To Sum It All Up

Meggy Sue Turned Two!

2012-01-23T19:24:00.002-06:00

On December 18th, my sweet baby girl turned two! I can't believe it!

We had an elephant themed party for her (which was slightly holiday-ish, given the timing), but she loves elephants right now, so it worked out.

The day started off with Mickey Mouse pancakes and lining up all of the elephant guests for the party (thanks JD).

After that, we got ready for church, where Meg had her last day in Baby Bible Class (sniff sniff).

We got home for a pizza party (Meg's favorite food) and presents!

My Meggy Sue quite successfully turned two and loved every minute of it! A couple of weeks later, we went to the doctor for the well visit. I was so impressed (and so was JD) that she took her shot with only a whimper!

Head - 35th percentile
Weight - 26 pounds, 35th percentile
Height - 33 inches, 50th percentile

Meg is such a bright ray of sunshine in our house. She has such a sweet disposition and is always smiling and singing. She loves music of all kinds and will rock it out with the Fresh Beat Band or sing with Olivia or VeggieTales.

Meg has quite a vocabulary and can carry on a pretty decent conversation. She can count to 20 (with a few hiccups in the teens), recognize her shapes and sort them, and color and draw circles. She is just starting on letters and can sing some of the alphabet song. We're still working on colors, most things are green or red right now.

She can undress herself and put on her pants, skirt and socks and shoes by herself. She also loves to accessorize and asks for her bow for her hair daily. We have just started the potty training route, but I can say, as of today, she has successfully used the potty once and has asked to sit on it about a million times.

Meg is pretty good about trying new foods and just added salad to her list of vegetable likes (along with green beans and carrots). Pizza is the favorite, but she likes spaghetti and meatballs, chicken, beans and rice, soup and chocolate bunny crackers. Not a fan of juice yet, but she will still down a bottle of milk at bedtime.

At two, Meg still takes a 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap every day and sleeps every night from 7-7/7:30 in the morning. As long as we have the sound machine to drown out big brother, she sleeps great! We are just about to move her in the toddler bed, so we will see if this changes soon!

Meg loves to play with JD and they have created all sorts of brother/sister games they love to play together. My favorite is pirate princess. Meg puts on her princess crown and finery and then walks around saying "Arrgh!" Sometimes she adds a sword for flair. Love it!

I'm so excited to see how she changes in the next year and I love the the little girl that she is becoming! So much fun with my sweet Margaret Sue!

It Only Took 10+ Years

2012-01-22T19:52:00.001-06:00

When I first met my sweet husband nine years ago, he was taking a few classes here and there toward his bachelor's degree. Since he went straight into the fire academy and all of his firefighting preparation right out of high school graduation, getting a degree wasn't a priority.

As he started to look toward promotions and getting to the next level in his career, a degree started to become very important. So we embarked on a journey together (him - attending lots of evening classes, studying, writing papers; me - missing him while he was gone, helping him study and editing his papers) for Jon to complete his BA.

He started at Collin County Community College and transferred into University of Texas of Dallas. After countless hours and a ton of hard work, Jon graduated Summa Cum Laude on December 17 with a degree in Public Affairs.

I am so proud of him and his dedication to accomplish this goal. There were so many times when it seemed easier just to quit and take the easy road, but he stuck it out and not only met his goal, but surpassed it with his high GPA!

Now, he is already enrolled for his Master's degree and starting classes for that this semester. Thank goodness that one is only a year and a half! And who knows? He is talking about his doctorate too...

Retrospective

2012-01-09T16:20:00.000-06:00

I think that is what this blog is becoming. I am losing the battle with keeping up to date on this thing. And I actually have a pretty good reason.

About 4 weeks ago, I went back to work on a part-time basis. This was not a decision that I made lightly, but it really seemed that it was meant to be right now.

Many factors have been coming in, loud and clear for us. Living with two kids on a single income isn't easy. My husband is a wonderful provider and daddy to my children and I couldn't ask for more. But as a firefighter, they have a pretty tight ceiling as far as pay increases go, so we were starting to plan ahead for that fact.

Also, I majored in Journalism in college. Not elementary education, not home economics, not nursing...I am not gifted in these areas. Let's face it, my patience with little kids, even my sweet babies, has a limit (although my love absolutely does not). I found myself raising my voice and getting frustrated at insignificant things on a daily basis.

Plus - back to that Journalism major, I did get a very expensive college education that I used for 10 years before having children. I thrive on the challenge of creating a marketing strategy and tactics to meet a specific need with tailored messages per audience. I loved my day-to-day interactions at work and feeling like a valued contributor. And, let's be honest, I loved bringing home a paycheck to add into our family's finances.

So with all these things floating in my mind, I got a notification on my iphone from a job app that I had downloaded months ago. It was programmed to ping me when a part-time marketing job in Allen came up. Well, you can guess how many times that had happened. So I was shocked when one popped up.

I showed it to Jon and asked what he thought and we both agreed that it couldn't hurt to find out more. So I sent in my resume and got a call the next day, which turned into a phone interview. Then I was asked in for a more formal interview, which turned into a follow up interview with the CMO and a job offer. Wow! All within 3 days of submitting my resume!

The job seems to fit my needs perfectly - working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (the days that JD goes to preschool). It is just down the road in the offices above the shopping complex that Jon and I go to often for dinner and shopping. The job is just the right balance of marketing and operational management that is in line with my career. And the office seems to be very family focused and friendly.

We also asked our sister-in-law (a recent elementary education graduate - who is looking for a full time teaching gig...let me know if you know of one) to come watch Meg during those days and shuttle JD back and forth to school. They LOVE Aunt Mary, so it seemed to be another blessing that just fell into place.

Now, four weeks into the job, I am hectic, busy and still a bit disorganized, but I am really enjoying the job and my time with my kids is so precious and seems to be more quality time together. I am still a bit sad to not see them every day. And I miss picking my boy up from preschool and getting Mommy-Meg alone time, but we are finding the balance.

The best part is how supportive my husband has been. He has held my hand while I've cried over this decision and prayed with me and said all the right things ("You can quit anytime you feel like you need to"). Our conversations are about work and projects and office politics, not just kids now.

After four years of poop, spit up, feeding, changing, entertaining and talking to kids, I am excited to be back in the saddle again. I look forward to Tuesday, just like I look forward to Friday. It is nice to feel balanced again.

So after my long-winded excuse for how my blog has fallen by the wayside, I do plan to give you an update on Jon's graduation, Meg's 2nd birthday, Christmas and Colorado soon! Just look for an update Fri-Mon! :)

Maui Wowee

2011-11-10T12:03:00.002-06:00

I am just coming down off of the vacation high from our trip to Maui a few weeks ago! It was such an incredible, relaxing trip that I feel sleepy even thinking of it, but I'll throw out a few pictures for you to make you jealous...

Jon's brother Dan and his wife Heather went with us and she did a spectacular job blogging about what we did and saw on the trip.

Here are some fun pictures of Jon and I during our trip.

Upon our arrival at Mama's Fish House

Sunrise at the crater

The beautiful view at our hotel

Before dinner at the hotel

Amazing view

Adventure seeking on the road to Hana

Last night before the luau

We really enjoyed the trip and are ready to go back if anyone is looking to sponsor our trip...any takers??

Getting Her First "Hairdid"

2011-11-04T08:01:00.002-05:00

One of the things I love and hate about having a girl is doing her hair! I think Meg looks so cute with a bow or a clip up in her hair and it was so fun to put it up in a pony/bun for Halloween. However, it is so thin and scraggly that I am getting tired of her ends looking stringy!

So we brought Meg in to get her first haircut this week!

She was NOT a fan of sitting in the little car (she thought it was going to start moving). Looking a little worried about the whole thing.

She still was unsure when the hairdresser started cutting.

But then she relaxed and enjoyed it! (Just like a girl!)

And the finished result!

And I am loving the bed head look this morning!! So cute!!

This hairdo reminds me of the ones I used to have when I was little! Thankfully Meg's hair has a little more curl and body than mine did! Love her!

Hook and 'Bell

2011-10-31T21:03:00.000-05:00

We had quite the Trick or Treat extravaganza this weekend!

First up was Trunk or Treat on Sunday night at our church. Our theme this year was Peter Pan. My sister did her trunk up like the Indian Camp and the girls dressed up like Peter Pan and Wendy. (We convinced Emma that many famous actresses have played Peter Pan on the stage)

Our trunk was Pirate Cove and JD was Captain Hook and Meg was Tinkerbell.

My mom's trunk was the "Darling Nursery" where the kids fly out of at the beginning of the movie. All very well done and pulled together by the artwork of my Uncle Daron and Aunt Robin who came into town to help us celebrate Halloween!

Here are the kiddos in character.

And here they are just being cute!

This morning, our playgroup had a Halloween party with lots of great food, games and a pinata!!

After all the kids had a turn, JD finished it off to bring the candy down.

Tonight was trick or treating in the neighborhood. We had to wait for daddy to finish school, so the kids were pretty antsy!

Meg had perfected her "Trick or Treat" and "Thanks for the canny!"

Neither kid was ready to pull of the costumes tonight, but I'm sure they will enjoy a candy treat tomorrow!

Time for Pumpkins

2011-10-27T19:47:00.012-05:00

Yes, I took a little hiatus from blogging. The picture posting is really irritating me on Blogger, but I'm going to stick it out a little longer.

The kids and I had some Halloween fun this week with lots more to come this weekend!

After school on Wednesday, I took the kids to a local "Pumpkin Patch" and I use that term very loosely since it was pretty much just some overpriced pumpkins on scattered hay. But JD was thrilled to be at a "real" pumpkin patch, so we made the most of it.

Meg loved the painted signs and pointed out "Kitty" and Mickey right away.

JD found the perfect pumpkin and was very happy to pick it up to show me.

Meg thought the pumpkins made great chairs.

Both kids helped decorate the pumpkin once we got it home. We are all about potato heads in this family, so carving wasn't even in the discussion!

Today was JD's preschool nursery rhyme dress up day. They pretty much laid down the law about wearing a regular costume. It had to be from a nursery rhyme.

Sooo here is what I came up with. See if you can figure out what nursery rhyme inspired us.

Okay, didn't get it right away? Try this picture.

Still haven't figured it out?? Maybe this will give you a hint. JD is pointing to the nursery rhyme character that they made in class that he is dressed up like.

Sheesh! Is it not obvious?? JD is Humpty Dumpty! Didn't the crack in his beanie cap give it away? Okay, so I'm not the most creative costume maker in the world... On the plus side, JD thought it was the best costume ever. And I thought he looked really cute in his bow tie!

Here's a cute picture of his class at their party.

JD spent most of the afternoon today practicing his "trick or treat" skills with a decorative Halloween basket. Watch out Trunk or Treat - JD knows his business!!

Mother of the Year

2011-08-29T17:23:00.003-05:00

Looks like I was DQ'd today for this award.

The day started off innocently enough. It was raining and actually a little cooler outside, and I had planned to take the kids to the grocery store to do some "back to school" lunchbox shopping for JD.

We loaded into one of the germ-mobiles that they have attached to the front of the grocery carts that all kids love and all mothers loathe. And we were off to the races.

Things went well as my helpers picked out yummy fruits and snacks for JD's lunchbox. About halfway through, Meg started yelping. I looked down, and it appeared that Meg's fingers were in JD's mouth with teeth marks on two of her fingers.

I pulled the cart over for a stern, but quiet lecture of "Don't Bite Your Sister Ever Again." I issued the threat of "we will leave the store if you do it again and you won't like what happens when we do."

Shopping resumes and we approach the checkout. And yes, my son decides to test out exactly how much pressure is required from his bite in order for Meg to scream. Ugh. I actually raise my voice at this point and start telling my son that he is in very big trouble and that I am very unhappy with him and a few other things that came out in the heat of the moment.

Yes - I became "The Yell-y Mother in the Store" that we all cringe when we shop around because she is yelling at her kids and it looks like the kids couldn't possibly be doing anything THAT bad to require yelling in a public place.

Well, I'm here to tell you that biting is THAT bad, especially when your son is starting preschool the next day and will get kicked out for such offenses. (Okay, enough of my guilty justification)

So I finish checking out and much to my frustration and chagrin, JD bites her AGAIN!!! Oh my goodness! My temper is totally flipped to the "red" mode now. And of course this is the time that the attendant chooses to reward my child's bad behavior by giving him stickers. Nice.

I take him out to the car and basically yank him into his car seat with a lot of yelling, but manage to gain my sanity and patience enough to not spank him then and there in the parking lot. I don't want to be THAT mother.

After loading the groceries, we spend the short trip home discussing WHY we don't bite and what happens when we bite and why it isn't nice to ever hurt someone and when we do, there is a punishment involved because it isn't GOOD behavior.

By the time we pull into the driveway, JD is begging to take a nap (in his mind that is a pretty terrible punishment, but not as bad as a spanking).

I had calmed down considerably by this time, so I was able to talk to JD rationally and explain why he was getting a punishment (but Mommy, I'm not a bad guy. No, you aren't a bad guy, but biting isn't good behavior. Let's be a GOOD guy instead).

And yes, JD took his medicine like a champ, promised not to bite again and gave out some hugs and sorry's to all offended parties.

So if you see me on You Tube this week, please cut me a little slack after hearing my side of things. And remember the next time you see a mom yelling in public, well, I don't know how to finish that statement because it might be me!

