The Cutler Crew

I'm Still Here

2009-03-24T20:16:00.004-05:00

I think this may be the longest I have gone without blogging... bad me! I have been so busy with my new business venture - Pumpkin Pie Photography.... but I promise to get to posting some personal blog stuff soon! Love to all!

Go Cowboys

2009-01-21T16:29:00.006-06:00

So this game was just for the Daddies! Our church had their men's retreat and a few of the guys played a scramble golf game on the way up.... the winning team got tickets to a Cowboys game! Well, watch out PGA Tour, these four guys won and were very excited to attend one of the last Cowboys games to be played in Texas Stadium. And yes, the Cowboys won! Erick got to attend the game with great friends - Darren, Christopher and Jeremy. These are incredible men (with even more incredible wives - ha!) that we are blessed to call family in our church and couple's bible study - we share wonderful times with their families as we are growing in our faith together and watching our children grow up together. Oh, and Erick was very proud that some of his shots were used during the scramble! I am always glad when Erick gets to play golf - he loves the game and has a great set of clubs since I used to work for a golf club company! Go Cowboys!

One Wild and Crazy Guy

2009-01-20T12:08:00.008-06:00

These pictures were taken on Evan's actual first birthday - October 8, 2008. Although not the greatest pictures because it was dark and Evan was on the move.... they sure capture his personality and phase of life right now. He is one wild and crazy man who has learned to literally RUN through the house. I couldn't not blog about this fun thing that he does called "Yea Evan"... all you've got to do is say "Yea Evan" and the arms go straight up and he grins from ear to ear running about celebrating. It is a riot! This sweet boy provides hours of entertainment for all of us! He is learning so much these days, here are some of his milestones:

1. He can say and wave "bye-bye".

2. Says Mama, Daddy and Bubba.

3. Says ball, doggie, thank you and milk (all in his slang of course!)

4. Loves throwing things and saying "uh-oh"... not really an "uh-oh" in my book, but he's getting good at using the phrase even when he sees other people "uh-oh". It's pretty darn cute!

5. Loves saying and playing "boo" and makes the cutest face as he prolongs the word "boooooooooo". Adorable!

I know there are so many other tricks and antics, but these are just a few highlights. He spends his days running around, exploring, figuring stuff out and trying to make you laugh - he loves an audience. And he is a flirt, when someone pays him attention he does his little head sideways and gives them a sweet smile. We took the pacifier away a couple of months ago, and the bottle too and he is down to one nap a day.... big boy stuff! Sniffle, sniffle. We gave him a blanket to start sleeping with at night, but with these cold nights we still do what we call "double bag" him (put on a thick set of pjs over a thin set of pjs) because he throws his blanket out half of the time and still loves to play "Spartacus" where he takes one arm out of his pajamas! Crazy kid!

He loves his milk and still loves grilled cheese sandwiches and grapes, and he now loves pizza and downed a cheeseburger at Wendy's the other day! :) We had his 15-month check-up yesterday and he is still tall and trim - the doctor said we could feed him five meals a day if we wanted since he is tall and active and burns through those calories. These two growing boys are going to eat us out of house and home - and we love it! Preston has now officially moved past the kids meals at restaurants - they are not nearly enough food for him; he ate four slices of pizza the other night! Wow! It is so awesome having boys, truly. They are a joy and easy to please!

Dr. McDonald was very pleased that Evan has our immune system genes and has not been to see him one time in the last 15 months except for well-baby check ups. Evan got one little cold right before Christmas that lasted about a day and a half and that's been it. We are blessed to have healthy children and that Erick and I stay pretty healthy ourselves... although this crazy hot/cold weather sure doesn't make it easy... okay, Texas!

I'm in the process of selling all of Evan's baby stuff - sold most of the baby equipment (bouncy, swing, etc.)... now it's time to sell the clothes, my maternity clothes and all the stuff that he's just too big for now. Again, sniffle, sniffle. But he is moving on to bigger things, no more baby. Hopefully we won't do what we did last time.... decide that we were not having any more kids, give everything away and then decide that we needed another! :) Another baby... Hmmmmm???? :)

Love to all!

Awards Time

2009-01-20T11:48:00.010-06:00

So, every once in a while I must use this blog to brag on my two handsome, funny, smart and precious boys! :) Hee hee! I hope that you don't mind this indulgence! All kidding aside - I just always want my boys to know how extremely proud and honored we are to have them!

We were just so excited when Preston's school had their first awards assembly of the year and Preston was honored with receiving TWO awards - he won the Spanish award and Science award for first grade. He was very excited too! He knew that he was receiving one award, but we kept it a secret that he was getting a second award - he was very proud. Here he is on stage with his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Alexander. Preston LOVES Mrs. Alexander, LOVES school and works very hard. He hops out of bed every morning ready to go to school; it is a great thing! I'll admit that sometimes I don't "hop" out of bed to take him.... can't school start at 10:00am! :)

I was so sad to miss the Awards Day; they were given out on the second day of my 3-Day Walk... so I was trekking through North Dallas as he was getting his award - but I was sure to call Preston when we got back to camp that night and hear all about it! Daddy and Evan were there to celebrate and capture the moment on film. Way to go, Preston! School is not all about awards, but they sure are special and let you know that you are doing the right things and that your kids are learning. I can't believe that we are already halfway through first grade; time goes by so fast. And our little first grader came home with his report card the other day and he is already reading at a third grade level. WOW! This is solely because he LOVES to read and because he has great teachers! In fact, he lost his "toy" privileges the other day (7-year old attitude) and he sat down and read three chapter books.... makes me not feel so bad for having to take away his privileges... even if he is reading "Captain Underpants" - oh the joys of boys!

Okay, brag session over.... thanks for indulging! Love to all!

A Sweet Boy

2009-01-20T11:40:00.003-06:00

I am finally taking the time to edit pictures that I took this Fall - now that my computer can edit them at a normal rate of speed! Anyway, just posting a few of my favorites from a couple of months ago... Evan is 13 months old here. I am ready for nice weather again so that we can get back outside!

Thoughts From A 7-Year Old

2009-01-14T16:31:00.008-06:00

You know, sometimes your kids just say things that make you laugh, or wonder or stand there in amazement - they are so funny, so smart... and I want to make sure I remember these little moments! So, here are a few things that Preston has shared with me over the last few weeks... enjoy!

So we were out looking at Christmas lights a few days before Christmas, and we were in a neighborhood that goes ALL OUT and has very elaborate themes and lights. We came upon this one house, the star of the night, it even had a sign that it had won best house! It was unbelievable, it put Clark W. Griswold to shame - and it was tasteful and beautiful! We just stopped and stared at it. And then Preston said "Wow, I'd pay like $600 for someone to do that to my house. Well, I'd pay them $600, but then they'd have to give me $5 back." Ha! In other words, this work was worth $595 to Preston! Hilarious! And by the way, this was easily a $7,000-$8,000 job! I too, would have paid $600 for this Christmas light extravaganza - okay, I'd pay $595!

A few weeks before Christmas I had eyed this watch at the Fossil store and apparently Erick took note and had been looking for this watch to give to me for Christmas, but it was never in stock... so I assumed they just didn't have it anymore and I had already told Erick not to buy me anything big for Christmas - this mom is always buying things she doesn't need! Well, a couple of days after Christmas Erick took Preston to the mall to get a haircut and I stayed home with Evan... well, when they got home I asked Preston - "What all did you do at the mall, did you get to go to the bookstore or anything?" To which Preston replied, "Mom, we went to the Fossil Store and we bought you something!"... then he stared at me for a moment and said "Oh, I was SO NOT supposed to say that!" Secret out of bag... Erick came downstairs and Preston said "Well, I didn't tell her WHAT we bought her."... to which Dad replied, "You didn't have to, son." Oh, our little secret keeper... hey, at least he's honest!

Preston and I were driving around the other day and he asked me, "Mom, when I go to college will I be driving?" I said, "Yes, you'll drive when you are in high school." Preston's eyes lit up and he said, "So when I'm in college and I'm not studying, I'll be able to drive myself to a restaurant?" Hmmm.... "Well, yes" I said... he was so excited that he would one day be able to take himself to a restaurant, oh the little things. He then told me that he would "definitely be driving himself to Taco Bueno." Ha!

Oh, and when Preston got in the car this week from school he informed me that "when I grow up I want to be a waitress". "A waitress?" I said. Hmmmm... I did have to inform him that a waitress was a woman, to which he chuckled. Not sure what's prompting the fascination with restaurants and food service - but if he loves that industry, can I request him to be a chef? No worries... this is one of MANY professions that he has exhausted, including - paleontologist, worker man, movie director, animal caretaker, architect. Can't wait to find out what he chooses to be!

And while playing his new Wii game, Madden '09, he proceeded to tell me and Erick that he was "in the mode today... mom" Don't know why that just cracked us up!

And last one - we were out to lunch after church with our dear friends, The Bradleys... this is a Sunday tradition. While we were waiting on our food he asked me when he would be able to watch the movie "Top Gun"? I told him that probably not until he was 10 or 12 because it had some bad words in it. He looked at me and said "oh, I know what bad word it has in it... S-H-U-T-U-P". He literally spelled out the words "Shut Up". Of course, you could imagine that our hearts stopped when the word started with "SH" (oh, no!).... but thankfully, this is one of the worst words he knows... for now! We told him "yep, that word is probably in Top Gun."

Hope everyone is well and had a wonderful holiday! I just got a new computer, and I'm so excited for faster blogging... I'm working on catching up! Love to all!

Our Family

2008-12-27T22:35:00.010-06:00

Happy New Year! I just wanted to share a few updated pictures of our family and the boys! In the pictures... Preston, 7 years old and Evan, 1 year old. Enjoy these beautiful boys who are the spitting image of their Daddy and of each other. Thank you to my three boys for filling my heart with love and joy every day of my life... my love for all of you is never-ending!

Thanksgiving Day 2008

2008-12-27T21:41:00.019-06:00

Yummy! Above is the best part of the Thanksgiving meal in my opinion - the desserts! Including these delicious Oreo Balls that I make every Thanksgiving - they are sinful!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving; this is Preston's favorite holiday! He loves "spending time with his family" and "the food"; he adores his cousins and loves getting to hang out with them all day! And really that's all we do on Thanksgiving - spend time with my family, eat, hang out, watch football... the usual! Here is Preston enjoying his Thanksgiving feast.

And here we are with Poppee (my dad)... we only get to see him a couple of times a year - don't be a stranger, Poppee!

The cousins... playing Guitar Hero! Preston is not into this game yet, but it won't be long I am sure! He loved watching them play.

And this was the cherry on top for Preston - getting to go fishing on Thanksgiving Day! The best day ever! My cousins have a little lake behind the house, so the boys (and girls) got out the fishing gear and went for a quick fish!

And Evan is also at his happiest when he's outside... he loved running around with Daddy - here he is figuring out his first dandelion.

Love this picture - one day I'm sure Evan will tower as tall as his Daddy, but for now he is our "little man".

We spent most of the day outside wandering around on their land... Preston wore out his cousin, Chandler, running up and down these hills!

Fun in the leaves... love the Fall; can't wait to have big trees... one of the downfalls of a new neighborhood.

Getting to hang out with Poppee... and Evan - not wanting to be held for even a moment, just put him down and let him run! And trust me - we are no longer walking, we are running!

Preston loves playing pool... here he is getting a lesson from his cousin, Tristan. One day when we can get all the toys out of the playroom maybe we'll get a pool table... a big kid toy! Erick and I started dating when he was down in College Station and we spent many a Friday night playing pool, great memories.

I am so thankful for the many blessings that God has generously given me and my family. I am so grateful for each day and every adventure. This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it! Many blessings to everyone!

Oh, I almost forgot... so my Thanksgiving is not complete on Thursday... the girls always extend the holiday to Friday with Black Friday shopping! It is a tradition with us girls for as long as I can remember - me with my cousins Tiffany and Erika and their daughers Lexi and Chandler and my Aunt Linda. We call ourselves the "Boo Ya Shopping Club". After the boys retreat or head home we spend the evening going through the paper and sales ads and preparing our itinerary for Friday! Normally we get up around 3:30am to be at the stores bright and early, but this year we heard that the Outlet stores were opening at midnight, so we got the bright idea to go there first... so yes, we stayed up all night, headed out before midnight and shopped all night! But we got tired around 7:30am and "called it a day".... I think I came home and slept until 3:00pm!

Of course, our Friday was not without adventure and a funny story or two! First, so we were not the only people who got the idea to go to the Outlets at midnight. I think the whole city was there; the highway was backed up as far as you could see, it took us almost an hour just to get close enough to park in a field behind the Outlets. A fine field at the time; however, while we were shopping it began to rain! And it rained pretty hard - and well, that nice field turned into a swamp of mud! So, here we are - me and my cousin, Erika, heading to get the cars to pick everyone up - and we are literally slushing through the mud, sinking in it and it is covering our shoes. I almost lost my shoes once because the mud was so thick and heavy! And then we have to get in the car and drive with these disgusting shoes - fun! It's dark and raining and muddy and I am in Erick's car spinning out trying to get the thing out of the mud - I honestly thought I was going to get stuck! The mud was slinging everywhere and covered the tires... I think I left a trail for two miles on the street... it was like a scene in a movie, so hilarious. But we were headed to Kohl's for their 4:00am opening - where Erika and I spent the first 20 minutes washing our shoes in their sinks... sorry Kohl's! What a great memory and one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving.... shopping with my family, spending time with the girls. Can't wait until next year!

Christmas Card, Attempt Number One

2008-12-27T21:17:00.007-06:00

So, they say the first step to fixing a problem is admitting that you have a problem, right? Well, I admit it... I am addicted to taking pictures and having pictures taken! It's no wonder that I started a photography business - if I had the money I'd keep every photographer in the area busy taking family pictures! What? It's Sunday at 4:00pm?? Well, I think that's an occasion to take pictures, isn't it?? It's a problem. I guess I just feel like the kids grow up so fast, I just want to capture their every moment!

So here are just a few cute shots from our first attempt at a Christmas card picture. As many of you may have seen, I used a different shot for the actual card - I ended up using one taken in the backyard of our new home, just for sentimental reasons. But here are some shots - even though taking pictures with Evan at this moment is not so fun, or so easy! Seriously, you would think that we were pulling teeth asking the boy to sit for two seconds... he's just too busy to stop for stinkin' pictures!

3-Days, 60 Miles for Breast Cancer

2008-12-27T16:50:00.036-06:00

On November 7th, 8th and 9th I was so honored and privileged to get to, once again, participate in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk through Dallas/Ft. Worth. I did this walk with my best friend, Susan, in 2006 and we were very excited to embark on this adventure again! This walk is a 60-mile walk spread out over the course of three days - each day being about 20 miles, although they normally make Day One the longest and toughest day! And although we trained a little, nothing can prepare you or your little feet for 60 miles... that's a whole lotta walking! Trust me, 60 miles is a long way.... even for this former cross country runner, it ain't easy!

In order to participate in this walk each walker MUST raise a minimum of $2,200! That's a lot of money to raise and a huge commitment - but it all goes to a very worthy cause... breast cancer research and education. And over 85% of the money raised goes right to the cause... pretty good considering the amount of work and effort and organization that goes into this event! It is truly an amazing, well-oiled machine - they do an unbelievable job of putting on this event. So, for all of my amazing friends and my husband's generous clients, thank you so very much for your donations and for allowing us to all make a difference in the battle against breast cancer!

I just can't blog about this without personally thanking each and every one of my supporters!! I came so close to reaching my goal with your help! I think I was $188.00 short... which means that Erick and I made a personal donation of $188.00 ourselves, which we were happy to do!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

The Amans
Nancy Bahr
The Barners
Marla Bishop
Sheryl Bradley
The Bradleys
Lynne Brody
The Dawsons
Susan Dumas
Tracy Ellis
Brian Harvey
Jennifer Hicks
Kayla Hicks
Dee Jones
Eddie Jones
The Landrums
The Lindstroms
The Mikeskas
Stella Oefinger
Jeff Payson
Jan Ragland
Susan Roche
Robbie Ryan
Traci Schoenradt
McAfee
The Simms
The Sipes
The Snyders
The Uldrichs
Nancy Wendell
The Winklers
Intuit
Christine Zimmerman
Sidney Goldin
Barbara Prather
Sledge Killion
The Manuels
Quality Powder Coating

I hope that I included everyone on this list.... what a wonderful thing you all did! No matter what the amount - $10 or $100, it all made a difference! You gave what you could give and I thank you from the bottom of my heart - you have made a difference and I thought of you so much during the walk!

So now on to our adventure! This year I walked again with my best friend, Susan, and we were also joined by her husband, Todd,this year. And in addition, my cousin, Tiffany, walked with us too! It was such fun sharing this experience with people that are so special to me.

Here we are below bright (well, not so bright yet), and early on Day One. This was probably around 6:30am before Opening Ceremonies began. I think I woke up at 3:30am, Todd was picking us up at 4:00am! It was cold, and dark and way too early! But as soon as we arrived, there was excitement and hope in the air; we knew that we were going to have a life-changing three days. This year the walk began at beautiful SouthFork Ranch!

Here we are departing on the first day in front of SouthFork Ranch...

The start of the walk was very crowded, we were walking down small sidewalks through neighborhoods and with 3,500 people all walking to the same place, it was hard to spread out... you can see that by the lines at the port-a-potties at the first pit stop! Needless to say, we did not stop to potty.... we found a CVS instead!

I have to say that Day One is always the toughest day for me. They always make it the longest day, almost 22 miles I think and by the time you get to that last 3 miles or so, you are just done! Your feet, your body just don't want to go anymore. And unfortunately this year on Day One I let myself get really dehydrated and those last two miles were pure misery not only because my whole body hurt, but also because I was very nauseous from the dehydration and there were no pit stops left! It was totally my fault, I should have drank way more - they certainly provide plenty of pit stops and drinks, I was just foolish! Poor Susan thought I was going to pass out - and so did I! But I made it all the way - whoo hoo! I was pale as a ghost, and had to sit down and drink lots of Gatorade at camp.

It was awesome to finally be at camp - I think we got there around 4:30pm. Funny thing though - as soon as your feet cross that finish line, your whole body just says - see ya later, I have done enough for you today! You start limping, your whole body tightens up and you wonder how in the heck you just walked 22 miles! And you definitely wonder - how in the world am I going to do that again tomorrow??? It seems impossible! Both nights I went to bed and my feet were so tender and so swollen I just knew that I wouldn't be able to do it the next morning - my feet wouldn't even fit in my crocs without serious work and discomfort! But fear not, by God's grace and his power you are always ready to go again the next day! There was lots of praying for my little feet... there was no way that this stubborn red-head was not going to finish this walk!

