The Hathorns

Tayson's First Season of Soccer

2010-10-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

We just wrapped up Tayson's first season of "First Touch" soccer. It was a blast!! Justin and I coached the team, and I think we had more fun than Tayson. Our team consited of 10, 3 year olds. We had 3 girls and 7 boys. They all seemed to love it and we had a great season!

The name of our team was the "Land O'Frost Lizards". We started practicing in August and practiced once or twice a week, and typically had one or two games a week. I am proud to say, we finished the season UNDEFEATED!! (not that it really matters at this age, but I thought it was neat anyways!)

Coaching and watching three years olds play soccer is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Some of them "understand" what is going on, while others...NOT SO MUCH! Tayson kind of went back and forth between the understanding, and NOT SO MUCH. Some practices and games he was really into it, and then like a light switch, it would change.

After our last game, we had a soccer party at Guido's Pizza in Springdale. Justin and I had trophies made for all of the players and I think they loved them. They were all so excited to have a trophey with their name and number on it.

All in all, we had a great season and can't wait until Spring!

Tristin practicing with us!

Tristin wanted to be on the team SO bad!

End of the season party

16 Months

2010-07-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Tristin turned 16 Months Old on Tuesday so I figured it was time for me to make notes of what he was up to! He is such a little busy body, trying hard to keep up with his big brother! He is the light of our lives (well, one of two!) and we just can't remember our lives without him!

Things he is up to:

*Walking. Everywhere! He was not in any hurry to walk, crawling was always his preferred method of travel. However, he decided that on July 1st (my birthday), that was the day to start. I thought it was a great birthday present!!

*Talking. I am constantly amazed by everything that he can say! Some of his favorite words are: mama, dada, BASKETBALL (crazy, I know!), kitty, eat, paci, blankie, outside, dog, shoes. He can say quite a few more words but they are escaping me right now :)

*Making animal noises. He can tell you what a dog, cow, duck, horse, monkey, pig, and cat say.

*Wearing 12-18 month clothes, size 3 shoes and a size 3 diaper. He is our tiny little thing!

*Has 12 teeth. The last 4 "eye" teeth just cut through the skin but they are finally in. :) They were pretty rough!!

*I took him for his 15 month check up a few weeks ago and he weighed 21 lbs 2 oz. Dr. Froman said he is in about the 20th percentile. I can't remember his exact height right now but he was in the 75th percentile. Long and lean!

*He is a pretty good sleeper. He still gets up about twice a night for a drink but then goes right back to sleep. He typically goes down between 8:30 and 9:00 and gets up between 6:30 and 7:00.

*He LOVES to play basketball. He is actually pretty good too! He would probably play basketball the entire day, if we let him.

*Adores Tayson!! Whatever Tayson is doing, is the most exciting thing for him. Tayson gets a little frustrated by this at times but overall, they get a long very well. I just LOVE watching them together, it melts my heart!!

*Loves to take a bath! This is one of his favorite times each day. He really loves any form of water, swimming, playing with the hose, etc.

Happy Birthday Baby!!

2010-03-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Trist,

I CAN.NOT.BELIEVE. that you are a year old today!! Where has the time gone? I honestly feel like this has been the fastest year of my life. You are such a blessing to Daddy, Tayson and I, and we cannot imagine our lives without you!! We have a big day planned for your first birthday and I think that Tayson is the most excited :) We are going to Rick's tomorrow morning for donuts (which I think you will love!) and then we are going to go to the park and play and tomorrow evening everyone is going to Chuck E. Cheese to help you celebrate! Your actually birthday party is next weekend, so I will have to do another post on that. We love you more than words can say, and hope that you have a great first birthday, Trister Bear!!

Here is what you are up to:

*Crawling everywhere!! You are also pulling up on everything. We think you will be walking very soon but you just haven't taken off yet! (That is perfectly fine with mommy!!)

*"Talk" all the time! The only words that we know you are saying for sure are: dada, mama (but only when you are tired or upset), hi and mmmmm (anytime you see food!). We think you are saying "kitty" but aren't 100% sure about that yet. It is so funny to me that both you and Tayson learned to say "kitty" so soon and we don't even have a cat! :)

*You are a tiny little thing! You only weigh 19 lbs 12 oz. I have been comparing pictures of you and Tayson and decided last night to pull out Tayson's baby book. At a year old, he weighed 26 lbs 3 oz. I was surprised that there was such a big difference between you guys!

*Wear size 3 diapers and just now are getting into your 12 month clothes.

*Hate to wear hats!

*Love your big brother like crazy!! You light up anytime he is around and are always trying to be involved in whatever he is doing. I think you guys are going to be best buds!! :)

*Love to dance! Everyone in our family laughs because anytime you hear the slightest sound of music, no matter where we are, or what we are doing, you start dancing. It is adorable!!

*Have 8 teeth!!

*Still breastfeeding but mostly only at night and maybe once or twice during the day.

*Very picky eater! This has been a new learning experience for mommy because Tayson was never really a picky eater. You refuse to eat baby food too!

*Love to take a bath!! I actually think that this is probably your favorite thing to do!

*Everyone calls you Trist! I actually wonder if you even know that your name is Tristin because no one calls you that. I love it that you have a nickname though and I think we will be calling you Trist for life :)

*Love to play with balls. We are so impressed because you actually have a very strong arm and know how to pick up the ball and throw it, very well!!

*You are becoming a very good sleeper! You don't really like going to bed every night but I think that is just because you would rather stay up and play with Tayson. Once you go to sleep though, you usually only wake up twice a night to eat and are back to sleep within 5 minutes!

I'm sure there are many things I am forgetting so I will have to come back and add those, as I think of them.

Happy 1st Birthday, Trist!!

What we've been up to...

2010-03-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

We went to Bikes, Blues and BBQ!

We rode around in dump trucks!