Colorado Part 2

2011-08-01T12:58:00.013-05:00

Around July 3, we packed it up and headed into Colorado Springs to stay at the Broadmoor. Yes, we LOVE it there and this year was no exception.

The first thing we did was to have a family photo taken. Our last professional one was also at the Broadmoor when JD was 1, so it has been awhile.

Here is an out-take with the kiddos... That night, we all went out to eat at the Golden Bee, an old English Pub style restaurant. Meg and I dressed up for the occasion.

On July 4th, we spent some time at the pool, where JD got to ride the big superslide (albeit illegally since he was an inch too short) a couple of times. Meg and JD both enjoyed the baby pool for most of the morning.
Jon and JD went out for snowcones at the Broadmoor's Fourth of July carnival and jumped in bouncehouses and played while Meg and I rested.

We did the annual picnic and fireworks at Jon's grandparent's house in Manitou Springs. The kids stayed there so Jon and I could enjoy our anniversary the next day at the hotel.
Jon and I had a GREAT day relaxing and reading and eating on our anniversary! We had dinner reservations at the Penrose Room and had a fantastic dinner (if anyone asks, 4 courses is 1 too many). We danced to our song (Just the Way You Look Tonight). Eight awesome years together!!

The next day, it was back to the cabin. We loaded up for fishing with the Boyd group.

As you can tell by the "clouds of doom" behind JD, we were massively rained out pretty quickly. We were even hailed on as we hiked back the 1+ mile back to the car. (Meg was impressively quiet the whole way on my back!)

The next day, the Boyd's came out to fry up the fish and eat dinner. The guys had a tremendous pool table tournament that I think Papaw "Pool Shark" Boyd swept.

We couldn't get a good photo at this outing. :( Meg was just too tired.

Nathan and Dan hung out with us too, but don't worry, we put them to work...

So another great summer trip to Colorado!! Can't wait to go back!!

Cool in Colorado Part 1

2011-07-31T10:10:00.035-05:00

Since I haven't posted in FOREVER, I felt like it was still appropriate to go back about a month and reminisce about our vacation in Colorado, where the temperatures were a cool 45 degrees at night and 85 during the day. Ahhh...

We enjoyed our annual visit to Colorado, just like every year. The only hiccup we had was that Meg just really doesn't sleep well up there for some reason. It took most of the trip to get her to sleep through the night there. My family all met up there again, so the cousins had a great time playing together!

We drove to Georgetown along a beautiful pass...

Then we got to Georgetown to ride the train!

Everybody panned for gold one day down in the creek by the cabin. Not sure they were very successful (it all looked like sand to me), but they had fun!

Stay tuned for Part 2 - Broadmoor, Fishing and Fun!

Blessed in Boyd Happiness

2011-06-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

Two weekends ago we celebrated the marriage of Jon's little brother Joel and his new wife Mary. We have known Mary for a very long time. In fact, here's a little story...

First of all, Jon and I led "Rock Groups" in high school when we were first married. Mary and Joel happened to be in the group together (not dating at the time). So later, when we heard they were dating, we were excited for them.

When Jon and I found out we were pregnant with JD, it coincided with his older brother David's wedding. So we decided to share the news over a family lunch at our house the day after the wedding. Of course, his family didn't know that we were planning this. At church, Joel approached and asked if he could bring Mary. We didn't want to say no (seeing as this was one of the first times she had done anything with the Boyd family) and Mary came over for lunch.

As we were praying before lunch, we casually slipped in the baby news. Everyone was so excited, of course, but Jon and I felt bad for Mary who had unknowningly stumbled into one of those "awkward family moments." We both hope that she felt immediately part of the family from that point on!

So back to their beautiful wedding...they chose a very pretty park up in McKinney for the ceremony.

The park allowed us to hold the rehearsal dinner there as well, so we had a "country-style" rehearsal dinner to fit in with the outdoor surroundings with Jon cooking the fajitas for the dinner. Lots of fun and only a little bit hot!

Mary is a "do-it-yourself" gal and had made all of the decorations herself for the wedding, as well as picked out fabric and designed bridesmaids dresses, groomsmen boutiniers, bridesmaid bouquets of buttons and pretty items...the list goes on and on. Amazing!

We were so happy to see Joel and Mary start off with such a beautiful wedding and wish them a lifetime of happiness...Boyd style of course!

A Much Belated Blog Post

2011-06-11T09:10:00.000-05:00

Well, my big excuse is that I couldn't find my camera connection cord (which isn't a standard USB connection cord). But of course, my sweet husband literally opened up a cabinet after 2 minutes of helping me hunt and there it was. I spent at least 2 weeks looking for something that he found in 2 minutes. And that is why I got married.

Anyway, we had some major milestones over the past couple of weeks.

JD had his last day of preschool!

They had the cutest program with singing and dancing. JD did such a great job! I won't bore you with the video, but I have to say that JD was quite the singer and dancer!! I loved it!

JD with some of his artwork over the year. He was pretty proud of these projects.

JD with his teacher Miss Lisa. He has already been talking about her and how much he misses her!

Meg and I enjoyed the brief spring weather during JD's last few days of school. Too bad it is already 100 degrees! It went so fast!

Meg wanted to try out JD's scooter.

She also learned some new dance moves and likes to strut her stuff!

So much fun!

Coming up...wedding activities!!

Sunday Afternoon

2011-05-16T16:14:00.000-05:00

We had such a lovely afternoon outside in our backyard after church on Sunday. The weather was perfect and we had a cool breeze drifting through, so we never got too warm. I know we won't have very many days like this left until our backyard turns into a sauna, so we took advantage of it!

I hope there are many more afternoons like yesterday!!

Meg the Egg

2011-05-04T12:17:00.000-05:00

We've got quite a few nicknames for Miss Meg (on top of the obvious one that is Meg, short already for Margaret)!

JD's favorite is Megger Beggers
Mine is MegaGirl
We also throw in Meg-ret, Meggy, Megster, Meggy Sue...list could go on forever!

Meg's cousin Madeline likes to call her "Egg," which I thought was very appropriate given the season!

So here are some Megger Egger Easter pictures!

On the Hunt

2011-04-19T13:20:00.000-05:00

Our friend Tricia has hosted an Easter Egg hunt for the past few years and JD was looking forward to it all week last week.

Unfortunately, Meg caught a pretty severe virus that left her with a high fever and a rash. Poor baby girl.

Thank goodness, the fever subsided on Thursday, so that we were able to get the kids looking cute and at the Easter Egg hunt on Friday!

They were both pretty excited about the party.

The kids all lined up and ready to go. Can you believe this is Tricia's backyard?? Beautiful!

Of course, Meg's first egg is a pink one.

JD was very proud of his haul of eggs.

Meg was pretty excited about the whole egg concept.

Meg and Tricia's son Nolan enjoyed sharing some bunny crackers and a chair together. They are about 6 months apart in age.

The party ended with some tears from JD because he lost his favorite egg prize and thought that meant the Easter Bunny wouldn't visit him on Sunday to teach him a lesson about losing toys. JD gets such vivid ideas in his head! He is a thinker!

We are ready for the Easter Bunny to make a visit this week!!

4 Years and 15 Months

2011-04-12T16:21:00.000-05:00

We made it into the doctor late last week to get the kids checked-up'd and recorded. It was the first time that both kids went in and neither was diagnosed with ear or sinus infections while we were there for a well check. Of course, both kids have had a virus since then, but whatever...

And to mark such a momentous occasion, we took the kids for bluebonnet pictures...okay, not really, but I wanted to show off my pictures on the blog!

So my big 4 year old measured in at

42 inches tall (yes, he can ride the slide at the Broadmoor Hotel now!) - 85th percentile

42 pounds - 75th percentile

The doctor still says JD is tall and skinny, although that weight percentage always throws me! He always impresses the doctor with his vocabulary.

My sweet 15 month girl measured in at

31 inches tall - 35th percentile

23 pounds - 50th percentile

Meg is doing great with all of her physical milestones and can pretty much run from A to B. She can lift her arms over her head when you say "hands up" and loves to say "doh" or no when you ask her to point to her nose, ears, head or mouth (all things she can do but refuses to when asked). She also stubbornly says "mam" instead of mama, but says a very cute "dada." She will point to the tv in the car every time and say "Deedles" so she can watch her favorite video of the Wiggles.

Meg will babble a blue streak and then look at you as if you should know what she said and she will actually get frustrated when you don't respond. She also likes to color and flip through books (two things that my son was not fond of at that age).

JD has always loved the "doctor house," mainly because of the toys and the lollipops. But the 4 shots that he got this time changed his mind. JD was downright livid that he got those shots and started to cry every time he thought about it for almost a day. Poor guy!

Meg got her usual 2 shots and screamed, but got over it pretty fast. But she is always leery of the doctor and hates to have ears, eyes and nose examined. JD has never really cared about that part.

I'm proud to see my two kiddos growing, thriving and learning new skills with every visit!

Partyin' with the Potato Heads

2011-04-12T10:43:00.001-05:00

For JD's 4th birthday party, he REALLY wanted a Mr. Potato Head party. Little did he know that most kids his age were into Spiderman, Diego or just about any other character out there and that there hasn't been Mr. Potato Head party goods on the market since around 1989.

That didn't stop me though! First, we decided that it would be fun to share a party with his cousin Kenna who is just about 1 year younger than him. Second, we had to go about convincing her that Potato Heads were pretty awesome. I got her a Mrs. Potato Head as an early birthday present to kind of warm her up to the idea.

Then, we had to decide on a location. After much deliberating between McDonalds, Bounce Houses and Gymnastics, Gymnastics won, since Kenna had newly started and JD has always enjoyed the parties at the gym.

Next, we enlisted Heather's friend Kristi to design our party goods. Since she was looking to expand her party portfolio, she offered to help us out!

The invite...

The favors, which included a Potato Head coloring book, crayons, Toy Story stickers (with Mr & Mrs), Fruit Snacks, and a Mini Potato Head!

The birthday boy!

Such a cute cake, designed by a local bakery in Allen

More cute party printables for the cupcakes

Both birthday kids in their potato head shirts!

And oh yeah, the kids LOVED the gymnastics part!!

JD couldn't decide what he liked the most about his party - the potato heads, gymnastics or all the friends who were there! Sounds like a success to me!

Thanks again to all the friends and family who made it to this special event!!

Birds and the Bees and Babies

2011-04-09T08:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, JD and I had "the talk." That's right, my four year old wanted to know where babies came from...specifically, Baby Meg.

It didn't really start that way. My son, always the thinker, asked me if Meg would get bigger. I said, "Yes, at her next birthday, she will be two."

JD thought about that and said, "But she won't be as big as me. She will still be a baby."

I said,"No, she will not be as big as you, but she won't be a baby anymore. She will be a toddler."

JD pondered for a moment and then replied, "Yes, she will be taller, but not as tall as me!"

Ha ha.

About 10 minutes later, JD asked, "Did you eat Meg?"

I was kind of taken aback by that one. So I asked what he meant by that.

JD said,"Well, I remember that she grew in your tummy. So you must have swallowed her and got her really big."

I honestly didn't know what to say to that one, so I just said, "No, I didn't eat Meg."

Then JD asked if I had a big mouth. Again, I needed some clarity on that one.

JD said, "Meg was pretty big when she was a baby, so your mouth must have gotten really big to get her out."

Hmm...

I did let him know that my mouth didn't get as big as a crocodile and that the doctors helped to take her out of my tummy, but not through my mouth!

I think we will wait for part 2 of this discussion for a couple more years!

Four is More!

2011-04-03T20:52:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrated the fourth birthday of my sweet baby boy (who is most definitely not a baby anymore) Jonathan Douglas.

We started off the day visiting Thomas the Train in Grapevine. This was a total surprise for JD and I wasn't sure if he was going to be that excited anymore about riding a train. I am happy to say that I was totally wrong and he LOVED it! He was so excited about seeing Thomas and boarding the train. He was completely overwhelmed with the excitement of it all!

Next was a lunchtime trip to McDonald's for a cheeseburger happy meal. He got a superhero in the meal, so he thought it was a great birthday treat.

Then he got to open his birthday present from us (well, actually he will be getting a bike later, but we are having trouble finding a 14" bike right now). JD has asked for nothing but Mrs. Potato Head for the past few months, so he was pretty happy with this present.

A little later in the afternoon, he received a fun birthday call from Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Mercy all the way from California. Then JD's other Grandma brought over a birthday present that he was beyond thrilled about...

For dinner, JD got his most favorite meal of spaghetti and meatballs.

And of course, we blew out birthday candles in honor of his birthday. Too bad he doesn't like cake all that much...oh well, more for me!

I am so proud of my little man at the ripe old age of 4. He has such a sweet energy about him with a genuine enthusiasm for life. JD creates such elaborate playtimes with such fun characters. I love to play Bat-Mommy or Space Mommy with him.

JD knows how to write his name and has greatly improved his drawing skills - he can now draw people that really look like people! He has a huge vocabulary and I love his funny way of putting together his thoughts. He can create great bedtime stories with all sorts of twists and turns in the plots.

JD still has his go-to favorites when it comes to food, but I'm very proud of him for being more open to trying some new things every once in awhile.

JD has become much more loving with his sister, family and friends. He does more hugs and kind actions and he is starting to become a "pleaser" to a small extent.

I love my sweet big boy and can't wait to see all of the twists and turns on the road to turning 5 this next year!

Who Needs Help?

