Winter Wonderland

We are alive!!!

2011-02-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

As I look at our last post it's pretty appropriate to report back in at this point. Sorry no catch-ups...Halloween - great, Christmas - wonderful, New Year's - uneventful. Ok now you're caught up. No really. We have just been enjoying life. We have fallen into our routine and rarely does that include getting on the actual computer (and not checking FB on my phone).

So here we are - day 3 of 4 snow days. We have not been to school since Monday and I have been LOVING it. I was grateful for my in-laws to take Emory and I into the doctor this morning. (I certainly didn't want to drive in this mess!) After seeing Dr Wiley, he determined Emory had bronchitis and both ears are still infected. In fact both tubes are clogged with wax so the infections will continue until we can get those cleared out. Believe me, you would never know she was sick. She is still such a happy girl! She doesn't miss a beat even when she's sick. The only difference is her sleeping habits. When she starts waking up at 5:00 instead of 6:30 then I know she's sick. Lucky me!

So here's what big E is up to at 18 months:

- saying LOTS of words: momma (which could easily be translated into "I want" or "Gimme"), daddy, papa (both grandpas), nana (Aaron's mom), mammy (my mom - supposed to be Gramsy), sometimes Justin, Pali

- cracker, water, juice, please (still signs these sometimes), more, signs eat,

- moo, baa, duck-duck, sticks her tongue out for puppy (that's the sign for puppy), ri-ri (ribbit)monkey

- hi, bye-bye, night-night

She is definitely a girl of routine and don't mess with that routine:

-she has been going to bed by herself - she'll say night-night and take off to her room, stop and give Daddy a kiss, want me to turn off her light, turn on her music, night-light, and humidifier, I put her in bed, she gives me a kiss and then gets covered up.

-mornings - she wakes up and watches Handy Manny in our bed while drinking her milk and while we get ready. Fusses when getting dressed, but once she's all dressed gets her jacket (often by herself) and tells me bye-bye.

She still is a picky eater. Things she likes to eat:

-any fruit, corn dogs, french fries, chicken nuggets, spaghetti-o's, mac and cheese

-not many veggies - She will eat some cucumbers, avacados, tomatoes.

-They say she eats veggies at school so I'm hoping she's getting enough with them.

Speaking of school. She LOVES it. She always gets good notes home and they tell me that she's a big helper. Her friend Parker, from church, has started going to her school and so now she asks about Parker (Par-par) all the time.

She is definitely hitting the independent stage. She wants to do everything by herself. From feeding herself, to changing her clothes. She will help pick up her toys, but doesn't like to pick up a mess after it's been made (too bad sista).

Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy from the past couple of months. Loving my little diva!!

Emory and her Daddy in the snow!!!

Diva girl taken two days before the snow hit...yes short-sleeve weather.

Watching her cousins play outside.

Part of our morning routine. Oh did I mention, we have a thumb-sucker. Started out being just when she was tired...pretty much all the time now. It will definitely be fun to break that.

Successful Surgery

2010-09-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 24 Emory was able to have tubes put in her ears. We arrived at the surgery center at 7:30 which may sound early, but trying to keep a baby occupied with having anything to eat or drink since dinner the night before is NOT fun. We were taken back very quickly and things went fairly quickly from then on. Emory might not have thought so, hence the tears in the picture below.

She was in surgery for literally 15 minutes before she was right back to us. At first she was very groggy, but quickly became very angry while coming out of the anesthetic. Not much could comfort her for about 30 minutes. She didn't want to be talked to, be fed, sung to, got tired of her juice, and so on and so on. She just flat out wanted to be MAD! Here's a picture of her finally getting calm with a cracker. We were on the road heading home by 9:00.
Since the surgery, Emory has been great. She is sleeping better, 11-12 hours a night. She has only done that a handful of times since she was born. Her appetite has also increase. She has always been a good eater of particular foods, but lately she has been finishing off her meals and still asking for "mo." I pray the tubes will help her stay healthy this year. I know there will still be sick times, but if we stay out of the dr every other week then we'll be doing good!

I love my spaghetti-o's!!!

Sick Baby & Birthday

2010-09-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

For my birthday I got just what I wanted, time spent with my family. Fortunately for me my birthday happened to be on the same day my parents had tickets for the Tech vs UT game. Unfortunately for us Red Raider fans, UT won. We still had lots of fun though. We got to the game plenty early (like 3 hours). So we found a nice spot for Emory to run around on the grass and play. She was enjoying her time outside and even got to see the Masked Rider up close.

Emory wasn't too sure about the game. We thought she was very overwhelmed with the 61,000 people that were there, but come to find out she was getting sick. She tried to sleep through the first half of the game, but Tech was doing well and it was quite loud. She was able to sleep pretty soundly through the 2nd half though.
On our way out of the game (in the middle of thousands of people) Emory decided that it was time to be sick. After she got sick all over me, I rushed her to the bathroom where she continued her sickness. We woke up pretty early on Sunday morning with more sickness and made it home before it got too bad. Once at home, Emory continued to sleep but woke up once with 102.6 temp and still throwing up. She wasn't drinking much, but having very wet diapers. I started to get worried so off to the ER we went. We probably could have gone to the dr on-call, but were already at the ER by the time they called us back.

At the ER, we had to get the dr that had never seen kids before. He told me she looked fine (sucking her thumb, laying her head on my shoulder). Um NO!!! I quickly informed him that this was not normal behavior for our happy, on-the-go girl. So he decided she was dehydrated and needed to get some fluids. After more waiting three nurses came in to begin the IV. None of the nurses were excited about having to hurt my sweet baby, but were trying their best to do what would make her feel better. They were able to draw blood (which ended up to not be enough) and tried to get the IV going without any luck. So after 15 minutes of Emory screaming and poking around, they went to get another dr. Emory laid on me for a while and then popped up ready to go. So when the next dr came in she was acting much better. He didn't think she needed any fluids and checked her ears to see her left ear was infected. So he changed her antibiotics and gave her juice to make sure she could keep it down. After about 45 more minutes we were on our way back home.
Monday Emory was pretty good. She didn't run fever, but I was giving her Tylenol and Motrin all day. I sent her on to day care today, but found out she started running a fever at the very end of the day. So it looks like it's Nana day-care tomorrow. I hope that we can get over this SOON so we can go through with the tubes on Friday. My prayers are that the tubes will eliminate all this sickness in the future. I know it won't cure it all, but hopefully will at least cut down on the ear infections. This momma is tired and Emory I know is tired of feeling bad.

Hope for a more positive post next time. :)

Day Care

2010-08-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

Emory started back to day care last week. She had quite a rough week last week. The rest of the kiddos did not make the promotion until this week, but we didn't really want to start her back in her old class just to move her again in a week. So last week she was in with some of the "big kids." She would only take 20 minute naps and would not be on the floor to play. She was very clingy to the teachers and would have to take her naps in another room where there was a crib.

This week, however, is a completely different story. She has still gotten a little sad during drop off, but the notes have said "Emory was GREAT today!" She has even taken 1 1/2 hour naps on her nap mat! What a big accomplishment for my little one-year-old.

*Warning-bragging moment*

Today I went to pick her up and all the babies were sitting in the table watching the teacher with flash cards. Emory's back was to me so I was able to watch her for a second. The teacher showed them a picture of food and I watched Emory sign "eat" then said "mo" (which is her more), and sign "please." The teacher didn't understand her "mo" and thought she was saying "meow." Luckily her mama knows how smart she is. I was so proud!!!

Unfortunately there are no pictures to add to this post, but I have yet to take my camera with me to day care.

My Baby turns ONE!!

2010-07-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

We have had a wonderful past few weeks. Emory took her first steps back in June, but the week of her birthday was when she really started to get somewhere. She also got her first 2 teeth that same week. It has been so much fun watching her turn into a sweet little girl.

We also had a great time at her birthday party. It was a somewhat rushed event. I had been teaching Threshold (the gifted camp at HSU) for two weeks so Emory had been in Ackerly for a few days the first week, home with Gramsy for a couple more days, and then spent the days (and a night) at Nana's with help from her cousin Sarah. So I got home at 5 and had most of Emory's friends from church come around 6. We all had a great time.

Emory didn't dive into her cake like I expected, but we were able to get some good shots of her cake eating with Aunt Martha the weekend before. Even then she wasn't a complete mess.

Some things Emory's up to at the age of 1:

- pulling up on any and everything

- walking across a room without falling

- has 2 teeth

- LOVES to eat all fruits, mac & cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, most breakfast foods (Nutri-Grain bars, waffles, yogurt)

- does NOT like the texture of veggies, meats, eggs (I was told by the dr today that she will eventually come around...I sure hope so)

- weighs 18.2 lbs and is 27 3/4 in long -10th percentile

- can sign "all done", "more", "please", "bath", and sometimes "dog" although she is just imitating Pali when she does it

- wearing 9-12 month clothes

We are definitely blessed by our precious little girl. Our life has changed drastically in the past year, but we certainly wouldn't trade it for anything. We love you sweet Emory!!

Fireworks, family, & fun

2010-07-06T06:11:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a trip to Nacogdoches visiting my brother and aunt and uncle. We had so much fun. We got there on Friday (early afternoon). We had a low key evening with ordering pizza and letting Emory loose after being in the car for 6+ hours. She is the BEST traveler. She doesn't sleep the whole time, but stays mostly happy and content. What a blessing!!

