Two Little Blockheads

Big Girl

2009-02-25T17:50:00.003-06:00

JB took her first steps!!! She has been toying with it and cruising for the last month or so but we didn't expect her to even try for a few more weeks because big brother walked at 10 months. She 9 1/2 months and feeling very adventurous. Since this video (half an hour ago) we've caught her practicing more on her own. Things are about to get nuts around here!

For the record - I am NOT a boy

2009-02-15T15:24:00.003-06:00

Since my oodles of pink and purple, frilly jeans and pink clogs don't seem to indicate that I am a girl, mom decided to kick it old school with my hair and bring back the 1970's girl mohawk. Surprisingly, not ONE person referred to me as "he" or "him" at church today (compared to the 5 times over the previous 2 Sundays).

Oh and did I mention that I have a tooth!?!?

Bump

2009-01-25T15:54:00.002-06:00

We have more words!!! June Bug has already added bye-bye and Pop to her repertoire although Pop comes out Popbbbbbth, ha. Still no teeth, sadly.

My dad has this little special thing that started with my brother when he was a baby and has moved on to the grandchildren, a little thing we like to call the head bump. Basically when Pop says hello or good bye he leans in really close like he is going to bump heads with you but stops short and then the kiddo leans in, they bump heads, and then they pretend it hurt and rub their heads over and over again. Pop has been working on JB for a while and only recently has she started leaning in to bump (without the rubbing of course). Today at church it was hilarious to watch as person after person came over to see her and would lean in to get her attention and she would lean forward and bump heads with them, ha. Cracks me up.

My favorite kind of post...

2009-01-22T18:35:00.000-06:00

The other day LM was hanging out in my office while I tied up a few loose ends. He found an orange in my purse and asked if he could have it. I told him that he would have to wait until we got home because it was too messy. A few minutes passed and I noticed he was really quiet so I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Just drinking my juice" I walked over to him and he said, "See mommy? Now it not messy!"

Some more highlights.....

Riding in the car home from the grocery store....
LM: Mommy, can we eat lunch at Chick fiway?
Me: No buddy, I didn't bring money for that.
LM: Oh butter
Me: Oh butter???
LM: Yeah, I am sad.
Me: Do you mean BuMMer?
LM: Yeah! Butter!

At the end of time out I call LM over to me to talk about why he was in time out...
Me: Little Man, come talk to mommy
LM: Not yet mommy (continues crying)
Me: I want to talk to you
LM: But I not done being ugly yet.

Riding in the car he asks to hear a story and I tell him the story of David and Goliath (the G rated version). When the story is over he sits there silently for several minutes...
Me: Whatcha thinking about buddy? Did you like the story?
LM: No
Me: Really!?!? Why not?
LM: Mom, dats not a good story. You're not supposed to throw rocks and you are not supposed to kill people.

A Day In History

2009-01-20T08:09:00.001-06:00

Be still my heart!!

2009-01-19T05:59:00.000-06:00

My sweet little baby girl is sick, miserably congested and adorably pathetic. She is so snuggly and still that I love soaking up the depth of the snuggles and grateful smiles but she feels so bad that it just breaks my heart.

I've been working with her since the day she was born on what I hoped would be her first word. My little man said ball, dada and nana before he ever said mama but last night in all her glorious snuggles she looked deep into my eyes, let out a sigh and said so contently, "Ma Ma." I screamed and then I cried. For half an hour I would say "Mama?" and she would smile back and say "Ma Ma" in a very matter-of-fact way. My mom says that when I left the house last night to go to my small group gathering she kept saying it almost like she was asking for me - dad is very jealous - HA!

Happy New Year!!!

2008-12-31T01:00:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!

Conversation from the Christmas break...

LM: Pop, where is history?
Pop: Huh? What do you mean?
LM: Rudolph went down in history. Where is history?
Pop: Ask Nana.

Momma's Girl

2008-12-26T22:14:00.002-06:00

She is definitely her momma's girl...bald and toothless, poor thing.

Happy Birthday Little Man

2008-12-23T22:09:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday my little man.

Christmas Time Is Here......

2008-12-22T23:00:00.001-06:00

I am so excited for Christmas this year because of one very sweet little boy who is excited about Christmas. Sunday our church had a little Christmas pageant and my little donkey technically *participated* but not willingly. I wish I could have captured the look he gave me when I whispered loudly to him to sing. If looks could kill, I would be dead, ha.

Sunday afternoon we built a gingerbread train from a kit. My sister also used a kit to build her gingerbread house and her's looked like something out of Martha Stewart's magazine while ours looked like a train wreck. At least we had fun!

Vacation!!

2008-12-20T23:16:00.006-06:00

I am almost on vacation! Although I still have two half days left at work I have been in vacation mode since Friday. My house has been deep cleaned, shopping is done, presents are wrapped, hard drives are cleaned off and backed up and I have a list of really fun things for our family to do for the next 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS - woohoo! The festivities start tomorrow and I'll share the details (with photos) later on this week.

In the meantime I thought I would share with you a little bit of Little Man's excitement about the BIG man in the red suit...

Writing his letter (or in his case coloring the letter mommy wrote for him)

Delivering the letter :)

Finally, my little gingerbread girl :)I'll be better about keeping this updated starting THIS week with Little Man's Christmas show, his Birthday party, Christmas and some fun family activities. Come back soon! Don't give up on us now!

For Mr. Christopher

2008-12-02T18:07:00.000-06:00

Mmmmmwaaaah

2008-11-30T22:10:00.002-06:00

I just want to smother her in kisses.....
and tickle him to pieces!!!

The reason behind the bumps on her noggin....

2008-11-28T21:42:00.002-06:00

Little stinker can't figure out how to crawl but she has figured out how to pull up? Don't ask me, I can't explain it.

More conversations

2008-11-20T14:55:00.000-06:00

Riding to school, after singing a million verses of Father Abraham...

LM: Mommy, Fahder Abaham have many sons?
Me: Yes buddy he had lots and lots of sons.
LM: It so hot in Fahder Abaham house?
Me: Well, yeah, I guess it probably was hot in his house. Why do you ask?
LM: He have lots of SUNS mommy. Da sun is so hot.

LM: Mommy, I don't feel good. I sick.
Me: You're sick? What's wrong?
LM: My froat hurts, my stomach hurts and my arm hurts
Me: Your ARM hurts?
LM: Yes and my 'nother one arm hurts too

Junebug is practicing her new vocal skills by screeching and blowing loud raspberries
LM: June bug is too loud. She hurting my ears.
Me: She is just practicing talking
LM: (walks up to JB and gets right in her face) WOMAN dat talkin too loud!
Me: Excuse me?
LM: Sorry mommy (back to JB) Princess woman, dat talkin too loud!
(we actually had a long talk about this one)

Leaving Sonic
LM: Hey! Where's my flush (slush)?
Me: We didn't get one today buddy.
LM: But mommy I NEED caffeine!

Watching Backyardigans

2008-11-18T05:41:00.001-06:00

So this morning as I was sitting on the couch drying my hair, Little Man was snuggling on the couch with June Bug watching Dumbo (not the photos above). He asked me repeatedly to make the TV louder and told me that my hairdryer was too loud. I turned up the television but kept drying my hair. A few minutes passed and we tapped me on the arm:

LM: Hey mommy....
Me: Yes?
LM: June Bug sleeping?
Me: Yes...
LM: Mommy turn off loud dryer. Mommy wake up June Bug.
Me: Hmmm sounds to me like LM wants the dryer off, not June Bug.
LM: No. June Bug say mommy too loud.

Ha!

Who Has The Best Dad In The World???

2008-11-14T02:37:00.005-06:00

MY KIDS!!!!! So several months ago (actually while prego with JB) I had this vision to stop throwing away my hard earned money on over-processed, weird tasting baby food and decided we could buy, cook and make our own. It isn't the right solution for everyone but since so many of Trav's health issues were exacerbated by food choices it felt like a good move for us (well, that and the fact that baby bananas don't taste like bananas and it creeps me out). I bought the books, I bought the food processor and I bought all of the little special BPA-free containers (don't get me talking on that one) and promptly put them on a shelf where they have stayed until this week. My W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L husband announced that since I was working a second job (essentially) to bring in more money to put towards our Total Money Makeover that he would take full responsibility for the baby food making endeavor. Let me tell you what a delightful treat it is to see my dream realized and not actually have to lift a finger to make it happen! I came home late last night to find hubby elbow deep (figuratively) in fresh delicious acorn squash, butternut squash and sweet potatoes. The aroma was intoxicating and the concoction was absolutely delicious! In less than half an hour he was able to make 3 weeks worth of baby food all for $4.13....nearly a $25 savings!!!!!!!!!!!! Woot woot!!

