Thanksgiving

Dave, Moses, Milo, and I traveled to Las Cruces, New Mexico for Thanksgiving. There, we saw lots of my aunts, uncles, and cousins as well as my grandparents. It was a brief trip, but we had a nice time visiting with everyone. Moses enjoyed his deep-fried turkey dinner and even had seconds. Thanksgiving night he watched the big kids make S'mores in a desert fire pit and braved playing with a sparkler. I know there are some great pictures of our trip floating out there, in other peoples cameras, but my camera's batteries died.

Since Moses' birthday fell on the Friday after Thanksgiving, we celebrated by having a little birthday party on Thanksgiving night. He wasn't quite sure what to think of all the people singing at him.

But he was very sure of his cake!

Since we were on the road, this was the only shot I thought to take of our two-year-old eating Clementines on his birthday.

Friday night we stayed at Dave's parents house before returning to Lubbock. In all, it was nice to see everyone despite being a brief trip. The boys were great travelers so I'm hoping for repeat performances the next time we head out of town.

Halloween

2008. I thought I should specify the year these photos were taken since so much time has lapsed since my last post. 2009 could have been a possibility.

Our family kept Halloween low-key, but we still enjoyed the usual costuming. Moses reprised his Yoda role from last year, and we slapped a Monkey hat on Milo. Voila! Halloween.

Since both boys are too young to really trick-or-treat, we visited Gran and Granpop's house for one treat - a toy monster truck. I really hope Moses doesn't think future trick-or-treating will yield such prizes or he's in for a real let down.



We then went to our friends' house to hand out candy with them and enjoy the holiday. They have two daughters, Vivian, who is 8 months older than Moses, and Olivia, who is just a month older than Milo. Moses and Vivian enjoyed handing out candy, but Moses threw in the towel after spotting a kid in a monster mask. The ensuing freak out was legendary. Since he wasn't the same happy kid after that, they shed their costumes and played to their hearts' content.

Happy 4th of July!

This morning we attended our town's 4th of July street fair as a family. There was an earlier parade that we purposefully avoided as the street fair is mayhem enough for us.

We had a nice time walking around, eating food, listening to music, and running into friends. Our ambling postponed Moses' nap time, but other than the occasional evil eye, he was a good sport.





We're going to cook out this afternoon with some family and friends and just enjoy this overcast day. Happy 4th to all!

-Lindsey

My 2nd "Day"

I've been meaning to regale you dear readers with the quiet details of my second official Mother's Day, but the Mother's Day activities themselves have had me in an allergy coma for the last few days but I'm finally coming out the other side.

Mother's Day weekend was relaxing and enjoyable. Saturday evening, Gran (Sally) watched Moses so Dave and I could catch a movie. It may not sound like a big deal, but that was the first "date" Dave and I have had since we got married in November! Moses hasn't exactly been a chill kid so we're excited that he's finally mellowing out and not overreacting to every new situation (like being babysat)! He was so worn out from his time there that he went down an hour early, too--falling asleep while showering with Dave and remaining asleep while I put on his pajamas. I wish I could tire him out like that every day, but I know that with his fatigue would come my own, and I just can't bounce back like he can.

Mother's Day was equally unproductive and productive since we spent most of the day either napping and working in the yard. Outside, Dave removed an annoying tree stump and an oddly placed bush to open up our enclosed patio area and allow for a larger play area. It's a simple but huge improvement. Dave and I got to enjoy our dinner (Dave's grilled shrimp kabobs with mango salsa) in peace since once again Moses pooped out early from another busy day.

Our little gardener: he's a surprisingly good helper in the yard.

Our interior patio area: the removed stump and bush
were near where Dave and Moses are standing.

My Mother's Day doesn't end there though because Dave is treating me to an evening alone in a hotel so that I can get some much needed R & R. It'll also be my first night away from Moses, which is just one more step in our preparations for baby #2's delivery. I can't express how badly I'm looking forward to a solid night's sleep since I usually end up in Moses' room at 4 and fall asleep with him until the morning. I love our snuggling but it doesn't allow for too restful a night.

-Lindsey

(hanging my head in shame)

Sorry, again, for taking so long to update. It's been a whirlwind of vacation and school for the last two weeks.
For Thanksgiving, we went to the great state of New Mexico to visit our families. Our first stop was to see Dave's family (Mimi and Papa plus Cousin Jasmin). We had a great time and Moses loved exploring the house and playing with his cousin. The morning we left we ate at IHOP with everyone and Moses entertained us with his lemon antics.








