Wagons, Crawfish, and Easter Eggs

 I ended my four mile run with an exhilaration that doesn't come often.  It wasn't quite like a runner's high (I'm guessing because I don't experience these too often)...it was what I can only imagine is even better.  I was so happy to find myself in one of the greatest places from my childhood: Grandma's House.  Some might pass right through Crowley, Louisiana and think nothing of it, but this is where my childhood memories thrive.  

My cousin Claire captured the essence of this place beautifully in her blog post and it is true..."My cousins, siblings, and I all agree that our grandparent's house is a place of solace for us.  Maybe it's because we spent weeks during the summer staying up late playing on the computer while my grandmother did crossword puzzles on the sofa in her robe.  Or breezy walks to the park a few blocks away over cracked sidewalks.  Or perhaps it's the secret hiding spots beneath the bushes where we used to escape the afternoon sun.  Whatever it is, I associate their house with a peacefulness I don't often feel."

It is very important to me that Evan experiences the magic of Grandma's house.  I want him to run down the stairs after a night's rest and find doughnuts sitting on the the kitchen table.  I want him to learn the proper way to crack open a crawfish and dip it in butter.  Matt knows just how important this is to me.  We plan to make the 7 hour trek once or twice a year. Despite the fact that Evan acts like he is being tortured in his carseat, the trip is worth it.  A million times over.

Evan's first Easter Egg hunt

Happy Easter Baby

Every Easter our family enjoys a large crawfish boil.  Thank goodness Evan likes crawfish.  He is a picky boy.  But he has some Winston blood in him.  The Winstons love crawfish.  Thank goodness Evan fits right into our family.  I didn't want to have to ask him to leave.

Precious Cate with my cousin Anne

He studied the crawfish and then ate 6 tails!

One of the best parts of this particular trip was seeing my brother and amazing SIL, Kathryn.  We don't see them often enough and Evan misses his Tio and Tia!

In the afternoon we took a walk to the park.  We loaded the babies up into a wagon.  I am now trying to convince Matt that I need this wagon.  I don't care if it costs $145.  Our family outings depend on this wagon.  How lame is it to ask for a wagon for my own birthday?

We had the opportunity to take some family pictures on Easter Sunday.

Matt and I braved the drive home with a cranky baby and a bad rainstorm.  We were blessed with a 40 minute nap from Evan.  Will we make this drive again?  Absolutely.  Until we can all get together again, I can look back on this memory and smile.

The Grandkids and spouses minus Nanny's children

ONE Year!!

It's official.  This time last year we were welcoming our sweet little boy into this world.  I know that I say it every month, and I know that every mom says it all the time...but I cannot believe how fast this last year went!  I remember when Evan was only a few weeks old people would tell me over and over to "appreciate it while it lasts. Time will fly by."  Well, I have to be honest.  I wanted to yell at them.  Time was CRAWLING by and all I wanted was some sleep.  I couldn't wait for Evan to get older because it felt like the days were years.

Well, I officially am one of those moms that want to tell others to enjoy it while it lasts.  This year has gone by too fast and I cannot believe how much Evan's personality shines.  It is so fun to see him grow and learn every day!

Eat

Evan you are officially on whole milk!  We started transitioning you over a few weeks ago and you did very well.  You are a pretty picky boy but you LOVE american cheese!  Your current list of favorite foods includes yogurt, macaroni and cheese, bananas, puffs, and cheerios.

Sleep

You are an EXCELLENT sleeper!  We can put you down in your crib and you will go to sleep all on your own.  The only problem is that you won't sleep anywhere BUT your crib.  You won't sleep in the car or in our arms.  Thank goodness you make up for it by sleeping through the night easily.

Sizes

You are currently in a size 3 diaper and mostly 12 month clothes.  You still fit into some 9 month clothing.

Stats

We don't have our doctors appointment until April 11th, so these measurements are unofficial.  We are hoping that you will move up out of the 5th percentile for weight.  The doctor says that he doesn't want you to drop below that amount.  We are praying for good news!

