13 Months

Happy 13 Months Ms. Reese! You are turning into a little spitfire on the move! You have officially started taking multiple steps and are on the cusp of walking as your main mode of transportation. If you put your mind to it you can walk everywhere you want to go, but still prefer to crawl to get there faster. You have developed a major love for fruit these days and constantly want to share with mommy....strawberries, honeydew, cherries (pit removed of course!) and cantelope are your favorites right now. You also are starting to like broccoli which I LOVE! And just this week we seem to be finding a better sleep schedule, I know, it only took a year. We will take what we can get around here. And last but not least, you love pictures...mainly of yourself. I know I mentioned this before but I can't describe how excited you get when you see yourself in a photo. You point and just light up. We love you to pieces Ms. Reese and those blue eyes just melt everyone's heart!

Pull Over Now

Warning: This is gross, but that is part of parenting, so if you don't want to read then stop here.


Saturday my sister called and said she was going to head to the outlet malls and wanted to know if I wanted to join. I mentioned it to the hubs and he was game so we loaded up the kids and were on our way. I was driving and Casey and I were talking while the kids were laughing in the back. Next thing I know we hear Reese make a lovely grunting sound and I smiled to Casey and said, I guess I will be changing her when we get there. It wasn't a minute later when Ashton said "Eww, nasty Reesey!" Casey turned his head around and then sternly said, "Pull Over Now!" Needless to say Reese had stuck her hand in her diaper and pulled out a handleful of, well I am sure you guessed it, poop. I pulled into a church parking lot and Casey began to wipe off what we could while I changed her diaper. At this point it was evident that this wasn't a keep on going on with our day kinda thing, but instead a total detour was need. I turned around and we headed home. Thankfully we got a good laugh to say the least.

Now look at this face, kinda hard not to love it....

Bye Bye Tonsils

So here is a little recap of the happenings....as posted before Ashton turned 4 last Friday and Casey and I gave him a bike. He LOVES it and has been playing outside with that, new soccer goal, tennis racket and has been a fish in the swimming pool...fast forward. Today, he had his tonsils and adenoids removed. Since Ashton was born he has constantly snored, been congested, been a mouth breather and has a few other issues. After consulting with various doctors we decided this was the best course of action for Ashton. So this morning, Casey and I took Ashton to see Dr. Albright with Texas Children's Hospital at 5:45 this morning. The procedure took about a half an hour and despite the groggy/grouchiness he had when he woke up (the doctor told us that would happen, but I don't think I really was prepared for that), he did great. It took about thirty minutes of trying to calm him and soothe him. It is so hard to try and explain to a child (who is still under some anesthesia) why they can't take an IV out even though it hurts. Luckily we were released soon after and were back home by 9:30. The doctor told us, contrary to belief, to let Ashton dictate his diet for the next week or so. His words "if he wants popsicles, give him popsicles. If he wants chips, give him chips. He will decide what works best for him and if doesnt seem bothered by foods, then let him enjoy them." I was thinking jell-o, pudding, milkshakes, popsicles, etc. would be what Ashton wants. So on the way home we got him a shake, which he didn't touch. He asked for a popsicle when we got home and then it started. Since he had not eaten since 6 PM the night before he was hungry....and what did he want? Cheetos! He sat there and ate a cup full and when I asked if his throat hurt, he said "Nope." He is now fast asleep on the couch. All I can say is thank you God for a good surgery and I just continue to pray for a speedy recovery, but if this is any indication....we are well on our way.

A little more Birthday Fun

Happy Birthday Ashton

Happy Birthday sweet boy! It is hard for me to believe you are 4 years old! You are quite the little man to say the least. You have a large personality and provide quite a bit of comic relief to all of the people who love you. I remember the days when you were so small and needed Daddy and Mommy to help you do everything, now you are Mr. Independent. You are a man's man to say the least. If you had a choice, the sun would never go "to sleep" and you would stay outside, most likely in the swimming pool, all day long. You love getting dirty and hate taking baths, go figure. But there are a few things you enjoy doing with Mommy...baking cookies! You are the perfect assistance who likes to have his own dough, roll it out, and then if it is not quite perfect, does what any perfectionist will do, eat the mistake! Speaking of eating, your palate is rather limited. If we let you survive on "popsicles" (Gogurts) you would be a happy kid. It is like pulling teeth to get you to try anything new. You tend to be a bit hard headed for stuff like this. I like to call you the negotiator because when I ask you to do something , you tend to respond with "How's about...." and then you fill in the blanks with an answer that works best for you. It is something that cracks me up but makes it hard to reason with you with a smile on my face. Ashton, you are the best big brother Reese could ask for. You constantly want to interact with her and she loves to follow you around. She thinks you are pretty cool. In this past year you have really blossomed. Last year you really weren't talking a whole lot, now the things that come out of your mouth make us ask "where did you hear that?" We love you so much and look forward to many more moments!

PS: We spent your 4th Birthday at Kilburn's...yes it is a tavern, but they sell Mac N Cheese (one of your food staples) and you got to take your picture with the Miller Lite Girls, many years from now you might think your Mommy is cool for picking this place and letting you do that. Then we went to Orange Leaf to get frozen yogurt and to top it off, your sweet friend Luci Ruffing was right there by your side!

Itty Bitty Bikini

A big thanks to Luci Ruffing for passing down an adorable little bikini to Reese. As soon as I got it on her she kept trying to take her top off. Aunt Jac was in the background providing commentary shouting "Party like it's Spring Break '99!" I am not quite ready to hear about my child flashing anyone, but I have to admit, this is one cute little swimsuit.

Mimi Donuts

This holiday weekend we spent it at the lake. It was very relaxing, and HOT to say the least. We had a blast. I think if you ask Ashton what his favorite part was, he would probably say "Making Mimi Donuts." My Mom introduced us to "Mimi Donuts" around Christmas last year and these have become something that Ashton LOVES making and eating more. I think if I said he could eat the whole pan (one batch makes 8) he would polish them off in a heartbeat. Mimi asks if I have made them with him, but I like to tell her that honor is reserved for her and Ashton, and since they made them 3 times this weekend I think he got his fill. Thankfully Ms. Reese was close by to observe and then enjoy the results. Happy 4th!