Next, we moved on to my grandparents house. It was a lot of fun seeing so many family members and showing Moses off to some that he hasn't seen in awhile. Moses spent hours just exploring the house. He kept us on our toes and I may have lost a few pounds from the exercise of it all. He had his first turkey dinner there and really enjoyed the spread.










When we got home, it was freezing in our house because we'd turned off the heater and a cold front had come into the area when we were gone. We all bundled up in layers of clothing to get warm. Moses had socks on his hands to help warm those tiny fingers. It was hilarious to watch him work without his thumbs!







We loved seeing everyone but were happy to get home so we could all relax and enjoy the familiar.

-Lindsey

Hallo-what?

Halloween wasn't all that spectacular for us. Both Dave and I had class so we couldn't show Moses off to our neighborhood friends, and Moses had a big case of mommy-clinger-itis that made the night a bit of a challenge.

However, this afternoon Moses attended a little Halloween party at his Parent's Day Out. I didn't get pictures of him in his Yoda costume because I was too busy steering him opposite the sugar cookies and mini-blinds, but hopefully, someone there got some pictures that I can share with you soon.

Even without the Halloween hoopla, we've had some fun moments this week (and thoroughly trashed the house in the process).

Anyone up for hide n' seek? Or bacon?

His feet are stepping on a scale.
I wish I was that satisfied with my weight.

I'm pretty sure he hit me up
for some money after this picture was taken.

Ladies and gentlemen,
step right up and see the amazing Tinkertoy eater.

He's taking his nightly laps around the living room
(in new shoes, which make him walk faster).

Bobby Darin would be proud.

Our day in a walnut shell.

-Lindsey

Cute little boy, am I.

Here's a glimpse of the future fun we'll have come October 31st. Yes, I know he's too young to know what's going on, but that doesn't mean we can't have a good time.

Also, we're contemplating this one for Bella.

-Lindsey

An Easter Weekend Story

Saturday morning: We woke up to snow! What? In West Texas...in April? NO! Yes.



The snow made us lazy. We vegged all Saturday. However, someone almost figured out how to roll from back to stomach. Too bad he couldn't take his eyes off that mobile, or he'd be a champ.



Sunday morning: Easter! It's still cold! What to wear, what to wear? Mom knows. This outfit was a Christmas gift from GramGram and G-Dawg(my Mom and Kelly). Isn't he the bee's knees?




The Easter Bunny dropped off some goodies for Mos at his grandparents' house (Sally and my Dad). Thanks Gran and Granpop, er, Easter Bunny. He can't get enough of his books and Jumperoo!




Tuckered out. We sleep.

-Lindsey

Spring Break Comes to an End

Dave and I had a wonderful week of vacation with sweet Mos. I was sick early in the week with a possible case of food poisoning, but Dave saved the day and turned the tragedy into some father-and-son time. I'm not sure what the two dished about while I was regretting my entree selection, but I'd like to think some real male-bonding took place: the difference between gas and charcoal grills, proper chicken wing eating etiquette, the best way to mow a lawn, and how to properly catch and release a spider before mom is aware of it's presence.
In the past three days, Dave and I have put Mos on a schedule which means he is currently napping in his crib (not our arms) three times a day. The first day was difficult, but it's gotten easier and easier. He never cried it out or anything like that. We just picked him up and put him down until he'd come to terms with sleep. Now,every four hours we know it's naptime because he'll start to nod off. It's so nice that we don't have to plead with him anymore, or bounce for minutes on end. Sure, there are some difficult times, but they're a cakewalk in comparison. Hopefully, he'll have naptime down pat before long, and we can work on bedtime in his crib!



This is a new favorite!

Our Own Irish Blessing...

With St. Patrick's Day approaching, Dave and I had a little fun dressing up our lad for a holiday snapshot. Yes, we may have gone too far, but the pictures are priceless! Our little leprechaun sends you kisses and luck!

-Lindsey

Ring(s) in the New Year

Dave, Moses, and I spent our first New Year’s Eve together at home with Dave’s parents. My au courant boys looked very GQ last night. This is one of my favorite pictures to date.

--Lindsey

What Child is This?

Moses celebrated his first Christmas in style… and asleep. We tried rousing our little man for the festivities and arrival of Santa Claus, but he has a knack for sleeping soundly at all the wrong times. However, I’m sure he appreciates the generous amount of swag he received this first noel: a TMX (Tickle Me Elmo 10^th Anniversary doll), scores of cute clothes that’ll make the women swoon, a Toys R’ Us gift card, a Frog Pod that’ll someday store his rubber ducks and battleships, a lullaby-playing plush pooch, high-contrast rattles, a handmade quilt, a Christmas book, and more!

--Lindsey