Long Time No Write...

Okay, it has been forever since I have written on this blog. A lot has changed since I last posted. Little Miss Paige is now here and we are so incredibly blessed!! Part of the reason why I didn't journal my pregnancy is because I was so afraid something would happen during my pregnancy and I just didn't want to have it public.
But now that she is here and healthy, it is time to start blogging again so I can remember these precious times and the girls (I love saying that) will have these memories in my words forever!! Soooo... here goes...

Paige is officially 4 months old today and is such an amazing baby! We have been so blessed to have two easy babies. Hope just ADORES her baby sister. She calls Paige her baby which I think is so incredibly cute!!
I am not going to try catch up and detail everything since I last posted, but I do have a funny story I need to jog down so I don't forget it. Hope is so articulate and so smart, not bragging, but she really is! She says the funniest things sometimes. So I have to tell you about an incident that happened at Walmart a few weeks after Paige was born. Hope was in the basket and I had to get something in the women's department since I had just had a baby and all... so here we were in the feminine product section. I put a package of pantiliners in the basket and Hope says in a really loud innocent children's voice... "Are those pads mommy?" "Yes, Hope those are pads..." "Are those pads Mommy for your big girl panties!!!???" "Yes, Hope, thank you for telling everyone at Walmart about the pads for mommy's big girl panties." I thought the lady next to me was going to fall over laughing!! It was so funny! A few years ago, I probably would have been embarrassed, but I thought it was too funny!!

So last night, I was snuggling with Hope in her bed before bedtime and she said so sweetly... "Mommy, you are the best mommy ever!" Talk about melting your heart!! Then she said "You are a great Mommy and a nice Mommy!" I guess I am doing something right!! :) She is such a sweetheart! Everyone asks how she is adjusting with Paige and she is adjusting just fine. Regression on the potty training, but other than that she just wants to hug and kiss on her all the time.
Paige looks just like Hope except she has strawberry blonde hair. Hope had red hair when she was born, but it all fell out and came back blonde. Paige never lost any hair, but she does have a little bald spot now from where she rubs her head on the sheets. Paige has such long, beautiful eye lashes and bright blue eyes. She belly laughed for the first time on Saturday, October 30th. Ms. Annie came over to pick pecans and we were sitting on the outdoor swing. Hope wanted to play with her ball, so we were "popping it" up in the air like a hot potato and laughing and then all the sudden, from the depths of her belly, Paige starts laughing. This made us all laugh and made her laugh more. So that evening, when Kate and Janis were over, we did it again hoping she would laugh and sure enough, she did. We even got Daddy in the room to see it and then he also got it on video. Then the next Wednesday, Paige rolled over for the first time. I can't believe she is already 4 months old!! Having already had a baby, I now know how quickly the time passes and we are trying to savor each and every moment. We are hoping she isn't going to be our last baby, but you never know. We absolutely LOVE being parents! We know we waited a long time to have children and I have often heard parents say they don't want to be 60 when their children get out of high school or college and raise kids their entire lives, but what an honor to do that! I would welcome it!!! Being a mother has been the MOST AMAZING experience I have ever had and I feel so incredibly blessed God choose me to be Hope and Paige's mommy.

Blog ...

Blog is currently being updated with several posts. Please bear with me as I work on getting them all completed in order with photos.

Bluebonnet Photos April 8, 2010

My girlfriend Joely is trying to get her photography business up and going, so she called me and asked me if I was interested in her taking some bluebonnet photos of Hope one evening. Even though Hope wasn't too excited about being there, Joely did a great job capturing some amazing photos! Look at those gorgeous blue eyes!!

San Antonio 3-7-10 and Easter Weekend

Sunday, March 7th, we went to the San Antonio Riverwalk and met up with Valerie, my roommate from college and her husband Rhett and son Carter. Carter is a month older than Hope. We had a great

Birthday Weekend- Feb 20th & 21st

Hope had an amazing birthday weekend. We started off Thursday, February 18th (My Birthday) with a trip to Houston to see Grammy and take three generation photos. (I wasn't able to get permission to print those, so you won't see them on this blog). Then Grammy took Hope to Build a Bear where Hope made her new best friend Teddy. It was so sweet to watch them interact together. Then Grammy treated us to lunch at Landry's and we ate yummy seafood. Hope was such a good girl all day especially at the restaurant where she was full of personality and conversation.