We rode "daddy" horses!

We played Ball!
We rocked out on our guitars!
We played with friends...
...and their toys! :)

We went and saw the Christmas lights on the square!
We hung out with our favorite person, mommy!
...and much, much more!

Halloween 2009

2010-03-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Wow...I know this is WAY late! Like 4 1/2 months late!! I still wanted to get these pictures up here though, so that I can look back on them, even if they weren't published until March! :)

For Halloween this year, I let Tayson decide what he was going to be. Up until this year, he really wasn't old enough to decide on his own, so I always just picked something I thought he would like. For Halloween this year though, he was pretty adament about being Diego, from the show "Go Diego Go!" I actually thought this would be a great idea because if you know Tayson, you know that he HATES to wear costumes so since Diego really just wears shorts, a t-shirt, vest and tennis shoes, I thought that we might actually be able to get this costume on him without major waterworks! I also liked this idea because I wanted he and Tristin to be something that coordinated and since Diego's little sidekick is baby Jaguar, that worked well! So...Tayson was Diego and Tristin was baby Jaguar!

We had a great Halloween, just going to my parents and Justin's parents and to a few houses to trick-or-treat! The boys had a great time and got WAY too much candy! Here are a few pictures of the big night:

Baby Jaguar looking through his goodies! (I realized after I typed this post that I don't have any picutures of him with his full costume on, on my camera!)

Diego, who doesn't like to stand still for pictures :)

Happy 3rd Birthday, my precious baby!

2010-01-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

Tayson,

I know that I can't really say "baby" anymore, now that you are three, but you will always be my baby! You are my first born and the light of my life. I would have never guessed that three years ago today, my life would change so drastically. It was the best change I have ever experienced. Becoming a mom, your mom, was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. There are no words to describe just how much I love you. You always put a smile on my face and I am so blessed to be your mommy!! I love you and hope that you have the happiest birthday a boy could have!!

Love,
Mommy

8 Months

2009-11-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

Today is Tristin's 8 month birthday!! He is such a happy baby! I cannot believe that he is 8 months old already, but I know I say that all the time. We are just having so much fun with both of our boys, we wonder what we did before them? Here are some things that he is up to now:

*Wearing 6-9 month clothes and some 6-12 month clothes.

*Still wearing a size 2 diaper!

*Just recently started eating some baby food. We have tried giving him baby food and rice cereal since he was about 6 months old but just within the past month, has he actually started eating some food. He HATES rice cereal though! His favorite is bananas.

*Can sit up on his own.

*Just started rolling over this past month but rarely does it. I knew that he was capable, but he just has NO interest. 95% of the time, if you lay him on his back or belly, he will just stay there.

*He is starting to bring his knees up under his belly, when he is on his belly. I think he is getting ready for crawling. I still think it will be a little while though!

*Doesn't really like to nap! He sleeps pretty good at night, usually getting up two or three times to eat and then he is right back to sleep.

*Still breastfeeding like a champ! It is so funny, we have tried to give him formula a few times, just so that he would have something to eat if we were gone, but he will have absolutely nothing to do with it! He makes the worst faces!!

*LOVES his big brother! I think his favorite thing to do is sit and watch Tayson run around and play. He always laughs at him. It just melts my heart to watch them!!

*He cut his first 2 teeth about 2 weeks ago. They are his two bottom teeth.

*Loves to take a bath. He has just recently started trying to splash the water, he thinks it is so funny!

*When he gets really excited, he starts kicking his little legs ninety to nothing!

I'm sure I will think of more later. I miss him being a tiny little baby but I absolutely love this stage. His little personality is just developing so much everyday!

Playing Golf with daddy

2009-10-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

Several times this summer, we took the boys to the golf course so that Tayson could play golf with Justin. He absolutely loves to play golf, and I'm really hoping that continues. This mommy would be totally happy with a golf scholarship :)
Hanging out in the cart with mommy, is so much fun!
"Hey dad...what are you doing over in the sand?"
"What? I can't play golf with them for a few more years?"
"Are you paying attention, dad? This is where your ball is supposed to go!"

Look at that swing!

4th of July!

2009-10-13T08:07:00.001-07:00

For the 4th of July, we hung out with some family and friends, at my mom and dad's house. We had a great time visiting with everyone. When it was getting dark, we all loaded up and went to watch the fireworks at the Naturals Stadium. It was so much fun to watch Tayson this year. This was the first year that he has really had any interest in fireworks.

Would someone please make all of these loud booms stop!

The cake that Tayson helped my mom make. It was SOOO good!
Hanging out by the pool...haha!

Catch Up

2009-10-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

I have been a very bad blogger! This being a mom of two kiddos, is a full time job :) I am going to attempt to catch up with some of the highlights from our busy summer. Look for lots of new posts, in the days to come!!

Half a year!

2009-09-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

Tristin,

I say this every time, but I really can't believe that you are six months old! Half a year, already? Wow, time flies!! You are such a blessing and joy to our lives. We really cannot imagine what it was like, to only have one baby. Here is what you are up to:

*You are such a happy boy! You are definitely spoiled though. You have started crying when anyone acts like they are going to put you down. You LOVE to be held!

*You are still breastfeeding and won't have anything to do with anything else. I have tried rice cereal, apple juice, nursery water, bananas, and applesauce, and you are having NO PART!

*You are 26 3/4" long and weigh exactly 16lbs. The doctor said you were in the 50th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight.

*You still are not rolling over! I know that you could, if you wanted to, but you just have no interest. You have come really close several times.

*You LOVE your big brother and watch him constantly. I hope that this continues, as you guys get older!

*You are still a great sleeper (at night) but have decided that naps during the day, are overrated.

*You are still wearing 3-6 month clothes and a size 2 diaper. Some of your 6-9 month stuff is starting to fit too.

