8 Months!

Dean turned 8 months old a couple of weeks ago. I can't believe that this time last year I was pregnant with him.

Dean is doing so many new and great things!
1. Crawling all over the place
2. Sitting up
3. Shaking his head
4. Wearing 9 month and 12 month clothes
5. Trying to pull up on everything
6. Talking a lot, sounds like he says "mama" but still unsure
7. Eating a lot. He loves sweet potatoes!
8. Gets really happy when he sees mommy and daddy after we've been gone
9. Laughs hard
10. Loves playing with "little people" toys
11. Cries when we leave the room
12. Loves playing in his saucer
13. Likes the jumper too
14. Cries when we sneeze/cough/vacuum
15. Getting more hair and still has those gorgeous long eye lashes
16. Weighs 19 lbs
17. Had his first virus last week, tear. :( He's doing better now. He had a fever, runny nose and cough.
18. Loves mommy's jewelry
19. Busy body...he can't sit still
20. Still has a hard time going to sleep at night. We rock for awhile
21. Loves to be held
22. Has 2 bottom teeth
23. Sat in a shopping cart and high chair in a restaurant for the first time


We are so thankful for our sweet little D. He brings so much joy to our lives and we can't imagine life without him. Our hearts are full this Christmas season. And we feel blessed beyond measure that God would chose us to take care of this precious boy. We have a wonderful God which makes me think of these words from Jeremy Camp's song:

What a wonderful Maker
What a wonderful Savior
How majestic Your whispers
And how humble Your love
With a strength like no other
And the heart of a Father
How majestic Your whispers
What a wonderful God


I will post more pictures once I find my camera. The below ones are from my phone...sorry they are so blurry.

Christmas wreath on a budget

I have been searching for the perfect wreath. They are no where to be found! I've searched long and wide. My massive snowman wreath had to be retired last year...it was looking shabby. So off to my favorite store, Hobby Lobby!

Here is what I purchased:
1. 1 wreath - $8.99 (half off), so it turned out to be $4.50
2. Christmas balls - One set of white/red - $7.99 (half off), turned out to be $3.99
3. Used some of my own ornaments
4. Several beaded/floral picks (the sparkly things that stick out of wreaths/trees). I bought about 6 red and 6 white for a total of about $10, they were all half off too.
5. Ribbon - $5

Grand total: $23.49

I don't think you could buy a wreath for that cheap!! Our home is looking festive. I wonder what else I can make???

Little model

Mom and sister took Dean shopping last week. Dean was the perfect model. He let them play dress up with him. I kept getting picture texts all day long while at work. Thank goodness for camera phones and texting! At least I can see what he's up to while I'm away.

What's your favorite hat?

I'm trying really hard...

to crawl! I want to run after that silly Roxy. I laugh at her and try to steal her bones. One of these days I'm going to learn to crawl and she'll be so surprised!

My first Boo!

Dean had a busy weekend showing off his monster costume. He was the cutest monster I've ever seen, but I'm not biased. We took him to my office for our annual Boo Bash. He flirted with the girls and hammed it up just in time for the photographer to snap the perfect picture of him!

My first homecoming

Dean experienced his first homecoming last weekend. It sure was adventureous! We went to the parade, had lunch with the family and went to the game. When we arrived at the stadium, it started pouring down rain. Everyone was evacuated from the stands because of lightning. We were all standing squished together under the stadium. All the rain was blowing in and we were all getting soaked. Dean was crying the entire time. I think everyone felt sorry for me so they tried to help by covering him with ponchos, blankets, etc...Luckily my brother and sister and Derek's family were there to help too (Derek was working - lucky him. He stayed warm and dry inside with the recruits). It was definitely a memorable time. Don't think I'll be going to another game where thunderstorms are in the forecast. Poor little guy was so scared.



Our family


I loved the Parade!


Cousins





All the cousins and their kiddos

Yes, I did make the overalls for Dean and Jackson (cousin). It was quite easy. I just painted away on the denim. I like to free hand everything when I paint. I don't need stencils...that takes too long! Glad the boys were able to sport their cute outfits together!

6 months old!

Happy half birthday to our little buddy! Dean turned 6 months on Sept 24, 2010. He is such a joy to be around. Little D is a little flirt and smiles at everyone. He's getting a lot of hair these days and its turning blonde. He has the longest eye lashes I've ever seen, girls will be jealous!

Dean is a long and lean little guy weighing in at: 16 lbs, 6 oz
Height: 27 inches

Here is what you are doing at 6 months:

-rolling over as soon as we put you down, both ways
-eating your feet
-grabbing at everything
-playing with toys
-loves the saucer
-likes to laugh at Roxy
-has tried green beans, squash and rice cereal
-so happy in the mornings
-starts to get upset if mommy/daddy leave your sight
-waking up at least once a night
-splashes like crazy in the bath
-talks all the time and blows raspberries
-sleeping on your side/tummy
-wiggling and wanting to move when you are held
-eating about 6 times a day

Mmmm...yummy green beans!

More posts to come, I promise!!

Little D

I found my hands mommy and daddy!

That's so funny daddy, you are so silly!

Ellie the elephant is my buddie. I like to eat him.

