All American Boy

I still have come catching you up to do....however, I figured, while I'm looking at this past weekends photo's, I might as well share them with the world :) I love this sweet boy.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Will was given his first kiddie pool (thanks B's). Billy decided to try it out with him, and it was hilarious to watch the neighbors drive by pointing and laughing (I wonder if they thought he wasn't wearing a swimsuit either? LOL)...it's really cute, with a slide and elephant that has a waterfall for a snout. Will loved it, although he didn't keep his eyes open much since the sun was beating down on him.

We enjoyed grilled burgers, corn on the cob and sweet potatoes...then I made a funfetti cake and between it's 3 layers was vanilla pudding and fresh strawberries :) YUM.

Nana and Pops were here to visit so they enjoyed time with their grandson. He showed off all his tricks...plenty of sign language, singing, raising up his arms and showing us "how big is Will", saying 1 with his finger when you ask,"how old is Will"...you know, all the usuals ;)

Will discovered the washer and dryer last night, and couldn't get enough of it! He would have stood there watching the spin cycle forever if I'd let him! This morning, he was trying to help me pull his clothes out of the dryer. It was adorable.

These two are MY FAVORITE!When we got home from the airport, Billy sat down with his boy and read a generator manual to him :) I guess when it comes to preparing for hurricane season, you can never start too early. He was enthralled!

Birthday Boy *Part 2* (finally)

It's pretty sad, seems like every time I make my way up here to my desk, I have to tear off another month's page on my calendar! Okay, so maybe moving up to the loft wasn't the best idea...seeing how all the action in my family happens downstairs :) It just seemed like such a great idea, having a new desk and chair to sit and be comfortable...yet we NEVER come up here!

I have far too much to catch you up on, and I'll start with my now 14 month old's 1st birthday!

Although we gave our boy a Jungle themed party, we enjoyed some homemade Mexican food...Billy's cheese enchiladas (Gma B's famous recipe) and I made some from-scratch refried beans and spanish rice...green sauce and chips! YUM! The Birthday boy slept through the meal, lol...but woke up to our loud family singing him a birthday song with his very own banana cream monkey cake (I made 2- a big one for us, and a little one for him).

It was so cute, how he talked to the cake as I brought it up close..and then he tried to grab it all up-fire and all! He actually didn't tear into it too bad, but he liked what he tasted.

Cousin Lucie came dressed in her zebra...fitting right in with the theme And Grammy couldn't let her go without a gift to open too :)

My little man is growing up too fast!

Kinda Sneaky

Sister Lin, what you said was true...I have yet to bring the world Part 2 of my 1 year olds birthday celebration. I winked and it was 10 days later. So strange how that happens.
I had every intention of following through on that posting, as well as catch you up with pictures of my loving husbands 29th bday at the shooting range (he only had a few minor requests and that was one of them;)
...and adorable pictures of Will in his plaid pants
...and his green stripes for St. Paddy's day
...and a pic of my St.Paddy dinner including but not limited to my fave green foods like guacamole, and creamy green sauce, and a DELISH cheese-filled chile relleno
...BUT I am currently being held hostage in my bedroom;) I came in here to nurse, and the door was shut behind me. I was told Im not to come out for the rest of the evening! I asked Billy if he was cleaning the house, lol!(I think he's up to something for my bday tomorrow). No laptop, no camera memory cards. Just my sleeping son and me, chilling in a dimly lit room on a comfy king size bed...
with nothing but an ITouch on which to tell you all about it.

I LOVE surprises! You have my word I'll share what he was up to as soon as I'm alowwed to know!

Gnite all
XOXO

Birthday Boy (Part 1)

It's hard for me to comprehend an entire year has passed since my

"birthing day". As I put it to my husband earlier today, the scar still feels new to me. I know it sounds so cliche' but I can't believe how quickly the time flew!

