The Roser Family

Fall...Is that you?

2011-09-03T22:32:00.008-05:00

Still crazy busy around the Roser household! Here is a quick glimpse of what has been going on now that we have a few breaks from the 100 degree weather...

David's first day back to school! No tears this year; I think he is just happy to get away from a house of screaming babies, haha!

What our walks look like these days....

What do you do when it is 100 degrees for two months and you have three kids.....

Yep....not like we didn't have enough going on around here! The thought of packing up three kiddos and going to the neighborhood pool seemed daunting, so we figured we would try to simplify our lives and build our own little paradise!

double the work but double the love

2011-08-25T16:30:00.022-05:00

I think it is safe to say this has been the hardest but best three months of our lives. Who would have thought these two little babies would shake things up so much?!? Dave and I have been running on pure exhaustion and basically just doing everything we can to survive and get through this. Every now and then we will get a smile or giggle that makes every bit worth it! I have been tabbing things on the blog to go back and update because I have not had the time to keep up with it. I keep telling myself that eventually things will get back to normal...but I am not really sure what that "normal" will be with three kids!

We were very blessed to have family around for the first six weeks to help out..thank you grandma and grammy, I don't know if I could have done it without y'all. Then I was on my own, but we quickly realized that we needed to get more help on board. We have a night nanny that comes once a week, and then during the day on Thursdays to give me some time with David. I hired a recent college graduate to come twice a week to spend time with David and take him to some play group activities. My closest friend here has been amazing; she has helped get David out of the house once a week to see friends and even took full responsibility for car pool during the kids week long summer camp- thank you Katie! Thanks to my friend Brianna, we were able to sneak away a few weeks ago to take David to see his first movie, Cars 2. He was very excited, but after the 45 minutes of previews he only made it through maybe half of the movie before we said it was time to go due inappropriate three year old movie theatre behavior. We are so grateful to have such wonderful caring people in our lives that have been willing to help out in one way or another. Thank you all for everything!

So it has been a rocky first couple of months. We have been feeding babies around the clock and when it takes 1-1 1/2 hrs to get both babies fed your days and nights go by very quickly. Both babies have been growing very well, but around 5 weeks when their intake increased they were diagnosed with reflux...BOTH of them. If you have never experienced this before I pray you never will. After feedings the screaming would start; Avery would just want to nurse and eat more to ease the pain while Cason would literally be inconsolable. We started the the reflux medicine trial and error road in which finally led to getting Avery's under control with two different medicines-one in which she takes 4x/day; Cason however continued to have problems. Our pediatrician eventually referred us to a GI specialist who we have been seeing and is now treating and managing his reflux moving forward. He is on prevacid twice a day, a probiotic once a day and we have switched him from 90% breast milk to Alimentum formula. We believe there may have been a milk sensitivity involved and I could not have the added stress of wondering if his pain was caused by something that I ate. I was hoping to keep one or two feedings where I would nurse him, but he struggled with the switch so much that I didn't want to make it any more difficult for him. I'm happy that I was able to get the bonding experience with him and that he had his mommy's milk for the first three months of his life...which is more than I ever thought I would do. Bless his little heart he has been through so much over the past month; I feel like it is something once a week-the pediatric doctors/nurses and pharmacists are starting to know me on a first name basis. I can say that it is definitely getting better, but not 100%. On top of the reflux he has a very sensitive gag reflex which causes him to occasionally choke..talk about scary. Because of this he has spent the last month sleeping in between Dave and I so that when it does occur we can sit him up quickly. So both babies are still in our room and we are hoping to move Cason out of the cosleeper and into a seperate bassinet within the next few days. The doctors do not know if it is the reflux causing the gagging/choking or if it is related to his occasional congestion which could be allergies or reflux...trying to find the answers has been exhausting. The GI specialist suggested that we probe him for 24 hours and monitor his reflux to see if it is the culprit, but Dave and I feel like this might be an unnecessary painful step that will lead us to trying more medications that have failed us already. We are still weighing the pros and cons at this point.

As difficult as these past few months have been at the end of the day we have three healthy, amazing children. No one ever said it was going to be easy...

Two Months

2011-07-10T17:35:00.004-05:00

Avery Marie

Weight 8lbs 10 oz; 5.8 percentile

Height 18.5 inches; 2.27 percentile

Cason John

Weight 9lbs 11oz; 9.65 percentile

Height 19 inches; 1.69 percentile

And then there were three....

2011-07-10T17:34:00.028-05:00

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the twins newborn photo shoot. Our photographer, Chryshelle Spurgeon, did an amazing job!

We look at these knowing how truly blessed we are to have three healthy beautiful children....my how our lives have changed!

Big Brother

2011-07-10T17:34:00.026-05:00

David talked about his baby brother and baby sister nonstop prior to their arrival. We tried our best to prepare him for what was ahead, but I don't think you can fully prepare a three year old for such a life changing event! We would tell him about what would happen when they arrived; how grandma and grandpa would take him to the hospital to see mommy, daddy and the babies, how he would get to ride the elevator and how the babies would be bringing him presents. Due to my recovery and the babies conditions we waited a few days before we had my parents bring him to visit. He remembered everything we told him and was so excited to see us and meet his new siblings.

Meeting Cason for the first time.

Meeting Avery for the first time; we could tell he was not comfortable with her situation and had difficulties understanding what was wrong. When we came home with Cason he kept asking "what about Avery", "where's Avery"; it was really sweet...already looking out for his baby sister.

The excitement eventually wore off and he is definitely struggling with the changes around the household...i.e. the shift of attention. He will acknowledge the babies occasionally, but for the most part leaves them be. I feel awful about how this has affected him and how I am forcing him to grow up very quickly, but I also keep reminding myself that we have just given him the best gift ever....best friends for life...a baby brother and a baby sister!

Cason John and Avery Marie

2011-05-30T11:03:00.037-05:00

As you all can probably imagine it has been difficult to find the time to blog. These updates may not be as in depth as I/y'all would like them to be, but I don't want to miss out on documenting some of these precious moments. I think the hardest part is sorting through all these pictures....two kids=double the photos! Hopefully once things settle in I will have more time to write about our crazy life as a family of five!!

As you all know Cason John and Avery Marie were born on May 10th at 35 weeks. Cason spent 4 days in the NICU at the Methodist Hospital; at their request we all "roomed in" an additional night and then were released to go home the next day. Avery spent two weeks in the care of the staff at Texas Children's Hospital in their level 3 NICU (and yes, she wasn't Avery's physician but I did get to see the doctor from the littlest couple while we were there)! It was the hardest thing leaving her behind, but I know she was in good care and now she is home and healthy!

Here are a few highlights of the birth of both babies to their first few days at home....

Love at first sight

Seeing my baby girl and baby boy for the very first time!

Due to their premature lungs both babies were taken to the NICU immediately after birth. Dave was able to see them initially and take some pictures, but I had to wait until 10 pm that evening before they would allow me to go visit.

First Embrace

As a mother you always will remember the first time that you get to hold your newborn child. It is what you spend nine months waiting for and I cannot even explain how hard it was not being able to. Every situation is different and I am sure every hospital has different protocols, but in our situation due to the babies' conditions we were advised that it was best to wait until their breathing was a little more controlled before we were able to hold them. In Cason's case it was the following day; with Avery it was 4 days later. Still special in every way it is a moment that cannot and will not be forgotten. It was just as special seeing those we love getting to embrace the moment and hold our sweet babies for the very first time too!

Cason John

Avery Marie

Home Sweet Home

We were scheduled to be discharged on Friday, May 13th but when we were told that they wanted to keep Cason for one more night the hospital made arrangements for us to stay. Cason was the first to get settled in at home and had over a week of every ones full attention. My mother and father stayed with us to help out and watch both Cason and David while Dave and I made trips up to Texas Children's. Avery came home nine days later and our lives have been turned upside down ever since!

Cason John

Avery Marie

Reunited

Due to the babies' conditions they were split up immediately and were not brought back together until the day we left the hospital with Cason. Since they've been home we have been keeping them together as much as possible...including sleeping in the same bassinet (unless one ends ups in the co-sleeper in bed with us)! I cannot tell if they acknowledge each other in any way, but he seems to get annoyed when she is close by. Typical boy...

we were ready....

2011-05-21T19:33:00.011-05:00

So things are absolutely crazy hectic at the moment and I have a ton to blog about; You all will just have to bare with me while I play catch up over the next week or so. As far as an update goes we have been home for a week with one baby and a three year old who is not adjusting well to change...or maybe it is just that he is not adjusting to mommy and daddy being gone so often. Avery was admitted to Texas Children's Hospital a day after her birth with a collapsed lung. She developed an air pocket that burst, collapsing her lung and putting pressure on her heart. They inserted a tube into her chest and were able to stabilize her very quickly, but she has been with them since recovering and getting stronger. We have been making trips up there everyday; Dave and I have separated our visits so that one of us is there for at least two of her feedings. Needless to say, we are exhausted both physically and emotionally but continue to feel blessed to have two healthy babies and the wonderful support from all of our friends and family.

I planned on posting these on the day that they sent me into labor and delivery for contractions...little did I know we were going to have these babies so quickly but we were definitely ready!

A nursery for two

Final Belly Shots
35 weeks

Our new additions...

2011-05-11T21:40:00.001-05:00

Jennifer is still recovering so I am going to attempt to add to this. She was having some pains Monday night so we decided to call the OB on Tuesday morning to see what she wanted us to do. Not knowing what to expect we went to labor and delivery and were told she was having contractions that were ranging from 1 to 10 mins apart. They tried to hydrate her but that didn't help so were told we were having the twins 2 weeks early. Cason John was born at 4:14 on May 10th weighing 4lbs, 15oz. Avery Marie came at 4:15 and weighed 5lbs, 7oz. He was 17 inches and she was 18 inches. Already ruling the roost with her big brother......

Everyone is doing ok though Cason and Avery are in the NICU with premature lungs. He seems to be doing better than her though they expect them to be fine but it looks like we will be heading home without them. Thank you all for your prayers, Jennifer will provide a better update when she's back to full speed.

Cason John Roser

Avery Marie Roser

easter 2011

2011-04-29T14:19:00.019-05:00

David's Easter was filled with several festivities this year! It is so exciting to see him start to understand holidays, their meanings and the fun traditions that accompany them. He participated in three easter egg hunts, dyed eggs with daddy, and enjoyed a Sunday filled with worship, food and friends. We hope that all of our friends and family out there had a blessed Easter as well!

After the Easter Egg Hunt we had with all of his friends. Look closely at his mouth....yep that would be chocolate, probably his favorite thing about finding Easter Eggs!

Our first attempt at dying real eggs! I think they were all broke by Easter morning, lol!

The Easter Bunny came!

Easter Sunday, 2011

Picking up scones from Starbucks

Enjoying Easter breakfast after a wonderful service at our church!

moving along...

2011-04-28T10:38:00.016-05:00

Slowly but surely and everything is looking great. Guess I never thought I would make it this far without any problems! I don't want to speak too soon, but apparently my body is doing an excellent job of keeping these babies in! I cannot say that I am physically holding up 100%, but they are doing great which is what is most important. I could take this update and make it all about my daily complaints, but I have decided I will not put you all through that. Lets just say this is not easy! I have been measuring full term for over a month now and at our last growth scan the babies combined weight is already over 9 lbs (and that is not including fluid and placenta weight x 2)! We started weekly appointments this week where we will monitor the babies heartbeats and make sure they are not under any stress (NST); it is starting to get a little tight in there! We passed our first NST yesterday with flying colors and there are no signs of these little ones trying to enter this world within the next week! We are officially entering our final month with a csection scheduled for Thursday, May 26th. That will put me at 37.5 weeks, which is a great milestone for a multiple pregnancy! Obviously things can change very quickly, so we will make sure to keep you all updated! My OB says that I have a 50/50 chance of making it to our scheduled date.

Although physically this has been tough on me I would have to say the hardest part is how this is already effecting David's life. We do not leave the house often and even our activities at home are limited. I can not pick him up, which breaks my heart when he asks me to carrying him and I have to tell him that I can't and try to explain to him why. I have been advised to rest as much as possible, which I can say I am not following those instructions as much as I should be. Rest is not an activity that flows with a toddlers daily routine too well! Dave has been amazing and we are so blessed that his company has been flexible with his work schedule so that he can take on more of the day to day responsibilities around the house that I cannot and have not been able to do for some time now. I don't know what I would do without him; he has been very supportive and on top of working 8+ hours a day he has taken on grocery shopping, cooking, taking David to school, picking up the house, David's bedtime routine and working on my notorious "to do" list. We are making it work the best we can for now and taking it week by week.

Through all of this we have two precious babies who are perfect and already so different! She is my little mover and shaker, while he is the calm and collective one. Both babies are head down (which is amazing for twins, but unfortunately means nothing to us considering a csection is our only option-thank you David!) and she seems to be the one taking up most of the room and food! She now weighs 4 lbs 9 oz and he is exactly 4 lbs. They have typically only been a few ounces apart, but there seems to be a widening gap which we will be monitoring over the next few weeks. We were able to see both babies at our last ultrasound, but getting good pictures is a little tough due to their tight quarters. She is usually the most photogenic, but due to positioning we have probably seen the last of that. We did get a good 4D shot of him, which brought tears to my eyes. We think he looks a lot like David did; we will know for sure in 4 weeks!! Stay tuned and please continue to keep these little blessings in your thoughts and prayers.

