Sparkle & Shine

Doesn't she sparkle and shine? I just feel so joyful every time I look at this picture. I adore her. She is every bit as sweet and happy as she looks in this photo- all the time. I love her brown hair and her blue eyes and that smile kills me. What a little doll.

And how about this? Talk about sparkle. This is Nikki's engagement ring and this picture doesn't do it justice. It is, without a doubt, one of the top three most beautiful rings I've ever seen. She had to wait a long time for it because a designer hand-crafted it, but it's totally worth the wait.

This week has been okay. I'm so glad we have a long weekend and Bennett will be home. We'll just be relaxing, hanging with family and friends, maybe going to see Davis' family in San Antonio. Not sure. Here's to labor day!

Goofing Around

Davis wants to play with Holden all the time- I caught some pics of them "goofin around" (as Davis would say) in her bed on Saturday. They're going to be best buds. Enjoy.

Around The House

I've talked a lot about projects we've been doing around the house. Here are some pictures.

The yard BEFORE

 

 

 This is serious. There is a lot of work to be done.

 

 

The yard mid-way. 

3/4 of the way and working hard.

 



Should have finals in the next week or so. All the work was done by Bennett and Davis. In August.

 

Davis' Big Boy Room. (I'm hesitant to even post these because the lighting/color is so off). I wish Carrie was my full-time photographer but I had to snap these while his room was semi-clean...which is incredibly rare. It usually looks like this:

But que sera, here they are.

 

  

Forgot to take a before- but if you really want to see one- you can dig back into my posts in about September of 2009 and see his baby room.

  

Also, I mentioned his new track loader...but did I tell you about his weight lifter? Pretty cute.

 



Day 2

Davis did great...but I sort of felt weird at drop off this morning. Let me first just say that I realize that my normal is probably other people's weird...so I think in acknowledging that, I'm free to also note what I consider weird. Equal opportunity judgement, if you will.

So I walk in to his classroom...and I'm greeted by his lead teacher, Hillary, who is great. And then I chat up the 3rd teacher, Mr. Johnnie, because I was a few minutes late to orientation and didn't hear what his back story was.

First things first, he seems incredibly kind and cool, and like he really enjoys his job. But he's a little awkward. Like, he uses buzz words all the time in conversation, and he kind of looks at you for approval non-stop, so it doesn't feel natural. I'll ask how he is and how the first day was and he'll say something like "You know, I love early childhood development. They're just learning so much...(pause)...you know, active play? Social learning...and I'm their guide." It's a canned response. Nothing conversational or natural about it. So that made me feel a little weird. Not bad, just weird. I mean some people have weird social skills, but are awesome people, right?

Then this little boy walks in, and he is squawking/roaring like a dinosaur. And I know that seems typical for a 3 year old...but it felt a little odd...especially paired with his mom. She was SO LOUD. And gosh, I wish you could have been there to know what I mean, but let me try to describe.

A few kids and a couple parents are sitting on the floor, talking and playing with various toys when this curvy woman in a very loud print dress and very high heels, busts through opens the door, and with this resounding giant bird-like voice shouts "ADAM! TELL MISS HILLARY WHAT DAY IT IS!!!" And the squawking dinosaur kid (who also looks about two years older than Davis) just keeps making animal noises and she continues to shout "ADAM. I DON'T LIKE THOSE NOISES. ADAM! TELL MISS HILLARY WHAT DAY IT IS!!!" And he is so clearly wanting to just go play, but she won't let up.

This goes on for about five minutes and then the lady declares that it is his 3rd birthday. So the few of us that are there say "happy birthday" and try to sort of get back to what we were doing. But the sound of her ongoing monologue pretty much blocks everything else out.

And for a moment, I sort of zone out, and I hear this bird-like (maybe a cockatoo?) lady, and one crying little boy (this is his first time away from mom) and Johnnie talking about developmental steps and I'm like "where am I?" And then it's time for the lady to leave, and she says "ADAM! I NEED A KISS AND A HUG..." and he is not paying attention, which bothers her as though she was blown off by an adult, so she says "ADAM. I NEED SOME KISSIES AND SOME HUGGIES PLEASE..." And I have to focus on not barfing.

Luckily, Davis was so happy and busy playing with Hudson and some other friends. And luckily I know a few of the parents and kids in the class and I know they're legit...but man, there are some weird people in this world. I hope I end up loving his teachers and his little friends. I think maybe I was spoiled in the Koalas class. Zoinks.

