Obligatory Bluebonnet Pics 2010

Bluebonnet Pictures 2009

Bluebonnet Pictures 2008

Boredom Buster #6

Okay, so this boredom buster made me realize with 100% certainty that I am, indeed, a Boy Mom. :)

When my sister and I were little, my Mom taught preschool and was the Preschool Director at our church. She was always super creative and great with little kids. She came up with fun crafts and activities for the children that she worked with - many involved painting with odd materials (marbles, matchbox cars, dry noodles, etc.). I remember that the favorite means of painting a piece of paper, for the boys at least, was always earthworms. Yes, you heard me correctly, my Mom would help the kids dip the worms in paint and then watch them squiggle across the page. It was always a crowd pleaser amongst the male preschoolers.

So... the other day, when we were buying worms for Wade & Clayton's fishing adventure, I had flashbacks to my preschool teacher Mama. I told Wade to grab an extra box for Clayton & I to paint with. He said, "You're gonna what with them???" I'm pretty sure that he didn't think that I would ever follow through with that plan.

Well, I did in fact follow through. One day last week, I gathered up all of the various disposable (um, yeah, I wasn't about to reuse anything that those worms touched!) supplies, along with all of the courage that I could muster. I was determined not to touch any of the worms! There are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed, and that was my line. :)

I squirted out all of the paint colors, instructed Clayton on how to wash off the worms before putting them into the paint, and let him go for it.
He was absolutely giddy when they started wiggling all over the paper! He said, "This is the best craft ever!!!" Ha ha!


Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I racked up some "cool Mom" points that day....

Just so that I don't get hate mail from PETA, no worms were harmed in the making of this boredom buster. We released them back from whence they came - to the dirt!
Family Fun had a little blurb about no-mess finger painting in this month's issue. It suggested putting tempera paint into a Ziploc baggie, removing all of the air, and then zipping it shut. I figured that was much more up Drew's ally. So... he got to no-mess finger paint while we painted with worms. ;)


Although painting with worms isn't really my cup of tea (the no mess finger painting was more my style!), my Boy sure did love it! :)

Showering the Future Mrs. Katie Baker

One of my sweet college roommates, Katie, is getting married on July 3rd. Yay! I'm so excited for our her!!! Katie is a precious, precious girl. She means so much to me...

Katie met her match (Wes) in the summer of 2008. I remember her talking about him, and I could instantly tell that she was smitten. Our strong-as-a-rock Katie turned into an ooey gooey mess when she talked about him. It was the cutest thing! As soon as I met Wes, I knew they were a perfect pair. So, I was thrilled in January when I received the news that he had proposed. A few weeks later, Katie called to ask if Clayton would be their Ring Bearer. Yes, of course! We are so excited about their upcoming nuptials!

As a sidenote, Katie is a kindergarten teacher and her new name will be Katie Baker. How cute is that?!?! Wouldn't you be pleased as punch if your child's kinder teacher was named Katie Baker? I know I would. That just sounds like the sweetest teacher name. I love it!

This past Saturday, we threw a wedding shower for our favorite bride-to-be. It was so fun to throw a party for Katie! The hostesses were the 5 of us who all lived with her at 2521 Ashford in college as well as her current roommates. Roommates past & present - good times!

Hostess Picture
L to R: Gena, Traci, Laura, Katie, Halie, Me, Cindy

2521 - All 8 of us together in the same place!
That almost never happens. It's always fun when it does, though!
L to R: Traci, Laura, Katie, Halie, Me, Cindy

As an added bonus, I got to meet Cindy's new baby! I have been dying to get my hands on Sweet Baby Drew for 3 months now. I finally got my chance! He is adorable and made me wish that I lived close enough to pop over for a snuggle whenever I wanted. :)
It was a fun weekend celebrating my dear friend. I'm so excited about Katie & Wes' wedding and all of the festivities leading up to it. It's going to be a fun-filled few months!

Drew's 18 month post

It's Drew's Half Birthday! ;) He is officially 18 months old...
Dear Drew,

* We went to your well check up today. You weighed 28 lbs. 9 oz. (75-90%). You were 34 inches long (75-90%). Your head circumference was 47.5 cm (25-50%).

* You wear size 4 diapers, 24 mth - 2T clothes, and a size 8XW (extra wide!) shoe. I can't get over what a big strong boy you are!

* You have your same 8 teeth that you have had for months now, but your molars are almost completely broken through the gums. Those teeth look so BIG in your little mouth. They have taken a sweet forever to come in! I wrote on the calendar that I saw the first little peak of the right one on March 25th. That means that you have been cutting those teeth for almost a month. I'll be so glad when they are all the way through the gums...

* Your vocabulary is getting much better, and I feel like you are so close to that "language explosion" when it all finally clicks. You say, "Boo", "La Lou" (Love You), "Ma-meeee" (Mommy), "Dah-deee" (Daddy), "Bubba" (Brother), "Go", "Car", "Puppy", "Ca-cker" (Cracker), "Uh-oh", "Mel-mo" (Elmo), and more that I can't remember at the moment...