2011-04-02T16:28:00.002-05:00

I'm totally loving JD's latest playtime obsession! Batman! Let me explain how we got here.

Just to make me eat humble pie from my last entry, JD showed me up and had an absolutely STELLAR week at school. He actually had 3 days of school this week since we had a snow makeup day on Friday. And each day, he seemed to be progressively better at school until we hit Friday, where his teacher made a point of saying that it was his best day all year!

And on Friday, JD came out of school talking about Batman and how he needed a cape, Batman gloves, Batman boots and Batman "gobbles." So I decided it was time for a reward for his wonderful school performance. I remembered where I had seen a Batman play cowl...in the place where you would certainly expect to find something like this...Tuesday Morning (yes, I was being sarcastic)! But there it was, so JD was thrilled!

When we got home, I fashioned a black Batman cape out of an inside-out black t-shirt and Buzz Lightyear costume gloves became Bat Gloves. Black cowboy boots were a good stand-in for Bat Boots and of course, he had his new cowl mask that just made the whole outfit come together.

I think it is funny how Meg thinks the whole thing is hilarious...

My sweet superhero!!

Yesterday, we made a Bat Cave out of blankets and tunnel system.

But today, I stumbled upon a perfect Bat Cave solution at the place where you would certainly expect to find something like this...Walmart (okay, not really as sarcastic here)! They had tables all lined with clearance items and we found a Toy Story bed tent marked down to $11! Then when we checked out, it rang up as $3!! Deal!

So after setting up the new and improved Bat Cave, the day went a little something like this:

Batman (JD): Who needs help? Who needs help?
Me: I do, I do!
Batman (JD): Be right there! (Swooping down the stairs from his Bat Cave). What do you need?
Me: I need help putting the silverware in the drawer Batman!
Batman (JD): I'll help!

We got the entire living room picked up, JD's room cleaned up, dishes unloaded and other assorted tasks all from the help of Batman!

I love this game!

You Are A Fro-Ron

2011-03-28T12:33:00.001-05:00

I know I have been amazingly apathetic on blogging lately (did you like that alliteration??). I do have lots of fun things to talk about - a great Spring Break trip to Colorado, babysitting my cute niece and nephew overnight, an upcoming 4 year birthday party, but first things first...

In the past month, my son has developed a new vocabulary and with that, he has discovered the power of words. I think I mentioned how he started using the word "stupid" (and by the way - the movie that did it was Aladdin. Every other sentence in that movie uses that word). I thought we had nipped that one in the bud.

Well, we pretty much cut it out at home, but he felt the need to use it at school too. Apparently, it is a pretty major offense, so he got sent to the office after calling his buddy Aiden "stupid" and spitting at him (the raspberry kind of spitting). Then, if that wasn't enough, he called the teacher's aide stupid while he was being punished. Lovely.

We spent most of spring break talking about kind words and unkind words and words that hurt your ears and I really thought we had made some progress.

Then we watched Ice Age, where a character in the movie says, "You moron." Hmm... I really thought that one went over JD's head, but then a new word started in our house - Fro-ron. I finally figured out that he was trying to say moron. Back to square one!

And let's go ahead and add "shut up" into that mix. His older cousins informed him that it isn't nice to say that one, even though he never actually said it. But let me tell you, now he has!

So now we have stopped saying that there are "bad words" and instead are trying to focus on how any word can hurt somebody if you are saying it unkindly.

And when we went back to school last week, guess who took another trip to the office? My son latched onto the word "stinky" and couldn't stop saying it, even when the teacher repeatedly asked him to stop. And while he was spending some quality time in the office, guess what word popped up AGAIN? The old classic - stupid.

Since he really seems to just like saying that word for the shock value, I mentioned that there is a kind word that sounds a lot like stupid, but means "awesome" that he could say instead - stupendous. So now I hear that one cropping a bit. Tiny baby steps toward progress.

In the big picture of child-rearing, this is a minor thing, but I am really ready to move on to a new phase!!

Hockey Wife

2011-03-02T10:58:00.000-06:00

For Jon's birthday, we celebrated the best way we could for him...by cheering him on at his debut hockey game!

He has been practicing for about a year for the annual Fire vs Police hockey game, ever since he found out about it!

Jon has gone from barely being able to stand up on ice skates to actually skating for an hour and a half game, while defending the puck and trying to get it into the goal! I am pretty impressed!

His brother Nathan skated along side him and did pretty decent too!

The Boyd and Aldrich families came out to support the game. I must say that we dominated the cheering section!

Do you see Jon's biggest fans behind the glass??

The game was extremely competitive and actually came down to a shoot out between the teams after regulation time was completed. But the Firefighters won it!

Jon couldn't have asked for a better birthday present...although he really wanted to shoot a goal. Maybe next year!

** - these pictures are actually courtesy of the Dallas Stars official photographer! Can you believe he came to take pictures of the game??

My Funny Valentines

2011-02-22T07:10:00.000-06:00

I could NOT get a good picture of my two cuties this Valentine's Day. But it was sure funny trying!

This is our normal picture behavior (yes, it is a terrible photo, but I had to show how my kids react to sitting together!). Meg just does not want JD touching her at all!

Meg was fairly sober on Valentine's Day in general...not many smiles from my sweetie.

This is the best picture I have and they are both watching The Wiggles.

JD is looking pretty cute in this one. Love my stinker!

This was the only smile I got all morning and it is because she is stealing JD's toy away!

Again...JD's toys are pretty fun!

And a change of venue does nothing to help us out! JD decides to scare and Meg is looking for an escape route. Oh well! We had a happy valentine's day anyway!!

Ole Faithful

2011-02-15T20:37:00.000-06:00

Well, I never thought it would happen. I prayed that this day would come for a long time. Now that it has, I'm feeling surprisingly nostalgic!

We are finally getting a new couch. For those of you that know, I am actually repulsed by our current couch. It wasn't always this way.

I bought my couch back in 2000, when I moved into my very own apartment for the first time. I had lived in apartments during college, using old family couches, and moved in with a roommate when I moved back to Dallas, using her couch. So it was exciting to pick out my very own couch!

At the time, a beautiful, overstuffed leather couch seemed like the way to go. Leather only gets better with age, right? It made a smooth transition into my very first house that I purchased in 2001.

When I first met Jon, my couch was actually a selling point in our relationship. He would come over on Sunday afternoons with the excuse of spending time with me, but really, he just wanted to take a nap on my couch. I have great memories of all the long and meaningful conversations we had on the couch on the road to marriage.

Then we built and moved into our current house. The couch had a rather bumpy transition at this point. It got pretty scratched in the move(s) (we temporarily lived in an apartment while the house was finished). And it didn't fit very well in the living room. Our new living room was really wide, but not very deep. Not the best set up for a very deep, overstuffed couch.

But the couch was a very low priority compared to all of the other home improvements that we wanted to make. So we made it work.

Then along came JD...and all of his baby bodily fluids (he was an incredible spitter)...that seemed to land directly on the couch every time. If you know anything about "bomber" leather, fluids/stain soak right in, with no chance to save it.

Then it was a waiting game, since we knew we were onto baby #2 shortly. So Meg came along and sure enough, she was a champion spitter too. And in the meantime, my busy boy figured out how to jump, crawl and scratch up the poor couch even more.

So I have been ready to ditch the couch for at least 4 years! But this old couch has served us faithfully, giving us a place to rest our weary bones, snuggle with the family and create lots of memories.

It's been swell, you old couch! Thanks for the memories!

Boy Oh Boy!

2011-02-07T12:05:00.005-06:00

I have the funniest, sweetest, most mischievious 3 (almost 4) year old in the world...at least I think so.

I have to share a few stories about JD's (mis)adventures (or as we used to say at my old workplace, coachable moments) in growing up recently.

Story #1
JD and I are sitting at the table finishing up a snack. Meg walks by, carrying some toy of JD's.
JD: Come here, you old stupid baby!
Me: WHAT did you just say???!!
JD: Meg needs to come here.
Me: No, what did you call her???!!!
JD: Stupid!
Me: We DO NOT EVER call someone stupid!! Where did you hear that???
JD: {No answer}

Jon enters the room at this point and I inform him of our son's new vocabulary word.

Jon: JD, we do NOT call anyone stupid. Don't even say that word!
JD: {A little more quietly} stupid
Jon: If you say it again, you will get a spanking.
JD: {Looks at both of us - whispers} stupid

And I guess you can figure out the rest of the story. Jon and I could barely keep from laughing during that whole saga because he and I both know that we were both just as stubborn growing up and would have most likely pulled the same thing with our parents (and probably did)! To his credit, JD hasn't said it again (at least in front of us)!

Story #2

JD LOVES Mr Potatohead right now (and has for the past 5-6 months). I love how Potatohead encourages all sorts of creative play and scenarios for JD. The problem with Potatohead is that there are lots of little pieces that fall off Potatohead or get misplaced all the time.

Most mornings (or after naptime) goes a little something like this:
JD: Mommy, where is Potatohead's (insert piece - eyes, ear, arm, etc)??
Me: I'm not sure. Did you look in your room?
JD: Yes.
Me: Under the couch? Under the table? In the office?
JD: Yes
Me: Well, then I don't know where it could be.
JD: Can you help me look for it please?
Me: As soon as I finish (insert activity - changing Meg, feeding Meg, doing dishes, etc).
JD: Now please??
Me: Just a minute. (insert whining by JD) Okay, fine.

So the other morning, I end up looking for Potatohead's ear for about 30 minutes. No luck. I finally just give up and tell JD we need to pick up some in order to find it. Just then, JD pats his shirt pocket and then pulls out the ear. Then he says, "Oh here it is. I put it here so I wouldn't lose it." Hmmm...

And the most recent story occurred this morning.

Story #3
JD went into my room with the excuse of needing to use the potty. I asked him to close the door behind him so that Meg wouldn't follow him in there. On his way back out to the living room, he closes the door again and says, "I locked it so Meg can't get in."

Me: What?! If you locked it, none of us can get in!

So then I look on all of our door frames for one of the little pinhole keys, which none of them have anymore. So I bend up a hanger and pop it open. Whew. Crisis averted, right?

Wrong.

I am loading up the car to get ready to take JD to school and I pulled the door that goes into the garage closed behind me, so I wouldn't let in the cold or have a kiddo following me into the garage. I put in JD's lunchbox, napmat, etc and go back to find the door locked! And I don't have my keys or phone or anything with me!

I start pounding on the door and hear Meg whimpering in the laundry room. Aaah! I need to get back in the house. Then I hear JD laughing behind the door and I tell him to unlock it, which thank goodness, he knew how to do. I asked him why he locked it and he said, "I didn't lock it. Baby Meg locked it." Hmmm....considering she can't even hold a doorknob yet, I'm doubting that one.

JD definitely keeps me on my toes at all times!!!

Snowmageddon 2011

2011-02-04T15:21:00.005-06:00

More like Ice-mageddon around here...

We are on Day #4 of being housebound with two restless kiddos. And by we, I mean me, since Jon always has to work, no matter what is going on with the weather.

I ran through my indoor bag of tricks on Day 1, so I was very grateful that at least today's inclement weather included some beautiful thick snow (on top of the slippery ice).

We bundled up and braved the cold for some fun.

Doesn't Meg look cute in JD's old snow gear??

Meg did a face plant after I stood her up and that was it for her. She was content to watch JD play for awhile.

JD played for about an hour. I taught him how to do snow angels and he made them all over the yard.

But his favorite activity is to eat the snow. He definitely stayed hydrated while he was playing!

Love the Hat

2011-01-27T08:08:00.006-06:00

My kids both like to accessorize these days.

JD has long been into his cowboy hats...especially after Toy Story came onto the scene.

Meg decided she likes dressing up too! She tries to put everything over or on her head, usually in multiples. JD got a Toy Story accessory kit for Christmas and she loves to put on Woody's belt and Buzz's wings. She will also lift her arms above her head when you say "To Infinity and Beyond!"

She also found a hat of mine and adopted it.

I was such a "dress up" kid when I was younger, so it is fun to see my kids starting to get into it too!

Five Question Friday (On Saturday)

2011-01-22T10:46:00.002-06:00

I really liked the questions this week!

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?

We knew of each other since we went to the same church. My brother-in-law was good friends with him and my sister was CONVINCED that we would be perfect for each other. But neither of us really wanted to go out with the other. I thought it was odd that he was 1 of 12 kids ;) (was he going to expect me to have that many kids???) and he thought I was too "business-y." Then my sister wore us down and we went out on a group date. For Jon, he almost immediately knew I was the one (he says he knew I had marriage potential). It took me a few more dates before I realized it. But I'm so glad I did!

2. What is your favorite room in your house?

My favorite room is also my least favorite, depending on the day. I love our family room because that is where all the action takes place. That's where we play together, sit together, watch movies together, talk together and everything else! But all of that togetherness creates a big mess, so the messiness can drive me crazy!

3. Can you wiggle your ears?

Yep - and I can wiggle one at a time! Very talented.

4. What is your evening ritual?

7:00 - Bath/shower for the kids. 7:30 - Bottle for the Megster. Lay Meg down for sleep. Snuggle with JD for a bit on the couch while he drinks chocolate milk or a yogurt drink. 8:00 - Jon puts JD down (most nights) with teeth brushing, prayers and a bedtime story. Then the rest of the evening is ours! I cherish my evenings!

5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?

At least 4 or 5. But 7, 8 or 9 makes me a much nicer person to be around.