1st Day of School

So much to talk about from this weekend, but first things first, today was Davis' first day as a Robin. It's amazing what a difference a year can make. I had so much anxiety last year about him starting school, and this year was quite different. We talked so much about Davis' new class, teachers and friends, and I could tell this morning he was a little nervous. He kept saying "I want to stay home. I don't want to go to my new classwoom." But luckily, when we got there, and he saw new toys and his buddy, Hudson, he was just fine.

We played for a bit and he was so excited about the new and different toys...TWO garbage trucks in his new room! And then Bennett and I began to tell him we had to leave...and after three times saying "one more minute..." he pushed us out the door (literally) with a big smile on his face. I'm excited for him. This is going to be a big year.

Also- he has a little kid bathroom attached to his class this year and it links up with another classroom- and the teacher in that classroom is Miss Kathryn!

So about last week and this weekend...

I took so many pictures- with a real camera.

Davis, Holden and I went to see nanny and grandpa in Fredericksburg.

We got Davis to nap a couple days in his big boy bed.

Holden is SO close to crawling.

Davis got a hair cut and screamed the entire time. Awesome.

Davis redeemed his stars and picked out a CAT track loader.

Honey came over so Bennett and I could go to Corky and B's shower.

Church was awesome. We're doing a 30 day bible reading challenge. Discipline Sam, discipline.

I got to see Carrie (Davis' nanny) at work- love her.

Jennifer (Holden's nanny) made a little imprint of Holden's feet for us. So cute.

Bennett and I started doing "mindshare" where we sit down on Sunday evenings and each of us shares something cool we read, learned or heard about that week. (We made it up...so far so good).

My other Carrie (and Zach, Porter and Mary Mae) bought a house near us. Yahoo.


Okay, more later! Happy first day of school. Fall is in the air! (I am willing this to be so)

Goodbye Little Koalas

I cannot believe today is Davis' last day as a Koala. The past year has gone more quickly than any other year in my life and I really don't like it. He has learned and grown so much this year, it's hard to realize it's over, and he's moving on. Luckily, I am thrilled with his new teacher, and I still like the school.

Today I am shuffling to find a babysitter for teacher/parent orientation tonight. I had no idea until today that it was tonight. Oops. So anyway- goodbye little Koalas, hello Robins!

Three Stars

We started a new system at our house about a week ago...right around the time Davis got his big boy bed. As mentioned, he is fine at night, but has no intention of staying in bed and napping during nap time. And since we don't spank, and there are only so many things you can say to threaten the bejeezus out of him, we realized we needed some sort of reward system.

Enter the stars.

We got this little white board that is really a chore chart, but has little boxes for each day of the week and all these cute magnetic stars, and we put it on the fridge. We started telling Davis that each time he did something extra nice or that we asked, he would get a star. And once he got enough stars, he could pick out a toy at Target. (This system is also meant to combat the issue of him thinking that of course you get a new toy each time you go to Target. That's what Target is for...)

Anyway, sort of hard to explain to a two year old...but we've been trying it. And so far he has three stars. I haven't really been sure how much he understands, but he is so excited each time he gets a star. Though not everything is worth a star to him- including- napping, washing his hair, etc.

Well, the other night we were lying in his bed and he looked at me and said "I want to go to Target and pick out a toy..." I just looked at him. He paused and then said "I need more stars."

Ha. :)

San Antonio

Davis has been out of town since Thursday at a very extended bachelor party...so I decided to pack up the kids and head to San Antonio on Friday to see Kirsten and Andy since Chad was out of town seeing some friends.

We almost didn't go. The night before, Pico was missing, so Davis and I drove all around the neighborhood for hours looking for our little lost dog while my mom stayed with Holden. We drove and shouted PICO and drove and shouted some more. Davis was such a trooper the first hour or so...he would yell with me and repeat everything I said. Then finally he said he wanted to go home, and I said "We can't go home, we need to find Pico..." and he said "I don't want to find Pico anymore."

Anyway, long story short, my kind neighbor found Pico, took him in, and then put out FOUND signs. Thank goodness. Pico is such a good dog. I was so sad.

So suffice it to say that Thursday was a long night and Friday a rough day, and I almost called an audible and decided to stay home. Taking two kids and trying to get them to sleep there seemed exhausting. But, as I was feeling down, I knew that no one would put me in a better mood than Kirsten Rockwood Furl...so we made the trip.