Oh, by the way - Day One took us through Murphy and Plano, beautiful downtown Plano, then through North Dallas, all the way down Campbell Road, past UTD, down Frankford Road and we headed to camp in Carrollton. You get to meet so many fun people along the way - we played trivia games, people sing songs (I say people meaning not me - you don't want me singing, although you'd probably start walking really fast then)... anything to pass the time and make you forget about your feet! And the food, every time you turn around they are giving you food - you'd think you might lose a few pounds walking 60 miles, but not with all the food they're giving you! I think I gained a few pounds! Ha!

We also had the privilege of seeing a group of 4 soldiers walking on the first day - they walked in full fatigues with the big backpacks, boots everything! I'm sure it was a walk in the park for them, but they sure were motivating and inspiring. The walk is mainly women, but there are definitely a few men who bravely and generously take on this journey! Yay 3-Day guys! Especially you, Todd, for doing this with us!

So, I know lots more happened on Day One, I should have kept a journal every night (I will next time), but anyway, on to Day Two.... here we are beginning our journey on Day Two. We started at camp, walked through beautiful parts of Carrollton, Plano, past Plano Presby, through gorgeous Willow Bend, then we looped back around to Carrollton. Day Two is always a big loop because we need to end back at camp for the night!

We had a beautiful stroll through Willow Bend.... the beautiful scenes and homes took our mind off of our weary feet! Although just like in 2006 - the end of Day One was tough for me, but Days Two and Three weren't too bad! As long as I keep moving and keep my legs going, I do okay. A familiar view for us girls - the back of Todd. Poor guy had so many blisters on his feet, it hurt him if he wasn't walking at a really fast pace.... I have been there, I had to walk really fast in 2006 for the same reason. We tried to keep up with him, but sometimes our short little bodies just couldn't keep up with him! I was able to keep up with him on Day Three though...

Here we are crossing the finish line on Day Two... thank you to all the Crew and to the literally hundreds of people that come to cheering stations with signs and their cute dogs and hand out candy and water, it is so much fun and you feel so supported!

Glad to be back at camp again, a tent never felt so good! I was prepared with a warm sleeping bag, warm PJs.... it was comfy cozy! It was pretty chilly at night, but those pink tents did the job! They provide us with yummy meals, entertainment and portable showers, ahhhh!! It is camping, but with some conveniences! Oh, and camp is pretty big.... they don't add all the walking at camp to that 60 miles?? It's probably more like 62 miles - ha! I think we went to bed at 8:30pm on Day One and then at 7:00pm on Day Two - really!

Tiffany and Todd both had to take a trip to the medic tent before we started Day Three. Tiffany needed to have them align her hip and Todd was getting those blisters checked out. In 2006 I got so many blisters that this year I decided to just wrap my feet completely from the start and it helped tremendously. I only got one blister - under my big toe. I thought I was going to lose it at first, but it's still here and I didn't have to go to the medic tent! I will definitely wrap my feet again - it helped with the pain and it helped with the two-hour wait at the medic tent... you can't imagine how long this line is - seriously! I'm thinking that's what it's going to look like when we all have government healthcare - kidding!

So Day Three is a little hectic because you have to get your bag and gear all packed up before starting the walk... here is Susan TRYING to get everything back into her bag and get it zipped up! Hee hee! It was cold on this last day... we had to wear layers because we knew it would get warm soon.... oh, Texas! You are only allowed to bring one bag, not weighing over 35 pounds and you have to fit a ton of gear and clothes into that bag!

Starting Day Three... we started at camp and our end destination was the SMU Campus! It seemed like it would be impossible to walk that far in time for Closing Ceremonies? It just seemed like more than 18 miles... they give you the easiest day on Day Three. But sure enough, that was the plan!

It was so hard to get a good picture of the line of people walking in front and behind... it was so amazing and inspiring to just see people literally as far as you could see both in front and behind you. We seemed to stay in about the middle of the pack each day... around the 1,000 mark and there were about 3,500 walking. On Day One we actually started at the very, very back and ended up making our way to the front somehow.

So I know personally I got a little giddy, or probably even delirious on Day Three. I think your brain just stops working because your body is doing so much work. You're so tired; you'll laugh at just about anything, or at least I will. I found myself cracking up over and over again on Day Three. As I've said, the support along the way is amazing, people stand outside their homes waiting to greet you and cheer you on... it's awesome! But then with that support they say phrases like "you're almost there" or "just a little more"... well, let me tell you - they are lying! They mean well, but you are not "almost there". Our joke is that "one more mile" on the 3-Day Walk is really two miles! We appreciated the encouragement, but as a supporter yelled "one more mile".... Todd jokingly said to us, "If this pit stop is more than one mile, I'm coming back and kicking ?*&%$#" Ha! Seriously, you have to laugh and keep the comedy of it all! He said he was going to come back and kick her butt with his good foot, but he wasn't sure which foot that was yet! Hee hee!

So, at the opening ceremonies on Friday they handed out these cool flags which represented "Why We Walk" and everyone took turns carrying the flags throughout the walk. There were probably 35 or 40 flags and you'd carry one for a while and then pass it on... here is me and Susan with the "Best Friends" flag. Love you, Susan... the sister that I never had; God finally gave me her 12 years ago!

Like I said, this event is so organized, they put so much into it. The Crew is all made up of volunteers and they are amazing! They provide so much support and motivation... even silly little things like these bras on a port-a-potty. Let me tell you - there is no boob joke or boob reference that is off limits during these three days! You've got husbands wearing shirts that say "Saving Second Base".... all of the team names and slogans are hilarious! Next time we are going to come up with a great name... we are hoping to walk again in 2010!

Here are a couple of pictures of sweep vans... these vans come by just in case anyone needs a ride... if you need a ride you give them the "thumbs down" and they'll take you to the next pit stop. Luckily I was walking with three people that were as passionate and stubborn as me... we would have rather crawled on the ground rather than be picked up by a sweep van. No matter how much pain, we pressed on and all made it every single step!

Me and Tiffany.... one reason we walked, in honor of our Grandmother, Nanny, a breast cancer survivor. It was so fun to walk with my cousin, one of my favorite people in the whole world... it was nice to spend this time with her and share this memory forever!

Day Three was the most beautiful walk as we walked through Addison, following the Tollway and then down Arapaho and through North Dallas and the Valley View area, then through the Highland Park and Park Cities area down Turtle Creek Blvd. Literally some of the most beautiful trees, homes and neighborhoods that I've ever seen... finally ending up on the gorgeous SMU Campus. We had finished - and we had the t-shirts to prove it!

They kept us in a holding area for a while until everyone could finish and then we all marched together in rows of ten through the campus to closing ceremonies. This march was one of my favorite moments, you are able to see how many people walked and it's a never-ending sea of white 3-Day shirts. At closing ceremonies, we listened to a wonderful speaker and then were greeted by thousands of supporters, including our families! You couldn't help but tear up and feel proud of your accomplishment!

At closing ceremonies everyone takes their shoes off and waves them in the air in honor of breast cancer survivors and in memory of those we have lost... and also because you are so stinkin' sick of these shoes and you just want them off! I think Todd said he was going to throw his tennis shoes in the trash!

All the flags came back together on stage at Closing Ceremonies...

My sweet family there to greet me at Closing Ceremonies! I missed them so much! Thank you, Daddy, for taking care of the boys for three days and for raising so much money for this cause. I love you all so much!

And my favorite picture, and of course it comes with a story... but let's just say, Susan, you finally got your flowers!

I know that I am only sharing a small taste of the adventures we experienced during our three days. This is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I have been blessed to do it twice. I can't thank everyone enough for their support, their prayers and encouragement. I would do this walk every year if I thought I could raise the money! Hopefully every two years will be possible and we will continue to grow our team and raise more money for this great cause. If you have ever thought about doing this event - do it! Do it with us in 2010! You can't imagine the hope that you feel seeing thousands of people walking for the same purpose - wearing their pink and even dolled up in costumes. I know the stories of the people who walk are too numerous to tell - but you'll see men walking in honor of their wives and mothers that have lost the battle to cancer, you see daughters walking with their surviving mothers, and you see those who simply walk because they dream of a cure one day. So, thank you again - and thank you to all the kids, adults, little puppies and even strangers who came out during the route with their music, signs, costumes, food, drinks and needed encouragement! It is three days that I will never forget.... and I hope the $9m raised for this DFW walk will make huge strides for this battle against breast cancer!

13th Annual Haunted House Night

2008-12-27T15:20:00.008-06:00

So clearly, if Halloween is my favorite holiday... this is one of my favorite nights of the year, honestly! I look forward to our Annual Haunted House Date Night with our dearest friends, the Sutherlands, all year! It is always a truly unforgettable evening - filled with many laughs and screams!

This is our 13th year of doing this; can't believe that - wow! Now, last year - we went out on a date night and were going to go to a haunted house, but then decided not to because I was literally two days away from giving birth to Evan and Aunt Susan thought that her nephew might be born in a haunted house if we went! Ha! So two years of no haunted houses, I was ready!

We always go to at least one haunted house - but most of the time we are able to make it to a couple, and one year even went to three! Oh, yea!!! But with all of those houses after this many years, we get them all mixed up and can't remember which ones we've been to or what they were like... we do have some favorites, and luckily new ones open up every year! There are so many memories.... most of them include Susan being scared half to death and Todd finding something small and making a comedy of it all night!

So for posterity I told Susan I would blog about this year's adventure. Read on if you want all the gory details...

This year we decided to go to Dr. Haunt's Chamber of Fears.... it was quite a drive so we decided that we would just grab dinner at a restaurant on the way, we thought we'd see plenty! But we were kind of out in the middle of nowhere; we saw about 12 Sonic's, but not much else. We had to really look for a place to sit down and eat. Luckily we finally found a Chili's.... what an experience though, this was a SMOKING restaurant (they still exist) and boy was it smokey. I guess when it's the only place you can smoke, all the smokers come here! And then for the joke of the night (Todd always makes sure there is one)... a few tables down from us there was this huge, bright light over a table and it was literally like a spotlight as these poor people tried to eat. I guess they ran out of 60-watt bulbs and replaced it with a 200-watt bulb! Well, Todd couldn't take his eyes off of it - it was the root of many jokes throughout dinner. "I'm blinded and I can't see my food!".... Oh, it's the little things in life... thanks, Todd.

After dinner we headed up I-35 and arrived at the much-anticipated "Chamber of Fears"... sounds scary, huh???? But unfortunately, there were no fears to be had at the Chamber of Fears.... they tried, but failed to scare us professionals! Of course, Todd and Erick are never scared, Susan is always scared half out of her mind (ha!) and then I'm one of those that doesn't scare easily, but certain things freak me out! Certain sounds scare me and rooms where all scenes are around you and you can't see everything at once or back up to a wall, scary! Although this house was not all that scary, it was still a fabulous time! The night is really about being with friends and laughing.... And we were so close to Oklahoma, Todd tried to talk us into driving up to Winstar for a couple of hours.... he hinted at it every so often. "Hey - Winstar is just a few minutes up the highway guys...."

So below here is one of the Halloween props hanging out at the Cutler house during Halloween. And let me tell you, this guy is pretty creepy! It was our first year to put him together and I'm not ashamed to tell you that he kind of creeped me out! He is the size of a person and when you catch him out of the corner of your eye when it's kind of dark in the house, you really think someone is in the house - he made me jump on more than one occasion! And let me tell you how that began.... so for several days I had asked Erick to put together this guy, but he was still in the box for a while... well, I had to go to the grocery store one night and as I'm coming in the door with groceries in hand late at night, I look down the hallway and Erick has put this guy together and has him standing straight up looking right at me as I come in... I thought I was going to have an accident, my heart skipped a beat! And Erick, well he was in the garage laughing hysterically at me! So from that point, it was on.... we moved this guy around our house scaring each other all month. And even Preston got into it... when we were out at haunted houses, he and Aunt Tasha moved him into our bathroom and he scared me half to death as he was standing there in the dark staring at me! Ahhhhh!!! Preston couldn't wait to wake up to see if he had scared mom! Oh, no - we have created another Halloween prankster - watch out! Why do we torture ourselves, we're so sick... love it!

So hopefully I have remembered and bored you with a few details of our 13th Annual Haunted House Night!! Susan, this was for you!! Looking forward to next year!

Pumpkin Pie Photography

2008-12-27T13:57:00.004-06:00

So after many years of taking countless photos of my boys (I don't think they recognize me without a camera on my face) and holding impromptu photo sessions for friends, I have finally decided to make it official and launch a photography business - Pumpkin Pie Photography! Thank you to all my friends who have urged me to do this time and time again! I am thoroughly enjoying this new venture - I should have done it a long time ago! I am having a blast! And thank you to my professional photographer friends who have helped me with tons of advice and encouragement. I am so very excited to learn and to invest in courses, new lenses and all sorts of fun stuff... oh, yes - the madness has begun! You know me - once I start something, it is ON! Ha!

Please check out my website http://www.pumpkinpiephotography.com! And on my website, I have attached my new blog for Pumpkin Pie Photography - clients and friends can go on the blog to see my latest sessions!

I specialize in outdoor photography for babies, children and families! Please keep me in mind for your next photo session.

Love to All!

Happy Halloween

2008-12-27T13:35:00.023-06:00

CANDY, CANDY, CANDY (as Garfield says).... oh, just one of the many joys of Halloween - mine and Erick's most favorite holiday of the year! It's just a time of year that I've always loved - it's just so much fun! I love costumes and all the decorations, and candy and the kids going trick-or-treating.... the neighborhood just feels so special and the kids are having so much fun! And Erick and I love haunted houses and scary movies - oh yes, we do! We deck the house out in skeletons and haunted villages, all in great fun! Carving pumpkins, pumpkin spice candles, caramel apples, love it all!

So here are a few pics from our Halloween 2008! Preston chose to be a fighter pilot this year... Maverick's got nothing on my little fighter pilot! :)

And of course, once again I couldn't choose just one costume for Evan (you'll see more below) - he had four costumes! But for Halloween night and trick-or-treating - he was this cute little pumpkin!

Here they are getting ready to go trick-or-treating with Dad! It's always a hard dilemma for me... I want to go trick-or-treating, but I also want to make sure someone is home handing out candy! So, I went to a couple of houses with them, and then stayed home and sat on the front porch, handing out candy and watching all the kids and visiting with our sweet neighbors. It was so awesome to trick-or-treat in our new neighborhood and be in a home again; just a great feeling - I was a happy mom and I was indeed dressed at "Princess Lea" for the evening's festivities... but I will not make you guys see me in that lovely wig! :-)

Erick took the boys around the neighborhood; Evan sat in his stroller and had a ball watching everyone. And Preston had a blast seeing all of his school friends and getting tons of candy!

Then they came home and we dumped out the loot and began to sample some treats! And little Evan....... well - he thought it was absolutely hilarious and the best time ever to just dive head first into all the candy! It was a riot! He would dive in and then stand up and throw candy on to the wood floors and laugh hysterically at the sounds the candy would make! He must have done this for 30 minutes - and then ran around the house just laughing! We were all very entertained and just sat around watching him.... so funny, although I think some of our Halloween candy took some abuse for this activity... a few smooshed candy bars and crushed Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! Ha!

Our Halloween villages at home...

And that day at Preston's school Evan and I went up and celebrated as they had their annual Halloween Sock Hop. They have all sorts of fun games to play and the kids get lots of prizes!

Here Preston is about to throw a ball at the dunk tank. The Fire Department was there and they all volunteered to sit in the dunk tank.... sorry guys! Preston has quite the arm and dunked him on his first shot! It was so cute... as Preston got up there all of his friends, the whole line, was cheering "Preston, Preston, Preston!" There was a loud roar when the Fireman went down! Ha!

And as I mentioned above, I wasn't able to choose just one costume for Evan.... here he is in his parade of costumes! These are also some of his one-year pictures that I had taken by a sweet photographer at our house... enjoy!

Until next year.... Happy Halloween!! BOO!

Fall and Family

2008-12-18T23:02:00.006-06:00

Almost forgot... we did get a couple of family shots at the pumpkin patch this year! Enjoy!

The Pumpkin Patch, or two, okay... three

2008-12-18T16:35:00.027-06:00

So anyone who has known me for more than two seconds is not surprised that we went to the pumpkin patch three times! October is mine and Erick's, and now Preston's favorite month! We love the weather, the colors, the pumpkins, Halloween, everything! And it's the beginning of the holiday season, so it's an extra special time of year! Plus, now we have a little October pumpkin, Evan, more reason to celebrate!

Honestly, not too many stories to tell about the pumpkin patch... just a crazy mom taking way too many pictures, as always! Good thing I've finally decided to take up photography as a profession, now I have an excuse to be the silly lady clicking away and posing her kids! I have to people, it's my job! Ha!

The boys thoroughly enjoyed the pumpkin patch, enjoy the pics!

The Sutherlands joined us for our last trip to the pumpkin patch (the blog uploads my pictures in the opposite way that I select them, and I am just too lazy and my computer is far too slow to re-arrange them - so the first pictures are the last pictures!) Here they are picking out pumpkins (that, by the way, the pumpkin patch no longer includes with admission - boo - seriously, boo!)

The boys LOVE animals... Evan was so excited, here he is with a cow!

Love this picture below... I can just imagine Evan saying, "watch out goats, here I come!"

My handsome 7-year old... loved sharing this experience with his little brother!

Our little "Farmer Fred", or is it "Farmer Ted"??? Those of you who know my favorite movie will get this one! :)

The men in my life...

Our other little farmer.... one of the many professions that Preston has said he wants to be when he grows up!

And these last pictures are of a playdate at the Arboretum's pumpkin patch... just the little man that day! It was such a fun day... three of us moms went out there with the younger kids in the morning and we were able to get a few pictures before it ended up pouring down rain! We ate under a covered area on a blanket and then got soaking wet running to the cars - too fun!

The one group shot... before kids started running!

Happy Fall Y'All - in DECEMBER! Love you all!

Mother/Son Dance

2008-12-12T02:26:00.011-06:00

This was our third year to attend the Mother/Son Dance. I love this annual tradition! We missed them not having it last year - the City was busy building the new rec center and didn't host it last year. This year's theme was "Around the World" - so we were supposed to dress up like we were from another country... so can you tell, we were from "somewhere tropical"! Hawaii, Tahiti, Jamaica, Fiji... okay!!

They had it decorated so cute - all the food was "hosted" by a different country. They had fresh fruit in "Jamaica", and cheese and crackers in "France" and fortune cookies in "China" and chips and salsa in "Mexico"! The boys loved going to all the different countries to get their food.

Here's my big boy cutting a rug... I am hoping that he still let's me take him to this for at least a couple more years, although I can feel him getting "a little too old" for this - MOM! Although he loves that special Mommy time, so maybe that will be enough incentive!

Doing the "Chicken Dance"!

We went with two of our friends - more Mothers of Boys! Summer with her oldest, Ethan, and Robbie with Max! We were tropical, African and Indian! The night was more fun getting to share it with friends!

The boys had a ball dancing together - they play the BEST music at these dances! Of course, all songs the kids recognize from shows and movies - just fun, dance music!

Here's Summer getting in on the action!

A cute pic of Preston and Ethan...