Our Sweet Baby Boy

Office Shower

2011-04-25T11:54:00.007-05:00

David and I went up to daddy's office a week ago to celebrate the upcoming arrival of his baby brother and baby sister! Dave's sweet co-workers threw us a baby shower and all chipped in to get us a gift certificate to Babies R Us. It was the perfect gift considering the list of items that we now have to buy again so that we are prepared for two babies! A big thanks to Brianna, the host who organized the party and took all of the following pictures for us! We are so thankful and blessed to have you all in our lives!

Ice Cream Party

2011-04-12T15:07:00.023-05:00

Okay, for all technical purposes it was actually self serve frozen yogurt and it is his favorite! After debating on whether or not I could throw a big party at the house to celebrate his 3rd birthday we finally decided to keep it low key this year and have a small party at his favorite yogurt shop Orange Leaf (which ended up being the best decision considering I am only allowed to be on my feet for 30-45 minutes at a time; we'll save the big party for next year)! We kept it pretty simple, but with the help from my Mom and cousin Tracy we did add a little personal touch to the party. Each child got to to pick out and make their own bowl of "ice cream," toppings included. Orange Leaf has a cute kids area where they set up the party; it has some small toys and I provided a craft for the kids to decorate and take home. Overall I think we were able to keep the kids busy for a short period of time and send them home with their mommies and daddies nice and sugared up!

the birthday boy

party favors by sidewalk sensations

friends and family

Thank y'all for celebrating with us and making David's 3rd birthday extra special!

David's 3rd Birthday

2011-03-31T13:16:00.019-05:00

We celebrated David's actual birthday with some fun family events this year. We were blessed to have daddy home from work and my Mom, Dad and cousin Tracy in town to celebrate! It was so nice having the additional help since my physical condition isn't top notch at the moment!

We started the morning taking David to his favorite bounce playyard, Monkey Joes. He was so excited because Daddy was there to enjoy the fun! We then had an "ice cream" lunch at Jason's Deli and a birthday trip to Toys R Us. After nap he was surprised with grandma, grandpa and presents! That night we enjoyed a yummy dinner at one of our favorite mexican spots in Katy, El Jarrito; chips and queso, and a mariachi happy birthday serenade included! He has watched several of us have to wear the mexican sombrero during the serande and was excited that he got to wear it this time, plus the fact that there were real guitars made his evening! We finished the day off with a Disney Cars birthday cake with three candles to blow out....couldn't get any better than that could it!?!?!

Happy 3rd Birthday, David!!!

THREE...

2011-03-25T21:18:00.027-05:00

photography by Amanda Green Photography

It is amazing to me how much you can grow up in one year. You have turned into a little boy right in front of our eyes, but you will always be mommy's baby. You have changed so much that I don't even know where to begin. The laughter that has filled this household, the memories of your accomplishments and milestones, and the love that we all share as a family of three over the past year are things that I do not ever want to forget. You are very special to your daddy and I and no matter how many changes lie ahead of us you will always remain and will be dear to our hearts as our one and only first born.

THREE...

You can now tell people both your first and last name...you can actually spell both as well! If asked how old you are you will hold up 4 fingers and say "I'm three years old!" We are working on this, but I will admit three is probably the most challenging.

You love to tell anyone and everybody that you are having a baby brother and a baby sister and that they are in mommy's belly. As much as we love seeing the excitement you have for your new siblings, we could some times do without the added attention! You are going to be the best big brother!

One of your favorite past times is reenacting movies or your favorite shows that we watch on television. At the moment it is Disney Pixar's Cars, which we probably watch at least once a day. We have started a collection of the the die cast cars from the movie and you will sit there and act out your favorite parts with the actual car characters. You have shocked your daddy and I with how much of the script that you know and we just love when you sing the songs with your own words to them!

We are currently deep in the trenches of potty training.......probably not the best thing to start when mommy is almost 8 months pregnant with twins, but you are doing great! We have actually ventured out of the house a few times recently in your big boy pants with no accidents; however you are not very thrilled about using public restrooms and I don't blame you but I do for see it being an issue. It's a work in progress!

You love your mommy, but just adore your daddy. I think the highlight of your day is when he gets home from work and the two of you can go outside and play. You require so much more attention from him than you do from me, but I think that has something to do with you adapting to mommy's current physical condition and knowing that daddy can currently do more. (okay, and I will admit that daddy is just some times more fun than I am!)

You always have had an incredible memory, but it still amazes us to this day. On your birthday you came downstairs from you nap and when you saw all of your presents you said "it's Christmas!" You have started realizing that it is getting warm outside and associate the change in weather with going to the pool. You remember every detail about our trips to the pool last summer, including the watermelon that we would bring and enjoy each time.

It seems like you have just sprouted into a little boy over the past month. You are very tall and skinny, just like your daddy was growing up! I don't believe there is one ounce of chub left on you, which not like you ever had much but it is all about gone!

Finally, after a whole semester of crying at mother's day out when dropped off you have adjusted to going to school two times a week. I am not sure that you are ecstatic about going, but you tolerate it and seem to make the best of the situation. Your teachers tell me that you are so sweet, and still enjoy everything academic and music related.

Your social skills have started to blossom. I just enjoy watching you interact or attempt to interact with other children. You are extremely friendly and polite. You seem to adapt to different children's personalities well and enjoy the company.

Although you share several traits with your daddy like your silly side; you are very much like your mommy. You are aware of others feelings and can be very sensitive to change, discipline, and confrontation. Most of the time you aim to please and are cooperative in unfamiliar settings, but I would be remissed if I did not mention that you do have a defiant side that can rattle your mommy and daddy's nerves from time to time (not wanting to hold hands in a parking lot!). You have an artistic side to you that shines through your love for music, imaginative play and creativity. You are not your typical wild, rough-housing little boy but occasionally that side will come out and I imagine over the next year we will probably see more of it.

Z is for Zoo

2011-03-22T16:18:00.008-05:00

Having learned from our past mistakes, we decided to beat the Texas heat and take our annual trip to the Houston zoo a few weekends back. We figured it would also be one our last chances to have a family adventure just the three of us, which we were right. It about sent mommy into labor and we have officially been told "no more" from our OB! The weather was perfect and David was excited to see the "jungle" as he calls it. When we arrived he was already on a mission to find the lions. He showed little interest in most of the other animals with exception of the monkeys. He was actually scared of several exhibits, including the reptiles and bears. This was surprising to us, but we moved along with no questions. Luckily the lions were out sunbathing/sleeping in the lawn so we got a good view, which was better than catching them during lunch time like last year...eww! We made it through the new African Safari exhibit and then reached our limit. David was exhausted and showed little interest in seeing any of the animals, so we headed toward the exit hitting up the aquarium on the way out to see "nemo and dori". Overall we had a great short trip to the zoo. I figure one day we will last more than two hours, but until then will only attempt this trip once a year, haha!

Rodeo Day

2011-03-15T14:31:00.011-05:00

Boots: check

Cowboy Hat:check

Classic Western Attire:check

Happy Cowboy: not so much

David had the opportunity to celebrate his first Rodeo Day at MDO last Wednesday. For those of you not from the Houston area, February is a big month around here....The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo consumes the entire month full of events, tradition and music. Dave and I have attended several things throughout the years, but decided to pass on the festivities this go around. We were debating on taking David for the first time, but decided on the zoo instead so his rodeo party at school will have to suffice. I purchased his boots a few weeks back and was so excited about his big day at school because he absolutely loves them. We literally have had a hard time getting the things off! Well, like usual I was wrong. After a rough morning trying to get out of the house we arrived at school with our gear on to only last 1 minute. He could not get those things off of him quick enough and the hat didn't even stand a chance! At least we get an "A" for effort, right? Luckily I was able to snap a few pictures before the breakdown. His teachers said the remainder of the day was great! They enjoyed a petting zoo, made trail mix, branded cows and read books about cowboys. When I picked him up from school we went through our usual conversation about the events of the day and this is what he told me....

Mommy: "David did you have fun today at your Rodeo Party"

David: "Of coarse I did"

Mommy: "What animals did you see at school"

David: "Chicken, Ducky, Pony and a Rabbit"

Mommy: "Did you ride a pony at school today"

David: "Oh yeah"

Mommy: " What was the pony's name"

David: "Barney"

We later found out from his teacher that he wanted nothing to do with the pony!

24, 25, 26 weeks....

2011-03-10T20:48:00.010-06:00

Well technically almost 27 weeks, but who's counting, lol! We are just moving right along and I figured I should probably post an update before it just flies on by. So we have officially ended our "twin vacation" and are now seeing my OB every two weeks and our specialist once a month for ongoing growth checks. Luckily, I have been able to partner two of these appointments together every month to avoid being in the Medical Center every week! Our last ultrasound was performed at 24 weeks and the babies are doing great! Our little boy was measuring in at 1 lb 9 ounces and our sweet little girl came in at 1 lb 10 ounces. Baby A (boy) is breech and Baby B (girl) is what I believe they call in a transverse position. His head is on the right side of my uterus, while hers is on the left. So basically they spend their days kicking each other in the head, which we caught first hand during our appointment. I can feel them move quite a bit throughout the day and have noticed that they are both very sensitive at night. Heaven forbid mommy has to get up out of bed at 4 am for a potty run because I end up spending the following hour up getting kicked from both sides.

Over the past two weeks my body has started to realize that things are not quite what they used to be. I started having braxton hicks last week and had to make an additional trip to see my OB to make sure everything was still in tact. We are still looking good at this point, but things can obviously change very quickly. At 25 weeks I was measuring 32 weeks, which is 7 weeks ahead of a singleton pregnancy. My doctor has cut me off from exercising at this point and advised me to rest as much as possible...easier said than done. Outside the noticeable, my huge belly, I am also starting to become winded by simple tasks such as going upstairs, doing dishes, and even talking on the phone! They are hoping that I can make it to 37 weeks at which we will schedule a csection. We are just praying to keep them in as long as possible, but the thought of what my body will be like at 37 weeks is just frightening. For now we are just taking it week by week and feel very blessed that everything has gone so well this far.

Baby A (boy) Profile

He has a habit of being very busy during ultrasounds so we were lucky to even get this one. That is his hand resting below his chin.

Baby B (girl)
She on the other hand tends to cooperate a little more. We were able to get a good look at her on the 4D ultrasound which is just incredible; I am posting it but unfortunately it is not as clear as it is on the sheet. The ultrasound technician pointed out that she already has some hair on her head and she has "full" lips! We are not quite sure where the later comes from, so it will be interesting to see if this is a trait that really exists or that is just amplified by the ultrasound machine.

26 weeks belly shot

Not sure how much longer I wll be willing to post these! If it weren't for documenting purposes and to just prove to you all how big I am I don't think you would see a single one on here!

Here we are trying to satisfy mommy's cravings for sweets. Nothing like baking oatmeal cookies on a Saturday morning!

Big Boy Room

2011-03-05T14:50:00.006-06:00

A few weeks ago we took a big step for our big boy and moved David out of his crib and into his new big boy room. We were a bit nervous and weren't sure what to expect since he has been in his crib for almost 3 years now. To our surprise he did great; he was so excited about his new room! We have had no issues with him climbing out at night or in the morning; he is still in his routine of staying in bed until mommy or daddy comes to get him (let's hope this does not change). He has also been doing great with his daily naps. Overall....SUCCESS!!! One more thing marked off our "to do" list before these babies arrive!

Here is a picture of the room; Daddy is so proud (he spent the night before putting all the furniture together)! Most of it is complete; we had crown molding installed last weekend that needs to be painted and I am working on picking out fabric for custom curtains.

Our Big Boy in his very own big bed!

Disney's Imagination Movers

2011-02-26T10:14:00.006-06:00

This year we decided we would take David to go see the imagination movers live in concert. They were in town a few weekends ago and played at the Verizon center here in Houston. He has enjoyed watching their show on the Disney channel for the past year so we figured he would be excited to see them live, which he was! He loves their music and enjoys pretending like he is playing the instruments along with them; we even have the opening song memorized so this really was a big deal! We got lucky and had isle seats which were great because several of the band members would come out into the audience throughout the show. He got to see many of his favorites up close in person and even got a pat on the head by Smitty! So once again my mommy pregnancy hormones kicked in and I teared up. Something about seeing the pure joy and excitement in your child's eyes...unforgettable!

Dancing and Singing

Warehouse Mouse

Had to have the "red hat" and "wobble goggles"

After the concert in his gear. I believe we have worn this shirt almost everyday since! It's the first thing he asks for in the morning and I can barely get it off of him to get is washed!

Cancun 2011

2011-02-22T14:03:00.020-06:00

A few weeks back Dave and I escaped the abnormal 20 degree Houston weather for sunny 82 degree weather in Cancun, Mexico. We were there to celebrate my hubby's 5th consecutive award winning year with his company. Although different from previous years (I was not sipping margaritas and mojitos on the beach all day this go around), I did enjoy a little r&r and much needed break from chasing an almost three year old around all day. I am so proud and grateful to have such an amazing husband. Good job, honey!

As usual, we spent the majority of the first day traveling. I am not one to catch a 5:30 am flight just to get there before noon! Once we were settled in we attended company break out meetings and dinner. The weather cooperated this year and we were able to spend some of the evening outside enjoying the food and company of other couples around the country who we have not seen since last years trip!

My options for excursions were very limited this year due to the pregnancy. They would not let me schedule a massage....boo; so in replace of this Dave and I took a cooking class. Surprisingly, it was quite fun. We cooked three dishes; Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry with Peanut Noodles, Moussaka: Eggplant Casserole, and Seared Salmon with Beet Risotto, Sauteed Spinach, Wild mushrooms and a Beet and Carrot Micro-Green Salad with Carrot Sauce (pictured). I would have to say the salmon was my favorite, but all three turned out great. The only thing missing was dessert!