We have a toddler. Wow! A year ago, he would lie so quietly in his bed, barely moving at all. He weighed a little over 5 pounds, and I could fit him in my shirt (we did kangaroo care quite often to keep his body temperature regulated). He didn't cry much, and showed much more interest in sleeping than eating. He looked JUST LIKE his uncle Aaron at first...which freaked all of us out. The little stinker didn't come until 2:54 in the morning, after 24 hours of labor with NO DRUGS (although that all changed when I ended up with a C-section)! He changed our world forever. It was flipped upside down and all in the right directions. We love him more and more with every day we know him, and he brings more joy (just like God promised us he would before he was even born) than we could imagine. That little laugh...those funny words...touching our faces...grabbing our hair (even though it hurts, it's sweet)...and now...the boy is opinionated, and he likes to eat! He even ate a whole hotdog the other day! He's bigger and cuddly and ewwwwie, we can't get enough of him! He smells yummy, and taste even yummier ;)

Mommy and Daddy love you Will Riley!

Today, our birthday boy had a nice normal day at home, where he LOVES to play with all his toys and has plenty of carpet to roll and roam around. When he finally went down for a nap (he's refused for the past 4 days~ I think he's TEETHING) I came in to find him like this....Lol he certainly moves more than he used to!

Our little birthday celebration was postponed when several family members decided to get the sickies...but when we do party, I promise to post some adorable pictures of my jungle monkey boy eating his banana cake mommy made for him!

Lost & Found

Lost: Our Calphalon BREAD KNIFE (we're talking about a BIG shiny serrated knife!)
Found: A new replacement @ Ross for half price
Lost: 2 of Will's socks
Found: 1 of them under his car seat :)
Lost: My 1-cup measuring cup
Found: $14 cash on my bedside table (thanks Honey)
Lost: A 3-tier server
Found: It in Billy's old chest in the garage (I forgot we were space-saving in the townhome garage)
Lost: That's what the flower delivery guys were last week when they took 2 days to deliver part of my Valentines present (no wonder my husband was stalling all morning when I wanted to get out)
Found: Them on my front porch late that night! They were b-e-a-utiful!
Lost: 1 black high heel
Found: It hiding under the drivers seat of the car (gotta' love changing into flats after church)
Lost: The need for plain ole' white pasta every time
Found: Barilla PLUS with flaxseed, protein and omega-3's to be quite tasty
Lost: My I-touch (momentarily)
Found: It in my husband's hands ("but it's time to harvest my crops")
Lost: I NEARLY lost it when the lady in the public bathroom at a HOSPITAL was too busy talking on her cell in the stall to realize her little girl was LAYING all over the floor...and then they both walked out without even washing their hands!
Found: The serenity to keep my cool and NOT chase that lady down with at least hand sanitizer
Lost: Billy's IPOD dock
Found: An old 3/4 full bottle of water in my rocking chair cushion
Lost: Our little led flashlight
Found: It beaming out from the washing machine in a fresh batch of washed clothes
Lost: 2 of our 4 Dr.Brown's bottle caps
Found: Some old cd's I was looking for
Lost: My train of thought when the new neighbor came by and talked nonstop (at least she's friendly)
Found: A renewed interest in playing the WII when a few friends came over to play for 6 hours (Caren says she got 38 snowballs when she got home and played, but Billy being the reigning champ here with 30 says "sure Caren, sure you did".

And I'm still looking for my 1 cup measure, Billy's IPOD dock, 1 baby sock, and 2 bottle caps...so random

Approaching the BIG 3-O!

Ohh boy, there really is something about that 30's thing that gets to you! I can't believe I'm getting OLD!!! LOL! Okay, so maybe that's a tiny bit of exagerration, because some of you readers are in your late 50's and you're not old right?!