Love you, Preston! The dance was a blast, and then we enjoyed dinner at Preston's favorite restaurant - Taco Bueno! Oh, yea! We're fancy alright...

Evan Turns One

2008-12-08T10:00:00.026-06:00

So, I know it's old news now... but as I'm catching up on my blogging, the most noteworthy event in the last couple of months is our precious little baby, Evan, turning ONE! Say it isn't so... but on October 8th he celebrated this incredible milestone... and what a joy this year has been! I can't begin to tell you the love that he has brought to our lives - he is the sweetest, funniest, and most precious little boy. He is so loved by all of us, especially his very proud big brother who was beyond excited that his brother was having his first birthday! Thank you, God, for putting it in our hearts to have another child!

So, what is Evan up to these days you ask? Well, he is all about the "real" food these days! And this coming from a little guy who didn't like Cheerios or all those great "first foods" in the beginning. He only wanted baby food; I thought he'd never want real food! But once he learned to like feeding himself, then it was ON! His favorite food is grilled cheese and he loves grapes! And milk, he loves it and we love it because it's $2.99 a gallon vs. $25.99 for a can of formula - fabulous!

He LOVES dancing and will get his "groove on" anytime he hears music! And he looks around to make sure that you are joining in too; he is so proud! His favorite music is actually the music that plays in the background of his brother's Wii games - funny! He loves balls and playing with his trucks. He is all about playing peek-a-boo and being chased. He has started saying some words - "Daddy", "Mama", "Bubba", "Kaboom", "Boo" (for peek-a-boo). He will clap for you and wave bye-bye. And boy, does he love to laugh, be tickled and loves to fall down.... another boy that loves "physical humor". And will laugh if you fall down too, and will laugh especially hard if he hears you laughing! We are literally RUNNING after him these days, he is incredibly fast and into everything of course. He loves closing doors and funny enough, he loves playing in piles of fresh laundry! He rolls around and throws it in the air just laughing - I let him do that BEFORE I fold it, not that he hasn't gotten to it afterwards though!

So, that's what he is up to these days, here are a few pics from our celebration! Thank you to all of our wonderful friends and family who came to celebrate! It was such a great day - Evan just had a ball being the center of attention... that is his favorite place to be!

We had his party at My Gym, and he ran around that whole place smiling and DANCING of course! It was like a kid in a candy store. Here he is stopping for a second to laugh with Dad!

And we're back to dancing.... shake your groove thang, Evan!

He loved being the center of attention and dancing around in the middle of the circle with all eyes on him... "Are you looking at me? You better be, it's my birthday!" Ha!

Strutting his stuff...

Jumping on the trampoline was a hit too!

But we were not ready to sit still for a story or puppet show... the older kids thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment. Where is Evan?? See him... he's off to check out something else! See ya!

The kids got to play around the gym for the first part of the party - there were all kinds of cool things to do there for young and even older kids. We actually had Preston's second birthday party at this same place too! All the kids had a blast - they did a great job, and I didn't have to clean house - whoo hoo!

Here are some of the older boys climbing the rock wall...

Here is Evan taking his birthday motorcycle ride around his friends... it's almost time for cake! They gave Evan the royal treatment, check out all his "rides"!

On the birthday motorcycle...

In the birthday bumble bee...

They put Evan in the middle while all the kids danced around him...

And a fun "bucket ride" that all the kids got to enjoy... but Evan's little head was barely poking out the top!

Oh, yes - the moment has arrived.... CAKE TIME! Will Evan like cake? His brother wasn't really crazy about it... hmmmmm...... let's see!

Hmmm..... this looks intriguing...

What is this gooey stuff?

OH YES, WE LOVE CAKE!!! Loved it! Takes after his Mommy - definitely has a sweet tooth! He devoured this cake and enjoyed every second of it! What a little ham!

YUUUUUMMMMMYYYYY!!

"I am such a mess, and it's awesome!" (Thank you Aunt Susan and Summer for taking him to the bathroom and hosing him down! He was literally dripping of icing - it was great!)

Thank you friends for sharing this day with us!

And a very special thank you to my cousin, Tiffany, and Aunt Linda who drove all the way from Rockwall to be at this special event! You mean the world to me and I really appreciate you guys coming! Love you!

And here are all the moms... finally in a picture!

The party ended with bubble-time; we totally need one of these big bubble machines!

And then after the party... well, the little man is loved and we were excited to open his gifts! Here he is with his "loot". Can you see the Cheerios in front of him? It was like leading E.T. with the Reese's Pieces.... trying to get this picture was no easy task! We needed food for incentive!

And well, sorry friends who gave Evan gifts - this is frankly what he thought of them when we began. He had better things to do, and I shall sit on you gifts!

But WAIT A MINUTE.... what, are there toys in here???? Move out of the way, now we're interested...

And of course, the funnest part of gifts for a one-year old.... playing in the tissue paper afterwards! He and his brother rolled around in it and threw it up in the air and had a ball!

Dear sweet, Evan, couldn't imagine our lives without you! You are sunshine every single day! I thank our God in heaven for the blessings of you and your amazing brother, Preston. And I thank him for the remarkable father that he has given you two. We are so blessed and I pray that every birthday will be better than the next and that every year you will grow closer to Jesus. You are our family and you will be loved, and supported, and comforted and understood no matter what... our love for you is without end, everlasting, and unconditionally yours! Happy 1st Birthday, Evan!

Me and my little man...

Oh, and on the day of his birthday party was also the first day in the "big boy" car seat... oh, he thought he was big stuff! Just the look on his face, he has arrived now! He has always loved the car, but now it's even better!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T18:09:00.004-06:00

I am so behind on blogging, but wanted to wish all my dear friends and family a very Happy Thanksgiving this year! Are we not all indeed so blessed? Hope you all spend wonderful time with family and friends and enjoy the many riches that God has given us.

And I will get all caught up soon.... so much to blog - Evan turned one, Halloween, Pumpkin Patches, my new business venture... better get busy! But first.... let us decorate for Christmas!

And a very special Happy Birthday to my dearest friend, Aunt Susan, today! We won't say how young you are... let's just say that next year is a big one! :-) So proud to have spent the last 13 birthdays with you as my friend!

Love To All!

God Bless America

2008-11-15T16:38:00.022-06:00

Okay, this is only my second really outspoken blog to date... I blogged about the Presidential race a couple of weeks ago, and I just had a few more thoughts rattling around... so again, scroll on past this one if you want to skip to the usual fun stuff and pics of the Cutler boys! This ended up being a really long one... apparently, I had some things to say. :)

Please know that this is all written with a loving, non-judgmental and yet dutiful heart! I don't claim to know everything or to always be right - my ignorance is far-reaching and immeasurable I am sure. But of everything I don't know... let me tell you that I DO know Jesus Christ is my Savior and was sent to this earth so that I may have eternal life. Of this I am sure! And I am also sure that he put me on this earth to share this good news and to glorify God!

So, I really feel like God has been calling me to be bold lately - there are some people you meet and you wonder... what is important to them, what do they believe in? I never want anyone to wonder... I am a wife, mother, daughter, friend, but most importantly I am a daughter of the Almighty God and I am proudly, and humbly a Christian - a sinful, unworthy Christian who is grateful for the life that God has given her. The very least that I can do is proudly speak of His love for all of us and to speak the one and only truth no matter what the consequence... even if I lose friends, make people uncomfortable... I'm pretty sure I'm not going to have to spend my last hours nailed to a cross in suffering - Jesus has made sure that my purpose is clear, he carries my worries. God's plan for my life has not always been easy, but at a very young age he gave me a brave heart and set in my soul that every struggle that he gives me is to teach me and grow me; and I have never let my difficult paths harden my heart or allow me to be bitter. He has blessed me with amazing gifts - like giving me my Salvation early in life, leading me to a wonderful and God-fearing husband, allowing me to bear children, and for so many things I am tremendously grateful and thankful.

So I titled this entry "God Bless America" because that is a term used so often, and everytime I hear someone say it I wonder if it has the same meaning for them as it does for me? People are constantly saying - "you're in my prayers", and if I don't know them well, then I wonder if they really are praying for me and if they are praying to the same God that I pray to? Because I know that some people are spiritual, but not religious. And some people are religious, but they're not a Christian. I just wonder if some terms are used just so people get the warm and fuzzies, rather than truly believing that God is in control and we should indeed pray for his blessings and grace upon us. And do they know that this country was built on the foundation of God, that as a nation we would uphold Him and obey Him. There is but one God in "Under God" and "In God We Trust".

These thoughts all started when I got into heated debates with an old high school friend on Facebook (I know - me, fired up about something? Weird!) She is very liberal and does not believe that you must believe in Jesus Christ to be saved (not to say that there are not many liberal Christians out there, I know there are). But, I had said to her "I understand that you're not a Christian, but I am..." Well, she got really offended that I would tell her she's not a Christian. When, in fact, she's not and I thought I was merely stating something that she already knew. The definition of Christian is "someone who believes in Jesus Christ and follows his teachings". And well, his teachings are that you must believe in him to be saved. He doesn't say... well, if you're really good then you'll be saved, or if you believe in a God you will be saved... he says that he is the only way to heaven and the only way to be saved. So I just stated a fact... she might believe in God and read her bible every day, but unless she believes that Jesus Christ is her Savior and died for her sins, then she's not a Christian. And in fact, she never admitted to being a Christian, she just wanted to state that she was offended that I would say she's not one... well, if you are a Christian - then shout it from the rooftops! Being a Christian doesn't make me better than anyone else, I don't hate or even dis-like non-Christians. We are all Children of God. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God; I have sinned too many times to count and fallen so far from Him that it's been hard to climb back up to meet Him. I wouldn't dare cast a stone, because 50 of them would come back and knock me right in the face. But I do know Jesus Christ. There are many different religions, Christianity is one of them, and I am not ashamed of the Gospel!

Now I don't pretend to know the paths that God has laid before her, and what he is preparing her heart for, and this entry is not really about her, but it certainly did open my eyes to things and make me realize that Christianity is still very much hated by some people and it is our responsibility to stand up for our faith and pray for those who don't believe. Time and again, she kept saying that "Conservative Christians" were not diverse and didn't practice tolerance. When actually she was the one that wasn't practicing tolerance of my religion. She is not celebrating diversity when she does not accept Christians. Diversity isn't just about people from other countries coming to America - it's about different religions, races, incomes, disabilities, single mothers, widowed fathers, a woman that chooses not to have children and a husband and wife that choose to have 17 children! Please don't preach about diversity and tolerance if you are not willing to walk that walk! If you want me to accept you and listen to your views, then you need to return that favor. Don't play the victim of oppression and then demand equal rights. And don't judge those whose values and beliefs differ from yours! If I need to be a punching bag, then okay - punch away; I can take it. But don't think that you will get me to rebuke my faith, and don't think that I won't punch back! Okay, step down from soap box... sorry, all fired up again, and she doesn't even read my blog!

Now, as I've said - I wholeheartedly voted for John McCain. And I am so inspired by his grace and faithfulness. I believe he's a great man, and I was very sad to see him concede. But you know what... we move on. Did I vote for Obama? Well, no. Do I agree with Obama and think that he will be able to keep all of his campaign promises, well no. Some promises I pray that he is NOT able to keep. But will I stand behind him as President, will I pray for him, will I be patient, absolutely yes! He is the President of the United States and for that he gets my respect. I don't think he's a bad person or has bad intentions; I hope he does amazing things for our country. I hope he keeps us safe, gets the economy going again and protects our rights. And most of all I pray for his salvation.

I'll tell you what bothered me though about this election. It was that I think people voted for "change" just because they didn't want another Republican in the office. I'm not sure that they truly looked at both candidates, they got wrapped up in the media and had their mind made up to vote "against Bush". Change isn't always good; listen to both sides and then cast your vote! And we shouldn't vote for someone just because of their race... just like we shouldn't not vote for someone just because of their race. So, for all of you who voted, awesome... I hope we can all, with great confidence, say exactly why we voted the way we did. That's my point, know why you're doing what you're doing before you do it! This was made clear to me when I was watching the post-election coverage on TV and they were in downtown Dallas interviewing a volunteer for the Obama campaign. She said she voted for Obama and had been on his campaign "since the beginning". Well, I kid you not... when the TV personality asked her "So, why did you vote Obama?" She stood there in silence and said, "well, he had good ideas on..... um, I can't think of the word..." Seriously, they had to finish her sentence for her. She couldn't even tell you why she voted the way she did... and she was on his campaign! That is what makes me sad. Don't let people think for you, and don't assume you know why other people are voting the way they are... in fact, that is what started this whole debate. I posted a funny comment about Preston wanting John McCain's autograph, and my friend replied "Congrats on making $250k a year". Yea, right. It was rude and sarcastic. How about asking why I'm voting for John McCain instead of assuming... because it certainly had nothing to do with our paycheck. Get the whole story, because if you are truly passionate about something then you should care enough to hear the other side too.

Quick note - right after the election, honestly after I cried for a few minutes and then picked myself up to move on... Erick showed me this great video on YouTube. It's called "A Random Rant", but he's also got several other videos on YouTube, like "Why I'm a Conservative Republican". I think his production company was called Macho Sauce Productions if you want to find him. Anyway, he is this very well-spoken African American, young guy who sums it all up... sometimes he says things bluntly, but it's great to hear! He is a proud African American, Christian, Conservative, Republican. We watched every video he had posted... kind of hoping he'll run for President one day!

So, final thought and you'll be rid of this blog entry... but this one got under my skin. Over and again my friend made a point of saying that she loves diversity and implying that conservatives didn't. Well, I'm only speaking for me, but I think diversity is great. The fact that other people want to live in this country and sometimes pay a high price to do so, that says something about our country. But let me tell you, and this may upset some... I think that it is a privilege to live in this country. We have freedom, but it WAS not and IS not free! If you are living in this country you should be working or looking for work, you should be paying taxes, following our laws and I think learning to speak our language. Again, it's tolerance - but there's also responsibility. I don't go over to China and expect them to know English. If I'm going there, I'm learning their language or I'm dealing with it! I don't expect them to cater to me or my arrogance. And I love my children - but do I not set expectations for them, give them responsibility, all out of love? We've all got rules and we all need to live by them! So live here and I will embrace you and your culture, but don't take advantage; be proud to be an American! And anyone who lives here from another country or who is on their way here, may they have much success in this land of opportunity! And for those of us who were born here - we are guilty of taking advantage too, probably even more... may we always be conscious of the fact that we have so many luxuries in this country that most people will never even see! Let us not forget those who have come before us, to pave our way... it is our obligation to make our country better and I believe our obligation as a nation "Under God" to reach out and share the Gospel.

And for all those that feel persecuted, or alone... I am truly sorry. But we have all faced persecution, especially Christians... just pick up the Bible. We all have burdens and blessings. God is in control, but he expects you to make good choices and to follow and obey Him. Your life is not what has happened to you, it is what you choose to become. What's the saying, "life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it!" I truly believe that... and for those of you that know my life story, the whole story, you know that it doesn't matter where you come from... yet another great thing about our country! Stop blaming - show love and make things better! Don't be afraid to share your faith, to pray for your neighbor's salvation - and to openly love people despite their differences.

You know, doing the right thing isn't always easy. As my friend was blaming Christians for the divorce rate in America and telling me that I only needed to believe parts of the bible, I found myself being attacked. But I took the hard path and really remained respectful with her. I'll take a debate - which is listening to both sides respectfully. Now, if you're just going to shout out your point and not listen to anyone else, well - that doesn't serve any purpose. She explained to me that Christians are not allowed to eat shellfish or use birth control and that I should read my Bible. Well, let me tell you, my friend, once again I will say - I am a Christian, who was endowed with the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. Thankfully, we no longer have to follow the 613? laws of Moses. God asks us to believe in His son. He expects and commands us to obey Him and His word. He created the 10 Commandments for us. So, do I sin? Absolutely! But do I know what sin is, absolutely! I don't live with blinders on thinking that if I don't listen to the truth, then it's not there. I don't choose to believe only part of the truth, I believe all of it. You see, my friend is somewhat biased. She has chosen to live her life as a homosexual. Do I judge her for that? Never. In fact, I never once brought up that fact with her. But will I provide her with justification for these choices? No, I won't. That's not my job - my only job is to show love and share my story of Salvation. She knows what she is doing is wrong, and for that she feels as though people are judging her. I will leave that great task up to God, as he will have plenty of judgment for me as well.

So, thank you for the advice - I will go read my Bible so that it can affirm what I already know and make my faith stronger. Have I ever questioned my faith - of course, who hasn't? Something so great, so eternal - it's only natural to question it. But if you want me to back down from my faith or provide justification for sin, then think again. You want to debate the Bible, then bring it on! I have read my Bible and did not choose Jesus with a light heart. Yes, divorce is a sin, and hard on families. But why would I bash or blame those people, have we not all sinned? Show love, show support. And let's first talk about the commitment that it takes to be married, to have children, to stand behind your faith. I am not in this life for me and my selfish purposes.... I am here because God placed me here for His purpose, and to that I am committed. Words cannot express the love that I have for my sweet husband. He challenges me, loves me, believes in me, and hopes for me every day - and as I lay with him I know that God made us in perfect form to fit together. So don't just take the easy way out and tell the world what you need, what you deserve. The truth is that none of us deserve anything. Tell me about your commitment, your sacrifices, tell me your story and withhold your judgment of others. I know there are Christians out there that may give us a bad name... but don't put us all in a box - ask for my story, I am happy to tell it.

So, I'll leave this and know that I put my faith in God and His plan. I will pray for his grace, his wisdom and his mercy every day. I will pray that he will keep my children safe and give me the ability to raise them up to serve him. And I pray that my boys will truly know him at an early age. And Lord, please help me to serve you better! No matter who is President and what our opinions are... I believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior; and God is the King of Kings and creator and ruler of all!

Thanks again for listening! No more rants for me.... back to the fun stuff! Hopefully my dear friends have listened with a soft heart and open mind. This blog was for my God, to openly express my love of Him, and for my boys - so that they know the love that their mother has for Him. Love You All! God Bless.

Nap Time Equals Naked Time

2008-11-04T10:41:00.007-06:00

So this is how I found Evan a few days ago when I went to get him up from his nap. He had completely undressed himself! He was just sitting there, holding his outfit very proudly. He was wearing a long pant onesie and he just pulled it down over his shoulders and slid it down his whole body - the snaps were still snapped around the legs! Goofy kid! And this isn't the first wardrobe malfunction - he's always pulling one arm out of his shirt or putting both legs into just one pant leg during naptime... it's hilarious because then he can't stand up - HELP MOM! Oh, Evan... just don't figure out that diaper, please!

Getting A Little Political...

2008-11-04T02:29:00.002-06:00

So this precious picture of Evan was taken on the day of his first birthday! And although I have never been really "political" on my blog... I thought with the upcoming election, that I would get just a little political. So if you're not up for it, just skip on past this one!

I mainly wanted to do this blog entry for my boys - so that they will know why I dressed Evan in a John McCain shirt and why our family will be voting for the Republican Presidential Candidate - John McCain, this year.