Saturday we were able to go to the next town (Lufkin) and ride a train and go to their zoo. It was lots of fun and Emory loved the train ride. She would have enjoyed the zoo more if she wasn't quite so tired. It was definitely lots of fun. Here she is on the train ride.

Sunday was the day of Freedom Fest. My brother's band plays there every year and once again did a great job. Emory enjoyed being able to crawl around on the blanket and enjoy the music. Emory with her Uncle Justin after he played his set.

Since I haven't updated in a while, here's a little bit of what E is up to these days.

-Uses sign language for more (always) and all done (sometimes). Here's a pic of her saying more. She doesn't do it correctly with all fingers together. She taps one finger on her other palm, but she definitely gets her point across. It's so cute...she does it any time she is eating and when she wants to eat. It definitely helps to know what she wants.

-Eating all the time. She loves goldfish, Gerber's puffs, fruit of any kind, waffles, yogurt. She's not too into her veggies so we're still doing baby food there just to get some vegetables in her.

-She's getting very clingy lately since we're spending so much time together during the summer. I'm hoping this is just a short phase and that going back to "school" won't be too traumatic.

-She has actually taken a few steps!!!! She took her first (unassisted) steps at my parents the weekend they kept her. She's taken quite a few more since then and I know it will be no time before she's cruising right along. I don't think she actually walked without assistance this time, but she was trying.

-She still has NO teeth. I'm hoping that her fussy attitude is due to that, but I have thought that many times before so we'll see.

-She's wearing 6-9 month clothes.

And most importantly she is absolutely PERFECT!!! We are having so much fun. We are planning her one year party for the end of the month. It is definitely hard to believe that this time last year I was absolutely miserable and now I know how worth it all that uncomfortableness was.

Memorial Day weekend

2010-06-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great Memorial Day weekend. E and I went to Ackerly for most of the weekend where we got to spend time with Gramsy and Papa Reg. The Addison's and the Brown's also came out on Saturday to play and visit. Emory was surprised by a pool just her size to take her first swim. She loved it (even after taking a nose dive into it while playing).

Emory and I came home on Sunday so we could spend the day with Aaron on Monday. We went to have an early breakfast and then went to the zoo early before it got too hot. Emory was tired and fell asleep on the way to the zoo so she was a little zoned out while we were there. We will have to keep trying until she's there at a time where she's wide awake and can enjoy the zoo to it's fullest. :)

Although I did have to go back to work for a few days after Memorial Day, I did make it through and we are now enjoying summertime!

Random Pics / 10 months

2010-06-09T05:59:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pics from here and there.

Here's Aaron and Emory swinging at the park. Our church class met at the park one night for a devo and play time for the kids. Emory enjoyed crawling around on the ground, picking up wood chips and leaves and then of course swing time with Daddy. So sweet!

Emory has started more and more table food. In fact she's at the point where she doesn't really like baby food anymore, but without teeth it's hard to find things I'm not afraid to feed her. In fact as long as she can feed herself, she's a happy girl. She has gotten very good at "chewing" all of her food and getting used to the texture of different things. She LOVES mac and cheese. In fact that is all she would eat I think if I would let her. She also likes rice and beans, watermelon, bananas, and yogurt. I can't believe how much she's changing. She still has 3-4 bottles of formula a day, but I think it will be an easy transition to whole milk when the time comes. She weighs (approximately) 17 lbs and a little over 25" tall. We haven't been to the dr in a while (thank goodness) so I don't know the exact stats.

The weather has been so nice lately. We have enjoyed many evenings hanging out outside. Emory loves being outside so we try to get out there as often as we can and during times of the day when it's not too hot. As you can see Aaron has been working hard to get our house looking nice. He's done such a great job...now we'll see how long we stay in this house. It won't be long before Aaron insists on moving to the country again.

Mother's Day/Graduation

2010-06-09T05:19:00.000-07:00

Yes I know I'm way behind, but I have been too tired (until now) to get this updated. We had a big weekend in May. My first Mother's Day came on the same weekend I graduated with my Master's degree. So needless to say, it was one GREAT weekend. Here's Emory and I after graduation. She did great all the way through graduation. It was very nice to have my parents, Aaron's parents, and Justin (and of course Aaron) there to help me celebrate. It has definitely been a long and sometimes difficult journey, but it has definitely been worth it. I learned so much and had a great group of professors and peers to work with.

The other part of the weekend was Mother's Day. We had a very nice day. We ate lunch at Perini Ranch with the family (YUM-MY) and then spent the rest of the day relaxing. Emory has been the best thing that has ever happened to us. I am so lucky and blessed with her and thank God everyday for blessing us with her. Here's a picture of my sweet family on Mother's Day.

Just wanted to include a sweet bath picture. Emory LOVES her bath time. Anytime she has travel out of the same room with me, she is almost always in the bathroom standing next to the bathtub. She is always ready to take a bath. :)

We also had our Baby Blessing at church, but my camera batteries died the morning of so I have no picture to show for it. Hopefully some of my friends got some pictures and they will be kind enough to share. We are so blessed to be part of a church family that has so many babies and kids. We love them all.

Bluebonnet pics

2010-04-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

We finally got some bluebonnet pictures. Every good Texas kid needs their picture taken in a field of bluebonnets. This might not be the last ones of the year, but here's just a few from our "shoot" today.

In our Easter best!

This is her new trick. Isn't she cute???

Sweet girl!!!

Our beautiful Texas girl. What a beautiful scenery and an even beautiful girl.

Easter

2010-04-24T19:09:00.001-07:00

I just realized I hadn't posted anything about Easter yet. Our family went to Ackerly for the weekend. It was a very nice visit and we spent Easter Sunday at my uncle Mike's house. It was so nice of him and Judy to have us all over. Emory got spoiled by Gramsy and Papa Reg and then got even more spoiled by Judy with an Easter basket, eggs of her own, and presents.

Nana made Emory's Easter dress. It was absolutely beautiful. Everyone was very impressed by Nana's handi-work. She was completely adorable. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

The family before church.

Emory in her Easter dress...thanks Nana.

Look what the Easter bunny brought.

Into everything!

Happy Easter!!!

9 months

2010-04-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

I have put this off partly because of lack of time (and energy) and partly because I'm not ready to accept the fact I have a 9 month old. We did not go to the dr for a 9 month appt because we were there a week earlier to check Emory's ears. Dr Wiley said her ears looked much better and is hoping that with preventative meds she will make it to summer without another infection. Once summer hits she will be at home with me and hopefully stay well. I was quite nervous about this appt because I just knew we would have to have tubes. So I can't remember her exact measurements. She weighed 15 lbs and 6 oz and they didn't tell me the height. She is still little, but that doesn't stop her from accomplishing all of her milestones.

She is now crawling on all fours and can get where she wants to go pretty quickly. This causes a few problems of getting things out of her reach and no matter how clean the floors are, she can find the littlest fuzz, dirt, etc and get it in her mouth before we're able to stop her. Oh well, so is life! She started a new class at daycare. She is now a Wallaby. This was a very hard transition. She bonded so much with her previous teacher that drop-off was never a problem. Now I think it's a combination of beginning separation anxiety and not used to her new teachers yet. I am still very pleased with her daycare. They take great care of her and even gave her homework this week. They are beginning to teach sign language so our homework was easy since we have already started that at home.

She has become very independent. She doesn't like being fed her baby food. She would rather eat something that she can do all by herself. This poses quite a challenge because she has a VERY sensitive gag reflex so meal time is quite eventful. Makes it lots of fun eating out too...I usually spend my time cleaning up a "mess" before I can finish my meal.

Emory has thankfully started sleeping through the night. She goes to bed between 8 and 8:30. She will sleep until almost 6:00. This is a huge improvement and I will take every little bit of sleep I can. She has begun to suck her thumb (not my choice). I try to give her the pacifier, but she takes it out and throws it on the floor and goes straight for her thumb. Luckily it's only in her mouth until she falls asleep and then it falls out. Hopefully that won't be a habit we have to break.

She has started liking Bible class again and is tagged the "talkative" one. Emory is quite the talker. She can be very loud (which scares some of her friends) and talks almost non-stop when she in that kind of mood. Where did this come from???? Certainly not her mama or daddy. She can say mama, dada, baba, papa, but is not saying it to the appropriate person quite yet. She has also started this waving thing which I can't figure out if it is trying to get something she wants or if it is mimicking what she's seen for so long.

What a fun adventure we have been on for the last 9 months!! There are times that I am frustrated and tired (especially through this teething time), but the joys and love overcomes those few frustrating times. Emory is our precious little princess. We love you E!!!

*I could only get one video to post. So sorry!!

Spring Break

2010-03-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Aaron, Emory and I went to Missouri for the beginning of Spring Break. We met Aaron's parents at his grandparents house. We all had such a good time and it was so good for Grandpa and Grandma to finally meet Emory. It was a little cold so we didn't get out and do too much, but Emory had a good time showing off for everyone inside where it was nice and warm. Emory also got to meet the sweet lady who lived down the road from where Aaron used to live. She had just celebrated her 90th birthday and still lives on her own. All the little old ladies and little old men at Grandpa and Grandma's church loved having a little one to keep them entertained. We had a great time, as always.

Grandpa had a bad accident on Wednesday (after we left on Tuesday). He was trying to pull a calf from a mama who was having trouble. The mama cow broke loose and knocked him over and then step on his chest. He has three broken ribs and a bruised lung. He spent several days in the hospital, but is now back home. We hope that he is doing ok, but he isn't the type to slow down so we hope he doesn't over do it.

