Christmas Decorating & Baking

Yesterday was the day....not that it takes us long to decorate. We don't do much around here since we have a two year old boy that loves to touch things he has been told not to! We did put up some decorations around the house and of course the tree. NR and JR 'fluffing' the tree while I grabbed a quick photo. NR was actually trying to do the tree fluffing...it was cute. :)

NR helped some, but he was more interested in just bringing me the ornaments. He was funny....when asked where to put each ornament, he would answer exactly the same each time:'UP TOP!' Good thing I did not listen, or we might have had a toppled tree by the time we were done.

He found one thing he enjoyed out of all the stuff we unpacked.......

BEADS!!!

I tend to get more into baking this time of year. I opted to try a new cheesecake recipe that I got out of a magazine. We will be sampling it tomorrow night, but NR helped me prepare it tonight. If the taste test passes, I will post an after picture and give some reviews of it. :) In the meantime, here are a couple pictures of us in the kitchen together. He LOVES to help then, of course, he wants to LICK the bowl. Typical male, right?

The Verdict is in........

We had our sonogram today. We are 21 weeks into this pregnancy, and we were able to see with much confidence the result of the sonogram. We asked NR last night whether he wanted a baby brother or baby sister. His answer with no hestation was baby sister! I guess he got his wish.

Since I did not post anything about Halloween, I guess I can do a quick update on that too. NR was a skeleton for Halloween. He was so cute, and after the first house, he got the hang of it and wanted 'more candy, mama'. I don't know where he picked up the mama thing, but my name has officially transitioned from mommy to mama. I think it is cute the way he says it. Well, off to finish up some things around here.

"I love you, punkin!"

Catching up! :)

This one goes out to Shari as requested on my previous blog...... :0)

First off, I have been waiting on some pictures from my mother to post a blog, but since that apparently is not going to happen, I guess you get to see a few of NR instead!

After returning from vacation in August, we went dreadfully back to work and our normal routine. Then, I remembered that I needed to get seriously busy planning a wedding for my sister. You see she is not exactly the get things done kind of person that I can be if I have to. I like to plan, organize, etc.........SHE DOES NOT! I knew I had to step in to make my family's sanity a little easier to maintain. She did ask me to help out so I did not totally take over. :)

So a little background...my family members nor most of the people where I grew up are members of the church. A wedding to them is lots of people in a community center being catered by the local restaurant and lots of alcohol.....not my style of wedding. Thank goodness my sister did not want the typical hometown wedding either. She and I did some brainstorming prior to my vacation......she was getting married in September, but not much had happened since engagement in December. (another reason I had to step up some) She wanted an outdoor semi-country wedding. After much work and efforts to keep costs down, we had a wedding that went pretty well I might say! If I EVER get the pictures from my mother, I will post the outcome. We had haybales covered with cloth and bandanas for seating during the ceremony which was around 7 or so in the evening. Then, the dinner and dancing area had wooden chairs, mason jar candles, horseshoes, more haybales, and daisies. All in all, I think it turned out well. Only a few minor hiccups.....mostly family conflict with the MIL. She likes things her way and my sister likes things HER way. :) So up to September 20th, my weekends and nights were completely consumed with helping my sister get through this rush of planning and preparing. When all that was finally over, I needed to revive myself. Phew-after a day off work, I was half way caught back up on sleep and rest.

One other thing has been going on in our lives, but this one has to be figured out. There are two clues on my blog.....scrambled letters in this blog and an added feature. Good luck guessing!!!!!!!!

In the meantime, here are some pictures of my little boy growing up too quickly............

NR with his helicopter that daycare gave him for his birthday. NR thought he would try to climb out of his bed at daycare...he paid for that decision with this nice little ouchy on his nose.
Little I think I am a stud on daycare red day!

Now, off to bed...way later than my normal bedtime. :)

Vacation - Did it have to end already?

We went to Hot Springs, Arkansas for a week on vacation with JR's brothers and parents. We enjoyed ourselves and had plenty to keep us busy most days. We took it easy some of the time we were there. When we were not out doing vacation type stuff, we stayed cool indoors. Here is NR cheesing it up for the camera while playing.

