eleven/eleven/eleven

Halloween and Baby #2

Here's our little Sheriff! He was SO adorable I don't even know what to do with myself. We didn't do a lot of trick-or-treating this year. Three houses. Two were the grandparents. But, he enjoyed himself and actually made it home with a TON of candy. Ah, the life of the only grandchild! He's had a really good run. Next year we'll do more for sure.

A little baby #2 update:

We're scheduled for an induction on 11/11/11! (if we make it to friday) We're getting geared up around here. And by "we" I really mean me. Lots of laundry, charging of camera batteries, packing of bags, freezing of meals, stocking of shelves and general house cleaning. Meanwhile, Daddy is spending his weekend on the couch with a little stomach bug and Dean is recovering from a nasty cold. Not ideal but, we are grateful that our parents are so close and SO HELPFUL! We love them and appreciate them more than they know!

I'm also so grateful for such a sweet, loving, happy and adaptable 2-year-old! Dean, I love you and adore you and thank you for hanging in there with Mommy, even when she's big and fat and doesn't want to do anything fun. Even when she can't bend down comfortably to play trains with you. And, especially when her patience is running thin. I'm sorry and I love you. You are the best and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Baby #2 is getting bigger everyday (praise the Lord!), kicking my right side non-stop and moving around every time he hears his big brother yell, talk or play....which is a lot. :) I'm so excited to introduce Dean and the baby. What a moment that will be. Wow. Please keep us in your prayers this week. Specific prayer requests for a safe and healthy delivery and baby AND for a speedy and full recovery of Daddy & Dean so everyone is on their game by Friday!

See you soon!

Lions & Tigers & FROGS! Oh my!

This morning was Dean's Noah's Ark Parade at school. (We borrowed the adorable frog costume from a sweet friend! Thanks Alix!) I was about 98% sure he'd throw a fit when I tried to dress him in it, and he didn't disappoint. I handed the costume to his teacher and said, "you can TRY to put it on him but, I'm not sure he's going to go for it."

I took my place in the lobby along the parade route and waited for my little guy to come out dressed as himself. But, apparently there was some magic teacher voodoo that happened because Dean rolled out fully dressed in the costume. EVEN in the hat. I was dying. I don't know how they did it?!

He was such a cutie pie and I got some great shots of our frog!

Happy Fall!

Dean: 25 mos. (completely uninterested in having his picture taken with Mommy)

Mom: 28 years (slightly tired of carrying a pumpkin under her shirt all day)

Baby Boy #2: 35 weeks (almost ready for his big debut!)

Daddy: 28 years (not pictured but, also very ready to meet his second son)

I'm Back...

"I'm back," probably isn't the BEST title for this post because:

A) I physically never left.

B) I'm getting more pregnant by the minute and, let's be honest, mentally I'm more than a bit checked out.

C) This is just my half-hearted-I-feel-guilty-for-not-posting-in-over-a-month post.

If that doesn't get you excited to read the rest of my post...well, sorry.

But, we have had a whole stinkin' lot going on. Since my last post we hosted a Baylor couples weekend at the lake, I co-hosted a bridal shower, my brother got married, my first born turned 2, and started Mother's Day Out, AND went to his first dentist appointment. Oh, and I turned 28 and entered my 3rd trimester somewhere in there, as well. There's been a lot of activity which also means a lot of excuses NOT to blog. But, I'm going to give myself a break on this one...I'll save my usual mom-guilt and harsh self-criticism for another day.

NOW for a little photo dump to get you up-to-speed:

This was our 2011 Baylor lake crew. They are all so much fun and such a blessing. We only wished we all lived closer to each other.

Our big 2-year-old! We got him a train table this year and it is by far his FAVORITE gift. Yippee for Thomas!

First day of Mother's Day Out. It was just like everyone tells you. The first day's drop-off is rough on the little one and Mom. The second day? You're there 10 minutes early to drop-off and you're racing out the door to enjoy your new found freedom. Yes, we BOTH love MDO. (Isn't he the cutest little stinker!?)

9-9-11 started out with a birthday breakfast and play session at Chik-fil-a with our main man, Scotty.

After breakfast we headed to the Children's Museum with Scotty and played and played and PLAYED! They had so much fun.

We opened lots of gifts and blew out candles with Ya-Ya and "Days."

We then opened MORE gifts and blew out MORE candles with Peach, Big, Nanny & Poppa Brown. Most spoiled grandchild in America? I think so.

Celebrated our wonderful Daddy at "Dads and Donuts Day" at school.

Still loving our swim lessons. And still mastering our skills on the big slide.

Dean's first dentist visit. Completely hysterical. Start to finish.

Ya, I'm in the home stretch. This is one of those moments you hear the picture sound go off on your phone and then immediately hear your husband giggling like a girl. Dork.

Here is our littlest guy. We have (finally) decided on a name and we're looking forward to meeting him VERY soon! :)

And, here are my two handsome dates for my brother's wedding.

yet another bold move toward being a big boy

Me: Hi, this is Dean. And, he needs a haircut. Well, not really a haircut, just a little trim.....I don't like to call it a hair-CUT.

Barber: Ok.

Me: Really though, don't cut his curls off. Seriously, I cried the last time someone did that. It was a disaster. He looked like he was 3 or 4 and really he's not even 2, yet. Well, he'll be 2 in a month but, you get the picture, right?