Acorn Squash.....not so sure at first but a hit in the end! One down a million more to go!

We're Back :(

2008-11-09T22:38:00.009-06:00

Our family took a little camping trip this weekend with friends from church. It is a trip that we make twice a year so Little Man really looks forward to our camping trips but this one was June Bug's first. I think this face sums up her weekend nicely :)The weather was brisk in the day time and down right COLD at night but the 4 of us were huddled in a very small tent with lots of blankets and snuggles so we made it work with only a little bit of wind burn on our cheeks.

Little Man had such a fun time "catching" aka fishing with Pop. He didn't actually CATCH anything but he really liked the worms and throwing the lines. We also made a trip up to the docks to watch the ranger do a demonstration that ended with a live snake catching and eating a live mouse. I wasn't sure how Little Man would handle the mouse's demise but he really enjoyed it.The highlight of my trip was napping in the hammock with JB and then napping in the tent with a kiddo in each arm and a dog in my lap (photo coming from a friend soon, ha).Both kiddos were very disappointed to return home. How do I know JB was disappointed? When we got home this afternoon she was completely inconsolable, crying a really mad cry and after about 30 minutes of trying every trick in the book I simply walked outside - blessed silence followed by a "coo". That's my girl!

Visited by a Ghost

2008-10-31T21:05:00.004-05:00

When my husband and I were first married we lived in a tiny little town called York, Nebraska in a 250 square foot "quaint" house. We moved there with my beloved but very unfriendly (except to me) russian persian cat, Piper. Trav so desperately wanted an animal that actually liked him that one day he brought home THE friendliest little farm kitten that we affectionately named Rawley. As far as cats go, and I have had many, Rawley was AWESOME and not at all like your typical cat. He was sweet, snuggly, playful, mischievious and loved people and animals tremendously; he was such a joy in our then childless home. Shortly after we moved to Texas he, along with our three other cats ,disappeared suddenly. Shortly after their collective disappearance we heard rumors from the neighbors that a pack of coyotes had destroyed the cat population in our neighborhood.

So imagine my surprise when Travis came running into the room tonight saying, "Guess who is at the front door?!" As it is Halloween I was expecting some really cute trick-or-treaters and was so shocked to see MY Rawley sitting coyly on the front stoop SIX YEARS after he disappeared! He is still as sweet as ever, a little less playful but still the little darling that we loved so much. He apparently wasn't fond of sharing all of the attention with three other cats, a chihuahua and a golden retreiver so he found a new home. Our animal farm only includes one animal these days but I know he wouldn't enjoy a home with kiddos so I am happy to see he is healthy and friendly enough to stop by for a visit.

Sick Kiddos

2008-10-31T00:28:00.000-05:00

Our house has been full of sick kiddos this week and after a very full weekend of fundraisers and trunk or treat these two aren't the only ones who are exhausted.

Isn't the cold air delightful?

2008-10-24T02:08:00.002-05:00

We sure think so.

Stuff

2008-10-15T22:28:00.008-05:00

A couple of months ago I did a photoshoot for a spunky little 3 year old who had a really great sense of his physical abilities, balance and general safety. I commented on his sense of presence to his mom and she credited it to his gymnastics class. We checked into it and classes for LM's age were surprisingly cheap - woohoo! So for the past two months Little Man has been taking gymnastics classes at our local gym. Oh and the instructor doesn't always dress like a pirate, ha, this week was costume week.

Hayley and Jaclyn came to watch LM at gymnastics and he was quite the little show-off.

June Bug snuggling at church with Jaclyn and Hayley

Soooooo JB has a mullet or should I say haaaad a mullet. My family loves to tease and joke and lots of mullet jokes have been passed around in the past few weeks at the sake of my daughter. As her white blonde hair is growing in on the top, the long dark brown hair in the back is looking really strange so I gave her a itty bitty little haircut. I took the "before" photos but forgot to take the "afters", ha.

Buddies

2008-10-15T00:57:00.005-05:00

I just love that my little guy has buddies that he can play with and it is just a bonus that those buddies are my BFF's kiddos.

My Princess Girl

2008-10-09T16:27:00.004-05:00

Ever since Little Man learned that June Bug is a girl he has been calling her his princess girl and I must admit it fits really well! Our little princess girl brings so much joy to our lives. She brings beautiful colors, frilly outfits, sparkles and ruffles. She brings flirtatious looks, coy little laughs and the most penetrating eye contact you have ever seen. She is all cuddles and coos 24/7 and the princess of our little family. We love you little June Bug!

Auntie

2008-10-01T22:48:00.002-05:00

Crash

2008-09-25T18:13:00.003-05:00

Little Man l-o-v-e-s going to his little Mother's Day Out program on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He has made all kinds of new friends and loves his teachers very much. I'm told that he plays hard during the day which explains why he usually crashes in the car on the way home.

Today as we were packing up the car he told me he was still hungry and wanted to finish his sandwich from lunch. I buckled him in and handed him his leftovers and got ready to leave. Here is what I discovered before we had even left the lot.

More Conversations.....

2008-09-24T19:32:00.001-05:00

Riding silently home from church in the car I look back and see LM sitting in his car seat, mouth wide open.
Me: Buddy? What are you doing?
LM: It broken mommy
Me: What's broken?
LM: My yawn. I so sleepy and I tant yawn. (mouth still open)
Me: Do you want me to fix it buddy?
LM: Yes, please mommy.
Me: (yawn)
LM: (yawn) Oh thank you mommy, dat much better

Leaving the fire station....
LM: Mommy, I wanna be a fired fighter like daddy
Me: You do!? I think that is a great idea!
LM: Mommy, I wanna be a fired fighter with Mr. Tommy too and pour da water on da fire and make smoke
Me: Ok buddy, when you get big you can be a firefighter like daddy and Mr. Tommy
LM: Mr. Phil too. I want Mr. Phil to drive da ambudance, it too big for me.

LM: (Giggling behind the chair)
Me: LM, what are you doing?
LM: Just playin' mommy
Me: Playing with what?
LM: Dis cute yittle (little) egg!
Me: (peeking around the chair) What egg?
LM: (holds up an ACTUAL EGG) dis one! Isn't it cute? It so yittle!
Me: WHERE did you get that cute little egg?
LM: Da fridge mommy!

LM: Mommy, I need to check my emails on da 'puter
Me: Really? What is your email address?
LM: Pink, Triangle, ABC

Daddy: LM, tell me a story
LM: Ponsa ponna time (Once upon a time).....
(pause)
LM: E Bend (The end)

Busy......again

2008-09-12T22:39:00.011-05:00

It kind of feels like a lot of my blogs have been starting with some kind of comment about how busy we are. It seems to be a theme these days.....or maybe a sickness. Here is what has been going on....

Celebrations...

My mom and dad celebrated their birthdays last week and the fam (minus Adam) came up to celebrate with us. Little Man l-o-v-e-s being a cousin and a brother, as you can tell, and it really cracks me up that babies have no personal space. I cannot relate.

Almost kissing cousins, ha

Blowing out the candles

Meme, Papa and the great grandkids

Getting ready for "School"....

New haircut

Shopping for school clothes (he didn't last long)

Little Man and June Bug started "school" this week and I am back to working on the church campus again. Little Man was so excited for school and was upset that the day was over when I picked him up. June Bug did ok but was extra clingy and snuggly afterwards; broke my heart. After I picked them up they both took a little nap in my NEW and improved office and it felt a little like we were back at home working. Returning to work this time around was tough, really tough but I am so blessed that I was able to work from home for so long and soak up all of the snuggle weeks of June Bugs infancy.

June Bug napping in the bouncer under my desk (the lights are out)

Little man napping on the bean bags in my office

Busyness...

Work has been pretty busy this summer but I am two days away from starting a new website project for the church that will completely envelope my work life for the next 16 -20 weeks. I have been wanting to do this particular project for several years so I am INCREDIBLY excited to have been given the "go ahead" and am looking forward to the craziness that I am signing myself up for. The new project comes with a lot of new responsibilities and some changes in my role at church that will require me to do lots of ongoing training for my team members on a regular basis. I got to thinking about the ways in which the job change would effect my life and decided to request a larger office space so that I could train IN my office instead of having to check schedules and reserve rooms etc. every time I needed to set up a meeting. I was moved down to the very empty second floor of our building (only 2 other occupied offices) to a much larger space that I LOVE. It is wonderfully quiet, spacious and allows me to have training space, my massive desk and even a little play area for my kiddos or the kiddos of those I am training. It really helped give me something extra to look forward on my return to working on campus.