I'll try to make this short and sweet - simply put, I am voting for the person that I believe will glorify God and His plan for this temporary world. And I believe John McCain is that person in this candidacy. I am voting with my heart, my faith and my family values. There are so many important issues in the world - and of course, I believe that economic, health care and energy issues are important. But for me, there are other causes that weigh heavier on my heart and are more important to me personally.

Most of you probably know that I am as pro-life as a person can get... I believe that life begins at conception and that once life is made, it is in God's hands and His will should be done. I don't think it's our place to "choose" whether a child will live or die. I believe it's a child, not a choice and I believe it's a matter of a child's body - and not the argument of a "woman's body". I made sure that Erick knew before giving birth to both of our children that under no circumstance are you to choose my life over our child's life... you leave it in God's hands. If it's my time to go, I am ready! I say these things because it's a cause that I am passionate about, because every day 4,000 babies are aborted. And I'm not saying that they are aborted easily or without thought - I know it is a difficult choice; but I also believe that two wrongs don't make a right. I support abstinence, adoption and support for un-prepared mothers.

So, with as much money as we put into saving trees, polar bears and an earth that I believe is strong and will survive... I wish that we would invest more into the culture of America - our family values. I was very moved when John McCain actually said, regarding abortion, that "we have to change the culture of America". I completely agree with that, as I agree with many things that he has said... I don't think that anywhere in the bible it says that we should value the needs of this world over the needs of God's children. I mean, how many children have died of starvation as we invest our money in "green" technology? It's important to be good stewards of this earth - but it honestly does not make me sleep better at night knowing that my light bulb is more energy efficient.

And I do not like war - but I believe that it is sometimes a necessary measure to protect us from the evil that exists in this world - again, we want our children to have trees and a clean earth - but we don't want their country to be free of terrorists? We don't want them to be able to have the same citizen rights that we enjoy today as Americans, the rights that have been paid for with many lives? And I mourn for those soldiers who have died for our country - and I am very grateful. Because of them and soldiers before them, I have the right to have this blog, voice my opinion, worship my Lord and Savior openly, send my children to school and live in the greatest country in the world!

I don't believe that we can blame the economy on our President. I blame us - we Americans tend to take things for granted and act selfish I think - sorry, but we do! We are the most obese country in the world, which means we eat too much (I know I eat too much)! It would only make sense that we spend too much (I know I spend too much)! And I believe that's why we're in this situation - too many companies and individuals spending money when they don't have it! Hopefully many lessons are being learned and I have no doubt our economy will bounce back stronger than ever! God promised us challenges and heartache and hard times - I think we take advantage of being able to "blame" someone for the problems in the world. I choose to live in this country and I consider it a great privilege and honor to be an American. Thank you, Jesus, for putting me in this place. And if I didn't love this country - guess what I also have the freedom to do... leave!

And since I live with a tax accountant, let me briefly say that I think all of us who pay taxes pay enough taxes! I think that we should focus on the people living in our country that don't pay taxes, that are benefiting from our country, its systems. Let's find those people and hold them accountable. Let's impress on the government to be better handlers of our money and not raise taxes and take much needed money out of this economy. To be honest - how many millions of dollars have these two candidates spent on their campaigns over the last two years... sure wish we could have invested some of that money? Sure, it's important for them to be heard so that we can form our opinion - but ads were still running yesterday... I think we've all heard enough.

But no matter who wins this election for President - I will pray for them, I will be patient with them and even support them as the leader of our country. Because after all, God is in control and His plan will be done no matter who takes office.

Thanks for listening! Please know that I love you all - friends and family, conservative or liberal... I hope you respect my opinion as much as I would respect yours. Nothing said here was intended to offend or upset - just a little glimpse into my thoughts, my heart.

First Haircut

2008-10-11T02:01:00.000-05:00

Well, we thought we could make it to his first birthday... but nope, this boy seriously needed a haircut! What do they say about a mullet - "business in the front, party in the back"... well, Evan had a party in the front and a party in the back! It was so long - he had these long pieces that would hang down in his face.... so off for a haircut!

Oh, the joy of the first haircut....

Evan - "this stinks, lady.... drop the scissors and back away!"

"Okay - this lady gave me a cool toy, maybe this isn't so bad?"

"No, it still stinks... the toy was just a distraction!"

"But - dern, I sure am handsome with my new do!!!"

Such a big boy -haircuts, whole milk, real food and running laps around the house! Oh, sweet Evan - we enjoy every moment of you.... I apologize in advance for the many haircuts to come!

The Force Is Strong With These Boys...

2008-10-10T01:47:00.000-05:00

Thank you so very much to Aunt Tasha who invited us to this great event where Pottery Barn Kids had the Star Wars characters there to meet the kids! These boys love Star Wars! They were all Star Wars characters for Halloween last year, love Star Wars Legos, the Star Wars video game, toys, you name it! I didn't even tell Preston where we were going, but needless to say he was very excited when he saw these guys waiting!

Girls' Night at The Cutler Cinema

2008-10-05T01:32:00.002-05:00

It was the second showing at what the girl's have called the "Cutler Cinema" - and we do like the movies at our house, so pretty appropriately titled! What a fun night with the girls - Paige, Jenni, Summer, Susan, Denise, Cathy, Tasha, Laura and Robbie and me! We watched a cute movie, "Made of Honor" this time around. Our first viewing was "Juno", which is such a great movie!

Then as girls do, we stayed up chatting waaaaay after the movie credits rolled. Thanks girls for your friendships - let's do it again in December maybe? But of course, you are all welcome anytime! Love you all! And thanks for always bringing "the corn", Jenni!

We Have a 7-Year Old

2008-09-30T14:45:00.022-05:00

Wow - doesn't 7-years old just seem so old? For some reason, it hit me harder this year that Preston is growing up so fast and just keeps inching his way to double digits! He has grown up so much this past year - he is such a loving, fun, outgoing and talented young man. We are so proud of him and had so much fun celebrating his 7th birthday! Thank you, Preston, for all the joy you have brought to our lives. You are loved so fully, unconditionally and without end.

So this was the year that we weren't going to have a "big party" for Preston, and we didn't... but we ended up somehow spreading the birthday festivities out for several days with several different celebrations? Hmmmm.... well, let the parties begin!

First, since Preston was three years old we have gone to the last Friday home game for the Frisco Roughriders. It always falls right around his birthday and is a blast with friends and fireworks! This year we were joined by the Sutherland and Thomas families - these two families are such great friends, they really are like family to us. Preston has grown up with all of these kids - thank you all so much for sharing your lives with us and being a huge part of ours!

So, a few days before the game I e-mailed to have Preston's name put on the jumbo-tron for the birthday announcements and they actually asked if Preston would want to be the Jr. Announcer for the evening? Well, heck yea! At first, he was nervous when I told him that he was going to be announcing a player in front of everyone... but he got over it and did a great job! And he had to introduce a very long name, I can't even remember what it was! But the game was actually televised that night, so we were able to record it and show him the next morning that he was on TV! He was so proud - hopefully a memory that he will cherish!

Okay, so another HIGHLIGHT of the night... Preston got to meet his very favorite player - Steve Murphy. Preston has really gotten into the Roughriders this year and he has been dying to meet Steve Murphy. So we tracked him down before the game and he got his autograph and a picture! Can you tell how star-struck he was... he talked about it for days! Thanks Roughriders for making this night extra special!

Here are some pics of the kids enjoying the game...

So these next pictures are of Preston's actual birthday! He and Erick woke up way too early! Erick and I affectionately say to eachother (they woke up at the butt-crack of dawn)... sorry, so politically in-correct! Ha! But Preston was so excited to go fishing on his birthday! And I think Erick was just as excited... seriously, Erick enjoys all of Preston's hobbies just as much as he does - it's great! These are memories to last a lifetime.... so here's Preston heading out to go fishing! They fished for like four hours and even ran into Preston's "BFF" at the fishing pond! So he got to fish with his buddy, Aiden, on his birthday! How great is that?!?

When they got home, Erick made him a special pancake breakfast and then it was present time!

Instead of the traditional wrapping, this year we sent Preston on a treasure hunt around the house for his presents! While they were fishing, I spent all morning drawing a map of our house and hiding all of his treasures. I had spent all Summer collecting tons of cars from the "Cars" movie, so I had lots of little things to hide - and, okay, one big thing....

First he had to find his treasure map... it was in "mom's favorite room" - the scrapbook room! Hee hee!

Then the hunt began - there were presents in the pantry, refrigerator, dryer, and even in the shower! It was a hoot!

And here's the big one... a Nintendo Wii - the whole family is enjoying this gift! "It's the gift that keeps on giving!" Movie line alert - who can name it?

Later that day, I took Preston to Wal-Mart to buy his first Wii game - a fishing game no doubt! Then we all went out to dinner at one of Preston's favorite restaurants - Macaroni Grill. But of course, our artist can draw on the tables there! So funny story - Preston told me the other day, "When I date girls, I am going to take them to Macaroni Grill." Okay, not ready for that! But that's nice that he'll take them somewhere other than Taco Bueno (his other favorite eatery)!

And the festivities ended the following weekend as we invited three of Preston's good friends from school over - Aiden, Trent and Mason. Can I tell you what a good group of boys we had at our house! I mean, they were just so good together - like four peas in a pod. And nothing but kindness out of all of them! Thank you boys for celebrating with us - we had a blast!

They enjoyed a water gun and water balloon fight outside - they were drenched!

And you guessed it - Erick was right in the middle of it all - like I said, he enjoys these things just as much as the kids!

Then we came in and enjoyed pizza, birthday cake and presents! These boys sitting around the table cracking each other up was quite the hilarious spectacle! Oh, the joy of boys - you moms know what I mean! Everything is funny - then add some bodily function humor and well, it's down right hysterical!

Then the boys headed upstairs. Preston enjoyed showing them his new game, they made this massive Star Wars scene with all the Star Wars toys and watched a movie in the media room! Two of the boys left in the LATE hours of the night (but they weren't tired you know, for the record!) Ha! And then we enjoyed having Mason spend the night. The loved sleeping in their sleeping bags in Preston's room.

Happy Birthday, Smoochie Boy! I'm sure you're already counting the days until you are 8 years old.... slow down big man! Love you more!

11 Months with Evan... What a Blessing

2008-09-20T01:04:00.007-05:00

Couldn't you just smooch all over that face! I know I do!

Our little man is growing up way too fast! But it's hard to remember our life without this little bundle of joy, energy and personality! And I certainly wouldn't want to imagine it! Can you believe that we thought we were done having kids?!? So glad that God put it in our hearts to have another. Evan has been such a blessing to our whole family - "he completes us"!

This little guy LOVES to dance! Seriously, it is the cutest! Anytime and anywhere he hears music he starts dancing - bopping his head up and down, shaking his arms around and just dancing! He cries when the music stops! His favorite toys are the ones that make music. He'll set one off and then start dancing and laughing and running around.... so proud of himself! And he always looks to make sure you're watching and dancing along. Show off! Above are a couple pictures of him getting his groove on! Shake your groove thing, Evan!

It's not hard to make Evan laugh - he is quite the ham. He loves being tickled, being chased and LOVES to play peek-a-boo or "Where's Evan?" He loves pulling stuff over his face for you to say "boo!" He is a busy man - if he is awake, he is moving and exploring... and oh yes, we are indeed walking - well, almost running now! I know it's old news to most - but on September 6th Evan did indeed figure out a faster way to get from place to place! And he hasn't looked back since!

In fact, funny little fact... Preston started walking right after his first birthday party - as soon as guests left he started walking around. And then Evan started walking after Preston's 7th birthday party - Preston had some friends over for the night, and Evan started walking around! I guess all those boys were motivation to get moving! Apparently Preston's parties inspire walking!

Here are some shots of him in action!

Oh, and that little yellow sign that he is holding is his favorite. It's a "duck crossing" sign from our wooden train table. If he is in the playroom, he is carrying and chewing on that sign!

So, have I said lately how much Evan loves his brother? He is so in love with Preston. And Preston spends every waking hour playing with Evan, worrying about Evan, talking to Evan... what a joy it is to see them together!

Another one of Evan's favorite things to do is copy you. He loves copying sounds that you make and silly things you do! And of course, he is learning very quickly how to do the things that "big brother" does.... oh, to be like big brother!

He has actually starting "playing cars" with Preston and finds the purpose of toys pretty quickly. Isn't that fun to see them figure things out?!? You can just see the wheels turning.

"Almost there....."

One of his favorite times - bedtime with "bubba". He loves walking around in his room and going in and out of his bathroom while he gets ready... here he is helping Preston brush his teeth!

I know there's so much more to say about this little guy, but for now I'll just leave you with a few more pictures! Love to All!

Didn't even budge when I came in to get this picture... he loves using his bumper as a pillow.

What a face!

Broken Bow, Oklahoma

2008-09-11T13:39:00.026-05:00

A couple of weeks before school started we drove up to Beavers Bend State Park in Broken Bow, Oklahoma and rented an adorable cabin with the Sutherlands. It was so fantastic - it was camping for us city folk! hee hee! It had a wrap around porch literally around the entire cabin - there was a hot tub outside on the deck, a grill, air hockey, and two huge trees growing through the porch decking; it was such a relaxing setting - if we were at the cabin, we were on that porch!

This picture below is the drive up to the park - if you haven't been; this is such a beautiful state park. We actually went there about three years ago and were excited to get back! The trees are unbelievable; and there's really lots to do in the area (if you like to be outside)!

Honestly, we had no real agenda while we were there. We mostly wanted to relax and hang out with good friends. I think the kids' favorite part of the trip was playing in the fabulous "front yard" at the cabin.... what a view! They played dinosaurs, hunted for rocks and pine cones and there was even a friendly little beagle that would visit us! Our kids are entertainers, so they loved putting on "shows" for us.

Below are my boys with their God Mother - Susan. This was the night we decided to roast marshmallows! There was actually a fire pit with benches in the front yard - a great spot for marshmallow roasting!

Here's Preston with his first marshmallow of the night... the kids were so excited!

Oh, and here's Erick trying to start the fire... I felt like we were on "Survivor" doing a fire challenge! It was not an easy feat, and we had a lighter! But Erick won the challege and we had fire!

One night after the kids went to bed we decided to play a game of Poker. Luckily we had the Poker expert, Todd, there to teach us! Seriously! We were all in need of some serious schooling! Well, look who ended up winning the pot in a last ditch "all in" hand!

Inside the park there is this great swimming hole area with paddle boats. It's a ton of fun; here we are getting a work-out on the paddle boats! Both of my boys love being outside and were in heaven every moment of the trip.

Here is Evan loving the paddle boat ride!

And I love this sweet picture of Erick and Evan enjoying the swimming hole and Evan especially enjoyed the snow cone Daddy is holding! This swimming hole was so awesome... the water was so refreshing and chilling! Preston could have stayed there all day!

Okay, below is a random picture, but I thought it was so hilarious. On our way into the park there was this accounting company on the side of the road... literally, his name is "Joe Bob Smith, CPA"... ha.... You Might Be A Redneck! Okay, I'm from the South, so I think it's okay for me to poke fun at my kind! I know, what a shocker, right? I've lived in Texas just about my whole life - a true Texan! Crazy - you'd think I'd have an accent or something, right?

Here are the older kids "posing" for their picture... have we trained these kids well, or what?!? When your mommy loves to take pictures and loves to scrapbook, you get used to having a camera in your face! These pictures are so special to me because these kiddos are so close and will be friends for a lifetime. They really are family and I know one day they will get a kick out of these pictures.

And here's the whole gang... had to get a group shot even though there wasn't a soul around to take it! The ice chest was used as a handy tripod!

Truly a rare occasion... me and Susan in front of the camera! Thank you, Susan, for being the most wonderful friend and "Aunt Susan" in the whole world! Love you, Shirley!

Our little punk rocker, Evan! Can I just tell you and brag a little bit about what a good baby Evan is! He is such a trooper and so easy! The trip was about 2 1/2 hours each way and he didn't make a peep both ways! And while we were there, he slept so good and was so content to just "be" and hang out. Since he wasn't quite walking, we couldn't really put him down on the ground to crawl (ouch!), so he hung out on the porch in his highchair and spent lots of time in our arms and in the Baby Bjorn! He could not have made the trip easier, love you Schmoopie!

So this was my favorite view off the highway..... WHAT A VIEW! Can you believe this is Oklahoma?!?

And we remembered a beautiful photo spot from our last time there; a gorgeous winding river with rocks and a waterfall. So pretty.

And last, but certainly not least.... we had to go FISHING! Oh, yes, we have quite the fisherman in Preston and this was a MUST! Here the kids are excited to find the perfect fishing spot!

My two fishermen getting ready to cast out!

Here is Evan very fascinated with the fishing pole! Erick literally had him strapped on the front of him while he fished.... Evan loved it; even if we didn't catch a thing!

Here's a sweet picture of Uncle Erick helping Skylar cast out...

So, if you need an idea for a relaxing, beautiful long weekend definitely get to Broken Bow, Oklahoma! We will be back!

Evan-Zilla

2008-09-10T17:44:00.024-05:00

"If you build it... he will destroy it."

Well, luckily Evan has a very patient and giving big brother, because Evan is nothing short of a miniature Godzilla! We call him "the destructor"! Can you see him above literally trying to climb up a toy so that he can get to the stuff on the table? We are in TROUBLE! Preston never really got into all that much; he was a rule follower. Let's just say that Evan is not! Ha!

So here's another thing that cracks us up. He loves to destroy the train table and chew on the toys, but hey - he doesn't want to be selfish with these toys! No, he wants to share them! Here he is "sharing" a nice, wet, slobbery toy with his brother. He'll do it over and over again, and he'll kind of grunt when he hands it to you like, "here ya go, want some of this?" Um, no thanks.

Okay, so below is a little short movie for you... sit back, relax and enjoy the Evan-Zilla show!

Ladies and gentlemen, we present a beautiful fort built by Preston.... this would be what we call "Pre-Evan"....

And here he is, looks like he has spotted something that needs his attention! He's on his way!

"Well, my goodness - what is this beautiful structure?"

Drum roll please..... feast your eyes on "Post-Evan"... or what he considers "a job well done"!

Oh, the joy of boys! Wouldn't trade them for anything!

We're Not In Kindergarten Anymore

2008-09-10T16:08:00.009-05:00

One of my favorite things about Preston is his love for school. He loves everything about school - meeting new people, learning new things, seeing his old friends. His favorite subjects are P.E. of course, Science and going to the library. Oh, and recess if that's a subject! He loves reading, working on projects and still loves to draw. Preston is such a passionate person and he wakes up every morning excited for a new day - thank you, Preston, for being my morning boy... because I unfortunately am NOT! Hee hee!

Well, of course Preston was SUPER thrilled about his first day of first grade! He really felt so big and you know, he felt so big to me too! Something about first grade, it's like they've been initiated and now the real fun begins. Here is Daddy walking him into school the first day - it's so neat to see all the parents with their cameras and smiles on their faces! Preston was sooo happy to see all of his friends!