I move all the time. Thats why most of the pictures of me are blurry.

I'm a rock star and mommy likes to put leg warmers on me in the middle of the summer. Silly mommy!

I like the pool!

I'm a cool dude.

Me and my daddy...we are buds!

Mommy and me

13 going on 30

Ok, maybe not 13 but I know I don't look much older than 21 (love that movie by the way). I've even gotten carded for buying glue. Last Friday, I turned 30. Yep, you can check my drivers license if you don't believe me. I can barely believe it myself! I don't feel any different. I think having a child is what makes me feel older not the actual number. It used to bother me that I look younger but now I just embrace it! Maybe when I'm 50, I'll look like I'm 30!

I'd like to take a look back at the last 30 years. Below are my top 30 memories (its hard to think back but I'll try):

1. Beach vacations with my family as a little girl.
2. Slip in slide birthday parties.
3. Disney World - enough said.
4. Being Dorothy in my dance studio's version of Wizard of Oz in the 8th grade (yes I was a blonde dorothy). My sister danced with me in the Lion scene.
5. Going to upstate NY for Christmas. Enjoying time in the snow with my family and grandparents. There's nothing better than a white Christmas.
6. More dance, performing in the nutcracker as: a party girl, a mouse, a ballerina, a flower, a chinese dancer...
7. Meeting my best friends in middle school and high school.
8. Bringing home our first family pet when I was about 10. Chelsea we miss you!
9. Sharing everyday life with a spunky sister and a sports-lover brother. I love you Caroline and Ryan!
10. Indian Princess with my dad and dancing with him in one of my dance recitals.
11. Shopping and baking with my mom. Thanks mom for all the fresh baked cookies you had for us everyday after school!
12. Being on the drill team in high school. Dancing on the field during football half time. Making officer my Senior year.
13. Getting into Baylor. Sic'em!
14. Graduating high school. I still remember sitting inbetween 2 people I didn't know. Wow, we had a big graduating class.
15. Having my own apartment with friends and decorating it. Living in our dollhouse apartment with Katie, Caroline, Holly and Kendi.
16. Sorority memories with my friends. Parties, service projects, SING...
17. Sonic/Starbucks runs with Katie after class.
18. Living with Caroline in our tree house apartment the last year of college - were those squirrels or rats living in our walls?
19. Meeting my husband at Baylor!
20. Graduating college and staring at my diamond the whole time!
21. Getting engaged the night before graduation. I will never forget that special night infront of Waco Hall.
22. Getting my first job and paycheck.
23. Marrying my best friend and seeing his smiling face at the end of the aisle.
24. Welcoming our first puppy...Roxy you are a nut, but we love you!
25. Buying our first house and decorating it.
26. Finding our church and becoming part of a wonderful group there!
27. Getting Baptized.
28. Finding out we were pregnant.
29. Seeing my belly expand and feeling Dean kick.
30. Welcoming Dean Alexander in March 2010 and holding him for the first time.

It's a wonderful life! So here's to making 30 the newest 20!

Dean is 4 months!

Yesterday Dean had his 4 month check up. He did great! Dr. said he is healthy and perfect. He also said he is very social and ahead in his motor skills. He was smiling and grabbing his feet the whole time the Dr. was checking him. He sure is a little wiggle worm and loves to talk!

Weight: 14 lbs, 3 oz (50th percentile)
Height: 26 1/4 (80th percentile)

We were told we can introduce the pool to him now. Yeah! Can't wait to see if he'll be a little fish!


I love this picture my brother took of Dean. He is such a handsome little guy!

Derek here again. Back in blogosphere after many hard months of arduous soul searching, lamentation, and extreme grief-inducing deep introspective thought. No, not really. I’ve just been really into playing Angry Birds on my wife’s iphone. Oh, and I guess we had a baby too.

I have learned a great deal in the past four months of parenthood. More so than I ever thought, or wished to know – how to change a diaper, how to clean poop off of the floor, why poop can be so many different colors. I feel like at this point in my life I have been around more poo poo than Emmitt Smith in the early 2000s. Messy.

With my lovely wife being on maternity leave I have also learned all of the wonders of daytime TV (even though I work from home, of course, I never turn on the television to watch programs like “The Price is Right,” “Jeopardy,” or Macgyver reruns during my long and strenuous work days). In the past few months I have been introduced to the Bonnie Hunt Show, the Martha Stewart show, and a train-wreck called Hoda and Kathie Lee.

But perhaps the most interesting was a show that gave us a little nugget of musical kryptonite. To be honest, I don’t even know what this show is called, what it is about, or why it is on. But, this song has been stuck in my head for weeks (almost as bad as Chimpanzee Riding on a Segway from a couple of years ago...”bamp bamp a bamp bamp bamp”) Take a listen and see if you can’t get this insanity out of your head.

Please make it stop!

Photoshoot #2

We are so lucky to have such talented friends! Another friend of mine from college took some fabulous pictures of Dean too. She came to our house and used our stuff for many of the backdrops. These pictures were actually taken when he was only 5 days old. Kristen you and your hubby are amazing!

Check out Kristen's website: http://www.kristenstewartphotography.com/