JR's brother brought his Wii, so we played Wii Olympics to gear up for Bejing 2008. This was the 400m relay, and we were perfecting the hand-off. :)

On Monday, we went to this cool putt-putt golf course called Pirate's Cove. The course was really nice and some holes were pretty difficult. NR, of course, loved this boat being nearby that he could see.We had to split into two groups to golf since there were 7 adults and 2 little guys. This is the second group working on the 6th hole. It was bloody hot out already, and it was only around 10:30 or so in the morning.

After Pirate's Cove that morning, we went back to the condo and napped, then we got greased up and geared up for an afternoon on the lake. This is NR after we got back on safe ground. He liked the boat when it was going slow or stopped. He was not a fan of the faster speeds while pulling the tube behind. He did enjoy watching us fly off the tube though!

Tuesday was an all day event at the local amusement/water park. We started the day in the ride portion called Magic Springs and then relaxed in the water park, Crystal Falls, for the remainder of the day. It was so hot that the water was a nice way to end the day. During the water park portion, NR must have gone done one of the slides in the kid's pool area at least 40 times without getting bored with it.

JR and NR riding the spinning police car.

Grandma, me, NR, Lisa (James' girlfriend), James, and Ethan (girlfriend's son) on the carousel.

Since we were pretty drained on Tuesday night, Grandma helped with bed time by reading a book to NR. He loved having Grandma nearby to play with and give hugs and kisses. On Wednesday, we visited a local alligator farm and petting zoo. NR fed the goats and saw tiny alligators and full grown gators. I don't have any good pictures of that day, but when I get them from others on the trip, I will post a couple. NR was a little nervous being in a pen with a bunch of baby and mama goats, but he adjusted quickly when they started nibbling on his shorts pocket. He thought it was hilarious.

For Thursday's activity, we went to the Mid-America Science Museum with the kiddos. They had a blast playing with all the discovery type stuff....I think the adults enjoyed it as much as the kids did.

Learning how burps are made......lovely to teach your son right.

Learning about snot....as you can see the boys were the only ones in the picture. Enough said?
The Telsa Coil demonstration.
NR and Ethan (JR's brother's girlfriend's 3 yr old) in the gravity pit. Family shot after the museum.

In some more of our down time, everyone enjoyed being a kid again by playing in the sand.

NR also enjoyed the see saw right outside our patio door when he was not playing in the sand, feeding the ducks and geese, or watching boats come in to dock for the evening. It was a good location for having little ones to keep busy during the afternoon and evening hours. We enjoyed the time with family and away from work. Too bad it is over and back to work on Monday. :(

Where is NR? Where is NR?

Here I am! Here I am! How are you today sir? Very well, I thank you....Run away. Run away.

So we don't exactly sing this song as we play hide and seek, but it seems to fit. NR will go hide and wait for someone to come looking. When you find him, he will run to the living room and jump up on the couch or chair. He thinks this is the best game ever on most nights. Usually, he is pretty impatient; however, Sunday evening was a different story. Armed with a water bottle, he looked at daddy and ever so sweetly said, "I go hide, Daddy." JR, Uncle D, and I were watching television, and we had not completely realized he was going to hide. Normally, he will hide for less than 30 seconds and then come out. Not this time....he was in there for a little bit. When I realized he had not returned, I went looking for him. He was perfectly content 'hiding' behind the curtain in our bedrooom and drinking his water. Honestly, it might have taken me longer to find him if he had not been taking drinks and making the curtain move. It was not a hiding place he had gone before. JR and I had hid there while he was searching but never him. When he realized I was in the room looking for him, he peeked his head out. HOW CUTE IS THAT PICTURE! He amazes me everyday with how quickly he learns new things.....oh, and he repeasts EVERYTHING you say!!! :) What a fun age this is.

It is SUMMER time!!

It is officially summer in TX, and it is HOT! We will be spending a lot of time playing in the water this summer. NR loves water so much that sometimes it is very hard to pry him away from it. He would play in the water all day if we let him. Today at daycare, they had water play day with a new 'toy' that she purchased for them. It is an oversized beach ball that sprays water. NR had a blast playing with his friends in the water.
He is growing up so quickly. He loves to 'say prayers' at night before bed. If JR or myself try to start the family prayer before he has said HIS, he will stop us and say Heavenly Father and wait for us to tell him the next thing to say. So cute!! He also likes to use the phrase: "I do it mommy/daddy, I do it!" He is Mr. Independent for sure. NR also tries to tell the dog what to do, but of course she does not understand and/or listen to him when he gives a command. This causes him to be frustrated with her. :) He is so much fun right now with all the learning he is doing I can't believe in a few weeks he will be an official two year old....does not seem like it has been 2 years already. I love him very, very much and am so happy to have been blessed with him.