So this year the kids have desks! Whoo hoo! We came to Meet the Teacher and put up all of his school supplies so they were ready to go on the first day! Oh, I love school supplies... honestly. Although some of the items on the list were HARD to find, I had to buddy up with my friend, Tasha, who also has a first grader in the school district and we helped each other track down those odd items.

And here is Preston with his first grade teacher, Mrs. Alexander. She is a sweetie. Preston loves everyone, but I can already tell that she is going to hold a special place in Preston's heart. She has been teaching three years and has a baby just a little younger than Evan. I know that I can remember just about all of my teachers, so it's pretty special to meet Preston's teachers that may very well have a huge impact on his life. Because during the week, he spends more time at school than at home! Thank you to Mrs. Alexander and to all of those wonderful teachers who spend their lives teaching our children.

I do miss the little man hanging out with me at home and going on fun Summer playdates, but there's also something wonderful about Fall, school and all the new adventures to come! Life does become a little busier in the Fall, but I couldn't ask for a more wonderful little first grader! Good luck in first grade, Preston... now stop growing up so fast!

One Last Hoorah

2008-09-03T16:07:00.007-05:00

So with just a few days left before school, we decided to take the older kids to Six Flags for one last Summer playdate! Preston and I were joined by Tasha (with Mason and Colton), Laura (with Annika), and Jenni (with Keaton). We left the little ones at home and had a blast riding all the rides with these big kids! And yes, there was but one girl in the bunch, Annika, and she didn't seem to mind it a bit! She had lots of boys doting on her!

Above is our first ride of the day, and really the only ride where I was able to get a good picture of them all! The day was perfect - it had actually rained that morning, so the park wasn't very crowded and it wasn't scorching hot!

Above are the kids with The Roadrunner - he was too cute and loved playing with the kids! Oh, and the grown-ups too! Below is Laura TRYING to talk on the phone, but The Roadrunner had other ideas... followed her around until he got a laugh!

And I just had to get a picture with FogHorn LegHorn - one of mine and Erick's childhood favorites! It's so great how the kids enjoy the characters that we watched when we were kids too; Preston always asks if "this show" was around when I was a kid... you know, in the "old days"... these characters were kickin' it Old School!

And Mason and Preston were very excited to meet SpongeBob and his best friend, Patrick below. No, it's not the most educational show in the world, but you have to admit that it's funny and SpongeBob really is a good guy, a good friend and of course, always "Employee of the Month". Ha ha!

Here are the kids cooling off in the misters... but of course, they didn't settle for a fine mist, they all ended up walking away drenched!

Some more "old school" favorites below - Speedy Gonzalez and Taz! It felt like we were in Disney World again with all the characters that Six Flags has out now... it's a great change that they've made. What a fun day!

Oh, and I couldn't believe it, but we got Preston on the Shockwave! WOW! I was so excited for him - that he would try a ride that big at only six years old! Although I was pretty sure we were only going to get him on it once, I was unbelievably proud of his courage. He unfortunately didn't like it - his smile turned to a frown as soon as we went down that first hill, but he didn't cry... just muttled his way through the whole ride and said "no thanks" when we asked if he wanted to ride it again. Way to go, Preston! I hope you will always try new things.

Such a fun time - and with three of my sweetest, dearest friends - it's as much fun for the mommies as it is for the kids sometimes! And speaking of dear friends, thanks so much to Aunt Susan who was so generous to watch little Evan for the day so that Preston and I could have a "big kid" day!

My Big Boy Chair

2008-09-03T15:57:00.001-05:00

This picture just cracked me up! Evan just loves these chairs and he is so excited to now have his own big boy chair. He loves to crawl up in it and sit... well, if sitting counts when it's only two seconds! Ha! What he really loves to do is crawl up the front and then tip it over, crashing it down - so that he can crawl over the back! Yes, he's our little dare devil... not afraid of anything! We are in TROUBLE! He is such a riot and loves to laugh, and especially loves it when you laugh at him!

Our Water Babies

2008-09-03T14:14:00.009-05:00

Well, there probably aren't too many people in Texas that don't like a good swim at the pool in August! And Preston and Evan would swim every day if we could! We have a great neighborhood pool with a big pool and play area and the boys have just loved it this Summer. And so have Mommy and Daddy!

Just wanted to share a few pics playing in the water...

Evan loves playing with his big brother... and Preston just eats it up! Just last night Preston said, "I'm so glad we have Evan." And he shows his love for him every day.

Here's Evan trying to pry those goggles off Preston's face! Ha!

"My Daddy is so much fun!"

Here he is taking a ride in his little swimming crab! Thank you, Elizabeth, for giving this to Evan... it was great fun this Summer!

Love the "do"!

My boys...

"THIS is soooo exciting!"

Love to all! Hope everyone had a great Summer! "Just keep swimming... swimming, swimming, swimming!" Who can guess what that's from?!? Come on, it wouldn't be me if I didn't quote a few movie lines in my blog!

Evan Is 10 Months Old

2008-08-20T12:58:00.018-05:00

I'm sure all my mommy friends can relate that it kind of makes me sad to be writing about Evan being 10 months old already! Where has the time gone? My little baby is growing into a toddler full of personality! He is such an amazing joy! God's plan is always so perfect; it's hard to remember our family before this little man arrived. He's our sweet little "Schmoopie" and we just can't get enough of him.

Just wanted to share a few pictures from the last month or so... just a few, yea right! Come on, it's me...

He rarely enjoys his exercauser anymore... but for some reason a couple of weeks ago he thought it was the greatest thing ever... I guess because he hadn't played in it for quite some time... he's a man on the move and doesn't want to be "contained"! But here he is putting on quite a show in his exercauser... he gets so excited, squeals with excitement and just starts jumping around like a wild man! You just can't get enough of his infectious laugh and smile... Daddy says he's too cute for his own good! The second picture below just makes me laugh.

Here we are before heading out to the pool - we always like playing with the sunscreen in his hair - makes for some funny hair-dos!

And of course, these days he is all about putting things in his mouth - it is his mission in life! He gets himself in the funniest positions trying to cram things in his mouth! He is Evan, King of the Drool, and still King of the Spit Up too, it's a full-time job to follow around after him with a burpie... he leaves quite the trail!

Everyone laughs at his teeth - he got his bottom two center teeth, but then has only gotten his top two eye teeth after that - so he looks like our little vampire! Or... sometimes he looks like our little "bubba" who needs to put his front dentures back in! hee hee! Here he is showing those top teeth.

Evan on the move... oh, man is he into everything?! I mean, EVERYTHING! Even if you are holding him and walking around, it's best to just keep moving - because if there is something on the wall or the counter or anything within reach - he will grab it! We're trying to teach him the word "no", but most of the time he just grins when you tell him "no". But oh, every once in a while he is not too happy with you when you tell him "no", or have to take something away. He gives you a big "ehhhh" and crawls away. He is so fast and goes for everything that's he's not supposed to... Preston was and is such a rule follower, but we can already tell that Evan is not going to follow the rules! We put him in a high chair in the restaurant after church the other day and before we could even get both feet into the high chair he had completely cleared the table of all plates, utensils, crayons, anything within reach! Oh, help! Good thing he's cute...

He is such a happy little guy, the only time he fusses is when he's tired. He LOVES to sleep and loves to ride in the car - he is a very good traveler and just goes with the flow when we have to run brother all around town to camps, practices, school, etc...

He's also all about pulling himself up on things and walking around things. He loves to let go and can balance for quite a while - he's still only taken 2-3 steps so far. But he has almost mastered standing up by himself in the middle of the room... here he is trying!

Triceratops... yummy!

Ain't that the truth... "Feed Me and Nobody Gets Hurt!" Actually Evan would much rather play than eat... in fact, he loves to play while he's eating - what a mess! All of you that have been around this little guy knows that he loves to makes funny sounds and faces... we've got a new sound we call the "old geezer".... it's like he's only breathing out and trying to talk, it's so funny. And speaking of talking - he says "Dadda" and "Bubba" very clearly, although I'm not sure if he knows what he's saying yet. But as for "Mamma", I am "Bwa Bwa".

Here's another one of his favorite games... the FAN! He loves fans... especially the floor fans. He's plays this game where he crawls up to them, let's the air hit his face and then giggles and crawls away really fast... he does it over and over again - back and forth. It's hysterical and he cracks himself up!

These two boys love each other so much. Preston is an outstanding big brother and praises every little thing that Evan does and can't wait until he wakes up so he can play with him. And Evan just lights up when he sees Preston.

Okay, how about this face? This is what Evan thinks of "real food"! He has no interest in those Gerber puffs or Cheerios or Biter Biscuits. Apparently they are DISGUSTING! "I'll stick with the baby food, mom!"

"What? You want me to eat this? This is soooo not edible."

My sweet boy, you can kind of see his teeth here too.

Well, nap time is just about over. Better go get that wild and crazy guy! Love to all!

The Sweetest Handyman

2008-08-16T18:12:00.006-05:00

It's every day that I realize how truly blessed I am to have such an amazing husband in Erick. I could not ask for a better partner, friend and father for our sons. He is so patient and fun and shows his love for us every day. Thank you, Daddy!! Just had to brag on you just a little bit...

And so the picture above was hilarious! We have these niches going up our back set of stairs and well, of course I must decorate them! The first one wasn't hard, you could kind of reach it from the stairs. But the one further down the stairs was a little trickier! I actually had to hoist Erick up into the niche so that he could hang some pictures in there for me! So, we got them all hung - and then the harder part... getting down! Ha! He had to trust on me to lower him down! I'm sure we won't be changing the decor in these niches anytime soon!

And here are my two fabulous handymen hard at work painting the base coat for the kitchen! It was a Saturday morning and I got a wild hair that today was the day I wanted to faux finish the kitchen! So while I was next door helping a neighbor with decorating her house, my boys were hard at work painting! They quickly got on the basecoat in time for me to come home and do the faux finish on top.... which wasn't so quick, I think we were up until about 2:00am and then still had more left to do the next morning before we had dinner guests over later that day! Kitchens are so time-consuming because you've got to tape and work around all the cabinets, etc... Again, I don't think we'll be changing the paint color in here for a while! I'm glad it's DONE! Thank you Daddy for working so hard and being the BEST painter! And thank you my little handyman, Preston, for helping paint every room with Daddy... you are a great helper!

Okay, so this picture above... I had to just get it from inside the house, so it's through the window. I didn't want these guys who were helping with our landscape to wonder why the weird lady in the house was taking a picture of them literally jack-hammering our yard! Yes, jack-hammering! So, can you see next to us that we still have an empty lot next door, and can you see all the rock? No, there wasn't a truck that came and dropped off a bunch of cool rock... that's what is underneath our houses out here! I remember when they were digging the trenches for our foundation - they had to bring out special machinery to get the holes deep enough - it delayed the house at least two weeks. It was crazy! Good for foundation though! We always joke that they didn't even need to pour a foundation, they could have just started building! By the way, Preston loves going to "dig" for "fossils" in this rocky lot next door... if I even go out to check the mail he's running behind me and over to the lot next door to dig for "fossils".

So, anyway... back to the guys above. We were in the house a few days and noticed that our trees were a little crooked. So we kept calling the landscapers and asking them to come out and straighten up our trees. So they came out and attempted to re-stake our trees to help them, but after "digging" for quite some time the little guy knocked on my door and said "I'll have to come back with my jack-hammer tomorrow!" He couldn't even dig a big enough hole for a tree stake! So, here they are.... they had to jack-hammer and re-stake all of our trees! Unfortunately, before they could get them all done, two of our trees in the backyard fell over and we are praying that they will survive... poor little trees, just trying to survive in this Texas rock and Texas heat!

Well, back to some more "to do's" and I'm sure some more "honey do's" for my honey!

Vacation Bible School 2008

2008-08-16T17:52:00.009-05:00

Preston is always so excited about Vacation Bible School every Summer. This year they took a "Trek through the Amazon". Above is Preston with is crew leader and my dear friend, Summer. They learned all about the seven C's of the bible... Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross and Consummation. Our church always puts so much into this week; we wouldn't miss it! It is such a fun and Christ-filled week for the kiddos! And yes, Preston's favorite parts are all about playing with his friends and being a kid... but I know he's also learning about our Savior all week and all the wonderful things that he created for us in this world.

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." - Ephesians 1:17

Thank you Summer - for your wonderful friendship and for teaching the kids this year. Preston was so excited that you were his leader! And thank you to Catherine, who hosted a post-VBS party at her house... a party that was all boys, whew!

Dinosaur Valley

2008-08-14T20:30:00.011-05:00

Well, of course - what family with a couple of boys wouldn't enjoy a place called Dinosaur Valley State Park! What a fabulous place - it made for a great, and very hot, Texas Saturday!

Above are Erick and Evan sitting in dinosaur tracks - these were some of the biggest that we saw...

Most of the tracks were actually in water - in this beautiful and very cool and refreshing river. It was really a lot of fun walking through the river looking for tracks.... can you kind of see the three-toed track to the right of Preston, up a little? Way cool to walk where the dinosaurs once walked!

But of course, in between searching for tracks we had to take a dip in the river! Outside AND water - my boys couldn't have been happier! Okay, so there was a spell where my six-year old son could have been happier, but oh well - it was hot, and he was very excited... and he got over it! Oh, one day I will laugh as I look back at my six-year old rolling his eyes at me and stomping away... but I'm just not ready to call it "funny" yet! Ha!

We went with our friends, the Sutherlands - here are the kids enjoying the river.

Below - Evan absolutely LOVED his first ride in the backpack! He never made a peep, just fell asleep when he got tired and then woke up and enjoyed the ride... thanks Daddy for being our baby mule! Hee hee!

It was such a beautiful place with all sorts of rocks and trails to hike through... you could easily spend a couple of days exploring.

Here's Daddy pointing out some more tracks to Preston...

So, after visiting the actual park area we had to make one more stop... we had seen signs for it all the way in to the park.... but what else other than DINO WORLD! How could we resist?

And although it was incredibly hot - yes, still hot, Dino World had literally over 100 life-size dinosaurs replicas on this beautiful trail... the kids enjoyed seeing all the different types of dinosaurs - so many that I have never even heard of.... and believe me, having a six year old boy - I've read about some dinosaurs!

And probably Preston's favorite thing of the day was at Dino World - the kids got to "dig for fossils". Preston found three shark teeth - they are a prized possession and have a special place in our home!

If you haven't been... it's really something you should put on your calendar... but I'm thinking we'll go back in the Fall or Spring! A great relief was dinner and treats at Dairy Queen on the way home... yummy!

Mommy's Favorite Band

2008-08-14T20:08:00.004-05:00

I know, this a horrible picture... it's all I could get last Summer when we went and saw my favorite band in concert - Third Eye Blind. They didn't allow you to take cameras in - so I tried to get a quick shot with the phone! I just downloaded a bunch of old pictures from Erick's phone the other day and thought I'd finally blog about one of my favorite nights! It was a sold-out concert where literally EVERYONE was singing EVERY word to every song...

So, let me say up front that I love Third Eye Blind for their music; I appreciate them as songwriters, artists and musicians. They have political and religious views that I absolutely do not share, and no - their music is not always politically correct. It's not something that I listen to with the boys in the car - not that there are bad words all over the place, it's just not always the right message for them. Plus, it's music that I like to jam to by myself when I'm driving to a scrapbook retreat or something! Hee hee!

So, Erick and I have seen them four times in concert... this picture is from the last time we saw them, last July. Yes, I was literally 7 months pregnant... definitely not the norm at a rock concert! I was looking for more pregnant mommies, but none were to be found... I thought about going backstage and begging for them to let the pregnant lady in to meet them! Ha!

I have such good memories associated with their music... some of our dear friends, Molly and Jared - who now live in San Francisco, are also fans and their music always reminds me of them. And when Erick and I were married about a year, we took a trip to Colorado (drove) and we only had two CDs in the car, and as the radio went in and out - Third Eye Blind's debut CD was played too many times to count. That was one of my most favorite vacations with my husband, and so this CD brings back memories of our road trip!

So even though they are all very liberal musicians - I can certainly appreciate that they are a brilliant band and I can't wait to see them in concert again!

ROCK ON!

A Fishin' We Will Go

2008-08-14T18:51:00.004-05:00

"Teach a boy to fish...." and well, he'll be obsessed about fishing and talk about it from sun-up to sun-down every day. We have created a "fishin' monster" in Preston. He is always thinking about that "next fish". Hee hee!

It wasn't his first time fishing, but it was by far his most exciting fishing expedition! Preston would want me to be sure and tell you that he caught six fish that day! Can I even tell you the excitement level when he got home?!? I got to hear about every fish in detail, especially the one bass they caught! We actually couldn't believe that the little lake (pond, really) in our neighborhood had that many fish in it! Don't worry - we put them all back so that the next little fisherman can enjoy too!

Enjoy these pics of Preston with his "catches of the day".... sorry they're not great pics, Daddy took them on his camera phone; although I am so happy to just have these pics at all - couldn't imagine not having these moments caught on camera! Thank you, Daddy!

HAPPY FISHING!

Going All Fancy Pants

2008-08-12T19:03:00.004-05:00

So, I've had lots of fun working on the blog today and making it a little more colorful! I even got wild and crazy and added music too! Thanks to my girlfriend, Lisha, for always inspiring me to be a better blogger!

Soccer Camp 2008

2008-08-12T18:08:00.003-05:00

Well, this is both mine and Preston's favorite week every Summer. It's the third Summer that we've done the British Challenger Soccer Camp. It is such a fun time for the kids and the adults! I just can't talk high enough about it. They always have the most amazing set of coaches every year - most of them are British, but some Scottish, South African... just a great group of young guys and girls that LOVE what they do! They make the week all about teaching them soccer through fun games, silly cheers and TOTAL TEAMWORK! It's a huge camp, there were at least 200 kids there and they say this is their biggest camp all Summer, every year - WOW!

Above is Preston with his team - "TEAM SWANSEA". Of course, I had never heard of Swansea City before... apparently it's a great professional team in Whales. They had to dress up in their team colors every day and played scrimmages against other "pro" teams.

Here is Preston getting his shirt signed by his wonderful coach, "Coach Mike"!

And every day the coaches give them "homework" and on this day, can you guess it - dress up your coach day! It was hilarious.... what good sports - it was literally 102 degrees outside!

Above is Preston with his friend, Caroline, who is also our neighbor. She was at the camp too and we had fun riding to camp with her in the mornings. The kids were loaded with lots of water and sunscreen! These pictures above and below are on the last day where they had to make a team jersey and flag and could do face paint, hair paint, etc... I tried my hand at the jersey! Preston loved it! And I did my best to paint a swan on his face below... it was hot though, and his nose kept itching! Hee hee!

Until next Summer.... game on!

Hello Spartacus

2008-08-12T17:49:00.003-05:00

"Hello Spartacus" is what Erick said when he saw this picture of Evan. Can you tell he is so very proud of his accomplishment? I found him this way when I went in to get him the other morning.