The Stuck

2011-01-20T11:55:00.002-06:00

So I was downstairs at our cabin in Colorado on our first day, pulling off furniture covers and getting things ready for us to all be there. My son decides to explore a bit and check out the upstairs loft.

I hear him yell "STUCK!"

So I ask him, "Are you stuck?" (Thinking maybe the big log stairs were scary to come down or something.)

He says, "NO!! There is a STUCK!"

I'm getting pretty curious at this point, so I stand at the foot of the stairs and ask, "Do you mean a mouse?" (Sometimes we have dead mice around the cabin during the winter)

He comes to the top of the stairs and puts his hands up like claws and bares his teeth and says, "NO! There is a STUCK! He is going to get me!"

Now he is starting to freak out a bit and I can tell he is pretty scared of whatever a Stuck is. But it is hard to tell because JD likes to pretend he is scared of imaginary objects to try and scare you.

So I head upstairs and JD says, "The stuck is under the table."

And lo and behold, there is a tiny dead chipmunk under the coffee table. It must have been trapped over the summer when we had some work done. Poor guy.

I point out to JD that he is a little chipmunk that needs to go back outside. JD said, "No, he is a stuck." Then he proceeds to hold his nose.

Ahh...I believe my kiddo meant a SKUNK.

Colorado Adventures

2011-01-10T12:44:00.005-06:00

While we were in Colorado, we tried to get out as much as possible with the kids for some fun activities!

Since we didn't have much snow at the cabin, we took everyone to Sled Hill in Breckenridge to play in the snow.

Meg wasn't too sure about the snow at all, and it didn't help that I bundled her up within an inch of her life. She couldn't move around too much, so she hitched a ride to the hill.

She enjoyed watching everyone come down the hill too. Maybe next time, Meg can ride down the hill in the sled!

Months ago, we booked a train ride in the Royal Gorge, called the North Pole Express. For all intensive purposes, we called it the Polar Express, so as not to confuse the kids.

They did a great job on the train, complete with hot chocolate, singing elves and Santa Claus! All the kids really enjoyed it.

And of course, we had a ski day! We took JD in for his very first lesson, which I think he really enjoyed! Meg stayed home with Grandma, so Jon and I could ski on our own for the first time in almost 2 years.

We were able to watch JD skiing in the afternoon during his lesson. He did pretty well, although he had a weird obsession with reaching down to scoop up snow and eat it. I was impressed with how well he paid attention to the instructor though and followed directions.

When we picked him up, he started crying though and said his hands were cold. Even then, he still said he liked skiing and wanted to do it again. Whew! This boy has a bunch more ski vacations coming up in his future, so it is a good thing he likes it!

Turning One is Tons of Fun!

2011-01-05T12:08:00.007-06:00

We interrupt the post about Christmas (coming soon, promise) to talk about what a great first birthday Miss Meg had! Yay for December 18th birthdays (hopefully they won't always get lost in the Christmas chaos)!

This was how she greeted us on her birthday morning! Meg is always all smiles in the morning

We took her down to her birthday chair, complete with banner and balloon. She loved it!

Meg also got her first birthday present of the day - a Build A Bear Misfit Toy elephant that JD picked out for her. We attached a birthday cupcake that conveniently had 1 candle!

Then we packed up and headed to IHOP for a birthday breakfast. They were doing balloon animals for Christmas, so they made Meg a birthday flower (which she loved).

She also had her very first chocolate chip pancake face, which she also loved! (Mommy needed to help her out with that one)

After a yummy breakfast, we headed over to Willowbend Mall to play in the kids' play area. This was her very first indoor play area experience and she really got into it after the first 10-15 minutes.

While we were at the mall, we got to have a personal heart to heart with Santa as he passed us on the way to the photo area. JD was pretty impressed with that! Meg was still a little scared of Santa.

We picked up a yummy cupcake at the mall for Meg's dinner that night also...

And we finished up the day playing in new birthday cake pajamas.

Meg was pretty tuckered out by bedtime!! We watched a little Wiggles (her absolute favorite) while we did the nighttime bottle and chill out for bed.

Today, we went in for our 1 year checkup! All's good with this one year old.

Height- 29 inches (40th percentile)
Weight - 20.5 pounds (30th percentile)

Head - 17 inches (30th percentile)

Meg was NOT impressed with the doctor examination or the FOUR shots that she received. She was actually hiccup-trilling, which was a whole new level of crying for us! Good thing that you only turn one once!!

Christmas in Colorado

2011-01-03T22:43:00.010-06:00

This year, my family decided to celebrate Christmas at our cabin in Colorado. There was a minor time delay (we celebrated on Dec. 27th), but it didn't make it any less jolly!

After a fairly uneventful roadtrip (I have to brag and say that my kids are so good in the car, thanks to technology)...

...we set about decorating the Christmas tree with homemade ornaments and candy on "Christmas Eve" (Dec. 26th).

Then we feasted on a yummy dinner for Christmas!

We also baked cookies for Santa and decorated them. We picked the cream of the crop to set out by the fireplaces.

Then we nestled our kids all snug in their beds (too bad Meg never really got used to her pack n play bed on this trip). And Santa Claus arrived...

The kids checked out Santa's handiwork first thing in the morning.

JD opened up Santa's present for him - the set of Toy Story action figures that he has asked for since July (and that Santa's helper froze standing in line for at 2:30 in the morning on Black Friday).

And he set about playing with them right away- happiest kid you ever saw.

Until Grandma gave him this present...

I guess Big Woody, Buzz and Slinky Dog trump the little guys. He is pretty much in love with these toys.

On the other side of the tree, Meg loved her "Black Friday" present!!

JD also got a big present from Santa Claus, one that he didn't even ask for! A child-sized ATV! It is actually a present for the Colorado Cabin because we aren't bringing it back home.

Santa Claus (with Dara's help) brought all the kids pillow pets too. SC gave me a heads up so I picked out matching pajamas for each kid to go with their pillow pets. It made for a cute pic the next day!

Celebrating Christmas in Colorado was just amazing and brought a whole new experience to Christmas morning. I loved seeing all the cousins stumble into the living room at the same time and discover what Santa brought. We haven't ever experienced this before with all the kids, so I will treasure this memory!

Out and About in December

2010-12-22T06:53:00.005-06:00

We've had lots of fun this December! JD is at an age now where he gets so excited about Christmas, so taking him to different activities about the holidays is pretty fun.

A couple of weeks ago, we went with our friends Margaret and Ayden to see the Gaylord ICE exhibit, where they were featuring A Charlie Brown Christmas. Since JD has seen this special on tv for the past few years, I thought he would enjoy it.

And he did...

But it was pretty cold too!

This month, I also realized that our newly-turned 1 year old had never visited Daddy at the Fire Station, so we quickly remedied this!

Boys and girls really are different because from JD's first trip to the Fire Station, he loved sitting in all of the trucks and vehicles and still does! But Meg was not excited about it at all!

JD found out that Uncle Nathan works there now, which was quite a surprise for him this time!

We will just need to bring Meg up to visit her Daddy more often!

We also got inspired by our friend Rachel Cooke's adventures and took JD to see the Northpark trains. We went right when it opened and met my mom up there. No lines or anything, but it got pretty crowded in the exhibit once we got in there.

JD and Meg both really liked the trains. Meg was just mesmerized by the trains moving around the towns and especially around the big Christmas tree.

JD took a little time to get warmed up, but once he figured it all out, he was in heaven! JD just loved all the trains equally well. He had fun pointing out Polar Express and Thomas. JD was very sad when it was time to leave.

We made it up to him by taking him to Build a Bear and making a Rudolph, since he has just recently started watching that movie (thank you preschool holiday party). Now he is crazy about Rudolph. I even signed him up for a camp yesterday where they learned all about reindeer, with a special emphasis on Rudolph (of course)!

After a lunch at Chick Fil A (Soup Man for me and my mom), we left just as the mall started to get pretty crowded. Great way to spend a morning!!

I love spending the holidays with my kiddos!!

Happy 1st Birthday Meg!

2010-12-18T12:12:00.011-06:00

My sweet Margaret Sue turns 1 today! I can't believe that it was only a year ago that she arrived in this world, on a chilly December morning!

It is amazing to remember those first few months that seemed so long ago with no sleep and lots of crying...

...to the days when you figured out how to sleep at night and became the sweet, happy baby girl that we loved to play with...

...to the walking, chattering toddler girl that you are now!

Meg has such a sunny disposition and loves to smile and "talk" and play. She claps her hands and will wave bye-bye (but not on command), give you a "fiver" and point to the things she likes. She loves light up & sound toys, ride on vehicles, dollys, but most of all - JD's toys!

Meg will eat just about anything and loves to eat mommy's zucchini and onions. She is very proficient at sippy cups now and is pretty independent when it comes to table foods. If you try and put food in her mouth, she pulls it out and puts it back in because she wants to do it by herself.

Meg loves her daddy and squeals with delight when he comes home from work. She says a very cute "Deedee" for Daddy. She has a typical brother/sister relationship with JD or GeeGee, where she loves him and wants to play with him, but gets irritated when he gets in her personal space.

I love my baby girl like crazy and can't wait to see what fun things happen in her next year of life!

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Meg!!!

Virtual In-Santa-ity

2010-12-15T08:57:00.015-06:00

New for 2010 - Virtual Santa Lines!

That's right! With just a little click of a button, you can be waiting in line to see Santa Claus and avoid snaking through the chains like every other schmuck (okay that's exactly what we did last year).

We virtually waited to see Santa for 2 hours while we went to eat dinner and play at a nearby playzone for kids. Awesome!

When we were notified of our 10 minute warning, we stood in a real line and waited in Santa's workshop. As we waited, a little girl in front of us was just crying and crying (in the line). As she got closer to Santa, the tears just intensified. Jon and I both looked at each other smugly and said, "They just need to embrace the fact that their kid is going to cry in the picture. It is just going to be one of those pictures." Both of our kids were making faces and laughing and smiling in the line, so Jon and I felt pretty confident about our Santa approach. JD knew exactly what he was going to ask Santa for and Meg had perfected a new cute "squishy" face that she was going to test on Santa.

They waited patiently as Santa took pictures with someone's two HUGE dogs. (Sorry but Santa dog pictures are a little weird). It took longer than taking one with kids. How do you get 2 DOGS to smile at the camera (and believe me, their owner was trying like crazy)??

We began our descent onto Santa's lap and then it happened...

Meg TOTALLY went berserk and lost it, screaming, crying, trilling. Oh well. All traces of smugness gone, we embraced the screaming picture like every other parent.

JD, on the other hand, had a great time talking to Santa. I was happy to hear him ask for the very item that I stood freezing in line at 2 in the morning on Black Friday to acquire for him. Score one for Mom!

Trimming the Tree

2010-12-14T11:29:00.004-06:00

In years past, Jon and I were totally in charge of the 10 foot artificial tree experience - setting up, fluffing and decorating. This year we decided to get the kids involved.

We started with picking out a LIVE tree! We decided to put the tree in the dining room, so the gate could keep Meg away during the day and our ceilings don't go as high in there. So we went to pick out a real tree with the kids at a lot near our house. Not the tree farm experience exactly, but just as I remember from my childhood!

JD was impressed with it.

Meg thought it was great.

I mean, REALLY great.

After Jon and I hung the colored lights (straying from our white lit artificial tree look), JD hung a star (he insisted this is what needed to go on the top - again straying from our traditional tree look with our big bow topper).

He also helped us with hanging ornaments, which made him feel pretty important.

Overall, I think the tree trimming was a success and way more fun than previous years because of our little helpers!

Guess Whooo's One??

2010-12-11T13:40:00.016-06:00

Over Thanksgiving, we celebrated Meg's first birthday so the whole family could attend. We still have a few more days before her actual birthday, but you would have never known it from the party!

As previously mentioned, I went owl crazy with her birthday party theme. But she only turns one once and it is one of the only times that I get to be in control of the theme!

I had so much fun making all of the cupcake toppers, birthday banner and artwork for the party. I purchased the owl and digital papers from an Etsy artist and then went to town creating! I made luggage tags as party favors using the owl, bought mini crayon fabric roll ups from another Etsy artist and made custom stickers to put on mini notepads for coloring. Of course, I found regular owl stickers to include into the favors as well. Yes, I am a bit of obsessive when it comes to themes.

I gave a copy of her invitation to Market Street and they did a great job of creating the owl for her birthday cake. It turned out great! We all wore owl shirts to celebrate, even Jon (who was kind of forced into it).

I think Meg had a pretty good time. She seemed a little overwhelmed at times and totally disinterested in the present unwrapping. But she played with all of her cousins and loved her presents!

She liked the cake part too - especially the birthday song which she looks shocked about below, but started laughing and clapping after the picture was taken.

Jon made a great first year video too for Miss Meg. We are so lucky to have such a talented daddy to make a wonderful keepsake like that for our kids and family.

By the end of the day, she figured out her pointer finger too, so it looks like she is saying "One!" I think she had a great first birthday party! Thank goodness she won't remember a bit of it, so I won't have to replicate all of that effort for every Meg party moving forward!!

So Thankful

2010-11-28T21:40:00.014-06:00

...to have survived this week! And not only survived, but enjoyed! We seriously had a jam-packed week, but we really enjoyed it all.

We celebrated my 9th Boyd Thanksgiving Christmas on Thursday with a majority of the Boyd family (we missed you Walsh family!) and tons of yummy food! I think we really have this event down to a science because everything came together so easily!

