Mystery Photographer...

I went to upload some new pictures off my camera and discovered a mystery photographer had gotten a hold of my camera and took 109 total pictures on it.

He took the next one too. That's the only one we knew he took :o) Not bad, if you ask me, for a Mystery Photographer! :o)

My Favorite Part of the Day

My favorite part of the day comes and goes quickly, and I know the opportunities to savor them are fleeting. It happens when my first born groggily emerges from his bedroom after his nap (yes, at 4.5 years old Tucker still takes a 1-2 hour nap!), and he comes up to me to snuggle. If any of yall know Tucker, you know he is all boy all the time...not much of a snuggler. But in the five sweet minutes after his nap, he crawls into my lap, usually with his "Bayboo" and duck blankie, and he lets me love on him.

As I'm typing this entry, I'm getting very teary-eyed. My little Bear is growing up so fast, and I know that by this time next year, naps will probably be a thing of the past, and with them will go my very favorite part of the day. These precious, irreplaceable five minutes of the day I will always cherish, and I'm willing the memories to be stored in my heart forever. Soon my favorite part of the day will become a "when you were little" story. As for today, I'm trying to soak in the moment with all my senses...how Bear felt cuddled close to me, so big, yet so small; how he sounded, breathing still and calm; how his head still smells like baby shampoo. What a wonder he is!

Thank You Lord, for my precious first born. What a gift you've given me! I'm overjoyed to be his Mommy. May these moments be encased in my heart's long memory forever. Amen

Quote of the Day

Tucker: "Daddy, stop being unrespectfulable!"

The "Hopskopch" Kid

Right around the beginning of the month Tucker discovered hopscotch...or "hopskopch" as he calls it. I had taken him outside to play with chalk and I made him a hopscotch board, just like we had seen on 'Special Agent Oso'. Tucker was instantly hooked! He absolutely wants to play every chance he gets, so much so that he didn't want to go to our swim playdate because he preferred to stay home and play hopscotch! I had to bring chalk with us and make a hopscotch board that went into the pool!

I love how Tucker breathes new life and excitement into the humdrumness of life. Oh the joys of childhood!!

The next few pictures are of the chalk drawings Patrick made for Tucker. They are all pictures of his favorite movies and stories that Patrick and Tucker make up. What a good Daddy! (By the way...Patrick dressed Tucker on this day, hence the red-on-red! ha ha)

Six Years and Going Strong

Today Patrick and I are celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary. How far we've come in six years! We've endured much, but we've grown even more in our faith and love for our Lord.

Our good friend Keelie was supposed to keep our kids for the night, but her poor little girl has been sick, so we just decided to doll up the kids and take them out to dinner with us! We all got dressed up and headed out to Texas Land & Cattle. Everyone looked so cute, although Tucker was missing one thing...shoes!! (Can you guess that Patrick was in charge of getting him ready? ha ha) I had every intention of getting the waiter to take a family picture, but I forgot! You can take my word for it--we all looked crazy good! :o)

About halfway through our meal I noticed that only a few tables down my good friend from work was there eating dinner with her husband. I stopped to chat for a minute and went back to my seat, and my friend and her husband left a few minutes later. We finished our meal a short time after that and asked for our check...only to find out that Chris and Hollie had paid for our meal!! As you can imagine, we were overwhelmed with gratefulness. What a blessing this was for us.

Since Patrick has lost his job, God has continuously reminded us that He is always with us and ever mindful of us through the generosity of good friends. First our Small Group and now Hollie and Chris have made us feel like the Lord Himself is tightly wrapping His arms around us and allowing us to wait out Patrick's next job in complete peace. I'm just so moved.

So today I'm thankful for good friends, celebrating an amazing husband, and overwhelmed by a faithful God. What more do we need?

Happy 6th Anniversary Schmoopie! (No your Schmoopie!)

Five Months Old

I can't believe our little girl is now five months old! It's suddenly flying by! This month she has really grown and changed a lot. In our opinion, she is suddenly really starting to look like Patrick! This has taken us both by surprise. She still has crystal clear blue eyes and we are hoping they will stay that way. I've noticed that, while Tucker had deep blue eyes until he was six months old, in old pictures of him his eyes look brown. But in Sister's pictures they are bluer than blue, so who knows? The nurse at our doctor's office said she thought they'd stay, so we're hopeful!