Saturday we had her birthday party at the house complete with a hayride and pinata and lots of family and friends.

(Birthday Photos Here)



Then on Sunday, Wayne and I took her to see Elmo on Stage with Sesame Street Live! She was in complete awe of Elmo and got to "high five" several of the characters because we were so close. I love seeing the world thru Hope's eyes!

Family Photos - February 14, 2010

We won a free sitting with Diane Mueller Photography and had some wonderful family photos taken on Valentine's Day.

Christmas 2009

This Christmas Hope had a big present to share with the family! Check out her new shirt!
We had a wonderful Christmas. One Sunday, Hope and I made sugar cookies and decorated them with beautiful colored icing and lots of different sprinkles. Before the day was thru, we had sprinkles all over the floor and all I could do was laugh! Hope was so excited on the first 5 or 6 cookies and then after that she wanted to eat the rest. We made well over 100 cookies in all so you can imagine the mess and the fun we had!! Christmas was fun this year because Hope was now old enough to enjoy opening the presents and playing with everything new.

The Meaning of Motherhood

A few months ago I was reading my Parenting Magazine and decided I was going to enter one of their essay contests. I have been waiting to post this on the blog to see if they choose me, but I haven't been contacted as of yet, so I don't think they did. The instructions were to write a 300 word essay on "The Meaning of Motherhood" and attach a photo to go along with your essay. It was actually pretty easy to write. It all came from my heart and pretty much sums it all up! So here is what I submitted:








I always knew being a mother would be wonderful, but I never knew just how wonderful. We were so excited the day you were born. We still didn’t know if you were a boy or girl, so the doctor lifted you up for us to see for ourselves. That was the most amazing day of my life, the day I became a mother of the most amazing little girl. We named you Hope as we had hoped and prayed so hard for you and now you were finally here. I remember every single detail of your birth day, the day you made me a mother and filled a place in my heart I never knew was empty.
Each day since has been amazing too, but the days go by far more quickly than I ever anticipated. You are almost two now and aren’t a baby anymore. Your enthusiasm about everything around you reminds me every day to appreciate the simpler things in life. I know I am supposed to be the one to teach you, but you have taught me so much. I have learned the little things I used to worry about don’t really matter anymore and one hug from you can wipe away all the day’s frustrations. I love watching you learn and grow and most importantly watching you laugh. You told Daddy one day not too long ago “Hope Happy”. What wonderful feeling to know your child is healthy and happy; I couldn’t ask for anything more. You are the most amazing gift and I am truly blessed to have you as my daughter. You are loved and cherished by so many, but especially by me. Motherhood is the most fulfilling role in my life and I am so honored God chose me to be your mother!

Trail of Lights

Friday night we went to the Trail of Lights on the bluff with Janis and Kate. It was so nice. There weren't too many people and the weather was a bit cold, but not wet.
Kate took some great photos with her amazing camera... I will post those once I get them from her.
Saturday morning, I took Hope to the Country Club to see Santa. She wouldn't sit on his lap, but she did agree to accept a cookie he offered her. Then she got to color a Snowman craft and drink some yummy cider.




Saturday evening, Daddy and I took Hope, Janis, Kate, Granny, Emily and Reed to the Ledbetter Trail of Lights. It was a hayride into this property with all sorts of Christmas lights and decorations along the way. It was cold and misty outside, but it was fun! Once we got to the center of the property, we toured two houses and got cookies, cider and hot chocolate. Then we visited Santa. This time, Hope was willing to sit on his lap and let me take a few photos! We were so proud!