I was in the nutrition store the other day to stock up on all my supplements, and the owner (who I've become acquainted with over the past year) asked how Will was doing. She's watched him grow from a very tiny and sickly looking 5 pound baby into the much bigger-energetic-bundle that he is. When I answered "he's growing and doing great", she responded "well he sure has a great mom ..a mom who likes to take care of herself. Can you believe some of those crack babies that are out there?". I know seriously! I'm amazed those kiddos do as good as they do regardless of their mommy's habits. Actually, one of my little girls that I love so much is a product of a crack addicted mother. She was born in the car in the hospital parking lot, because her mom was afraid of being caught. Thankfully, she was adopted out to a very dear family (my other mom and dad) and is doing awesome.

ANYWAY-When the nutrition store owner said I was a mom who took care of myself, I wanted to turn around and see who she was really talking to. I know I don't take TOTAL care of myself like I should. But I guess when I thought about it, I do try my best. Maybe it's that whole 30's thing that's kind of kicked me into high gear :) Or maybe it was pregnancy that started me on the right path, (it's funny how that responsibility can have such an effect on your choices) and breastfeeding has just kind of kept me there...paying more attention to the foods I eat, and the drinks I gulp down, or the vitamins on my bathroom counter I choose to endure daily.

I want to do even more. I want to be healthy. I want to live a long time. I have a husband and son that need me around, AND it's for my own good too.

I will however, warn you that I refuse to STOP enjoying a yummy dessert or cup of decaf with lots of cream and sugar! Great mexican food (with homemade tortillas) will still be in my repoitoire, and bread will still be on our table. There are a few moments of bliss that are worth keeping around for sanities sake! LOL! BUT, I am trying to make more balanced choices, eating and drinking MOSTLY was is good for me :)

P.S. I dropped 3 more baby pounds!!! I attribute it to walking more in my new neighborhood, AND taking more fish oil :) Woohoo!

Catching you up

We didn't get a Christmas card out this year, in case any of you may have felt you were left out :) But Billy and I bought a new camera for Christmas, so I had snapped a few cute pics of our little man in front of the Christmas tree. There, now you've got an adorable card :)

I finished nursing Will this morning, and instead of my usual dosing back off to sleep, I had a head full of thoughts just swarming around...waiting to tell you all!

See, I realize my postings have been very few and far between, but when we doubled in square footage, my few steps to the computer became many more! Plus, what used to be our "kitchen computer" (which was great for grabbing recipes in a jiffy, but not so great when you want to sit and stay a while, and there's no where to sit!) moved up to the loft. So, as I sit and write today, I'm perched at my new desk :) and now, I will tell of our families' latest and greatest!

Since we've moved in here, we've had Thanksgiving, a trip to Denver (work Christmas Party), Will's first Christmas and a trip to Boston ( to see the B fam and let Will meet his other uncle and auntie :)

Will had his first surgery on New Years Eve (sounds like bad timing, but it was great for insurance sake!) for a congenital hernia repair (doing just fine-acted like nothing ever happened that same evening), and Billy's been enjoying his new office "down the hall" from the noise :)

In family news...my Mom's been sporting her GRANDAUGHTER AND GRANDSON, Dad's got NEW GLASSES, Will fell asleep on the plane sharing Mommy's new I-TOUCH & definitely had lot's of CHRISTMAS PRESENTS to open.

Lucie's been sporting some very CUTE FURRY BOOTS & HATS, Brian and Billy sport THEIR BABES, Lin's got a NEW DO, Aaron & Rachel like to make FUNNY FACES, and I'm sporting a NEW CAR :) (okay, so Billy and I share, hehe). 

It's so hard to believe we're 1 month from having a 1 year old! Will is changing and progressing all the time...and it's amazing how it can feel like he was born last week, yet he's been here forever! He's been talking soooo much, saying over 25 words now (at least copy-catting if he doesn't say them all the time). He's sitting for longer periods of time, and loving to roll or pivot pretty much anywhere to get things.

He's recently been rocking on all fours (when you set him up on them), and is getting better at pulling himself up to stand. He rocks side to side,(we call it dancing) and smiles on his own alot more often. He loves to clap, give high-fives, patty-cake, and wave...and it's so cute when he decides to say "bye bye" when you go. He still gets a thrill with blowing raspberries and blowing his nose (even on command at times) at people. He enjoys drinking from a straw or big boy cup.

