Black and White Weekend

This will be a short post as the pictures are just too sweet to spoil with words. We had a great weekend. Hunter's team won their game, I got to spend time with my new friend, my Daddy turned 69, and Morgan was her usual happy self. She is so beautiful!




I loved taking pictures of the kids in black and white. Hunter looks so big and tough in uniform. He is such a handsome young man!!!

Things to Remember

Thursday Morgan woke from an afternoon nap in her swing and cried helplessly wanting me to take her out. As I turned off the swing and opened the tray, she actually reached up for me! I was absolutely thrilled. Both chubby little hands lifted up for me to scoop her up and hug her. She has leaned toward Wes when she wanted him but never actually reached for anything on purpose. Friday night she actually got a little traction on her toes and had her bottom in the air scooting across her play mat. I love being here to see her discover everything her little body can do. I still giggle to myself and laugh with Mom about how her left hand seemed to have a mind of its own and would pull her right hand from her mouth, thus removing the thumb. She would be so mad looking around to see which of us did this to her. She would be screaming and there Wes was laughing until tears fell. Now her hands have apparently agreed to a peace treaty and she uses the left one to hold the other while sucking her thumb. I know I shouldn't, but I wish it were something she did every day so that I could get a better picture of it.

All the time Hunter does or says something funny or heart melting and I think, "Oh I could never forget this moment!" Well, apparently my mind can only hold so much (my heart is much bigger than my brain!) I want to write them here as I recall them so that I never forget and so that I can tease him later for being so darn cute.

Stars- When Hunter was four to six years old he would always look at at the night sky, see the lights of a plane and say "Mwommie, look at the star!" I would explain it was a plane and go on. So one night we walked out to see a beautiful sky full of stars and he declared, Mwommie look at all the planes!!!" I was smiling so big I had to scoop him up and hug him to keep from laughing and crying at the same time. I almost hated to tell him they were stars twinkling at him. We sang Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star the whole way home.
God made Texas-When he was four, his Dad and I took him on a trip to Ft. Davis to see Grandparents. He slept most of the way. At some point further west, he woke up, stretched his little arms up and saw what he considered desert and announced, "Look Mwommie, this is what it was before God made it Texas!" Here is a picture of us from that weekend.Well, I am exhaused, and need to go to bed. This is a post I will definitly be adding to though.

Oh Charleston...

I miss Charleston the same way I would miss an old friend. Don't get me wrong, I am a full blooded Texas gal and love most things Texan (my husband being my favorite one!) There is just something mystical and charming about Charleston that always draws my heart and mind to the place I once called home. Let me try to paint you a picture of what my heart remembers. You drive in to Historic Downtown Charleston and your tires land on old brick paved streets lined with tall palmetto trees, enormous live oak and cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss. The trees are in the courtyards and the parks with families strolling along beneath them on their way to Waterfront Park. Here there is a covered pier over the marsh grass with rows of porch swings where couples sit and watch the birds and wildlife while the ocean water splashes into the reeds. Occasionally a dolphin or manatee will swim by and say hello and then be off again on a secret journey to who knows where. Behind them sit the majestic antebellum houses and historic store fronts. The grand rainbow colored homes are adorned with towering white columns or ornamental iron fences, window boxes overflowing with flowers and greenery, long covered porches with hanging ferns, swings, and rocking chairs, all gently rocking from the light breeze while hindering my view of the garden hidden behind the home. Market street is buzzing with people, tourist, locals, the women weaving grass baskets in the corners, fudge samples, and women in straw hats looking at purses, jewelry, and trinkets. A horse drawn carriage passes by while the driver tells the history of the buildings and cemeteries to his fare. You can smell the southern kitchens all around you. Herbs, seafood, wine, and fruit smells mix with that of the salt water and linger long into the humid evenings.... I could honestly sit for hours and write about what I remember about Charleston. I haven't even yet touched on the beaches, the swamps, or even how much I loved living on base. In my heart I am sitting there engulfed in her southern charm this very moment. I can't believe how vividly these memories of a place resonate in soul.

Cluttered

Everything in my life feels cluttered right now and I do not like it....AT ALL. I feel like de-cluttering my home has become a daunting and exhausting task. My brain is so cluttered that now, at 2:30 a.m., is the only time I can unwind my gears and breathe a little. I thought I would make a

quick to do list while it is still all clear to me:

Call insurance company
Birth Announcements (is is even okay to send them out this late)
Clean out closets and drawers and GET RID of things that don't fit.
File, file, file
Shred, shred, shred
Fill out both kids baby books
organize photos and put in albums or boxes
find my missing jewelry
find Wes's missing cologne (he is crushed)
donate clothes

Fall is finally here!!!