First Date with Mason

Hope and Mason had their official first date on Saturday evening. Mason's parents needed a sitter, so we gladly watched him. We took Hope and Mason to Grammy and Papa's Christmas Party in Columbus where Papa was going to be Santa Clause. On the way there, they held hands in the car the entire 20 minute ride. Once we got there, Papa (not dressed like Santa yet) took both kids by the hand (one on each side) and walked into the building. I wish I had taken a photo of them walking, it was so cute! He is such a good Papa! So we visited with Grammy and Papa and colored a bit. Many people walked up to us and wondered if they were twins. We introduced Mason as Hope's boyfriend. Grammy asked Hope if Mason was her boyfriend and she said "yes!". Grammy told me that Hope has good taste! Mason is a cutie! A little while later, Papa had to leave and then Santa appeared. Hope was intrigued and Mason ran right over to me and froze. He was a little nervous to say the least. Santa proceeded to hand out gifts and each child sat on his lap and opened their gift one by one. They left Hope and Mason until the end so they could see what the other children were doing. When it was Hope's turn, she immediately walked up to Santa and sat on his lap. I couldn't believe it! She sat there the entire time and opened her gift as we all snapped photos and I cried a bit! We were so proud of her. She was such a big girl. Then it was Mason's turn and he was so scared, poor thing. We had Hope go and get his present from Santa and bring it to him. He loved the gift, but wasn't quite sure what to think of the man in the big red suit. So the children's party was over and the adults were about to do their white elephant gift exchange and we decided to go ahead and leave. Hope and Mason held hands about 1/2 the way home and apparently Mason didn't want to hold hands anymore. Hope kept calling Mason's name and asking for his hand. It was so funny... she can be a bit demanding! As we are turning down our street, I asked Hope if she saw Grammy and she said "yes". I asked her if she was Papa and her response was "Papa Santa Clause". I looked at Wayne to see if he heard what I heard and I asked her "Who was Santa Clause" and she replied "Papa!". That little smartie know that Papa was Santa Clause! We couldn't believe it. We guess she recognized his voice. Mason's parents came over to pick up Mason and we sat around and talked for a while and then gave the kids a bath together and got them ready for bed and Mason went home! It was a wonderful evening and both kids were great! All Hope could talk about on Sunday was Mason, Mason, Mason. When she talked to Granny (or Grammy, I can't remember which one it was) on the phone on Sunday, she mentioned Mason and said "boyfriend" right after his name. Then later, Hope and I were laying in our bed watching TV and she said out of the blue "I love Mason" and smiled at me. I asked her if she loved Mason and she looked at me and said "yes" with a huge smile! Young love!!! Daddy isn't quite too sure what to think about his little girl being in love already!! Just wait dad, if you think it is hard to handle now, just wait until she is about 15 or so! Let's just hope she is still in love with Mason as he is a good kid and has a good family!! We love Mason too!

Winter Wonderland

Friday morning and late morning we got snow!!! Hope and I played outside in it a bit before going to Ms. Keri's. Hope got to play in it again around 11ish at Ms. Keri's and she learned out to catch snowflakes on her tongue. Ms. Keri said Hope wanted to stay out in the snow and had to have Honey get her to come inside. (First photo of Hope in her snow boots enjoying the snowflakes.)
Blue dress photos are from Saturday before we went to Jaley's second birthday party. She didn't want to take her backpack off, so we just kept it on.

Rocky Creek - Saturday, November 28th

Saturday, Granny and I took Hope, Emily and Reed to Rocky Creek... it is very much like Dewberry Farms just on a smaller scale. When we got there, the kids immediately went to the huge slide. Emily helped Hope climb up the steep hay bales to the top and they slid down together and then Hope slid down by herself the rest of the time. She isn't afraid of anything and she absolutely LOVES any slide!! Then the kids went thru this little hay maze. Shortly after they enter the maze, Emily walks out and says... "look what Hope found" and hands me thirty dollars! Apparently Emily and Reed walked right passed it, but Hope found it and picked it up and said "money". (I tried to turn it in, but the owner said no one had mentioned losing any money and she felt it was "finders keepers", so I gave Granny $20 and kept $10 and we all got in free that day!) After that, we decided to go thru the corn maze, which took about 20 minutes or so. Hope got to see what corn looks like as it grows. Then we rode on a another tubular slide and tried to catch butterflies in the Zennia garden. Then we went on a hayride thru the farm, a train ride and milked a wooden cow. Hope and I left a little early as it was way past nap time and I could tell she was getting tired. We had a nice time and will definitely be back again next year!













Hope has a finally learned how to sign "I love you!" She was having the hardest time getting her fingers to go where they were supposed to, but she has it now! She is always telling us "Love you" and showing her "I love you sign". It melts our hearts everytime!! Here is Hope and Reed sending their love my way!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope and I went to Aunt Mary Jane's and Uncle Bootsie's this year for Thanksgiving. Wayne got an offer from Uncle Joe at the last minute to go to the Dallas Cowboys game in the new stadium, so guess what he did! We had a nice time and didn't have to drive very far. Since Daddy wouldn't be home until late, Emily and Reed spent the night with us. The three of them played and played and had a great time! I was nervous Hope wouldn't want to go to sleep with the other two kids there, but she did and didn't make a fuss; I was very proud of her! (This is the dress Janis and Kate bought her. I just LOVE it!)