This month Presley Dallas started eating baby food. We were supposed to start with rice cereal, but who really needs that stuff, right? We went straight to the veggies!! So far she has eaten and enjoyed squash, sweet potatoes, peas, and bananas. (One night when we were out of baby food I did make her rice cereal and she liked that too!) She seems to have a zest for eating...not sure where she gets that from! ha ha She likes to talk when she's eating, so we have to be prepared for the food to spray all over! It's quite messy, but absolutely precious. She also started to be able to hold her own bottle!! She still needs a little help if it falls, but if she's wanting to, she'll hold it for us, which is great for us!! Last week we also started her on formula, so she's having bottles all the time now, and that has been an easy transition for her. I feel pretty good about making it five months of breastfeeding, though I did eight with Tucker. Hopefully it will be enough to give her the great immune system our Tucker Bear has. Time will tell... :o)

Presley has really taken to her excersaucer. She spends tons of time in it, and she is very intrigued by it. She loves to be sitting up and seeing what's around her. She still likes her gym and she likes to lay on the ground with toys, but she does NOT like to be on her tummy! She loves her baby doll that Tucker got her. We're hoping it will become her "Bayboo". (Most of you know, but for those who don't, "Bayboo" is Tucker's blue bear that he's toted around since he was Presley Girl's age.)

Presley loves to laugh and continues to think her brother hung the moon. She is also loving Patrick being home and eating up her time with him. I'm a little nervous about going back to work next week because while she's fine to be with Patrick she seems to be getting a little anxious around strangers. It's kinda a blessing that Patrick will be the one taking care of her for at least a short time to transition me back to work.

Five months will soon be six, and then 12, and before I know it she'll be four like Tucker. It just goes so fast!!

Do They Get Any Cuter??

I'm thinking no!

My Wonderful Husband

I just felt the need to brag on my husband. Some of you don't know that my husband has worked tirelessly for the last 15 months opening a brand new golf club in the area. Patrick passionately and dedicatedly worked day and literally night to put this new club on the map. He was in charge of absolutely everything, though that was not explained to him when he took the job. He didn't care. He's a hard worker and a good man. He did everything from order the necessary office supplies like pens, papers, and rubber bands, to decorating the clubhouse, to hiring/training/releasing employees, and anything and everything in between. He got to work early and stayed at work late, and when the pipes froze in the ceiling and ruined the security alarm system, my husband even slept at that club every night for two straight weeks, with the exception of Christmas Eve but including Christmas night, to be on Fire Watch and be sure the club wasn't broken into or damaged. He did all of this at the expense of seeing and spending time with his family and friends, to the extreme of not being able to bring me and Baby Presley home from the hospital because his bosses were in town, and he did it all without complaining. Patrick's work ethic is second to none. To say as an employee that he is dedicated, passionate, and willing to go the extra mile would be an understatement.

But compare Patrick's work ethic to his love for his family and that all looks like nothing! My husband is encouraging, accepting, loving at all costs, funny, and friendlier than anyone I know. As a father, none (well, except for mine of course!) could be better. He adores his kids. He loves them more than life itself. Regardless of the stress he endures, when he walks into our home and he is with our kids, all is right with the world. He doesn't even need "a minute to himself" when he gets home--he goes straight to playing with the kids and helping out with them. When Patrick is home, I can truly put my feet up and relax.

Due to a bad economy and a boss' need to secure his own job (that's a wife's assessment!) Patrick lost his job two weeks ago. I hate this for him. Not because he nor I desired him to put in the long hours that he did, but because he loved what he was doing, regardless of the powers-that-be. This job loss has been bittersweet, because while we did lose a position Patrick enjoyed, Tucker, Presley and I got our beloved Daddy and husband back! I can honestly say I didn't even realize the toll this job was taking on him, because since he's been home I'm seeing a side of him I haven't seen in a long time. He's laughing again. There's so much laughter. A strained relationship between Tucker and Patrick brought on by such an absence of presence has been rapidly restored. As for our marriage--who knew how much communication could be lost when a spouse works so much! It's not that we stopped talking to each other, but that we didn't really have time, and I don't think we even realized it until these last two weeks that he's been home. I love my husband! I really, really do. He is, without a doubt, my best friend.

I'm so blessed to have a God that cares for me. God planned Patrick and I to be perfect for each other. And though times are stressful right now, I know that He's going to provide for us, and while I cling to Jesus, I'm overwhelmed to have Patrick by my side. He is the love of my life.

I just had to brag...