I love fall!!! I love when the seasons change and the warm earth tones come out all around me. When squash, zucchini, and pumpkins are everywhere at the store and farmer's markets. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved collecting the beautiful gold, burnt orange, and red colored leaves. I love the smell of the air when it just barely starts to cool down. I love the way your face feels when you run around and play in the crisp fall air and your face feels warmed by your now flush cheeks. That is what makes raking leaves fun. There is nothing like a good old fashioned leaf fight or the fun we had raking them into piles just to jump in them. I am going to miss that this year. We don't have any trees big enough to need a rake in this house. Maybe when we buy a home of our own we will have some well established trees to give us shade in the summer and leaves to rake in the fall. In our old house I had hung the hammock between two big trees. I would lay there and watch the sun glow behind the leaves while the pretty butterflies danced around above me. It was magical. It made me miss the days of running around as a kid catching things like lightning bugs in a jar just to watch them closer. Football season is here and I am so excited to watch Hunter play each year knowing that it is finally about to cool down a little. Dear God, let it cool soon.

Happy Birthday Hunter Bear!

Hunter, one day when your older you will look back and want to read this so I want to tell you what a gift you have been to me and some of the many things I love about you. You have a heart of gold. You truly want to help people less fortunate than us. You still care about others feelings. Your smile can light up a room and has been my driving force for a lot of years. Your prayers humble me and make me so proud to be your Mother. I love watching you play with younger children, it is you at your best. Soccer, baseball, football, in all of them you put to much pressure on yourself to be the best; the best is when you are out there enjoying playing and still being a kid. You will have to be a grown up one day soon, too soon, and you will wish you were a kid again and those days will be too far gone. Happy Birthday Hunter Bear. Be a kid for as long as you can. Play and laugh and run around crazy (even when I have to be a Mom and fuss at you to be careful) HAVE FUN! Your only a kid once.

Is it hot in here or is it just me???

Oh my Lord, these hormones are no fun, not for anyone! I am hot, I am tired, I am hungry, I feel suffocated, and don't you dare pull out in front of me in traffic! With that said, when I look at the bigger picture, raging hormones are such a small price to pay for the beautiful baby girl we are blessed with. I look at her and everything else just melts away. Thank you Lord for all my beautiful blessings.

How the Cow ate the Cabbage...

I will simply say, the cow is FAT! Those of you know me well will know exactly what I am talking about. Tonight was great. Hunter's football team had a float in the local homecoming parade and Morgan and I went to watch. First she took a nap. A deep sleep nap. That darling baby slept through the fire truck sirens, honking horns, and the marching band! She was just tuckered out. We ran into my cousin and visited with her a bit. While waiting to see her Bubba, Morgan decided to taste her toes! I can't believe I got a picture of a first during the act!!!! Eventually Hunter's float went by and he waved and we were ready to go. We had a great time with other teammates and their families at dinner. It is really neat to be able to get all the kids together to goof off and have a laid back dinner out with other parents.

Tiny toes and jammed fingers...

What a week! I have been busy cleaning, sorting, rearranging, and just taking care of my children and home. We spent the weekend glued tot he TV watching Hurricane Ike destroy places we loved and praying for everyone we know on the coast. Hunter mowed, I re potted several plants, we painted patio furniture, Morgan's stars, cleaned out the garage, and his closet. On top of that, Hunter has football 5 nights a week and it is just exhausting me. Yesterday, I thought I would just drop him off and come home with Morgan to cook dinner so Hunter didn't have to eat terribly late. So there I was, happy to be cooking not one, but two meals (I was trying to plan ahead) and I get a THE call. You know the one you dread..."Hunter is taking quite a beating today, you might want to head up here, he just dislocated his fingers!" Like any other Mom I thought OMG my baby is hurt and I wanted to cry, but I can't because Morgan would cry and it would embarrass Hunter if I showed up with tears. So what did I do? I put on my Mommy face, grabbed the ice pack, a splint, a towel, the baby and headed out the door. Luckily they had reset them before I got there. Turns out he really did take a beating and that was his third injury in just an hours or so. He was okay and life was good again.

Morgan is is the move. She is scooting herself on the floor and in her crib...on her face! It is funny and sad all at the same time. She has found so many new things to amuse her this week. She loves to hold her toes, specifically her left big toe. She constantly has the leg in the air looking for it or holding it. She is also making all new noises. It is adorable. Hunter is convinced she is saying hi over and over. She will mimic sounds and pitches we make during her talking sessions. She also talks to herself in the mirror when we are driving. Hunter and I just parked and listened to her the other day with big grins across our faces and hearts.
As for the rest of my week, I need to finish the house for Hunter's birthday cookout this Saturday. Wes is flying in to surprise him. I can't believe my baby is going to be twelve...I am old and today I feel it!

A day with my Mom...

