A Morning Hike

I love that I'm a teacher and have lots of vacation time throughout the year. Christmas break is no exception! Andrew and I have always had opposite working schedules. The busiest times at the golf course are the weekends so he has to work, and of course I'm off on the weekends. It doesn't give us a lot of days where we can spend the entire day together as a family, so on vacation weeks like these we're all about getting out of the house and trying something fun and new. Yesterday, we went for a hike with Taylor to Hamilton Pool. Taylor and Andrew have already made one excursion to Hamilton Pool on a Daddy Day, so finally I was able to go too! We picked a great day, sunny and warm. What a beautiful Austin area gem in the middle of nowhere.

Taylor loves hiking (or should I say "jumping"). He loved jumping down off of all the steps and rocks! He is so busy and active these days it's hard to hold him back for safety reasons. He is just happy as a clam to "go,go,go" not even realizing that his feet are not keeping up with him. With the help of our hands (when he would take it) and a little bit of carrying, Taylor made it all the way down and back up! His favorite part was throwing rocks into the pool. Props to Andrew for some awesome rock skipping! We all stayed dry and mud free so mommy was happy! Can't wait to go back when we're not in such a drought and the waterfalls are more prominent.

Enjoy the pictures:-)

The Christmas Loot...

A picture of all the BIG presents from the grandparents and from Santa. We actually managed to fit it all in the car back from Houston! We spent Christmas Eve in Austin with my mom and then woke up Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought. After breakfast and a few laps around the house on Taylor's new trike, we headed to Houston for Christmas (and more presents) at Andrew's sister's house. The following day was Boxing Day and that was spent at Andrew's mom's house...more presents there!! We had some delicious brunches, dinners, and wine! It was a great Christmas and Taylor thoroughly enjoyed himself..."more Christmas, more presents"!!! Only 362 more days until Christmas 2009. Thanks you to everyone!

Which present can I open first?

Opening my stocking on Christmas morning.

My First Trike!

Does Santa come through the doggie door???

Watch Out Tiger Woods...

Here Comes Pro-Golfer Taylor Michael Curtis-Wellings (I think we should definitely get extra points for practicing in 30 degree weather-not by my choice of course!) Stick with the video, it takes him awhile to get set up to his satisfaction:-)

From Mommy to Mom to Mother

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it. Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox. Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids. Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of carpets. Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up. Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?' and get their answer when a little voice says, 'because I love you best.' Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade...It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother...

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.
16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old fashioned.
18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it.

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Killing Time Before Dinner...

Playing with pots and pans has been an all time favorite for Taylor, but today it reached an all time high. Never in a million years would I think about trying this one...but then again I guess kids are like pets...they like fun little places to put themselves.

Happy Anniversary

November 9th, 2003

Sunday, November 9th was our 5th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with some "wine" of course and then headed to Horseshoe Bay for the weekend. Andrew and I have never been to Horseshoe Bay since moving to Austin 3 years ago, so needless to say we were excited for the possibilities. First of all let me thank all involved in making this weekend even possible. My mom "nana" for coming to watch Taylor while mommy and daddy could have some grown up time together, and Brian Dees (Andrew's boss) for getting us the room at the resort! We had fun eating dinner at the Yaght Club, sleeping in, having breakfast in bed, playing golf (minature 18 holes), driving around the Texas hill country, and coming home to our beautiful boy. It was a nice relaxing weekend but we both missed our "Tay-Tay Bug" so much:-)

November 9th, 2008 (gosh I feel older...)

T-R-I-C-K O-R T-R-E-A-T

T-Tasty Halloween Candy! Taylor had a blast going from house to house collecting candy. The bag of raisins and marshmallows was from Marie and Mrs. Heather.

R-Red Race Suit! Taylor was a race car driver this year for Halloween. If you know us, last year didn't go so well in the costume department. This year was a breeze...Thanks Geegee for buying his "race suit".

I-Itchy Costume! All Taylor was able to wear under his costume was a diaper because nothing else fit in there. For once in his life his belly was too fat and the velcro wouldn't stay closed with pants or a shirt on. Due to this fact, Taylor was walking funny all night because the costume was "itching" his leg. He kept pulling on the suit, but it looked like he was pulling on something else and had to go to the bathroom!

C-Chocolate Bar! Taylor was allowed to eat one small "Kit Kat Bar" at the end of the night. Boy did he enjoy it! All he kept saying was, "more chocolate please". I'm not kidding about the please part. Manner words are a sure fire way to make me do something!

K-Kids! Taylor enjoyed watching all the kids in their costumes, running from door to door. He picked up on the whole idea of Halloween rather quickly. He was very curious about this one adult dressed head to toe as the devil...mask included. He kept staring and pointing, as if to say "who is he"? One of our neighbors even did a haunted house on their front lawn. Andrew made both Taylor and I go in together because I'm a wuss when it comes to those sorts of things. I wasn't sure how Taylor would react but we made it through and he was so brave that he wanted to go "again". He definitely gets that from his dad.

O-Orange Pumpkins! Taylor helped me crave our pumpkin patch pumpkins. He put the candle inside (not lit of course) and put the tops back on. He also enjoyed an orange pumpkin marshmallow candy when we got home-his first!