Presley & the Pink Bear

When Tucker was a baby my friend Carrie gave me the suggestion of taking a picture with him once a year with the same stuffed animal to see how much he grows. It was a really cute idea...that we've been really bad about. BUT, my friend Heather just gave me the idea to do it with Presley every month since they change so much the first year. So I've decided to try that, (and I'm determined to be better about taking Tucker's annual picture too!) and so here is Presley at four-months-old with her Pink Bear.

Off for "boy time"...

(Too bad the stinkin' camera took a fuzzy picture! Oh well!) :o)

Tucker's 4-Year and Presley's 4-Month Well Visit

We took both Tucker and Presley for their respective 4-year and 4-month check ups. (Yeah, that's right. We were six months late for the 4-year appointment!) Anyway, things went really well. Tucker walked confidently into the doctor's office, greeting everyone along the way. He hopped right up on the scale, let them measure him without fuss, answered the obligatory questions about what he eats (almost nothing of variety) and if he still wears diapers (no). The nice nurses came in at the end and asked him to lay on the table. He obliged. And then...they stuck him! Double whammy--a shot in each leg. Poor, poor baby! He just cried and cried--he never saw it coming! I hate that! He was supposed to get four vaccines that day, but ever since his first doctor's appointment Patrick and I have had a no-more-than-two-vaccines-at-a-time policy. So lucky for him he didn't have to get stuck again, but unlucky for him he'll have to make up those last two shots at his five year check up. But then, no more shots until he's eleven! Phew ;o)

Baby Girl also did really well. She got her two instead of four shots and she didn't like them, but I always nurse her right away and she calms down really fast. Unfortunately her little owies swelled up a little and she didn't really feel well or nap well the rest of the day. She was back to normal the next day.

Tucker weighed in at 38 lbs, which is exactly what he weighed a year-and-a-half ago at his three year check up, and he grew four inches. (Can we say 'active boy'?!) These stats makes him average for both weight and height. Presley on the other hand is now 15 lbs, 14 oz, and 24.25 inches long, which puts her at average for height and in the 90th percentile for weight! Oh, Sissy Girl! She's our little chunky monkey...which I just love! The doctor said we could start her on rice cereal and then on to vegetables. I think you only do rice cereal with the first baby, right? ha ha ha We decided to skip it and go straight for the veggies. We've started with yellow squash, which she seemed to like. We waited until night right before her last feeding, hoping it would help her sleep through the night. No such luck. So tonight we're going to mix in the rice cereal with the squash to see if that helps with Mission: Uninterrupted Sleep. I'll keep you posted...

Quote of the Day...

I just spilled my water on the carpet and Tucker said, "UGH, Mommy! You have ruined this world!"

Four Months Old

Today Presley Dallas is four months old! Tucker, Presley and I were at a playdate at our friend's the Roseberry's house today. As I was talking to Stacy about being a month late getting Presley's picture taken and needing to get that done, the best photographer disguised as a stay-at-home mom whipped out her camera and got this great shot!

What a lot of changes we've seen in Sissy in one month's time. For one thing, she has grown to adore her brother! Tucker is the one we can count on to always make her smile. And his adoration has grown stronger for her each day as well. My prayer for them is that they will be best friends for the rest of their lives!

She is still sleeping in our closet (gasp! I know!) but I have a feeling she'll be in her own room soon. We're waiting for her to start sleeping through the night. Last week she slept through the night four days in a row (T, W, Th, and F). On the fifth day (Saturday) we said if she slept through the night again we'd put her in her room the next day. Well, she must have overheard us because that night she woke up twice!! We were really frustrated yesterday, until we realized later in the day we think she woke up because we she's cutting her first tooth! I can't believe that! Tucker didn't cut teeth until he was 8 months old, so we never even thought to consider that she was teething. But last night we put our fingers in her mouth and you can just barely feel a top tooth cutting through. So unless our fingers are decieving us, top teeth are on their way!

While she's not in her room yet, she is out of the swing for naptimes. She still enjoys swinging, but her naps are lasting just as long now that she is in bed and not in the swing. She also enjoys her Bumbo seat, her baby Papazan chair, and her activity gym, and on a few occasions we've put her in her excersaucer which she is curious about. (She's still a little too small for it, but she seems to like the colors.) She also likes to just lay on the floor and play with a few rings and her duck, Mr. Waddles.