Afterwards we enjoyed some afternoon time on the beach and then dinner with the Houston office at one of our favorite spots, Puerto Madero.

Houston 2011 Contest Winners

Houston Wives/Girlfriends

On Tuesday we took the opportunity to sleep in and order room service. I have a feeling this is something that we will not be enjoying again anytime soon with two little ones on the way and a toddler that wakes up at 6 am everyday like clock work! We took advantage of the beautiful weather and spent most of our day out on the beach. That night we ventured out to a new restaurant in Cancun and enjoyed each others company minus a busy toddler!

Dave golfed on Wednesday while I enjoyed the warm weather and a facial. We were booked on the 7 am flight the next morning, so we took it easy and enjoyed a fabulous dinner just the two of us at Ruth Chris's. It was actually our best meal of the week and it was so nice just to have some more quality time together before heading home.

David did so well this go around with mommy and daddy being gone. He is getting so good at talking on the phone and it was so nice to have daily conversations with him, which did not consist of much but enough to make mommy and daddy smile! Thank you grandma and grandpa for taking care of our little man while we enjoyed our celebratory trip or I guess you can also call it our free babymoon. Get ready for three next year......wink, wink!!

my valentine

2011-02-14T19:06:00.004-06:00

we had a wonderful day full of lots of hugs, kisses, and yummy goodies; we hope all our friends and family out there did as well! xoxo

pink and blue

2011-01-28T14:22:00.008-06:00

We are so excited to announce that David is going to have a baby brother and a baby sister! Both babies are perfect and are growing at the same pace; we could not have asked for better news from our 20 week appointment.

Baby A- Boy!

13 ounces

20 weeks

Baby B-Girl!

14 ounces

20 weeks

Christmas 2010

2011-01-11T14:20:00.008-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas in round rock this year with my family. Once again it was exciting to celebrate the holiday through the eyes of a child. I think he understood a little more this year, but most of this occurred after the fact. He will tell you what Santa brought him and has been talking about presents for weeks now! Charlie Brown's Christmas is still playing once a day, and instead of getting in bed and cuddling with mommy in the morning he prefers playing with his new toys. So I guess I can say the excitement of it all has not worn off yet, which we love and feel blessed to be a part of.

Christmas Eve 2010

We enjoyed the 4 o'clock "kid friendly" service at the First United Methodist Church on Christmas Eve. Like usual David was a handful and was not cooperative during most of it, but the pastor did make a good point about the memory that is established even when you feel like your child is not listening; whether it's the music or part of a story they will take something away from it and will have that memory of being there even if it wasn't easy on mommy and daddy! This made us feel a little better about the whole situation. Afterwards we joined family at my brother's new house to celebrate and then got the little one home and down to bed so that Santa could get to work!

Our little family before service.

Getting milk and cookies ready for Santa with daddy.

Christmas Day 2010

We were up bright and early Christmas day to see what Santa had left behind. David was shocked to see all the toys underneath the tree and noticed right away that the cookies and milk we left the night before were all gone. He was super excited about his bike, and his buzz lightyear and woody characters that Santa brought for him. After having a practice round while grammy and pappa were in town he was a pro at handing out presents as well as opening them. To our amazement, well we knew he would be happy but words cannot explain how excited he was when he opened up his new Toy Story 3 dvd that mommy and daddy got him. His eyes lit up and he yelled out "I got my toy story 3 dvd!"; needless to say it also has been playing on the television at least once a day.

Blessed...

2010-12-24T12:55:00.018-06:00

So much to be grateful for this Christmas season!

we have been a busy bunch since my last posting and I honestly don't have too much time to post about everything, but here's a shot at a summed up version. after finding out about our two little blessings we decided to put our house up for sale and take a leap of faith and purchase a new one that could accommodate these two little beans and our growing family. we were scheduled to close on the new house on december 13th and with many prayers we got an offer on our old house exactly one week before! it was truly amazing that it sold so quickly and that we were saved from the grief and stress of trying to sell a house and possibly taking on two mortgages in the new year. we truly believe that someone was looking over us through this whole process; and although we are sad to leave the house that we moved into two weeks after our honeymoon, the one that started our family, our first "home," we are excited to embark on this new chapter ahead. i have yet to get a picture of the new house because the last two weeks have been crazy hectic, but in the process of moving we were able to get up what we call our "charlie brown christmas tree" (let's just say the options are pretty slim the weekend before christmas)!

in the midst of all of this we had david's first christmas program for grace preschool. we couldn't be prouder of our little man and his musical talents. he did so well that it brought mommy to tears (I literally could not stop crying and I attribute some of this to double the hormones). he was not shy at all; he sang and participated in every song that they did. i was impressed with the show that his music teachers put together. how they got a group of two and a half year olds to stand up on stage, dance and do gestures to christmas songs beats the heck out of me but it was probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen. seeing the the look on my sweet boys face when he figured out mommy and daddy were there to watch was priceless!

we were also blessed to have some christmas visitors throughout all of this chaos. dave's parents have moved back to the states and came down to see us for a few days before christmas. it was so nice to spend some time catching up with them and to have them around to help out with things accompanying the move. we are excited that they are only a quick plane ride away from seeing us (and viceversa, however I don't know how much traveling we will be doing with three kiddos). thank y'all for coming to see us and baring with us throughout all of the mess!

we are officially on our "twin vacation." we had our last visit at 13.5 weeks and both babies are doing great and growing perfectly; as is my belly! goodness...this thing is out of control! i am almost 16 weeks, but I think I look about 20+ weeks pregnant. from what I read it is common to measure 4-6 weeks ahead with twins, which seems about right by the looks of things. we have our next visit on january 3rd; we will get some measurements then and hopefully hear both heart beats. we are scheduled for the big anatomy scan on january 26th, so stay tuned!

Baby A, 13 weeks 3days

Baby B, 13 weeks 3 days

so i cannot say we are officially settled at this point, but we are currently in round rock visiting my family for the christmas holiday and enjoying a nice break away from the chaos in houston. christmas shopping is complete and we are looking forward to celebrating the holiday with those we love. we want to wish our friends and family a merry christmas; we hope each and everyone of you are as blessed as we have been this past year!

"hi santa"

2010-12-12T17:13:00.004-06:00

So we managed to get through our sitting with Santa this year without shedding a single tear! We are so proud of our big boy. I think the fact that Santa was handing out suckers to all the kids helped a bit, but like everything else...whatever it takes, right?!?!

TWO more things to be thankful for this holiday season....

2010-11-26T08:56:00.003-06:00

Baby A- 11 weeks, 1 day 4.7 cm

Baby B- 11 weeks, 1 day 4.6 cm

David is going to be a big brother and it looks like he will be gaining more than one playmate in the process!! We were completely thrown off guard when we went in for our first ultrasound at 7 weeks and my doctor told us "two for one!" Dave's response "you got to be kidding"; mine "how did this happen?" Needless to say we have been in complete shock since and are still amazed how this came about (apparently it runs on Dave's side of the family, but evidence is uncertain to whether or not the male can influence multiple births). Three ultrasounds later, we are coming to terms with the whole idea and excited about our new family of 5! The babies are growing exceptionally well, as our doctor says "perfect, couldn't get anymore textbook" and are making mommy pay for it in the process. I should have known something was different when every symptom in the book kicked in at 5 weeks! It is gradually getting better as I approach that 12 week mark this week, but I am afraid that it probably will not last long considering this belly that has suddenly popped over the past few days. We are currently seeing my OB every two weeks, which means we get to see these little beans quite often! If everything looks good at our next appointment we will get what they call the "twin vacation" and will have a month off before we start back on a two week schedule with our OB and a specialist. We look forward to keeping you all updated throughout this crazy journey! Please keep us and these two little blessings in your thoughts and prayers in the mean time.

doughnuts with dad

2010-11-21T16:05:00.006-06:00

These pictures were taken by David's teachers at school on Doughnuts with Dad day a few weeks back. David really enjoyed taking daddy to school, just a much as he enjoyed the doughnuts (maybe more). It is safe to report that we are finally past the initial shock of life without mommy two days a week. Tears are rarely shed and mommy is not getting phone calls during the day, whew! We had our teacher conference last week and his teacher said that he is doing great! His favorite part of school is when they go to music class on Wednesdays (which comes as no surprise to us) and he loves running races on the play ground. It is amazing to see the changes that have occurred just from a few months of MDO. He is socializing with kids more, which is huge for him although he prefers older children. He recites things from school and is getting very good at following directions, especially when mommy tells him to pick up his toys...yeah!!

"trick-or-treat"

2010-11-02T19:30:00.013-05:00

David had a blast this year on Halloween! Again, we were a little worried that he would not be interested in wearing his costume (which he picked out all on his own), but he wore it like a champ and caught on very quickly to the whole routine. He was a little hesitant at the first few houses, but then it was game on. All we heard the rest of the evening was "next house" and "more candy!" It's all he has been talking about since; well that and the scary house with bones and scary noises, haha! Definitely an unforgettable experience-Halloween through a two and a half year old's eyes. We look forward to so many more!

Dewberry Farm

2010-10-25T10:43:00.010-05:00

We super sized our annual pumpkin patch trip by adventuring out to dewberry farms. Our friends Katie, Mike and their daughter Lachlann joined us again this year to continue the tradition. I will have to say dewberry farms was definitely a step up from the place we visited last year! If you live in Houston and have not been it is worth the trip. We all had a great time, however the only thing that could have made our day better was some cooler weather!

Little Farmersville

Fort Dew Hickey

Rubber Ducky Races

Such a cute picture minus the nasty rotten pumpkin next to David!

It was a tough day for getting the little man to smile for the camera. He was exhausted within in the first 20 minutes, so we struggled a bit. Still, it was a great step up in our annual tradition!

Blood, Sweat and Tears

2010-09-23T08:39:00.006-05:00

Is what our first few weeks of preschool have been like, minus the blood (at least for now)! Poor little guy is not adjusting to change very well. I knew this was not going to be easy, but never expected it to be this hard. We have yet to make it through a full day without any tears. I have been called twice by both preschool directors; First phone call led to me picking him up two hours early because he would not stop screaming and was having difficulty regrouping and settling down before nap. The second phone call led to some private negotiations between me and the little man over the phone...."David you go night-night on your nap mat and when you wake up mommy will be there to pick you up and we will go get ice cream." Needless to say that did the trick and it has become a reoccurring event everyday after school...thank goodness for berripop! His note this week said that he struggled coming in from the playground and the directors had to come help out (mommy interpretation- he threw a horrible blown out fit). Lets just say that we are all now on a first name basis at Grace Preschool! I just keep praying that this will get easier and that he will learn to love school. I know he is upset and misses his mommy, but I also believe that part of him is just trying to test his limits! He is too smart for his own good, which does not make many things in our life easy these days. The picture below is before his MadHatter Party at school; all the kids in his class got to wear hats for a day. He specifically picked out his Mickey visor and as his mommy I have to say he looked so handsome sporting it! Let's keep our fingers crossed that next month is easier...on both of us!

First Day of School

2010-09-09T13:44:00.011-05:00

Yesterday was David's first day of MDO. He is in the 2 year old class at our church and goes Monday and Wednesday. Unfortunately there were tears shed on both sides (I think I cried the better half of the morning). Thank goodness daddy was there to get us through it all. David's teacher said he did well with an occasional meltdown here and there. I was really worried he would loose it around nap time, but apparently he was one of the better ones. They said he struggled going down and got upset because of the other kids crying, but he did finally go to sleep. He was exhausted when I picked him up! His teachers report said;

"David had a GREAT day!! He really enjoyed playing with
friends and doing the numbers puzzle. He did so good showing me the numbers and
telling me what they were! David also enjoyed playing with a foam football!
Today was a great 1st day!"

So, based on that and the feedback they gave me I guess I can assume it went okay. My how I would love to be a fly on the wall to see what actually goes on, haha! The only thing he said when asked what he did at school today was "got diaper changed." Sounds eventful! Round two on Monday...we'll see how we do without daddy there.

Here he is supporting his back pack for almost a full minute. We were lucky to even get this picture because he does not want anything to do with it!

Running to his classroom.

Debating on whether or not he should go in.....

We can do this; piece of cake.

Maybe not....saying bye-bye. Thank goodness daddy didn't get a picture of us both in tears!

future longhorn in the making....

2010-09-03T09:39:00.007-05:00

I cannot tell you how excited we are about football being back on the television; especially longhorn football! We are looking forward to an exciting new season and the little man is ready! We have not decided whether or not we will attempt to take him to his first game this year. I've been looking at tickets and you cannot find one that is less than $85.00; which is a lot of cash to shell out for a two and a half year old that may not even make it through the first quarter! It's tough though because I really think he would enjoy the band and the whole atmosphere of it all. We'll see...in the mean time we are preparing him to continue the longhorn legacy!! Please excuse my singing; I seemed to have forgotten that I was trying to get a video for the blog, heehee! The funny part about it is that he got mad because I did not sing the entire song and I know y'all don't want to be subjected to that! Hook 'em Horns!!!

Two Year Old Tidbits

2010-08-26T14:40:00.019-05:00

Gee....I have been a bad blogger this month! I am going to have to blame pure exhaustion and glee re-runs for that! Our crazy, insanely busy weekends have not helped either; I think we have been to 4 birthday parties already this month. Oh, and maybe that little teeny tiny factor of having an almost 2 1/2 year old who is non stop is contributing to all of the above...maybe just a little bit!

I figured it has been quite some time since I have documented what our little man has been up to; so here we go.....