I've also enrolled in a couple of photography classes at a local art school and another digital darkroom class at the community college and I am loving every minute of it. I am still working on building my portfolio but I've cut back on my availability so that I only have 1 or 2 sessions a weekend and I am only focusing on my passion: infants, children and families.

Sometimes I think I have lost my mind trying to juggle all of this stuff at the same time but I think the busyness has kept the postpartum depression away so that makes it all worth it. I do think I am going to have to be more structured with my time in the coming weeks so that my family doesn't suffer but things are pretty compartmentalized already so hopefully I can just keep all my little ducks in a row for the time being.

Conversations from this week

2008-08-30T12:11:00.004-05:00

LM: Mommy, where is God? At church?
Me: Yes baby, God is at church. God is everywhere.
LM: Everywhere? I wanna go everywhere wif God.
Me: Me too!
LM: Mommy, everywhere in da trees?
Me: Yes, everywhere is in the trees but it is in the grass, the sky, the ocean too.
LM: God in da trees?
Me: Yes, God is in the trees.
LM: Wow, God climbed da tree? Oh no, he got his shoes muddy.

Me: LM, where is Nana, did she leave?
LM: Yep, Nana go to work.
Me: No, today is not a work day.
LM: Oh yeah! Nana goed to sin class
Me: Huh? Sin class?
LM: No mommy, SIN class (aka sPin class)

(while in target)
LM: Mommy, I don't like dis music. Sing a new song
Me: What do you want me to sing?
LM: Cindarewa (cindarella)
Me: (breaking out a few bars from cinderella)
LM: Keep going mommy
Me: (still singing)
LM: Don't stop mommy. Sing forever
Me: What? I can't sing forever, I would get so tired
LM: Just sing mommy. Don't stop for always

The Moon

2008-08-15T21:06:00.002-05:00

Many of you know that I come from a very musical family. At any given time SOMEONE in our house is singing, humming or trying to get an annoying song stuck in someone else's head. When I was a kid my mom bought us this awesome set of cassette tapes called We Sing Silly Songs so combined with all of the silly songs my mom made up for us as kids, my silly song arsenal is chock full and LM and I draw from it all the time.

Tonight as we were walking out of Target Little Man glanced up at the beautiful quasi full moon and the following conversation ensued:

LM: Oh wow, look at the big moon mommy!
Me: Isn't it pretty? It is almost a full moon.
LM: Sing a song.
Me: Huh?
LM: Sing a song about the moon, mommy.
Me: (racking my brain for songs about moons) ummmmmm
LM: Hurry mommy, sing a song about the moon.
Me: Ummmmm
Blue moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue moon
LM: Thanks mom, that's a really good song about moons.

Hello World

2008-08-10T21:27:00.002-05:00

Hello world.

I'm no longer an infant. I've graduated and now I'm a BABY.

I make eye contact.

I can hold up my head and I want to sit up soooo bad.

I smile. I laugh with a funny little "courtesy" chuckle.

I watch my brother constantly, love to hold his little finger and lick him when he tries to give me a kiss.

I sleep through the night (5 hours) and like to be held all-the-time.

Hello world, I'm here!

Big Brother

2008-07-29T18:16:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite parts of becoming a parent again has been watching my little baby boy become a big brother. Little Man l-o-v-e-s his little sister so much more than I ever imagined and it is such a joy watching him care for his little sister. The picture below is so typical of Little Man; I can't tell you the number of times in a day he asks to hold June Bug or snuggle with her. I'll look back when we are riding in the car and find him grinning at her or holding her hand but the best of these moments are the times when he will randomly kiss her head and say, "I love you so much, June Bug." Mmmmm that is good stuff.

The other day I was getting June Bug dressed and put this cute little polo shirt and shorts on her and was complaining to Trav that she didn't have a bow to match. I said, "I can't put her in a polo without a bow, people will think she is a boy." Little Man, who was playing on the floor below us piped up, "June Bug not boy. June Bug my princess girl."

Firefighter Olympics

2008-07-23T22:01:00.009-05:00

This week our little family attended the annual Texas Firefighter Olympic Games in College Station, Tx. Travis was on the soccer team that represented his city and has really enjoyed getting back to the game as it has been a few years since he last played. Little Man has been to a few of Trav's practices and is really starting to get into the game since Daddy is playing and practicing all the time so Trav went shopping last week and bought him his very own shoes, shin guards, socks and mini soccer ball. I bought him a blue jersey with Daddy's number on it and some tiny little soccer shorts in preparation for the game. We both gave him his gifts the night before Daddy's first game and he was SO excited that he insisted on trying on his clothes immediately, even though it was bed time. As soon as he was dressed he turned to me and said, "I so excited mommy! Take my picture!" Hahah. Afterwards he took all of his gear and laid it out on the chair beside his bed. It was too cute.

It was unbelievably hot even though all of the games were in the first half of the day. Little Man only lasted in his uniform through the first game and then he stripped down to his pull-up. June Bug was cool as a cucumber with 3 fans pointed directly on her, plus a few spritz downs from Nana's spray bottle. We did have a little incident when she stuck her little finger in the foam blades and was startled enough to let out a wail and every firefighter/paramedic within a 10 block radius whirled around to look, haha. Guess they can't ignore instinct.

Oh and did I mention his team won the gold? :)

Knock, knock

2008-07-21T22:47:00.005-05:00

This weekend our family drove down to San Antonio to spend a couple of days hanging out before heading up to College Station to watch Travis play in the Firefighter Olympics. The Riverwalk was a huge hit with Little Man, especially since we ended with dinner at the Rainforest Café. We ended dinner by ordering a “Volcano” which is really just a huge pile of cake and ice cream with a fake sparkler coming out the top but it is a big hit because all of the wait staff bring it out yelling “Watch out! Volcano!!!!” Look at that sweet face!

The next morning we headed out to Sea World to brave the heat and catch 2 shows (20 minutes each) and 1 exhibit in 4 ½ hours. It was very hot and very crowded. I’ve received some concerned and downright strange looks from people when we have told them that we were bringing June Bug with us to Sea World in the dead of Summer but we were well prepared. We closed up the top of her car seat and the top of the stroller and attached fans at the openings thinking it would just keep her cool enough not to be miserable but there were actually several times when we had to turn off the fans because she was crying from being too cold. One lady at the Sea Lion show had a few choice words to say to me about bringing my infant out in the heat so I had her feel June Bug’s ice cold foot. She left me alone after that.

On the way from San Antonio to College Station, Travis and I were desperate to entertain Little Man because his “game” of choice was to make that obnoxious sound from Dumb and Dumber, you know the one, over and over again. We tried to teach him how to tell knock knock jokes and after 15-20 minutes we gave up; he is just too literal. We would tell this joke….

Knock, knock
Who’s there?
Orange
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?
And he would say, “No mommy, a banana is yellow!”

A little while later we were riding in silence when Little Man told the following joke:

LM: Knock, knock
Us: Who’s there?
LM: Little Man
Us: Little Man who?
LM: No! I’m not an orange banana!

Yep, not quite there yet. More vacation installments coming....

Conversations heard in my household 100+ times per day

2008-07-16T03:12:00.000-05:00

Conversation#1:
LM: Why mommy?
Me: (giving some long drawn out, thoughtful explanation of why)
LM: But why?
Me: Ummm because God made it that way
LM: But why?

Conversation#2
LM: Whacha doing mommy?
Me: Working
LM: What's daddy doing?
Me: Working
LM: What's Nana doing?
Me: Hmmm, I don't know buddy
LM: What's Pop doing?
Me: (sigh) Ummm I don't know, probably working
LM: What's Ashlie doing?
LM:What's Jordan doing?
LM:What's Meme doing?
LM:What's Papa doing?
(you are laughing but he will keep asking until he has covered everyone he knows and has ever met)

Conversation #3
LM: What's dat sound?
Me: (listening to the silence) What sound?
LM: Dat one
Me: (still hearing nothing but silence) I don't hear anything buddy
LM: M-O-M-M-Y dat sound
Me: I don't hear anything buddy
LM: Oh, its me, "Little Man"

Conversation #4
LM: What happened?
Me: What happened? What do you mean?
LM: M-O-M-M-Y, what happened?
Me: What do you mean buddy? What happened to what?
LM: (walks away)

Also heard a couple of hundred times a day, in his truly southern drawl:
Dis not wurking
what's dat?
I don't lyyyyke dis
It too lowd
Dis is not funny
Wook at me, mommy, wook at me, I cute!
dis stuck, fix it
i need help
hi mommy, its me, Little Man (why he introduces himself to me 100 times a day is beyond me)

Finally, my favorite thing he has said in a long time happened while we were standing in line at church to buy donuts for breakfast and he is holding a dollar bill...