While Erick thought of Spartacus, my first thought was, "and here we have, Evan, in a boyish one-shoulder sleeper perfect for day or evening wear; notice the blue and white stripes with red detail. A must have in your wardrobe..."

What a goofy kid!

My Mamma Dresses Me Funny

2008-08-11T13:51:00.005-05:00

"Chicks dig my muscles"

So I'm a sucker for a funny onesie... whether it's on the front, or on the bum! I just had to get some pics of some of my favorites...

It's kind of hard to tell, but of course this one above is on the backside of the onesie.... appropriately!

Can't read this one above really... the little man was too busy that day! But it says, "Hello, I'm new here."

We got the one above months before he was even born at the "Star Wars" museum. This is the backside of the onesie, the front says "Future Jedi Master". Of course, Preston loves this one!

Above - "Little Ladies Man".... Erick and I used to love that skit on Saturday Night Live.

And this one is especially funny, considering Daddy is a tax CPA!

A Funny Little Man

2008-08-11T13:31:00.004-05:00

Our little man is just full of funny faces and sounds all the time... he is such a happy little boy! What a pure joy he is to our lives every day. Just thought I'd share a few of his funny faces that have cracked us up this Summer!

Happy Fourth of July or August

2008-08-04T17:37:00.005-05:00

Happy 4th of July on the 4th of August! Just wanted to share a few pictures watching the fireworks!

Evan's first fireworks... Evan with his Uncle Todd.

Our babies' Daddies!

The older kids - Preston, Skylar and Trevor watching the fireworks!

"One nation, under God...." Happy Independence Day... thank you to those of you who have served our country.

A Few Dinner Guests

2008-08-04T17:12:00.003-05:00

Okay, I have tried to be good and not get out my camera EVERYTIME someone comes to dinner, but I have succumb to breaking out the camera a few times... I do have scrapbooks that need to be filled people! hee hee!

Above are the kids with our dearest, closet friends Todd and Susan. Susan was the first official person we had over for dinner - as she helped me unpack! It was so great to have you guys over for dinner and finally have a place again where the kids could play!

And below here are two of the most special people in the whole world to me - Mamaw and Papaw. They are really my foster parents and I can always count on them for anything. I am so proud to have them in our lives and I love that my boys know them. I would not be where I am today without the love, support and guidance of these two wonderful people.

Evan Wilson with his namesake... Wilson (Papaw).

And here are some cute little guys... Evan and Jadon. We had a group of girls at the church all pregnant and due around the same two months... all were boys except for one! Ha! These are just two of the boys from that bunch!

And here are Preston, Ethan and Gabe enjoying ice cream sundaes! Gabe was enjoying his sundae way too much to pose for my silly picture! Hee hee!

We have been so excited and honored to have so many of our friends and family over for dinner... count yourself lucky if you were here and I didn't bust out the camera! I try to control myself... but you are all loved the same. And I really had to restrain myself for this one, but one of my favorite nights in the house was a couple of weeks ago when about eight of us girls piled in the media room with popcorn and candy to watch "Juno"! And then we all stayed up until almost midnight chatting.... what a fabulous time. Thanks for the memories and the friendships!

Our Little Fish

2008-07-30T14:19:00.007-05:00

Well, this was waaaaay back before Summer even officially began, but I don't think I blogged about Evan's first trip to the swimming pool! He is our little fish; he just loves to be in the water! Here he is with brother at the Nadatorium for our church's annual pool party!

The silly boy loves the water so much, he'll dunk his head in if you don't watch out! Here he is after a quick head dunk - "this is great!"

And here he is just laughing at big brother in the water! Preston is also a huge water boy! He'd be in the pool every day if he could.... and so would mom and dad actually! Hopefully we'll be able to put in a pool one day...

Summertime Fun

2008-07-26T13:17:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to share a few random pictures of our Summer so far... I can't believe that school starts in less than a month! There are still so many things we want to do!

Here we are above and below at our church's Mother/Son baseball game. We went and saw the Roughriders play a truly amazing game!! We were up the whole game, but then the opposing team hit a grand slam and were up by one at the bottom of the eighth inning. Well, then we answered them back and hit a home run to win the game by one in the ninth inning! It was so much fun! It was a Friday night, so they had a great fireworks show afterwards too. We had hot dogs, nachos, soda, Dippin' Dots - you name it. Oh, and after the sixth inning my friend, Summer, talked all of us moms into going down on the field and competing in the Hula Hustle with another group. And we actually won!! T-shirts were won by all! It was a great time with just the older boys and moms! Below is Preston with his buddy, Ethan - they were glued together that night.

And here we are at Color Me Mine painting pottery. Preston is such an artist, can you see - they are really concentrating on their pieces. Preston painted a jet, Skylar painted a horse, and Trevor painted Lightening McQueen of course!! And it also happened to be Trevor's birthday that day - whoo hoo! It was such a great place, so fun - but I have to say, very overpriced... hopefully they'll go down on their prices to get more return business!

Here are Trevor, Preston and Skylar walking around in the park after a picnic lunch and playing on the playground...

Here's a whole group of us that play every week... enjoying some time at Jack Carter pool - one of my favorite places to go! Can you believe they are all looking at the camera!! And thank you to big brothers, Ethan and Preston, for holding the babies so they could be in the picture too!

And my sweet boys enjoying some time in the backyard... our pool was closed in the neighborhood for cleaning, so we did it up right and used the blow up pool! Hee hee! Evan loves the water - his face lights up everytime he sees a pool.

More Celebrations

2008-07-11T11:12:00.011-05:00

Almost caught up on my blogging - whoo hoo!! Just wanted to share a few pics from Mother's Day and Father's Day this year.

Thank you to my boys for the beautiful Mother's Day flowers and cards - Preston picked out the flowers himself. I am very proud to be your Mommy!

On Father's Day we went over to Todd and Susan's for a double celebration! We celebrated Father's Day along with Trevor's 3rd birthday! Happy birthday big boy! You are no longer "Baby Trevor"! I know your Mommy is sad to see you getting so big... Susan, you can get your baby fix with "Baby Evan" anytime you want!

One of our yummy treats for the evening! Happy Dad's Day to all you wonderful Dads! I am especially thankful to my wonderful and amazing husband. He is such a phenomenal father; he makes me be a better mother. You are the best, Daddy!

All the Dads with the kiddos! That's Susan's dad "Pop Pop" in the middle.

And the birthday boy himself! But of course, with a Lightening McQueen cake. He is obsessed with Cars, which made it easy to pick out a birthday gift! Happy Birthday, Trevor! "Ka-Chow!"

And one of Preston's favorite things - "Thunder and Lightening" from Uncle Todd! Thanks Uncle Todd for always indulging the kids in this game! You are a wonderful father, and Preston and Evan are lucky to have you as their GodFather.

Hopping Back To Easter

2008-07-10T15:55:00.005-05:00

Yes, I realize that Easter was in March - but hey, better late to blog than never, right!! Seriously, I have this smaller camera that I keep in my diaper bag for those "man, I wish I had my camera" moments - and sometimes I forget to download the pictures from it - i.e. some of these Easter pictures!

So above is Easter morning - can't you tell, the boys are still in their PJs. Sorry, Daddy - I didn't even give him a chance to do his hair! And Evan, he's just eyeing his bottle like "hey, I was eating before this silly picture!"

Easter was a little crazy this year because we had just moved into the house, so the house was still a wreck and pure chaos! But let us never be too busy to celebrate the resurrection! And as we always do - we celebrated with our friends, The Bradleys. Of course, our day started with Easter baskets - followed by a lovely service at church, a delicious lunch and Easter egg hunt! Thank you, Aunt Tasha, for putting on the hunt this year as my Easter stuff was still buried in the garage! We have so many special traditions with the Bradleys, this is just one of our annual events...

The thrill of the hunt...

Here's the whole gang... Preston is laughing because I had to set the camera timer and then RUN to get into the picture, literally throwing him onto my lap! Evan is eating, as was usual at this time in his life!

And here we are at the Sipes' house for a grand Easter egg hunt and party! Thanks for hosting all of us - you are such amazing friends to us, we can't imagine not having you in our lives! The Sipes have three boys of their own... we must all drink the same "boy" water because we sure have a bunch of them in our group!

Evan chillin' outside... oh, the days where he was happy to just sit and "be"... they are no more!

Two buddies - Mason and Preston. They have literally grown up together. They are five weeks apart in age and have known each other since birth. I hope that they will always be friends... I have great visions of them going off to A&M together!

Scrapbook Weekend

2008-07-10T15:18:00.005-05:00

So, I guess it was about three years ago when my dear friend, Tasha (in the red shirt), invited me to a "scrapbook retreat". And although, at the time, I was not a scrapbooker and didn't know what to expect - I decided to go to just catch up on projects and really just get away for a relaxing mommy weekend! Well, I am so glad that I went and after going to about two retreats I decided that I would give scrapbooking a try - and of course, I have been addicted ever since! And since I never do anything half-way, I have been collecting every whosit, whatsit, gidget and gadget for scrapbooking since I started this madness! I love all the great papers and embellishments too - I would have never thought I would have become such a scrapbook junkie! Hee hee! And even though I am sooo far behind on scrapbooking, it is just a relaxing, creative outlet and a great way to spend time with good friends! Check out these pictures below... this is our view from the crop room, sooooo beautiful.

As you can see, this place that we went to last month was absolutely gorgeous. I guess I've been to about ten retreats now and this is my favorite place. Plus, it is near Canton and we always go shopping while we are there! You can't beat that with a stick! If you've never been on a scrapbook retreat you must go! Even if you don't scrapbook, it is such a fun time. It is a total mommy weekend! We go up on Thursday or Friday to scrapbook all weekend - we have delicious meals cooked for us, we get massages, go shopping, watch tons of movies and are silly staying up until all hours of the night!

Thank you, Tasha, for showing me the world of scrapbooking! You are such a great friend and I know my boys will enjoy their scrapbook pages for years to come!

And here are some of the usual suspects... Ashley, Cathy, Kim, Sheryl, Summer, Susan, me, Tasha, Wendy and Kendra.

Last Day of Kindergarten

2008-07-09T00:16:00.004-05:00

Just a couple of pics of Preston's last day of school - it was a fun-filled very short day where the kids just got to have fun and get WET! Above is Preston with two of his best friends... Aiden and Madison. Oh yes, apparently Madison is the "girl he's going to marry"! Ha! But Preston will also tell you that he's got another girlfriend in the SIXTH GRADE! What?!? He met her in the carpool line and thinks she is the coolest! Oh, brother... we are in trouble.

Here are boys drenching each other!

And here I think they've found a bug!

Kindergarten Graduation

2008-07-08T23:46:00.003-05:00

I know we are almost half-way through the Summer... but I had to get around to blogging about Preston's sweet Kindergarten graduation. It was so cute and I truly can't believe this first year of school went by so quickly. He has grown and matured so much, and he just couldn't have loved Kindergarten anymore than he did! Thank you to his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Wonsang, and to everyone at his amazing school!

So pardon me if I brag just a bit... but I am so proud of this excellent student! He even got a couple of "excellence" awards this year. He got one in P.E. and then right before graduation he was honored with the "Art Excellence" award for all of Kindergarten. This one was really special because he is so passionate about art and drawing! Way to go Preston! He left Kindergarten reading at a second grade level; and let me tell you that he loves to read. He'll read whatever is put in front of him - novels, magazines, etc... it's pretty funny sometimes the things he chooses to read aloud! We were in the mall a few months ago and he just starts reading a poster, "How To Look Good Naked!", he just laughed after he realized what he had read!

It is so inspiring and overwhelming to see this little boy grow up before our eyes. He is a great kid and I pray every day that we will be the parents that he needs us to be for him to walk down the path God has chosen for him!

Oh, and I always wondered growing up how kids got perfect attendance!?!? Well, Preston only missed one day of school this year! And he had a pretty good excuse for that one day - Mom's water broke at 5:00am and he was at the hospital welcoming a baby brother into the world! Hee hee! But every morning Preston woke up happy and ready for school! Thank you for that! I'm sure there will be years down the road where it will not be that easy to get a growing boy out of bed for school!!!

Thanks Aunt Susan, Skylar and Trevor for celebrating this milestone with our family! It was very special to have you there - we love you. As Preston said right after graduation, "I'm now officially a first grader!"

And here's Preston with his P.E. coach - Coach Sladecek... he adores Coach Sladecek and P.E. is one of his favorite subjects! I guess we can forgive you Coach for wearing the Longhorns lanyard! Ha!

Can you believe it... graduating Class of 2020!

Evan On The Move

2008-06-23T13:28:00.017-05:00

Well, even though so much has happened in the last 8 months, we still can't believe that our little "Baby Evan" is already 8 months old! But let me tell you, he is 8 months going on 18 months! He is now officially on the move and into everything! He has been crawling for a few weeks, but has become more interested in standing and trying to walk these days! He will use whatever means necessary to get to something that he wants!

He is so proud of himself when he is able to stand on his own! He has taken a couple of quick steps, but I'm sure we are still a few months away from walking... PLEASE! Hee hee! He does pull himself up on everything though and walk around the edges of furniture. And if you are sitting he will crawl over to you and grab, claw, pinch his way up on you to get to a standing position! It's hilarious, and quite painful sometimes as he is clawing his way up your chest! Anything to stand... it makes him so happy, he just laughs and gets so excited! And he loves to jump - you'll hold his hands and he'll just jump up and down laughing the whole time. It's a great arm work-out! He does the same thing in his exersaucer, although he'd much rather have you as his jungle-gym.

So I have to talk about Evan's noises... they definitely deserve a paragraph - they are pretty funny. He's got a couple that are trademarks and we have named them appropriately... the first is the "McFly" from the movie Back to the Future... does everyone remember his laugh? That loud, slow "eh, eh, eh".... well, Evan loves making that noise, it's hysterical. He'll just do it over and over - this very dry, loud "EH, EH, EH!". And then more often is his "obscene caller" breathing. He does this heavy breathing when he gets excited - it's the raspy in and out breathing and it sounds like an obscene caller that would call you, breathe and hang up! Or, maybe I've just seen one too many scary movies (they are my favorite)! But of course, on Evan it's hilarious! And he does it ALL the time!

He's doing all sorts of talking, although I know he's not really sure of anything he's saying right now... he does say "dada" and "bubba", but of course they are just babble right now! Preston does get very excited though when he says "bubba". Evan does love copying you... his favorite thing is to smack or click his tongue on the roof of his mouth and he'll have a whole "smack" conversation with you back and forth.... this is the only time I will let my son talk "smack" to me! Hee hee!

Well, that's it for now... as usual I am attaching waaaaay too many pictures below! Enjoy! Love to all!

Just a sweet picture of Evan cracking himself up...

Evan loving his new sippy cup!

"Look, Ma, only one hand!" He loves standing in his bed!

There's no stopping him now... some of his first crawling!

"I can even crawl on my tippy tippy toes!"

One of Evan's favorite things - crawling around naked after his bath! Naked boy!

Still absolutely loves baths... we probably need to move him out of the baby bath! Please excuse the now-public exposure!

In between outfit changes - in just a bib and a diaper bouncing like crazy in his bouncy seat!

"Wheee.... I'm flying!"

Standing and jumping - it's all he wants to do! Can you tell by Erick's shorts that we were painting that day?

Here's about two months ago... Evan trying to crawl, almost...

Oh, I give up... I'm tired...

Big brother rooting him on... "You can do it!"

The first time I fed Evan a "meat" baby food... beef vegetable... he wasn't so crazy about it, huh? Chicken and turkey have gone over much better!

"This stuff is disgusting... but you can still make me laugh!"

More to come soon... still trying to catch up on my blogging!

Family Photo Day

2008-06-13T14:24:00.005-05:00

Well, we haven't had any family pictures taken since before Christmas - so I figured it was time before Evan gets any bigger! I've told him that he can't grow anymore! We can't believe that he is 8 months old now and crawling around and standing up in his crib. Boy, it flies by.

We had another session with a dear sweet friend, Dee. She takes really great pictures and she is so reasonable. And even though mom (me) tends to stress out a little bit for family photos (it's hard getting kids dressed, smiling, posed, etc...), she always gets some great shots! If you ever need someone great, please call her! Her website is www.cocoriahphoto.com.

I love the first photo at the top - it just makes my heart melt. These brothers are so in love with each other. I know there are probably some disadvantages to having kids six years apart - but I haven't found any yet. They are so great together - Preston is such a helper and doesn't have a bit of jealousy or competitiveness towards his brother. And Evan just thinks that Preston is the greatest thing and loves playing with him and studying him.

A beautiful big brother... looks just like his Daddy! Preston will be 7 years old in August - WOW!

And here's Evan at 8 months old... looks almost identical to his big brother, seriously! I'll post more about what this little man is up to in my next blog! But what a sweetie pie!

Okay, so Dee took this picture below... but of course, this was a shot that Mommy had to get and set up... who else would torture their kid in a cold, silver pot! hee hee! We got the same picture of Preston as a baby too!

Our Family... love to all!

Go Vipers

2008-06-13T13:25:00.005-05:00

You have never seen a happier kid than Preston playing soccer! In his words, "he lives to play soccer". He just finished his fifth season of socccer!

We couldn't ask for a better team , better coach or better parents! It is a joy to go to practice and the games every week. Thank you Robert and Krista for another awesome season! And even though they are still "non-competitive" and don't officially keep score.... the whole team knew that we were undefeated this season! Whoo hoo! Yes, Preston gets the competitive side from me... uh oh!

The picture up top is the nice team photo and then below is the boys cutting up... Preston is in his "ROCK ON!" pose. Oh, the joy of boys!

Below is Preston getting his trophy from his awesome coach, Robert. He keeps these boys in line and teaches them teamwork. He is so patient and yet expects these boys to play hard every time! Thank you for all the hard work, Robert!

On the run for the ball...

And but of course, little brother was always on the sidelines cheering big brother on! And he was never short for visitors on the sidelines as all the kids loved coming to say hello to Preston's little brother.

My handsome boy... great season, Preston! In the Fall they finally get to move to the bigger fields - oh, yea!

Backyard Bliss

2008-06-03T14:10:00.005-05:00

So, people have asked - "are you so glad to be out of the apartment and back into a house?" Indeed we are, even though some parts of apartment living were pretty convenient - it wasn't all bad. I mean, there was no yard work, no water bill, and you could clean the whole thing in like an hour! But definitely, it is great to be back in a house... and my favorite thing - this picture below. Finally - a yard for my son to play in again! And pretty soon - both sons... although Evan already enjoys just going out there as the breeze blows through his hair, but soon enough he'll be kicking the soccer ball with Preston! And I can't tell you how excited Preston is about THAT!

It has been so great to have people over and let the kids go play outside together. Let's pray for a mild Summer so that we can play outside every day (yea, right, who are we kidding!).

And yes, we are working our way down our list of having all of our friends and family over this Summer! We are going to fore go a "housewarming" party so that we can have you all over at special times and really visit and catch up and the kids can play too!