The kids were ready to eat a little bit before the food was ready...

The food was great, as always! And everyone contributed their specialities, which made it that much better.

We also enjoyed opening our first Christmas presents for the season. JD got a Thomas Train set, that all the kids enjoyed playing that evening. JD calls it his "Mister Island" set.

Meg played with her new laptop a bunch too (as did all of the other kids). She is into everything that lights up and plays songs right now.

Jackson and JD are two peas in a pod right now and are totally in love with Toy Story. Jackson got a "Woody" guitar and had so much fun (when JD wasn't playing with it)!

We went home pretty tired that evening, but I couldn't sleep because Heather and I hit Black Friday sales, starting at 2:30 am!! I had 2 toys that I REALLY wanted to get for my kids at Target and their sale started at 4 am. I haven't ever done the Black Friday thing, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

As a warm up, my sister Dara and I went to the 10 pm sale on Thanksgiving evening at Toys R Us and the line was wrapped all the way around the building and behind the strip mall! It was RIDICULOUS and the epitome of why I don't do sales like that! So we turned around and left!

But that made me more determined to get a good spot for the sale I really wanted at Target! I got an okay spot at 2:30 and Heather hit Toys R Us for both of us, while I waited in the freezing cold. At the stroke of 4, they opened the doors and I ran (yes, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that) to get the 2 toys that I wanted - 7 Toy Story action figures and a music table. Nobody even cared about those things. They were going crazy over $298 40 inch flat screen tvs right behind my 2 toys.

Oh well. I still got my savings and both of my kids are going to be over the moon when they get their presents. Heather and I strolled (yes, strolled) around and picked up several good deals and took our time checking out. I saved about $100 on my purchases and got things that I really wanted (no impulse shopping). It was actually a VERY positive experience and I think I might do it again...next year!

The Target we went to in Allen got national attention and this photo and others from the store were published by Dallas Morning News and other publications all over the world! Scary! I'm glad Heather and I weren't caught by the cameras wearing our 10 layers of clothing, no makeup and tired faces!

No time for a nap for me - my little boy was ready for action at 6 am when I got home, so we got busy making fruit salad and getting ready for my family's Thanksgiving at 11:30. We had a great time and really great food. My uncle and his family were in from Indiana, so our normal numbers were up by a few. But we couldn't linger too long because it was off to Jon's brother David's 40th birthday party! By then, Black Friday excitement was wearing off and exhaustion was setting in.

I got the kids home by 8:45 and then started to bake cupcakes and finish final preparations for Meg's First Birthday party. Yes, you heard me right! We had Meg's first birthday party the next day, but that is another post.

We truly had a great week and have so much to be thankful for this year. One of the things I am most thankful for is family to spend time with and enjoy over so many days and events!

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

2010-11-22T14:10:00.004-06:00

This week is jam-packed with family fun. From Thanksgiving(s) to visits with the families, we are just doing it up family style!

We are planning Meg's first birthday party for this weekend as part of the family festivities, since it is one of the few times that we will have most of the Boyds in town. I am so excited about all of the planning for the party. I have been working on it for a few months now and am thrilled with how it is all coming together! As a sneak peak, here is her invitation...

Now how many of you are really surprised about the theme???

I have to say that it has been so much fun planning and putting everything together, that it hardly seems like work! It is more like a labor of love! And yes, I know that she won't remember it, but I will!

Five Question Friday

2010-11-12T20:53:00.002-06:00

Loved the questions this week!

1. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you?
Since I have a VERY low threshold for pain, there are a bunch of things right on up there! Having a c-section is definitely not the most pleasant thing ever. And I remember when I was single and got the flu for 11 days, after a car accident, that was pretty miserable. I remember how much it hurt to even stand up in the shower or crawling down the stairs to get some food that my mom left on my doorstep. That was pretty lousy.

2. How much sleep do you get at night?
My baby girl has been sleeping through the night since 4 months, so she is definitely not the issue with sleep. My three year old son, on the other hand, gets up between 5 and 6:15 am EVERY single morning (bedtimes and naptimes have NO effect on this) and has for the past 8 months...just about the time my baby girl started sleeping through the night! So if I get to bed at a decent hour (before 10 pm), I can get an okay night of sleep (6-7 hours).

3. How long did you believe in Santa Claus? How did you find out that he does not exist?
He doesn't exist??? What??? Really, I found out when I was about 8 and we got our first frigid, freezing Christmas Eve after we got a pool. This was before pool heaters, so my poor dad and uncle stayed up all night chopping up ice in the pool to keep it from cracking. My mom was understandably preoccupied and didn't fill up our stockings, so when I came barreling out at the break of dawn and saw empty stockings and no new presents under the tree, I was crushed! I asked my mom if Santa came and she said, "Your dad has been busy saving the pool all night and hasn't had a chance to fill the stockings yet."

4. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
Toy Story 3. We don't get out that much, especially without our kids.

5. What do you wear to bed?
Mostly very old, giant t-shirts from my sorority days. I can't believe we wore our t-shirts so big! In the winter, I throw on flannel pants with them. And I have some really cute pajamas that I wear when they are clean! I think of that as "dressing up" though.

Fun Photo Friday

2010-11-05T13:25:00.005-05:00

There isn't really a story for these pictures. Just fun recent pics of the kids!

JD BEGGED me to let him wear his Halloween costume again on Monday. Not 5 minutes after he had it on, he passed out on the couch.

Meg's a regular walker now. It is the preferred mode of transporation and she is pretty good at it now.

My sweet girl!

Yes, this is her Wiggles face. She is absolutely captivated by them. She will drop whatever she is doing to watch them. And she will dance to the songs! It is so cute!

I know I'm not wearing any makeup, but if I waited for a day when I was wearing some, I would never get any pictures with my kids!

My big handsome boy. He is quite the comedian now and loves to try and make us laugh.

Happy Friday!

Success: Sippy Cup

2010-11-01T20:34:00.005-05:00

Meg was a tough customer when it came to the sippy cup. We tried several different brands...

We started with this one, since it is supposed to be the transition cup from the bottle. She wouldn't even pick it up.

She pretty much just chewed the tops off of these.

She kept flipping this one over and chewing on the bottom.

These were probably the most successful, but not great to travel with since they leak like crazy.

And then we had success...

Look Ma! No hands!!

I can even walk with it!

It's very portable! If I am crawling, I can just hold it my teeth!

Whew! I'm so glad we found one that works!

Dressin' Up for Fun

2010-10-31T20:41:00.005-05:00

We had so much fun dressing up in October!!

I could never catch it, but Meg has been having fun trying on hats lately!

One of the rare brother/sister cuddle times without tears! I don't even care that it is blurry!

JD dressed as a cowboy for his school nursery rhyme party. Yes - there is a nursery rhyme about Tumblin' Tumbleweeds. I looked it up. Yes, my boy just really wanted to be a cowboy.

This is JD with Emily and Jachin from his class.

Our family did Wizard of Oz this year for Trunk or Treat! My mom's trunk was Munchkinland, complete with a house and witch legs. Dara's trunk was Emerald City with the wizard (pay no attention to the man behind the curtain). We were in between the two cars with a puddle of witch, a broom and a bucket. I was the "Witch Disposal Crew."

Dara's trunk won Kids' Choice award! Yes, I am responsible for the yellow brick road.

Meg made the cutest Cowardly Lion!! Too bad it was so hot outside!!

JD was a most handsome Tin Man (pretend man as he called it).

Jon and JD went trick or treating in our neighborhood after Trunk or Treat.

Meg and I hung out and passed out candy. We also got some Wiggle time in between treaters.

JD and Meg were both pooped by the end of the day (one more literally than the other). JD cried when he had to take off his costume because he loved it so much! Dressing up is so much fun!

Meg at Nine Months

2010-10-15T07:41:00.003-05:00

True to form, we are barely making the nine month post while Meg is still nine months!!

We took Miss Meg into the doctor this week for her visit and he was very impressed with her early walking skills. She also gave him big smiles and reached for him, which he also liked.

For Nine Months, Meg is weighing in at 19 pounds (50th percentile) and measuring 28 inches (55th percentile). I always forget the head measurement, but it is 25th percentile. She also had a pretty good ear infection in her right ear, most likely from the 4 top teeth that are threatening to pop in any day now.

Meg is taking independent steps here and there. I caught her walking from our couch to the kitchen table the other day while I was cooking! She still prefers speed crawling, but I don't think it will be too much longer before she is toddling around everywhere.

Baby Meg is such a happy, smiley baby and so much fun! It is rare these days for her to be fussy (unless she is sick!) and I love picking her out of her crib in the morning and getting a huge smile from her!

She is just barely starting to mimic some words. She tries to say JD and Uh Oh and we have definitely heard lots of Mama and Dada.

Meg sleeps 12-13 hours at night and 2-3 hours of naps during the day. What a massive improvement from 3 months!!

We are going to have to bypass third foods with her because she doesn't like the textures of chunks and smooth. But she likes table foods just fine and would eat the whole bowl of mommy's zucchini and onions if I would let her. She also likes steamed asparagus and green beans and carrots and has tried chicken, salmon and spaghetti and meatballs. Of course, she loves puffs and yogurt melts and cheerios.

We are making some progress with the sippy cup. We have tried several brands without too much interest. What is funny is that her favorite one is the "Take and Toss" brand that we use for JD's juice in the morning. Too bad they don't travel well with liquids in them.

Meg LOVES the Wiggles, just like her big brother did. Thank goodness we switched to AT&T where we get the old Wiggles shows (pre-Sam for those who are into the Wiggles). She will stand up and bounce and shake to the songs. Too cute!

JD loves his "sitster" and is learning how to play without hurting her. He actually asked me if she could come outside to play with him the other day!

Margaret Sue is such a sweetheart and we love her very much! I can't wait to see how things progress in the next couple of months!

Sick and Tired

2010-10-14T15:11:00.002-05:00

Do you remember hearing your mom say to you "I am sick and tired of this mess or your attitude or...(fill in the blank)!"??

Well, since I am a mom, I feel like I have earned the right to use that statement - at least once a year. And since we are heading rapidly to the end of the year, I am cashing in this card.

I am sick and tired of my kids...being SICK AND TIRED!!

We have had a rough week of illness at the Boyd household. It started with JD and Jon getting a violent stomach bug on Saturday morning, complete with all the nastiness that you can imagine around that. Three year olds just aren't capable of making that split second decision of dashing to the bathroom when you get that feeling or just laying in bed to see if it passes. They ALWAYS pick laying in bed.

So I spent Saturday and Sunday cleaning and caring for my boys. Meg and I remained pretty well throughout most of it. (Meg has 4 teeth coming in and had her own brand of misery though).

Monday comes along and we try to go to the Arboretum with my family. Not a great idea. We left after an hour and a half with one pale faced little boy and screaming tired and teething baby girl. Everybody is sick and tired (including me who is just weary and needing some good rest!).

Then comes Round Two of the stomach bug - The Big D. JD has had this issue now since Tuesday afternoon. Again - potty-training three year olds just aren't equipped to deal with the runs. Poor guy. Our washing machine is still getting a workout.

And yes, I called the doctor's office (who hasn't called me back), but I'm pretty convinced that this is a brand of rotavirus or something equally as horrific. And there is nothing you can do for a virus, but give them fluids and pray. So I have been doing a lot of that today.

I'm especially praying that Meg is spared this terrible illness because I don't want to do this all over again next week with a 9 month old. Plus we found out yesterday that she has an ear infection and that is bad enough for my pain intolerant little girl.

Anyone know any good ideas of what to do with bananas and bread (the only two things I am giving JD today)?

Perfectly Imperfect at the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-10T12:31:00.003-05:00

We went up to our first pumpkin patch expedition for the year. On the plus side, JD was the perfect age for feeding the animals, enjoying a tractor ride and picking out his very own pumpkin.

But it was VERY difficult to take pictures of him and get him to look at the camera or even in my direction for most of the day. He was so interested in everything around him, but oh well, here are the best pictures of the bunch!

JD with his buddies Margaret and Bree. They all really liked feeding the animals, but got pretty upset when the animals took the feed cups away from them.
JD on the hayride with Meg. Almost impossible to get a good picture of a 3 year old and a 9 month old without help!

JD picked out his pumpkin.

He wasn't sure though and looked some more in the patch.

Neither child was interested in looking at me, but I love this picture anyway! Tractor in the background, pumpkin patch and pumpkins and my two punkin heads right in the middle!

Baby Steps

2010-10-01T09:30:00.002-05:00

Meg has been working on 1-2 steps independently for a couple of weeks now. Yesterday, she ventured out a bit further.

Just like her brother, she needed a little incentive and the remote control was enough to do it. We almost have ourselves a little walker!!

Pay no attention to the mom who was still wearing her morning workout clothes...

Five Question Friday

2010-09-24T10:47:00.003-05:00

Please join by copying questions into your own blog and linking up!

1. If you could speak with a different accent, what would it be (ie Australian, Scottish)?

2. Can you fall asleep anywhere? (ie floor, couch, deck)?

3. Do you use public restrooms? If so, do you sit on the toilet?

4. If you were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, what celebrity would you most want to be stuck with?

5. Where did you & your significant other go on your 1st date?
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1. I love Scottish accents because I love Scotland and the people. They seem to be so friendly and easy-going to be around. I would love to have a nice thick brogue!