LM: hey mommy! who dis guy on my money?
Me: That is president washington
LM: I don't lyyyyke him, take him off, dis MY money

She's A Chip....

2008-07-13T20:34:00.005-05:00

Momma...

Daughter...

Real Randumb

2008-07-09T01:20:00.003-05:00

I just have to point you guys to my brother-in-law's new blog...RealRandumb. He is an immensely talented artist, and we've been enjoying his creations for years. He has a really different way of looking at the world, as evidenced in this blog, so be prepared to laugh, cry and scratch your head. Love you Jordan! :) I'm really hoping he will post a link to some of his original videos - they are awesome. Don't forget to leave comments!!!

Full

2008-07-01T02:09:00.004-05:00

My little man has been sick the past few days with a cough, fever and upset stomach. Trav and I have been laughing at how "popular" I've been all weekend and how efficiently all my kids (including Daisy) share my lap. I really am underneath it all and the bowl was just in case LM lost his lunch as there is no jumping up with an infant in your lap!

Tender Heart

2008-06-25T22:08:00.003-05:00

Have I mentioned how awesome my parents are? We are so lucky to live SUPER close to my family, so close that my parents can relieve us of one or both of the kiddos any time and close enough that they play a major role in help me manage the kiddos every single morning (evenings too).

Little Man and Pop have this morning ritual of snuggling in Pop's big easy chair, drinking "co-co" milk and watching Johnny and the Sprites. Pop told me that the other morning he and Little Man were watching an episode about how worms were eating Johnny's garden and Johnny and the Sprites had to gather up the worms into jars and get rid of them. Pop looked over at Little Man and he was wiping his eyes with his "Lovey". Pop asked him what was wrong and Little Man said, "This show is making my eyes cry." Ha.

I love his sweet little tender heart.

Oddly enough, worms in a jar make him cry but we watch BAMBI and NADA. What's up with that?

The Look

2008-06-24T18:06:00.004-05:00

The past week has been R-O-U-G-H for this mommy. I've been running on anywhere from 1-3 hours of sleep a night thanks to a very fussy night time baby.

Two nights ago when I was several hours past exhaustion, Trav was at the fire station, Little Man was crying in his room for me to come get him and June Bug was inconsolable I thought I was going to lose my mind. I got my act together, put Little Man back in bed, snuggled up June Bug and just as I was about to let the tears flow, I looked down at the baby lying on my chest and saw this look.

It is amazing what a little eye contact can do to soothe a tired momma.

Can you say creepy?

2008-06-19T17:43:00.004-05:00

It is weird but my family loves to be creeped out and THIS (click on the word, dad) is one of the creepiest things I have seen in a long time. Be sure to scroll down.

Like mother, like daughter

2008-06-16T23:10:00.003-05:00

I am not a great sleeper and I'm kind of a pillow snob because of it. I understand wanting to put babies in beds without blankets and fluffy items that can cause suffocation but knowing how hard it is for me to sleep through the night I really feel sorry for my little June Bug. She tosses and turns at night, groaning and stretching over and over again just like I do when I am on an uncomfortable bed sooooo when I am awake, I let her sleep ON my beloved pillow. I think she likes it!!!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T06:30:00.001-05:00

My little prince

2008-06-10T21:50:00.006-05:00

This morning Little Man walked in just as I was putting on one of my favorite headbands on June Bug's head. LM took one look at her and exclaimed, "Oh wow mommy! [June Bug] a beautiful princess!" He then ran over to the dresser, grabbed another headband and put it on. Knowing that his daddy would have a fit, we came up with a compromise....a bowtie fit for a prince :)

Oh and this is now the face I get from LM anytime I pull out the camera. I guess he isn't really enjoying being in front of the camera!

Maternity Leave

2008-06-09T04:53:00.000-05:00

I am so very, very blessed to work where I do. Working for my church enables me to work with wonderfully godly men and women in a healthy, happy environment that not only cares about the individual but the individual's family. When Little Man was born nearly two months early, the church worked with me to arrange a schedule that would allow me to give my son my undivided attention while he was in the NICU and then after 6 weeks of maternity leave allowed me to work from home for many months while my little one grew and grew. This time around, with June Bug, I wasn't sure whether or not we would have an experience similar to Little Man's or one that was more typical. The church was flexible and more than willing to work with me and support me through bed rest, multiple trips to L&D and even an early delivery. Now that JB has made her arrival they allowed me to modify "maternity leave" so that I could work from home for the summer and only come into the office for meetings and emergencies. It allows me to give my sweet children my attention when they need it and arrange my work load to accommodate their needs. It also allows me to participate in the staff prayer meetings, minister meetings and luncheons that I so desire to attend. It really is the best of both worlds. While not a permanent solution, I will go back to full-time work in September, it is such a tremendous blessing for this new mommy and one of the many reasons I love my job.

I do get some weird, sometimes skeptical looks, when I tell people that I work from home but honestly....can you imagine a better working situation?

Working from home with Little Man

Working from home with June Bug

In the zone

2008-06-07T10:17:00.011-05:00

I think we are finally getting into the groove of things now that Trav is back at work. I love these first few weeks when everything is so new and fuzzy because you are so sleep deprived yet happy. Nothing fancy, photo wise, just some snappies and here are the highlights....

We've been taking little June Bug in to the doctor about every 5 days because she hasn't been meeting her weight gain goals. We adjusted our feeding schedule a bit, fortified some bottles of milk and were very happy when she exceeded her weight gain goal by 5 oz! Doesn't sound like much but since babies are supposed to gain an ounce a day and she was gaining an ounce every 3 days, we were so happy when she gained 9 ounces in 4 days. Did you follow that? Oh and she finally has enough "meat" to wear a newborn diaper! Oh and in case you are wondering, we've been looking at all of our baby photos and she could be my twin. :) I'll try to scan one later to show the similarities.

We have been wondering when she was going to lose her cord, since big brother lost his at 10 days, and when I asked the Dr. about she said that she had up to TWO MONTHS to lose it? Can you imagine? Fortunately, she lost it at 2.5 weeks....I love baby belly buttons.

Little Man has finally given PB&J a try after numerous failures and it has been a huge hit. He is not, however, a fan of the stickiness.

Little Man has been struggling with bed time lately and we've had to repeatedly put him to bed every night for about two weeks because he would get up and drag every toy in his room to bed. The other night my dad peeked in on him after we had put him to bed and he was playing in bed and whispered, "Pop, you have to whisper, mommy can hear us." It starts early, doesn't it? We finally changed our approach and told him he could play with a couple of toys until he fell asleep. He is a bit literal and this is how I found him the next morning (he is asleep under the blue lovey). What you can't see are the 1,000+ tiny cars under the covers.

Finally, the kiddo's cousin Hunter is in town for the weekend and we've had so much fun having all the kids together in one house. Some people are more excited about walks than others.

So much

2008-06-04T17:19:00.004-05:00

I love watching Little Man's language grow every day. It seems that the discoveries increase tenfold as each day passes and he is to the point now where he is branching out from the normal phrasing he hears in his day-to-day life and starting to form his own cute little phrases.

I've never really noticed some of the phrases I use on a regular basis until I heard myself repeated back in that sweet little voice. Apparently he has heard me thank vendors, drive through cashiers and doctors/nurses with a "Thanks so much" that he started saying, "Thanks so much" to E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

What I didn't expect, was all of the things that would warrant the "so much"....

"I hungry so much"

"I wanna go outside so much"

"Where my tiny cars so much?"

"It not working so much"

But by far, the best so far was a few nights ago when he crawled up in my lap to say goodnight and he said, "I love you so much, mommy". Can you hear my heart melting???

The bee strikes again

2008-05-31T09:50:00.003-05:00

Ever since I was a little girl I have been teased for having a chronic case of "Bee in the Bonnet". While I know that my tendency to have extreme tunnel vision can really annoy the people close to me, I have to admit that it has served as a driving force behind some of the most adventurous things I've ever tried. Learning about photography is the latest "bee" in my bonnet.

Rather than bore you with the ins and outs as I struggle to become a better mommy photographer, I've created yet another blog (sigh) so that those who are interested and asking questions can see what is going on and those who couldn't care less can ignore. :) Check it out here....

Beautiful Weather

2008-05-26T21:28:00.007-05:00

So my darling husband bought me my very first dSLR for mother's day/birthday and I have been taking some photography classes learning all about the art of photography. I also participate in an online training program that has reading assignments along with homework and group analysis, etc. Yesterday I had an assignment on depth of field (really boring if you aren't into photography) and I decided to use my kiddos in the project. The bonus is that I get to capture some really sweet moments in the meantime. Hope you enjoy. :)

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. :)

One week

2008-05-22T07:28:00.009-05:00

It is hard to believe it has already been one week since our baby girl joined the family. Here are some pictures from the past week...

