Sunday, September 28, 2008

Veronica Joins the Fold

This past weekend was a big weekend! One of N's childhood friends got married and we went to the rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding on Saturday. (We got a babysitter and everything two nights in a row! We felt so grown up!)

Travis and N have known each other since junior high. When we met his girlfriend last year, we knew pretty quick that she was "The One". We love Veronica! She's got a sweet personality, has a great sense of humor, and more than anything, she adores our sweet friend Travis. So along with the other 5 guys in The Group of Guys That Have Too Many Stories About Each Other, there are now 6 girls in The Group. Such fun to have these special relationships!

The Big Event was at Sons of Hermann Hall in Deep Ellum. We loved it...so much history, the music was great, the food was great, and I even got in a little dancing. Here are a few shots I got in the midst of having fun.

The Happy Couple!



A special moment during the Best Man's toast.



I loved watching them dance. Travis was so sweet leading!



The Girls! Veronica is now part of The Sisterhood of Wives That Roll Their Eyes At All Their Husbands' Stories of Their High School Antics. L to R: Kimberly, Me, The Blushing Bride, Sarah, Vickie, Julie (and little one).



The Guys! Yes, I realized afterwards that I didn't include The Groom. D'uh. :-( L to R: Matty, Scott, Mark, Kevin, Gray, this cute usher that kept flirting with me all night.



And that cute usher? I took him home!



And Kristen...this one is for you. As you can see, N refused to go along with my plans. Matt's only there out of pity. :-)



It was such a fun Friday and Saturday night! Congratulations sweet friends! We are so blessed to be part of such a special event...thank you for including us. We are even more excited to see what God has in store for your lives during the coming years.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Sleepy Monkey

This past week, we've really gotten onto a good schedule with Monkey's meals and naps. (Did I just jinx us by saying that???) He's started having his lunch around 11 am and if we can keep him awake until noon, he goes down for at least a two hour nap. (Some of you probably remember that he's not a very strong napper.) But sometimes getting through lunch is tough, let alone waiting until noon.





But when he wakes up, his happiness is just palpable. He is just too cute when he's been re-energized! This was after a two hour nap with Daddy on the recliner. I just love all the little sweaty cowlicks on his head.



Friday, September 26, 2008

Monkey's One Year Portraits

I really can't say enough about Portrait Innovations. They do a great job! I always go in with a budget of 2 or 3 poses and I always end up spending twice the money I planned. But hey...he'll only be 1 once and a year from now, I won't care one iota about how much I spent. I'll just be happy that I got them.

So...

An extremely active 1 year old held captive in a 10 x 10 space and asked to stay still (and smile!) long enough to get a few good shots in? Yep! I know...we're asking a lot. And it was a lot of work, but the photographers did really great! At one point, they had three photographers in there trying to entertain him and prevent him from running away, which he thought was hysterical. It was all just one big game of chase the monkey in his eyes. It made for some great personality-filled photography, so I'm not complaining by any means.

Silly guy! I just love how ornery and mischievous and funny he is.










I'm not sure what the girls were doing to play with him, but I love this expression on his face! It's the one he makes when he says, "Uh-uh". He hasn't quite gotten the "uh-Oh" thing down yet.



Yes, I realize his hair is very messy, but this is what he looks like on a regular basis at this age, and isn't that the point? To create a reminder of what they really look like? My gut feeling is that my Grandmother won't agree with that statement. LOL!

Friday, September 19, 2008

What a Pretty Little Girl!

One of the many beautiful attributes our son has inherited from his Daddy: curls.





We're starting to get comments about how beautiful our "little girl" is. Or questions about how old our "daughter" is.

*sigh*

How on earth am I ever supposed to give this kiddo a haircut when his curls are this pretty?

Thursday, September 4, 2008

A Day in the Life of a Monkey

Little Monkey,

Twelve months ago today you came into our world with a bang and changed our lives forever more!



Who knew that you would be so funny, smart, silly, and the best little blessing we've ever experienced! I don't really remember what our lives were like before you arrived, but it doesn't even matter anymore. You start our days with hopping in your crib like a little monkey and grinning from ear to ear and a mouthful of sweet baby gibberish. In your own little way, you are saying, "Good morning Mom and Dad, I'm ready to start my day!" You get your happy morning personality from your Grampa T, because it's not from either of us!