To finish off the week, my mom came and stayed for a couple of days so that I could study for my orals exam (which I PASSED...YEA). While she was here we went to the zoo with Sarah, Grace, and Morgan (and Nana and Aunt Kim too). Emory didn't care too much for the animals that blended in, but she loved the giraffes, the water for the turtles, monkeys, and zebras. We look forward to many more trips to the zoo.

On friday Emory went home with my mom for a night. Emory was great and I was able to get A LOT done. I'm sure there will be many more meetings half-way. We had a great week and now we're ready for summer!

7-month

2010-03-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

I figured I better hurry up and post Emory's 7-month happenings before she turns 8 months. She has been so much fun. Just when I think it can't get any better, she goes and starts doing something else and makes it even more fun.

She is rolling EVERYWHERE. She can get any where she needs to go and rolls to get there. She really wants to be crawling but it's just not happening yet. I'm enjoying the limited days of the some-what mobile days. She can say "da-da" which she says constantly. Her daycare teachers told me yesterday she has a best friend in her class and the two girls chat away. They said the girls will talk and talk and then start laughing at each other. They also said the girls will not go to sleep if they can see each other (their cribs are next to each other). I love that she's so social and will go to anyone about 90% of the time. Her chatty nature sometimes causes problems in church, but there's enough other babies to kind of drowned her out.

She loves fruits and will tolerate almost any veggie. She still is not liking any kind of "table" food that has a different texture. She is taking a 6 oz (sometimes less) bottle every 4-5 hours. Our sleeping patterns cannot get on a schedule because of sickness.

Poor baby has had 2 ear infections this month. She was off antibiotics for about a week before we had to go back to the dr. So we're still on antibiotics, but hopefully this will be the last of it.

We are traveling to Missouri this weekend to see Aaron's grandparents...the longest trip Emory's ever taken. We'll see how it goes and I will post about our trip when we return.

I am looking forward to Spring Break, but will spend the majority of it studying since I will be taking Orals the week after. I am finally finishing up my masters and so glad to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm ready to have my life back. :)

Pictures will have to come later...computer is not cooperating.

6 Months

2010-02-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

We took Emory for her 6 month check-up a week or so ago. She is doing great and now able to start even more things. She weighed 14 lbs and was 24 3/4 in long. Dr. Wiley said he wasn't concerned about her size, she was just petite (with a big head). She is still in the 25th percentile for her height and weight and 50th for the size of her head.

Oh the things she is up to now are endless. It is so much fun watching her now. She loves sitting (yes completely sitting) on the floor playing with all of her toys. Of course she loves play (or "eating) everything. Measuring spoons and cups are some of favorite and anything that makes noise or that she can tear up will keep her attention more than anything else.

She is able to eat stage 2 baby foods now and Dr. Wiley said to start introducing her to different textures. She DOES NOT like this change. If something of a different texture hits her lips she either holds her mouth open until it falls out or she gags...sometimes to the point of throwing up. So we're backing off that for a little while and will try again later.

She LOVES playing with her feet. As soon as the socks come off, the feet are in her mouth. She's even so good that she can get one little toe in her mouth and suck away.

She is sleeping about the same. She will go down around 7:30-8:30 and sleep for a while. She still wakes up once during the night, but now has no set time she wakes up. She will then sleep until 6:30 or 7 (which I think is caused by having to wake up for day care every day). She has gotten much better about putting herself to sleep and waking up some during the night and going back to sleep without me getting up.

Emory is into EVERYTHING. She is very busy and never still unless she is sleeping. She is constantly grabbing things and trying to get anything she can. She loves talking to her Gramsy, Papa Reg, and Uncle Justin on Skype. Although it is quite tiring for me since she is so busy and constant.

All in all, we are having a GREAT time. She is our blessing and we thank God for her everyday. She brings so much fun, love, and entertainment to our lives.

4 Christmases

2010-01-03T16:27:00.000-08:00

A quick recap of our insanely busy month of Christmases. We started in December with Aaron's cousin's wedding on the 12th and have been going non-stop until today. The weekend of the 19th we spent the weekend with Aaron's siblings, their families, and Mom and Dad for Christmas #1. We had a great time watching the 4 girls open lots of dolls, clothes, and toys of all kinds. We also had a chance to watch The Blindside which was an incredible movie. Here are the girls, as you can see Emory loves watching her cousins.

We were with my mom, dad, and brother for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (Christmas #2). Abilene got a boat load of snow on Christmas Eve and it looked as if we were going to be stuck in Abilene, but we finally made it to Ackerly at just the right time. Here Emory with her Papa Reg looking at the snow.
Christmas morning was amazing. I had no idea how much fun it was opening presents with a little one. Watching her "open" and literally try to eat her presents was so much fun. She got LOTS of toys and of course most of them make lots of noise, but she has begun sitting up while playing with them so we'll take it. :) Emory posed for almost every picture after opening her presents just like she was supposed to. Here are just a couple of pics from Christmas morning.

The next day (Saturday) we had Christmas #3 with my mom's side of the family. It was so good to have everyone together, but always a little sad that my grandmother is not well enough to attend anymore. Lots of food, games, and fun had by all. This was the best picture taken with my camera of the cousins.

Finally came Christmas #4 with my dad's side of the family. Every year we meet up in Dallas and enjoy a whole weekend with the ever growing number of family members. We were up to 33 this year with everyone being able to come. This is a picture of just cousins, spouses, and kids. SO MUCH FUN!!!

Needless to say we are truly blessed by the family we have and the closeness we all share. We have thanked God greatly for giving us the loving families He did and remembering those who aren't as fortunate. May God bless your family.
A quick recap of our insanely b

4 months

2009-12-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

It's sad when Aaron checks the blog and comments that we need a new update. What can I say, it's been busy! We went for our 4 month check up a few weeks ago. Emory was 12.5 lbs and 23 1/2 in long. That makes her in the 25th percentile for both. Her head however was in the 50th percentile. Poor thing has a big noggin, but still adorable all the same. The dr said she looked great and was ready to start cereal. Here are some pics from her first eating experience. You can see it in her face how much she loves it. She has gotten much better since then and has tried sweet potatoes (which she loves), squash, and bananas.

Things she is doing at 4 months:

- eating between 3-6 oz every few hours

- bedtime between 7&8 ad sleeping until 4:30

- squealing when happy

- arching her back when mad (which we're trying to keep from becoming a habit)

- not liking Bible class, I'm not sure what changed this but she usually has to be held the whole time which makes her the trouble kid in class (oh great look what we have to look forward to)

- LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her hands - in fact I have to wash them every few hours or they start to smell

- loves anything she can grab and put in her mouth, but gets mad when the whole thing doesn't fit

- enjoys anyone talking to her and she usually responds with a great big smile

Although it's going by too fast, it's so much fun to see how much she changes and learns everyday.

Looking back

2009-11-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

This time last year Aaron and I moved into our new house. We had wonderful help from my parents and got it done pretty fast. The very next weekend we found out we were pregnant. We were going to The Eagles concert in Dallas with some friends and I took a test that morning. We of course didn't want to tell anyone at first, but told our parents within the week. We bought them an Eagles CD from Emory at her first concert. (of course we didn't know at the time it would be an Emory)

What a roller coaster that followed that. We ended up in the ER after a few weeks and they thought we were miscarrying only to find out the next day there was indeed a baby with a very strong heart beat. Now we have a precious little girl that completes our world!!!

Emory will turn 4 months old this week and I will post her stats after her appointment on Friday. Can't have a blog without a picture...so enjoy!

Trick or Treat

2009-10-29T19:09:00.001-07:00

We had our church's Trunk or Treat last night. We had lots of people from the neighborhood and lots of church members come. It was very successful and lots of fun. Emory didn't scream when we put her costume on like she did at Sear's the other day. It was quite confining and a little too warm for her, but she didn't fuss too much and ended up falling asleep through most of the trick or treaters. We plan on visiting Nana and Papa's house and a few school friends on Saturday. Just to show off, certainly not for any candy because I DON'T need it!

Emory is changing SO much. She is quite the little talker these days and is not quiet about it at all. When she talks she'll start off as a soft little coos...it quickly progresses to a shrieking shout. It is ADORABLE!! She loves to sing along with her favorite songs and laughs all through The Wheels on the Bus. I'm afraid we're going to be in trouble very soon when she won't stop talking. It might be her curse for life.

She is lifting her head up from her car seat and bouncy seat. She does not like to lay down anymore and certainly not to go to sleep. She tries to get up any time you lay her down or put her in a chair. She loves standing on your lap and sitting up (with support of course). It will be a blink of an eye before she's sitting up all by herself. She is enjoying her time with Nana and Nana is equally enjoying it. She will begin daycare the week of December 1st. I know she'll do great there too. She has been such an easy baby that I have told Aaron not to expect this for the next one. I can't wait for the next milestones, but for the time being we're enjoying the stage she's at now. SO MUCH FUN!!

ACU Homecoming

2009-10-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

What a great time we all had this year at Homecoming!! It was definitely a change of dynamic in our group this year. A lot of Aaron's old club friends and my old dorm friends are still close friends. We were able to have everyone over for burgers Friday night and had a wonderful time watching the kiddos play. My friends have the cutest friends for sure!! We enjoyed the parade, the Ag dinner, the game (where we lost), and just hanging out. I really miss all my college friends and I'm always glad when they come into town.