He is obsessed, and I mean OBSESSED with his letters, numbers and shapes. That is all he talks about all day long. Don't get me wrong we are so proud that he is so knowledgeable in these areas, but the constant need for confirmation and reaffirmation makes for a long day!

He LOVES puzzles, especially the ones that involve the previous note.

Shapes have been the new addition this month. He knows the following; circle, square, rectangle, star, diamond, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon. He counts and knows how many sides each one has; except the circle he has not grasped that it does not have sides.

His favorite food is "chips and spicy" aka chips and Julios HOT salsa. He would eat it at every meal if I let him and he thinks its cool when he gets a really spicy bite. Crazy, I know but the way I think about it is at least he is getting some of his daily requirements of fruits and vegetables out of it.

He has successfully made it through 4 consecutive Sunday school classes without having mommy and daddy paged out of church!

He has been going poo-poo in the potty almost everyday over the last two weeks, but will not go pee-pee. Which I find weird because I hear it is usually the opposite!

He is a picky eater. He won't even try new things. I am stressing over what to put in his lunch box next week for his first day of MDO because he won't even try a bite of a sandwich or peanut butter crackers.

At dinner when Daddy asks him what we did today he will respond with the big events of the day or the ones worth remembering such as snow cones, swimming, a friends house, ice cream, etc.

He says "that's funny" when he finds something we or he does humorous, "thank you so much," "I want ____" which is usually followed by us saying "you need to ask nicely" and then we get "pleeeaaase!"

I caught him singing along to B.o.B's Magic song this week in the car. (Don't ask, because I don't know! It was playing on XM20). I downloaded it to show Dave and apparently we now have to listen to it everyday!

He is a silly, sweet, stubborn almost two and a half year old and we love him so much!!

pee-pee in the POTTY!!!

2010-07-28T14:00:00.007-05:00

Ok, so it really is the little things in life that get you so excited; but seriously this is a BIG deal!! We have been reading books, watching movies, talking about the business, etc. since before he was even two and the kid has shown no interest. His potty has been in hiding since January because it became a play toy instead of functioning as what it was intended for. Our pediatrician said to wait until mid-later summer to start pushing it a little more; so we honestly have not been in that big of a hurry. About a month ago I was at Babies R Us and purchased an Elmo potty seat that attaches to the regular toilet in David's bathroom. Again, he liked that Elmo was on it but showed no interest in wanting to use it. I left it there to collect dust until mid-last week when David was talking about pee-pee in the potty a little more (I think it's because we had Elmo's Potty Time playing in the car that day). We decided to start sitting him on the potty every night before bath time to see if he would do anything. We would run the sink water, tub water, even pour water on him and nothing! Daddy embraced a little milestone on Friday evening when after having him on the toilet seat with no results for 5 minutes he placed David in the bath tub and heard him say "pee-pee in the potty" while beginning to tee-tee in the tub. He preceded to pull David out of the tub and onto the Elmo potty. By the time mommy got up there to celebrate David was just sitting on the potty like usual and there was barely any (if none) "pee-pee" in the potty. Daddy claims it must of all ended up on the floor and toilet seat, but whatever we celebrated he got M&Ms and a sticker and we moved on to several nights with no results. This morning while finishing up breakfast David's face started turning red like it usually does when he needs to use the restroom; um hum you know where I am going with this! I figured I might as well ask him if he wanted to do it in the potty and got an "okay" as a response. We quickly ran upstairs, undressed and went straight to the potty. He sat....and sat...and then said "pee-pee" I looked down and he was actually going pee-pee in the potty! I was completely shocked that I started screaming and jumping up and down! David of course thought it was the greatest thing! When he finished he said to me "mommy, I go pee-pee in the potty again!" He was so excited that he wanted to do it again! I couldn't be prouder; I have been very nervous about potty training and this was a huge milestone/start to a long road ahead......yay David!!

(FYI...the picture above is not from today's events. It was taken a week ago before bath time when David would not do anything!)

Painting with Blueberries

2010-07-22T14:52:00.007-05:00

That's right! Did you know that July is National Blueberry Month??? Neither did I, but hey it was a great excuse to try a new craft out with the kiddos. We had David's friend Lachlann over the other day to attempt painting with blueberries. If you notice I use the word "attempt". That is because that is exactly what it was, a bad attempt! David was frustrated because he wanted to paint with his paints NOT the blueberries. He let me dunk his hand in and humored me for a little while as he flopped mushed blueberry juice on his poster board. He then was "over" it and wanted it off of his hands immediately. Lachlann hated the whole idea! She was so upset about the thought of getting her hands dirty; typical girly-girl! She sat there stirring the mixture and occasionally flinging whole blueberries onto her poster board, but when her mommy took the plunge and forced her hand into the bowl she got sooooo upset and started crying! Quite the experience let me tell you and I will not even bother posting the directions on here because I wouldn't recommend doing it! The best part of it all was after they were done creating their masterpieces Katie and I looked at each other in disgust because while admiring their artwork we soon realized it might start to smell and mold! We decided we would save them to show off to the daddies and then throw them out; well David's is still in the kitchen but I plan on tending to that shortly!

Swim Lessons

2010-07-13T18:47:00.005-05:00

We started our first round of swim lessons a few weeks ago; we are actually on our last week that's how behind I am! We decided to partner up with one of David's buddies to do semiprivate lessons at the YMCA. It was originally set for 30 minute lessons with both boys in the water at the same time with one instructor, but we learned quickly that was not going to work out. Think about it....2 two year olds in the pool, both with stranger anxiety, screaming and crying. It was a mess! We decided we would split the lessons up 15 minutes per child with the instructor and with a little M&M bribery it has worked for the last 2 1/2 weeks. Out of a total of 10 lessons David screamed through 5 of them, and as a mother it was difficult to sit back and watch. The funny thing about it was while he was screaming and crying he was doing exactly what the instructor was telling him to do and learned quite a bit! Must be a natural.

Here are a few snapshots of our swimming lesson adventure Summer 2010. Mommy got the whistle blown at her because apparently no cameras are allowed in the pool area...oops!!

goodbye twenties....hello thirties

2010-06-24T15:17:00.005-05:00

So, I am officially thirty and it isn't so bad!

Although Napa was our big birthday celebration; my amazing husband went above and beyond to make this particular birthday unforgettable. The festivities began Thursday evening with a surprise party at our favorite Mexican restaurant here in Katy. All of the mommies and kiddos from our play group and close friends who live out in Katy were there! I was completely shocked and amazed that he even pulled it off without me knowing. David loves birthdays and was so excited to help mommy blow out her candles.

On Saturday the hubby planned a dinner out at the Oasis in Austin with some close friends and family. We enjoyed the view, food and drinks. We picked the Oasis for several reasons, but the biggest was it being kid friendly. After dinner we took David up to the dance hall to see the live band. He is obsessed with guitars and music, so we just knew seeing it live for the first time would make his evening! He loved it; we even got to see some new dance moves on the dance floor!

I wanted to thank all my friends and family who made this birthday so special. I am truly blessed to have you all in my life; especially my husband Dave! I love you honey!!

Family Beach Session

2010-06-08T10:31:00.005-05:00

Check out the previews from our family beach session here;
Amanda Green Photography

I am very pleased how these turned out considering the fact that all three of us were sweating profusely 10 minutes into the session. Whew was it hot! Note to self....plan a beach session before we get the Texas summer heat wave.

Thanks Amanda for doing an awesome job; we cannot wait to see the rest!

San Francisco

2010-06-04T13:53:00.010-05:00

After our wonderful time in Napa we drove through Sonoma, across the Golden Gate Bridge into freezing cold San Francisco! I believe the high was 52 degrees, which was a nice break from the 93 degree heat we have been facing in Houston but still a tad chilly. We met up with our friends Melanie and Travis, who flew up there to spend some time with us and celebrate; thanks y'all. Here are some of the pictures from our visit to San Francisco enjoying the sites, food and the company!

Alcatraz

Irish Coffees at the Buena Vista

Lombard Street

On Friday evening we headed out to dinner at a restaurant in the Marina district called A16. When leaving the hotel we called for a cab and actually got a limo!?!?! I don't think I have been in a limo since middle school; classic! The restaurant was super cute and we actual had a famous run in with Michael Keaton...batman! We wanted to ask for a picture/autograph but he was leaving the restaurant alone and we figured he probably did not want to be bothered. It was a good celebrity sighting though!

On Saturday evening we dined at an authentic Chinese restaurant in china town. It was quite the experience. Very interesting.....

Wine Country

2010-05-28T13:54:00.012-05:00

Here are a few of the many pictures from our recent Napa trip. It was truly amazing!! We really enjoyed the beautiful scenery, peaceful atmosphere, great food, and of course the yummy wine. It was an early 30th birthday/much needed, and probably the last (at least for a while), mommy-daddy trip.

Pride Mountain Vineyards

We started our morning with our driver taking us up to the top of Spring Mountain Road for our tasting at Pride Mountain Vineyards. We did the tour and tasting here, really enjoyed the cave experience and even got to try some wine straight out of the barrel. The interesting thing about this vineyard is that it sits right on the Napa/Sonoma county line. They grow grapes on both sides and have to specifically label and produce them on their specific sides accordingly. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and the views while we were there; it was beautiful and we could not have asked for a better day.

Spring Mountain Vineyards

This is where they filmed the show Falcon Crest; it is a vineyard and the estate is beautiful with the original house and views from the show. This is the one vineyard where Dave and I both loved every wine we tasted, and because it was my birthday trip our server brought out some goodies from under the counter. He let us try a 1998 Cabernet and a 1988 Cabernet to taste the difference as the wine ages; it was such an amazing experience and the wine was wonderful.

Hall/Sequoia Grove/Cake Bread Cellars

With Napa being known for both great food and wine it was difficult choosing a place to eat. I could personally spend 3-4 days here enjoying it all. For our one night in Napa to enjoy it we ate at Bouchon. Here is a snap shot of us at dinner; we both really enjoyed the steak frites.

Our next day in Napa was a short one, but none of the less perfect. We got up and enjoyed massages at our hotel and then headed to Silver Oak for an early tasting. This is one of our all-time favorites.

After our Silver Oak tasting we had lunch at Mustard's Grill and headed to our last winery, Vine Cliff. This was originally planned as our big tour, however their caves were shut down due to them being sulfarized which was really disappointing. We made the best of it, enjoyed the wine and scenery and then headed on our way to enjoy the beautiful drive back to San Francisco where we met our friends Melanie and Travis; pictures to come.

Night-Night

2010-04-29T13:58:00.005-05:00

So a few months ago when David started struggling with the whole going to bed concept we started talking with him about everybody going night-night. When I would lay him in his crib we would start to talk about mama going night-night, Dada goes night-night, Ga goes night-night, and so on. It started turning into a nightly routine where David would talk about all of his family, friends and pets going night-night. Over the past week he has started incorporating things that have occurred during the day going night-night. The other night it was "imagination movers go night-night, shoes go night-night, socks go night-night, bye-bye go night-night, purse go night-night, Katie house go night-night (along with everyone in their family going night-night), pool go night-night, night-night!" Basically, we got up watched imagination movers, put on socks and shoes, grabbed mommy's purse and went to our friends house to swim! It is so funny to me what he recalls during the day. We make a habit to talk about our day every night at dinner, but now it seems like he is grasping that night-night time concludes the day. Looks like we our going to have to make some extra time in our nightly routine for his lengthy night-night list!

Only in Texas...

2010-04-20T13:04:00.003-05:00

Easter 2010

2010-04-13T14:00:00.005-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter, just the three of us. David woke up that morning with a horrible diaper rash which did put a little dent in our planned activities. We were unable to capture pictures of him discovering what the Easter bunny left behind because he needed a little air before we headed off to church! After service we enjoyed a beautiful brunch at Three Olives, difficult at times but yummy. The Easter bunny had to hide the eggs in our front yard this year due to construction in the back, which worked out okay because the Easter bunny had more places to hide them and David had a blast! We were a little worried that he would not be interested in hunting eggs because over the past few weeks we have tried "practicing" and even attended our play group's Easter Egg Hunt/Spring Party and he was not impressed. My guess is it being in HIS front yard made the difference. He really enjoyed running around finding all the eggs and even knew to put them in his basket as he collected them!

On the hunt...

Our silly bunny...

My Easter flowers that Daddy got for the table that weekend, aren't they beautiful? Ranunculas are my favorite; we actually had several in our wedding and rarely see them in stores.

Happy Easter!

2 Years Old

2010-04-06T14:01:00.009-05:00

We had David's two year appointment last week and I wanted to document his current stats....

Height: 35 inches; 75th percentile
Weight: 29 lbs; 50-75th percentile
FOC: 51 1/2 cm; Upper 97th percentile

Heehee..he has a big head like his daddy! So, I was completely thrown off guard when they led us straight to the normal scale and wall measurement! It was such a big, but sad moment all in one. It really made me realize that he is not a baby anymore; he's two. Which he'll tell you if your lucky and if he is in the mood!

Here are a few other things that have been going on in our little two year old's world;

He completely knows every letter of the alphabet and can even sing you the song!

He can count to twenty, gets a little mumbled after 16 but he understands where he is going with it.

We have been on a good streak ever since his birthday....less tantrums and so sweet! For the most part he will help out when asked, listen and do as told, and if a heated moment shall arise the word "timeout" will put a stop to it! We'll see how long this lasts.

He has started putting his words together to make sentences. We mostly hear I want pretzel, cracker, elmo, etc. A few others are; "I'm okay", "You okay Elmo?", followed by "Elmo fall off chair," and then "Elmo's okay" (this is all heard in order after he throws elmo off a couch, chair, you name it....poor elmo). Oh and my favorite, "hey mama!"