*You have started making several noises but not any distinct words or sounds yet.

*You can almost sit up by yourself. You can do it for a little while and then you will topple over.

*You still LOVE to take a bath! You have started kicking your feet and it is so funny to watch. You will get very still and then just start kicking really fast. So cute!!

*You really like to play in your exersaucer, but only for about 10 minutes!
"Sometimes these guys make me SO mad!"
I'm sure I will think of more things later. You are just perfect, to us, and we are so blessed to be your mommy and daddy!

Love,
Mommy

Prince Tristin...4 months old!

2009-07-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Tristin turned 4 months old on Monday! I was waiting until today to blog about it, since we were going to the doctor this morning for his check up. I knew he was a little chunker, but he actually wasn't as big as I was expecting. I thought for sure that he would be in the 90th percentile for everything, but I was wrong! His stats are:

Weight: 14lbs 10oz...50%
Height: 25.75"...67%
Head: Not sure what the measurement was but...50%

Dr. F said he was just perfect and that she might just take him home with her...I don't think so :) He is just the perfect little guy and we really couldn't ask for a better baby! Here are some of the things he is up to:

*Awesome sleeper! Usually goes to bed around 9:00 or 9:30 and then gets up between 1 and 2 and then will go back to sleep until around 5ish. When I feed him at 5, he will usually go back to sleep for another hour or two. This is just so much different than Tayson, who still loves to wake up about every 2 or 3 hours!

*Not rolling over yet! He is either being held or is in his swing or bouncy chair, so he really doesn't have a lot of opportunity. With Tayson around, we have to be really careful about laying him on the floor because you never know when ~~Tiger~~ is going to hit a ball his way!

*Loves to "talk"! He seems so much more vocal, at this point, then Tayson was. I'm not sure if I just don't remember back 2 years ago or what??

*Just started laughing and it melts my heart! I am convinced that hearing your kids laugh, is the best sound in the world!!

*Still being breastfed, around every 2 or 3 hours (prefers 2!)

*Loves his big brother! He will just sit and stare at Tayson. He is so amazed by what he is doing! I don't want him to grow up so fast but I know it is going to be so much fun to watch them play together.

*Just recently started sucking on his hands ALL.THE.TIME!

*Slobering A LOT!!! Dr. F said that she didn't think he was teething yet, but a lot of babies just start drooling around 4 months.

*Still wearing size 1 diapers

*Wearing 3-6 month clothes. Can still wear some 3 month things but also can wear some 6 month things too!

*Getting better about riding in his car seat! This still isn't one of his favorite things, but he isn't screaming the entire time, like he was!

*Still loves to take a bath! He has been in the pool once or twice now and loves that too.

*Been having some bathroom problems, as in...not going very often! (sorry...TMI) Dr. F said that this happens to breastfed babies a lot though.

Tayson and Mommy: Date to the movies!!

2009-07-22T12:46:00.001-07:00

This morning, Tayson and I went to the kids feature movie. This was his first trip to the movies and I was so impressed by how well he did. We only lasted about 45 minutes, but that is pretty good for a 2 year old! The movie today was Kung Fu Panda, which we own, but he has never actually watched it. I think his favorite part was getting popcorn and candy! We had such a great time and it was so much fun to get to spend some one-on-one time with my little man.

This is the face I got when I told him to smile!

Two and a half years!!

2009-07-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

Tayson,

Today you are 2 1/2! I CAN NOT believe it has been that long! I still vividly remember the day I found out I was pregnant with you, and then the day I had you. Now...you are like a little man, repeating everything you hear. I just can't believe that 2 1/2 years could've gone by, so quickly. I love you more than words can express and am SO proud to be your mommy!!

Here is a quick run down of what you are up do...

*You are talking up a storm! You can pretty much say anything that you want! It has only been within the last month or so that you really started speaking in sentences. You are saying new things everyday and daddy and I just love to listen to what you come up with. Just last night, you were playing golf in our bedroom and I said, "hey sweetie, why don't we take your shoes off?" and you replied, "okay, sure...that'll be perfect!" You are just too cute!!

*You are wearing 2T-3T clothes, just depending on brand.

*You are still wearing a size 4 diaper...I guess this size is going to fit forever! You have gotten so big but you must have a petite little tush because these still fit perfectly!

*We are in the process of potty training and you are doing pretty good! You will go some days with no accidents and then other days...not so much! We are taking it pretty slow and just trying to get the hang of it!

*You LOVE to play outside! It doesn't matter if it is 100 degrees, you still throw a fit anytime we make you come in.

*You are just like your daddy and love to fish! You are obsessed with anything fishing or golf related. I have never seen a 2 year old cast a fishing pole or hit a golf ball like you can! I think you are definitely going to be a sports fanatic!!

*Your favorite show to watch is Handy Manny! You would watch this for hours, if we let you!

*Your new favorite thing is to take a shower...by yourself! You love to just stand in there and play with the soap and your water bottle. Mommy just stands outside the door and WAITS...and WAITS...for you to get done!

*You love your baby brother and have become very protective of him! If someone tries to hold him or talk to him, and you don't think they should, you are quick to let me know!

This is so bittersweet for me because I really want time to slow down, and for you to stay little forever but at the same time, I have LOVED every stage and how you learn so much more everyday and for that reason, I am so excited to see what lies ahead!!

Love,
Mommy

Go Hogs!!!!

2009-06-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Go Hogs, beat LSU!!!!

Walking

2009-06-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Justin and I decided to take Tayson and Tristin for a walk on the trail in Fayetteville. We didn't walk too far, because it was so hot, but we parked on Front Street (by Panera) and got on the trail and walked to Red Robin. We set on the patio at Red Robin and ate and then walked back! It was so much fun! We kind of felt like we were on vacation and had to walk to eat somewhere :) We decided that we will definitely have to do it again soon, but maybe in the evening, when it has cooled off a little bit!
All ready to go!
Poor little guy, I think he has really bad allergies because anytime we are outside, his little eyes get all red and watery!