Weekend of family, football, and remembering

2009-10-10T14:53:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Emory and I went to Lubbock for Race for the Cure and the Tech football game. My family has been doing the Race since my Aunt Janet passed away almost 8 years ago. Janet lost her battle with breast cancer after the 2nd round hit. Janet was such a wonderful and brave woman. She fought hard and always kept a positive attitude. She is truly missed, but we are thankful for the legacy she left behind. This is always such a special time for us to get together and remember her. It was Emory first race so she had to dress the part.

Some of the "racers." Just to clarify, we do the 1 mile "fun run" not the 5K.

We also made it to a Tech football game. It was great and Emory did a great job. I think if it is constantly loud she gets used to the noise and can sleep through it. We made it til the last 5 minutes or so when it started raining. Lots of fun!

It was "Pink Out" Jones Stadium. Very cool to see all the pink in the stands. Here's my parents and Emory and I ate the game. My parents have great seats for their season tickets.

Emory loves her Gramsy.

The Going Band from Raiderland made a breast cancer ribbon during their performance. I am very moved by the support everyone shows for such a great cause.

To all those brave women fighting this fight and all those families who has lost loved ones, my heart goes out to you.

Catching Up

2009-10-10T14:25:00.001-07:00

Well it has definitely been a very busy month, but we have been having a GREAT time. On the 18th I celebrated my birthday with Aaron and Emory at a weekend in Fredicksburg. We had a great time of eating, shopping, and relaxing. We did take Emory to Luckenbach (Aaron had never been either), but Emory did NOT like the motorcycles that were out there so we stayed for maybe 10 mins.

That weekend Emory also celebrated her 2 month birthday. We had to get a 2 month picture at 2:15, but she was hungry at that time and was not in the mood for pictures. I can't believe how big she's getting. She is changing every day. She loves sucking on her fist, in fact she tries to stick the whole thing in her mouth. She is holding her head up like a champ. She's a little social butterfly and loves to be around people and have everyone talk to her. If she can't see what's going on she gets very upset. She has just been an absolute joy!

We have also been to an ACU football game. Emory did not like it very much. The crowd startled her every time ACU scored so we ended up leaving before it was over. ACU did win and are still doing great. Looking forward to Homecoming next weekend and spending time with old friends.

I have also started back to work. I love my new position and have a lot to adjust to. I have to adjust to being away from Emory. She is doing great with her Nana (Aaron's mom) and I know she will do great when she starts at Zion Lutheran's All God's Children in December. Sherla is great about sending me pictures and keeping me informed about what goes on during the day. She's spoiling me and Emory both. At my job I am having to adjust to a new role. I don't have a classroom anymore and working in the office area very closely with the principal and instructional coordinator. My job is kind of hard to explain, but I have tested or interpreted data of tests for all of Kindergarten through 3rd graders. I have put all those grade levels in a group for an intervention time and have come up with intervention for most groups. I am the "go to" girl when it comes to interventions. I also have to keep up with all the paper work. Since students now have to have documented intervention before getting referred to special ed, I have LOTS of paper work to catch up on. Before I started this position the principal and IC had to do all the documentation and there weren't any interventions. Since they didn't have time to do it all, there is a lot for me to sort through, organize, and catch up on. It's a great way to use my master courses information. I am LOVING it.

This picture the morning I started back to work...she looks upset to be away from me, doesn't she?

Getting close to month 3 for our little girl. Time flies by with lots of fun things in store.

New this week

2009-09-15T10:35:00.001-07:00

Emory is changing more and more every day. This week she's been a little mover. She will scoot almost off her wedge pilow at night. She wiggles until she's turned sideways on the floor or couch and she's turning to her side. She has also found her hands and her poor face is taking quite a beating. She loves to grab her cheeks or try to grab her eyes when she gets tired. It's very cute, but hopefully she won't start leaving marks. :)

She has also started sleeping in her crib. She will start off in her crib and sleep for 4-5 hours then I am too lazy to carry her back and forth so after she eats I put her back in the cradle in our room. Last night she woke up at 2:30 to eat and then at 4:00. I knew she wasn't too hungry so I kept putting her paci back in and got tired so we got in the recliner and she slept until 6:30. That means if I was back at work so would have only ate once during the night. Since I'm still about to sleep in, she got up twice. Not bad!! I've heard big changes comes at 2 months and since she's 2 months on Saturday hopefully we're already starting to see the changes.

Aaron also got a chance to baby sit on Saturday. I ran to Dillard's and Drug Emporium. I called him after Dillard's and she was screaming. He said he was going to fix a bottle so I went on to D.E. When I got home they both gave me "the look." Emory had milk all over her and was in her swing. Aaron said the bottle kept leaking on her. I use the Dr. Brown bottles and he hadn't put in the insert. (I've made the same mistake when I forgot the insert while out.) Anyway, good news...she survived and so did he! :) He also took her to his parents while I had my church Bunco group at the house. They did great then too. So I think she'll be able to make it when I go back to work, which we're not talking about yet.

Here is Emory taking a nap in her crib.

Here is the finally product of Aaron's rocking horse. He did the making and I did the painting. He found some places he didn't like so we decided we would give this one away. (That sounds bad, like we give away our rejects. It really does look good and even I couldn't even tell his "mistakes.") Since this was a practice, we'll both get better.

I just thought Emory looked so cute on Sunday for church. Thanks Rach for the dress, we needed something warm on a rainy Sunday.

Labor Day weekend

2009-09-08T18:28:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful way to spend Labor Day weekend. My brother, Justin, and his girlfriend came into town on Friday as well as Mom and Dad. Justin and Kendall didn't get in until late Friday night, but we were able to lounge around Saturday morning and take our time getting ready for our trip to Lubbock. It was really good to see Justin since we hadn't seen him since the day Emory was born. She adored him and laughed and "talked" to him the whole weekend. It is wonderful to see how she interacts with people now...she loves to smile and "talk" to anyone that will talk to her.

Saturday we made a trip to Lubbock. We all met up with my cousin, Carla, who just started school at Tech and my cousin, Kristi, and her daughter Hayden for lunch. The rest of our crew went on to Tech's opening game. Aaron and I went shopping and to visit more family. We had a great time and maybe on the next trip we will brave the game.

Uncle Justin bought Emory a Tech onsie. Do you think he might be trying early to get her to be a Red Raider???

What can I say, we're a Tech family!!

This is just a cute outfit my dad bought her in support of Dad's cattle habit! It's so cute. If you can't it has the Old MacDonald song written around the collar and sleeves. It also has a little tail on the bootie! Adorable!!It just so happened that there were several visitors at Ackerly's church on Sunday. My life-long friend, Hollie, (middle) and her brother and sister-in-law were all at church visiting. Here's a picture of the three of us. Emory, (7 weeks), Cy (14 weeks), and Joey (12 weeks) It was so good to finally meet the two little ones.
Today we also made a trip over to my college friend, Amy's, house to meet Noah. Noah was born 2 days after Emory and he was just as cute as could be. Emory is going to have friends everywhere she goes. So fun!!!

Fun Times at Gramsy and Papa Reg's

2009-09-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we made our first trip to Ackerly. My mom and dad didn't think that 2 days was quite enough of Emory so my dad came to get Emory and I on Thursday and Aaron came on Friday. We all had a great time and got LOTS to eat. Emory met everyone at my mom's school, all the lovely people at Ackerly CoC, my hair lady, the Addison family, and Aunt Hallie. We also made a visit to Aunt Terrye's so she was able to see her again and meet Uncle Steve. We were all quite exhausted by the end of the weekend but it was so much fun.

New things Emory is up to:

-showing her little temper(written first only because she just threw a fit getting her diaper changed)

-liking bath time a little more

-outgrown almost all of her newborn clothes and fitting into more and more 0-3 month clothes

-lifting her head up for much longer

-smiling with a smile that lights up her whole face (just melts your heart)

-going without eating for around 5-7 hours in the evenings (sometimes 8-1, 9-3)

-she loves her gym, swing and bouncy seat

-staring at anything with lights

-looking at books

We are haing so much fun together and aren't doing too much. I am trying to savor the times I get to just hold her and love on her all day before I have to go back to work. We have a wonderful weekend planned of family time. Justin and Kendall are coming to Abilene on Friday then we are all making a trip to Lubbock for the Tech game. I don't think I'm quite ready to take Emory to the stadium so Aaron and I will find somewhere to catch the game on TV. I am looking forward to a weekend of family. :)

Our First Month

2009-08-18T08:45:00.001-07:00

We can't believe that it has been a month since we welcomed our precious Emory into this world. I can't get over how much Emory has changed over this past month. Last Wednesday was a big changing day for her. Emory's umbilical cord finally fell off that day and the change began. She was wide awake on the way to church so we decided to take her to her own class that evening. They said she stayed awake the whole time, but wasn't too interested in the whole thing. Other changes that came: she's getting chubbier, going longer between meals, losing her baby hair, and smiling more and more. I got in the car after church and began complaining to Aaron about how quickly the changes are coming. He laughed at me and is already preparing himself for handling my emotions on the first day of Kindergarten. haha...like he's going to be so calm.

We also gave Emory her first bath the next day. She HATED it. She screamed and cried the whole time. I think the shock of the water was a little too much for her. It was a traumatic experience for all three of us. I'm happy to report that her next bath was slightly better. I'm hoping that she will get more and more relaxed with each bath...maybe one day she will even like them.