He says "hi" in this sweet flirty voice accompanied by a wave from his hand to EVERYONE we come across at the store, on a walk, you name it! It's like his social skills just randomly kicked in, but don't be fooled because if he doesn't like you or the situation he will not hesitate to scream at you!

I finally figured out that he was cutting a two year molar when he screamed from the shot at his two year appointment! It is so hard figuring out what is going on in there, but I had a feeling between the behavior and the runny nose that we were dealing with teething issues, ugh! We have our first dentist appointment scheduled in a few weeks, so stay tuned! btw...it was not just one but two molars....he gave me his giddy grin at dinner tonight and I saw another one coming in; this explains alot!

Come and play-Everything's A-OK at

2010-03-30T14:31:00.010-05:00

David's 2nd Birthday Party!

We had a Sesame Street themed party for David's birthday at the local Little Gym on Saturday. Although a little chaotic at times (they only gave me 15 minutes to set everything up), we had such a blast and enjoyed celebrating with our friends and family. Thank you everyone for making this such a memorable birthday!

David started the party off not in the best of spirits because he would have rather ate his cake and play with his presents than go play in the gym with all his friends. Which didn't fair well when we told him "no" on his birthday. We solved the problem by allowing him to take a present in the gym with him. It worked for a little while, but I think he was a little overwhelmed and hungry so we had a snack break with his friend Lachlann while the others enjoyed the festivities.

After the gym activities were complete David was escorted into the party room to his "special chair." It is funny because at that moment you could tell by his actions and facial expressions that he knew it was "his" birthday party and that was "his special chair." At one point he got up from his chair, fought through the crowd of parents and kiddos to check on "Ga" and "Pappa" (my parents). When he was done talking with them he fought the crowd of people once again to get back to his specific seat. It was crazy how he just knew!

All in all it was a fantastic party!! We had some malfunctions with our camera......bad mommy the memory card was full so it was not working properly or as quickly has we had hoped. I also did not get a chance to take a picture of the party favor table; which I am super bummed about. I put a lot of effort into planning out the gifts and worked with a lot of fabulous people on etsy that made my ideas come to fruition. So, I thought I would post their pictures of the items for my own personal memory/documentation purposes, to share the cuteness with y'all, and to give a shout out to these creative people! They did such a wonderful job!!

handmade by Treasured Collections

handmade by pannaz

handmade by Mary Had a Little Party

T-W-O

2010-03-26T16:09:00.010-05:00

Yesterday my little man turned two and I could not have asked for a better day! Daddy took the day off from work to spend the day with us and we had such a great time celebrating. When I pulled up the pictures I realized it was actually quite an eventful day! We started out surprising David with his "new-upgraded" playroom. With the help from the grandparents we turned our upstairs gameroom into a special room for a special little man; thank y'all for pitching in! He absolutely loves it and wakes up every morning ready to play! Along with the playroom (which is not completely finished we are waiting on a book rack that is on back order and need to hang his new art display) David got a guitar from mommy and daddy for his birthday. He has such love and passion for music. He gets so excited when he sees someone playing a guitar on TV and actually picked this one out in the Land of Nod catalog.

We go to The Little Gym every Thursday and were so excited that Daddy could come and play. Of course, he was not really enthusiastic about having to leave his new playroom which made for a cranky start at the gym!

After Little Gym we picked up his favorite meal for lunch, "nuggies and french fries" from McDonalds. I swear the kid would eat them at every meal if we allowed him! We have to order the 10 pack nuggies because he inhales them. Needless to say we try to limit how often we frequent the golden arches.

He got two special deliveries on his birthday; which he loved opening! My best friend Melanie sent him some books and Aunt Sarah and the girls sent him a piano; which may be one of his favorite gifts! He is very serious about sitting on the stool and playing a song while singing in the mircrophone, it is so adorable!

While he was napping I baked him a cake; which I cannot tell you how long it has been since I have made one and I think after this years experience we will just buy a cupcake for him to enjoy from now on. He seemed to love it, which was the most important thing and it made me feel better about all the effort that went into it! We have been practicing blowing out candles over the past week in preparation for this specific occassion and he did it like a champ, with a little assistance from Daddy! What a wonderful birthday with some great memories! We are so excited about celebrating this weekend with friends and family!

Happy 2nd Birthday, David!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

My lil cowboy

2010-03-24T14:59:00.005-05:00

We attended our playgroup's First Annual Rodeo party last week. All the kiddos got dressed up in their best western attire and had a blast! Of course, nothing around here comes without difficulty lately. I've come to the conclusion that David has fat feet! I purchased some boots especially for this party and thankfully I got them at 30% off because although they slipped right on his little fat feet the day they arrived; four days later was not the case. Ugh....talk about frustrating! I tried with every ounce of gentle force to get those darn boots on his feet, I think I even broke a sweat trying. In the end we were 10 minutes late to the party and the boots were half-way on. Poor thing, thank goodness he humored me for the first 5 minutes so that I could snap some pictures! Thank you Katie and Miss Lachlann for being such great hostesses and throwing a super fun rodeo party!

our attempt at the zoo....

2010-03-22T14:06:00.008-05:00

I am starting to think that overall trips to the zoo are not for the Roser family; last year the extreme heat and this year one cranky toddler. We did not even make it to the children's area because he was such a mess! Not even the ice cream break, which we had to take within the first ten minutes, made it better. The funny thing is when I uploaded the pictures from this fiasco I had to laugh because he actually made it look like he was having a good time (again, it is the posing for the camera thing). He was more interested in taking pictures than he was looking at the animals. He didn't want to sit in his stroller so he was allowed to walk only if he held mommy or daddy's hand which "Mr. I want to be in control" was not so happy about majority of the time. At one point he just threw himself on the ground right in the middle of a a busy walk way! I had to pull the "David if you don't get up and walk with mommy we will go bye-bye." I was horrified until a mother passing by said " I can't tell you how many times we have had to say that today!" I think the only thing he did enjoy was the elephants; they seem to be a fav around here these days. Needless to say we will not be going to the zoo again anytime soon!

"CHEESE"

2010-03-17T14:51:00.003-05:00

So someone around here has decided he does not hate the camera anymore! He will pose and say cheese for you as soon you pull it out. A complete 180 since Christmas; which is leading us to reconsider an upcoming 2 year photo shoot. Here are a few pictures to wet y'alls whistles; since I apparently have been MIA for hmmm....a month. {don't worry I just uploaded over 100 pictures that I will start sifting through and posting over the next few days from our trip to the zoo and his first rodeo party...boots and all!}

Be Mine

2010-02-14T14:12:00.004-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Here are pictures from some of our festivities over the week. Our play group had a Valentine's party on Wednesday and one of our mommies, who is an amazing photog, did a great job capturing the moment!

The goodies; the bears and the puppies on the bottom right are from us!

My silly little valentine

The kiddos, aren't they cuties?? Mine was not too happy!

photography by Amanda Green Photography

Sesame Street LIVE!

2010-02-11T13:10:00.007-06:00

That's what his face looked like for the majority of the show, jaw dropped in awe that Elmo and friends were right in front of him! It was, as miss Abby would put it..."magical!" To see such joy and innocence in your child's face is truly a perfect gift from up above and definitely a memorable one.

Cancun 2010

2010-02-08T15:06:00.011-06:00

Honey, we are all so proud of you and your success in 2009. We thank you everyday for working so hard to provide for our family. Thank you grandma and grandpa for watching David so Mommy and Daddy could celebrate another great year in Cancun!! We had such a good time with food, friends, and much needed r&r.

Our first day was spent mostly traveling, but it worked out okay because it was raining in Cancun when we got there. That night we had regional breakouts and dinner.

Dave and I before the meeting started

Allison, Dave's boss's wife, and I before the meeting

The Roser's and The Volpe's

The next day we had some sun, but it only lasted for a few hours. This is our first year that we have been in Cancun with an actual beach; they are still in recovery mode from the hurricane that hit in 2005. So we spent the time we had on the beach sun or no sun. That night we went to dinner with other Houston contest winners and their spouses. We went to a restaurant called Harry's and enjoyed delicious surf and turf!!

On Tuesday I was treated to spa services while Dave got to play golf. That night we had the usual office dinner at a yummy restaurant and even made it out dancing full bellies and all!!

Houston Contest Winners 2010

The Wives

We spent our last night as a date night, since we don't get those too often. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at one of the newer restaurants in Cancun. The best part was the dessert; they leave this tray on your table and it is literally all you can eat.....dangerous!

Overall, it was a great trip! We were ready to get back to our little nugget, though. It was 4 1/2 days away from him! He did great for grandma and grandpa, but was not too happy with mommy. He refused to speak to me on the phone while we were there and gave me the cold shoulder for about 10 minutes once we got home....payback!! Mommy and daddy made up for it though with a trip to see Elmo on Saturday; I should hopefully get those up mid-later this week but he had a blast!!

early riser = sleepy mommy

2010-01-27T07:40:00.014-06:00

Okay, so first.....we are still here. I know, I know its been a whole month since I last blogged or close to it, but it has been a busy month that has just flown by. The time that I usually get to sit down and share my thoughts, document milestones, or just let y'all know whats been going on, a.k.a nap time, has been spent searching for beach attire for our upcoming trip to Cancun, projects around the household, planning our little nuggets upcoming birthday (I cannot believe he will be two soon), and taking a little time here and there just to have some mommy relaxation time. Oh, and I cannot forget to leave out cleaning the house! We have also been busy visiting and applying for colleges...okay not really, but it sure feels that way! Seriously, who knew that there was such a demand for MDO programs; mothers get in line at 3am at some of these churches just to make sure their kiddo gets a spot! Crazy. We are applying to 3 different churches that are on a draw system; our first choice being our church but there is no guarantee. We will find out February 17th which ones he gets accepted to for the 2010-2011 school year. I'm telling you....crazy!

On another note, David turned 22 months this week and the terrible twos have officially hit the Roser household. Generally, he is a well behaved and bright minded little boy (well, I like to think so), BUT these little tantrums of emotional/angered screaming must stop!! If someone angers him or things do not go his way...watch out and be prepared for the loud and I mean awful scream that my child can and will produce anywhere! Now I have tried telling myself "it could be worse, at least he does not hit or bite like some little boys are doing right now," but I don't know it's pretty bad. So, for now "no David, it is not nice to scream" is being heard a handful around here! Along with the terrible twos comes the need for independence and control, which in turn has caused some long evenings and early mornings for us. My child, who has practically been one of the best sleepers since he was 10 weeks old, has started to fight going night-night. I swear he thinks his crib is a jungle gym; he feels the need to run around it during nap time and at bedtime instead of sleeping in it. Oh, and let me not forget the kicking...yes, kicking the wall, which happens to be mommy and daddy's wall. This occurs at night and early morning, and when I say early I mean 6:10 am EVERY morning. I don't know what it takes to get this kid to sleep in, but it is like clock work no matter when he goes to bed. Needless to say, after much research, we are led to believe that this behavior is due not only to the need for control, but over tiredness so we have started to lay down the law around here. The rainforest (fisher-price) has been removed because the "soothing" sounds and "peaceful" lighting it once brought to my infant boy is now a bright obnoxious distraction to sleep! Nap time is set for 12:30 and bedtime is set for 7:30, no earlier and no later....lights out, and mommy and daddy are out of the room. Instead of rockabye baby lullaby renditions, we have natural white noise ALL night. Last but not least....NO watching Elmo after 4:30 in the afternoon! Anyways, you get the point; this is serious business.

To leave on a lighter note, or should I say less negative, he is growing up so quickly and we do feel blessed to have such a wonderful child (I do mean this, lol). He is super-scary smart; counts to ten and knows all but 5 letters of the alphabet! His favorite game right now is "what's that." I will draw letters on the etcha sketch that Santa brought him for Christmas; he loves to ask "what's that" which in turn he wants me to ask "what's that" and he will then shout with much excitement the letter that I drew! He does this with all of his Melissa & Doug fruits and vegetables, too! He has an amazing memory; every time we drive by the pool he shouts "pool, dada, weeee" in regards to going down the big slide with Daddy this past summer! He loves to sing and dance. He is very talkative; I think the only time he is not talking is when he is watching Elmo. He is always looking for a response and requires a lot of attention. Sometimes, in the middle of playtime he will just come up to me and give me a kiss or hug for no reason, which melts my heart. Through all the yelling and screaming, I do know that he loves his mommy and no matter how tough these times can be I love him more than anything, he is my baby boy.

countdown to 2010

2009-12-31T16:55:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year!!

christmas 2oo9

2009-12-29T12:44:00.011-06:00

To start the holiday off right, we headed into Austin to see our dear friends Melanie and Travis and their new home!!! Now a trip into Austin would not be complete without dinner at our favorite mexican restaurant, Maudies!! David takes after his mommy in the fact that he enjoys mexican food, and he shows a favoritism to queso. It is funny because, just like his mommy and daddy, he ADORES maudies queso. We had to order another large bowl so that he could have some more! We really enjoyed seeing you guys; the new home is fabulous. Y'all are such wonderful friends and we are thankful to have you all in our lives!

We had a wonderful time celebrating christmas with our family in austin this year. It reminded me of the traditional Christmas's' that I enjoyed growing up. Dad made peanut brittle and egg nog, we enjoyed appetizers and mulled wine on christmas eve and just spent time as a family. We even got to see a hint of snow flurries on Christmas eve day!

Christmas Eve Family Pictures

(with an uncooperative little boy)

Christmas morning was exactly as predicted...unforgettable! The look on David's face when he saw what santa left him under the tree was priceless. Watching him brought back the excitement and those special moments we cherish from past christmas's as a kid. It can only get better from here, right? He is truly the most precious gift we could have ever received!!

