The Time Has Come

I believe it is time to give in to the elastic waist pants.

Better Than Coffee

We were outside this morning waiting for Jeff's ride to work. I just found there was something irresistibly precious about a little boy in pjs and his daddy's baseball cap.

So I thought I would share these sweet moments of simple happiness.

This little boy has brought a joy to the morning hours that my "I'll just hit snooze one more time" self never imagined could have existed. Who knew there was any fun to be had in the world before noon?

Oh Thank Heaven...

My sweet husband alerted me to the fact that 7-11 is giving away free Slurpees in recognition of today's date.

Whoo-hoo! If you know me at all then you know that I love Slurpees and I love FREE!

I decided to run the risk of my frozen waffles defrosting in the back seat in order to stop by and let Bennett enjoy his very first Slurpee.




This is how he reacted to his treat being "all gone". I had to tell him that it's okay...Mommy feels that way sometimes too.

Goodbye Old Friend

She doesn't look too bad from these pictures, but don't let that fool you. My old Grand Prix had all but given up on her life in the fast lane. Sure, we could have shelled out a couple thousand dollars to get her back in shape (only about $1300 more than the Kelly Blue Book estimated value) but she had recently signed a DNR and we must respect her wishes.

She was pushing 180,000 miles, battle scarred and weary so I kissed her goodbye on a fair, summer morning.

You served me well over the last eight years old, red girl. You will be remembered fondly.

Independence Day

We spent most of the 4th of July at home being supremely lazy.

How lazy?

Let's just say that no one was dressed before noon and we each managed to squeeze more than one nap into our schedule. It was glorious.

Around four I decided we absolutely must do something festive. We missed our community's Fourth celebration since it took place last weekend (and really, who was prepared for that kind of crazy scheduling?) so we made the short drive to McKinney for Red, White and BOOM.

There was a lot going on at Craig Ranch. Musical performances, concessions of all variety of artery-clogging delightfulness, pony rides, face painting, potato-sack races and inflatable games were a few of the attractions.

We were not to be deterred by the menacing skies.



So we strolled around, listening to the music and letting Bennett jump, pet and run free to his little heart's conent. At about the third announcement of impending doom imminent bad weather we decided to head back to take cover in the car and hope the storm passed quickly.




We took our over-priced corn dog and Dippin' Dots to the car to wait. And wait. And wait some more for the storm that never came. I'm happy we didn't leave because there was more fun to be had. Big slides! Rearranging cones in the race area! Cheering for every child in the sack races! Checking out police motorcycles!





It was a busy evening. It would have been fun to stay for the fireworks but I just don't think B Boy would have made it to 9:30 without protest. We stopped for a Slurpee on the way home, a decent substitute for the snow cones we were craving since "our" snow cone stand was closed.

With the little one snoozing away in bed we were able to see three or four fireworks displays from right out in front of our house. It was lovely!

I hope you all enjoyed a fantastic Fourth and remember to thank God for all the freedoms we have!

15 Months and 15 Weeks

Bennett had his fifteen month pediatrician visit Wednesday. We are seeing a new pediatrician in Allen for the first time. I had planned ahead to arrive early to fill out the necessary paperwork but still ended up being a bit late as it took me thirty minutes to find the stinking office that is about three miles from our house. Once I finally arrived in the correct building of the right medical facility I found the staff and the pediatrician to be very patient, friendly and willing to answer all my questions. I think we've found a keeper! Dr. C said my B Boy is "perfect". I happen to agree!

He also stated multiple times that Bennett seems to be a very "busy" boy. My child was intent on exploring every corner of the office - swinging the hinged trash can cover, pushing the doctor's stool around, climbing on chairs, opening the door and whining to be lifted up so he could play with the light switch.

Stats for those who might be interested are as follows:
hight - 33.5 in (95%)
weight - 27.2 lbs (80%)
head - 19 in (77%)

Two shots were administered about an hour after nap time should have started (great planning on Mom's part) and the little one was less than thrilled. When he's tired even the smallest injustice is enough to cause a meltdown so the shots were enough to bring about quite a sad display. He settled down by the time we paid and even enjoyed checking out the waterfall, flowers and rocks outside the office. With a little Motrin and long nap he should be good as new.



We also had an appointment to check in on Baby Dos this week. It was one of the "quick" prenatal visits where you spend more time in the waiting room than in the exam room. Everything seems to be going well! Baby's heartbeat was going strong at 157 beats per minute and my blood pressure was great.


I've lost a couple more pounds (down a total of five or so) which was a surprise to me since my belly is definitely growing and I'm not puking nearly as much as I did with Bennett. I guess this time the nausea is still enough to keep me from eating quite like I should. Dr. H didn't seem concerned at all and I'm sure I'll be on my way back up by next month. My energy level has increased a lot over the past couple of weeks so if my tummy would settle down I should be back to normal. I look forward to that!