Enjoying our time

2009-08-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well I have definitely loved the past 2 1/2 weeks. I can't tell you how much fun motherhood has been for me. We have been getting out more and it's getting a little easier every time. We made it to church on Sunday. She did great and everyone definitely thought she was adorable. She was even introduced for her first time visit. That night our friend, Aaron Watson, was having a concert at the Paramount Theater. It was a perfect event to bring Emory to. Since it was a family show, it was great. I didn't ever think of the noise level until I was holding a 2 week old. It didn't bother her at all and she slept through the whole thing.

We had to get a picture with Aaron at her first concert. Kim, he was a little nervous about holding her. Do we need to keep bringing her over for him to get his practice in before little Jolee arrives? :)

She is growing and changing more and more every day. It makes me sad that she's already changing so much, but makes me excited about what the next day brings.

My How Time Flies

2009-07-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

We have definitely had a busy week. I could not post all the pictures of our visitors, but we have had lots of friends and family that just could not wait to get their hands on precious Emory. All aunts and uncles (except Jerry) has made their way for a visit. Several cousins and great aunts and uncles have come. I'm sure the rest will be here as soon as they can. We did make a couple of outings this week. I've been starting to get a little stir crazy. Aaron and I went to change our insurance stuff and go to the chiropractor. We only had to stop once and let Emory eat. Mom and I went to Dillard's and Target to find some pants that would be small enough to fit Emory. It has not been so easy. She's too long for premie clothes and the newborn clothes are huge on her for now. We have gone on a walk, but mainly have sat around and watched Emory. Waiting for a sneeze, a hiccup, a groan, anything little thing.

This is the first time I have been completely alone with Emory and I think we're going to make it. My mom left yesterday which was harder than I thought it was going to be. My emotions now are worse than they ever were while pregnant and I had a hard time watching my mom leave. Not that I don't think we can handle things without he, it is just definitely one of the moments in your life you just want you mom. Which makes me think about many, many years down the road I will have the opportunity to return the favor for Emory. Thanks Mom for coming and taking care of us. We already miss you and are ready for you to come back.

Pali has had a hard week adjusting to the new way of life. We did introduce her to Emory the other day and she did very well. Aaron finally let her in the house this morning while no one else was here and she could be calm. She did fine then too. It will take a little while to make the complete adjustment, but at least it's a start.

Emory and I were both exhausted last night. While we both (or all 3) enjoyed our company and really wanted everyone to be here, we both felt just about like this about 10:00. Today we have been able to get some much needed rest and caught up on some things that have been put on hold for a week of spoiling.

I can't not say enough how much I have enjoyed this week with Emory. I still look at her in awe. In awe of how much I love her, in awe of how beautiful she is, and in awe that she is actually our's. :) Thank you for allowing me to brag and go on and on about the best week of my life.

First night and day

2009-07-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

The first day we spent most of the time at the hospital. Emory came back to us at 8:30 and stayed the whole day. It was great. Aaron's mom came up early and my parents and Justin and Kendall came up shortly after. We had several visitors throughout the day. Emory's doctor, Dr. Wiley, came in and said she looked great and as long as she was eating well we could go home that day. My dr came in and was mad that I had Emory without him, but he heard that everything went smoothly and I could go home as soon as I felt like it. I played it by ear until about 2:00 and decided that we both felt so good we decided we would be more comfortable at home.

We never dreamed this premie outfit would fit, but it fit just perfectly. It probably won't last long, but she'll wear it as long as possible.

We had our wonderful nurse take our picture before we left. The nurses at Hendrick are truly amazing. They went over and beyond to make us comfortable and answered all of the questions of the anxious new parents.

I know this picture is sideways, but I don't want to go through the trouble of changing it. This is her going home outfit. The dress was made by one of my teacher friends. It is so cute and beautifully done. The blanket was a gift from my good friend, Mendi. I'm so excited to finally get to use all the great gifts we've received.

One of the few times she was awake.

The first night was a little rough. She slept from 11:00 until 2:00. At 2:00 she ate and then was WIDE awake. She was quite restless and fussy. I tried changing, burping, rocking, etc and she just didn't want to be asleep. At one point, she was screaming, I was singing, and Aaron was snoring. Probably the typical noises that will be heard in our room at night. :) She finally went to sleep around 7:00 and we all slept until 8:30. It will take a while to get the whole sleep schedule down and get used to what she needs when, but we will get it. It's already getting better. Even at 4:00 a.m., crying her little eyes out, she's still the most precious thing I've ever seen.

Welcome Emory Lea

2009-07-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

The story began on Friday night. I began having some contractions during the night Friday and on Saturday they began around 9 am. They came pretty consistantly every 15 mins. I made Aaron stay close to home after checking on his cows early that morning. Around 5 pm the contractions began coming every 5 mins and was more painful. So we monitored them for an hour and a half and decided to go up the hospital around 7. When we got up there I was dilated to 1 1/2 cm so they decided to monitor me for a couple of hours. I did not change any in those hours so they gave me the choice of whether or not to go home. We all decided it would be a while longer and I would probably be more comfortable at home. So we came home around 9:30.

It was a very long night. On the way home my contractions started becoming more intense and stayed close together. The dr gave me pain meds before sending me home, but they did nothing to ease the pain (well it probably would have been worse, but I was still hurting). They did however make me very sleepy. So all night I would be completely out of it and wake up every 3-5 mins with a minute worth of pain. I kept waiting for my water to break or some sure sign that I was in actual labor before going back to the hospital. Around 9 am I could not stand it any longer and we went back to the hospital.

I was dilated to 4 cm when we got back to the hospital and Dr. Holt (my dr was not on-call) came in fairly quickly to break my water. After that things moved pretty fast. It took a while to get my lab work done so I had to wait on an ephidural, but was given more pain medicine in the mean time. So I stayed out of it for the remainder of the labor pains. Once I had the ephidural it was smooth sailing. I was dilated to 7 cm around noon and grandparents began making their way up to the hospital. At 1:30 or so the nurse said I was at 9 cm and told Aaron he better hurry to get the camera. I started pushing around 1:45 or 2:00 and she came at 2:15 without any problems.

The nurse and dr both said everything went so smoothly, they were impressed. They told me I was born to have babies which was good news for Aaron since he wants a complete football team. (Yeah right, we'll see how his mind changes.) Here are a few pictures from moments after. She is just beautiful and everyone is doing well.

You know me I can't keep from crying and still want to cry every time I look through the pictures.

Dad shared in some tears as well. I think most of it was the overwhelming joy of his new daughter, but I'm sure some of it was all the things he just witnessed. :)

6 lbs 15 oz - 20 inches long

All the things I was not able to see since they took her away without much of a glance. I did not like not being able to see what they were doing to her, but Aaron stayed right beside her making sure they did everything right.

We have been home for 24 hrs and I will post more later about our first days home.

The Waiting Game

2009-07-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well we have 13 official days left before Emory arrives. I have found my spot inside the nice cool house reading books, getting school stuff ready, and scrapbooking. That is now my routine since it's too hot to go outside and I'm a little too miserable to do much of anything else. It's been fine so far, but I am definitely getting a little tired of it all. My blog next week might not be so upbeat if I'm still pregnant. I'm getting more and more anxious by the minute.

Last night we thought it was time, but were sadly sent back home after making a trip to the hospital. I had been having some Braxton Hicks contractions spread out throughout the day and evening. Around midnight they started coming every 8 minutes for about 30 minutes and then started coming every 4 minutes. So I called the Labor and Delivery and they told me to drink a glass of water and lay on my left side to see if they continued or got worse. They never got worse, but continued for another hour so we decided to go on up to the hospital and get things checked out. After an hour of monitoring things the contractions began to space out a little and since they weren't intense they sent me home. Last week at the dr I was dilated to 1/2 cm and yesterday and today showed the same thing. So NO PROGRESS what so ever.

So at today's doctor's appointment I asked him if he was going to let me go all the way to my due date. He said things are much easier on me if I go into labor on my own rather than inducing. So he said he didn't want to induce unless there was something medically wrong. I completely agree with him and don't want to rush things and end up with a hard labor or an unnecessary C-section. So we're just waiting (not so) patiently for Emory to decide it's time. Until then I will continue to be cooped up in the house, walking in the evenings while it's cool, and doing whatever I can to speed this process along.

One Hot Wedding

2009-07-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend Aaron and I went to my cousin Lindsey's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful. It was at the Winfield Inn in Kyle, Texas. The wedding and reception were lots of fun. BUT it was SOOOO hot. When the wedding started at 7:00 it was still 103 degrees and I was definitely very uncomfortable. I don't know that my dr would have given me the go-ahead for the wedding if he would have known it was going to all be outside. Here are some shots from the wedding, but for the more professional ones check out Kristi's blog. While you're there check out the belly shots she took of us this weekend. It's so nice to have a cousin that's a professional photographer. She does such a good job.

This is my cousin Ashley's baby, Ensley. It was the first time for me to see her since she was born in February. She is so cute!!

Some of the group getting their dance on...nice look Clay! :)

My brother and a groomsman playing the first song. They sounded great.

All the bride's attendants. They look hot!

As for baby news...there is no news. As of last week I had not dialated and there was no progression so this week my dr didn't even check me since I hadn't been having contractions. I did have a small contraction the other night, but that has really been it. I'm feeling fine, but I definitely am getting to the very uncomfortable stage. Everyone is telling me that I have dropped (looking at yourself every day you can't really see a difference). We'll see what the dr says next Tuesday. We're just waiting. Our backs are packed as of today. Since I can't control anything else, I can control being as prepared as possible. I have to do something to pass the time so I'm doing little things everyday to get ready. It will be here before we know it.