"santa came!!"

Introducing his elmo to the "real" elmo...elmo live encore

my little chef

lovin him some elmo

his own personalized chair

Our family, Christmas 2009

'tis the season

2009-12-21T15:46:00.011-06:00

It's officially the week of Christmas and we are ready! We got the presents under the tree last night...just in time to pack them up in two days for our trip to Austin! Although our visit with Santa did not go so well, David is loving the Christmas decorations and is definitely in the spirit. He will turn 21 months this week and I thought I would post the top 10 favorite holiday memories thus far!

1. Every morning when we come downstairs he runs to the 'kismas tee" and trys to plug in the lights, with mommy's assistance of course!

2. We had our outdoor lights installed before Thanksgiving and he was extremely involved in the process. He monitored every move those men made on top of our roof and learned within five minutes that they were putting up "ights." Now every time we are outside he points to the house and says "ights"

3. The infamous line from our Santa visit "Ma'am...it works best if you drop the child and run!"

4. Oh the cookies....we made Russian tea balls and peanut butter kiss cookies a week ago (mmm...mm....mmm..) He likes the powdered sugar on the tea balls, but will not actually try my peanut butter cookies, so we are going with the traditional sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles this evening just for him...and maybe Santa!

5. You can't have cookies without milk!! That's right, at the end of this week we will be sans bottle for two whole weeks. You see, we had the baby-baba, big boy-sippy cup talk and he has done great! No throwing sippy cups, no screaming....he has only asked for his baba once and that was when he was overtired at lunch.

6. When you ask him what does santa say, he will reply "ho, ho, ho"

7. We have to read The Night Before Christmas to him at least 3 times a night because at the end of it he always says "agin"

8. His favorite Christmas song is Frosty. We sing it around the house and he will grab the snowman that sits on the bench in our entry way. I've been on the look out for when they would be airing Frosty on ABC, but somehow I think we missed it. He has had no interest in the traditional Christmas movies, but I thought that he may enjoy Frosty. Oh well, there is always next year.

9. We took him to the Kids Krazy Christmas Show at Second Baptist Church this past weekend. If you live in the Houston area with kiddos and have not been it is AMAZING. I was soooo worried that all he would want to do is run around, but he proved his mama wrong. He loved it!! Sat in our laps the whole time watching the puppets sing and dance. When they disappeared he would say "were de go?" It was truly fun for the whole family and cannot wait to see it again next year!

10. The presents have been under the tree for a day now, and although he does not have many under there for him just yet he knows which one is his and will not keep his itty bitty fingers off of it! I have a feeling Christmas morning is going to be unforgettable!

We hope that all of our friends and family have an unforgettable holiday as well!

Merry Christmas!

a christmas classic

2009-12-16T15:44:00.003-06:00

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

2009-12-11T14:49:00.008-06:00

Who would of thought..snow in Houston??? It was the craziest thing! The weather reporters were talking about it all week and of course here I am "I'll believe it when I see it". Well, I saw it and it wasn't just a little flurry here and there that you usually get in Texas. It probably snowed consistently for 3 hours here in Katy and I loved it; couldn't stop staring out the window! It reminded me of being in Germany in 2005 when Dave proposed. He laughs at me because I get so giddy when I see snow, and who could blame me I grew up in Texas for goodness sake! David seemed amused by it too! It started coming down fairly hard while we were leaving the grocery store. I kept telling him what it was and he would look up at the sky, let it hit his face and say "cold." So sweet, I never thought his first experience in snow would be at home! The only disappointing part was that it was coming down hard during his nap time so he missed the exciting part of it all. By the time he woke up the sun was peeking through and it was starting to melt, but that did not stop us from having a good time. He ran around the backyard with his little buddy Dylan, tasted snow for the first time, and had little cold red wet feet because mommy did not think about snow boots and does not even know to this day if you can even find them in Katy, Texas!

December 4, 2009

20 months...

2009-11-24T14:51:00.012-06:00

and a case of the terrible twos! Seriously, I didn't think it started this early but it has certainly been tough around here lately. I have not even had time to blog because I am constantly picking up after the hurricane known as David that hits our house on a daily basis! Tomorrow our big boy will be 20 months and we will be on the road to Austin for Thanksgiving so I figured I would go ahead and post the David update that I have been meaning to do for the past month. As tough as it has been around here it is truly the greatest thing watching him become such a little boy. He his learning so much and getting so big! I don't know if I have the time or if I can even come up with 20 things that are going on right now, but here's a shot....

1. He still has a love for music and can sing along with several songs. His favorites are twinkle, twinkle, Elmo's world, shake your sillies, head-shoulders-knees and toes, and has picked up on lady gagas new song-he will sing the paparazzi part! It's crazy how many songs and tunes he remembers and funny to hear him sing them at random points in the day. I love it!

2. He can count to ten. He loves to count and is really good at it; I would have to say Dave and I are very impressed. Sometimes I will hear him counting in his crib in the mornings; it is quite funny. We are working on coordinating it with his fingers. He tries but we are not there yet!

3. He is constantly talking to me and everyone we encounter. I can understand what he is saying probably 50% of the time, but the rest is just babble. I cannot even tell you how many words he knows, but it is alot and he is doing a really good job of putting them together correctly. Our favorite sayings right now are; "peese, peese, peese"and "ank you" ( he says both in the right context), "herya go" (which is usually when he is handing us something that he knows we use alot. For instance, my hair dryer is always being thrown at me when we are in the bathroom), "____ wher a ew" (where are you?)usually filled in with mama, dadda, ankie (blankie) or papi (paci), and finally he has mastered "ga ma" (grandma)!

4. He gets his feelings hurt when you tell him no in a strict voice. He will run away and dramatically throw himself on the stairs and cry. Dave and I were laughing the other day because it almost sounded like he was complaining that mama is so mean during one of his fits.

5. Our grocery trips are the highlight of his day. He's got the routine down and has all the employees wrapped around his little finger. He knows that he gets a "aloon" (balloon) as soon as we enter the the store, "apple" (pineapple) samples in the produce area, "urkey" (turkey) from his girlfriend at the deli, and "icker" (sticker) from whoever is bagging the groceries and they always give in and give him more than one b/c he asks them for it.

6. You know it's bad when the highlight of our month has been the new season of Sesame Street. The kid is obsessed. He knows all the characters names and will yell them out when they come up on the screen, but Elmo still remains to be his favorite. I try to limit TV time to an hour a day and sometimes when we are in the car, but he is getting very demanding about it lately. He will bring me the remote when it is not on and throw a fit when I don't respond the way he wants.

7. When you ask him a question you can see that he is thinking about what you are asking and if he understands he will usually respond "ya" or "k.".

8. I am starting to wonder if I should read a potty training book. I have heard that boys usually take longer, but he understands certain things associated with it such as potty and shows somewhat of an interest. It is usually around bath time and he will run into our closet shouting "potty, potty" (I was hiding the training potty in our closet up until last week). I will typically take his diaper off and he will sit on it, but won't do anything. A few weeks ago we went through this nightly process and after he sat on the potty he got up and went and peed on Dave's shoe, hence why we moved the potty to his bathroom! This may be a little TMI, but he has also started recognizing when he goes poo-poo and it will say the word after he goes; I hear him doing this in his crib. I will ask him after he goes and he will say "ya" and shake his head, sometimes he has and other times it is just gas. So I am clueless and am open for any suggestions on techniques and books if any of our readers have some!

9. Now that I am home with him he is becoming very attached to his mommy. I know this is not the best thing, but I have to say I don't mind it. It's not to the point where he cannot function without me and I don't think we will ever get to that point.

10. That being said....he constantly wants mine or Dave's attention. His alone playtime is very short lived; I almost think he is bored with all of his toys which I cannot explain how happy I am that Santa will be visiting soon! He always wants to be involved with what we are doing. This has made it very difficult to get anything done while he is awake, especially cooking dinner which I am glad Dave is usually home during to help out.

11. He does not like the group activities at little gym. He prefers to wonder around the gym by himself and shows little interest in the structured activities. This scares me a bit so we are contemplating adding another activity in the spring. We did a free trial at the kindermusik class in Katy a few weeks ago. It was very structured and he seemed to like it. I am just scared that he will not want the structure and misbehave, which I don't get because things around our house have always been very structured and strictly scheduled. Maybe it's the group setting thing???

12. We have been spending more time around kids his age to work on socializing skills. He started off doing really well, but we have recently run into a few issues. He is not very aggressive and at first he would allow other kids to take the toys that he was playing with without a fit. I think he got fed up with it and thinks that all little people are going to take his toys! If another child at play group or little gym would come close to him he would get very frustrated and hold his hand out at them and yell, not hit. We have been addressing it and making sure to stay involved during play dates. It is getting better.

13. His bedtime routine cracks me up! He is very particular about who reads books (dada) and who cuddles (mama). He takes his bottle (yes, he is still on a bottle #14) while dada reads a few books and precisely puts it on his table when it is half done so that he can save the rest for cuddle time with mama!

14. His love for his bottle. He will drink juice and water from a sippy cup, but refuses to take milk. Yells at me if I try. Doctor said go cold turkey, but that is easier said than done. How do you take something that they love so much away. Breaks my heart.

15. Loves his kisses...sometimes! "ki-ki" aka kiss-kiss is heard often lately and we love it. It is so funny because when he says it whoever is around at the time gets it! It is often followed by a big "muaaahh." He even takes his plastic Elmo and Ernie bath toys and says "ki-ki" and then makes them kiss.

16. The bond between him and our dog Bailey is still growing stronger. David loves to take her on our walks with us. He is very adamant that he hold on to the leash and walk her, but she ends up walking him! He thinks it's hilarious. She typically will take off pulling him in his car or stroller behind him.

17. He is often mistaken for a 2 1/2 year old based on his size. His last measurements were taken at his 18 month apt and he was in the 97 percentile for height! He weighs a little over 26 lbs, which is only 50-75 percentile but is very heavy to me. I struggle getting him in and out of the car and it is getting harder to hold him for periods of time. I think I probably have lost 6lbs. from carrying him around all the time!

18. We have taken up a new family hobby...biking. We did a lot of research and bought the co-pilot to sit on the back of Dave's bike. It was originally going to be installed on my cruiser so that I could go riding with him during the day, but he is sooo heavy and we thought it might be best for me to practice on Dave's bike first. It is really hard! David seems to love our family rides; he even has his own little helmet. He looks adorable in it!

19. We are in the holiday spirit around here! When asked what a turkey says he responds with "ga gal ga l" (gobble, gobble, gobble) and if you say Santa he responds "ho, ho, ho"

20. Sneak Peak from our holiday/20 month photo session done by our friend and photog Amanda Green. It was definitely our toughest shoot yet, but she did a wonderful job capturing the moment. You'll have to wait until our Christmas cards are mailed out for more!

halloween 2oo9

2009-11-01T12:56:00.007-06:00

since the day the costume arrived we were worried whether or not he would wear it; partly because when we first put it on he cried. so here, along with other pictures from our evening, is......

david the pony!

ready for trick or treating...the sucker was a life savor because he was a little cranky (thanks leah)

practicing at home first. earlier we let him pick out a piece of candy while we were attempting to teach him the concept. he picked out a kit kat and ever since that is the only thing he will take out of the candy basket!

"peese, peese, peese dada" we are hearing this a lot around here these days...at least he says please, right??

trick or treating with dada. we only stopped by a few neighbors houses so that he could show off his costume. he was not fond of waiting at peoples door steps. just like everything else he would rather be running/wandering off somewhere, typical toddler!

wrapping up the evening with mama. time to go home and get bathed and in bed so that mommy and daddy could watch the longhorn game.

too funny not to post! i'm not sure what was going on here, but i am guessing he was excited about something.

my sweet baby boy, or should i say big boy. happy halloween!!!

pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins

2009-10-30T14:20:00.004-05:00

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-23T13:23:00.007-05:00

After our experience this past sunday I don't think we will ever beat last years picture when it comes to the annual pumpkin patch visits. We ventured out to give david an official farm/ pumpkin patch experience this year with miniature horses, pony rides, petting zoo, face painting, and of course pumpkins! Lets just say it was not a big hit.....for David or mommy! He was fussy, we were hot, he was hot, and the girlie-girl side of me came out-mommy and farms don't go well together..ugh! Oh and let's not forget to mention the horrible haircut he got last week...I am seriously going on a haircut strike, but that's a whole other post! Oh well, at least we gave it a shot and we did have a good time with our friends Katie, Mike and their daughter Lachlann...who was also fussy! We are glad we didn't pay the money and wait in line at Dewberry Farms because these kids lasted about 30minutes! Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Note-we are not giving up on the pumpkin picture just yet; we have a fall festival and a visit to the church pumpkin patch next week and are hoping to have better luck!

VEGAS!!

2009-10-05T15:05:00.011-05:00

Just got back yesterday from our weekend trip to Vegas. It was much needed mommy and daddy time!! We had a blast, but are definitely exhausted. We flew in Thursday evening and stayed a The Paris Hotel; it had the best deal for the weekend and a great location on the strip. We enjoyed having a little extra time this go around, but had to keep ourselves out of the casino on Saturday night so we ended up seeing Cirque Du Soleil Love at The Mirage. It was amazing!!

Here are just a few pictures from our trip....I did not do a great job of getting out the camera.Thank you Grandma and Tracy for watching our little nugget so that mommy and daddy could have a weekend out to play!

Drinks at Mandalay Bay before we ate lunch at the Burger Bar and hit the tables. Yummy food and the only place we actually walked away with a decent amount of winnings!