As far as feeding is concerned, he thoroughly enjoys grabbing his own spoon, or biscuit, or anything on his tray for that matter...and eats 3 rounded solid meals a day, with bottles/nursings in between...he is catching up to his peers in size! I know some kiddos his age haven't gained much if any weight for a few months(since most of them gained at normal rates early-on), but he just keeps on packing it on (probably all the food mommy offers :). He seems to be getting a little taller too...and is finally wearing age-appropriate clothes. He loves to sing (I think he matches pitch) and "the wheels on his bus" is hilarious when he sings it. He waves his hands up and down yelling "busss, busss". Thankfully, he's a really healthy baby, never even had a cold, despite all the tests he underwent his first year of life...overall he seems to be feeling and doing great!

That boy is such a joy for our family, and I think he likes us back a little too :) Just the other day, my heart melted when a friend was holding him, and he reached over for me to take him back...gotta' love being the MOMMY your baby wants!

In other family news...Jeremiah's gonna' be a big brother! :)
Yippie Mel!

~AND~

Last but not least, we lost our family dog, Tuxedo a few days after Christmas.

We'll all miss him~ He was alot of fun, and we all loved him. He barked a lot (especially if you closed the bathroom door really loud), annoyed the brothers (who despised that he wasn't well-trained), kept dad company, made mom feel safe at home alone, protected all babies/kids around, and played with the cats. He was my roomate before I moved out, and I kind of owned him (even though he was dad's Christmas present in 2000). He was buried in my parents backyard with our Chinchi Buddy (who passed away last Valentines Day) so the grandkids can know of them when they're older.

That can't hurt

I just returned from a somewhat late-night grocery run with my hubby. I realized just how
long it had been since I said hello to you folks and thought this was a good time to do it...while i've got $$$ on the brain ;) See, a few of my cousins turned me on to this addicting money-saving grocery game, and now every week, when I get home I am in awe of my savings and just wanna call someone and tell them! Today, my friend, consider this your call :)
The site is www.thegrocerygame.com and here's how you play: every week the Sunday paper is full of coupons...and every week your local grocer is cycling through some kind of sale...so the grocery game keeps up with those sales and posts a list each week of what items are at their lowest (rockbottom) prices. This is when you PLAY your coupons, and usually end up with several free (or close to it) items (depending on how many copies of the coupon you have). It's amazing!!! Last week I saved $100! Tonight, on a "short list" night, I still managed to save $50!
It can be a lot of work, but it's worth it during these hard financial times. I feel like since I'm not bringing in a salary, the least I can do is save some $$$ for the fam.
If you want to save some crazy money, check out that site. Its $10 for the first store, and $5 for each additional. The key is to have at least 1 store that doubles/triples coupons (that's
where you see big savings). Sorry I just put you through an infomercial! Lol I should be their spokeslady. ;)
Happy saving from the new and improved Coupon Queen ;)

Peace to you

I've noticed a lot of us bloggers have been lagging in our postings the past few months...I guess it's due to all the crazy holiday festivities. In the Sunday comics this week, Family Circus features the kiddos all piled up on one bench in the kitchen, just staring longingly at their advent calendar. One of the little ones said "Don'tcha wish Christmas would hurry and get here?"...and the parents just seem exhausted already as they looked each other with pop-up thoughts of decorations to hang, cards to send, trees to decorate, meals to make, lines to stand in at the stores, and presents to wrap. Whew! It can get very stressful around this time of year. I pray you find peace during the whirlwind. I pray you find time to spend with your family, making memories to last a lifetime. I pray you find Jesus at the heart of your festivities, remembering what we are really celebrating here. I pray you are a light beaming brightly to your friends and loved ones.
May this be a week to remember for you and yours.
A very Merry Christmas-week to you!

Pics of the week

Cousins Will & Lucie...

they already seem to enjoy talking and playing together!

