande P.

My First Valentine!

2008-02-14T14:46:00.015-06:00

Here's my first Valentine Story in pictures and words:

I was right in the middle of eating my lunch (cheese, carrots, and bananas) when my Mom brought me a very special card...from my friend, Lily Patterson.

Awww, look how cute my card is!!!!
Hmmm, let's see what it says....
Oh! It says, "Bringing you a Valentine smooch!"
That's right, My First Valentine!!!!
But wait, there's more....

Lily made me heart shaped cookies!!! But I can't seem to fit it all in my mouth.

Let's see, I'll break it apart.
That's better. These are DELICIOUS!!!!!

Cookie gone??
Thanks, Lily! You made my day!!! Happy Valentine's to YOU! (And please excuse the gross mess I make while eating. )

Happy Blogging to You!

2008-02-13T14:10:00.002-06:00

I just realized that I have written 50 posts! So in honor of the Blogging World, I thought I would share something blog related that I read in the recent Real Simple Magazine. They listed 29 of their favorite blogs. I was shocked to find out that my blog wasn't one of their top picks. But I will forgive them, and just assume my blog was number 30! ;)

I haven't checked any of them out, but hope to soon! I'm sure my favorites will still be reading my friends blogs' that are listed in the column just to the right. Oh, and if you enjoy reading blogs you need to subscribe to www.bloglines.com It will change your world!

Happy Blogging!

Here are links to all the blogs mentioned in “The Best Blogs” (March 2008).
Home
www.hostessblog.com
www.yougrowgirl.com
www.apartmenttherapy.com
www.charlesandhudson.com
Organizing and Personal Productivity
www.unclutterer.com
www.zenhabits.net
www.lifehacker.com
Food
www.startcooking.com
www.smittenkitchen.com
www.ethicurean.com
www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com
Beauty
www.beautyaddict.blogspot.com
www.thebeautybrains.com
nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com
Fashion
www.budgetfashionista.com
www.omiru.com
www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com
Health and Fitness
www.diet-blog.com
www.fitsugar.com
well.blogs.nytimes.com
Parenting and Family
www.workingmomsagainstguilt.com
www.coolmompicks.com
www.parenthacks.com
Travel
blogs.bootsnall.com/seafarer
www.elliott.org
www.intelligenttravel.typepad.com
News and Pop Culture
www.wonkette.com
www.nymag.com/daily/entertainment/
www.firstshowing.net

The Babysitting Crew

2008-02-11T14:25:00.001-06:00

The Holleman's came over Saturday so we could go on a date. Gotta love that! Yes, it takes 4 adults to baby-sit Preston! ;) He's not spoiled or anything!!

And by the way, these are some funny people. I was laughing so hard at the end of the night that I was crying. They know how to have a good time! :)

family photo: Aunt Julie, Aunt Jenny, Dadda, Papaw (Mark), and Mimi (Marie)

Yes, that's a leaf blower he's carrying....
I love Jen and Julie's face in this pic.

Thank you for baby-sitting!! We are so blessed to have family nearby.

It's FREE!

2008-02-07T20:23:00.000-06:00

So I've been looking into "Blog Headers". I think that's what you call them. I would like to spruce up my blog, and would love to do it myself...if I knew how!! I like being creative, but just haven't taken the time to learn how to do it for blogging. Anyways, Jill at Jilly Blog Designs is giving away a free Header, so check her site out! She's got some really fun ones! And even if you don't win the free one, I think her prices are very reasonable. :)

A Family to pray for....

2008-02-05T16:05:00.000-06:00

Would you join with me in praying for this family?? Alyssa and Ian lost their baby girl just weeks ago, and tomorrow (Feb 6) would be her due date for Sydney Grace!

You may not even know this family, but isn't that what's so great about the body of Christ? That we can join together through prayer and stand in the gap for one another.

You can read about their journey thus far on on their blog, Broken pieces. You will be blessed if you read any post as she honors the life of her little girl in this time of great difficulty.
`
Please pray for them...and their extended family. They have already shown such strength and courage, but I know they would be encouraged by your prayers and comments.

Nine Months!

2008-02-02T20:25:00.001-06:00

Where do I begin? This month has been filled with so much growth and change. You can crawl anywhere you like. And you pull up on everything you can reach...most of which you shouldn't!
You enjoy feeding yourself...especially when you can fill your mouth full and can't possibly fit anything else inside.
You're very interested in buttons and tags.
You're still our "lil bit". And continue to surprise us at each doctor's appt. with your little weight...Even though you eat everything in sight. You like to bang the table while eating, and watch your cheerios take flight!
You're very particular about your feet. While eating you like to swing and bang them on your chair. If you have shoes or socks on you pull them off in the car.
You're still very easy going, but very social too. You love being around people of all ages, from babies to adults.

Happy Nine Months!