As you know from my previous post, this month she rolled over for the first time. Also, as from a previous post, she went to the pool for the first time this month, and she really likes the water. She's very calm when she's in the pool, and she just takes in all the sights and sounds around her. In general, she likes to be outside. She is also just beginning to laugh real, hearty belly laughs, mostly with Patrick, and also when you tickle her tummy. I think there's no greater sound in the world. :o)

For the life of me, I cannot get this girl to like her paci! She does like to suck on her hand a lot, and I am doing everything I can to keep her from becoming a thumb-sucker! Now that she seems to be teething she does seem to like the hospital paci again, at least way better than the Nuk brand (which was Tucker's favorite). I'm so hoping she'll start to like it--pacifiers were a life-saver with Tucker. Anytime he was fussy or upset I could just pop in his paci and life could go on!! Not so much with Presley Girl!

Today my kids are four-years-old and four-months-old. It's amazing that in just four years time my Bear went from doing all these little bitty things like Presley is doing to doing major big kid things. It just remindes me how fast it all goes by. What a treasure it is just to be a part of it!

July 4, 2009

We're usually in Denver for the 4th with Patrick's family, but this year we weren't able to go with Patrick's work schedule and Presley's apparent inability to sleep anywhere but at home! Thankfully my sweet friend Keelie invited us up to Gunter to come to their town festivities. Patrick stayed at home to spend time with Presley and put her to bed before a breakdown.

The event was precious! It was very "small town", so you know I just loved every minute. There was a big slide and snow cones, cotton candy, a fire truck (which Bear loved!).... It kinda reminded me of when Coppell, my hometown, was still small...though Gunter's much smaller than even Coppell was when I was little. One thing that reminded me a lot of growing up was from those second and third pictures--that was the "Cowplop Contest"! That's right--for all of you that are unfamiliar with this practice, someone builds a little corral, then paints a grid on the grass, and a cow is released. If the cow "does his business" in the square you picked, you're a winner, buddy! Woo hoo!! Good times ;o)

Tucker and his buddy Jonah were really funny during the fireworks. While we were waiting for them to start, some people were setting off a few tiny ones in the parking lot. Tucker and Jonah absolutely screeched with delight over these little fireworks, but when the big display began, they were almost completely silent! I'm assuming it was just a lot to take in :o)

By the way, earlier in the day I had Tucker and Presley in matching 4th of July-type outfits--they were so cute!! Unfortunately, Presley Dallas pooped all over her clothes before anyone got to see them or I had the chance to take a picture of them. I guess I'll only have that picture in my heart :o)

This is how Presley feels about Tucker...

All I ever have to do to get Presley to smile is bring Tucker into the room. She never takes her eyes off him!! Just recently we could tell that she was starting to recognize him and enjoy him, and now she absolutely adores her big brother :o)

Presley Rolled Over Tonight!

By the grace of God, I am home with Presley right now until school starts. I love it. I am with her for every minute of the day, unless on rare occasions she’s with my parents. In fact, I’d say that since she was born four months ago I have been away from her for literally less than ten hours.

Patrick, on the other hand, has probably only been WITH Presley for less than ten hours since she was born. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but opening a new golf course has him working harder and longer than he ever has before. In fact, I worry that once Presley starts sleeping through the night, Patrick could literally go days without seeing her, because she’s asleep both when he leaves in the morning and when he gets home at night. Today he put in almost a 15-hour day, and that’s not unusual.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been expressing to Patrick a little bit of concern that some of my friends with babies her age have started rolling over, and Presley hasn’t really ever even tried to roll to her side. So Patrick came home from work tonight at almost 8 pm, and I happen to still have Presley up. Patrick, Tucker, and I all sat down by the blanket Presley was laying on and we were just watching her and talking about our days. I left the room for literally less than a minute, and Patrick calls out, “Valerie, come here quick!” When I returned to the room, you guessed it, Presley Dallas had rolled over onto her belly for the very first time…and I had missed it!! I still can't believe it. I mean, how is it that Patrick, who is never with Presley, happened to be here at just the right moment to witness this “first”, while I, on the other hand, who is always by this child’s side, is away for the 60-second period in which this first happened?! Seriously!

Anyway, Presley rolled over today! Yea Presley! :o)

Quote of the Day

If you know how many hours my precious husband puts in at work each week, you'll appreciate this quote from dinner tonight, just me and Tucker...

Tucker: "Mommy, what does 'Heavenly Father' mean?

Me: "It means 'our Daddy that lives in Heaven'."

Tucker: "Who's that?"

Me: "God"

Tucker: "Where's our other daddy?"

Me: "He's AT WORK!!"

Patrick, come home!! We're forgetting what you look like!