The fountains at the Bellagio; our hotel was right across the street and in the three years that we have been to Vegas it was my first time to see them dance to the music. I loved it; could of stayed and watched them all night!

Dinner at Sushi Roku, Caesars Forum Shops. Dave again was a trooper and went out to eat sushi with me. This place had a great view of the strip and excellent sushi.

week in review...

2009-09-25T13:54:00.004-05:00

pick up toys.....laundry....pick up more toys....dishes....pick up more toys.....

okay, so it has been my first week in my new role and whew....can you say exhausting. this toddler boy sure knows how to make messes and keep his mommy on her toes! i feel like most of my days are spent two steps behind him picking up after whatever he is into at the moment, which is EVERYTHING! so really, it was not that bad we had a great time enjoying toddler library hour, shopping, little gym, and a play date with my friend katie and her daughter lachlann. i will say that it has been more of an adjustment than i thought it would be. i feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder, but that there is something about me missing. i'm sure it is going to take some time to settle into this role and get a routine that works well for both david and i. one thing is for sure....i just love spending this time with my little man.

here are some pictures from last weekend. we had some friends over to watch football and celebrate daddy's birthday. he made his best brisket yet!

happy birthday, daddy!

watching football with the guys

david and lachlann ready for some football

first slumber party; they were so cute sleeping in the same room and did so well. if you look close you can see that they have positioned themselves to be as close to each other as possible!

It's Official....

2009-09-18T15:35:00.003-05:00

I started my new job today as a stay at home mommy! After a long debate (a whole year) we have decided it is best for our family. I am so excited to have the opportunity to watch our son grow up; I feel like I have already missed so much. Thank you daddy for working hard and letting mommy stay home and play. We love you very much!!

we heart atx

2009-09-09T14:39:00.007-05:00

Friends......Family......Longhorn Football.....Yummy Food......you can't beat it! We enjoyed a nice long eventful weekend in austin over labor day. We were fortunate to spend time with friends and family and watch the longhorns start off their winning season ;) Thanks Kelly and Colby for coming to see us Friday night! I am so bummed that I did not get a picture of the two of you and david.

Game Day

Zilker Park

{he loved the soundplay area}

{first snow cone}

it's that time of year.....

2009-09-01T19:20:00.014-05:00

.....and our favorite time at that! We are super excited about going into this years football season. David has been diligently working on "texas-fight" and "where my horns at-whoo whoo" in preparation for this weeks game. He has pretty much mastered them both, but will again not perform on cue for mommy to get on video....which explains the lack of blogging lately, goodness is this little man getting difficult to photograph. He is constantly on the go and his mommy and daddy cannot seem to keep up! Here are a few other tidbits to what has been going on at the roser household as our little man turned 17 months last week.....

His vocabulary is definitely growing. He can now say; apple, elmo, bye-bye, pool, texas, airplane, all done, and others that I am sure I am forgeting.

We are beginning to learn what seperation anxiety is around here. He gets extremely upset when one of us leaves. We tried to leave him in the church nursery in Indiana and were paged to get him within 10 minutes after drop off.

As the weather gets cooler (okay, not cooler but it is amazing what a mere 5 degrees will do around here!) we are noticing that he is becoming very fond of playtime at the park. He even attempts to go down the slide alone and proceeds to say "weee" when on the swings!

He had his second haircut last weekend. We decided to try a different establishment that definitely did a better job than the first. He did really well throughout the whole thing and looks so handsome.

He loves him some elmo. It's the only thing he will sit still and watch, but it HAS to be elmo's world. It does not matter if elmo is on sesame street for the day, he will not sit to see what goes on until he hears the elmo's world song. This is the only thing that I really approve of him watching and he only gets to watch in the mornings and sometimes one episode before our nightime routine. We purchased a few elmo's world dvd's that we are hoping will get us through the car ride to austin this weekend.

And in true longhorn spirit, which comes by him naturally...he loves the Texas Fight song! We downloaded it last year to his iPod and have been playing and dancing to it all week. He has learned to start the song himself and we have caught him running around the house dancing to it...it really is pretty cute; even you aggies out there would get a kick out of it!

So let it begin.....Hook 'em Horns!!

Pure Joy

2009-08-15T14:05:00.005-05:00

Seeing the growing bond between a father and his son; the admiration this little man has for his daddy and watching my wonderful husband become the perfect father.

cousins

2009-08-06T19:25:00.005-05:00

Another great part of our trip to Indiana....David finally got to meet his cousins Kayla and Hailey! It was so good to see y'all. We cannot wait to get the three of them together again soon.

generations on the farm

2009-08-01T12:11:00.011-05:00

FAMILY

We took a trip to Evansville, Indiana last week to visit Dave's family. He has such fond memories of his grandparents farm and was super excited for David and I to see where he spent some time growing up. David got to meet his great grammy calvert, great grandma jeanne, and his great aunt sharon; which is a memorable moment that I was so greatful to capture. It was so good to see everyone. It is very rare to have us all in one place at the same time!

New Kicks

2009-07-12T15:21:00.001-05:00

fourth of july 2oo9

2009-07-07T18:58:00.005-05:00

Nothing like backyard fun; bbq, swimming, fireworks, and of course watermelon! We had such a great time celebrating the fourth with my family here in katy. One take away from the weekend: don't you dare try to steal this little squirts watermelon....we are talking full blown head to the ground fit! I think he ended up eating half a watermelon b/c of this and believe me when I say we paid for it!

15 months

2009-06-25T08:08:00.009-05:00

Wow, it's so hard to believe that you are 15 months. It seems like your 1st birthday was just yesterday. It is amazing how much you have grown and changed since then. I figured it has been a while since I have documented and shared the things that have been going on in your world, so here are mommy and daddy's top 15 favorites....

1. You are busy busy...there is definitely no doubt that exploring the world is your top priority. We can literally only get you to sit still for 10 minutes at the most.

2.Forget about getting this child to watch tv; no attention span for this. Granted mommy and daddy are happy about this one, it would be useful every now and then when we need to get something done around the house.

3. When asked you can point to your hair, ear, nose, mouth, toes, eyes and mommy's favorite your belly button. It is so cute, you lift up your shirt and point it out precisely. I have been trying to get this on video, but as soon as the camera comes out you are not interested in anything but getting your little fingers on it {this has made for some interesting videos....talk about close ups}

4. Sweet kisses. They don't come as often as we would like them to, but when they do they are worth the wait. We have figured out that if you see mommy and daddy kiss you are more generous with them!

5. No veggies please! That's right, you take after your father on this one. You can be a very picky eater when you choose to and the sight of a vegetable creates a look of disgust. On rare occasion will you eat carrots, but you turn your nose up at anything green.

6. Although every meal is hit or miss, you do eat fairly well dependent on your mood. You welcome any type of fruit, love hot dogs, will sometimes eat mac n' cheese, anything spicy has been a hit lately, guacamole, quesadillas, and daddy's brisket.

7. Future longhorn in training.....that's right as expected we are starting early. Mommy has been working on "TEXAS"...."FIGHT". We are definitely on the right track; I will say "texas" and you respond with "igh". Close enough; we will have this mastered by football season!

8. You still got the moves! Dancing is still amongst one of your favorites. It has been so fun watching you develop your new moves since learning to walk. It started with a little head banging, moved to a bouncing up and down, and now let me tell you we have little james brown on our hands! The happy feet dance has become the latest and greatest move; you are so proud of it that you will clap for yourself once you are finished. This is another one I need to get on video!

9. Speaking of favorites....#1 hands down goes to reading. This is when we can actually get you to sit still for that 10 minutes. You absolutely love reading and it is one of mommy and daddy's favorite things to do with you because you are so cuddly and sweet when we read. You typically will pick out a book and then come plop yourself in one of our laps. It is great; we hope this is something you always will enjoy.

10. You certainly do have a lot to say! Not that mommy and daddy can understand much of it, but you are constantly babbling about something. Occasionally there are a few words that come out correctly and we get the general idea of what you are talking about! Mommy's favorite is when I ask if you are ready and you say "i'm ready!" {no joke; I even got this one on video} Other things you can say include; mama, dada, kitty, turtle, thank you {which sounds like 'unk un"}, nana {banana}, hot dog, , bye-bye, and you can tell bailey "down" {which he hears me say often when she gets excited and jumps on the back of the couch}

11. You're definitely a water baby. You really have loved the pool this summer, but like everything else you get a little bored after 20-30 minutes so it does not last long. You are a crazy man in the splash pad and enjoyed your first trip down the "big" slide with daddy. Such a dare devil. Mommy has been debating on whether or not to sign up for swim lessons, but I am not quite sure how much you will actually learn at this age.

12. You are your father's mini me...you absolutely adore him. Whatever he is doing you want to be right there with him doing the same. You love to put on his golf visors, practice putting, reading, grilling, running around the backyard, you name it if it is with daddy you are happy! It is sweet to see how much you already look up to him.

13. What a wild man! One of your new enjoyments over the past week has been ruff housing on mommy and daddys bed. It takes the two of us just to make sure you don't go flying off! You get all excited and end up face planting into pillows and just letting yourself fall on your back. It's crazy around our house during this time of day.

14. Someone around this household has been on the phone way too much because apparently you think every small square shaped object is a phone and there is someone on the other end to talk to. You are always walking around with something up to your ear and babbling. It is usually your ipod or a remote control, and on occasion the person on the other end wants to chat with daddy or I.

15. You are still my sweet baby boy. Lately you are constantly wanting to be held. Mommy is learning quickly how to cook dinner with a 23 lb toddler attached at the hip! When you are sleepy or upset you occasionally will cuddle your head onto our shoulders; I just love this. You are attached to your blankie; it is with you all hours of the day. You walk around the house with it in your mouth or flying behind you in your hands. I can barely find a time to get them washed {yes we have multiple ones for this reason, little giraffe has made some money off of us} Most importantly, you still humor your mommy and let me rock you at night.

Goodness you are getting big and growing up so fast. I love you so much!

happy father's day

2009-06-21T14:43:00.004-05:00

To a wonderful husband and amazing father. We don't know what we would do without you. We love you very much! {picture of daddy using his father's day gift, his first smoker and his brisket turned out yummy!!!}

Happy father's day to grandpa and pappa, too! We hope that everyone had a great day!

Just a little trim...

2009-06-13T15:17:00.004-05:00

Is what we told the hair dresser that we visited last weekend for David's first haircut. I truly was not ready for this highly anticipated moment, but daddy convinced me that it was time for the little curl in the back to go {see before picture; mommy almost cried, it was the piece that we kept for his baby book}. Daddy and I like his hair a little longer but thought it needed a little shaping. We made the hair dresser aware of this and off to cutting she went....and more cutting....and more cutting....finally we told her to stop and that it was good as is. At one point daddy pointed out the hair still hanging over David's ears and she said she was going to use the clippers, which in return got a simultaneous "no" from the both of us! All in all it went okay; David managed to stay preoccupied for the majority of the haircut;it is really hard to keep him still for a period of time and he got a little fussy there at the end. Daddy and I have decided we are going to let his hair grow a little more before we attempt this again; if mommy had it her way he probably would end up looking like Kate Hudson's son Ryder because I am so terrified of what these ladies will do to his hair.

{this is a picture from little gym that shows his curl a.k.a baby rat tail}

Little Gym Graduation

2009-06-09T07:51:00.007-05:00

Last week we had Tripp's little gym graduation. He has loved the socialization that he gets at little gym and has changed so much since we started in February. For most of the spring semester he was the odd man out; the only one crawling, but over the past few weeks it has been get out of my way. Instead of having explore time, graduation was about each child showing their skills at different events. Tripp is known as the serious man in the class and had no problem with the attention. We had a few meltdowns at the bars and tumbling mat; this I believe is due to the neverending ear infection. Other than that he had a great time showing off and enjoyed climbing the podium to accept his ribbon for his participation in the little gym's bird class.

{oh, I forgot that he had a meltdown on the parachute too}

The Houston Zoo

2009-06-04T14:21:00.010-05:00

whew...it has been a busy week and we have a lot to post about; david's first haircut, little gym graduation, getting sick again, and our first trip to the zoo. I have been meaning to get the pictures from our super fun family trip up all week, but we have been battling ANOTHER ear infection, extremely high fever, and nasty Augmentin over the past few days.

So all I can say is we had a great time, but will NEVER attempt a visit to the zoo in June again. What were we thinking? The heat alone exhausted us. Regardless, David really seemed to enjoy himself; he meowed at the cheetahs, was very interested in the chipmunks, ran around like a crazy man in the reptile house and most importantly got to finally see his favorite animal up close in person...turtles!!! We cannot figure out his fascination with turtles, but it started around four months ago and we believe it has something to do with his turtle bath toy that is at home and grandma's house.

He took his first ride on a carousel; which to mommy's dismay wasn't as exciting for him as she thought it would be. By this time I believe the heat was taking a toll on him. After a few small bites of ice cream we were able to get a second wind and moved on to the train ride around the park, which he loved. Poor baby was exhausted and just enjoyed sitting in daddy's lap feeling the breeze. After the conductor would sound the horn david would say "toot-toot."

It was a fabulous trip. We all had a great time and were just excited to see the animals as he was. Mommy had to take chase baby duty in the reptile house just so daddy could walk around and see the snakes and alligators...eeeek! Not my favorite. David even came home with a turtle souvenir courtesy of grandma and grandpa. Thanks y'all for coming to visit and spending the day at the zoo with us!!

{excited about the turtles}

{trying to pet the chipmunk through the glass}

{we were originally going to ride the giraffe until we were informed that it did not move up and down, so we moved to the turtle}

Splashin Around!

