2013 in Review

It's time for another Year in Review!! Can you believe that 2013 is almost over?  I am very thankful for the fresh start on the horizon.  2013 has been one of the most challenging years of my life, but hey, it can only go up from here!

January - Not many pictures were taken to start 2013 so I don't have anything to really reference or record.  Drag racing and dirt racing are in the off season and it's too cold for the lake, so we typically just hung out at home or went to visit family.  It's ok to be boring every once in a while.

February - I was invited to an American Heart Association "Go Red for Women" luncheon to raise awareness for heart disease.  This cause is near and dear to my heart (easy pun was intended) as my grandfather has heart disease.   I learned a lot about heart disease factors and that just family history alone makes someone more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.  I also learned that women's symptoms of heart attack or stroke are very different than in men.  Women typically have more flu-like symptoms which tend to be ignored, often until it's too late.  Oh and the best part, the keynote speaker was Laura Bush.  What a classy lady! 

March - Henry turned 3. I really don't know where the time goes as cliche as that sounds.

April - Mama got to go skydiving again!  What a FUN day that was! Uncle Hugh still gets blamed for pushing Mommy out of the airplane.

13,500 miles above the Earth

Hands down the most fun I've ever had! What a rush!!

 

May - Memorial Day weekend Mike and I took a road trip to Eufaula, OK to see my very favorite, Gary Allan in concert.  The town itself was very low key which is something Mike and I really needed to unwind.  We splurged and bought VIP tickets which meant we got to stand insanely close to the stage, but still had seats if we wanted them.   The concert was amazing and we really enjoyed Gary's music.  We're hoping he plays that venue again someday.  It was so wonderful having some downtime with Mike

 

He's so talented and good looking to boot.

 

A few days later, I had robotic surgery to remove endometriosis followed by another round 9 days later.  The doctor is amazing and was hopefully able to give me a little more shelf life as far as that part of my body is concerned. 

 

June - I spent a majority of the month recovering from surgery the first week of June.  On the 30th,  we celebrated 6 years of marriage.  PROOF that Mike is not a quitter. Ha!   Oh and he bought me a new h/e washer and dryer.  Woo hoo!

 

July - August - We spent tons of time on the lake and Mike was able to go out to several out of town dirt track races.   Henry took swimming lessons, too!

 

September - we spent Labor Day weekend working harder than we ever have before.  We decided to tackle the 3 Potty Solution.  It was a nightmare the first 36 hours, Mama was ready to throw in the towel but towards the end of Day 2, Henry finally got it down and hasn't had an accident since.  (Ok, maybe one accident as a kid at school was jacking around about getting off the potty.  Henry learned quickly not to wait too long to go.)  We were very proud of him for getting it so quickly.  It's true what they say "they will do it when they're ready." 

 

October - we took Henry to the State Fair of Texas for the first time (and between us, probably for the last time.  What a racket!)  He enjoyed the rides and Mama and Daddy enjoyed the food.  It was a fun memory for our family, but we will have to find something else to do in its place next year.

 

November - this month is mostly a blur due to health issues on my end.  I looked through my pictures and didn't find much of anything. I know that we enjoyed Thanksgiving with each of our families and celebrated my niece and sister's birthdays but beyond that, I've got nothing.

 

December - even though we were crazy busy getting to meet Santa, spending time with family and friends, Mike arranged for me to meet DeMarcus Ware.  Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love this handsome, dreamy man.

 

He is the most kind and humble athlete I've ever met.  And he kept holding my hand which, did I mention he's dreamy?

 

Funny story about the blur in the picture.   Mike knew I was super excited, to say the least, about meeting D Ware so he told me ahead of time that he was going to snap a bunch of pictures to make sure he got at least one good one. I can't help but laugh, but every single picture had his finger in it. Ha ha! Thanks for keeping it interesting, Mike.

 

Oh and we got a new to us Christmas tree this year.  We found a 10' on Craigslist for way less than what it would have cost us to buy a new one.  The only real kicker is that it's not prelit and you have to assemble it branch by branch.  Definitely a lesson learned, but it's a beauty that we've certainly enjoyed this year. 

 

Henry was spoiled with gifts this year.  He's definitely a blessed little boy.  He asked Santa for a scooter for Christmas which his Granny and Granddad got for him. Aunts and uncles got him lots of new cars to zoom around the house and Legos to build to his heart's content. Unfortunately I didn't take a single picture of him opening gifts.

 

Henry's great-uncle Tom found this peddle car in an antique shop.  Papa bought it from him, restored it so HH got it for Christmas this year.  (Nana sent me these pictures thankfully or I wouldn't have anything to remember this Christmas by.)

So there's 2013 for our family.  It was a year full of ups and downs but we are ready to start fresh and new.  Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Flashback Friday - Zoom

This photo was taken circa August 2011 in the lobby of one of the preschool buildings at our church.  Henry (age 16 months) just couldn't resist climbing into this little metal car.

