One, Two, Three Months Old

Why is it that as kids we can't wait to grow up and then we do and the reverse happens, we want time to stand still....especially when you have kids. I remember when Ashton was born I would constantly think, oh I love this age, just stay this size; and of course he would grow and time would pass and I would have the same thought again and again. Well nothing changes once their is a second baby except for me thinking that I need to cherish this time even more because God only knows if this second baby will be my last or not. With all of that being said all I can say is these last three months have been pure bliss!

Here are the latest updates/milestones:

-Reese, you smile ALL the time...you really are starting to recognize people when you see them and your face just lights up and you break out with a HUGE grin and those adorable dimples that I love form on your cute face. You do smile at strangers too but I can tell you recognize your brother, daddy and mommy and grandparents/aunts/uncles too!

-Size....no official weigh in but I can tell you have probably put a few pounds on since you are really filling out your 0-3 month outfits and can probably fit in a few 3-6 ones now...you are still in size 1 diapers

-Babysitter! Sadly Mommy went back to work on Sept 8 which means you started going to Ms. Aracelis' house with Ashton. This transition apparently has been much harder on me than on you because you have gotten nothing but rave reviews everyday

-Schedule: Since you have started going to the babysitter we really have a good schedule in place

wake up around 4 am to nurse with mommy, stays awake until car ride to sitters at 6 am, short nap, bottle at 7, morning nap, bottle at 9:30-10, plays (looks around at mobile, brother talks to her, tummy time), bottle 12, afternoon nap,bottle 3, mommy picks up at 4:30, nurses at 5:30, bath,nurse at 7:30,Bedtime 8....good nights you will go until 4 but you have been waking up around 1 or 2 a few nights lately

This has been working really well for the past three weeks and has made the transition easier.

-New Moves: Besides becoming a pro at blowing spit bubbles, you are enjoying sitting up on the couch, on the bed and in your bumbo seat. You have gotten so much stronger and don't "bobble" nearly as much

People always ask me how Ashton and Reese are and I can really say I have never been happier. I am so thankful that God has entrusted these two special souls to Casey and I. Ashton provides constant comic relief and really has a heart of gold and Reese is a ray of sunshine. I say this all the time, but Reese really is such a happy baby. As Ms. Aracelis told me, "she only cries when she is hungry or wants her diaper changed. She smiles all the time." As I said before I would love to stop time and keep both of them this size/age forever, but since I know that can't happen I will just keep enjoying each moment as they come!

WHO DAT!

All About Ashton

"Can you believe he said that?" "Can you believe he did that?" "Where did he learn that from?" These are just a few questions Casey and I find ourselves asking each other almost daily now with Ashton. It seems like our little boy has just blossomed and gone from a child who barely spoke to someone who can't stop talking (not sure where he got that from :). People constantly tell me to write things down so I don't forget this special time in our lives and so here is a list of a few "Ashton Moments" I will always want to remember about this time in his life:

1. On a trip to New Orleans this summer we introduced Ashton to beignets which he really seemed to enjoy. After he had eaten his plate clean he asked "Can I have some more band-aids?" Too cute!

2. Hide and Seek....This game is a new favorite in our house but Ashton's version is a bit different. When you tell him to hide he will hide but as we start counting "1, 2, 3..." you can hear him counting with you (giving away his hiding spot)...when he does hide as soon as he hears "ready or not" he runs out and screams "I here! I here!" If he decides he wants to find you he will also instruct you as to where you should hide.

3. Wrestling with Daddy...He LOVES to crawl on Casey and play, and Casey constantly will say jokingly "Get off me man!" Now as soon as Ashton crawls on Casey he will yell "Get off me man!"

4. Monkey See, Monkey Do...Ashton loves his sister and loves to hug and kiss her and talk to her. When I talk to Reese many times I will say "Hey girlfriend!" of "Hey pretty girl!" Lately this is how Ashton will greet Reese by saying both of these things.