"Here dad...pay this bill!"

Yes, I am THAT mom!

2009-05-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my mom ALWAYS used to dress Ally, Taylor and I, alike! I mean...she did it up until I was like 13 and told her that it HAD to stop! Well...I have now turned into ~~the coolest mom~~ THAT mom! I have been buying the boys matching outfits since I found out that Tristin was a boy! Justin always gives me grief about all of the matching clothes I buy them, but hey...if I can't have a girl (yet!) then I will have to play dress up, or dress alike, with my little guys!

I tried several times the other day to get Tayson to sit still long enough for me to get a decent picture of them together, but it just didn't happen. So...here are my attempts!

Tayson is busy opening mail and Tristin looks like he just saw a ghost! I had to reassure him that it wasn't a ghost, that was just mommy who hadn't seen ANY sun in the last 9 months or so!
Cheese!!
Tristin LOVES to lay on Tayson's bed and stare at the black and white stripes on the wall

I'm sure there will be MANY more matching posts to come!

2 Months Already!!

2009-05-27T12:57:00.001-07:00

Tristin,

Mommy CANNOT believe that you are two months old today! I know that time goes by way too fast, but this seems to have gone by at record speed!! You are such a blessing to daddy, Tayson and I and although it has only been two months, we can't remember ever living without you. Tayson is starting to pay more and more attention to you and his favorite thing to do is to "pet" you every night while I am trying to put you to sleep. He loves to rub your little head and tell me how soft you are. I know that you guys will be the best of friends! I have made a list of things that you are doing at two months so that we can remember them.

We love you more than words can say little Tris!

Mommy, Daddy and Tayson

*You are such a laid back, happy boy! The only time we ever hear you cry is if you have a dirty diaper or are hungry. Sometimes we will go days without ever hearing you cry! We usually only hear big time cries when you are in your car seat, in the car!

*You have started smiling a lot more when we talk to you. Until a week or so ago, you would smile here and there, mainly just when you were sleeping and dreaming. Within the past week though, you have started really smiling at us when we talk to you! It just melts my heart!!

*You love to go on walks! We try and take you on a walk every night and you just love to be outside and look around.

*You are a great sleeper. You usually go to bed around 9 or 10 and then sleep until about 1:30 and then again until about 4:00. You are usually ready to get up right around 6:45 or 7:00.

*You go to work with me everyday and are always such a great boy! You just swing in your swing or Meme and I hold you! All of our customers love to come in and look at you!

*You still love to take a bath. You will just lay in your tub, so relaxed!

*You just started wearing your 3 month clothes. Some of them fit perfectly and others are still a little bit big. You are wearing size 1 diapers.

*You don't go to the doctor until Monday, but I am guessing you are around 12lbs and 25" long.

*You still do not like to ride in the car! I am really hoping you change your mind soon because it breaks my heart to hear you cry so hard in the back seat. Tayson says, "Mama, Tris" over and over again, he gets so worried about you!

MDO Ice Cream Party

2009-05-18T13:04:00.001-07:00

Friday was Tayson's last day of school at Mother's Day Out. Their summer program doesn't start up until the first of July, so he has some time off. For the last day of school, they had an ice cream party. It was so much fun watching him play and interact with all of his classmates. He seems to really enjoy school right now, which is such a blessing because we went through a period of time where he didn't enjoy going and that was really hard on his mommy!

A thank you "prize" (that is what Tayson calls presents) for his teachers, Ms. Trish, Ms. Laura, Ms. Tracy and Ms. Marv!

Lining up with Stafford, Logan and Reese to go outside for ice cream!

Riding bikes...One of his FAVORITE things to do!

This is his new thing, when I tell him to smile or say cheese, he puts his hands over his eyes. I think he is pretending to take a picture!

Playing with McCoy!

This is his class picture that we got back on Friday. This is his Tuesday class so not all of the kids are in it, but I thought it was so cute anyways!

Lots of New Posts!

2009-05-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

I finally got (somewhat) caught up on a few of the blogs that I have been meaning to do!

Tristin's First Walk

2009-05-01T09:23:00.001-07:00

These are pictures from when we took Tristin on his first walk. He loves to be outside and will actually sit in his carseat without screaming, as long as we are walking!

Easter

2009-04-30T13:34:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter this year! Tayson was finally old enough to enjoy (for the most part) hunting eggs, dying eggs, and seeing what the Easter bunny left for him. It was so funny because everytime we talked about the Easter bunny and how he was going to come, he would always say "Foo Foo?". He loves the song "Little Bunny Foo Foo" and thinks that the Easter bunny is indeed, Foo Foo himself! So...we just went with that and told him that Foo Foo came! He loved what Foo Foo brought and had to start playing with the t-ball set, right away!

What Foo Foo left for Tayson and Tristin...

Tayson's Easter basket and goodies...

Tristin's Easter basket and goodies (I didn't have time to get him a custom basket like Tayson's, since he was only 2 weeks old, but we will definitely have to get one before next year!)...

Checking out all of the candy!

"Wow Mom, Foo Foo brought me a T-Ball set!"

The next Babe Ruth!

After we got ready, we headed out to Justin's mom and dad's house for lunch. Foo Foo had been there too! (That bunny really made his rounds!)

When we were done there, we went to my mom and dad's house and ate dinner with them. Don't worry...the bunny had been there too!

We had such a great Easter and enjoyed just relaxing and getting to spend time with all of our family! At the end of the day, the boys were exhausted!

I hope everyone had a great Easter!!