Our next visit is July 31 and we get to see our little one! I'm so excited! At that appointment we will be able to find out the sex if we want. We're still saying we're going to wait, but I have to admit I'm more tempted to find out than I was with the first pregnancy. I have much fewer preparations to make for this one as we already have everything we need and the nursery is ready to go so knowing the sex won't make a big difference in my shopping list. But for some reason I'm just so curious!

Don't get your hopes up though. We'll more than likely stay strong and wait for the delivery room announcement.

Pray

My sweet friend Haley, mom of three little ones, has been feeling very unwell lately. She has visited lots of doctors the past couple of weeks and they have discovered a mass on her heart. She will be having more tests done tomorrow to determine more about the mass. It is looking as though heart surgery is likely with a long recovery time required (at least five weeks of not being allowed to be primary caregiver to her children).

Please pray for peace for the Thomas family, healing for her heart and wisdom for the doctors. They have a wonderful group of friends and family around that love them and will do all they can to provide any support needed.

They have begun a blog if you are interested in reading more about Haley's situation.

Your prayers are much appreciated!

Sad Day

No, the trip to the Fort Worth Zoo wasn't bad or sad. In fact, Bennett and I had a lot of fun hanging out with Tricia and Elliott in the sweltering heat.

What made the day sad is that right after Tricia took this picture I clumsily dropped my camera and killed it. I gave it some time to rest, hoping that it would miraculously revive, but no luck.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to go buy one of those SLRs I've been coveting. I still have quite a few pennies to save before that becomes reality though.

Father's Day!

Just in case any of you don't know, Jeff is an absolutely amazing dad. He wakes up early every morning with the wee one to let me get a few more precious minutes of sleep. He makes Bennett laugh like no one else can as they "wrestle", play ball, chase each other or as Jeff throws him around, tickles him or sings silly, made-up songs. He is patient and gentle at other times, reading stories or saying sweet bedtime prayers.

Bennett is totally enamored with his Daddy. He squeals with excitement and wriggles away from me in the evening when he hears Jeff come in. He is absolutely aglow with delight all weekend because Daddy is home ALL DAY! If Jeff has to work in the yard, Bennett will stand at the window, jabbering and waving each time Jeff passes by with the mower. It is too precious. I love to see my boys together.

The B Boy and I did our best to cook up some big plans to honor his amazing daddy for Father's Day. We picked out a couple of small gifts and Bennett hand selected a cute card that plays "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" when opened.

After church we met CPapa (Jeff's Dad), Aunt Jen, Uncle Rick, and cousins Haley and Dylan at the Ballpark in Arlington for a special Father's Day event. Although it was the hottest day of the year so far, we sweat out the 100+ temps and really enjoyed ourselves.

The event included having your picture made with Nolan Ryan in the dugout, a chance to run the bases, play catch in the outfield, a bar-b-que lunch, tours of the clubhouse, batting cages and media room, a q&a time with Mr. Ryan and door prizes. CPapa won a baseball autographed by (you guessed it) Nolan Ryan!

Here are a few pictures from our day:

Bennett getting lathered up with sunscreen before heading in.

Cousin Haley had her picture made with the Ranger's mascot.

And this is what Bennett thought about getting anywhere near that terrifying horse.

Jeff and his Daddy. Hope you had a great Father's Day, CPapa!

I just thought Bennett looked like such a big boy sitting on the bench and eating his lunch.

Jeff carried Bennett around the bases (they are at first base) with Haley, Dylan, Jen and Rick not far behind.

We met Jim Sundberg in the clubhouse. You know who that is, right? Yeah, well, I didn't either.

Let me educate you. Wikipedia says Mr. Sundberg "is a former professional baseball catcher for a number of teams, most significantly the Texas Rangers...He was known for being one of the best fielding catchers of all time."

So now you know. Go forth and impress you husbands.

Bennett and I head to the outfield to play some catch. Or, at least watch the rest of the family play catch.

Chillin' in the outfield. I thought it was pretty cool to get to see the ballpark from the field.

He looks like he could be a professional ballplayer, no?

Andy shows off his prize. What a great way to end our time at the ballpark!

Afterward we met up with Nanny for a yummy steak dinner at Saltgrass. Despite only about 30 minutes of total nap time throughout the day, Bennett was a champ! We were amazed that he was so easy going all day, including while we waited for a table and for our food at dinner. Even I was feeling a little grumpy from tiredness, heat and hunger by that point. What a sweet little one we have.

Jeff, I hope you enjoyed your special day and that every day you know how much we love and treasure you!

Going...Going...Gone!

This is one of Bennett's favorite new pastimes. Now when something is missing (the remote, a sippy cup, my phone) this cabinet is the first place I look.