Weight: 19.2 pounds

Height: 

Likes

• favorite time of the day: bath time!
• crawfish...you have some Winston in you!
• riding in a wagon
• rolling around in a blanket
• playing peek-a-boo with blankets, drapes, or pillows
• riding on our shoulders
• swinging
• chasing Joey around the house
• Elmo

Dislikes

• getting your diaper changed
• getting dressed
• car rides
• a monster on Sesame Street that honks its own nose.  It TERRIFIES you.
• loud noises
• being in a different room from Mommy.  You are struggling with a little bit of separation anxiety.

Firsts

• Wagon ride
• Meeting lots of second cousins at Easter.
• St. Patrick's Day (although we didn't actually celebrate this day at all)
• First time being left by Daddy for 6 days straight.  We missed him dearly.
• First crawfish boil.  We expected you to hate crawfish because you are so picky, but you actually ate 6 tails.
• Easter egg hunt (you were born before Easter last year, but you didn't hunt any eggs....although this year you didn't do much either...but at least we pretended you did something)
• can identify your belly
• have tried saying the word "dog" but can't get the "g" sound correctOur precious Evan, you have brought us more joy in our lives than we ever imagined.  You bring us laughter ever day and we are beyond blessed to have you as our son.  We look forward to our future as a family and will continue to love you each and every day!

A Girl Can Dream...

Okay, so I have a big goal that I need to talk...errr type...about.  For a very long time I have always wanted to take pictures.  Beautiful pictures.  Ever since I was in junior high and disposable cameras were the "it" thing.  Wait? Are you telling me they weren't the "it" thing?  Well I thought they were.  There is something about freezing a happy moment in time that makes my heart skip a beat.  I'm usually that annoying girl with a camera in hand posing everyone for a big picture.  My mom's side of the family can attest to this.  It happens on every large occasion.  Including this big Easter shenanigan coming up.  (Prepare the living room, Grandma.  We WILL be having our family photograph on Saturday).

So a year or two ago I purchased a fancy-shmancy camera.  I have put off my dream of taking those beautiful pictures because I was scared.  What if I took pictures for people and they didn't like them?  What if I cannot get any good shots?  What if, what if, what if.  Well, I'm putting a stop to those voices in my head.  I want to reach out and live this dream.  I want to capture the moments of beauty that every person deserves to pause and frame.  

To launch this little adventure of mine, I went ahead and took my sweet boy's one year pictures.  Not only am I loving the fact that I have these moments to share with him 18 years from now, but I am loving the happiness it brought me.  To freeze these moments in such a beautiful way is an incredible feeling.  I hope I am blessed with the opportunity to help others focus on little moments like these.

Nanny for a Day

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to be a stay at home mom for a day. My babysitter was sick so I volunteered to be the one to stay home with Evan and Baylor.  I was very excited because it's not often that a teacher can take a day off and it not be due to sickness!  

I drank in all that the boys had to offer.

We had a mini photo session with Baylor who has the most gorgeous blue eyes that you have ever seen. 

Seriously this little one will have ladies falling all over him with these baby blues. 

I took the boys' lead on when to eat and nap.  I also took their lead when it came to playing.  It is so cool to see them interact together.  They are becoming more aware of each other and don't just play next to each other anymore.

Being a stay at home mom/nanny is something that I could totally see myself doing.  The issue lies in all the boring details of life including insurance, retirement, and mulah.

"What's that you have?"

"I'll be taking that now."

Since it's not in the cards for our family, I will just have to enjoy my summer days, Spring Break, and little gifts this day.

11 Months....oh my!

Oh my sweet Evan.  Today you are 11 months old.  We are only one month away from the big One Year Celebration!  This past month you have truly enjoyed yourself!

Eat

Your eating schedule is still similar to last month.  You have 4-5 bottles per day but we are officially on formula only!  We weaned you to formula this month and the transition was very easy.  You eat cheerios in the morning and your lunch/dinner depends on what we have available.  While you were sick you had trouble eating solids and only wanted the bottle.  Your appetite has finally seemed to return and we are so thankful!  You love macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, and yogurt (hello dairy!).  