R-Ready Set Go! Taylor didn't want to stop trick-or-treating. He kept saying "more candy". It's amazing how we are all programed to love candy. Taylor never gets to eat candy but he knew right away how special this night was. He just didn't want it to end.

T-Treat Bag! Taylor loved his "ghost bag" that aunt Vikki bought him. It even said his name on the front. He was asking for this bag today so that he could have some chocolate! Andrew and I had to pull the ole switcha rue on the candy inside the bag. We were hoping that he wouldn't remember just how much candy he had. Seemed to have worked because he was satisfied with just a few pieces.

R-Realize! Taylor realized that pumpkins have "yucky, yucky, yucky" stuff inside of them. He wanted to watch Mrs. Heather cut the pumpkin top off, but wanted nothing to do with what was inside! Her daughter Marie was very curious about the gooey stuff inside and Taylor was content to watch her play with the pulp and seeds.

E-Eat Candy, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, and Pumpkin Bread! Nothing better than this time of the year when you can get everything pumpkin. Taylor has been enjoying pumpkin bread with his breakfast. However, he still wants to call it "cake".

A-All Gone! October is gone, Halloween is gone, the pumpkin bread is all gone, the candy is all gone (thank goodness), the decorations are gone, daylight savings time is gone, and our carved pumpkins will be gone soon...I LOVE OCTOBER!

T-Time for Bed! After a very fun and exciting night it was time for a bath, to wash the chocolate face off, and to go "night, night". Till next year when we get to do it all over again!

October in Texas

Monday out on the boat with Daddy and Uncle Tony...90 degree weather!!! Mid-October- only in Texas:-)

Monday in Billings, Montana! My cousins playing in fresh powder:-) I miss the snow but then again this probably means a LONG winter!

Then and Now

It's been a year since Taylor's first Halloween and already so many things have changed! Last Sunday we went to the Elgin Pumpkin Patch to pick out our pumpkins with my family and Andrew's family. Taylor went on his first hayride-which he loved! We sat up front and he watched the tractor the whole time...such a boy. Besides saying, "big pumpkin" the whole time we were there, he found an old beat-up Jeep that he absolutely loved and wanted to push around the entire farm. Mom and dad figured out what to get him for Christmas! Here's a trip back down memory lane from then to now. They grow up WAY to fast!!

Weekend Chores

It's only natural that Taylor would be interested in household chores like washing the dishes, vacuuming, and raking the yard, he has been watching us do them for 20 months now! Recently, that day has come when all Taylor wants to do is "big" people chores. Of course we call them CHORES because we hate to have to do them, but to Taylor it's something "new" and "exciting" to do and he can do it all by himself. He loves to stand on a chair in the kitchen and wash the dishes. Not sure how much washing is going on, but the enthusiasm is there. He also loves to watch us cook! He'll stand on his chair and watch Andrew prepare a whole meal. This past weekend, the enthusiasm has moved onto vacuuming. He can't push the big heavy part of the vacuum yet, but he loves to use the tools and try his best at attempting to clean the carpet. Here are some videos of our HARD WORKING little toddler! Should we be thinking allowance already?

The See-Saw Life of Toddlerhood

Teething in young children is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it shows that they're getting ready for "real people" food. It's a curse because the lack of sleep (waking at 3am), overall meltdowns over EVERYTHING, low-grade fevers, swollen red gums, and sometimes even loose stools can be a bit overwhelming for any sane parent. Over the last 2 weeks, Taylor has had a total of 3 new teeth break through. Of course the typical "Taylor Teething" signs have all been there (the ones listed above) but it's not until after the fact, that a toddler like Taylor, "might" allow you a peek into their month. Usually, we happen to get a glance of a new tooth when Taylor is laughing so hard that his month stays open for longer than 5 seconds or when he's crying for longer than 10 seconds. Either way we finally saw 2 new top teeth and 1 new bottom front tooth. As of today, I think our total count is 13 teeth so far. Only 7 more to go until Taylor has all of his baby teeth. Then maybe Andrew and I can regain our parental sanity. Oh yeah, nevermind...potty training is just around the corner!

We've Been Busy...

Since the summer ended (at least for teachers that is) and I've been back at work it's been a little crazy readjusting our schedule again. Taylor goes to Mrs. Heather 3 times a week to play with her daughter Marie who is two weeks older than Taylor. Andrew is lucky enough to be able to stay home and have "daddy days" on Monday and Tuesday. All and all, I think we are back on track and off to another great school year! Taylor has had a couple of firsts over the last few weeks like: 1st fridge drawing to be hung up, 1st chalk drawing on the driveway, and 1st fresh tomato picking! Thanks Heather for keeping Taylor busy...he loves it! Taylor has also been out with Daddy and Uncle Tony to play frisbe golf for the first time, and last Saturday he had his first pancake at the Lakeside Grill that was "bigger" than his head. We've also had family visiting on the weekends. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Geegee for my first backyard slide-video coming soon! And thanks cousin Megan a.k.a "May-May" and aunt Vikki a.k.a "Bikki" for stopping by and taking me to the park to swing:-)