* You still face backwards in your carseat. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends facing backwards until age 2. It's a new recommendation - that wasn't the case when your brother was a baby. We turned him to face forward at his first birthday and never thought twice about it. But.... your Mama is a rule follower. So, I haven't flipped you, even though I sure would like to see your sweet face when I am driving.

There are some perks to you facing backwards, though. When I open the tailgate, you look at me and say, "Boo!" It's the cutest thing!

Also, we opted for bucket seats in the second row, and they recline. So, I reclined the seat and you can stretch your legs out. You're much happier that way. :)

* You LOVE books! You are quick to bring me book after book and plop down in my lap to read. I can't say no to that...

* You still take 2 two hour naps most days. I can usually stretch you to only take 1 nap if we are busy in the morning, but you function better with 2. I'm sure that you will transition to 1 nap soon.

* You are definitely becoming more and more independent. You are no longer content to sit in the stroller when we are at the park - you want to get out and explore! Also, the frequent snuggles that I used to enjoy so much are becoming few and far between.

* We still rock before every nap and before bed at night. I just sing a few more stanzas of "You Are My Sunshine" to prolong my snuggle time, now. :)

* Never fear, I willingly share some of your snuggles with Daddy. :)

(Random Sidenote: Does anyone else hear the sound of their own voice on video and cringe??? That sing songy voice that I do is really annoying. Like fingernails on the chalkboard annoying. Someone tell me that isn't how I sound in real life...)

You are so much fun right now, my Drew! I love learning more and more about your little personality everyday. You bring me so, so much joy! When you say, "La Lou" (Love You), or pat my shoulder as we walk, or run to give me a big hug out of nowhere it melts my heart. You said "La Lou" totally unprompted the other day, and it was one of the sweetest moments that you and I have ever shared. I still see you as a baby (and probably always will), but I love the way that you are changing. You mean the world to me, Baby Boy, and I hope that you never forget that!

It's Raining, It's Pouring... The Rednecks are Roaring :)

From the outside, Wade looks like a clean-cut businessman type. He wears polo shirts and plays golf... However, under the collar of his polo shirts, my Hubs is hiding his redneck side. Ha ha!

Wade started liking racing when we were in high school and I was sure that it was just a phase. Well, that "phase" is still going strong. ;) He LOVES to go out to Texas Motor Speedway to watch the races. Clayton has been begging to go since he was 2. Wade would put him off by saying, "I'll take you when you're 5." This was finally Clayton's year!

Wade bought Clayton tickets to the Saturday race for his birthday. He was soooo excited! Unfortunately, they spent hours out at the track only for the race to get canceled. They were both bummed, but they were ready to return on Sunday night for the rescheduled race.

While they waited on Saturday, Clayton did a race simulator and saw the big trophy.

Is that the look of determination or what?!?!

The rain continued all day on Sunday, as well. So, the race was rescheduled {again} for Monday. The continued rain delays didn't keep my two favorite rednecks away!

5 year old photog skills...

They had a ball together, and came home thrilled to tell me all about it. Clayton was most excited about the fact that he got to drink 2 real Cokes (What was Wade thinking???) and that the cars were really loud. He was cracking me up naming off all of the drivers and their car numbers. We are raising our little redneck right, for sure!

Funny Story: Wade was getting Clayton into the bath after the race, and he said, "Come on Son, we've gotta wash that redneck off." Clayton ran to the mirror and craned his head to see the back of his neck. He said in a horrified voice, "What's on my neck???" So literal...

One Fish, Two Fish, Clayton Fish, Drew Fish

My sweet niece, Makinley, turns 9 years old this week. It doesn't seem like she should be that old, but I guess that she is. :) Yesterday she had her birthday party at the natatorium, and we had a great time celebrating Miss Mak. An indoor heated pool was a great break from the cold, dreary, rainy weekend.

We brought Drew's suit, but I wasn't sure how he would do if he got in the pool. I'm proud to say that he LOVED it! Seeing him loving the water made me so excited about this summer. I envision us clocking LOTS of pool hours. Yay!

For the first few minutes he was hesitant. He hung onto his Daddy for dear life!

Then he decided that he liked it.
(He is cutting his bottom molars, so his hands are in his mouth all. the. time.)

Wade blew in his face...

then dunked him underwater. He came up smiling. :)

Then he splashed, and splashed, and splashed some more.

He did some back floating...

and by the end of the party, he was jumping off of the side.



The birthday girl was sweet to take time away from
her other party guests and play with her little cousin.
(Can you see the family resemblance???)


Of course, our eldest was in his element, too!
I barely got him to stand still for one picture.

You throw a great party, Mak! Thanks for letting us celebrate with you!