Summer Time

2009-06-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

I'm now in my second week of summer and it's already flying by. I have definitely stayed busy, but have been able to get some things accomplished. Rest is the main priority right now since I know that will soon come to an end. Since I'm not sleeping so great these days, I usually have to have a "little" nap during the day to make it. We had a wonderful shower with our church friends last weekend. I was VERY nice and we got lots of great stuff. With the gifts from our great friends and family and very generous gift cards, I think we are just about ready for little Emory to arrive.

Mom came yesterday to help finish the nursery. She did an amazing job on the border in the room to match the bedding and Sherla (Aaron's mom) made a valance to add to the finishing touches. The last thing we're working on is the changing table and some shelves. Aaron is refinishing a vanity given to us by Aunt Martha for the changing table and then we will hang the shelves and add the love of reading to the room. (You'll have to wait and see for those pictures.)

I'm taking one class this summer, but it is going well and going fast. I am tutoring an 8th boy which is definitely a new experience for me, but I really am enjoying it. We're just crossing our fingers that a biology lesson doesn't come into play during this time. I finish with this class July 2 so anytime after that I'll be all set for the big day! Til next time, I will be enjoying my summer and continue the whole nesting phase. :)

A Month in Review

2009-05-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

Ok to catch up I'm giving quick snip-its of what's been going on this month. We spend Mother's Day weekend with the whole family. Grandmommie turned 80 that weekend so we all met together to help her celebrate. She is doing very well in her new unit and it was so good to have everyone together with her not at the nursing home.

I also had a wonderful shower at school this month. We got lots of goodies. So much fun!!

This is my grade level (minus one). They are WONDERFUL and I am going to miss working so close to them next year, but luckily we will all still be working together.

Our Ackerly shower was great as well. We were overwhemed with the amount of gifts we received and couldn't be more appreciative. Ackerly is definitely blooming with grandbabies on their way. All these girls will have (or have had) babies this summer and all the grandparents are part of Mom and Dad's church. It's so much fun. Hollie had precious Cy 9 days after this picture.

The lovely ladies that hosted the shower. These ladies have all known me since birth and have been there for me through every part of life. I love each of them dearly.
Finally the nursery. Aaron was hard at work with the painting and putting the crib together this past weekend. It turned out wonderful, but Mom and I will be putting our special touches on the room soon. It will all start to come together before we know it.
As for me, I'm feeling great. I'm just trying to make it through the next 4 days. I have NO idea how you women that work up until the day of delivery do it. I am becoming pretty miserable after work and relieved I have the summer to rest. We're on the countdown now...only 8 more weeks.

lost blog

2009-05-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

Just so you know I had a blog all written up about last weekend. Pictures included, perfect length, video...yep that's when it all went away. So until I have time to rewrite the post or until something better comes along, you'll just have to wait.

We're headed to Ackerly this weekend for our shower at my home town church. There will be lots to post from that.

Let's catch up!

2009-05-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

Alright where to begin? I guess Easter was the last post I was able to post so...

We spent Easter weekend with Aaron's family at Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas. We all had a wonderful time and it was so great to see everyone. This was especially good for me since I hadn't spent time with most of them other than busy times at weddings. So it was very nice to get to know everyone a little better. They were very sweet and gave us a surprise baby shower. We received many great gifts including a Japanese lunchbox set Aunt Martha and a beautiful afghan made by cousin Natalie. Thank you all for the gifts. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

We've also been busy with doctor appointments. My appointments have been fine. Everything is still going well and there has not been any change with my kidneys. My dr is not too concerned about it and neither am I since I haven't had any more pain. I am continuing to drink plenty of water and unless the pain comes back I will continue to plug along.

Aaron has finally gotten to the bottom of all of his back problems. He has a bulging disk and is getting injections for treatment. He had his first injection a couple of weeks ago and has not received much relief from that. He is scheduled for another injection May 28 and hopefully after that one he will be able to see some improvements. The injections come in rounds of three so he's still got two more to go before we can tell if they are going to work.

Another busy aspect of our lives have been showers. In April I went home for one of my best friends baby showers. They are taking her precious little boy on the 28th of this month and it was so good to help her celebrate. Ackerly CoC is staying hopping with baby showers and two weeks after Hollie's we celebrated her sweet sister-in-law's shower. Davida is due June 7. Here's a pic of the three of our big bellies at Hollie's shower. With these showers and Lindsey's shower, spring has been very fun!!

As for me...I'm continuing to grow and grow. Last weekend I had to have Mom paint my toenails because I couldn't bend over for that long. I am feeling pretty good and just trying to make it through the year. I come home with throbbing, swollen feet and an aching back, but only 4 more weeks and then I'm home free. Oh yes, I haven't been able to mention that I will no longer be teaching 2nd grade next year. I am going to be the RTI specialist on our campus. For those that don't speak the school language, that means I will be helping teachers with their reading assessments, interpretting data, and helping plan interventions. So basically using my master's properly!! I am thrilled for this opportunity and looking forward to not having a classroom.

I will leave you with a picture of me with only 81 days to go! WOW...it's flying by!!

A Short Leave of Absence

2009-04-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, but my life is a bit crazy these days. I still need to be spending my time getting some more assignments finished before I post anymore. I have 5 more projects due in the next two weeks. So until then you will have to wait to hear about Easter in Arkansas, doctor appointments, and baby showers. There will be lots to catch up on, I just don't have the time at the moment. See you in a couple of weeks when I will be in much better spirits!! :)

Oh What a Week

2009-04-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well it has definitely been an interesting week. We spent Saturday night in Ackerly visiting my parents and getting some much needed maternity clothes from my cousin's gracious wife. We came home Sunday and went about business as usual with a trip to Wal-Mart and a couple of hours of ironing my new wardrobe. We were fairly early to bed and things took a turn for the worse. (caution: things get a little personal from here on out...I will keep it tactful) I had the urge to go to the bathroom, but was unable to do so. I was up around 11 that night with a horrible back pain and still needing to go to the bathroom. I never went to sleep that night and could not find a comfortable position...sitting, standing, laying, nothing was working. I was miserable and called my OB and regular dr ASAP. My regular dr opened sooner and I was just needing to get somewhere. So as I was on my way to my appointment my OB nurse called me and told my Dr. Kroeger already ordered a urinalysis for me and he would see me that afternoon. So Monday we found out it was a UTI, but was not severe.

I slept fine that night and went to school Tuesday morning. I was in a lot of pain throughout the day Tuesday, but managed to make it through the day. The pain came back with a vengeance. I woke Aaron up and told him we had to do something. So off to the ER we went. Once they found out I was pregnant they took me straight upstairs to Labor and Delivery. They took another unrinalysis that night and gave me some pain pills and sent me home. The pain pill worked for a few hours and then I was back in the same pain.

So after I woke up yesterday I took my UTI pills and ate, but was unable to keep anything down since the pain in my back was so bad. I called my dr again (Mom's advice) and he told me to go back to the hospital because my UTI was all cleared up. So basically there was no reason for me to be having that kind of pain. They started an IV to give me some fluids pretty soon after getting there. After several more hours of pain I finally saw my dr and he scheduled a sonogram to view my kidneys and some pain meds. They came in with the meds and I was OUT! That stuff is great!! The only bad thing was when I having my sonogram on my kidneys they checked out Emory too and I was too groggy to see much. Aaron was able to see her sucking her thumb. The sonogram showed there was some obtrusion in my right kidney, but Dr. K wanted to get another look at it so I stayed overnight. After 2 more bags of liquids and 2 doses of "the good stuff" I woke up feeling pretty good this morning. The sonogram this morning showed the same thing and did not show any stones. So that means I have an obtrusion of my ureter, which technically speaking means my uterus is pushing on my ureter and making it too narrow. This causes my kidney to not be able to empty completely and everything just backs up. Emory is just making herself comfy in there and moving anything around she wants until she gets in just the right position. :)

So long story even longer...I'm supposed to drink plenty of fluids and I now have pain pills for when it gets bad. Dr. K said that it could happen again, but it could be 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months...you just don't know. He's going to keep an eye on me and if it continues to happen or gets worse then I will have to get a stint put it to open things back up.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. I'm thankful for feeling good at the moment and praying things stay this way.

Growing Like a Weed

2009-03-26T15:35:00.001-07:00

Growing like a weed is very cute for babies and kids, but referring to myself...its necessary I guess. I don't mind putting on the extra pounds because I know that little Emory is healthy and hopefully happy. I know she's getting a good taste for chocolate. :) Just wanted to share another photo. More to come later.

Bedding

2009-03-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I picked out Emory's bedding and crib. They are both at a very cute store in town, Kid's Village. I really thought that I would go with pink for a little girl, but I found this and just LOVED it. Thought you all would like to see. This is not the crib we picked out, but it's very pretty too.

Half way there!

2009-03-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

We are officially at our half way mark today. For those that don't know we are having a sweet little girl. Emory Lea is already being spoiled. Look at the goodies she's already racked up. Her Gramsy (my mom) made her a beautiful blanket and Nana (Aaron's mom) made the super cute burp clothes.

I am feeling her move more and more every day. I usually only feel her when I am finally laying in bed and still. Aaron even felt a little something move last night. So when I thought that everyone was just lying to me about the little flutters, I was wrong. It's so much fun!! We registered this past weekend at Target and we'll go again to Kid's Village (a local store) to register this weekend. We are still trying to decide on the crib and bedding we want, but hopefully we'll have that figured out by this weekend. Here's a picture of me at 20 weeks.