"Sucker Broke"

I have been debating for a few weeks now as to when and how to take Hope's suckers (pacifiers) away. She is soooo addicted to them at night when she goes to sleep, but here lately, she wants them about an hour or two before bedtime and really gets upset when we deny her requests. It all started when she was little bitty, she went to sleep with a sucker in her mouth, but would wake up at night and not be able to find it, so we put several suckers in her bed so she could always find one. That led to her having one in her mouth and one in each hand as she went to sleep each night. If you only gave her one, she would ask for "more sucker or later on... more sucker please". We weened her off of the two in her hands and Keri weened her off of the one at naptime some time ago, so she was down to one sucker (sometimes two) at night. But here lately, over the past week or two, she gets so fixated on getting her sucker out of her bed after her bath and will whine and cry. Well, last night, I was tired of the fits about her sucker, so I told her I had to wash them and I went to the sink and cut the nipples off two of her suckers and then handed them to her. (Keri's Idea... thank you Keri!)She immediately proceeded to put them in her mouth, but realized there was nothing there but the handle. She looked at me a little shocked and I told her they "broke". She then asked me to put it back together, so I showed her the detached nipples and told her they were broken and I couldn't put them back together. I told her we needed to put them in the trash since they were broken, so she took all 4 pieces (two handles and two nipples) and threw them away! I WAS SOOO PROUD!! She did ask me for more suckers so I found something to pacify her briefly.... it looks like a sucker, but has a rasberry teether on the end of it. She called it a sucker and I told her it was a "chewy". I didn't want her to even use the word sucker anymore. Shortly after that, Wayne got home and we told him her sucker broke and made a big deal of it. I told him there is no going back now and he agreed it was certainly time. So she played with her "chewy" a while and then she tossed it aside and we played ball. Later that night it was time to go to sleep and she kept saying "sucker broke", so she knew each time she thought about asking for her sucker that it was broken. We put her in bed and gave her a new stuffed animal (to go along with the 4 others she usually sleeps with) and kissed her goodnight. I ran into our room to listen to the monitor and it was so funny to hear her saying "sucker broke". Then a few minutes later, she called for me and when I went in to see what she wanted, she requested her sucker. I dug it out of the trash and washed it off and gave it to her. She tried to put it in her mouth and said "sucker broke" and threw it on the floor. She wasn't mad, she just didn't want it anymore! I gave it back to her and again she threw it on the floor and then went to sleep. This morning, she woke up and I was afraid she would forget that her sucker was broken, but she didn't. When I got in her room to get her out of bed, she quickly said "sucker broke". YEAH!! I think we did it! I am so proud of my little girl! We went to Ms. Keri's this morning and told her our good news and Ms. Keri made a big deal about what a big girl she is! I am really proud of her. Tonight will be another test, but so far I am very excited about her progress. She is growing up so fast and isn't a baby anymore! Very exciting, but also sad at the same time. Time goes by so quickly and I try to savor each moment with her. She is an amazing little girl and I am so blessed to have her in my life!!

Halloween

Since Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, we got to celebrate for two days instead of just one. Friday afternoon we went trick or treating on the square with Janis and Kate and got LOTS of Candy. At the first stop, the lady put candy in her bucket and Hope wanted to see what she put in there. Every stop after that was the same thing, so I decided I had better give her a piece of candy to distract her or we were going to be there forever! Two twizzlers and 4 or 5 dum dums later, we were finished! She had a good time and was on a sugar high for the rest of the evening! She had more sugar in one afternoon than she has had in her entire life!!













Then on Saturday, we went to Sacred Heart Fall Festival where Hope had a ball sliding on the HUGE air filled slide. She also rode in the train. Then she won third place in the costume contest!! By the end of the weekend she was so tired and so was I! She is at such a fun age, I just love watching her experience all these wonderful holidays!





Here are some photos with Jaley (purple butterfly) and Ella (ladybug). Beautiful costumes for beautiful girls!