And I am SO glad we did. We had so much fun. Sounds dorky, but it was really special. It was the first time that Davis and Andy really played together. And oh man, did they play. They were best little buds, straight away. And Andy would do whatever Davis did, and they would trade toys, and just had a blast together. Andy has grown up so much. His red hair is now strawberry blonde, he's tall and lean, and his vocabulary has expanded ten-fold. And Davis was such a little gem, sharing with Andy, even when he wanted that certain toy.

We played Friday afternoon, then went to have pizza at a kid-friendly New York style pizzeria, then went for ice cream. Friday night was an adventure. It was hard to get Holden to sleep in a new place, in a pack n play, and because she was overly tired from being up a little late. When she finally fell asleep, it was time to get Davis and Andy to sleep.

Kirsten and I have joked since about how casual we were about them sharing a bedroom when we just knew there was no way it would work...but it did! Okay, so maybe Davis stayed up until 10 p.m. with Kirsten and I, but he finally went quietly to bed. When we woke up, Andy was standing next to Davis' pack n play, and they were handing each other toys.

That morning we took the Brackenridge park train over to the Witte museum. Of course Davis and Andy loved the train, and they had even more fun at the museum. I let Davis pick out a toy at the gift shop, and out of all the options, he chose two dinosaur erasers for himself, and two for Andy. Kids are so sweet. We played all around the museum and the boys just had a blast. Sweet Holden was unbelievable, per the usual, and Kirsten and I laughed as hard as we always do together.

When it came time to leave San Antonio, Davis was so sad. The whole way home he said things like:
"I want to go back to Kirsten and Andy's house..."
"I want to play so nice with Andy..."
"I want to try again next week to play with Andy..."

Best buds. So sweet.

Friday Product Reviews

Have a couple more things I'm excited about sharing. And again, not paid for these endorsements, but just love sharing good things and hearing about good things from other people.

L'Occitane Hand Cream

I'm not really one of those people that buys special creams and stuff- so know that this is legit feedback. Bennett put this in my stocking once a few years back and now I keep it on hand as much as possible. The scent is awesome and so light, and it makes your hands feel like a baby's bottom.

Moroccan Hair Oil.

Another gift from my friend and workout partner, Stacey. It's really small, and it's $15 for this size, and worth every penny. Simply take a dime size amount and run it through your hair when it's damp or even after you've dried or straightened it and your hair feels like silk. So good. There are some knock-offs that are good, but not AS good.

And that's all I have for now. We're headed to see Kirsten and Andy today. Can't wait. Hope we don't melt.

My Birthday's Saggin!

Okay, try to follow me here...

a) Since Ella and Gavin's birthdays, Davis has been very focused on, and excited about, his upcoming birthday. He had a hard time understanding why we would buy presents that are not for him, until we explained that when his birthday comes, he is the one that is celebrated and gets to open presents. So it's been on his mind a lot lately.

b) Last week my mom was in town and told Davis "I brought you a present, Davis!" He so sweetly and sincerely looked at Bennett and said "It's my birthday, daddy!" We thought it was really cute and really funny because the truth is, Honey brings him presents all the time and he has never said that before. Anyway...she brought the road rug in and he was just over the moon. He kept saying "It's my birthday!" and "It's my party." We laughed all night about it.

c) So the night when he first got the rug and was talking all about how it was his birthday, his pants were also sagging quite a bit. And I would say "Davis, come here, your pants are sagging!" So he sort of picked that up that night. He would say "My pants are saggin!"

d) Anyway- Davis loves that road and we play on it every night...and his only frustration with it is when it bunches up and gets lumpy...he gets so frustrated and says "It's saggin! It's saggin, mommy!"

Alright, so here is where we get the title.

The road rug is his birthday.
When it gets bunched up, it's saggin.

So last night, over and over, he would look at me, so frustrated, and say "My birthday is saggin!"

And he knows what a birthday is. And he knows what it means to have sagging pants. So I just love that even knowing that- this is how he has pieced together that whole situation. My birthday's saggin!

It's amazing watching a kid think.

My Small People

Thank God for smartphones...phone pics are all I've been able to swing lately. Enjoy!

My constantly happy girl. Her smile makes me feel like one million bucks.

Porter and Davis while we were having BBQ. God Bless Texas!



Before work yesterday...she loves that jungle. Does her hair look a little red to you?

I love that I asked him to take a picture with Holden and he reached over and held her hand. He adores her. She has a great big brother.