Blissful

2008-05-20T03:20:00.005-05:00

The past five days have been utterly blissful for me. To be honest, I really hadn't been looking forward to "starting over" again with the sleep deprived nights, the aching body, and the crying baby etc. but I've actually been loving every minute of it. Part of it, I think, is that I am finally getting to experience "normal" this time around; no NICU, no therapists, no devastating medical bills just average new baby stuff. The other side of my enjoyment is due in part to the fact that this isn't my first time around the block; I know what to expect, I feel confident in the decisions I am making as a parent and I know all of the wonderful experiences headed our way.

As if loving on a new little one isn't enough, I get the privilege of watching Little Man with his baby sister. She is the first thing he asks about when waking and the one person he is genuinely interested in throughout the day. All day long he tells us that she is hungry or wants some milk or a blanket, you name it. He copies me with his stuffed animals when I nurse the baby, swaddle her and even burp her. All throughout the day and night I find him sneaking kisses, stroking her hair and talking/singing to her in this sweet, high-pitched sing-songy voice. Watching him be a big brother brings so much joy to my heart and makes me love him even more.

Most of all, I am grateful for my husband. He has waited on me hand and foot since the day he found out I was pregnant. I was put on bedrest and he didn't miss a beat taking over all of the domestic duties and stepping in as primary parent extraordinaire. He has worked extra shifts, odd jobs and suffered through garage/craigslist/ebay sales to help us prevent charging our hospital bills. He has been sweet, loving, patient and kind as I was pregnant, hormonal, irrational and exhausted. He held my hand when I was shaking with fear in surgery and reassured me and calmed my fears when the NICU team worked on June bug trying to get her to relax and breathe for those first scary minutes. He sets his alarm so he can get up and change the baby before I nurse and insists on cooking our meals, changing dirty diapers and cleaning our apartment all while maintaining a delightfully positive attitude. How on earth did I luck out with this guy??

This doesn't begin to dig into all of the wonderful things that have blessed our lives including an employer that encourages me to put my family first, parents who bend over backwards to help us in any and every way possible, and friends who call and check on us and love on us even though we have been completely out of pocket for the past few months. Life is good and God is incredibly generous.

All I know is that I am one very happy, blessed, mommy.

Two Peas In A Pod

2008-05-18T06:43:00.006-05:00

So it looks like I am the only one who sees the resemblance of Little Man and June Bug so to further prove my case...

Little Man and June Bug

Big brother

2008-05-17T00:29:00.006-05:00

Our little man finally got to meet his baby sister. He was a little nervous at first but it only took a moment before he jumped up in my bed and asked to hold her. He was so sweet and gentle, stroking her hair, wrapping her fingers around his thumb and tickling her toes. He used this really cute high pitched voice when he talked to her and asked all kinds of questions as he snuggled and loved on her with kisses and hugs.

Thank heaven for big brothers

Travis and I gave him a big brother present that is kind of like a "doll" for boys. It is a stuffed panda baby that coos, cries, and even suckles a bottle. He has been carrying around his baby all afternoon and when the panda fusses or cries he talks so sweetly to it asking what is wrong and saying, "I get bottle!" Nana gave him a kid's digital camera so he can be in on the action and he has had a blast snapping photos of any and every thing in site. The best part is when he takes a picture, looks at the tiny (and I mean TINY) LCD screen and says, "That's perfect!" or "That's cute!"

Thank heaven for baby sisters

There has been some debate as to who our little June Bug looks like and while I originally thought she looked like my baby pictures, I found some pics of Little Man that make me think she is following in his footsteps. Compare the above picture with this one of Little Man at the same age....

I'll see if I can find a better example this weekend.....

She Is Here!!!

2008-05-16T01:41:00.010-05:00

Our sweet baby girl has arrived!

Travis, Little Man and I went to my weekly OB appointment this morning and discovered I had progressed (I am sparing you the details) and that I was having regular, heavy contractions that were about 4 minutes apart. My OB sent me to Labor and Delivery for observation and some drugs to stop the contractions. Seven hours later and about 10 rounds of drugs and my contractions were 2 minutes apart and I was even more dilated.Next thing we knew I was being prepped for the OR! Our sweet baby girl was born at 7:45pm on May 15th weighing in at 6lbs 4 oz and 18.5 inches long. Seeing that she was born nearly 3 weeks after her brother, gestationally, we were really surprised when she had difficulty breathing and apnea episodes. One of the neonatologists was called down for a consult and she was wisked away to the Special Care nursery (no NICU, woohoo!!). Only 15 minutes after I was taken to recovery the nurses called and said that she was over the breathing issues, keeping her temperature well and that I could nurse! I couldn't believe what wonderful news that was (those of you who know Little Man's story know the misery of waiting 12 hours to see your son for the first time). She latched on like a pro (sorry guys) and has been moved to the regular nursery! She can't room in with us tonight because of the problems she had at first but starting tomorrow she is all ours, all day!!

Thanks to all of you who have prayed and interceded on our behalf throughout this pregnancy. We are thrilled to have another healthy, yet early, baby. Big brother got a brief second to view her through the glass before heading to Nana and Pop's house but we are sure looking forward to the two of them meeting tomorrow morning!

Big Brother

2008-05-10T15:30:00.006-05:00

Travis and Little Man went to a new siblings class at our hospital this morning. Travis said Little Man had lots of fun learning all about new babies and that he was very serious and particular when it came to diapering and swaddling the "baby". He was also really, really concerned that the baby didn't have a "lovey" so he put his lovey by the baby's head. Trav said that the instructor took them on a tour of the hospital and when they got to the L&D room Little Man said, "Oh yeah! Mommy room!" Guess our little guy is growing up!

A Shower of love!!

2008-05-08T05:41:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday four of my very sweet friends hosted a shower in celebration of our sweet little baby girl. I was so glad that my OB gave me a "pass" for the shower, with stipulations of course, and had a wonderful time seeing people I haven't seen in a few weeks and opening wonderful gifts for our little June bug (due in June, get it?). Here are some of the highlights...

34 weeks

The delicious food

The cake

Little Man opening his gift from Vivi

So excited!

With my lovely sisters

All of the wonderful gifts

dot com

2008-04-30T18:27:00.004-05:00

It is so fun having a little parrot around the house.

Have you ever seen that Expedia commercial where the jingle ends with a group of people singing "dot com?" Well, apparently Little Man has heard the commercial enough that he has decided that everything warrants the "dot com" song addition. Here are some of the things we've heard him say/sing....oh and he always SINGS the "dot com" just like they do in the commercial.....

"Hi pop!.....dot com!"

"Daddy, I want milk!........dot com!"

Mommy, where daisy?.......dot com!"

"Oooh I want 'roni cheese too!.....dot com!"

"Night mommy!......dot com!"

At Home

2008-04-26T08:26:00.010-05:00

My apologies to all of you (aka "both") who faithfully read my blog. It has been an eventful 2 weeks.
I am currently at home on bed rest after another, yes my third, stint in Labor and Delivery. I was quite surprised to show up for my regular appointment on Thursday and and find out I had made some significant strides towards 'being ready to deliver' and was sent to L&D for more tests, a couple of rounds of steroids (for the baby's lungs) and some anti-contraction medication. I was kept in L&D for just over 48 hours before I was discharged to full HOME bed rest. It has been an interesting couple of days and I am not thrilled about bed rest but I'll take home bed rest over hospital bed rest any day of the week. I'm also told that the goal is just to get me to 35 weeks, for now, so 2 weeks is really not that bad.

Little Man was such an angel and not at all afraid of the hospital. He was quite the flirt and spent most of his time working the nurses for candy and juice. Once he figured out that the "food room" was just down the hall he started asking me constantly, "Mommy, want juice? Want cracker? I get it!" and then he would run toward the door with daddy chasing him. Fortunately, he is perfectly happy with his "garage" of tiny cars and a large windowsill which allowed me a lot of quality time with my boys and helped stave off the boredom.
So for now I am just hanging out at home trying to keep this sweet little girl baking for 2 more weeks and am once again VERY grateful for a job that can be done offsite.

Our Little Man

2008-04-05T21:48:00.005-05:00

Not real sure what's going on here.....
His latest fascination is with tunnels and mommy/daddy's bed is the "big tunnel"

Hanging out with his "friends"

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T14:20:00.009-05:00

Happy Easter!!
Playing Nana's "Trumpet" candlestick

Finding Easter Eggs

Checking out the goods

Here I am at 28 weeks!