Always on the GO!
Smile!!!

Daddy let you drive?!?!?

Good Morning Preston!

Huh?

First time to feed yourself! Sweet potato, of course.

You got your bottom 2 teeth in this month. Mom's hoping this will ease the pain. :(

Swingin'

Playing at the park

Scrub a dub!

Friends

2008-01-31T22:04:00.000-06:00

Below are some pics of dear friends I've been able to see recently. And wish I could see more, but it's difficult when your friends are spread over the country and world!! And what's even better than spending time with friends is meeting their newest additions! Mandy, me, Preston, Ellen
This picture was taken at Mandy's shower...she's due VERY soon. Yay!! Can't wait to meet the little guy. Mandy and I were roommates in college, but have been friends since 3rd grade!! That's 20 years y'all!! I know I just aged myself! And Ellen was also a roommate at the Dexter house. She has 2 little ones, Ben and Summer!! They are cuties!!!!!
Avery, Jim(Avery's daddy), Preston, Jason
Avery's mom, Kelli should be in this picture but she was sick! :( Little Avery was born in November and you can tell that Preston already wants to be her friend...he's no fool, he can see the beauty. Kelli and I were also roommates in college and friends since 4th grade. Yes,...I'm crazy blessed to have lifelong friendships!
Me and Preston, Berkley, Andrea, and Davis.
I was able to visit with Andrea and her twin babies this past weekend when we went to College Station. We had a little play date at Barnes & Noble. You can see more pics of our time together here! Andrea and I met at A&M. Preston and the twins are only 6 weeks apart! (right, Andrea?) They're adorable. I've watched them "grow-up" on her blog, and they're even cuter in person!!!

Sweet tooth!

2008-01-21T20:40:00.000-06:00

This is more for our record books than your information, but Preston has his first tooth coming in. I saw it last night as I was changing him. I must say I was a bit relieved to find it. Last week he just didn't seem to be himself and was very fussy!! I thought he might be teething...and sure enough he was. And then of course another part of me is already missing his gummy smile!

Kristyn a.k.a. Claire??

2008-01-21T18:57:00.001-06:00

Find out Which Lost Character Are You at LiquidGeneration.com!

I found this quiz on my friend Andrea's blog and decided to give it a whirl! I mean all true lost fans would, right? So, it turns out that I would be Claire. I can't quite stand behind the validity of the quiz...meaning- I don't know how it concluded that I was Claire because the questions were so RaNdOm! My character's description is very flattering, but not like Andrea's...they call her HOT! :)
C'mon you know you want to take the quiz too!

Dog Food

2008-01-17T21:16:00.001-06:00

Bella. She has many "roles". First, she was our family pet. Then, she became Preston's never-ending entertainment. And now she's our vacuum cleaner.
She has found her new favorite place under Preston's chair. She waits patiently at breakfast, lunch, and dinner in hopes of any morsel of dropped food. Preston pushes around his Cheerios, puffs, and sliced bananas on his tray...playing with them more than eating really. Most of them fall to the floor where Bella finds her new delightful treats. The rest are hidden in P's fists where I think one day he will figure out how to get them into his mouth! Until then, Bella will continue to vacuum the floors.
Many of you gave great tips on how to transition from jar food to 'solid food'. So thanks for all your help, Preston seems to be enjoying his new diet. (and Bella too!)

January 31

2008-01-10T22:54:00.001-06:00

Is anyone else counting down the days until this???...

Eight Months!!

2008-01-02T23:34:00.000-06:00

Preston at 8 months!
He used to sit so nicely for me to take his picture...So I can take it in the same spot every month! Well, No More! He'd rather be playing...such is the life now, I guess.

A really crazy hair day...most are pretty wild, but this seemed especially pic-worthy!
Cooold! Taken after a walk.
In my new jammies!
Squeaky clean.
Exploring under the tree!
My little man!

Last but not least...we're pulling-up! At least in the crib he is. I haven't seen him do it other places, but he's trying! What a difference a month makes...the milestone of mobility has begun!
I do love this new stage, but of course it makes me already miss the times of him playing in the same spot! ;)
He's quite the mama's boy right now. I think Dr's call this stage separation anxiety, I call it CUTE. And my apologies to Ang and Bex for trying to hold him in one of these moments! :)

Logan - the Sky Angel Cowboy

2008-01-02T13:37:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine sent me an e-mail with a YouTube video similar to the one below about a 13 yr. old boy named Logan. After watching it I had a hard time believing that it was real so I looked it up KSBJ's web-site because that was the station that Logan called. And sure enough, it's a true story.

Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy, appears on the 700 Club. They profiled his family, trip to Houston, and his heart for others to have a relationship with God.

It's incredible story that stemmed from a mere phone call and if you haven't had a chance to become aquainted with Logan and his beautiful family, we know you'll be so blessed by this story.

Play Here