Dying Easter Eggs

2009-04-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night (before Easter, I know I am way behind), we ate dinner at my mom and dad's house and dyed Easter eggs. Tayson had a blast doing this! He treated the eggs like they were little balls and would throw them into the dye. His favorite thing to do was put as many eggs as possible into the same color dye. Needless to say, we ended up with a lot of eggs that were the same color!

Tristin's Newborn Pictures

2009-04-27T13:09:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we had Amber take Tristin's newborn pictures. She just sent me the link to them yesterday and they are adorable!! If you want to look at them, go to http://www.lanningphotography.photoreflect.com. Click on Haythron (yes, I know it is spelled wrong...it happens all the time!). If you need a password, it is Tristin. If you are ever looking for a photographer, she is amazing and so much fun!! Now I just have to figure out how I am ever going to decide which ones to buy!

Happy Birthday!

2009-04-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

Tristin,

Today is your one month birthday! I cannot believe that it has been a month already! Time flies when you are having fun!! In other aspects though, it seems like you have been a part of our family forever. We have had so much fun this past month, adjusting to life with two little guys and just getting to know you. You are such a sweet and happy baby and we are so blessed to be your mommy and daddy!

Things I want to remember about you at one month:

*You are so laid back and hardly ever cry!

*You hate to ride in your car seat. Tayson wasn't a fan of the car seat at first either so maybe you will warm up to it, like he did.

*You love to take a bath. You just lay in there and look around the entire time.

*You are sleeping about 3-4 hours at night

*You are eating about every 2-3 hours during the day

*You get the hiccups almost everytime you eat!

*You are taking your pacifier pretty well but it still isn't your favorite thing!

Hunting Easter Eggs

2009-04-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

The week of Easter, we practiced hunting eggs with Tayson a few different times. He was such a pro at it...for about two minutes! That was when he decided that he was done with the egg hunting and was going to play with something else! Oh, the attention span of a 2 year old! We had a great time anyways! I'm so glad that we hunted eggs before Easter Sunday because the weather was not good!

My smallest prince!

2009-04-13T16:59:00.000-07:00

These are some random pictures from the first two weeks of Tristin's life. He is such a happy baby!! I have the hardest time getting good pictures of him though because everytime the camera flashes, he closes his eyes. We took him to the doctor on Friday for his 2 week checkup and man...this little guy is a good eater! He weighs 8lbs 11oz and is 21.75" long! That means that he has gained 1lb 1oz since he was born and is 1.75" longer! Dr. Froman and her nurse were teasing me, saying, "What do you have in those things? Half and half!!" When we took him for his first weight and color check (at 4 days old) he was down to 7lbs 4.5oz and was 20.75" long!

Waiting on mommy to finish taking her shower. I am always such a good boy while she takes a shower!

Hanging out with Tata, she loves to hold me!!

No more pictures, please!!

Practicing my tummy time!! I'm not a huge fan!

*On a sidenote...Jennifer, I got your message about your blog being private and I definitely want to be invited but I don't have your e-mail address. Mine is hogcountrymandy@sbcglobal.net

Thanks!

Easter Cupcakes

2009-04-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

One day last week, Tayson and I decided to make some Easter cupcakes. He was such a big help! He put all of the cupcake papers in the pans, helped blend everything together and even helped lick the beaters!!

Tristin Blain Hathorn

2009-03-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

I know you guys have been waiting for some pictures and I promise, there are some in this post! I thought I would share the story of Tristin's arrival first. On Thursday, I worked all day and actually didn't feel any different. For the past few days, I had been feeling like he could come any day, but Thursday was just another one of those days. I got off work at about 5:30 and picked Tayson up, we went home and got Justin and went and ate Mexican food. I was feeling fine and not really having any contractions so I went to bed around 11, thinking that it for sure wasn't going to be tonight because I hadn't had any contractions at all! Boy was I wrong!! At 11:50 P.M, I woke up to this really warm, wet sensation and I said, "Justin, get me a towel, I think my water just broke!" He just laid there, I think he was trying to process what I had just said. Finally, I said "Justin, I'm not kidding!" He got up and got me a towel and I got up and went into the bathroom. I sat on the toilet (sorry if this is too much info!) and he came in the bathroom and said, "Are you sure you didn't just pee in your pants?" I said, "no, I'm not sure" (if you've been pregnant before, you know that there are times you feel as if you could pee in your pants at any minute). After a few minutes though, I got another big gush of "water" and realized that this for sure was not me peeing my pants. Justin put all of our bags and stuff in the car and I changed clothes and called my mom. We got to the hospital around 12:30 and my mom and sisters met us there. My youngest sister, Ally, took Tayson back home to go back to bed with my dad. They put me in triage to get me admitted and get everything going. It was really weird because before my water broke, I was having no contractions but once it broke, they started coming pretty fast! They checked me and I was dilated to a 5 already. They hurried and got me into a room because I wanted an epidural and things were progressing really quickly. I got into a room around 1:15 and the anaesthesiologist came in around 2:30 and gave me my epidural (thank God!!). At this point I was dilated to almost 7 and we all thought for sure that Tristin would be here before 5 A.M. My sister Ally came back and my mother-in-law showed up so the 6 of us hung out and waited me to fully dilate. Around 4:30 the nurse checked me again and I was fully dilated. However, Tristin was still pretty high and was turned funny so the propped me up on my side and told me to lay like that for awhile to try and get him to turn. They finally decided at 7:00 that it was time to deliver! This was wonderful with me because my doctor, Dr. Hix, came on call at 7:00 so this meant that he was going to get to deliver Tristin! He came in around 7:10 and said that he needed to go tell another patient that he was about to do a c-section on, that he was going to have to push them back a little bit. Knowing that Brittney was coming in that morning to have a c-section and deliver baby Trail, I said...it isn't Brittney that you are moving back, is it? He laughed and said, "Ya, actually it is". I told him not to tell her that I was the reason she was being delayed! Sorry Brittney!! I do think it is really neat that our little guys share the same birthday, same doctor, same hospital, everything!! Dr. Hix came back in the room around 7:15 and I began pushing. This went really well and my sweet little angel was here at 7:30. He is such a wonderful baby and I am so grateful that he is so healthy and we are both doing so well!! He did have a little heart murmur but it healed itself before we were discharged from the hospital on Saturday.