The New Abbreviated ABCs

2008-03-22T12:13:00.005-05:00

A Day Off

2008-03-20T17:05:00.009-05:00

Today I took a much needed day off from work to give my boys an entire day of my undivided attention. The three of us took a trip to Ft Worth to visit the Japanese Botanic Garden. Little Man l-o-v-e-d feeding the giant koi and running around the beautiful garden paths. Our trip was supposed to include the seasonal butterfly garden but since it was spring break the wait time was more than 3 hours and so we skipped it in favor of a leisurely lunch together. Tonight Trav is taking me out on a date to our favorite restaurant, The Melting Pot and I cannot wait! Here are the highlights of our day....

Running through the garden yelling, "Come on daddy!"
Not quite warmed up to the concept yet

Showing mommy how the fishes eat

Not a bad $7.00 spent, if you ask me!

Lovey

2008-03-09T21:40:00.005-05:00

21 weeks
25 weeksSo I've had quite the growth spurt in the past 4 weeks... explains the TEN POUND gain! Not being allowed to exercise can really do a number on your frame of mind as you pack on the pounds and I am definitely concerned that I have another 13 weeks left. YIKES!!!

On a different note, here is a really cute video of Little Man and his "Lovey". I especially like how he thanks himself AND says "your welcome" (also excuse the mess, I was working on a huge art project).

36 Hours

2008-03-02T22:55:00.011-06:00

This weekend Little Man, Nana and Pop and I drove up north to visit my brother and sister and watch Hayley's club compete in their spring variety competition. The "weekend" only lasted about 36 hours but we had a ton of fun. Here are the highlights...

In the airport with Pop
Hayley's club competing

Chasing Aunt Hayley (dressed as Alice In Wonderland)

Playing with Uncle Bud
Someone loves their Auntie!!!

I think I am done traveling until the little one arrives as I'm not quite up the rigors of travel and spent this afternoon very sore and swollen (ankles and hands) even after a nap! What can I say, I have become a wimp! Little Man, on the other hand, has not missed a beat. This is where dad found him today when they were playing hide and seek.

Big boy!

2008-02-27T17:03:00.002-06:00

Our little man has been toying with the idea of potty training since last September when we traveled with one of his good friends who was nearing the end of his potty training. For the past few months it has been a novelty that he was willing to try, albeit unsuccessfully, on random occasions. A few weeks ago we decided to really give it a try because the thought of having two kiddos in diapers at the same time is just about enough to do me in. It took a week for him to get the hang of things but it all seemed to really click right about the time we went to visit my sister in Houston. Since then he has been great about going once we put him on the potty but was still very dependent upon us to ask him.

This week, however, we implemented the "Potty Chart", complete with stickers and a final prize for completing the chart. We took a trip to Walmart and let him pick a movie he has never seen before (Dumbo) and for 2 days straight he has been initiating all trips and attempts on the potty. This afternoon he completed the chart and when mommy got home from work we had a movie party complete with popcorn. It was a HUGE hit and he is already wanting to start another chart (this time it will be 101 Dalmations). Here is to hoping all of this work will stick!

Showing mommy all of his hard work

So proud!
When he jumped up and yelled, "I DID IT!"

Our little movie party

Oh and here I am at 24 weeks! I went to the perinatologist this week and he said that our baby girl is measuring a week ahead and is around 1lb 12 oz. The doctor compared all of my measurements to the last ultrasound that I had and said that I was actually doing better and better and that he could see very clear evidence of the injections working (I'll spare you the TMI details). We are thrilled!

I'm An Auntie!!!!

2008-02-19T23:23:00.007-06:00

My NEW nephew was born this morning at 1:20 am and weighed 6 lbs 8 oz and was 19 inches long. We were so glad to be able to actually be in town when he was born and only missed his birth by an hour and a half (we gave up and went home at midnight). He is beautiful and mom and dad are doing great.

Little Man has been a dream child, practically living in the OB waiting room for the past 24 hours since he isn't allowed in the maternity wing. We are so excited! Here are some pics....

Waiting outside of L&D at 11:45pm

Proud Auntie and Uncle
For more pics visit Jordan and Ashlie's blog (link on the right) at Jordashblack.com

The Dangers Of Undressing

2008-02-17T22:05:00.004-06:00

All I heard was "Uhoh, I stuck"

Little Man-isms

2008-02-14T07:21:00.000-06:00

Here is a sneak peak at some of the conversations we've had with Little Man recently....

Conversation #1:
(Pop fixes LM's hair and LM immediately begins to mess it up)

Pop: LM don't mess up your pretty hair!

LM: (long pause) Your hair pretty too, Pop!

Conversation #2:
(LM sneezes)

Mom: Bless you LM!

LM: Thank you momma

Mom: You're welcome.

LM: (long pause) Yes, I welcome.

Conversation #3:
(LM is playing and tugging at his very red ear)

Pop: LM, your ear sure is red! Does it hurt a little bit?

LM: No, a lot bit.

As someone who made her share of really embarrassing mistakes while learning a new language, I empathize with my little one and his fight to master such a difficult language. Isn't it fun?!?

Blessed

2008-02-10T15:42:00.000-06:00

It has been a very fun week! It started with a sneak peak of our little girl in 3D. She was very camera shy and kept her hands over her face but we got to see some great shots of her little fingers and toes plus very clear confirmation that she is a girl! I am 22 weeks along, no bed rest and so enjoying this nice normal pregnancy.Saturday we were paid a visit by Little Man's Papa Block who joined us for a yummy breakfast at Breadwinners (our favorite) and some playtime at the indoor playground.Finally, our good friends Tommy and Jennifer welcomed Little Man's newest friend into the world! Luke David Green was born Saturday evening with the most awesome head of hair I have ever seen on a baby (we'll let mommy and daddy post his first close-ups). Isn't he beautiful?

What a great weekend!

2008-02-02T08:49:00.001-06:00

Things are progressing nicely and so far I don't have to be on bed rest - yay! I am now 21 weeks along, getting injections from my doctor that help prevent preterm labor and I seem to be holding steady in a "normal" pattern. This pregnancy has been rather uneventful and I could not be more grateful. This week we have our 3D ultrasound and will get "final" confirmation that our little munchkin is a girl. :) I'll post some pictures when we get them.

Little Man and his dad have been very patient with my need to start getting things ready earlier than your average pregnant woman. I am still so gun-shy from the bedrest/hospital stays that I underwent with Little Man that I want to make sure I am on track with all of the things that would require my participation (setting up nursery, packing bags, etc.). Here are some pictures from some of their projects.

Repairing the cradle with Pop
Setting up the crib with dad

A Good Laugh

2008-01-26T19:16:00.000-06:00

In my family, my dad is the one who remembers everything funny. Ever since I was a little girl he has been telling me that he wished he had bought a notebook to just jot down everything funny we did so he would never forget it. It is hard to believe that my dad has every forgotten our funny stories because if you get him going he can tell 20-30 at a time. Now every time Little Man does something cute or funny dad says, "I'm telling you....you need to get a notebook!"

Yesterday in the grocery store, Little Man and I were walking down the aisle grabbing items and tossing them in the basket (tossing is his job) when someone made an announcement over the loudspeaker. I don't know about you but I barely even notice the announcements anymore but they certainly do not escape LM. We had just turned down an aisle chock full of people when we hear, "Cashier at Register 5, Cashier at Register 5" and my Little Man responded in a yell equally as loud, "Ok!!!!!!! Thaaaaaaaanks!" We all got a good laugh!

Speaking of cute....check out this youtube video for a good laugh.

Think Pink!

2008-01-16T11:35:00.000-06:00

'Think Pink' has been my mantra for the past few months and today we found out we are in fact having a girl!! We are so excited and can't wait to meet her; please keep her safe arrival in your prayers.

A Week of Fun

2008-01-03T22:57:00.000-06:00

This past week Little Man's Uncle Ryan came into town to visit us and we have been VERY busy. The week included a trip the the Children's Museum, the Zoo, bowling, and Little Man's first trip to the movie theater (the Bee Movie). Here are some of the highlights....

Playing in the water exhibit

Checking out the bug exhibit, complete with "Gross, disgusting, and nasty!" exclamations
"Milking" the cow at the farm exhibit (he thought this was hilarious, as did we)

Playing video games at the bowling alley

Pretending to play like Daddy and Ryan, complete with his own sound effects
Bowling with Ryan (don't you love how he skips??)

Checking out the mole rats (top left) up close and personal

Too distracted by the monkeys to pose

All in all it was an awesome week that went by way too quickly. Little Man L-O-V-E-S playing with "Ryddy" and was very upset when we dropped him off at the airport.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T09:41:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

Isn't it amazing how quickly this year has flown by? The Blocks celebrated Christmas a day early this year because Trav had to work at the fire station today but it worked out well because Little Man and I are just relaxing and hanging out today. Such a treat.