2. When I was living in Europe and frequently train traveling, I learned how to fall asleep just about anywhere - on a very crowded train car seat in the hallway, in a train station when all the hotels and hostels were closed for the night, sitting at the bus station and waiting for our bus to arrive...I haven't lost this skill, but I haven't been able to use it for awhile since it seems I always need to be awake with my kids!

3. I do use public restrooms because I can't hold it forever. But I heavily line the toilet seats with toilet paper. This helps me in a few ways:

I pretend like the toilet paper is a special force field that will protect my backside
I never accidentally sit in someone else's squat-gone-wrong because I see it when I line with paper
I never get in a situation where I have gone and there is no toilet paper "spare a square" problem. I only choose stalls with lots of paper.

4. I'm not sure which celebrity because I think I would want a good conversationalist with a sense of humor and someone who doesn't embarass easily or that I wouldn't be embarassed in front of - after all, 24 hours is a LONG time and it seems like some bodily functions would most likely need to occur. Maybe someone like Patricia Heaton? She seems funny and down to earth.

5. On our first outing, we went with my sister and her husband to Houston's and then back to their house to play Phase 10.

On our first "alone" date, he took me on his catamaran on the lake (where I fell in fully clothed) and then we got cleaned up and he took me out to a now-closed restaurant, where we talked until the restaurant turned its lights out! Great first date!

Playtime at Our House

2010-09-22T16:48:00.004-05:00

I love watching my kids play. It is amazing to me how their minds work and create entertainment and interest around objects and observation.

Meg would rather play with any of JD's toys than hers. This causes no end of frustration for JD.

But how can you say no to a face like this??

JD is going through a major "Toy Story" phase right now. He switches between Buzz Lightyear and "Booty" (Woody) daily.

He comes up with whole dialogues and scenes with his little guys. I love eavesdropping on his play scenes.

Meg can often be found in this corner of the room, digging through the book basket and flipping through pages.

And of course, my little girl loves to finish off her day playing in mommy's big bathtub with the cups!

Going, Going, Gone!

2010-09-20T13:16:00.005-05:00

It is amazing how quick this year is flying by!

Meg just celebrated 9 months this past weekend! We took the kids out to a park near our house for some pictures (that were technically for Baby Meg's 8 month pictures) in some very humid and sticky weather. This is why Mommy and Daddy aren't featured - we were dripping in sweat!

This little girl will be ONE in just a few short months!!

And this handsome boy is just two blinks away from turning FOUR! (Okay, so it is actually more like 7 months, but still!)

My kiddos are just my most favorite two little monkeys in the whole world and I wouldn't trade them for anything! They just brighten my day with their smiles and hugs and cuddles.

Stairway to Heaven?

2010-09-12T20:17:00.003-05:00

Hmm...I wasn't ready for this benchmark yet in my young daughter's life. I should have known it was coming.

Meg loves the stairs. Scary!

I have a baby gate, but JD goes up and down all day to his room, so it is tough to keep it closed all the time.

So far, I have caught her by the first or second stair, but we followed her up one time last night to see if she could do it.

And she can!

Now we need to start working on the backwards crawl to get her down the stairs safely!!

First Day of Preschool!

2010-08-30T19:41:00.007-05:00

JD started preschool today with much anticipation and excitement (mostly from me). We got used to the Mother's Day Out schedule in the spring and I really missed it over the summer! Plus I know that JD has lots more fun with kids closer to his own age (as evidenced by all the fun he has at playdates and playing with his cousins).

To get ready for school today, JD helped me to fix his lunch: turkey & cheese sandwich in his new Toy Story sandwich box, wash the grapes and put them in a Toy Story baggie, add some Toy Story fruit snacks and a cheese stick with a bottle of water (yes, my kid loves TS right now).

We also labeled everything and laid out his extra clothes for his backpack and his clothes for school today, complete with new, really fast shoes from Grandma!

Last Thursday, we met JD's teacher Ms. Otelia and some of the other kids that would be in his class and JD loved the playground and toys in the classroom. He also recognized his name right off to post on the door.

So JD really wasn't too upset about the prospect of playing with new friends with his nice teacher and eating his yummy lunch this morning.

I tried to get some pictures at school, but he was too excited about getting in the building to give me much of a smile.

He went right away to the other boys and started to play with the construction trucks set out. Whew! No clinging, tears or anything. Just a "see ya later mommy" and a "I love you too."

I spent some time with the Megster, who just chuckled and giggled all morning! I think she liked having her mama all to herself for a bit! We also met up with Daddy for lunch - what a treat!

When I picked JD up, he was so excited to tell me about making a new friend (Aiden) and a new song that he learned (Where is Thumbkin- not so new, but apparently this is the first he has remembered it). Just when I was about to breathe a sigh of relief that this year is going to go smoothly, I received a letter from the director that our teacher is leaving (tomorrow) to start at Wylie ISD. We will have a substitute teacher until they find the right person to take Ms. Otelia's place. Oh man!

So we will hold our breath until we meet our next teacher and hope for the best!!

Moving and Shaking

2010-08-23T08:37:00.003-05:00

Meg is now an eight month old busy girl, crawling and cruising everywhere she goes. She mastered crawling about 2 weeks ago and almost immediately decided that she wanted to be upright and walking.

I caught her mid-crawl in this picture.

Meg has also mastered dumping her toys all over the floor to get to the one she wants.

And she is pretty proud of herself too!

5 Question Friday

2010-08-20T17:04:00.003-05:00

My friend Brooke posted this with a challenge to do the same, so here goes:

1. Do you have any nicknames and if so, how did it come about?
My obvious nickname is Mandy (from Amanda), but the other one is Mando. This came from my years as a Berkner High School Bandelero (Bando). So in high school I was Mando the Bando. Mando stuck with my family members and a few others.

2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings?
I am the dreaded "middle child" with none of the middle child hangups - ha ha (I'm sure they would disagree)! I have an older sister (by 3 years) and a younger brother (by 4 years). I love being a middle child and think it is the best place to be - not the Type A "anal" perfectionist first sibling and not the "spoiled baby" of the family (not that my siblings are either of those things - ha ha). Just perfect! :)

3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?
Sean Connery in his younger James Bond years because my husband has the Scottish accent perfected.

4. What is currently your favorite song?
Hmmm...that is a tough one since I listen to kids' songs the most these days. I'm a huge Backyardigans fan - love "Robot Rampage" or "Pirate Says Arggh."

5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?
Sort of. We (by we, I mean me) are hoping to get a new couch next year. It is becoming a desperate situation since ours is falling apart and looks disgusting after 2 kids have attacked it.

Just Beachy Keen

2010-08-15T17:32:00.009-05:00

We went on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Palm Beach, Florida last week with Jon's cousin Jeremy and wife Lindsey and their kids Izzy (almost 3) and Chloe (10 days younger than Meg).

We stayed at The Breakers, a beautiful hotel resort right on the beach. We had some rain, but also some really hot and pretty sunshine! They had some great pools that we enjoyed, as well as the beach. JD really got into swimming this time and would stick his face under water for extended periods of time (long enough to smile and wave at you)! The kids got along so well and really loved on each other. It was really cute.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week:

Airplane ride - VERY exciting for my little boy!!

Izzy enjoying a fruity beverage by the pool!

Meg got ridiculously hot, so the babies spent a lot of time in the diapers to stay cool. I think they had fun anyway!

My boys on the beach! JD loved "surfing" on his very own boogie board.

Meg and Chloe were so cute together!

My little ham! She got quite the reaction from the older ladies at the hotel in this hat.

My boy was tuckered out every night when his head hit the pillow. He fell asleep here with all the lights on, tv going and baby sister crying!

What a fun week! We loved spending time with Jeremy and Lindsey and the kids and can't wait to do it again soon!!

No Hair For My Hairbrush

2010-07-30T17:47:00.004-05:00

My favorite Veggie Tales song is The Hairbrush Song with Larry. I love the part when they sing "Why do you need a hairbrush? You don't have any hair!"

Well, we decided that it was time for JD to get his first buzz cut today. Of course, when I was selling the idea to JD, it was convenient that he thought I meant a Buzz Lightyear cut. I also sold him on the idea of not having to brush his hair since he wouldn't have much hair (he hates getting his hair brushed).

But he was pretty shocked when the hairstylist did this...

JD was actually a little stunned by the whole ordeal and wouldn't talk until we got to the car. Then he asked, "Could I have it back?" Then he asked "Where is my hair?"

Then we met up with Daddy at the grocery store and he kind of forgot about it for awhile. Then we got in car and it was "Let's go get my hair."

But when Uncle Josh came over, it was all better. After all, who wouldn't want to look like their cool uncle??

Just Bee-Cause She is Cute

2010-07-24T11:46:00.004-05:00

I had some additional "bee" photos of Meg that were just too cute not to put somewhere, but my previous bee post was getting a little crowded with all the photos.

So here is Megster in all her 6 month glory. I love my ba"bee" girl!!

Thirty-Something and Thankful

2010-07-21T09:10:00.010-05:00

It is that time again. I know it comes every year, shortly after our anniversary. It sneaks up on me like a thief in the night, ready to steal away another year. My birthday.

Officially, I have stopped counting birthdays after I turned 25. But I have to say that most of the best things that have happened to me have happened AFTER I turned 25. My favorite post-25 milestones:

I met my husband and got engaged shortly after my 26th birthday

I married my wonderful husband shortly before my 27th birthday

I got a career-making promotion and went to France with my sweetheart before my 28th birthday

I went to Italy with my sweet husband after my 28th birthday

I moved to Asia (for 3 months) right after my 29th birthday

I found out I was pregnant with my son ON my 30th birthday (literally on the day)

Of course I gave birth to my sweet boy before my 31st birthday

This was followed shortly by getting pregnant with my precious daughter before my 33rd birthday and then getting to meet her 9 months later

So I have had a pretty great life after my 25th birthday, even if I won't admit that I ever advanced in age...except I just did on my blog!!

I am excited about seeing what great things happen after this birthday too!

I Can't Bee-lieve It!

2010-07-14T15:21:00.013-05:00

This part of the Colorado trip post is dedicated to celebrating 7 wonderful years of marriage to best husband a girl could ever want.

We went back to the Broadmoor, where we have spent all but one of our anniversaries. Since this is where we got married, we always like to come back again and again. The hotel is all about the letter 'B' for Broadmoor, but we like to pretend it is for 'Boyd' instead. They also have a kids' club called the Bee Club and an old English pub called The Golden Bee. So it really is about b's and bees!

We brought the kids to the hotel on the Fourth of July to swim and take naps before the big fireworks show that evening.

After JD and Jon went swimming and we all napped, we went out to Mamaw and Papaw's house for hamburgers and fireworks! For some reason, we didn't take any pictures at all of the evening, but JD was totally enthralled with the fireworks. He would comment about every one and started singing Twinkle Twinkle for the fireworks that would "drip down the sky." I loved watching him enjoy it!

We left the kids with Jon's parents so we could enjoy July 5th (our actual anniversary) at the hotel. And man, did we ever enjoy it! We slept in for the first time in at least 9 months (and by sleep in, I mean past 6:30 am!). And we enjoyed the pool for most of the morning and early afternoon. Then I shopped around for a bit before we got ready for dinner. We had a lovely chef's tasting dinner at one of the restaurants (even if the one we wanted wasn't open) and just enjoyed remembering our wedding day and other anniversaries. And the only things that seemed slightly "itchy" were the mosquito bites we had from earlier in the trip!

After the Broadmoor, it was back to the cabin until Wednesday. Jon and JD met up with his family for the annual fishing trip. Meg and I decided to stay home for this one.

JD wasn't too sure about touching fish this year, but I think he had a pretty good time!

After all the fishing, we had the entire Boyd family and some of our neighbors up for a fish fry (courtesy of Mamaw!) and some barbecue at the cabin.

Margaret and her Great Grandma Margaret - both beautiful ladies!

To wrap up our trip to Colorado, we took JD on a train ride in Leadville. This is also becoming an annual tradition, since we did it last year when JD was two and also when he was one. Very exciting!!

Another amazing summer in Colorado!! And I can't wait to do it again next year!

Rocky Mountain High

2010-07-12T20:16:00.019-05:00

We had a GREAT trip to Colorado over the past two weeks! Such an improvement over the last trip where everyone was very sick for most of the time.

The first week we hung out at the cabin, our little home away from home, with my family.

Beautiful weather and cool temperatures! We had highs in the 60s most days!

On one of the first days, we managed to take a day trip into Denver for some shopping. There was a bungee jump that all the kids wanted to do, including JD.

But after a long day of shopping, playing and jumping, all the kids were pooped. I just LOVE this picture!

We also visited the Royal Gorge Bridge, which is not recommended for those with a fear of heights!

As you can tell by the last picture, it was very windy that day up on the bridge. The suspension bridge was swaying back and forth, which was a little nervewracking and I'm not even scared of heights!!

There were plenty of activities for the kids so we made a day of it.

Back at the cabin, there was marshmallow roasting...

...swinging on the back porch

and lots of long nature walks and rides on the ATV around the house.

We also had a day at the hot springs at Mt Princeton...not too many pics because we were too busy swimming!! Lots of fun!

Coming up tomorrow...
7 Year Itch? How Colorado can take the "sting" out of any trip!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T07:27:00.003-05:00

I surprised Jon with portraits of the kids for Father's Day today. We had quite the ordeal getting the pictures done, but it was worth it! Two kids are twice as difficult!!

Oh Brother!