Barber: (odd look) Yes, ma'am.

Me: I like it longer. You know not too short or anything. MAYBE, like a 1/4"-1/2" off. (I grab a piece of his hair between my fingers to show him specifically what that looks like to me)

Barber: Yes, ma'am. The curls are staying. Mom likes the curls. Hey, big man. Hop up here and let's do this thing.

Me: Well, ACTUALLY (the barber picks him up and places him in the chair) he likes to sit in my lap during his haircuts. He gets nervous and really doesn't like the clippers. (At this point the smock is on and the dum-dum is in his mouth) I'd hate to cause a scene.

Barber: Are you sure about that, mom? I think he's going to do it all by himself today.

Me: (in my head) All by himself?! ALL BY HIMSELF? TODAY? Well, I'll give it 30 more seconds and then I'm sure he'll remember how much he hates those clippers around his ears. THEN he'll need me. For sure. No doubt. He'll need me.

(Insert video of Dean doing just fine with clippers here)

Barber: Man, this is big-boy-stylin' today. Mom, he's really doing great.

Me: He sure is. Go Dean. Big-boy-style. woo-woo.

Me: (in my head) He's doing great without me. That IS good but, I also want him to cry. And need me. And he doesn't anymore. Great. Am I going to cry? Oh my goodness, I'm going to cry. This is a moment. Hold it in. Suck it in.

Barber: How am I doing mom? You ok with the look we've got goin' over here?

Me: No, I'm not. Wait, ummm, ya-ya lookin' good. Lookin' good.

He's killing me softly, folks.

Recent Firsts

Dean's First Astros Game! It was definitely way to early for him to truly enjoy a baseball game but, we had great seats & thought he might enjoy a hot dog. And ice cream. And he did. The game? Not so much. He did get a kick out of the big choo-choo train though. He also enjoyed tooting and stinking up our seating area so badly that I'm sure those around us found it difficult to believe that those smells came out of a little boy and not his big pregnant mom. We left during the third inning. Maybe next year?

Dean's first sno-cone. This was a slam dunk. There was not a lot of talking. Not much movement. Just spoon to mouth, spoon to mouth.

I was (finally) able to finish my first commissioned painting for Jo & her husband! Thanks, Jo, (if you're reading) for your patience with this new artist. Painting for someone else adds much more pressure - but, I did enjoy creating a piece for some one's home. It is now in the process of being crated & shipped to it's new home in Australia! Yippee!

Dean's last time sleeping in his crib and first time sleeping in his big boy bed happened last week. I cried. I cried while I was reading him bedtime stories in his big boy bed. Michael had to come fill in because I was getting super emotional - and Dean couldn't understand why reading Elmo was making me sad. I couldn't help it. He's almost 2, he's moved on from the crib, he's starting mother's day out, I bought him a lunch box this past weekend...it's all kind of happening at once and it takes me by surprise. Everyone tells you the grow up fast but, they REALLY DO! The transition has tapped me out. The first night he was out and back in bed (I counted) 84 times. I had back spasms the next day. But, here we are on week two and we've made serious improvement. He was only out of bed twice last night! I went with the Super Nanny method. There is probably a great book out there I should have read but, I just decided to go for it. The funny thing is I thought getting him to nap in his crib was tough. I know when he starts potty training I'll laugh and say, "Whew, and I thought the big boy bed was hard!" I have a sneaking suspicion that these transitions aren't going to get easier. (eek, I just mentally pictured him moving into his college dorm. I must stop. I'm tearing up.)

A weekend without the kids

We spent the weekend with some of our neighbors soaking up the sun (I really soaked up way too much) and enjoying each other's company without the company of our small boys. I will say, when I first moved into our neighborhood I was sceptical about meeting couples that were our age. But, God has really provided us with some great friendships that are conveniently located within walking distance of us. And, since our lives will be slowing down a bit with the new baby this fall, I'm really trying to focus some energy on having fun with friends! We boated, floated, golfed, got our nails done, enjoyed the pool, ate some delicious meals together and most importantly got a chance to relax just a bit! Here's what six parents on their "off-time" looks like...

Mr. Z

Dad can do tricks too, Dean!

Deanna & Christine

The Cresaps

Mr. Cresap trying his hand at boat dock swing

The normally hard-working moms

Nathan's Mom & Dad

Scotty's Mom & Dad

Dean's Mom & Dad

Pinterest

Oh my. There are no words to describe my love of Pinterest. It's amazing and I love it to pieces. I would take time to explain it a little more for those of you who have never heard of it but, that would really cut down on my actual Pinterest time. Sorry. Here are some of the images I've been Pinning lately...

I have a board called "She can do no wrong." It's all my favorite Kate pictures. It's true, she can do no wrong. I love her.

Fun table ideas for future parties and showers.

Such a creative idea for adding some fun to a plain envelope.

This is brilliant. Maybe the next house?

Fun birth announcement ideas.

Cute sibling photography for future.

This one is on my "Maternity looks I don't totally hate." This girl looks adorable. Clearly this is her first child because her button down is still buttoned up completely and there are no large stains on her - and it appears to be midday. Maybe I'll give this a whirl on my off day. ;)

I'm a sucker for chevrons. I'd take one of these in every color of the rainbow.

Great nursery ideas. I love this book wall.