The weekend before last Aaron and I were able to help my brother celebrate his 30th birthday. We met my parents, Justin and his girlfriend, Kendall, in Granbury for some family time. We had a great time just relaxing and shopping. It was good to get away and be with family. Since we were so close we were also able to go through Cleburne to visit our good friends George and Rachel. We were both able to get some practice in with their precious new addition, Haley. Here's a picture of Aaron getting in some bonding time.

Isn't she just too cute?? Her and Emory will have lots of fun together and hopefully won't get into too much trouble. They will be perfect angels, just like their moms...right Rach?

Let's take a poll!

2009-02-26T17:37:00.001-08:00

Alright so I go to the dr on Monday for our sonogram to HOPEFULLY find out what we're having. Aaron and I don't having any inclinations on what we're having and we really don't care...we just want to know! So what do you think?? Is it going to be an Emory or a Lane???

Oh yeah and here's me at 18 weeks. I must have grown this week because I was asked for the first time if I was pregnant just by someone looking at me. Yes I look tired...I've spent a full day with second graders. I'm about to head up to Dittos for Kiddos to see what kind of treasures I can find!

Babies of all shapes and sizes!

2009-02-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited for a good friends Rachel and George on the birth of their baby girl, Haley Clarke! Her pictures show how absolutely precious she is. I can't wait to get my hands on her myself...congratulations you guys!!

The cows that Aaron got from his grandparents a few weeks ago are also keeping up with all the babies! We (not like I have anything to do with the cows) had our first calf last Wednesday. There are more on the way shortly! Here's a picture of the new calf and mama.

I am also expanding everyday. And no, unlike popular belief, I don't think there are twins in there. Boy will I be shocked if that does happen!!! I may be growing, but...

I'm not growing near as much as they are!

14 weeks

2009-01-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

Well I am officially in my second trimester and couldn't be happier! I am so thankful that the sickness is beginning to subside and I'm hoping the energy will come back as everyone has promised. Of course with a full time job and full time graduate work my energy level has never been up real high. Our dr appointment went well last week. Everything is right along schedule and everyone is growing properly. We didn't have another sonogram, but the baby's heartbeat is around 150 bpm. Here's what babycenter says is happening this week with our little one:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

It refers to the baby as a he...hmmm....could that be true??? We'll find out March 2nd.

For those concerned about the cows...everyone made it home safely. One cow has quite a bit of damage to her hooves, but is still getting around well enough to get food and water. So Aaron is hopeful she will be ok in a few weeks. We will be seeing baby cows pretty soon...let the herd begin! :)

My dryer is shrinking my clothes!

2009-01-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

Ok so probably not, but seriously the clothes that fit LAST WEEK are not fitting me this week. Luckily Mom came into town this weekend and we went shopping. My mom kept bringing me pants and I would tell her they were way too big for me, but of course when I put them on...they fit!!! So I embraced a full maturnity outfit yesterday and it was by far the most comfortable I have been in a couple of months. So I guess it's official...I'm 13 weeks along and expanding every day. :) I am also pleased to announce I had a successful week last week of no sickness so I'm hoping that might be over with, but I'm still crossing my fingers just in case. Here is a picture of me today, please excuse the lounge clothes it's Sunday afternoon. I go to the dr tomorrow and will have more to update then.

I also wanted to include the rest of the pictures of our house. We finally broke down and hired someone to come in and clean. It is wonderful!! So once a month we will have a completely spotless house and the other 3 weeks I'll do my best.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We spent lots of time with my family and it was great to have so much time off. Here are a few pics from Christmas (I've been so bad about blogging...I will try to get better).

I am wasting time waiting on Aaron and my dad to get back from Missouri. They went for the weekend to get some cattle from Aaron's granddad...Thanks Grandpa, you have no idea how happy you have made Aaron! They left early this morning and should be back, however, they have had "some" trouble. Of course when Aaron told me what the problems were it turned out to be more than "some." The bottom of the trailer fell out as they were driving down the road somewhere in OK. Thanks to very nice police officers and a retired fire chief they were able to get a lumber yard to open up to fix the bottom of the trailer and find a vet to check the cows. Only two were hurt, but Aaron thinks they will be ok. So after that and a flat tire I'm hoping to see them in a few hours. Til tomorrow...

Our Big News!!

2008-12-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

Ok so I haven't blogged in a while and there are several reasons, but all link back to one certain thing...WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!! I am 9 weeks and 1 day pregnant today and just returned from the dr. I wanted to wait a while before officially announcing it because we had a little scare early on, but I have since had 3 sonograms and the cute little thing is growing and growing. We couldn't be happier about the arrival at the end of July. We are still very cautious and praying that everything continues to grow and develop normally. Here's the little "boy/girl" today looking oh so precious!

*Ok so I've tried several times to upload the picture and it's not letting me. I will try again tomorrow.

So my blogging days have been spent SLEEPING and trying not to get sick. We have been very busy with the end of the semester and Christmas drawing near, but our life has now revolved around doctor visits, eating what I can, and going to bed early...I hear we better get all the sleep we can now.

We are wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

Winter Family Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T13:45:00.000-08:00

We returned from our great trip to Missouri last night. It is a long 9-10 hour trip, but completely worth it when you are around family. We had 28 for Thanksgiving dinner and everyone had a wonderful time. The 3 4-year-old girls LOVED life on the farm making dirt soup, the other kids enjoyed fishing in the creek and shooting cans, while the adults enjoyed staying warm inside with good company and great food. We were very glad to see Grandpa doing so well after surgery and pray that he continues to do so. He is still able to get around to feed the cows and do a few things around the farm.

We were able to stay with Rachel and Jerry (Aaron's sister and brother-in-law) on our way Wednesday and we appreciate having a place to crash to break up the long trip. While we were there Jerry took our family picture so that Aaron's mom and dad can have an updated picture for Christmas. They all turned out great and Sherla will have a hard time deciding which ones to choose.

Great Concerts

2008-11-25T17:49:00.000-08:00

Well a couple of weekends ago Aaron and I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As I was sitting in the teachers' lounge our librarian was saying she had 4 extra tickets to The Eagles concert. As I pondered on the idea of a quick trip to Dallas and back with TONS of stuff to do at our new house and boxes still all over every room, one of my good friends already said her and her husband were up for it. So Aaron and I decided we probably wouldn't get to see The Eagles again and lets face it, they aren't as young as they used to be, so we went. We left early in the afternoon and stopped to eat dinner with a few couples on the way. After getting a little turned around we finally were able to see one of the BEST concerts I've ever seen. They played from 8:15 to 11:30 almost non-stop...playing all of their old favorites and some of their new good songs as well. If you get a chance to see The Eagles I recommend you take the opportunity. They are even good from way up in the nose-bleed section.

We came home the same night since we were traveling with our friends. When we got home, we realized that Pali had some fun of her own. She must have been mad we left or extremely bored because we had quite a mess to clean up when we got home. We thought she would get cold enough and not try to tear up her bed, but as you can see...we were WRONG!

Uncluttering

2008-11-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of what of the rooms that are now uncluttered. Ok so it's only the kitchen and bathrooms, but just a couple of days ago there wasn't any room that wasn't filled with clutter. I might just not post anymore pics and make everyone come see us to see the rest of our house! :)

Kitchen - somewhat small and we're being creative on where to put all of our stuff

Guest bath - I just wanted everyone to see the before pics here. I don't know though I might keep the monopoly money.

Master Bath

2008-11-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

My computer wasn't liking the number of pictures I was trying to upload so here's the master bath.

This is probably my favorite room in the house.

Welcome Home

2008-11-12T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well we are officially moved into our new house. We finalized everything Friday and moved immediately. Thanks to the help of Mom, Dad, Joseph and Annie (the couple that work for my dad) we got moved without much trouble. They arrived Thursday evening and we began loading the trailer (thanks Buster!) immediately. Our friends enormous trailer was able to hold MOST of our house. We had two trailers full by the time Aaron and I had to go to our closing at 11:00 Friday morning. The "moving crew" were waiting for us when we finished signing our lives away. We were all moved in and beds put together by 5:00 that afternoon.

Saturday and Sunday were spent cleaning, packing, and loading Aaron's things (garage, shed, and barn). Luckily Aaron has great friends that were willing to help. I helped a little, but was very glad when Adam showed up! We have since spent our evenings unpacking boxes. Even Aaron's parents came to help us unpack last night. They even brought supper with them...thanks Tom and Sherla.

My plan is taking pictures as the boxes clear out of rooms and things get put away. So here are the pictures so far.

Haha...yes I don't have any rooms completely unpacked, but hopefully I will be able to put pictures up this weekend. So I'm keeping you in suspense a few more days.

A New House...A New Chapter

2008-10-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

OK I haven't been home and I certainly haven't had time to update everyone on the news...WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! We both love it and are very happy. It is in the Wylie School district (for those that are familiar with Abilene). We are now closing on both houses on Nov. 10. When I have time to figure out getting pictures from the internet I will post pictures.

Pictures from our fun weekend watching the suspenseful Tech/Nebraska game will be coming soon.

Picture It Sold!

2008-10-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

After 3 1/2 months of our house being on the market, we finally have a buyer. The contract was signed yesterday and we couldn't be happier. We have a November 24 closing date so that gives us time to packed all of our junk and find a new home. We stopped looking for other houses when it started taking longer to sell our house than we anticipated. So now we're back to square one. We know we will find something to make our new home so we're not too worried about that area. I'll keep you posted on the buying process.