Breakfast usually consists of fruit, cereal and pizza crackers. For whatever reason, you seem to love these gluten-free pizza flavored crackers. I can't imagine that they taste very good with fruit and cereal, but you seem to think breakfast is not complete without them.



Mommy and Daddy are just happy that you are finally eating food without getting sick. Perhaps it's the 6 teeth you now have that makes meal time a little easier to enjoy? Now that you've experienced the joy of eating, you're willing to at least try almost anything. You love fruit, whether it's fresh or dried doesn't matter! Apple "sticks", clementines, strawberries, watermelon, pears. You also love almost anything with strong flavors. Pasta with spicy chili. Pasta salad with caesar dressing and ham. Peas and carrots with dill and garlic. Rice pilaf with saffron. No bland food for this baby! You're definitely a W!



Every morning Daddy takes you to school, which you love. Sometimes when we aren't even ready to leave, you stand at the door and scream say "bye-bye" and "dada". We think you are going to be a very verbal child. Daddy always straps you into your infant seat (which you are quickly outgrowing) and swings you over his shoulder, which always makes you laugh and squeal.



Throughout the day, while Mommy and Daddy are at work or church, you bless all those you come in contact with: the children and teachers at school, all the parents that enter your room to pick up the other babies, the teachers and mommies and daddies of your friends at church. Everyone always comments how happy, sweet, and well-behaved you are. You are quick to work for a smile and quick to share your food and toys. It's cute to see that you are learning generosity at such a young age. You get that from your Daddy!




You are studious, incredibly curious about people, what they're doing, and you work so hard to get people's eye contact so you can see what they're about and connect with them. You're like your Momma in this aspect!



We find it so funny that you especially like girls at such a young age. You certainly don't need a girlfriend in our eyes, but you've got many because you're such a flirt! In general, you really don't know any strangers.



After I pick you up from school, you are usually pretty tired. You're down to one nap a day now, which makes for a rough evening sometimes. I guess you're always so scared to miss out on something that you don't nap too well. So we tough it out till bathtime by going to the park, playing in the yard, dancing to music inside, or playing with the dogs.





Usually by bathtime, Daddy is home and helps get you ready for bed. You are so blessed to have a daddy that is so hands on with your care. He sings made-up silly songs and makes funny noises to make you laugh. He doesn't stress out when you spill water all over the place during your bath. He thinks it's just as much fun as you! If you've had a rough evening, bathtimes are usually the time that you relax and start feeling better. A nice way to ease into our bedtime routine.





Bedtime usually consists of a little playing before snuggles, bedtime stories and your last bottle. Sometimes you just aren't ready to go to bed and you're very good at letting us know.



You love to read about Curious George and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Once story time is over, usually Mommy or Daddy snuggle with you in your rocking chair to feed you your last bottle of the day. You usually hold your stuffed monkey Charlie, a.k.a. "Buh" and rub on his fuzzy little tail. When your milk is gone, that fuzzy tail becomes your pacifier until you fall into a sweet slumber. You are so very precious when you sleep!



We do everything we can to give you a good life and in return, you bless us with witnessing what a miracle you are to us. If God does ordain the little things in our lives, then there is no question that He has ordained us to be your parents. There is no other possible answer for the amazing blessing of you being in our lives. Thank you for being born little one. You truly are a light in our lives!

We love you so very, very much!

Mommy and Daddy

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Quit Your Day Job!

I received this via email today and just had to share.


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Or...

Go to:

Where the Hell is Matt?

You'll need the latest Flashplayer to play the video, but I promise, it's worth it. It'll make you laugh, cry, and leave you inspired.

MM

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Stretch!

I realize I haven't been here much lately...Life has me a bit overwhelmed and busy right now. That and I can't find that doo-hickey that lets me transfer pictures to my computer so I can post. I am WAY backed up on pictures to share with you. But in the meantime, my sweet father-in-law shared this shot he took of us at the beach earlier this summer. I love it!

Gramma J, click on it and it'll enlarge for a better view. Then, you can right click on it and save it to your computer to print out. :-)