I normally spend all day playing with and cooing with Morgan wishing that someone else were here to see all the adorable things she does. So I invited my mom to visit and she came to see Morgan and I today. We had a great time. No worries, no schedule, no rushing, and no make-up! On top of that, she arrived with goodies. I had mentioned I was out of shower gel and face lotion so she more than replenished my cabinets with samples and products she decided weren't right for her. We had a delicious lunch at Babe's in Old Town Burleson and got great craft and decoration ideas at some of the local antique shops. Mom even bought me a little turquoise terra cotta bird and a candle. They are so cute! Afterwards we came back and rearranged Morgan's nursery until Hunter got out of school. Once we had moved her stuff all around the room looked a lot better. We rewarded ourselves with a pedicure and fajita dinner for all of us! Morgan was adorable and babbled on and on for Mom. She seemed to enjoy drooling on Mom's shoulder while she rocked her. Watching her I vividly remembered her rocking Hunter the same way on my porch in Charleston. What a pleasant memory and what a great day!!!

1. Things to focus on -God's direction for us as a family.
2. Some of the things I want to make-signs, crosses, Hunter's jersey quilt, start scrapbooking, learn more about photography & photo shop programs, jewlrey and so many more things!!!

I Love My Husband

I am sure your all rolling your eyes right now. But I needed to take a minute to reflect on just how he saved me and didn't even know it. I need to tell him that Hunter loves and respects him more than his macho, boys are never mushy, teenager mouth will ever say. I want to be sure that he knows that his precious daughter, Morgan, is even sweeter when she is safe in his arms. More importantly, I need to tell him every day how much I appreciate him, how hard he works, how much he loves me, how much he loves our children, and how he accepts me just as I am. I love you Wesley! Please hurry home safely to us. We miss you.

Home alone

You would think that after a full day of go go go I would enjoy being home alone with a sleeping baby tonight but I miss my family! I want my husband here to hold me and talk to me. I want to know my son is safely in the other room where I can bother him whenever I wish. I know how he just loves that! It was a normal hot Texas September day and Morgan was so hot and tired I stripped her to her diaper right in the middle of Hunter's scrimmage. We went from ten o'clock football pictures, to a long scrimmage, to lunch, back home to change, and then to a team swim party at his coaches home, and I returned home at nearly ten tonight. That is a lot of running around for a baby (and a Mommy). She handled it with more smiles than I did! Now she is sound asleep in her crib. It is an odd feeling having strangers compliment her all day, but one that makes you so proud. Speaking of proud, Hunter impressed me today. His attitude in football has been terrible the past few days. He was just putting so much pressure on himself to be the best and then lashing out. I talked to him several times about this in the past and told him he needed to soak in a warm tub with Epsom's salt and think about the example he sets for the smaller kids. He did and went to his scrimmage today and apologized to the whole team. I didn't hear it but he told them that his knows his reaction is just as important as his actions. That's my boy!!!

Gypsy Souls and Giggling Babes

Gypsy Souls and Giggling Babes

I wanted to be a traveling gypsy. I wanted a colorful bus, with a few good books, a journal, and simple clothes and friends packed inside. I wanted to see the world, eat croissants in Paris, Pasta and heirloom tomatoes in Italy, climb mountains, raft through canyons, walk along the green rolling hills in Ireland and ride horses in a wild places such as Montana and Wyoming. I wanted to save the earth, the world, my family, and everything living thing I came in contact with. I can close my eyes even now and breathe in all of the glorious smells and sounds of the places I dreamt of. Some where along the road I turned and took the path most traveled. I found the best smell of all...the spot just under my babies necks. That beautiful and unique smell that no one can recreate. The very best noise being the sound of my children learning to giggle and learning that they too have a voice of their own and the right to dream their own unique dream for themselves. That is better than any green grass on the other side of a fence. Life is short, but it can also be long, God willing I can go all of those places later, I am enjoying it right where I am...at home with my children loving my husband.

I spent eight weeks of this summer in Colorado with my husband Wes and daughter Morgan in an RV. When you are used to your space, sharing a 28 ft. RV with a large man and a newborn baby are are true test of love...and boy do I love him. I was happy to leave my home and embark on an adventure in a beautiful place. I thought I would go there and explore and fall in love with a new place and all of the nature surrounding me. The pretty stuff was at least an hours drive away and while Wes did take me on many fabulous adventures, what I fell in love with was being his wife and the mother of his child. I saw how tired he was at days end and how much he put his heart in his work and best of all his family. He worked 10 hour shifts, 200 plus feet in the air, in the heat of another 107 degree day, while I felt sorry for my self in a warm trailer. I could never do the things he does. I am so grateful that he does this day in and day out so that I can finally be at home with our children. God has truly blessed me...now if I could only remember that when he isn't listening to me during a football game or leaves the lid up.

I have a million more things to say about our trip, my children, my life, and my faith...but right now my daughter is ready to giggle.