Sleep

You wake up every morning around 6:30ish.  You always turn on your mobile and then fall back asleep for 30 minutes or so.  I love those extra 30 minutes of sleep.  We thank you for that!  You then usually take 2 naps per day and are exhausted by 7:00pm.  I would like to push back your bedtime until around 8, but we like to go by your cues and if you are ready for bed at 7 then that's what we do!

Sizes

You can still fit into 9-12 month clothes but I just bought you a ton of cute 12 month shirts and shorts to wear once the weather gets warmer!  You are still in size 3 diapers.

Stats

Weight: 18 pounds, 4 ounces

Likes

• I think bath time is still your favorite part of the day
• playing with your Baby Einstein piano
• being chased around the house by Mommy or Daddy (we crawl on our hands and knees to chase you around.  you think it is hilarious when you crawl away)
• reading books in Mommy's lap
• playing rough with Daddy
• your dinosaur ball popper toy
• you love your stacking rings
• riding in the grocery cart

Dislikes

• you LOATHE getting your diaper changed. You scream like someone is torturing you.  
• getting dressed
• being held when you want to crawl around.  you can be very independent at times

Firsts

• You now have SIX teeth!  Four on top and two on bottom
• going back to the doctor because your ear  infection either returned or never went away
• Valentine's Day!  Unfortunately Daddy was not home to celebrate with us but we enjoyed our very own date night
• Daddy left you overnight for the first time ever!  He went out of town for a conference for 4 days and was desperate to get back by the end of it.  We missed him!

Intentional Mommyhood

Last weekend my friend Sarah and I attended the dotMom conference in Frisco.  It was an incredible experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I know that I am a new mom and haven't faced even a small percentage of the struggles that I have in store for me, but that doesn't mean I cannot be prepared!  

Part of the conference focused on how to be a more spiritual and intentional mother.  It was definitely the kick in the rear I needed to see just what I need to do.  First off, I need to be spending more time with the Lord.  I have not been praying nearly enough for my marriage and family.  I don't want to be the type of mom that only prays for my family when we are in trouble.  It's too easy to only spend time with God when we are asking for help.  I want to THANK Him for all that he has provided for our family.  Both the blessings and struggles.  I know that He puts "speedbumps" in our life for a reason, even if I don't quite understand why.

Kissing my baby goodbye before I attended the second day of the conference

Another part of the conference that touched my heart was recognizing where my priorities are.  Too many times I come in the house after picking up Evan and turn the tv straight on for "background noise."  If I continue this habit, what am I teaching Evan?  I don't want him to believe that our family relies on that background noise.  I want our home filled with conversation and interaction.  I don't want these distractions to take away from our family time.  Evan has grown up too fast already.  I don't want to miss this next month of his babyhood because I am too concerned with what is on my DVR.  

Travis Cottrell leading worship

I've also realized that in the age of Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram that I need to put. the. phone. down.  Seriously, it's like another limb attached to me.  And I'm not proud of it.  I want to be more present for my son instead of doing a quick Instagram check while he plays with a book.  I should be HOLDING that book.  I should be soaking in all the learning and experimenting he is engaging in.  My new goal is to plug my phone in when I walk in the door and take time to show Evan some undivided attention. I still need to make dinner, so there is no room for other distractions!  Will I still be pinning things on my favorite boards?  Yes.  But those things can wait until he goes to bed.  Do I need to be reading all the blogs I that I follow as soon as I walk into the door?  No.  Sherry and John from younghouselove will still be there when Evan goes to sleep.  

Angie Smith's books that I am dying to read

I am a little ashamed to say that it took 11 months of Evan's life to realize some of these simple things, but at least it happened now and not in 5 years.  

So if you are a mom, I invite you to join me on this transition.  To be a more intentional mother to our children.  To be a spiritual influence on them as they figure out this thing called life.

Sarah and I on the first day of the conference

In the meantime, I'll be reading and playing with my growing baby boy!

So happy to be home!