"Look at me dance"

"Will, you're so funny!"

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While I was in the kitchen, these two were playing loudly on the floor together....then suddenly it was silent. I found them like this :)

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"Mommm! I said I wanted the ELMO stocking!"

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Watchman Will stands guard over the Christmas decorations...and his toys :)

I love having the fire going, and the tree and stockings up...and with this weather, it's even beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas too ey?

First Snow!

Will saw his FIRST SNOW!!! The most ironic part of all is that although our city (no names) was having it's 1st and most likely ONLY SNOW of the year...my dear 9 month old was sitting in my lap, looking out the snow-covered window from the inside of a Boeing 757 airliner headed to Denver, Colorado (where there was MUCH MORE SNOW). He was such a trooper when the already boarded and full plane was delayed 2 hours because our poor city is not prepared for snows that large, and we were 8th in line for de-icing on the 1 and only de-icing pad in our cities major airport!

But he was so stinkin' adorable in his mohawk trapper hat :)

We had a nice time with Billy's company for their annual Christmas party! They are always very generous and treat us to a really nice weekend. It's great to catch up with everyone (since they all work from their homes in so many different states) and see what's new in their lives. We got to meet a few newbies this year, and had our most-excellent gift exchange (the bosses buy the gifts and then we all fight over them). It's a real treat and other than the altitude, it was a great place to stay too.

Will had a lot of fun meeting all the new people, and I think some of the wives wanted to take him home! I was so glad we had him with us, and he spent most of the trip like this:

 Which he doesn't seem to mind :)

It was 15 degrees when we came home on Sunday, and thankfully, we all had many layers to keep us warm. It was so cute, when we dropped the rental car off at the airport, Billy ran Will inside to keep him out of the cold...and as snow was falling down into the carseat, all you could hear coming from the little man was a bunch of really loud raspberries! His hat was a bit tosseled, but he didn't seem to mind the cold at all.

(See all the pretty snow behind him?)

Dog gone cute

The Rest of the Story...

We're IN!!!

MORE PICS TO COME! :)

The past 3 1/2 weeks have been a whirlwind of packing, moving, and unpacking! The day before we closed on the house, my FIL Larry called asking "can I come over?" Billy jokingly answered "sure dad, you can come on over"(from Cali)....but to our surprise he was serious, and was in the middle of purchasing a ticket to come! He and Billy had so much fun working on projects like "packing the moving truck" or "taking off the faucet fixtures" or "replacing the ceiling fan". They also enjoyed a few trips to Home Depot and Lowes. Then again, what guy doesn't? :)

My Aunt was such a big help, organizing, unpacking and basically helping me find a place for....
almost everything! Mom completely took care of Will so I could be in other rooms working, which was a HUGE HELP for me :)

Court and David took their turns feeding the boy, playing with him, and "homeschooling" him with lessons on coloring and reading (Courtney was so proud of Will that she gave him a sticker :)...then when they wanted to play, they just went out to the backyard and made forts out of our fridge boxes or sat in front of the washing machine to watch it work! Brothers Brian and Aaron joined in the efforts, and they were so great actually putting the boxes in the room they were marked with! That was SO HELPFUL. I officially have 2 more boxes to go through, which feels WONDERFUL to me.

and here's the rest of the story...

A few months ago, the Lord laid it on my husbands heart to pray for our son, Will. He was born growth restricted and due to slow g.i. motility, he had a hard time growing at first. We had been very concerned for his health, and felt it was time to truly lay it all down at Jesus' feet. We didn't know how long we would continue the fast, and waited for a release when God spoke it was time.

One day during the fast, the Lord reminded Billy of a small piece of unfinished business concerning our finances. Because of the time we had been dedicating to prayer, my heart was prepared to hear what Billy knew we needed to discuss. We had a productive talk, and felt released immediately from the fast. Billy told me that night, "I think God is about to do something very BIG and very FAST with our finances, because we obeyed and are taking care of business".