Christmas is so much fun with a kiddo... it changes the whole meaning of Christmas. Since Little Man is a Christmas baby (Dec 23) he had a couple of really big gifts from the fam (fewer, combined presents also helps cut down on the present overload). Here are some of the highlights.....

Not thrilled about his "Christmas Pajamas"

Taking his time opening presents (mom eventually had to intervene)

My budding dentist
(in a new pair of pajamas because he refused to wear the others any longer)

The tool bench and power tools from Nana, Pop, Aunt Ash and Uncle J

Santa, Mommy and Daddy's present

I am fairly certain he had a good time yesterday because he has been completely engrossed in his toys since 7:30 yesterday morning. We're off to my aunt's house tonight for round 2 of Christmas and I am very excited to see Little Man playing with his second cousins. Lots of fun!

Oh and funny story....we have some neighbors who put on this huge light show in their front yard every year that includes a song and dance routine featuring Mr. and Mrs. Claus (this year it was the "Evolution of Dance"). Although Little Man and I have talked a l-o-t about Santa over the last few weeks we have neglected to tell him about Mrs. Claus. Sunday night we walked over to see the show and when Santa and Mrs. Claus came out dancing Little Man exclaimed, "Santa! Oh and Meme!". Meme was a good sport about it when we told her the story the next day at lunch. All through lunch he kept saying, "Hi Meme! Hi Meme!" (I think he thinks she is in pretty good with Santa!)

We're Back!

2007-12-18T21:05:00.001-06:00

Little Man and I took a trip to Houston this week to keep my sis company while on bed rest. Little Man was quite the entertainer and kept himself occupied with Christmas boxes, forts, and running and up down the stairs (supervised, of course). Ashlie is doing great. She has reached week 26 (2 weeks past viability) and is now on bed rest at home under the supervision of a home health care nurse. Hunter is doing great and so far all of his tests have come out with positive results so the goal is just to keep him in until week 32 at the earliest. Please keep her in your prayers.

Little Man is finally starting to understand that the large MASS on the front of my body is for a purpose. He told me last night that he wanted to snuggle with the baby ("Ina snunnle baby, momma")and put his head in my lap, kissed my tummy and wrapped his arms around the "baby". My favorite thing about this so far has to be when we brought home the DVD from the sonogram. I was showing it to my mom and pointing out the various parts of the baby and didn't realized Little Man was watching. Later that evening he said he wanted to see the baby and pointed to the DVD player. I turned it on and he stood on the chair pointing to the picture saying "Nose, eye, arm, leg". Granted he was no where near close, it was just neat to see that he was trying to participate even though I doubt he REALLY knows what it all means. It is fun.

Ordinary

2007-12-05T17:04:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, my last pregnancy was anything but ordinary (if you aren't familiar you can read about it on my other blog A Bee In Her Bonnet starting at the bottom with Wonderfully Made). To say I've been nervous about having another would be an understatement to say the least. This morning I had my first doctor appointment with the High Risk OB/Perinatologist and he happily informed us that this was the most ordinary pregnancy he had ever seen. Praise God! Just to be safe I'll be given some weekly progesterone injections starting a month from now but I am thrilled that everything seems to be "ordinary". Please keep our little bean in your prayers, along with my sister who is currently on full bedrest for preterm labor.

It's True!

2007-11-27T00:20:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is true....I am pregnant with #2!

I'm 2 weeks away from the end of my first trimester and due in June but the Dr. said that if all goes normally (unlike with Little Man) my c-section will be scheduled in late May. Today is my 4th day sans nausea so I am a pretty happy camper right now. Dad is thrilled and really hoping for a girl.

Thanks to everyone for all of the sweet notes!

Guess What?

2007-11-26T05:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2007-11-22T01:21:00.000-06:00

So happy!

2007-11-21T12:10:00.000-06:00

I love, love, LOVE being home on vacation!!! I feel like I miss so much in the hustle and bustle of the everyday life that I am loving being home with my boys. My little sis came in town last night, my brother is due to arrive any minute and tomorrow our house will be filled with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and loved ones. Friday my other sis comes into town and Saturday our family is getting together to celebrate Little Man's birthday (a month early so my fam can be there). I am one very happy mommy!

Here are some of the things I have been enjoying for the past 48 hours on vacation...

Eating Daddy's Green Eggs
Eating "Seeseecles" with Daddy
Watching the Wizard of Oz for the first time (and soooo engrossed)
Mommy and her Little Man

Free at last!

2007-11-18T21:44:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know, last July Trav left the fire department where he began his career and was hired by his "dream" fire department. Even though he is already a licensed firefighter/paramedic, this particular city requires all of their employees to attend the same academy so they paid to send him to fire academy for a second time. All I can say is that going back to 9-5 hours (or in his case 5 - 7) really took a toll on our little family for the four months that he was in academy. I am happy to say it is FINALLY over and next week we move back to the beloved 24 on/48 off schedule that runs our family. YIPEEEEEE!

Nana, Pop,Little Man and I got attend the Academy's Family Night a couple of weeks ago and we had a blast watching Trav and his buddies show off all that they "learned" (some more than others). Little Man no longer points out FIRE trucks, he calls them Daddy's truck - LOVE IT! We tried to catch a picture of the three of us but who wants to look at a camera when you are standing in front of a fire truck???

Your prayers are coveted

2007-11-07T10:13:00.000-06:00

My sister went to her 2D ultrasound yesterday and was diagnosed with two vessel cord syndrome or single umbilical artery (SUA). SUA basically means that instead of sharing 3 vessels between mommy and baby that they are only sharing two causing the baby to have access to less blood/oxygen and have 1/2 the ability to clear waste as it should. SUA only occurs in about 1% of pregnancies and is associated with all kinds of birth defects, still birth and death of the baby after birth. The three main problems associated with SUA are heart defects, kidney problems or Trisomy 18.

The doctor told my sister that all of the anatomy looked great and that she is not concerned about chromosomal problems but her ability to detect these things was limited and the biggest concern of all is the size of the baby and the baby's heart because she could not get a clear picture. So far the baby is twice the size it should be, which is great, but the problem seems to be in the later stages of pregnancy when the baby is bigger and the umbilical cord can get compressed. The specialist told her that around half of babies with SUA are born perfectly healthy so there is great hope. My sister has been referred to a high risk specialist and will continue testing over the next few weeks as the baby continues to grow. Unfortunately even with tests there are some heart defects, kidney problems, hearing problems, genitourinary problems and gastrointestinal problems that cannot be detected until after birth, so she may not have a peace of mind until then. SUA babies tend to be born preterm and very low birth weight, so if the baby at any point stops growing they will have to take it out. Please pray that my sister, her husband and her unborn son are counted among the many happy stories that can come from this and that God will grant her peace between now and then.

Happy Belated Halloween

2007-11-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday was our church's annual Fall Carnival and it was a H-U-G-E success! Here are some of the highlights....

Hanging out with his buddy CL

Taking his turn on the pinata

Diving for the candy (with daddy to protect him)

A dive for candy

Helping Pop make an ice run

Bobbing for ducks

In the candy line

Not the good green

2007-10-22T15:25:00.000-05:00

It has been a r-o-u-g-h weekend. Little Man and I suffered through a couple of cases of food poisoning this weekend and I definitely got the raw end of the deal because he is totally back to normal and I haven't stopped feeling green for 3 days although nothing has actually come of it in 2 (sorry, TMI, I know but I also haven't been eating either, ha). I am soooo glad Trav didn't have dinner with us that night because he was the glue that held this family together over the weekend and we even had my BFF's little 6 month old guy staying with us. Praise God for husbands/daddies with strong stomachs! I had great aspirations to take lots of pictures of the two little guys playing together this weekend but neither Little Man or myself felt like doing much other than sleep. Trav snapped a couple of pictures before he took them both to church on Sunday and it turned out really cute!

A Little Time Outdoors

2007-10-11T21:00:00.002-05:00

Last weekend our family took a very SHORT camping trip with some families from our church (short because I had to be back to work on Sunday). Little Man had a blast running wild, free and filthy. Here are some of the highlights.

Playing with his buddy JJ

Chillin' with Daisy
Playing washers with daddy

Little Man discovered the view of the stars from the tent

Readin' with JJ

Swingin' with Mr. Tommy

Eatin' a really big apple

Smores ROCK!

