A Long Time Comin'

So, it’s been quite a while since we’ve updated our blog! We went to Texas a couple weeks ago and got to spend some time with Grans and Grandaddy before Christmas. It was a week of celebration! We got to celebrate Christmas, Addison’s birthday, and Grans & Grandaddy’s 40^th anniversary with all of Addison’s cousins, aunts and uncles.

We had a great week in Waco just relaxing and having fun. Our fun included a visit to the Mayborn Museum for kids, cutting down trees, brewing beer & lots of conversation around that wonderful kitchen table.

Then we headed to the DFW area to spend time with the Taylor family. Austin got to meet his uncle Ryan for the first time, and Addison got to spend some time with her other cousins.

And, now that we’re closer to 4 months than 3, here’s Austin’s bear picture. We left our camera at home for the trip, so I wasn’t able to post them until now!

Happy Birthday, Addison!

Our little girl is 2! We celebrated today with cupcakes & chocolate icing, and we’ll have a party with all the fixin’s next weekend. What more could a girl ask for?


Thought this picture was funny. Austin looks like he's thinking, "Do you see what I put up with?"

Joy to the World

He sleeps- finally! Just wanted you all to know that Austin slept last night from 10 pm to 8 am!! There is light at the end of the tunnel!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

We had a Christmas kind of weekend at our house. Saturday we went to get our tree. Last year we had this awesome guy who walked around with us, telling us about each type of tree, what might be better to have with kids, which ones don’t drop their needles, etc. This year, when we asked about the types of trees, the response we got was, “These look pretty good.” It was quite chilly, and Austin was crying (imagine that!), so we picked one of the first trees we found and the scrawny little high school kid dragged it to the car. Wes helped him get it on top of the car and as they began tying it down the kid says, “I never was good at tying knots. I tried it in Boy Scouts, and it never really worked out for me.” I think that’s when Wes let him know his services would no longer be needed.

Addison had fun playing with the lights, and then got to “help” me make cookies. I can’t wait until she’s old enough to really help and start traditions she’ll look forward to. Her role may not have been very functional this year, but she sure looked good doing it!

On the Austin front, he’s finally started sleeping 6-hour stretches at night. We’re hoping this is a trend that continues. He and Addison are already little buddies. I know we have several pictures like the first one below, but I just love how much they love each other! She’ll go play with him in his swing and talk to him, and he just smiles at her as if he understands every word. I’m sure it will always be this way, and they’ll never fight or be mean to each other!

Turkey Day and More

We had a great Thanksgiving this year, with lots of family and food. The biggest surprise of Thanksgiving Day was that Addison likes cranberry relish. And not just a little bit. The girl couldn’t get enough! Guess she takes after her Grammy in that way!

We also went to the Christmas Train this weekend. The weather was great, and we had a good time getting into the Christmas spirit. Addison wasn’t so sure about the carousel, but she enjoyed the rest of the evening. Austin just slept the whole time.

First Road Trip

So, we went to Dallas last weekend for Judy's surprise birthday party. The trip was a success across the board. All I can really say about the road trip with both kids is that this is the best case scenario...

Tues, November 17

Well, we’ve got another month under our belts- Austin turned two months old this weekend. He is about 11 ½ pounds now, has the most precious smile, and is finally starting to sleep without one of us holding him!

"High-5!"

This is a big week or so for Addison. She got her first haircut yesterday, and did great. True to form, she just smiled and socialized the whole time. We just trimmed the ends, but she still looks older without the little whispies. We have check-ups coming up this week with the dentist, the cardiologist, and the audiologist. Please pray that those appointments all go well and end with good news.

Addison is a great big sister. She loves her little brother and can’t stop kissing him. She also likes to rub his head and say, “awwww.” I think he likes her, too. We’ve caught him smiling at her a few times. It’s very cute!

Two Against One

When there are more children at home than parents, I’ve heard it said you have to go from man-on-man to a zone defense. Such was the case this morning at our house. Wes was at work, and I was going to give Austin a bath. I figured I could keep a better eye on Addison if she were in the bathroom with us instead of roaming the house by her little two-year-old self. I strategically placed the heater up out of her reach, responsibly tucking the cord behind the cabinet. I had a towel ready, a clean diaper and onesie, wipes, diaper cream, pacifier (bathtime is not his favorite time of day), and toys for Addison. I realized about the same time she did that the Kleenex box was within her reach. I was feeling pretty good about things because she only pulled out 3 tissues before I picked it up. I get Austin down to his diaper and look over at Addison to find her left leg hiked up over the side of the tub, reaching for a bath toy with her little body teetering on the edge of the bathtub. I get her down, proceed to remove Austin’s diaper and realize I’m hearing splashing, but Austin’s not in his bath yet. I turn around to find Addison holding the toilet seat up in one hand, splashing in the toilet with the other. I think about several ways to handle my situation- trying to avoid all the inherent dangers of bathtime, and decide to hand her wipes to “play with” and clean her hands. I quickly realize this is not the solution I’m looking for as she dips them in the toilet and brings them toward her face (the toilet lock, mind you, is on the floor beside the toilet, just waiting to be installed). I intercept the wipes before they reach her face and look around for anything heavy enough to keep her from opening the lid again. The closest thing I see is Austin’s car seat by the back door, which works out well, because now I have a place to put him! I set him down in his seat on top of the toilet, throw away our toilet-wipes, and take her into the kitchen to wash her hands. We did finally succeed at bathing Austin without any injuries, burns or drownings. I guess I should just be thankful he didn’t pee on anything and she hasn’t figured out how to flush her toys down the toilet yet!

Sic 'Em

Despite their 13 season losing streak, we are Baylor fans. It is our alma mater, and let’s face it, they need some support. So, here is our little cheerleader & Baylor bear. (Austin was too small for his costume, & it was a little too warm anyway, so we just went with the hat.)

And my new favorite daddy picture…

Fall Fun

So we had planned to take the kids to the pumpkin patch today, but things didn't quite go as planned. We were all ready to go when we realized between Austin wanting to eat- again- and Addison crying every time I left the room, that this outing was a bad idea. Since we already had the kids in their cute shirts from Aunt Kristin, we decided to have a little impromptu photo shoot here at the house, and we actually got some pretty good pics. Maybe we'll try the pumpkin patch again tomorrow.

Sometimes you just don’t have enough hands. They say necessity is the mother of invention…