Flashback Friday - Christmas 2009

Pictures taken December 2009 - two excited parents-to-be

We sure do miss our Eileen.  Her facial expressions were by far the best, hands down.

 

 

Flashback Friday - Santa

Trip to see Santa - December 14, 2011 (age 20 months)

I don't know, maybe he loved it....

Icepocalypse 2013

Mother Nature decided to whip up on a majority of the US and has delivered an awful ice storm and below freezing temps for more than 3 days now.  Cabin fever and the sillies set in a long time ago, but we've enjoyed the time together.  We're so very thankful to have electricity, gas and a dry, warm house to hang out at.  We know others that haven't been so lucky. 

Mike has been tending to the fireplace, Lucy and I have been very happy with this! You can typically find her right by the hearth.

 

Thursday night was a really lazy night.  It took Mike an hour to get home by the time the sleet starting coming down.  We found out earlier in the week that Henry has RSV, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him! :)

 

 

Breathing treatments are better with YouTube videos of firetrucks and as Henry says "firefighters in action."

 

Kiki has slept most of the time. She's not a fan of the ice one bit.

We learned that it might be wise to update Henry's seasonal wardrobe more often.  At least the hat I bought two years ago finally fits.

Mama's worked on lots of craft projects.  Mike even offered to help me with this chicken wire frame.  I think he just wanted to play with the staple gun. 

Dining room decorations

 

To be honest, most nights are like this, cabin fever can't be blamed here.  These two keep me on my toes and laughing most of the time. 

Creepy man and his killer icicle. 

Lucy got a new sweater. She's not sure if she likes it or not but she was willing to pose for the camera.  Mama misses having a baby in the house so Lucy gets the attention.  Henry kept telling her that she's a pretty baby.  These two are very sweet on each other.

 

I was hoping for normalcy to resume tomorrow, but Mike just popped in and said that the school district is closed which means HH's school will be closed too.  Fortunately I can work from home and we have lots of DVDs. :)

 

I hope everyone is enjoying their at-home time this weekend.  Stay safe and warm!

 

 

Flashback Friday - Christmas jammies

Picture taken December 24, 2010 just before bedtime. Christmas jammies are a tradition that Granny started and HH loves them!   Henry turned 9 months old on this day.

Look at those chubby cheeks and monster thighs! 

Halloween Festivities and some other random happenings

We've been so busy the last couple of weeks. Here's a bunch of pics and a couple of videos of all the fun we've had lately.

Mike took Henry to the Fall Festival at his school. He was a fireman (again) this year. Hey, stick with what ya know, I guess.

 

Henry got to play in Papa's garage.  He loved the welding hood.

Mama went to Charlotte for a few days for a crafting convention. All work and no play. Well, maybe a little play but there was a few long work days that I took me a few days to catch up on. I had a decent trip aside from a rough trip home. We landed safely a mere 12 hours late, but we were safe and home and those are the only two things that mattered. 

Oh and we got to stop by the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  We didn't tour but we took some pics out front and bought a few things at the souvenir shop.   

Tuesday night, Mama just had to carve a pumpkin.

Unfortunately my little helper wasn't really helpful or entertained so I did the scooping and tracing on my own.

Daddy stepped in with the knife and did a great job!

Thanks to a generous early dismissal on Halloween at my job, I was able to go to Henry's class Halloween party.   

Note to self: I'm sure not many adults look great sitting in a preschool size chair. 

After school, we headed to our church for the annual Trunk or Treat.  Henry wore his costume just long enough to get checked in and then ditched his fire hat and coat.  I dressed up as Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast.  I lead a 4 year old Sunday School class and I thought the girls would think it was neat that Mrs. Lacey was dressed up.  One of my precious little friends said "You're an elephant!"  I guess I could see that....

 

A few times during the night, Henry would stop and watch people climb up the rock wall. I never in a million thought this would happen -   

He went up it 3 or 4 times but thankfully thought that getting his feet higher than Mike's head was too high.  I definitely agreed with him but didn't want to be worried Mama.  I'm all for him trying new things (can't wait for him to be old enough for roller coasters, drag racing and skydiving) BUT he didn't have a helmet on that precious noggin of his.  Probably didn't help the fact that I was wearing a ridiculous costume and would have been useless should anything go wrong. LOL!

Random blackmail picture from pj day at school

I tried cryotherapy for the first time to see if it would help with endometriosis pain.  I'll need to go a few more times before knowing either way, but it did knock out a tension headache that I had all afternoon before my visit.  

Lots more exciting things in the weeks to come but I'm so thankful for the down time this weekend.  The extra hour of sleep will be nice tonight too!