Finally...some pictures!!

Tayson loving on Tristin! This definitely took some encouraging. Tayson didn't want anything to do with Tristin the first time that my parents brought him up to the hospital but he has definitely warmed up and now is pretty protective of him. Please excuse how rough Justin and I look, that happens when you stay up all night in labor!

Tayson and Tristin loving on Papa!

Cuddling with Tata (Aunt Taylor)!

Loving on Meme!

Hanging out with Yaya (Aunt Ally). Tayson named her Yaya!

All ready to go home from the hospital...

He's here...

2009-03-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

I forgot my camera cord so I can't upload any pictures while we are here at the hospital but I wanted to let everyone know that our little man is here and is doing great! He is so perfect!! Tayson isn't too fond of him right now but I didn't really expect him to be. He has been the only baby around for 2 years now and he wasn't too excited to meet the baby earlier today. I promise that I will post pictures after we go home!

Tristin Blain Hathorn
Born 3/27/2009
7:30 A.M.
7lbs 10oz
20" long

38 Weeks

2009-03-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

I know I am behind on this post (since I was 38 weeks on Monday) but I figured, better late than never! When I went to the doctor on Monday, I saw Dr. Hinton because Dr. Hix was gone on vacation. I was still dilated to a 2 and 70% effaced so...no progress!! That is exactly what I did with Tayson, 37 weeks dilated to a 2, 38 weeks still a 2! However, this little guy has Tayson beat now. I delivered Tayson at 38 weeks and 2 days and today I am 38 weeks and 4 days. I am so ready for him to get here but I know he isn't going to come until he is ready! I keep thinking that everyday is "the" day. Hopefully I won't get to do a 39 week post but if I do, I hope to have some insight as to when he is coming because if he isn't here by the time I see Dr. Hix on Monday morning, I am going to talk to him about possibly evicting the little guy!

37 Weeks

2009-03-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor yesterday and am now dilated to a 2 and 70% effaced! We are making a little bit of progress!! Like Dr. Hix said, it could really happen anytime or it could be another week or two. You never really know! I think we have everything ready for him to come now! His nursery is basically finished, it needs a few little things here and there but it will all come together. Our bags are packed, for the most part. I always feel like I am forgetting something. I know that if I do, it isn't the end of the world, we only live like 5 minutes from the hospital so Justin can run home and grab whatever it is I need. I am trying to finish up as much as possible at work but it doesn't really matter when he comes, I will always be in the middle of something. So...now we just need him!

36 Weeks

2009-03-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

This post is going to be somewhat boring, with no pictures but I went to the doctor on Monday for my 36 week check up. He checked me for the first time and I am dilated 1.5 cm and am 60% effaced! I know that really this just means that it could happen anytime, or it could be another couple of weeks. Either way, it seems like things are progressing! I have been having contractions off and on since then but nothing consistent yet! With Tayson I was dilated to a 2 for a week and 2 days before I had him so...we'll see how it goes this time.

I'll keep you guys updated!

Jump Zone

2009-03-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

Tayson went to a birthday party at Jump Zone in Bentonville a few weeks ago. This was the first time that we had been there and he had a blast! I am definitely going to have to find out when their open play times are, so we can go back. If you have little ones and haven't tried it out, you really should! I think Justin had just as much fun as Tayson did!!

Boat Show

2009-03-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago, Justin and I took Tayson to the boat show at the John Q. Hammons center in Rogers. Tayson was in heaven there! He is fascinated by anything fishing related, especially boats. He kept running from one boat to another, yelling "dada", so that Justin could see everything too! It was so cute!! It is unfortunate that I am not big into fishing because I definitely live with two guys who could eat, sleep and breath it!

They both tried really hard to convince me that we should just go ahead and get a new boat! However, even though I may be outnumbered in the male to female count, I stuck my ground and let them know that the boat we have is just fine!

Fishing with daddy!

2009-03-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

One day last week, while it was nice outside, Justin and I decided to take Tayson to the pond to do a little fishing. He is obsessed with fishing and I can't wait until it is warm outside so that we can take him more often! We didn't catch any fish but we still had LOTS of fun!

Baby Shower

2009-03-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

On Saturday afternoon, my good friends Amber and Jessica, hosted a baby shower for me at Amber's house! They did a great job and we had a really good turnout, despite it being 25 degrees and snowing. The decorations and the cake were so cute!! Baby Hathorn gots LOTS of great things!

The food... (most important thing to any pregnant woman, right?)

The adorable diaper cake that my sisters made me...

Opening gifts...

And one last picture, just for good measure, so you can see how BIG I really am, here is a picture of my sisters and I...

Thanks again Amber and Jessica, you guys are wonderful!

Birthday Part 2- Barnyard Birthday Party

2009-01-19T12:14:00.001-08:00

On Saturday night, we had a barnyard birthday party at our house! We had so much fun!! We had barbeque catered by Penguin Eds. Tayson had a great time playing with all of the kids. There were toys everywhere!

Before the party started! This child doesn't wear pants unless he HAS to! He's a diaper kind of guy!

We set up some tables in the garage so that everyone would have more room to sit and eat. That is one thing that stinks about having a winter birthday, you can't go outside and sit on the deck!

Playing on his new slide! He likes to sit at the top for a few minutes and yell "GO" before he actually decides to "GO"!!

I think overall he had a wonderful birthday!! I can't believe he is two already, it goes by WAY too fast!!