5. Potty Training...Now this has been quite an experience. While we still struggle at times, Ashton has done pretty well with this, at least with going #1. Earlier this week I came home from work after picking up the kids and was trying to get everyone/everything out of the car and into the house. Ashton was still on the driveway fascinated with the people across the street. Our neighbors are trying to sell their house and they were having a showing. I was standing inside attending to Reese and still talking to Ashton. When I asked him what he was doing he didn't answer. I walked outside to see him standing there with his pants pulled down peeing on our driveway. I immediately said "Ashton you are supposed to pee in the toilet!" His response "I don't wanna pee in toilet. I wanna pee here!" Needless to say I don't think we will be getting new neighbors anytime soon as this was all done in front of them. I told Casey about this and he seemed proud to say "he is just a little redneck and at least he didn't go in his pants!" I guess their is a silver lining to everything.

Ashton has brought us nothing but joy over the last three plus years! He keeps us on our toes, makes us smile and laugh, and reminds of what is really important in life---love and family! We love you Ashton and can't wait for many more memories to come!

Long overdue!

I have been meaning to do a post on this, well, since the day we came home from the hospital with Reese. As many of you know, Casey and I have opted not to find out if we were having a boy or girl with both pregnacies. When Ashton was born I went with a very neutral color scheme and had an ABC/animal room decorated with primary colors. When I found out I was pregnant with Reese I knew I wanted the colors to be bright green with black furniture and decided once the baby came I would either go all out with bright blue or pink. Well with a sweet baby girl joining our family, pink it was going to be. You may remember that Reese was born at 4:39 AM on June 23 and we both were released to go around noon on June 24. To my surprise when we got home I found her room decorated and just waiting for Ms. Reese to enjoy. My sweet mom, sister and friend, Deann had left the hospital the afternoon she was born and went on a mission to get everything to decorate the room. All they had to work with was a corner shelf, crib with the bedding (at least I did do that), a glider and a large dresser. All black furniture and that was about it. The three of them worked so hard to paint adorable letters that they hung with cute flower knobs, decorate a lamp, buy a rug, fill up frames and hang wall fixtures, find pillows to match and even a decorated bulletin board. I was floored by all of their hard work in such a short amount of time and so thankful for the gracious coming home present. I felt like I had been on an extreme home make-over show and was so lucky to reap the benefits. I had a few people ask me if I was disappointed that I personally didn't get to pick out the decor, etc....but for those who know me well, they know that I do not have creativity on that end...my small creative bone I prefer to use in decorating cookies! So after all of this I would once again like to say THANK YOU MOM, JACQUELINE & DEANN!!!

10 Years, 60 Years and 11 weeks

Random title I know, but this past week there were three big events, and of course I did not have my camera there (I know I am horrible). The first one to mention is 10 years....since I graduated high school! Man the time goes by fast. On Friday night Casey and I went to my reunion which was held at an Astros game (by the way, great idea Keri!). We had a great time getting to see some old friends and catch up. That same day there was another celebration of 60 years....that would be my Dad's Birthday! Since my parents were sweet enough to watch the kids on Friday, Dad's actual birthday, we celebrated Saturday night instead. But not to worry, Jacqueline and Mark were busy making this Birthday one my dad won't forget by decorating the front yard of their house with over 60 homemade signs and Christmas lights. The signs were hysterical, and even a few neighbors came out to admire their hard work. My mom and dad got a good kick out of it when they got home late Friday night to see the nice decorations. I hope Dad had a great Birthday because we all love him dearly! He is one of the best men in my life and the one I admire the most. I love you dad/Mo! The last big event of 11 weeks would be how old Reese turned on Wednesday which also happened to mark the day I returned to work....let the waterworks begin! Obviously I survived my separation but needless to say I cried a lot on Tuesday when I went to drop off supplies to our babysitter and she had to console me for about 30 minutes while I was trying to go over Reese's schedule. Thankfully Ashton was right there saying "It's okay Mommy, it's okay" as he patted my back. By the time 4 PM hit on Wednesday afternoon I was beyond excited to leave work and go get both my babies. They both had an excellent day and I know each day will get better and I just have to remind myself how fortunate we are to have such a great babysitter who loves my kids as if they were her own. So even though I didn't have my camera with me, I will still leave you with a few new pictures.

This one is from her first day with the baby sitter, at least she had a little grin!