Awana Award Night

2008-06-03T13:36:00.007-05:00

I know Awana isn't as well known as some other clubs (it sure needs to be, spread the word!), but it's a great Christian club that our church so wonderfully hosts. It's a super club that teaches children to be servants for the Lord and for His people. This is Preston's second year in the club. But this was his first year in the "Sparks" program, which starts at Kindergarten. Awana really focuses around teaching children the Word of God, which means memorizing and understanding bible verses. Preston got a new red vest this year and a BIG book of verses that he had to learn in order to earn his patches and jewels for his vest!

Well, when they first handed out the book I looked through it and thought - wow, this is going to be tough this year. The verses Preston had to memorize were pretty long and challenging. But it is amazing how much these little brains can soak in and retain... I am so proud of Preston for finishing his book, learning all of his verses and receiving all of his crown jewels!

Oh, boy - it wasn't easy. Every week you'd have the two most hard-headed people (Preston and myself, of course), trying to learn these verses. It definitely tested our patience with one another, but it was worth it. And honestly, I was so excited to learn these verses myself; it grew my faith and taught me. And Preston was so great to put in all the hard work - he absolutely loved Awana. I pray that learning these verses and being part of Awana will help lead Preston to fully accepting and understanding Christ as his Savior.

"Way to go Preston, way to go... wooop wooop!" (All of you Awana parents will know this cheer!)

Here's a pic of our full crown...

A Day at the Arboretum

2008-05-21T15:57:00.013-05:00

So the Arboretum is one of my very favorite places - I just love it! I have been anxiously awaiting Spring so that we could take Evan. We barely missed the tulips, but of course it's always beautiful there! And of course, I always go a little camera-crazy while we're there!

Enjoy these pics!

Wheee!! Evan loved being lifted into the air...

"That was so much fun, Daddy - do it again!"

"You crack me up, big brother!"

"It's like I'm looking into a mirror." Seriously... Evan is the spitting image of Preston.

Evan was so excited, he was "bonking" his big brother up side the head!

God is good.

"Hmmmmm.... I think these hands might be deeeelicious!"

Evan loved the Arboretum... the weather was perfect and he loves being outside! And the soft, green grass felt so good on our toes!

So like I mentioned in the previous blog... sitting up is serious business! There were no smiles... but now falling down, that's a different story - that is hysterical! See more pics below...

Oh no, he's going down... help, Daddy!

Almost down, this is great, Daddy!

And we're down... that is hilarious!

And so let's do it again...

ALRIGHT, I know you all are bored to tears... I warned you that I get a little camera-crazy sometimes!! Enjoy these last few pics of the boys!

Sweetie Pie Evan

2008-05-21T12:03:00.013-05:00

Oh, what a sweet and funny boy we have in little Evan! He is pure joy! I can't imagine life without him. He turned 6 months old on April 8th and he is just loving life and all of the new tricks he is learning!

Now that we have a little more room, we were able to pull out some new toys for him! One of the first was his highchair. Meals can get pretty messy, so it's nice finally having the highchair put together. And as you can see, he thinks he is the cat's meow in his new highchair! He was so excited the first time we put him in it - yeah, a new toy! He finally gets to eat right beside us at meals - so fun!

He started sitting up at 6 months old and gets very serious when he is sitting... it's like he is concentrating and focusing. I've been able to get a couple of pictures of him sitting, but not many smiling - it's just too serious, no time for smiles, mom! Oh - and he does have two bottom teeth - they came in around 5 months actually... so all of our toys are getting good use, in his mouth of course. And he loves chomping down on the spoon when you feed him.

He still loves being on his tummy and he is the rolling machine.... he'll roll all the way across a room in a matter of seconds. And he's getting good about spotting something that he wants and rolling to get it! Uh oh - need to make sure this house is "Evan proofed".

And the picture below... this is always funny when babies do this... we call it "swimming", he's just paddling away - places to go, people to see apparently!

And here is one of Evan's favorite - his brother. Oh, are we in love with our brother - they are so in love with each other. It's very sweet. Preston is so gentle and so loving and just so proud of Evan. He entertains him while I am fixing his food and fetches me diapers and bibs... he is a great help! And Evan just lights up when he sees Preston... and even cries when Preston walks away sometimes. Preston delights in every smile that he gets from Evan, and especially loves it when he can make him laugh! And Preston marvels every time Evan accomplishes something new, he is excited about every milestone! Oh, pretty soon I'll have TWO wild and crazy boys RUNNING through this house!

Evan's other favorites... his Daddy of course - although he is a bit of a Mama's Boy right now.... I'll take that! I love that I'm able to spend this precious time with him at home; it's priceless. He also LOVES being tickled and loves it when you laugh out loud at him and clap for him... those things will always get a laugh. And I actually found one day that he loves the sound of a zipper... so to get a laugh all you have to do is say "ziiiipppp!" Too funny!

He is loving having his own room and sleeping in his nice, bigger bed! He is my snoozer... takes great naps and sleeps almost 12 hours most nights! We had his 6-month check up and he is a tall guy - in the 90th percentile like his brother. He is still our "Spit Up King" - you can't take the boy anywhere without packing a few dozen bibs and burpies... it's quite the scene. I think he'd weigh 30 pounds if he kept it all inside! The doctor says it should get better by 9 months old... please!!!

Well, of course I am still playing catch up on the blog - so I need to save some of Evan's new tricks for his 7-month update - so much happens in a month - that's it for now!

I'll leave you with my boys...

A Winter-y March

2008-05-07T14:17:00.004-05:00

So, I'm still trying to play catch up with the blog... and I just couldn't leave out that we got some absolutely beautiful snow in March - twice! This particular snow was really great - we got so much! More snow than I've seen in a while and I've lived here my whole life! Most the time we get that yucky ice and sleet - but this was snow - beautiful powder white SNOW!

Preston was so excited to play in the snow. It was actually a week before we closed on the house, but school was delayed so we drove up to the house and played in our front yard! Evan was sacked out in the house while Preston and I had a snowball fight and goofed off!

The streets were so beautiful - and all the trees and rooftops were covered - it was very peaceful and crisp! I'm not sure if I could live somewhere that has snow 3-4 months out of the year, but it sure is a pleasant escape every once in a while... we actually had a "season" in Texas! Whoo hoo! You know we'll have a "Summer" season in Texas, why can't we skip that one year - or at least skip the triple digits!

Just as a sidenote - we have seriously had the craziest weather this Spring! First.... two rounds of snow, then I think we have had some of the most severe thunderstorms and wind that I've seen in a while. And since we've been in the house we have had 5-6 tornado warnings - not watches, warnings! The sirens have gone off three times, I think - as the boys and I have had to pile into our front closet! Oh - the joy of Texas weather. It's such a cliche - but it is true... if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes and it will change!

Here are some pics of our winter-y weather!

Preston could have played all day...

Can you see the snowball mid-air?

It's hard to see in this picture - but the snow was literally piled knee-deep at the edges of the fence!

And this picture just does not do justice to how beautiful these trees were in the drive up to our neighborhood... it was like a postcard.

The Big Move

2008-05-05T23:57:00.011-05:00

WOW - So we'll start with the move... it honestly seems like it was ages ago and it was just March 16th. But when I think back to our closing day and then when we actually moved into the house - WOW, it's almost hard to remember not living in this house!? Weird, huh? Or, maybe that's just my mind blocking out the year we spent in the apartment with two kids, two dogs and waaaay too much stuff! Hmmmmm..... Seriously, we are elated to finally be in the house and it's awesome having more room and a backyard - we are very blessed. And we are so blessed that so many of you have come to visit and we've even hosted a couple of meals already... we hope more of you will come over soon! So here's my attempt to re-cap the move...

Well, unlike the building process, the move happened so quickly. We had our walk through and were going to wait two weeks to close to let them finish everything up and then we decided that we wanted to just go ahead and close (even though we hadn't packed a single box yet) and get moved in before Spring Break! So we closed several days early and moved in on Sunday, March 16th. But then Preston, Evan and I were able to spend Spring Break in our jammies unpacking! My sweet husband was only able to take off one day because, of course, this move fell at the worst time.... tax season! Ugh! But after April 15th was over he took off more than a week and kept busy on my "honey do" list! Thank you, Dad! Thanks for all the painting and the hanging - and yes, for even painting a couple of rooms twice because I decided that wasn't exactly the color I wanted... what a husband.

So, thinking back to that glorious Sunday... what a day! We had movers move in the big stuff and decided that we'd take care of the "few little things" left in the apartment that we hadn't yet packed (okay, more than a little was not packed when the movers showed up!). It seemed like a few things, but then you pack a couple of boxes and look around and all the stuff has multiplied and it's still there! We couldn't believe that all of the "little stuff" left in the apartment filled the U-Haul twice!!! And we're talking about the big U-Haul, not the little trailer hitch that holds a large dog. But I'll tell you - as you can see from his face in a picture below, Preston was born to move - he loved every minute of it and was a GREAT help and I can't even tell you how much he loved that U-Haul... note to self, a good present for Preston this year... a ride in a U-Haul! Everytime he sees one now he reads what state it's from and remembers the good old U-Haul days. He and Evan were both such troopers with many very late nights and weird meal schedules and lots of hard work... I was so thankful to have these easy, breezy kids! Because, moving with a baby takes a little more effort for sure! You just have to sit back and realize that all the stuff in the boxes ain't going anywhere - it'll still be there!

So just when we got everything moved over from the apartment... we remembered, we still have more "little stuff" left in three storage units! Geez!!! Seriously, if I ever talk of moving again - please, please, slap me! Don't get me wrong, we are so thankful to have a warm home and I am so grateful for my very hard-working husband... but seriously, if we move again - everything is staying here and we'll just start fresh at the new place!!!

I was definitely made to relax once I realized that I was being foolish to think that I could have everything unpacked in a week! Really, Amanda.... just the bathrooms alone took forever it seemed like.... seriously, how many lotions do I need? Have you bought stock in Bath and Body Works?? You should! You don't realize you have "collected" so many things until you have to unpack them! And oh, how quickly you then starting chunking stuff! I mean, why did I pack this anyway? You get some perspective after a year in an apartment not living with these things! You realize you don't need them! Getting rid of stuff is so liberating!

And as I was feeling overwhelmed - without even mentioning it, some relief arrived... I don't think we were in the house two or three days before my dearest friend, Susan, came to help! She was such an angel and is truly my God-given sister. We are so thankful for our family of friends. In fact, we called Todd, Susan's husband, at the very last minute on the Saturday before our move and he was so willing to come help Erick load that U-Haul... we could have never done it without Todd or Susan - seriously! I am so thankful for their dependability and friendship!

So it took a little more than a week, but we are pretty settled in now - everything is unpacked and we are slowly painting rooms and decorating. It'll be a work-in-progress for a very long time I'm sure. But it's fun finding new places for things and decorating. We are enjoying getting to know our new home and making new memories as a family. Preston and Evan are just loving it! Evan finally has his own room - I have to admit I was a little sad to see him leave his pack-n-play at the bottom of our bed! But he loves his crib in his pirate room! And Preston is so proud of his "log cabin" room and immediately takes everyone to it when they come in the door. We found a wonderful artist who came and painted both of the boys' rooms. They are adorable. I know, I know... everyone keeps saying - update the blog, we want to see pictures of the house... well, guess what?!? The outside is all you're gonna get! If you want to see the inside you've gotta come visit! That's right... you have to come put up with us!

The last couple of months have really been some of the best in my life... I would definitely do it again. It has been a great adventure for our family and we look forward to many wonderful years in this house. My tales of woe are so insignificant. God is Good and God is Faithful.

Well, I know there is so much more to share, but I think I may need to wrap up this entry for the sake of already rambling on too long! Oh, did I say how much I am enjoying the now 60-second drive to Preston's school! Oh, yes! Especially with gas prices these days! It's fantastic!

Enjoy these few pics!! More to come soon...

Preston thought crashing into all the packing paper was a blast!

Evan and Daddy "working" with power tools to put his new crib together!

Here is Preston soooo proud to be riding with Daddy in the U-Haul!

And the first thing we moved in - Evan and his toys! Here's a birds-eye view of Evan enjoying his time playing while we moved in furniture.

And sweet Aunt Susan and Preston helping organize our clothes! I have never had such a beautiful and color-coordinated closet! It is fabulous - thanks to Susan!

Drum Roll Please - We're Back

2008-05-05T23:48:00.005-05:00

Well, hello, hello and hello again! Yes, I am on the blog, finally, and I will attempt to play catch up as I haven't posted since February!! Hey - we've been just a little busy! Hee hee! Let's see how much I can get "blogged" tonight!!! Oh, it's on...

We're Still Here

2008-02-28T12:03:00.004-06:00

Sorry guys that I haven't posted in a while - as you can imagine, we've been a little busy! But you are always so sweet to want to see new pictures and hear all about our family! So I just posted a new blog today and it's way too long... so be warned!

Everyone is asking "when are you guys going to move?" Well, the house is VERY close to being finished! We were scheduled to close February 28th, then March 3rd, now it will probably be March 10th. You know, just those silly things that come up at the end... they stained our floors the wrong color and had to re-stain them and then they had to practically paint the whole house again because they didn't mix up the paint well when they re-touched and the paints didn't match! Uh oh! But it's really turning out great and only small details are left. In fact, we're scheduled to have our walk-through tomorrow! Our family is very excited to have a backyard soon and be able to spread out! And I can't wait for the dogs to have a yard! You take for granted the small things you enjoy about a house - a yard, a garage, and just room!

And you also take for granted being able to have people over and have playdates at your house! We can't wait to have everyone over once we get settled in - thank you all for being so involved in our lives and this year-long building process! Pray that we have a smooth and fun move - I'll post again as soon as I can!

Evan Almighty

2008-02-28T10:13:00.020-06:00

Well, you can probably tell from the pictures that our little Evan is one HAPPY baby! He is all smiles and laughs all the time. He is just a little piece of heaven here on earth and truly an amazing gift from God. And he is the apple of his big brother's eye. Preston could not be more proud and could not be a better big brother! Preston made Evan laugh at him the other day and Preston was so proud - it was precious. He is so proud of Evan and all of his new accomplishments; he just gushes over him all the time.

Evan had his 4 month check-up and besides having to get 4 yucky shots and a little dry skin, he is doing just beautifully! He is almost 15 pounds and, as you can see, doesn't miss many meals! His favorite thing right now - his hands! I think he is going to be our little thumb sucker... you seriously cannot keep him from putting his hands, fingers, thumb into his mouth. He was even trying to put his foot in his mouth the other day - he'll figure that one out soon I'm sure!

We can't believe that he is already 4 1/2 months old and just not our little newborn anymore! On February 9th he rolled over for the first time. He loves being on his tummy and looking all around the room, so he rolled from tummy to back first. Then, last weekend, in the middle of the night I heard him grunting and went down to check on him and he had rolled himself from his back to his tummy - and of course, now he loves sleeping on his tummy just like his big brother did. As soon as they can flip, they'll just sleep however they want! I try not to worry... although the doctors really want them to sleep on their backs, you just can't control it after they can roll. And it's a little scary because SIDS incidents increase at 3-6 months of age, which is when they start rolling! It just makes you check on them about 12 times a night! And boy, is Evan a sleeper - he's sleeping about 10 hours a night now and wakes up just talking and smiling and sooo happy. And he is so patient to wait for his first bottle until after the hour drive to take his brother to school! I am so thankful for his patient and relaxed nature.

And another milestone this month was solid food! Yummy! You can start them on rice and even baby foods at 4 months now, can you believe it? We haven't ventured to baby food yet (maybe next week), but we have been eating rice for a few days and we LOVE it! And Preston was so excited that Evan can now eat baby food! He is so ready for Evan to jump up and run around with him. Below is a picture of a happy boy getting to eat yummy rice! And the next picture is the very first time he tried rice - he was so intent and serious, can you see him saying, "just give me the bowl Mom!" That is good stuff, he would not let go of the bowl! Then the next time I fed him he kept trying to grab the spoon, so at the end I just let him go to town with the spoon and he licked it clean! It was too funny - he is such a big boy. He and I will sit and relax on the couch and I'll pick up the remote to change the channel and he'll reach out to grab the remote and starts pressing all the buttons and changing the channel! Oh, that's trouble! Soon there will be three men all vying for the remote!

Oh, this rice stuff is so delicious!!

Just hand over the bowl Mom!

Mom tried to deprive me of the morsels of rice that were left on this spoon, so I just grabbed it from her!

Oh, and this is Evan when the rice is all gone.... so sad! Good thing we had a bottle ready!

He has got the cutest little giggle and loves being tickled on his belly and his sides. And he loves being kissed under his neck and getting undressed - they will all get a laugh! Something about taking his clothes off just makes him laugh, it's hilarious.... and he still LOVES being naked and taking baths. He is not at all bothered by things that you would think normally bother babies - he loves baths, loves having his diaper changed, and doesn't even mind when you suction his nose - he's just very content.... well, most of the time! So when does he get upset?? When he's tired!

He reminds me so much of Preston - not only does he look sooo much like him, but they have the same personalities. Preston was such a happy and content baby too. But also got cranky when tired (of course) and fought the sleep! Now, most times he'll just go to sleep when he's tired, but sometimes he will just fight the sleep and put up a fuss until he finally conks out! And when he's asleep, it's best to just let him sleep - like Preston, he's not that happy when you wake him from a good nap. And he loves sleeping in the car, that'll always put him right out. And he loves sleeping in his swing - although with the positions he gets himself into, like the one below, it doesn't look all that comfortable to me??

Oh, and that's a burpy above his head - you always need one of those close, he is the Spit-Up King!

We are very excited for Evan to get his own room and to be able to spread out more in the house. I'm not sleeping all that well because I'll wake at every little movement during the night. And unfortunately, we've all had little colds this week. Erick and I felt pretty yucky this weekend, but Preston and Evan really just have a stuffy nose and have felt great, so that's a blessing. Preston lost another tooth and is enjoying his rewards from the tooth fairy! I think he's lost 7 teeth now??? And he is reading really well now and just enjoying Kindergarten so much.

He is such a fun kid and a great friend. He's never met a stranger and is very social. He is so kind-hearted and is always making cards for friends and teachers and would give them his last nickel if they asked for it. I know that God has such special plans for Preston's life and his compassionate heart - we pray that we are great parents to our sons. I pray they always walk in the truth and know our unconditional love for them. Preston just loves Jesus and the Word of God and I think he is coming close to the age that he will really understand what it means to live with him in your heart. Erick and I just want him to know that all by himself, to have that private relationship with Jesus and accept him all on his own - not just because Mommy and Daddy believe it and take him to church.

Alright.... now that I'm getting all sappy!

Here are some pictures, enjoy! Hopefully we'll be closing on the house March 10th - so, this may be the last update for a few weeks. I guess I should probably start packing! Enjoy these pics! I also got some cute Valentine's pics of the boys done - I'll post those soon!