"I don't know about this. I'm having fun messing with all this paper, but I feel like something bad is coming my way..."

Why would anyone want to give me a shot?

I'm just too sweet.

Davis enjoying breakfast mints at Chez Zee.



Holden enjoying her rings at Chez Zee.
To each his/her own.



Bennett and his naked baby girl before her bath. How proud is he?

Deer Hunting

So we don't really have toy guns at our house- because really, are guns toys? Nope. The closest thing Davis has is a little water gun, so you can imagine his confusion when B asked him to shoot a deer from the deer blind at Cabela's. Well if you can't imagine his confusion, here it is captured via photo. This is Davis, shooting a deer.

B, you have your work cut out for you.

Big Weekend

An overview of things that happened this weekend.

Friday I took Holden to her 6 month well check...even though she is 7 months today. HOLY COW- she is 7 months today. Anyway...everything is great. She is 15.5 pounds, (Davis was almost 19 at six months) 25 inches, will keep her blue eyes, and is in the 25% for size overall. We're starting to feed her baby food more regularly- and she is starting to catch on. They gave me a steroid cream for the moisture rash on her neck, so she is good to go.

Next, Nikki and I set up Davis' big boy bed and re-arranged his room. It was a surprise to him, so that made it really fun. He is so proud of his bed and LOVES that we can lay in it with him. Friday night I laid down with him and he kept giggling and getting so close to me, at one point he said "Let's rub noses..." then later "Just come close. Snuggle me." Pics of his room to come this week. Waiting on his new quilt from Land of Nod.

He also loves the "road" Honey gave him.

We also started re-doing the backyard now that the sprinkler system is in. Bennett didn't do the sprinkler system- BUT- he has done about everything else. In the RECORD. BREAKING. HEAT. I am so thankful. He laid all the sod. He loaded up all the trees, shrubs, stones (huge ones) and has dug and prepped everything. I worked out there for about 20 minutes and almost passed out from the heat. I have blisters on both hands- so I can only imagine how he felt. It was SO hot that we didn't want to take Holden out- so I was inside with both Davis and Holden most of Saturday. Did I mention that Davis laid sod until midnight on Friday night? HERO.

Saturday morning we met Davis' new teacher, Hillary. She is new to Austin and new to the school...and I had a little hesitation about that...when you buy into a certain school and then get all new teachers, you don't know what to think. But after meeting her- I am so excited for Davis. She is young, cute, so sweet and has great teaching experience. He is going to have a blast.

Saturday afternoon, after Bennett worked in the yard, we decided to take a random trip to Fred to swim for a bit (and pick up the aforementioned rocks). It was so fun because Mason and Lovell were there, staying with my mom. Mason leaves next week for college (I feel so old) so that was extra special. We gave her bed linens from Red for her graduation gift. She is going to be so stylish in Ohio.

We played and played and then took a dip in the pool. Davis had a grin from ear to ear the whole time. He is so brave in the water- loves to jump from the side- and wants his space all the time. But he really loved swimming with Daddy at Honey's. And Holden skinny dipped. She LOVED it. We didn't get home till 10 that night. Holden slept the whole ride home. Not Davis. He talked the whole way.

Yesterday, we went to church...then we had brunch at Chez Zee (my favorite) then my mom came over and we unloaded some furniture and started to rearrange our living room. So fun to have a new look. I'll do pictures once it's all finished. I know it seems like tons of changes- and it is- but we haven't done this since we moved in about six years ago.

So Davis has had no problem with nighttime in his new bed- but naptime is another story. He played his WHOLE naptime yesterday and when we went in there and it looked like a toy store had thrown up in his room, we said "DAVIS. What are you doing?" He looked at Bennett and I and said "I was just...sleeping." YEAH RIGHT. Hopefully that will wear off. I like my naps.

Anyway- then my grandparents stopped by. Then B came over. Then my mom and I went to dinner. And then I went to bed at 9 p.m. for goodness sakes.


Also this weekend, Davis started calling me "mom" instead of "mommy". WHAT? Punch to the stomach. I tried to tell him that if he calls me "mom" I will call him "Dave" but it didn't really work.

And he said some funny things like:
"Daddy. You have a big bootie."

Davis: You shave your wegs, mom?
Me: Yep
Davis: They are scratchy...

"We need to go talk about it in the wibing room..." about it being bedtime.

Also- I took pictures this weekend. YAHOO! I will upload them tomorrow.

Hope you guys had a good weekend. Ours was tiring, but productive.