Well, here is another fun pic of him playing at daycare today! HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE............

Catching up.....

So we have been busy once again......NR is growing up so fast, and things change so quickly. Since the last time I posted, I have been promoted, I started helping my sister plan her wedding in September, I got a new church calling as nursery leader, and I am trying keep a good balance of everything else in life. :)

My promotion has brought a lot of stress to life, and it is more challenging than the last position I had. I was getting a little bored with my last position. This new position has quite a bit of pressure that comes along with it. I think it will slow down soon and that will make it more enjoyable. I am thankful I still have a job though since my company laid off about 10-15 people on May 1st.

NR has started really talking and repeating everything you say. He thinks he is so funny when he repeats something and you chuckle at him. He melts my heart each day, and it makes me wish I had more time to spend home with him. I was off work with him on Friday (daycare was closed and I needed a break from work), so we hung out and played and shopped for groceries. He is such a good boy and he does really well listening and doing as told. I can't complain.
My sister's wedding is only 4 months away, and we got her a dress last weekend. That was exhausting and we only went to one place. She tried on about 8 dresses and ended up getting the very first one she tried on. It was one of my 2 favorites on her, and she was beautiful in it. She has a lot of work to do still to get her wedding planning done or at least up to speed. She just wants a small, simple wedding, so we won't be overloaded with intricate details. :)

This will be my second week in nursery at church. I am hoping things are a little less chaotic this week since I 'got my feet wet' last week. I had about 8 kids excluding my own in there. We had fun but I never realized how exhausting it could be. I have lots of fun ideas for the kiddos to do for activities and things to help them learn and stay entertained while mommy and daddy go to classes. :)

Well, I have a couple new pics of NR to post since last time.......so ENJOY! I love him so much and can't imagine what it would be like without him around everyday.

Playing with his cups that he got as a gift when he was just a baby. Recently, he has learned how to play with and enjoy them.

Playing with the water hose after swimming with his friend across the alley. He loves to play in the 'pool' in the backyard. (He has one of those little kid pools you can buy.)

It is a little blurry, but it was the best action shot we got of him with the water balloons. He loves them. :)

Last but not least, his newest talent. He likes to turn on the CD player in his room and 'sing'.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have been pretty busy this past month or so. We have done things around the house, visited my family for Easter, had some friends over, had some family come visit, and just trying to keep up with everyday life.
In the meantime, NR is growing up so quickly. He is talking so much more and asking for things instead of demanding them as he points in the general direction. That helps to make all of our lives much easier. :) He loves to say Mommy, Daddy, puppy......He is learning that things have possession. For example, when I pick him up from daycare, he sees other parent's cars as they approach. He is then quick to identify that is _____'s car! How cute and smart is that?!?!


We have had some storms recently, and NR has discovered that he loves to play in the rainspout in the backyard. He was just stomping and splashing in it right before this picture. He is watching it drain from the spout onto the guard he is standing on.

















NR and I participated in a walk to raise money for Asthma research. He was such a good sport about it all...he sat in his stroller for the first part of the day and walk. Then, he walked with me or rode on my shoulders while someone else pushed the empty stroller. Needless to say, he was pretty tired when we got home. It was nice to get out and enjoy the weather as well as get some jogging/walking in!

That is a little bit of what we have been up to lately. I love this time of year...I feel so much more productive because of how beautiful it can be outside. Well, off to grocery shop and do some cleaning!

Husband Tag

What is his name? JRC (I don't use names on this blog, otherwise I would put it)

How long did you date? About 2 years.....I know, and it seemed like forever!

How long have you been married? Will be 6 years in May

Who eats more sweets? That will always be me. I have a huge sweet tooth.

Who is taller? Him for sure (6'5")

Who is the better singer? He is (my family is not musically inclined)

Who does the laundry? Mostly him, but I help if I get to it first.