The Unexpected

2007-09-30T21:35:00.000-05:00

This weekend Little Man and I flew down to Houston to visit my sister and help her register for her upcoming baby shower. While the adults enjoyed the registration process, the highlight for Little Man was definitely the plane rides. Thursday morning he woke up and the first word out of his mouth was, "Airplane?" followed by, "Ashlie?" I did the math and figured out that this returning flight was either his 22 or 24th flight of his life (I am not positive) and it is clear he is an expert when it comes to flying, here are the highlights...

Watching the bags go up the ramp...

"Mom, leave me alone I 'm busy!"

Checkin' out the cute girl in the seat behind us....

Getting a better look...

A little in-flight reading of the safety instructions....
(he even pointed to the pictures making crash sounds and saying "weee" at the man sliding down the emergency slide")

Playing in the couch fort with Uncle J

Our trip was cut short when my dad was taken to the hospital late friday night because of an allergic reaction to some medication. Trav called and told us that my mom was sick, my little sis was in town with her friends and my dad was in the emergency room and Ashlie and I decided we needed to be home. Dad is doing better now but we had a pretty good scare and it was nice to spend some time together as a family, minus Adam (missed you Bud).

Dance Party

2007-09-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

I've noticed lately that Little Man has been bee bopping to music everywhere so we've incorporated a daily dance party before nap time (added bonus - he takes a 3 hour nap). This afternoon I caught a brief moment of our dance party....

The Early Bird Gets The Worm Birthday Party

2007-09-22T22:13:00.001-05:00

Little Man's best buddy celebrated his 2nd birthday today! I have to say it is the first worm-themed party I've ever been to but it was such a hit with his 3 buddies. It started with story time about earthworms complete with REAL WORMS...Followed by homemade dirt cups, complete with worms (gummy)...

Next came painting t shirts, playing in the sprinkler, and eating their wormy creations...
Cheese!

Stop the harrassment!

2007-09-21T15:50:00.002-05:00

My little sister, Hayley, has been harassing me the past couple of days because I haven't been posting. I really don't have a good excuse other than it is hard working full time and caring for Little Man while Trav is in school. Poor Trav gets up 2 and a half hours before us and gets home 3 - 5 hours after us and it is wearing all of us out. Boo hoo, I know, but that really is what has been keeping me from posting.

Little Man is in a new phase where he wants to play by himself more than he wants to play with mommy. It was really starting to give me a complex until I read an article in my parenting magazine about how toddlers need alone time just like adults. Now that I've stopped pressuring him to include me in his play he is having a blast playing on his own (but not all the time). At the moment he is playing behind the couch, with his giant push car turned upside down working on it with his plastic tools. It is fun because I keep hearing him practice his newest words. My favorite is "disgusting" which has 4-5 syllables when he says it. Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks. Oh yeah and he is doing this weird thing where he sticks out his tongue every time you point the camera at him.

Alone time while mommy fixes dinner

Playing with stickers

For some reason only daddy is allowed in the fort

Tuckered Out!

2007-09-11T18:21:00.000-05:00

This is how I found Little Man when I picked him up from his Mother's Day Out program today. Someone sure played hard!

Bikes

2007-09-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

After working a very large garage sale this weekend, our family used some of the proceeds to buy a toddler seat and toddler helmet so we can go riding as a family. Little Man insisted on helping dad get things ready and wore his helmet for nearly half an hour before we were ready to leave. Little Man l-o-v-e-s riding on the back and exclaims "oh" and "wow" with each bump and hill. Can't wait until our camping trip next month, the bikes will make for a nice activity!

It's A Bird.....

2007-09-01T20:31:00.000-05:00

Daddy has always been a big Superman fan and it looks like Little Man will be a big fan as well. Mommy found these pjs this week (complete with cape) and Little Man loves them! Daddy taught him how to "fly" like Superman and the little guy has been running around the house all evening saying "Sshhhhhhhh Sshhhhhhhh" (his version of wooosh). Superman is hard to catch on film - too cute!

The Getaway Part 2

2007-08-26T17:59:00.000-05:00

It was definitely a busy weekend, one that I am still not recovered from, but am so glad we went. I am also grateful for such a generous and hospitable sister; it takes a special person to invite a crew with 6 combined kids to come and take over a house.

The boys had a blast playing with their cars and trucks all over the house (and me). Isn't it amazing how something so simple can keep little one's occupied for so long? Jackie thinks that we should have attached cleaning rags to the cars and Ashlie wouldn't have to clean this week!

The boys had so much fun hanging out in my sister's awesome saltwater pool that we stayed in the pool until almost 8:00 one night. It literally took all four adults to keep track of the kiddos and they definitely kept us on our toes but thankfully the pool has a graduated entrance that helped us keep them contained and safe.

The second day we all made a trip to the Houston Zoo and had a great time despite the triple digit heat. The Houston Zoo definitely puts the Dallas Zoo to shame and the kiddos had a great time riding around in our caravan, looking at the animals UP CLOSE (too close for my comfort), and making a splash in the water fountain.

Little Man was initially really scared of the water fountain and spent the first 20 minutes glued to the gate. Little Riley Roo took one look at him, marched over and grabbed his hand and escorted him out to the fountain. The foursome had a blast playing and getting soaked with the other kiddos and the mommies were bummed that we didn't think to pack our swimsuits!

The Getaway Part 1

2007-08-25T17:16:00.000-05:00

Little Man and I (Meagan) took a trip with my best friend and her three boys to Houston this weekend to visit my sister and our good friend Holly, who just recently moved. It was a jam packed 3 days filled with lots of fun activities and as many as 6 kids under the age of three at any given time. We are so grateful that Ashlie (my sis) was gracious enough to host us and love on all of the kiddos, as chaotic as it was. Here are the highlights, part one:

The five hour car drive with four kiddos under the age of 3 really wasn't that bad except for the fact that the boys couldn't agree on a movie so that when we watched Boz, one kiddo cried "I wanna watch (curious) George" for 45 minutes then when we switched to Curious George, the other two cried "Boz" for 45 minutes. We figured as long as all four weren't crying, we were doing pretty good and believe it or not NO ONE cried on the way home.

We got all the way to Houston and realized we hadn't brought one single toy for 3 days in someone else's house. A quick trip to walmart and the boys were right at home playing with cars and trucks...Ashlie lives in an awesome community that has a ton of cool amenities including an a great playground and the boys took full advantage of it.
More to come.......

Pop

2007-08-19T14:20:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed that being around kids makes you feel and act so much younger? I've always noticed it but never so much as when my dad plays with Little Man. My dad is an incredibly hard worker and has spent most of his adult life in various grueling manual labor type jobs (roofing, construction, general management, etc.). He is very likely the strongest man I've ever known in real life and one of the few people that I wish would take more breaks and rest for fear that a body can only do so much work before giving out and yet he continues to work and work and work. Everything I know about work ethic, I learned from my dad.

Why did I tell you all of this? Well, first of all, it is true. Second because it helps you understand the way I see my dad and understand why I get so tickled to see him on the floor playing with my son as if were 5 years old again and could actually fit into the box he is hiding in. Thank God for grandpas, especially Little Man's "Pop".

2007-08-16T21:16:00.000-05:00

Did I mention the shoes?

Odd ball

2007-08-15T18:52:00.001-05:00

So I don't know if it is the heat or if Little Man is just odd....lately he hasn't wanted to wear clothes, just his backpack. Here is is hanging out with his buddies....

Chopsticks

2007-08-11T20:51:00.001-05:00

Little Man gave chopsticks a try for the first time today. We ate lunch at Pei Wei today, thanks to a former employee of Trav's and Little Man was very intrigued watching us use the chopsticks. We weren't expecting him to give it a try and just barely caught it on a camera phone before he lost interest . He worked on a piece of meat for about five minutes then snagged a piece of orange before growing impatient and chowing down with his fingers. Looks like he is gonna be a lefty! My favorite part of the meal is when he took a bite of fortune cookie, bit the paper, pulled it out of his mouth and said, "Uh oh!"

Feeling Better

2007-08-06T23:53:00.000-05:00

Our little family spent a good part of the weekend up at our church's new Plano campus getting ready for it's Grand Opening (this past Sunday). Daddy insisted that he and Little Man tag along since mommy has kind of been MIA getting ready for the opening. The guys spent about 4 hours on Saturday playing around the empty church and they found more than enough to keep them occupied. Little Man's Aunt Hayley also came into town this week and spent some time taking care of LM while mommy worked . Check out the video....

Poor baby

2007-08-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

It has been a tough week for the Little Man! Sunday he came down with a fever of 103 that lasted 3 1/2 days then after his fever finally broke his ear drum ruptured. Poor guy didn't even give us an indication that his ear was bothering him. Doesn't that face break your heart?