Birthday Part 1- Chuck E Cheese

2009-01-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

Thursday night, for Tayson's 2nd birthday, we decided to take him to Chuck E Cheese. He loves that place right now and could really care less about having any tokens to play the games, he just wants to run from one thing to another. He loves to pretend he is driving all of the cars!! My mom, dad, sisters and in-laws all came with us. We all had so much fun! I guess because it was a Thursday night and it was FREEZING (like 10 degrees) outside, no one else was really there so we pretty much had the place to ourselves!

WOW!! Look at all of these tickets I won!

Patiently waiting for Chuck E to sketch my picture!!

"Here dad, let me show you how the pros play skeeball!"

Tayson is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse right now so my parents got him all of the characters. He LOVES them and wants them to come everywhere we go!

He also LOVES the Wonder Pets so they also got him a Ming Ming stuffed animal!

This birthday cake that we took to Chuck E Cheese was really more for daddy. His favorite cake is just a cheap chocolate cake from Wal-Mart with whipped icing. So...we made him happy and got his favorite cake for this night!

Happy 2nd Birthday Tayson!!

2009-01-15T08:31:00.000-08:00

Today is my sweet little angle babys' 2nd Birthday. It makes me just want to cry, thinking it has been 2 years already. They have been, without a doubt, the best 2 years of my life. He brings me so much happiness and joy and I truly cannot remember what my life was like before we had him.

He is talking so much now and his little personality is just so much fun! Justin and I are constantly laughing at the things that he does and all that he picks up on.

We are heading to Chuck E Cheese tonight for a little birthday fun and then his big birthday party is Saturday night so there will be pictures to come!!

Tayson,

Daddy and I love you more than words can express!! You are the light of our lives and we look forward to spending everyday of the rest of our lives, with you!! We hope you have a great 2nd birthday lil' buddy!!!

Love Always,
Daddy and Mommy

Baby Update

2009-01-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

I really can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by! When I stop and think about everything that I have left to do, I feel so guilty because I am positive that by this point in my pregnancy with Tayson, it was already done. Man...having a little one around sure changes everything! I went to the doctor on Monday for my 28 week check up and he said that everything looks great! I had to have my rhogam injection while I was there, which I really don't remember it burning this bad when I had it with Tayson. Amazing how quickly we forget everything! I have gained....28 lbs. so I am right on track with my 55 lb. weight gain with Tayson!! Yeah me!! I go for my last monthly check up on the 9th of Febuary and then I will start going every 2 weeks. It is so hard for me to believe that it is coming up so quickly.

The nursery is coming along so I will try and post pictures before too long! Justin just finished painting last week.

Other than that, everything is going great! I have lots of posts that I need to do but life is just crazy busy and everytime I sit down to do one of them, I get sidetracked!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T13:01:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas!!

Baby Hathorn is...

2008-11-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

We went for our ultrasound today and found out that mommy is going to be WAY outnumbered at our house because we are having another BOY!!! Although I would really love to have a little girl, I am excited about Tayson having a little brother that he can play with! The baby looks great and weighs about 9 oz. right now. Now we just have to try and come up with some boy names!!

Tayson's 2nd Halloween!

2008-11-05T17:43:00.001-08:00

This year Tayson was Kung Fu Panda for Halloween. Well...at least that was the costume that my mom made for him. He really wasn't into getting dressed up in a costume and he had a meltdown anytime we tried to put it on him. We finally got him to wear it long enough to go to Grandma and Papa H's house and Grandma and Papa's house. After that, the costume was history!! When we left my mom and dad's house, we met Ryan, Amber & Kaid for dinner and then headed out to Trick-or-Treat! Kaid and Tayson seemed to have a good time going from house to house but after about 7 houses, they were done! Here are a few of the pictures that I managed to get while he was chasing the kitties at Justin's mom and dad's house.

I hope that everyone had a Happy Halloween too!

Halloween Party at Mother's Day Out

2008-11-05T17:33:00.001-08:00

On Friday afternoon, Taysons Mother's Day Out class had a Halloween party. We had so much fun!! Most of the kids were dressed in their costumes but since getting Tayson to wear his costume was a bit of an issue, I decided it wasn't worth it for the party. We went Trick-or-Treating around the church and the kids got lots of goodies! Then we went back to his classroom and the kids got to have cupcakes and juice. After their snack, they had little games and stuff set up that they could play. It was so much fun to watch him interact with his friends in his class.

Big Brother!

2008-10-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know yet, Tayson is going to be a big brother!! I am 14 weeks pregnant and the new little bundle is due on April 6th. I have a feeling that "it" will arrive at the end of March sometime because Tayson was 2 weeks early. We are so excited and can't wait to find out what we are having. I say boy but Justin thinks girl! We haven't told Tayson anything about the new baby yet because I think he is too young to understand it right now.

So far, this pregnancy has seemed so much harder than Taysons. I'm not sure if I just forgot being pregnant with Tayson or if it really is. I had some sickness with Tayson but it was primarily in the evenings so I could just go home and lay around and everything was okay. However, with this baby, I have been sick 24 hours a day and because we have Tayson, I can't just go home and lay around. I am starting to feel better and hope that the sickness will be completely gone before too long!! Also, with Tayson, I didn't start showing until I was almost five months pregnant and with this one, well....lets just say, I had Dr. Hix check to make sure that it was just 1 baby!! I have already gained 8 lbs! Oh well, I'll deal with that after the baby gets here! At my second doctors appointment they checked the baby's heartrate and it was 160 so, that is a little bit faster than what Tayson's was!

I go back to the doctor next week so I will keep you guys posted!!

American Idol Live!!!

2008-09-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Justin and I went to the American Idols Live concert in Tulsa! It was so awesome and we had the best seats!! I will spare you guys any pictures because it was so dark in there that you can't see any of the Idols performing and I know you don't want any pictures of us because by the time we got to the BOK Center, we were soaking wet! It was raining and super windy in Tulsa so my umbrella really did us no good! We looked like little wet dogs but still had the best time!