2009-05-27T19:29:00.005-05:00

{okay, not so much over the past few days. looks like mommy and daddy have caught what david had a week ago, but we were able to get out and enjoy the neighborhood splashpad in between thunderstorms over memorial day weeekend. we hope all our friends and family had a happy memorial day}

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-17T15:35:00.006-05:00

I know......I am a week late on this one. We have had a difficult week here at the Roser household; David is officially sick for the very first time. It started on Tuesday with a little cough, turned into cough/runny nose by Wednesday, and now we are battling an ear infection. He started amoxicillin on Friday, which is NOT fun, and is still under the weather. I just hope my baby boy gets to feeling better soon.

So, happy belated mother's day to all of you mommies out there!! We had a wonderful weekend in Austin with my family. I got to eat all my Austin favorites; mmmmm Maudies and Rudy's! We took David to the Austin children's museum and just enjoyed relaxing. Sunday morning before heading back to Houston we had a yummy brunch with the family. It was perfect!

Walking

2009-05-03T16:34:00.006-05:00

Yep, we have made it to one of the biggest milestones! He was taking a few steps here and there before we went to Cabo and when we returned he was on the move. It just amazes us how quick it happened. I just love watching him walk; I could sit and watch him all day. He is still a little clumsy and prefers to walk at such a quick pace which usually leads to falling, but he is getting better everyday. He is so proud of himself and his new found independance.

Congratulations Melanie and Travis!

2009-05-02T11:30:00.012-05:00

Last weekend we were in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for our friends Travis and Melanie's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony on the beach and the bride was absolutely glowing. We had a wonderful time; congrats you two!

Thursday, April 23rd-Dinner at The Office

Friday, April 24th-Rehearsal Dinner

Saturday, April 25th-The Wedding

Texas Bluebonnets

2009-04-19T15:33:00.004-05:00

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T18:35:00.004-05:00

Our neighborhood had an Easter Party last weekend with an egg hunt, petting zoo, and of course the Easter Bunny. David enjoyed finding a few eggs that were left over; he particularly liked the noise they made when he shook them! He thought the Easter Bunny was quite funny; he would touch his hand and then start giggling. So I thought we would for sure be able to get a great shot of the two of them...I thought wrong. Once he figured out he was not in mommy's arms (snapshot above) you would of thought he was wrestling the poor thing. At least we tried!

Sneak Peak

2009-04-08T19:29:00.004-05:00

We had David's 12 month portrait session this past Sunday. This session was definitely harder than his 6 month portraits; it is difficult to keep the little bugger still these days! Our photographer, Kim Milburn, posted a sneak peak on her blog. They are posted under her April 6th posting. We wanted to share them with our family and friends; check it out under our links we love Kim Milburn Photography. We cannot wait to see the rest of them in a week!

{vroom vroom}

2009-04-04T11:45:00.003-05:00

Thank you Grammy and Pappa for our new Silent Rider! David LOVES it! He points at it everytime we go into the garage. I will say "vroom vroom" while out on our walks and he says it back. He even honks the horn while we are cruisin through the neighborhood!

The Totspot

2009-04-04T11:12:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we took David to the Totspot at the Houston Children's Museum. It has recently been remodeled and everything is brand new! He had a great time exploring and watching the other children around him. He seems to analyze situations before he will really let himself relax and enjoy. Once he figures out it is okay he has a good time. We loved watching him try new things! {You will have to excuse the pacifier in all of the pictures; we made sure he kept it in his mouth at all times to avoid unecessary chewing of toys and items}

12 Months

2009-03-31T20:01:00.009-05:00

Here are the lastest stats from our 12 month doctor's visit;

Height: 31 1/2 inches; 95th percentile
Weight: 22 lbs. 6 oz.; 50-75 percentile
FOC (head): 49 cm; 97th percentile

I will post some other picture updates soon, but here is one of David's new view. He's has been at the weight limit for sometime now, but Texas law mandates that you wait until they are 12 months old.

More First Birthday Party Pictures

2009-03-26T23:01:00.000-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday, David!

2009-03-25T08:57:00.007-05:00

My sweet baby boy, a year ago today we brought you into this crazy world. Your daddy and I woke up on March 25, 2008 knowing that we were finally going to meet you. We were scheduled to be at Methodist Hospital in the Houston Medical Center at 10 AM for a c-section. You my little man were stubborn and would not turn like you were supposed to; I hate to say it but this is a trait that has seemed to stick with you. So our story is not the most dramatic, but it was highly anticipated and I must say there are many benefits of having everything planned out! We had prayed and prayed for a healthy little boy, and you were perfect. We met you at 12:40 PM that day and our lives have changed ever since. David, you are a true blessing to our family. Your father and I have experienced a form of love that we never would have imagined. You have made our family stronger and we thank the lord every day for the happiness that you bring to our lives. We live daily to provide the best that you deserve. We wish nothing but health and happiness in the years to come. We love you very much David; you are everything we had hoped for and more.

Happy Birthday, David!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

David's 1st Birthday Party

2009-03-23T07:14:00.007-05:00

We celebrated David's 1st Birthday this past Saturday. Here are a few pictures from the party. We have so many that we want to share, so I will get more uploaded later. Thank you to all of our friends and family who were able to come and celebrate this special occassion with us.

The Birthday Boy

The Decor, a.k.a. yummy food

Face painting and balloons; that would be a cookie monster balloon!

Our Family

Cake Time!!!

Parties, Parties...and more Parties!

2009-03-23T07:07:00.016-05:00

Need I say more. Whew....we sure have been busy over the past month; which you can probably tell by my lack of blogging. So, now it's catch up time. I am the Matron of Honor II for my best friend Melanie's upcoming wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The past month has been filled with wedding showers galore. Most were all organized through emails, but I think we pulled off some great parties.

Saturday, February 21st-Couples Fiesta

The Hostesses with the Bride to be.

The Party, minus my hubby who was in charge of pictures.

Happy Birthday, Melly!

Saturday, March 7th-Bridal Luncheon

Saturday, March 7th-Melanie's Bachelorette Party

Shootin Hoops

2009-03-15T19:51:00.004-05:00

Just a little clip of our new favorite past time in the bath. Thank you cousins Rick and Kim for getting David this for Christmas; he absolutely loves it!

11 months

2009-03-01T10:51:00.014-06:00

Our baby boy turned 11 months this past week! You have changed so much over the past month and it is so hard to believe that you will be one in less than 4 weeks. My sweet boy, you have definitely kept mommy and daddy busy since you have mastered crawling and are into everything. You keep us on our toes and at times it is exhausting, but we cannot imagine our lives without you and are enjoying watching you and your personality grow. Here's what you have been up to over the past month;

1. You still have a love for music. You light up when you hear your favorite songs and over the last month you have found an interest in dancing when you hear a catchy beat. You love to dance in your car seat and in the playroom when we have the radio playing. It is absolutely the cutest thing your daddy and I have ever seen.

2. You have learned to sign milk and know exactly what it means. We had a family lunch outing yesterday and as you watched your daddy mix your bottle you were signing milk with your cute little baby hands. You are so smart!

3. You have become quite the speedy crawler and love to play chase around mommy and daddy's bed. As soon as one of us says "I'm going to get you," you take off giggling. It is a nightly routine and you do not get tired of it.

4. You are starting to say "ma ma" a little more often than in the past, but not as often as I would like to hear it! Our favorite thing is listening to you say your name. It is so sweet. Every time you see a picture of yourself you smile and say "Da Did" It amazes us how much you know and understand.

5. You really enjoy eating finger foods. We are starting to give you more because you will no longer let us feed you. I am trying to think of things that you may enjoy that are not choking hazards; so far we have allowed organic mac n' cheese and peas. You really enjoy it, but I know I cannot feed this to you every night so we will be branching out a little more over the next few weeks. We did try to let you eat a grilled cheese sandwich at lunch yesterday, but you would not even touch it! Tonight you had fish sticks, mixed veggies and watermelon. I have to say this was a hit, especially the watermelon.

6. You still refuse to hold your own bottle. You are content with sitting in mommy and daddy's lap and not having to lift a finger. You will occasionally hold and drink your own sippy cup, but you give up on it very quickly. I am not sure how we are going to change this.

7. You definitely know and understand the word "no." It has been used a lot around here lately and you even associate it with shaking your head back and forth. As soon as one of us says "no David" you start shaking your head no. Sometimes you will even listen and stop what you were doing to cause the "no."

8. You are beginning to understand the reasoning behind some of your developmental toys. I was cleaning up the playroom a few weeks ago and caught you watching me in awe while I was stacking blocks and the putting up the wooden ring stacker that Grammy got you for Christmas. You then proceeded to want to do it yourself. Your daddy and I were once again amazed. You have really enjoyed the Usborne Touchy Feely Books "That's not my....." You immediately pick up on where the touchy-feely area is on each page and after reading them 2-3 times you have it memorized. You love them so much that we almost have the whole set. They are great!

9. You had your first trip to the emergency room this past month. I had just cleaned you up after snack time and I thought the tray to the highchair was locked. I stepped away to grab your bottle from the kitchen counter and looked over to see you reaching forward. The tray was not locked, I heard a snap and you went face forward with the tray. I have not experienced so much heartbreak in my life, but luckily you were okay and it only left you with a small bruise on your sweet head.

10. You have also had your first dose of antibiotics over the past month. You have managed to stay germ-sick free for almost a year, but somehow you got a staph infection on your little face last week.....scary. We think it is either from Little Gym class or the trip to the ER, but it was not fun. We are on day 3 of Bactrim and it is already looking 100% better....7 more days of antibiotic treatment left.....yuck!

11. Your little feet are getting closer and closer to walking. You love to pull yourself up on things and are braving letting go. This scares me to death because you cannot stand on your own just yet so usually it ends with a nose dive straight into the floor. Occasionally you will think about crying, usually if mommy is around, but typically you will just go on with what you were trying to accomplish in the first place.

So my little one, happy 11 months. You have been through a lot this past month but you are our resilient baby boy. Mommy and Daddy love you more than you can ever imagine and cannot wait to celebrate your first birthday here in a few weeks.

Love-Hate Relationship

2009-02-23T19:54:00.004-06:00

Since the day David came home from the hospital there has been a love-hate relationship between him and our dog Bailey. We did all the preparations to ease the transition of bringing a baby home; Daddy brought home his receiving blanket so that she could get used to his smell, etc. She was so good with him at first. She loved giving him kisses and checking in on him when he was sleeping in his papasan chair. Eventually the jealousy started to kick in. She has since been very scared of the baby and wants nothing to do with him. She will rarely even be caught in the same room as the baby. Over the past few weeks things have started to change. Bailey is getting more comfortable around David and starting to form more of a love relationship with him....of course he is helping mend the friendship....

We truly believe this is the start of a long lasting bond and eventually they will be inseperable!

The Little Gym

2009-02-15T10:47:00.009-06:00

We joined for a semester at The Little Gym in Katy. David is enrolled in the Birds class which we started yesterday. He is one of the youngest in the class, but he really seemed to enjoy it. We had such a great time watching him get excited during all the activities. Because he is at home during the week with our Nanny he really has not had the opportunity for much child to child interaction until now. We cannot wait to continue with our classes to see how he progresses! Here are a few pictures from our first Birds class.

Getting Ready for Warm-ups

Practicing Walking

Climbing

Proud of himself for his climbing efforts

Swinging on the bars....such a little gymnast!

Yaaaaayy!!! (his new favorite thing to say when he gets excited)

Showing off his stamp for being such a great participant at his first day in the Birds class at The Little Gym.

Cancun 2009

2009-02-14T10:59:00.005-06:00

Okay, I know it has been a little while since we have blogged but honestly it is because things have been hectic around here in preparation for our trip to Cancun, Mexico for Daddy's contest trip. It all began last Saturday when we had to pack up David, Bailey (our dog) and Charlie (our cat) and head to Austin so that Grandma and Grandpa could watch them while Mommy and Daddy celebrated in Mexico (I think we all figured out that it will be easier on everyone if Grandma makes the trip to Houston next time). Whew....it was a lot of work getting us there and back, but well worth it. Thank you SO much Grandma and Grandpa for watching David and the animals while we were gone; we know it was exhausting!

We are so very proud of you Daddy and your success in 2008!! Here are a few pictures of our trip;

Sunday 02/08/2009: Destination-Cancun, Mexico

View from our room

At the Company's Winners Circle 2009 dinner

Monday 02/09/2009- Day at the Beach

Just a few snap shots of our day lounging by the pool. We enjoyed basking in the sun, however it was extremely windy and very cool at times. Not the perfect beach weather, but we made due.

What I spent most of my day doing.

Dave, Matt Scott and John Volpe hanging at the pool.

Houston boys having a good ole time late afternoon at the pool.

That night Dave and I enjoyed dinner with just the two of us. We don't get the time often so we decided we would take advantage of just one night out alone.

Tuesday 02/10/2009-Couples Night

On Tuesday the boys went golfing, while many of us wives enjoyed spa services. I went with a facial and then went for more basking in the sun. That night we all enjoyed another great dinner at a restaurant called Harry's. We ended the night with a little dancing at a club called Bling. It was good times, but we are getting old...I think we only stayed there for 45 minutes.

Wednesday 02/11/2009: Houston's Winner Circle 2009

Dave and I enjoyed massages Wednesday morning and then once again spent our afternoon basking in the sun. We are really not ones for excursions-just relaxation. We had his Houston dinner that evening and we were able to finally get some pictures of the Houston contest winners together and the wives who support them in all their efforts :)