We also have a new addition to our family. One of our cows had a calf last weekend. It is SO cute and mama is doing a great job of being extra protective. We hope to have another within the next few months.

I love birthdays!

2008-09-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I went to Ackerly this weekend to celebrate my birthday with my parents. We had a great time. Aaron was able to go dove hunting a little while he was there and I was able to get my hair cut (which it desperately needed). I'm not even going to compete with Betsy on a lengthy blog about my hair cut. (Love you, B!) We ate good food, I got some shirts and money, and had a good time just hanging out and relaxing.

Pali went with us which is always an experience, but she did pretty good. As you can see from my pictures, I just LOVE my 55 lb. lap dog. She is spoiled rotten...she knows it and I know it.

Birthdays are just all-around good fun, no matter what age you are.

Kitchen Disasters

2008-09-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

It took several months of getting used to this whole gluten-free thing, but I haven't had many problems lately. UNTIL TONIGHT! I really try to make our good ol' favorites and make them GF somehow. So as I was trying to figure out how to make our favorite chicken croissants GF the disaster began. Since the original recipe calls to open a can of crescent rolls, I knew it was not going to be a piece of cake (haha...not literally). I tried making a pizza crust from a GF mix I had, but that turns out kind of tough. Another mix required an hour to rise and then another 45 minutes to cook (not an option for an evening after school). So then it was on to another recipe that called for boiled chicken...since I had already started. So chicken enchiladas, nope didn't have enough cans of GF cream of chicken soup. Chicken and spaghetti, nope didn't have GF spaghetti. So we ended up throwing together things that we actually did have that included rotel, corn tortillas, velvetta, cream of chicken soup, and cream of celery soup. It turned out so-so...probably will be added to the already LONG list of GF recipes we will never have again.

I was really wanting to order a pizza or grab a burger, but those days are over. So just a small setback on our new diet journey...we'll get it ALL figured out soon enough I'm sure. Until then let the experimenting continue!

Cooking At Its Best

2008-09-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

We just returned from Lubbock for the annual Chuckwagon Cook-off. This is certainly entertainment I married into and while we all enjoy it very much it is A LOT of work. Waking up at 5:30 in the morning, cooking until noon, and cleaning up until 9 makes for a long day. Aaron went on Thursday with Cody's dad and I came with Cody (his chuck wagon partner) and his mom on Friday after school. We got back into Abilene this morning and I was beat.

With 32 wagons there we were very pleased with our results from the cook-off. We got 3rd place with our dessert and 4th place in meats. Our dessert was apple cobbler and we were quite worried about it when they gave us the smallest fresh apples I've ever seen. (We usually get a huge can of peaches.) So we started the morning off by peeling apples for about an hour. Just what you want to do at 6:00 am by the light of a lantern. Our chicken fried steak was the best I've tasted in a while. I can say that because I had little part in that area. I try to get "jobs" doing something I can't really screwed up like peel potatoes or bread the chicken fries. I let the people that know what they are doing take on the breads and other things.

Here are some pictures of our fun!

Cody and Aaron getting out the cobbler.

Karen and I breading the chicken fried steaks.

What a Week

2008-08-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Every year I begin school with enthusiasm (well, sorta) and energy. Every year I forget how quickly that energy diminishes. This year has been particulary bad, or it might be that I'm going through it now. Week's starting off with Monday's like I have, I will probably stay tired until Christmas. I go straight from school to class at 4. I have one class from 4:00-6:45 and another class from 7:00-9:45. The reading class I am looking forward to and think I will get a lot out of, the research class...I'm not so sure of. Despite the professors desperate plea to not already have an opinion of the dreaded class, you could tell by the comments and sighs not many people are looking forward to spending a semester on research (especially at 7:00 in the evenings).

After I finally got through Monday I could continue with the rest of my week. Wednesday I taught my last one-year-old class at church. I have really enjoyed teaching that class and will really miss the little munchkins . I just felt I needed a break from teaching, especially since I was starting two classes instead of just one.

Tonight was our parent forum at school which is not all that painful, it just makes for a long day. I was really wanting to get a break later in the fall instead of one week after school started, but needless to say, I will take the break when I can get it.

An update on my Aunt Wendy, the doctors were able to remove 95% of the tumor and they will do radiation on the part that was too risky to remove. I have not heard the results of the removed portion, but according to the drs on Monday everything went as well as it could have. Thanks for all the prayers and concerns.

Prayer Request

2008-08-23T18:52:00.001-07:00

It has been a very strange day in the Winter household. We met with our realtor about a house that we REALLY want and the stars are starting to align (according to my father) in our favor. We had a showing of our house and as we were walking out the door for my uncle's mother's funeral someone from our church called and wanted to see our house as well. We got a call from our realtor that the first couple is "very interested" so please keep your fingers crossed that everything will continue to work out. After many phone calls and calming our nerves, we spent the evening doing lawn work.

I also learned this evening from my mom that my Aunt Wendy, from El Paso, has a brain tumor and is going in for surgery on Monday. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. With news like that, it really puts things in perspective and you realize what is really important in your life. Kelly, Wendy, and Taylor you are in our thoughts and prayers and we know God's hand will be with you and the doctors on Monday. We love you!

Let the fun begin!

2008-08-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

I spent the day in a workshop on integrating technology in the classroom which means...school is here (like it or not). I have been working in my classroom and trying to get my mind thinking towards the start of school. While I'm always prepared when the kids arrive, I always stress out until it gets finished. I am still dragging my feet trying to make summer last just a little longer...not going to happen I'm afraid.

We went to Aaron Watson Monday night and had a great time. Here are some pictures from the show. Even though Aaron (Watson) compared the environment to playing in a library, I thought it was a very low-key, enjoyable show.

I want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin Clay and his wife Kit on the arrival of their new baby, Harris! He is absolutely precious and has a head full of hair judging from the picture. He arrived this morning at 6:32 and mom and baby are doing well. We are all so happy for them and I can't wait to hold the little bundle myself. Love you guys!

Must See TV

2008-08-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

What a great time for not being extremely busy! With the Olympics on TV there is never a dull moment. I just love watching the games. When else is there a time when the whole country is rooting for the same team?!?! Let me just say I have already programmed the recorder for ALL the swimming so I don't miss a single gold medal of Michael Phelps! GO FOR THE GOLD!!!

Mom and Dad are still in town and are going to see Aaron Watson with us tonight. Aaron is not only a great musician and singer, he is a great guy with a wonderful family. If you haven't ever made one of his shows, you are missing out on a great show. He is putting on a benefit concert for Love & Care Ministries (a homeless ministry in Abilene) at the Paramount. It should be a good time with some good tunes for a great cause. I'll try to take some pictures while we're there.

Opening Our House

2008-08-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

We have an open house this Sunday trying to push selling our house just a little. Our realtor has really stepped it up and our house in now a "showcase" house on realtor.com complete with a virtual tour. Steve has done a great job since he decided to go out on his own just a few weeks ago. Not only have we been keeping him busy in showcasing our house, we have spent several late evenings looking for the perfect house to move into. We have found several so we're putting our faith in God taking care of all the details of selling and buying with all the right timing. I have forgotten how many decisions were involved in buying and selling a house. I think it has doubled since neither of us have had to do the two simultaneously. While there are stressful moments, we know everything will work out in the end.

Not only do we have an open house this weekend, I also get to spend the weekend with "the girls." Most of the girls on Mom's side of the family are coming to spend the weekend. We have plans on lounging, painting, and shopping I'm sure. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and know we will have a great time.

Concerts Never Get Old

2008-08-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

A great concert with a great friend is a thing that will NEVER get old. I traveled to Dallas on Friday to attend the John Mayer concert with my friend, Rachel. She knew I would be the one to travel that far to see John Mayer. If I knew how HOT it was going to be I might would have reconsidered. Despite the heat and the ridiculous charge for not-so-good food, the concert was AMAZING!!! We had a great time and even got to join my aunt and cousin for the night of fun. Hopefully we can make it again next year...you up for it, Rach?

The Wonderful World of the Winter's

2008-08-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

With so many friends and family members having blogs, it was only a matter of time for me to jump on the bandwagon. Since I enjoy "checking up" on everyone's blogs, I wanted one of my very own. Since I have 2 full weeks before the craziness of school begins, I thought what better time to create a blog to distract myself from the day-to-day life.

Aaron and I just returned from a relaxing long weekend in Las Vegas, NM. Uncle Tim and Aunt Cathy graciously provided their cabin for our enjoyment and we appreciate their hospitality. We enjoyed the MUCH cooler weather of 70 degrees during the day and 50 degrees in the evenings. Watching the rain from the porch and the lovely views just added to the pleasure. We were able to hike (yes I hiked!) to the lots where the Winter's will some day build a cabin of their very own. Aaron was able to show me the sights of Santa Fe and Cimarron where he spent several summers as a staff member at Philmont's Boy Scout Camp. From Friday morning until Wednesday evening, the little Tribute racked up over 1700 miles. Needless to say, we'll be staying home for a while and an oil change is on this week's agenda. We had a wonderful time and were not ready to come home to the "real world".

Aaron and I spent our first wedding anniversary in New Mexico. We spent most of the day in Santa Fe where we shopped with the rest of the tourists. We picked out our own gifts from each other and I got a beautiful pendant and Aaron picked out two BIG pots to plant flowers for our new house. We also ate our year old cake...well one bite of it. It surprisingly tasted about the same, the texture, however, made us not want another bite.