Flashback Friday - My Chair

For Henry's 1st birthday, Nana and Papa got him his own chair, with his name on it and everything.   He loved it!

Well until you put Livie in it....

"What's with this kid?"

 

"Dude, what's your deal?"

Gah, that bottom lip!

"This kid, he's a crybaby!" 

Henry, your cry-face is pathetic.

 

And then here's a great big cheese face after Livie was removed from the premises.

 

He really loves her now, but he wasn't so sure about having to share the limelight with her in the beginning. 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Ketchup

I've deserted this thing again, but I figured I would come back to document a few things because it's all so easy to forget as time goes on. 

Henry was 100% potty trained as of Day 3 of the 3 Day Potty Solution.  Day 1 was an absolute beating (didn't use the potty at all, not even once) and Day 2 was full of ups and downs, but he woke up on Day 3 (Labor Day) and has had only ONE accident since.  The teacher at school said that another kid was partially to blame because he was jacking around about getting out of the bathroom, but at the same time, control is a part of training so he got a quick lesson in that and he hasn't looked back.  All of this was just another reminder that we as parents aren't always in control and that he will do it when he's dang good and ready.   We're now enjoying a substantial savings not having to pay for Pampers!

Oh and the funny things he says!  His grammar always has us snickering.  Instead of saying "Is that mine," Henry will say "Is that mines?"  We correct him by saying "No, it's 'mine'," but he thinks we're saying it possessive so then he gets an attitude back at us, thinking we're trying to take what's his.  Hilarious!  He baby talks Lucy which is beyond adorable and he says "I'm going to pat her" instead of
"pet her."  He has recently developed an unusual accent where he draws out his vowels.  Instead of "help" he says "HALP!" Totally random, but it keeps things interesting.

On the car ride home today, I asked him what he had for lunch "Steak fingers, mashed potatoes, little bitty owanges, grabbie (gravy) and ketchup. That's what we had."  I told him that it sounded like a really yummy lunch and asked "Which was your favorite," to which he replied "The ketchup. That was my favorite."  Either that wasn't a good meal or he eats entirely too much ketchup.  (GROSS!!)

He knows the names of just about every piece of heavy construction machinery that he's ever seen.  Everything from pavers to rock haulers to dozers and cement trucks; he calls them the right name and is quick to correct you.  He loves anything that moves or makes loud noises.  He's still obsessed with all things fire trucks and ambulances.   Saturday was our city's Fire Department Open House so he got to check out all kinds of fun stuff!!!

Ready to check out the fire house!

He always enjoys sitting behind the wheel of the fire truck.

 

LFD Open House 2012

Checking out the infamous "fire boat" that he talks about all the time

And this probably made his day!!!   He beamed with pride when he told me "I got to shoot water out of the BIG hose.  We sprayed it until the fire went out!"

 

 

We always get a "He's had a great day!" response at school and they are always telling us how good and fun he is.  He really enjoys being at school even though mornings are sometimes a challenge for Mike.  He's not a morning and neither is Mike, but they get by just fine.  Yesterday when we picked him up from Sunday School, his teacher was bragging about how he was a good friend to a new kid in the class that was upset when his parents dropped him off.  We asked Henry about his new friend and he said "His name is Bryce and he was weally upset when he got dropped off. I was his friend and showed him how to go down the slide.  I like Bryce."  I have to admit, I was really proud of him for branching out and making a new friend.  It's a trait that we encourage and hope that he will continue through his life.  

 

So there's a summary of what's going on around here with Henry.  Mike's enjoying football, dirt track racing and the cooler temps.  Mama has been crafting quite a bit and even got to take a couple of classes.  Work has been busy, but I think things are finally settling down, if even for a week or two.  We're getting ready for fun-filled nights and weekends and lots more family time.   Thanks for stopping by to see what's up with us.  Hope you're doing great!

 

Celebrating 62 years!

My precious grandparents celebrated 62 years of marriage yesterday, the 5th.  Some of the family met up at Babe's Chicken House for lunch today. Oh man, it was a great time. The company was wonderful and the food was heavenly. (My Heaven has a big plate of Babe's chicken tenders and mashed potatoes waiting for me. :)

Henry loved lunch and took a really nice nap when we got home that lasted nearly 5 hours.

Oh and Granny and Granddaddy wore sombreros and had a little song sung to them.  Loved it!!