Another First for Tucker: Learning to Swim

Day One--Monday, June 15th

Tucker meets his new swim teacher Mrs. Elizabeth and her assistant Katie. He is very hesitant to go beyond the stairs. I make the mistake of saying he'll be fine to go under the water, and on attempt three he's crying really hard. At the end of the lesson he is more than ready to go!

Day Two--Tuesday, June 16th

Tucker pretty much spends the whole lesson on the top step just splashing and playing with Mrs. Elizabeth. Trust begins creeping in Tucker's heart and a positive relationship is established...

Day Three--Wednesday, June 17th

I had to miss this lesson, so Poppy (my dad) stepped in to take Tucker. At the first sign of upsettedness, Poppy turns and leaves the backyard without a word said. Good job Poppy! Mrs. Elizabeth assures me that Tucker did a good job.

Day Four--Thursday, June 18th

Lesson begins with splashing and playing on the step. Mid-lesson, Tucker is brave enough to hold on to Mrs. Elizabeth's leg only. Quote of the day: (Tucker to Mrs. Elizabeth) "Now don't panic!" He learns to go under the water and spring up from the bottom into Mrs. Elizabeth's arms. He does much better today and is rewarded by being allowed to watch a new video I had bought on Monday.

Day Five--Friday, June 19th

Lesson begins slowly. Tucker is hesitant as he is brought into the water with Mrs. Elizabeth. They practice the spring up move for quite some time. Tucker shows signs of slight trepidation, but is otherwise trusting his teacher. Mid-lesson I'm thinking I'm glad we signed up for a two-week session b/c it's obvious my boy is just not getting it. AND THEN...A MIRACLE! Tucker is practicing his spring up move when he just takes off swimming. It clicks, and my sweet boy is swimming, and loving every minute of it! "It's 'a-quarium', he declares, as if he's invented this whole swimming thing and already given it a new name! A sudden burst of bravery comes over him and he asks "again, again, again"--he wants to keep swimming--I mean, "'quariuming"! Yea Tucker! My heart is overjoyed.

Days 6-9

By the following Tuesday he's actually DIVING for rings at the bottom of the pool, and getting them! I still can't believe it. The child that arrived on Day 1 is now completely unrecognizable to any of us.

I told Mrs. Elizabeth that watching Tucker learn to swim was just as exciting as seeing him first crawl, watching him take his first step, and hearing his first sweet word, "mama". In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch for me to say it was even more precious to me. The other firsts were all part of a natural progression, but to learn to swim my Tucker had to combat his fear and trust a perfect stranger to keep him safe.

I know it's no coincidence that during this time he was also attending Vacation Bible School, where this year's theme was "Fear Not!" I love the way God orchastrates every tiny moment in our lives, because He is a God of details!

My heartfelt thanks goes out to Mrs. Elizabeth for listening to God's call on her life to teach little ones to swim with such love and compassion, and to Katie for being such an encourager and loving person to my son. And to my precious Bear--fear not! The Lord is with you! You've already proven that with Christ you can do all things! We're so proud of you :o)

VBS '09: Crocodile Dock

This has been Tucker's first year to attend VBS in a real classroom, (he's always been in the church nursery for the volunteers kids in the past), and let me just tell you, he is loving it!! I'm amazed at how much he is absorbing it up--his heart is like a sponge! Our theme is "Crocodile Dock: Where Fearless Kids Shine God's Light!" My heart is just overjoyed as I watch little seeds getting planted in my precious boy's heart about not ever having to be afraid because God is Always With Us. And they're already taking root--today at nap time Tucker said, "I don't have to be scared in my room because God is with me." :o)

The first three days they studied Moses, and my Tucker Bear knows that story like the back of his hand! He retells it in the exact way I'm assuming his teachers are saying it to him. ("And Moses said, 'Let my people go!' Can everyone say, 'Let my people go?' And pharoh said, 'NO!' Can everyone say, 'NO!'") He's hilarious! His favorite part is the burning bush. ;o) Today they learned about Jesus dying on the cross and rising up again...God Gives Us Life! He told me about the nails they drove into His hands and feet and how He was layed behind a BIG rock and then He came out again. Precious :o)

I've asked him what his favorite part of the day is, and he told me it's the dancing. (Well his mama IS on the music team!) I wish you could all see him jam out to "I get down, He lifts me up, I get down, He lifts me up!" It's priceless!

As a mom, I'm so thankful for this experience. I've done VBS for four years now, and this is the first time I'm experiencing it as a mom with a child attending. I never thought it would have such a huge impact on his little heart already. Thanks to all at Christ Church that have made it possible!!