2010-06-18T13:05:00.004-05:00

JD and Meg have quite the sibling dynamic going on right now. JD wants to play with her so badly!

JD is putting "donuts" on her hands and feet. Not sure what Meg thought about that one.

But usually when he does play with her, she ends up crying. JD is still pretty rough with her. I was able to capture a few times that they played together without the tears!

And when JD isn't messing with her and just playing, Meg just gazes at him with such a sweet adoring look. She really loves her big brother! (Either that or she is just keeping her eye on him to make sure he isn't going to give her a "love tap!")

Pool School

2010-06-17T14:25:00.006-05:00

We enrolled JD in the Minnows class at the local natatorium for the past couple of weeks. He definitely learned a few new skills and is a lot more confident in the water.

We figured out also that JD is a fast learner and gets bored really fast in group dynamics. So everyone at the pool knew his name by the end of the two weeks because the teenaged teachers were always saying "JD come back here. Don't go over there JD. Pay attention JD." On his skill sheet at the end of the session, it says in the comments section "Listen up bud!" Ha ha! If they only knew that this is the ongoing theme in our household!

The teachers always had JD jump off the side first because they knew that he loved it and would encourage the other kids to do it too.

JD loved jumping in, putting his face in the water and blowing bubbles. Definitely not timid in the water! He learned how to scoop his hands while swimming, kick on his belly and back, how to float on his back (with help) and walk in the water (bobbing).

If the kids were good during class, then they got to go down the water slide at the end. This was definitely JD's favorite part.

I was also really impressed that they taught the kids how to lay in the water in a life jacket. Since we go on boats occasionally with JD (in a life jacket), this could be a life-saving technique.

Baby Meg and I had fun too during class, while we waited for JD to finish. She'll get to swim soon enough!

Although JD is not swim-trained yet, the lessons definitely gave him a deeper love of swimming in the pool and gave him some great skills for us to work on with him. We can't wait for Grandma's pool to be finished soon to try it all out!

Trouble with Two

2010-06-14T12:11:00.006-05:00

It is definitely true that the second child doesn't get quite the same undivided attention that the first one gets.

With JD, I had a schedule for everything that he did - eating, sleeping, pooping. And I did everything on schedule for him - monthly pictures, doctor visits, etc. I stressed about making sure that he sat up on schedule, got his teeth on schedule, rolled over on schedule, crawled, cruised, walked on schedule. Because he got all my undivided attention. Poor kid.

Now with Baby Meg, she sleeps when she gets around to it, eats on the road to pick up JD from various activities, poops when she wants to (or doesn't want to as the case may be). And I have already admitted to being terrible on the monthly pictures for my sweet girl. At least we have pictures from each month, just not necessarily posed and pretty. And with all of this lack of attention, we neglected to get her 4 month shots on time. Whoops!

So Miss Meg went in today for her 6 month appointment and her 4 month shots! Oh well. She is doing great by the doctor's assessment - weighs 15 lbs 15 oz (50th percentile). I forgot to have the nurse write down her length so I will have to get that later today, but it was 55th percentile. And her little head is 30th percentile.

Meg gave the doctor lots of her trademark smiles and showed off how strong she is. JD interrupted a few times to tell the doctor about his Dragon Lightning McQueen car. (I think he was trying to distract him from giving his little sister shots.)

Poor Baby Meg did not like the shots (who does?) and cried hysterically for awhile. And she promptly passed out in the car as soon as we got in.

JD was just glad it wasn't his turn! And now we have to come back in 6 weeks for Meg's 6 month shots, since we couldn't get them today too. I'm putting it on the calendar today so I don't forget!

Rolling Over and Ready for Spanish Class

2010-06-09T14:56:00.003-05:00

This is actually old video from about a month ago, but I came across it and wanted to "remember" when Meg started rolling over (right around 4 months).

Here is her first roll over -

Since I use this blog as kind of a living journal of my life with the kiddos, I also like to remember their little idiosyncrasies.

Meg has been making a sort of trilling noise when she talks or even more, when she cries! She mainly does it when she's REALLY tired and crying, but we all think it is kind of funny. I think she will be a natural when it comes to pronunciation in foreign languages!

Happy Trilling -

Upset/Tired Trilling -

To be honest, I think they are both pretty cute!!

Just Too Funny

2010-06-03T16:26:00.003-05:00

My little girl couldn't get enough laughing today! She chuckled for nearly an hour today at anything and everything.

I finally had to get some video because it was cracking me up! It is a little lengthy, but wait for the surprise ending!

We continued our fun in the Johnny Jump Up, and she continued to just chuckle at herself.

I love hearing her laugh!!

Remembering Our Memorial Day

2010-06-01T12:14:00.004-05:00

We had a great Memorial Day with our little family!

We started off with some brother/sister playtime in the morning. JD is just fascinated with his "living doll" sister. He wants to poke her eyes or pull & twist her arms and shake her legs because he wants to see what will happen! So far, Meg is still just enraptured with her big brother, but I'm thinking our little girl will be able to defend herself pretty soon!

We went over to our friend Jordan's house around noon for a "Day of the Goat" cookout. Jordan cooked goat over an open fire, as well as some chicken and we had some great tacos! It was fun to visit with everyone and eat some great food!

In the evening, we went to a park near our house where they were holding a Memorial Day event. The Allen Philharmonic was playing some patriotic music for us and they honored all of the men and women in service.

They ended with some fireworks - which JD loved!

What a great memory!!

First of the Summer

2010-05-29T09:25:00.003-05:00

It is just starting to hit the steamy season here in Dallas. So we are already scoping out things to do to stay cool.

Last week, we had a playdate at the new fountains in a shopping complex near our house. The kids loved it! And the adults had a shady spot to sit and watch the kiddos!

JD and Maddox splashing around the fountains.

Margaret and Maddox enjoying purple ice cream cones from the Purple Cow. JD decided that he didn't like ice cream that day, so he didn't want any.

This morning, Jon and JD played in the backyard while it was still cool and then moved to the front for a little yard work.

It is only May 29th and it is already in the mid-90's every day. I think we are in for a hot, hot summer!!

My Future as an Artist

2010-05-24T09:20:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure that I will ever make a living as a painter, but I sure had fun on Saturday night!

One of the girls that I used to do Baby Boot Camp with invited me to a fun girls' night out on Saturday to paint my first masterpiece! We went to Painting with a Twist where we learned how to copy Monet's Wild Poppies.

We really had a great time with a bunch of girls, some yummy food and a lot of paint!

Erin, our hostess, made this beautiful cake that had the painting that we almost picked to paint. She also made our aprons! She is amazing!

I'm not even going to show you the original Monet painting that these are supposed to look like. I prefer to think that we all created new interpretations of the original!

Two New Cousins for JD & Meg!

2010-05-22T16:27:00.005-05:00

We have had two recent additions to the Boyd clan in recent weeks. Jon's sister Sarah and husband Joel brought Miss Grace Elaine into the world on Mother's Day (May 9), weighing 8 lbs and 20 inches long.Proud big brother Jackson isn't quite sure what to make of this new addition!! We can't wait to meet our newest niece!

Then yesterday, Jon's brother Dan and wife Heather brought Dane Oliver into the world, weighing 6 lbs 7 oz and 18.5 inches long!

We did get to stop in yesterday afternoon to visit, but Dane was a little preoccupied getting lots of attention from the nursery nurses! So we came back today so we could get a little snuggle time with our new nephew.

He really does look a lot like his big sister Kenna, but definitely a more masculine version. He has big "paws" that he will definitely be growing into and a sweet little head of hair. I even got to change a diaper while Jon and JD took Dan out for a bite to eat. Such a sweetie!

JD loves all things baby right now, so he wanted to give Dane a kiss and a "tater" before we left.

I know JD and Meg are going to love playing with these new cousins!!

Sittin' Pretty

2010-05-11T09:48:00.003-05:00

Meg learned how to sit up by herself this past week! It was just amazing because when we did her 4 month old photo session, she really couldn't sit up at all. Then by the following Tuesday, she turned pro! Kids are just incredible when it comes to their capacity to learn new skills!

She is still wanting a hand in this one.

The trusty rings make a good balancing stick.

Look Mama! No hands!
Ta da! I am a pro!

Four Month Photo Session

2010-05-07T21:55:00.003-05:00

I have been just terrible about the monthly photo shoots with Baby Meg!! It doesn't help that my favorite around-the-corner, print-while-you-wait kids' photo studio (Kiddie Kandids) went out of business right before Meg was born.

Well, anyway, Jon did a great job of capturing Meg in all of her 4 month old glory! She wasn't her normal smiley self, but I just love these pictures.

And we got a beautiful brother/sister picture! What a loving big brother!

Nevermind that it took us 325 shots to get those three...

JD's Sunny, Funny Face

2010-05-06T12:41:00.004-05:00

JD is cracking us up these days with his silly faces for the camera. Jon had JD pose to test the light before we took some baby pictures of Meg. JD decided it was an opportunity to ham it up! I just love my funny little guy!

Surprise Trip to Nashville

2010-04-27T21:32:00.005-05:00

Jon, Meg and I took a trip to Nashville, Tennessee this past weekend to surprise Jon's cousin Jeremy for his birthday.

His wife Lindsey had planned this great surprise weekend and invited us to come up! Meg and I flew up and met Jon (who was flying in from Indiana where he was at a conference). I didn't have the most enjoyable flight experience since I had to hold Meg for the 3 hours and she didn't want to be held.

But we arrived in Tennesse at Jeremy and Lindsey's house minutes ahead of Jeremy and got to surprise him! So fun! Jeremy's sister Melissa and husband Jason and their son Hamilton came too!

On Saturday, it was pouring rain so we headed over to the Opryland Mills mall to walk around with the kids. We found some fun things to do.

On Saturday evening, it stopped raining long enough for us to get in the limo that Lindsey had arranged. Some other family friends were already inside.

We went to a favorite restaurant of Jeremy's called Cabana's and had some really delicious food!

Afterward, we went to BB King's to listen to some live music. It was a very good band!!

We also enjoyed some time together on Sunday. Chloe and Meg were making each other laugh. Too funny!

It was such a great weekend!!

JD had a great time at his grandparent's house with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Josh and Aunt Mercy. I hear they ran and ran and had all sorts of outdoor fun! What a blessing that JD can spend such quality time with his grandparents in such a wonderful setting!

For Sale

2010-04-22T13:07:00.004-05:00

Inspired by the Shel Silverstein poem "For Sale"

One sister for sale!
One sister for sale!

One crying and spying young sister for sale!

I'm really not kidding,

So who'll start the bidding?

Do I hear a dollar?

A nickel?

A penny?

Oh, isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any

One kid that will buy this old sister for sale,

This crying and spying young sister for sale?

I'm a Big Kid Now!

2010-04-19T07:46:00.003-05:00

My little boy is becoming a big boy faster than I would like to admit!

Look how sweet he is with his little sister...

And he tried ice skating for the first time and never got upset about falling down (over and over again)!

By the end of the hour, he was getting a little bit more balanced on his feet and was skating from his dad to Uncle Nathan.

I think JD's daddy really wants JD to be good at skating so he can play hockey! I'm not sure I'm ready for him to grow up that fast!!

Out of Order

2010-04-15T16:05:00.002-05:00

I'm just getting around to posting this because I forgot about it with all of our family's recent illnesses.

But I came across this video today that just made me laugh again.

As I posted previously, JD got to ski once during Spring Break for the first time before he became very ill. He really enjoyed it, which is why we hung on in Colorado as long as we could before we gave up and came home. We kept hoping JD would feel better so he could go skiing again!

Jon shot this video, while giving JD his very first lesson.

At least we know he will enjoy it next time!!

It's a Workout!

2010-04-14T16:49:00.005-05:00

We introduced Meg to the exciting world of the Exersaucer this week. I think she is a fan!

Blast from the past - here is JD at about the same age (4 months) when we introduced the Exersaucer... (any resemblance??)

Of course, it is a good workout and after about 20 minutes, Miss Meg let us know it is time for a nap.

Kenna's Wiggly Party!

2010-04-10T17:05:00.006-05:00

Our niece Kenna celebrated her 2nd birthday at the Wiggly Playcenter in Frisco today. We decided that JD is just about the perfect age to have a blast at the Wiggly Playcenter. He LOVED all of the bounce houses and slides and couldn't be bothered for a picture (all of the pictures we got of him playing are just a blur).

He did enjoy some pizza at the party, but didn't really want to sit still too long to eat much of it! He was ready to play, play, play!

Baby Meg hung out with me and Grandma for most of the time. She is just getting introduced to the world of Wiggles!

Meg also met Heather's newest nephew Anson and they spent some quality booth time together.

Kenna enjoyed blowing out her birthday cake candle, but needed her cousins Abbye and JD to help out too!

After the festivities, JD and Meg were both pretty bushed. They each took a 3 1/2 hour nap (and I got an hour!). Meg was all cuddled in the swing with her blankie. Too cute!

3 Months & 3 Year Check Up

2010-04-09T13:07:00.003-05:00

We combined JD and Meg's check ups into one this time. It seemed more efficient that way. Unfortunately, I have been to the doctor 3 times in the past two weeks for Jon and JD, since both have been sick. So much for efficiency!

Here's how the kids stacked up:

Meg is weighing 12.5 pounds and measuring 24 inches. That puts her at the 50th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. Not too shabby!