Yep, still working on this spoon... I'm going to get every last drop!

Boy, you guys are funny!

I AM WAY TOO CUTE to be a Longhorn!

Naked boy equals happy boy!

Don't you wish you could just lay around in your underwear?

Just enjoying some time on the big bed!

Oh, man - Mom put me in this great new invention called the Bumbo! It lets me sit up like a big boy and I just love it!!!

I love it so much that Mom looked over and I was slowly drifting off.... don't worry, Mommy moved me to my bed, a more comfortable position!

I love hanging out in my Daddy's arms.

Ta ta for now!

Three Months Old Already

2008-01-26T20:42:00.001-06:00

Our little man is three months old and just growing like a weed! He's got these cute chubby cheeks and chubby thighs too (we're up to 3 rolls), and he is getting so long! I was sad to pack up his 0-3 month clothes today - they're just too small.

Well, you just couldn't ask for a sweeter, more content little baby. He hardly ever makes a fuss at all (not that he'd be any less great if he did!). He just loves "talking" to you and he tells you all about it with the sweetest little noises and faces. Such sweet sounds and gurgles; he gets so excited and will just carry on a whole conversation with you. He loves sticking his tongue out and he LOVES his hands! You can't keep the boy from putting his hands in his mouth... it makes a nice, wet mess! But he loves it. Actually, he loves putting anything in his mouth - his hands, blanket, bib, burpie, sleeve, whatever... and he just grins when you take it away. And he loves being on his tummy and looking all around. His vision and coordination are getting so good.... he can really follow you around the room (and sometimes gets upset when he sees you leave) and he is starting to reach out and touch and play with things. He still loves diaper changes and baths - really. He's got the sweetest smile and his whole face lights up when he smiles. He's starting to laugh a little, almost giggling. It won't be long!

He's still a good sleeper. We've still got him in the bassinet in our room, but we need to move to the pack-n-play because he's getting so big. It will be so nice when he has his own room and bed! He loves being really warm and snuggly at night. They've got these great "sleeper gowns" that we call "baby in a bag". Hee hee! They are thick and warm and are like a sack that just zips up! They're fantastic and keep him really warm!

We are so blessed and couldn't imagine our lives without this new little one. And big brother is so very proud... Evan and I went and had lunch with Preston last week and Preston was excited to once again show off his little brother at school. Preston is always talking about the things that he is going to teach Evan when he's older.... oh, boy - I'm sure we'll appreciate EVERYTHING that Preston teaches him! Hee hee! The joy of boys!

And here are just a few more cute pics of Evan...

Daddy and Evan admiring this cute baby butt!

Male bonding... two sweet brothers.

"What's up with you?"

"Blabber, blabber.... I like making a slobbery mess!"

You Might Be A Redneck

2008-01-25T20:33:00.000-06:00

If...... you accidentally hit your mirror on another car and your husband tapes it back on! Yep - we're officially rednecks. I did it - there was this huge truck (like an F-950 or something, seriously) and while it received no damage, just my barely hitting its mirror in a narrow space knocked my mirror completely off. And since it was Christmas time and the dealer was booked - my husband thought.... let's duct tape it! Why - what a great idea! Oh, I'm always so proud to pull up in the carpool line in the truck! Need to get that fixed... it's on my list.

I Can Read

2008-01-25T19:55:00.000-06:00

What an exciting few months as Preston has been really learning how to read! And although he's been able to read some for quite a while, he has really become a good reader these last couple of weeks. And he loves it; he's always very excited to read his books every night. Praises definitely go to his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Wonsang. She did not pressure them to read when they first started school - instead, she has been teaching them all the basics and skills so that they can all learn at their own pace. I'm telling you, helping Preston learn to read has really taught us how hard it is to learn English... words sound the same, but are spelled differently, or you've got one letter that can make like five different sounds - and then letters that sometimes make a sound, but are sometimes silent and are just stuck in a word for no good reason! Ha! But it has been great! He has an awesome class with still only 15 kids in the class! Preston still loves going to school every day and he especially loves working on the computers, going to the library and RECESS! Oh, yes - he loves recess, and has ruined three pairs of jeans already at recess... we'll add them to his tab!! Ha!

Our big Kindergartner also loves playing "Tic Tac Toe" and "Hangman" and really any game. He is still our little comedian and loves playing "cranks" on everyone and making people laugh (especially making himself laugh). Yep - he's normally laughing hysterically before he can finish the joke or prank because he's so cracked up with himself! He loves building Star Wars Legos, drawing, and he's really getting into music these days. He's gone back to saying that he wants to be a construction worker again, although "Rock Star" did come up too one day. Hee hee! He's also said Paleontologist for quite some time. We go in phases. And speaking of phases - we are officially out of the "little kid" TV shows. He doesn't want to watch any cartoons really except for SpongeBob. Instead, he enjoys "Drake & Josh", "Hannah Montana" and "The Crocodile Hunter". He loves the physical humor in the first two shows and then of course, he loves anything about animals - especially crocodiles, sharks and snakes.

Oh, and Preston also lost his 5th tooth this week and he's getting a new set of molars! So..... that's one boy with no teeth yet and another one that has already lost five!

And just a little cute story - after the Tooth Fairy gave Preston $3.00 for that tooth he decided that he wanted to take his $3.00 and spend it at school at the "toy cart". So, like a big kid he stuck his money in his pocket excited to spend his hard earned money! Well, then he came home that afternoon and still had $2.00 and no toys?!? So I asked him what he got at the toy cart? He said, well - we didn't get to stop at the cart today, so I'll buy something tomorrow. And so I asked him where he spent the $1.00? And he said - Mom, I gave $1.00 to Mason today (a friend from school). Mason is always really nice and I thought he deserved $1.00. So sweet. I'm always so proud of how generous and giving Preston is, even to strangers. So.... even though there are times where you feel like you're banging your head against the wall because your six year old just won't listen or is as stubborn as a mule, it's times like these that just make you smile because they truly are wonderful and inspiring.

Toby in the Tub

2008-01-05T10:48:00.000-06:00

Oh, isn't this just the most pitiful face you've ever seen. He looks like the cat on Shrek with those big, sad eyes - please help, someone!

So Toby needed a bath and I just had to grab a shot of this sad dog.... "Oh, please Mom, I promise to never get dirty again if you promise to never give me a bath again." Ha! Oh the perils of being a dog... yea, right. What a life!

Happy Holidays From Our Family

2007-12-29T16:46:00.001-06:00

Love To All!

Sweetie Pie

2007-12-28T13:27:00.000-06:00

"Well, hello there! Where did you come from?"

This is my new favorite picture of Evan... he's growing too fast.

This one below is another favorite too... just trying to get some burpies out of Evan, we call this the "monkey boy". Just love his little head, you just want to rub all over it and "suck up the fountain of youth" as Erick would say!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T13:34:00.000-06:00

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

Well I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone. It was extra fast this year!

It was a little different I have to say because all of our decorations are in storage and even our stockings are packed away - so Santa couldn't fill them! But honestly, those are just small things... it was still a wonderful time and an awesome feeling to celebrate with our two healthy, amazing boys.

Every year we spend Christmas Eve with my family over at my Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob's house. It's an all day affair of eating, presents, playing, games and more eating! We get there around lunch time and hang out all day. There is always way too much food and way too many presents (you can see the way too many presents a few pictures below)! My Aunt Linda does a stocking for every single person there - all 25 of us. And of course, our boys were showered with wonderful gifts and love. We all love spending time with my family... Preston loves playing with his cousins and being quite the comedian around the family. Preston got all kinds of Star Wars stuff and Legos. And Evan got clothes and some neat toys he'll play with soon. I got a beautiful necklace from my Dad - a surprise, thank you Dad.

Here are some pictures of the whole family... can you tell we're a feisty bunch!?! We always take one good picture and one goofy picture... can you see Preston showing you his backside - nice... oh, we've taught him well.

After presents the boys were found outside playing a game of football and Preston was enjoying playing Nerf Dart Tag outside with his cousins. The weather was absolutely beautiful... we had to take off Preston's nice Christmas shirt because it was so warm! A Texas Christmas for sure! As some of the boys were outside, the rest of us were inside playing games as my family loves to do! We are all pretty competitive and love a good game - there's not a quiet moment in the house... good thing Evan has learned to sleep through it all.

This picture is Evan with his Popee (my Dad).

Christmas Eve night we came home and read a few of our favorite Christmas stories, left cookies for Santa and then it was off to bed!

As I'm sure everyone with young kids did... we woke up EARLY Christmas morning, and to a Star Wars Christmas! That is all Preston asked for from Santa and that is all Santa left... everything Star Wars - light sabers, characters, books, puzzles, toys... all Star Wars. And for Evan he left some books and a talking parrot for his pirate nursery!

After Santa, we spent a lazy morning playing games and hanging out in our pajamas. Then after lunch we got ready to go to the Bradleys for our traditional Christmas dinner with them. For several years now we have spent Christmas afternoon and evening with them and we all really look forward to just hanging out. The boys ran wild, we ate a yummy steak dinner and then the boys watched movies while the grown-ups played games and visited. Thank you Tasha for hosting Christmas for us again. The Bradleys are really like family to us and it's nice to just hang out and relax with no worries.

We hope that everyone had a blessed and memorable Christmas. We wish you a safe and prosperous 2008!

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14

Baby's First Christmas

2007-12-23T15:36:00.000-06:00

He is our sweetest and definitely best gift from God this Christmas - Evan. And our best gift from this newest addition - definitely the 7-9 hours of sleep every night - whoo hoo!

These are a few pictures from a photo session earlier this month... our Santa Baby, newest Aggie and All-American baby!

Our Dedication

2007-12-23T13:00:00.000-06:00

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." 1 Samuel 1:27-28 (This is the verse that we put on Evan's announcement, and it was the first verse that came to mind today.)

Today was a very special day. We dedicated Evan at our church today. Our sweet and wonderful pastor, Wayne, prayed over him as we promised to raise him according to God's word in front of our congregation. Evan's Godparents and Preston were there too and along with the congregation promised to help lead Evan to God in His time. Our friends, the Bradleys, also had their youngest son dedicated today. It was special to have them on stage and to pray for each other's children. Our oldest boys are so close... now we've just got a couple new boys to add a little extra joy (and noise!).

We pray that Evan will know Jesus at an early age and that he will grow into an inspiring man of God. We will do everything that we can to teach him and lead him.

We are so thankful and honored to be raising this beautiful boy.

Christmas Fun

2007-12-23T09:15:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share some of our pre-Christmas fun!

First, Preston sang in the children's choir at our church. They put on a really sweet Christmas program and we were so proud of Preston for learning the words and hand movements and having so much fun making a joyful noise! And just one week later Dad sang in the adult choir for a beautiful Christmas performance.

We are pretty involved in our church and are especially grateful for our church LifeGroup. There are 10 families in the group and we get together every other Sunday and study the bible and fellowship. It was hard to get a good picture (below)... but there are 20 adults and about 21 kids I believe - yea, it's crazy, but awesome. We have all become really close and we are a great support to one another. And the kids love playing together during our get togethers - they are all great friends. So for Christmas we had two "parties" for our LifeGroup. The first one was for the grown ups... we all found sitters and got together for a potluck and White Elephant game. It was such a fun time and I got to get rid of some of my old maternity pants for the White Elephant game! Ha ha! Sorry Darren! Then a couple weeks later we all got together again with the kids and sang Christmas carols, ate together and heard the story of the Christmas candy cane - very interesting by the way. These are very special memories for our family - and they really helped get us into the Christmas spirit.

Another tradition is getting the kids together from my MOMs group... there are 3 of us that have stayed really close... me, Sue and Kim - and together we have 7 kiddos that have all literally grown up together and are great friends. Us moms get together every month for our monthly moms' night, but with school and sports, work and everything else - the kids just don't get to see each other as much as we'd like! But for Christmas we are always sure to make time... so of course, they ran around like maniacs, opened their gifts... and we even had time to make a gingerbread house! I love these two families and couldn't imagine our lives without them. We have all made a pact to never move away!

So, we got season passes to Six Flags this year and we thought - let's go to Holiday In The Park! So we made plans and met the Bradleys out there for a fun evening at Six Flags.... well, I guess everyone else had the same idea because it was the most crowded that we had EVER seen Six Flags! It took us 45 minutes just to get in the park, and then once you were in you could barely navigate a stroller... craziness! So unfortunately, we left as quickly as we came and settled for a yummy nice dinner out. Maybe next year!

Another fun tradition every year is our "mall tour"... we try to make it around to all the malls to see the Christmas decorations! Stonebriar, Willow Bend, and especially the big tree and ice skating rink at The Galleria. They are all so beautiful during Christmas!

And even though he's not in all the pictures... Evan was definitely there for it all (just hanging out in the background sometimes.)

Thanks everyone for celebrating with us! Merry Christmas!

Who's Here?

2007-12-22T21:00:00.000-06:00

WE would love to hear from anyone and everyone who is tuned in to our blog!! Please post us a comment so we know who's so kindly reading this exciting, flying by the seat of your pants blog! Oh, the suspense... what will happen next in the Cutler house?!? Stay tuned...

Okay, so I'm pretty sure your seat is still in your pants... so at the end of each blog you'll see " COMMENTS... and all you do is click on that and it will pull up a box for you to post a comment. It used to make you register with Blogger.com to post a comment, but I think I disabled that feature, so you should be able to just put a quick comment without registering. If you don't have a Google ID, just post your comment as a "nickname" or "anonymous" comment.

We'd love to hear what you have to say! Much love to any and all who are reading!

Our Little Picasso

2007-12-21T19:26:00.000-06:00

First of all - please know that I did not create this blog to "brag" on my kiddos or my family. I really just wanted a fun place to journal, tell sometimes humorous stories and provide updates and new pics for the two or three people that might be interested! Hee hee! Seriously, I do not mean to brag about Preston, but he has truly become a talented artist and I just had to share a few of our favorite drawings from the past couple of months.

When Preston wakes up in the morning, as soon as he gets home from school, right up until it's time for bed - he is at the table drawing. It is his absolute favorite thing to do at home. He talks in the car about what he's going to draw next when we get home. He plans it out to the tiniest detail. Don't get me wrong - he is a boy and loves to play with his Star Wars toys, his cars, he loves to watch movies and of course play outside... but drawing is something that he is passionate about and will sit and do for hours.

He definitely got his talent for drawing from his Dad. I consider myself a pretty creative person, but can't draw to save my life... once Preston had his third birthday, he surpassed my drawing ability. But Erick is a pretty good artist. Preston loves to sit down with Erick and draw together. Like today when the weather was kind of yucky, that was what they did - all day.

Preston will have "phases" or "themes" for periods of time. He'll go where all he draws are forest animals, then he'll do ocean scenes and then snakes or Star Wars pictures. He'll get out books and try to copy pictures. He's even drawn me a picture of what he wants his room to look like in the new house! And he loves drawing pictures for his friends and family.

This picture above is one of my favorites. Preston loves Jesus and loves going to church to learn about His life. He knows more bible stories and facts than I do - I learn so much from him. This picture is of the crucifixion of course and the storm that God sent. He'll just sit down and start drawing stuff like this... pictures that tell a story. During Easter, he sat down and drew the story of Easter... he drew Jesus on a donkey with people holding palm branches, he drew the Last Supper, he drew Jesus praying in the garden, he drew the crucifixion and then finally he drew and tomb with a big boulder placed in front. He is a perfectionist and loves the details of life.

And of course, he loves SpongeBob - his inspiration here!

During Vacation Bible School this year the kids were asked to try to earn money around the house or put out a lemonade stand or something to earn money for our missions outreach project. Well, since we are in the apartment we couldn't do a lemonade stand - so Preston wanted to sell his artwork and began putting prices on his drawings so that he could sell them and raise money for the kids in Africa. This picture of the owl is a mere $10.00. Any takers? Just kidding!

This last picture is his latest "project". He taped together eight pieces of paper and created the Star Wars "Death Star". This one was too big to scan!

Thanks for letting me brag just a little bit on our budding artist!

Evan - 2 Months Old

2007-12-18T12:19:00.000-06:00

"Don't you just want to kiss all over me?"

Well, we just can't complain about this new little boy - he is just the sweetest and best little baby you could ever ask for... just like his big brother. He is so happy and content and just melts your heart.

He is sleeping pretty good through the night - he'll do a 6-hour stretch and then another 2-3 hours after that. He still loves being tucked/swaddled really tightly in the blankets and being really warm and cozy. And he still loves his "Sleep Sheep" ocean sounds and the vibrating motion of his bassinet. Funny story... we actually try to put him down to sleep while he's still awake so he'll learn to put himself to sleep - but on occasion he'll of course fall to sleep right after a bottle and be completely OUT and SOUND asleep... (or so you'd think). Then as soon as you place him gently in his bassinet those eyes open wide up and the arms and feet kick out straight! He's playing a trick on us.... he's not really asleep, just faking it! It's hilarious, Erick will just go "D'oh", you were totally asleep - NOT!

Another thing he does when he's falling asleep is just grin and grin... his eyes will start rolling back (freaks Dad out!) and he'll just pass out, mouth gaping open and everything! So full, and warm, and happy. Oh, what a rough life.

He's a great eater and moved up to 6 oz. bottles a couple of weeks ago. At his two month check-up he was 11 lbs. and 13 oz. What a big boy! He is doing really great... and is always a big hit at the doctor's office. We've got another "Ladies Man" on our hands! Hee hee!

Well, as you can see he is really smiling all the time now. And he is making the cutest little "coo" and "gaa" noises too. When he gets really happy he starts wiggling his hands and feet out in front of him and just starts kicking like crazy and clapping his fingers together. It's really cute - you'd have to see it. (And his brother used to do the same thing too, which makes it really special.) I tried to get a picture of it below.

He's also pretty hilarious when he's "finished" with his bottle. So, he'll just be drinking away like nobody's business and he'll just have this look on his face like, "this is the best bottle, EVER"... Then, of course, we'll stop to burp him and then start to feed him again... well, you'll put that "best ever" bottle to his mouth and he'll give you the most horrible face - like saying, "that is disgusting, why would you try to feed me that?" And that means he's done! Ha!

Things that make him smile... changing his diaper if you can believe it! I think he likes being naked - hee hee! He also loves it when you kiss all over him.... he'll open his mouth when you kiss his cheek just like he's trying to kiss you back. Oh, sweetness.

Okay, you all know that Erick and I love quoting movies and TV... so here's another. There was this skit on Saturday Night Live years ago when Chris Kataan was on... he played Anotonio Banderas... a "sexy" Spanish man. Anyway, he would start to unbutton his shirt and they would tell him, "No, Antonio", "It's too sexy, too sexy." So, now when we change Evan's outfit we like to tell him - "No, Evan - too sexy, too sexy". It gets a pretty big smile from him! Yep, he's stuck with us and our crazy shenanigans.

And I can't forget to say how much Preston is still adoring his baby brother. He helps me out so much and calls Evan his "sweet little Angel". Thanks big brother, Preston!

Love to All.