Who pays the bills? Me

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does

Who mows the lawn? He does, but I have done it a couple of times. :)

Who cooks dinner? Usually me unless I have had a really bad day at work or am running around still when he gets home.

Who drives? Always him

Who is more stubborn? Me for sure

Who kissed who first? depends on which of us you ask...he will say me and I will say him

Who asked who out? I did.....a friend of mine back in college had the biggest crush on him, so I had asked for his number for her. He had absolutely no attraction to her and never did. He was not really my type, so I had no intention of using it for my benefit. The more I was the liasion between the two of them, the more I started to like him. We talked for hours on the phone one night, and the rest is history. :)

Who proposed? He did but not the way he wanted to....he had a romantic proposal planned out-I was too impatient!! We were headed to my parents for Christmas eve and day, then we were flying out to WA to visit his family and attend his sister's wedding. He had not asked my dad if he could marry me, but on our way from Lubbock, he pulled into a pinic area. I did not believe him of course since I had no idea he had a ring with him. After telling him that it was not funny and pretty much refusing to believe him, he got out and got down on one knee in the dirt and asked if I would marry him. He felt bad because the ring was not complete since he hand picked the diamond for me. The center stone was set, but he did not have time for the baguettes to be placed in the setting. (A little less romantic than a walk along the Puget Sound waterline and a proprosal overlooking the water.)

Who is more sensitive? Me

Who has more siblings? He does (5 to 3)

Who wears the pants? We work as a team most of the time. :)

I tag Stephanie, Allison, Lisa, and anyone else who would like to.

Say Cheese!!

NR was giving his best 'cheese' face.....this is the first shot I got of him! Pretty good right?

So then I thought I would try again to see what he did.......

Guess we still have some work to do on smiling! I am know I am biased, but isn't he just the cutest? :)

Is it really March?

Shouldn't it be getting warmer? Spring break is coming up for most schools in this area but instead it is snowing. I am thankful that I got to leave work a couple hours early to avoid the mess on the roads. Unfortunately, I was in traffic for 1.5 hours when it normally takes about 25-30 minutes to get home. I still was able to spend more time with my little man this afternoon. He was so excited to go out in the snow and could not wait to play in it. Daddy made him some snowballs to throw into the puddles of water in the yard. :) We also decided to let the dog out since she had been in the house all day......she loved it, but she is now in her crate because she got all dirty and wet.

Home Improvements and my boys

NR is so funny. He loves to help out with everything we are doing. I was cleaning windows last weekend, and he got upset when he did not have his own sponge to use.

The second picture is from him building his legos while JR and I were cleaning and doing things around the house today. He was so proud of it, and then he knocked it down and all over his room.

The last picture was a shock to me. I was in the kitchen while JR was taping the ceiling off to paint in our second bathroom. He was not using the ladder, so NR decided he would try it out and help Daddy with the tape. JR yelled for me to come in there and this is similar to what I saw. JR said I turned around and he was all the way to the top. :) What a boy! He wants to be just like Daddy.

Spinning

NR learned how to spin, so he was showing Jeff and I last weekend. He is so cute!

DAY OFF!!!!

NR had his 18 month checkup today, and I took the day off to spend at home with him and get some things caught up. I just wish it was not so cold and rainy. He is getting so big and growing so quickly. He talks nonstop and is learning to repeat EVERYTHING we say. He can't make some of the sounds that are more complex, but he tries anyway. He is so cute and funny. I took him to work after his checkup to see some of my coworkers, and they were shocked at how big he has gotten and how active he was. Now, mommy gets some time to herself while he naps...I figured I would post a couple new pics of him for now.

The first picture was him trying to get away from us at bedtime. He was not in the mood to go to sleep so he did not want to take off clothes to put on PJ's. The other picture was taken on a weekend morning when we all slept in some and then lounged around in our PJ's before taking care of our normal Saturday activities. Lately, he has really liked to 'draw' pictures. If I am at the computer, he will come over and ask for papur and peh which is paper and pencil of course. :)

Winter Fun!

Computer Nerd?

NR got way too many fun gifts for Christmas that he can't decide which ones to play with. He loves his little activity table and chairs that he got from my mom. We set it up in his room so he would have a place to play with his little computer she got him as well. NR also got a fun little tent from his aunt. So many toys, so little time. He is a lot of fun at this age. :)