JD is weighing 34 pounds and measuring 39 inches. That puts him at the 75th percentile for both! It is amazing that he is that high on the weight percentile because he always looks so skinny to me. I can see his ribs poking out! It makes me wonder what the boys at the 25th percentile look like!

Both kids are developmentally right on track, but we did get some tips on getting Meg to sleep longer at night and getting JD totally potty trained (since he is still in pull ups).

It was so nice to visit the doctor today and have both kids leave smiling and happy (no shots!).

Anatomy of a 3 Year Old's Birthday Party

2010-04-04T21:17:00.008-05:00

First: Create a custom-looking invitation with a famous image (Thomas the Tank)

Second: Get food that appeals to both youngsters and their parents (Chips/Dips; Quesadillas; Pretzels; Fruit)

Third: Come up with a low-budget activity that will entertain the kiddos without much adult interaction/directions (Thank you Ryan & Cara)

Fourth: Figure out some decorations to create some atmosphere

Fourth: Get a cake that uses aforementioned famous image that still looks presentable, but won't break the bank

Fifth: Have a ball!!!

Final Step: Create some thank you cards to thank all of the wonderful family who made JD's birthday so wonderful!

First Day as a 3 Year Old

2010-04-03T21:20:00.005-05:00

What a big day for my big boy!

We started off with JD's requested breakfast: Lucky Charms, Blueberry Muffins and Orange Juice. He also got to watch a new Mickey Mouse Easter special while he ate. What a treat!

After breakfast, JD played trains for a bit while I fed Baby Meg, then JD, Meg and I all got ready to go to the "train park" in a shopping complex near our house.

We picked up Chick-Fil-A (JD requested chicken & fries with ketchup) and ate outdoors. It was only slightly marred by a skinned knee right before we got to the table.

JD loved playing in the little houses and buildings, but especially liked the red caboose at the park. He also played in the garden maze that was set up.

After the park, we took a trip to Toys R Us, where JD was crowned a birthday king and given a balloon. They even wished him a happy birthday over the PA system.

He picked out a "Rescue Mater" toy and a new Mickey Mouse cup as his birthday present for the day.

By then, both kids were pretty tired and Meg was starving, so we had a chorus of screaming & crying kids in the backseat. I couldn't help but laugh and JD kept saying "It's not funny Mommy!" That's my three year old!

After everybody took a nap, JD, Meg and I went to Spaghetti Warehouse with my mom and Ken so that JD could eat on the train (trolley) in the restaurant. He LOVED it and the spaghetti and meatballs! The waiters sang happy birthday for him (which embarrassed him - he covered his face with his hands and blushed!) and brought him some ice cream.

We finished off the day playing with his new Rescue Mater toy. What a great third birthday!

Happy 3rd Birthday JD!

2010-04-02T16:31:00.011-05:00

I want to wish my son the happiest of third birthdays today! It is amazing to me to see how much he has grown and changed in only 3 years.

Jonathan Douglas has a passion for living and energy that outlasts the Energizer Bunny! He can run forever and can play at the park for as long as you will let him. He loves trains and cars (with a specific love for Thomas the Tank and Pixar Cars) and can spend hours playing and putting them in different situations.

JD's favorite foods are chicken strips and french fries (chicken fries), pepperoni pizza, spaghetti & meatballs (sfeggi), Lucky Charms (cereal with the abc's and colors), pretzels, fruit snacks (candies), grapes and strawberries.

His favorite movies are Cars, Up, Polar Express, Peter Pan and various Thomas DVDs (they show multiple episodes). TV shows are Dora, Max & Ruby, Thomas and Backyardigans.

I love to hear JD pray at night - "Thank You Jesus for..." and I love to hear him sing songs when he thinks I'm not listening.

He loves his baby sister (even if he likes to scare her with a dinosaur roar every once in awhile) and he loves his uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents. He remembers EVERYTHING about his visits with them and always tells me stories about what happened ("Last time I was at Aunt Dara's, I had a big blow out in the bed and played GeoTracks with EmmaLelly").

He is soooo close to being potty trained, but just not quite there yet. JD strangely also has no interest in getting himself dressed or undressed yet, even though he is so independent in all other ways. (Maybe he just likes the personalized attention from mommy)

JD still will ask to "cuddle with my mommy" and I know there will be a time where he won't want to.

I love my big, handsome boy and am so proud of his loving, energetic spirit! Happy Birthday JD!

Early Easter Excitement

2010-03-31T13:42:00.005-05:00

We have been celebrating Easter for the past few weeks around here. I guess you could say it is just enjoying the spring weather, but we have attended some Easter activities too.

Last week, Meg and I went to the Arboretum while JD was at school. We met up with some of our playgroup friends and enjoyed the beautiful temperatures (2 days after a massive snowfall here).

Meg enjoyed most of it from the safety of her stroller...

But I did utilize the Arboretum's photographer to get a great picture of Meg and a bunny rabbit.

Then on Monday, we went to our friend Tricia's house for an Easter egg hunt. JD figured it out pretty quickly this year and went egg crazy! He even went after the babies' eggs in their baskets (which he begrudgingly put back).

Today was lunch with the Easter bunny! He had a great time and wasn't a bit nervous around the bunny - in fact he was the first one on his lap (JD - we do not butt in front of others in line).

We are hoping to take another trip to the Arboretum with JD and Meg before the real Easter festivities on Sunday! We heart springtime!!

Visit with Mamaw & Papaw

2010-03-29T18:42:00.002-05:00

Jon's grandparents came in to visit last week, so we took a special trip to spend some time with them.

Jon's grandmother is one of Meg's namesakes (Margaret), so it was extra special to get a picture of Meg with her great-grandmother.

Of course, JD just loves Papaw and Mamaw, so it wasn't too hard to convince him to take a picture with his great-grandparents.

We are already looking forward to our trip up to Colorado in July so we can visit with them some more and go on a fishing trip!

JD's Debut as Ring Bearer

2010-03-22T15:23:00.006-05:00

Right before we left for Colorado, we were so happy to participate in Jon's brother's wedding! Michael and Sarah tied the knot here in Richardson at our church. Jon was a groomsman and JD was the ring bearer.

Since I had to make sure that JD got down the aisle, I didn't get too many great shots of JD in action.

And I missed the best shot of the wedding - JD bending over to "moon" the audience. At least his pants stayed on!! :)

But Jon's cousin Melissa took some great pictures of him before and after the wedding.

And Melissa got a great family portrait for the day.

This little lady kept me busy too. It seems like she didn't get the memo that weddings are supposed to be "quiet, solemn" occasions!

I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures from the wedding! It was such a special day! Congratulations Michael and Sarah!

Colorado Firsts

2010-03-10T22:28:00.005-06:00

It is rare these days for us to have any "first times" in Colorado, since we have been going for so many years. But with a new baby and a toddler, we have found a few new firsts!

JD and Jon took a guys' road trip on their own to Colorado (with no major incidents) and had a pretty good time. So Baby Meg and I flew for her first plane ride. It went great since Southwest let me have an extra seat for her car seat. Lots of fun!

We all met up in Denver and rode out to the cabin. There is a ton of snow again, but Jon had the road plowed ahead of time, so we could get in with no issues.

Jon's cousin Jeremy and his wife Lindsey came up with us and their two girls who are very close in age to JD and Meg. We've really enjoyed our time together! The kids are figuring out that they have a love/hate relationship. They both love the same toys and hate to share! Ha ha! But they really are learning how to play well together and they are so cute with each other.

And Meg and Chloe are only 10 days apart, so it is fun to see how different and similar they are!

Today, Jon and Jeremy took JD and Izzy to ski for the very first time!! Of course, JD would rather play in the snow that ski on it right now and Izzy just wanted to eat the snow. But when the dads got them focused, they both did really well!

JD was a natural on skis!

Owl Wednesday

2010-03-03T12:06:00.005-06:00

I received this sweet romper from our friend Emily Swim this past weekend and I just loved the way it looked in Meg's nursery! So we took some pics!

And of course, big brother JD wanted in on the action!

2 Months

2010-02-27T17:24:00.002-06:00

We made it! It has been a long road, but we are finally at the two month mark. Miss Meg has definitely given us a run for our money. Apparently JD was an "easy" baby (I would have never guessed it)!

But we had a landmark night last night - she slept a whopping 6 hours in a row! This couldn't have come at a better time since I was battling a 102 degree fever yesterday.

We took her into the doctor on Thursday, who pronounced her very strong and cute! She is weighing in at 10 lbs 4 oz (30th percentile) and 22 1/2 inches long (50th percentile). When she got her shots, we discovered a whole new cry that we didn't know she had! So sad!!

She is smiling a bunch now and cooing when you talk to her. Meg likes to blow spit bubbles and enjoys classical music from her Baby Einstein MP3 player. (This sounds like a personals ad for single babies)

Miss Meg still likes to sleep a lot, but she is playing much more with us and thinks her big brother is hilarious (I have to agree on that one).

Can't wait to see how Month #3 stacks up!

Sweethearts

2010-02-15T21:51:00.005-06:00

My sweet family really treated me like a queen for Valentine's Day this year!

On Friday, Jon, JD and Meg gave me 2 dozen roses, my favorite chocolates, chocolate covered strawberries and a beautiful card! Jon also made me a delicious Pacific Northwest dinner (crab stuffed salmon, roasted red potatoes and asparagus) so we could watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics!

On Saturday, Dan and Heather watched our kiddos for us (thank you, thank you, thank you) so that we could have a date night alone (which we haven't done since before the baby was born). Jon and I went to Houston's (where we had our first date) and had a great time people watching since the All Star game was this past weekend and Houston's definitely attracted that crowd!

It was so special!! I feel so loved by my little family and I love them all to pieces!

In other news, Baby Meg is starting to play more and smile more at all of us. She is fussing a little less and sleeping a tiny bit more - we even had one night with 5 1/2 hours in a row! I'm having so much fun getting to know her a bit better!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T13:46:00.001-06:00

Snow Much Fun!

2010-02-12T13:45:00.004-06:00

I can't believe that we had almost 12 inches of snow here in Dallas over the past 24 hours! It was so fun to watch it come down in big, fat chunks!

When I woke JD up yesterday and showed him the snow, he said, "It's Colorado!" He still had school, but he got out early. After we got home, I let him play for as long as he wanted (almost an hour and a half!).

Daddy came home to play for a bit during his lunch break.

They built a snowman and JD named it "Manny." Of course, he knocked it down within 10 minutes.

He finally decided that he was done and we had some hot chocolate to warm up!

Yay for record snowfall in Dallas!

My Kind of Prayer

2010-02-11T15:22:00.003-06:00

Jon pretty much always does the bedtime tuck in with JD at nighttime. And they have their routine down!

First, they find JD's two blue blankets, blue bear and yellow bear to tuck in with him. Then he puts his water on a stool next to the bed.

Then, JD says "Thank You Jesus for...(insert all of the names, items etc that he wants to express his gratitude for on that day).

Next, Daddy has to repeat the "Thank You Jesus" prayer that JD just said.

Finally, Daddy says this prayer that is a tradition in his family from Numbers 6:24-26 in the Bible:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

JD has started to repeat this prayer with Daddy now. And last night, JD added a little something extra at the very end...

when Daddy said "and give you peace," JD added "and give me a piece of pizza!"

That's my boy!

Signs of Neglect

2010-02-04T18:07:00.002-06:00

My poor blog is showing signs of neglect lately! I have definitely had trouble finding the energy to write anything recently. Our little family keeps getting sick, added to the fun of a newborn that doesn't seem to want to get on any type of schedule. This week, JD, Meg and I have all been sick.

I discovered that I have all sorts of pictures on my camera the other day that I haven't even downloaded. But since our primary computer is having technical difficulties, I can't even post any new pictures.

In other news, we weighed Baby Meg the other night and she is now 9.5 lbs! Nowhere near what her big brother was at the same age, but gaining weight nicely anyway.

I've also started reading again, now that I have run out of all of my dvr'd tv shows. I finally read last month's book club read There's a Slight Chance I May Be Going to Hell by Laurie Donato (a good read). I also read this month's book club book Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker (can't comment until after our upcoming book club meeting). I also managed to squeeze in two more books of lighter fare - an old Danielle Steele book, called A Good Woman that my mom passed on to me (perfect for late night mindless reading) and a book that I received from my book club buddy Lauren for Christmas by the author of the Shopaholic series, Sophie Kinsella called Three for Cocktails.

There was a character in the Cocktails book that had just had a baby and I could SOOO relate to the things she was saying about feeling fat and exhausted and overwhelmed. I actually read some of the more hilarious excerpts to Jon, who agreed with me about the comparison. It does feel good to be reading again!

1 Month

2010-01-27T11:45:00.004-06:00

I can't believe Miss Meg has already been with us for a month! It is amazing how slow the time seems to be going (all of those sleepless nights) and then you blink and it is a month!

We were a little concerned about her over the past few weeks because she was taking her sweet time getting back to her birth weight (such a girl). But she seems to be doing better now and put on a pound in the past week alone!

Meg is still a sleepy little girl and doesn't give us a ton of awake time yet. But I have been blessed with a few smiles and even a chuckle when she was awake. We have started to play a little bit when she is content and seems to enjoy it when her hand accidentally bumps a toy.

JD really wants Meg to play with him, but he will settle for just playing with her toys.

We also started back to Baby Boot Camp and are enjoying some workout time! Meg has been doing great in the double stroller. She looks so cute all bundled up with just her head poking out!

I can't wait to see her developments in the next month!