Henry-isms

Henry has a pretty good vocabulary, but recently he's started adding inflection and has a pretty good sense of humor about things.  Here's just a few of his recent remarks:

I handed him money and said "Here's your Jesus money.  Please give it to Miss Madison when you get to church."  He looked at the bill, flipped it over and proclaims "Jesus money?  I don't see Jesus on this!" Mike and I busted a gut laughing at him.

"Holy cow!" anytime he sees something cool or unusual.

He calls one of his teachers "Pretty Miss Katie."  I think she's his first big girl crush as he blushes and sports his dimple (he only has one, on his left cheek) when you ask about her.

Mike was saying prayers with him a couple of nights ago and he was telling Henry that it was better to be happy and have joy in his heart. Mike asked him if he knew what joy was and Henry replied "Joy?  Joy the teacher that lives at my school?"  Ha ha! So know he knows that Joy is not only a teacher at his school (she doesn't actually live there, which makes me wonder if he thinks everyone else lives there too....) but that we can have joy in our hearts.

When leaving for a business trip last week, I asked him to come outside and give me hugs and kisses before I got on the airplane.  With the most naive and precious voice, he asked "Is the airplane outside?" I nearly died from the cuteness.

Every time I talked to him while on my trip he would ask me "Are you still on your trip, Mommy?"  I guess he couldn't have enough reassurance that I was still indeed on this trip he kept asking about.  When my flight was rerouted to Houston, I called them from the tarmac to let them know the update.  Henry asked if I was at the airport and I told him that I was at an airport but not at the same one he was at.  He asked where I was and Mike told him "She landed in Gotham City."  Henry's response was a very puzzled "What?"  His Daddy is responsible for a majority of his corruption.

Mike gave him a haircut last night for today's picture day and we might have overdone it with the excitement that he was going to look so handsome when we were finished. I put him in the bathtub after his haircut and he exclaimed, "Mommy, I look GOOD!" The grin on his face priceless. Yes baby, you do look good!

At least once a day, he will start a sentence with "When I get bigger...."

He's still 100% convinced that Uncle Hugh pushed Mommy out of that airplane.

When he doesn't get his way, you're no longer his best friend.   Of course within minutes of crushing your heart, he will boldly proclaim that you're his best friend.  Oh and he's very generous with the "I love you's" and smiles and laughs when he says it.  Nothing makes you feel loved quite like that.

Yesterday, he took his backpack to school and while we were walking to the car, he started loudly singing "Old MacDonald had a BACKPACK!" He was cracking up at himself and begged to call his Daddy so he could sing it to him.  He's quite the entertainer.

When Ruby asks him "How much does Granny love you?" he spreads his arms way up high and beams "This much!"

Never dull when Henry's around, that's for sure!

State Fair of Texas - 2013

Today we made our first family trip to the State Fair of Texas.  It's been years since Mike and I have been, never together, and it was Henry's first trip so we were excited!   The weather was near perfect, nice breeze and overcast so the sun wasn't beating on us.  We decided to take vacation time to avoid the weekend crowds, which was a great idea at first. By the afternoon, it was packed!

 

No ride on the Ferris wheel this time, but maybe next time.

Henry loved the ag exhibits, especially the tractors.

Hey, you lookin' at me?

 

 

That's a lot of bacon!

Beautiful and majestic.  Henry enjoyed giving this big guy some extra "patting."

Just when I thought the Fletcher's corn dog couldn't get any better, they added jalapeno and cheese. Yum!!!!

We went to the Jump! Dog Show and while we enjoyed seeing the dogs and their tricks, it was crazy loud and Henry was over it pretty quick. 

Big Tex who Mike lovingly refers to as Big Mex.  At this point, Henry was struggling with the crowds and the sheer volume of noise.  It was intense even for his poor Mama.  I have to admit, if he'd asked to go home, I would have readily agreed. Crowds, lines and people in general suck.

Mike was happy to find Fair food that wasn't fried!

Henry wanted to ride the helicopters and silly me agreed to go with him. One ride for the two of us was $8 and I honestly believe we sat in it longer before take-off than the actual ride lasted.  He had fun and at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

This ride was hilarious!!!  We thought all the bouncing would keep him away, but he loved it!!  I think he rode it a total of 4 times and it was definitely his favorite.

Watching him made us dizzy. Yuck!!

This was Henry by the time we got back to the Interstate.  Poor guy was beat! 

 

All in all, our first family trip was a success.  It was budget friendly because we had two adult tickets from work, we could bring our own cooler and snacks and we didn't attempt games in the Midway.  The Kidway was fun for Henry, but the rides at $4 a pop (even for parents to ride with their children who don't meet the height minimum) aren't worth it.  Food was amazing and fairly reasonably priced if you match up cost with high-fat content and calorie count. Ha! 

 

We're thankful that we were able to take time off work and spend the day as a family.  Today was another reminder of how blessed we are to have each other and how great it is to share life together.