Who would have guessed that within a month, we would find and purchase our first home?!

During our meeting with the salesman, to turn in our earnest money, we were told the original discount on our home had been DOUBLED! The salesman didn't even understand it, especially since we were prospective buyers, and usually they wouldn't feel the need to discount in that circumstance. He said "they didn't ask if I had any serious lookers, and therefore I didn't feel the need to tell!".

That's not the end of it....

Over the past year, we had been experiencing some foundational shifts in our townhome, that kept us from closing some of our doors...we had asked for them to work on it, but it was going to be a big job, possibly re-locating us. Our lease wasn't ending until the 31st of January, 2010. When we bought our home, we expected to be bombarded with re-letting fees, IF they even decided to let us break lease. Billy spoke honestly to the manager about our situation, about finding a good home in our budget and the timing of our buy. The manager said "it's funny you are telling me this now, because the contractor is ready to start demo, and we've been trying to figure out what we were going to do with you". He said we could go early FREE AND CLEAR!!

For those in the apartment business (like my mom), you know that is UNHEARD OF!

We know God has opened all the doors for us to buy this home! We don't understand it all, but we know there is a purpose for us here. In the years to come, as we make new memories with our family gathered around, we will see and understand the unraveling of God's perfect will in this.

My cousin keeps teasing that now she needs to fast for a new place too, lol! I'll just say we know and have tested that it's true what God's Word says: Some things come ONLY by prayer and fasting. For us: a healthy son, financial freedom, and a new home! What more could we ask for? We are truly blessed and what a more fitting time to be here than this season of giving and thanks!

Harvest Tea and More

I've been meaning to blog about the wonderful tea my Aunt Mary threw a few weeks ago!

It was in honor of the October girl birthdays on that side of the family....Aunt Mary, Aunt Pat, Peyton and my Mamasita. Little cousin's Will, Jeremiah, Lucie, Courtney, David, Kinsey and Peyton joined the "big kids" ~ Aunt Pat, Cheryl, Aunt Mary, Melissa, Lindsey, Mom and myself.

They had the table set so pretty just in time for Fall...and all of the foods and drinks were DELICIOUS! Sausage and Apple Casserole, Zucchini Bake (Quiche), Croissants and Chicken Salad, Chicken and Rice salad, Broccoli and Raisin salad, Tea Biscuits with jam, Zucchini bread with butter, and TEA!

Even little Lu seemed to enjoy the sights :)

Jeremiah was so cute showing off with all of his new words! He's a very smart little boy, and I can't wait to see how he and Will are best buds like Mel and I are! He brought his echoing microphone and guitar to entertain us...and Cheryl even joined him in a little diddy :)  

The kiddos showed off their dress up clothes after we ate, and that was quite the fabulous little fashion show! (I had a cute pic of Peyton and Court dancing, but I can't find it anywhere!)

And we managed to grab a cute shot of the newest cousins! They were so funny holding arms and looking at each other like they were pals! Will was rubbing his little fingers together on her arm, like she was a new "texture"...lol, he loves touching new materials lately!

thank you Auntie for a great day!

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I just want to say how much I love this stuff....especially when Will decides to hold a prune extravaganza :) It's got an enzyme in it that eats away at food products...so when I sprayed all of his clothes, bib and chair down, every last bit of prune either washed away or disappeared! If you don't have it, go and get you some!

 Doesn't he just look so proud of himself?

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We didn't celebrate Halloween, but we did, however enjoy a little browsing at
Bed Bath & Beyond and Chipotle tacos dressed up as the THINGS (Courtesy of the ever so close to Disney (jealous) Florida & Africa fam!)

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and now....I'm gonna' go get some sleep. Starting tomrrow we start packing because
we're moving this weekend!!! Yippiee!

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I will leave you with a shot of my sweet sleepers...Will's even got the shirt impression on his ear to prove it. (p.s. the boy is looking VERY MUCH like his daddy these days :) I'm glad!)