This concert was for the top 10 finalist and I must say, they all did an amazing job! This was their final stop on the tour, they had done 52 other shows before this one, so they all were a little bummed out about it being the end. The night started with number 10, Chickeze. He did really well and I really do like him. He seems like such a down-to-earth, genuinely nice guy! I hope he makes it big! The next contestant was Raimelle, I knew that she was tiny on TV but I guess I didn't realize how tiny!! She was just so cute and I loved watching her perform. Then was Michael Johns!! I don't know what was going on with him but he had this crazy mustache and it was not very flattering! I think he was doing it as a dare or something but I dare him to shave it off!! :)

After that was Carly and Kristy Lee Cook. They both did really well! Kristy Lee sang God Bless America and I really think she has a future in country music. Carly sounded great in person and I won't be surprised to see her record before too long either! Next up was Brooke White and I just LOVE her! She played the piano and sang. She did a really great job and I know for sure that we will see more from her! I must say that her hair is just as gorgeous in person as it was on TV. I wish I had hair like that!

The final four to sing were Jason Castro, Syesha, David A and David Cook! They were all incredible!!! I loved Syesha on the show and I love her even more now! That girl can sing and she is so pretty! David A was amazing as well! Every time I hear him sing it is just so hard for me to believe that he is only seventeen! David Cook was my favorite of the night and I know you guys are going to be super jealous (just kidding) but he did give me a high five!! He came down into the audience and ran around the edge of the floor seats, he stopped right in front of my chair and got up on this little girls chair and sang for a second. That little girl was so funny and couldn't stop talking about how cool it was that out of all the chairs, he picked hers to stand on! It was so funny!!

We had a great time and I really look forward to following all of these idols now to see what they do next!

Pocket

2008-08-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

The other morning when Tayson woke up, I got him out of bed and he started playing with some of his toys, while I was getting ready. After about five minutes, I told him that we needed to go into his bedroom so that we could change his diaper and get him dressed. As we started across the house to his bedroom, I decided to stop by the guest bedroom so I could get a dress out of the closet. He came into the guest bedroom and started whining and tugging at his diaper. I just assumed that he wanted a dry diaper so I said "Come on sweetie, lets go in your room and change it". I laid him down in his room to change his diaper, like I always do, however, this time when I unfastened his diaper I found a big surprise!!! Mommy's cell phone!!! I was laughing so hard, trying to figure out, why on earth does this baby have my cell phone in his diaper? Well...as I thought about it, the answer came to me! Just days before when Justin had gotten home from work, he gave Tayson his change out of his pocket, as he always does, and Tayson took off to his bedroom to put it in his piggy bank. Later when I changed his diaper there were two pennies in his diaper but I just figured that he must have accidentally dropped them in there when he was putting the change away. After thinking about this, it clicked!! Tayson always sees Justin putting his change and his cell phone in his pockets and he thinks that this is his pocket!

Sure enough, that is exactly what it is! Since then, we have caught him trying to put several other things like pens, etc. in his "pocket". Now if we tell him to put something in his pocket, he will immediately start trying to put it in his diaper! It is so funny what kids think and how they process things in their little heads!

Vacation

2008-08-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Justin, Tayson and I just got back from vacation. We went to Orlando this year because we thought it was somewhere that Tayson would have fun too! We had a great time!! We didn't do the whole Disney thing this trip because I figured Tayson was still too young to enjoy it. We did go to Sea World and Gatorland though and he loved it!! We also went to Downtown Disney and Citywalk. We stayed at the Omni Resort and it was wonderful. They had great pools for kids and an awesome lazy river that you could just float around. Tayson loved it and probably would've been happy just hanging out there the whole time.

When we were at Sea World my camera got wet and bit the dust!! I have NO LUCK with cameras! So...we ended up just buying a couple of disposable ones for the remainder of the trip so that is why a lot of these pictures are horrible. I just figured they were better than no pictures!

Here are a few pictures of the hotel and some of the pools and things...

All ready to go to the pool...

"Come on guys, lets get in the lazy river!!!"

Playing on the splash pad (this was definitely one of his favorite places)!!

We had a blast at Sea World (even if it did rain the ENTIRE time)! Tayson loved the Shamu show and was amazed by all of the other sea creatures, as well. We will definitely have to go back when he gets a little bit older because I know he will love it even more!! Here are a few pictures from Sea World and the Shamu show!

We even purchased our own stuffed Shamu that looks just like this one!

These are pictures from Downtown Disney. We had so much fun going to all of the Disney stores!

These are just some other random pictures from our last night there! The weather in Florida definitely does not agree with my crazy hair!!

Tayson LOVED to run down the hall and push the elevator button!

Our crazy Kung Foo Panda kept trying to climb the palm trees!!

Tayson and Justin playing on the Harley at the Harley shop in the airport!!

We did so many fun things that I could probably go on and on forever but I will spare you guys your time!! We had a great time and can't wait to go back when Tayson is older and hit up Disney World!

Tulsa Zoo

2008-07-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

Last week Tayson and I went with my mom and my sister, Ally, over to Tulsa to the zoo. We stopped and had lunch with my aunt before heading to the zoo. It was SOOOO hot that we only stayed a little over an hour. We decided that we will have to go back later this year, when it cools down!!

Ally, Tayson and I just "monkeying" around!!!

While we were there, we got to see the cutest little monkey! I tried to take some pictures of him but they didn't turn out too great. He was just born at the beginning of June and he was so cute!!

18 months together!!!

2008-07-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Tayson,

WOW!!! I can't believe that it has been 18 months already! I have loved every single minute of being your mommy and I just cannot imagine my life without you. You are so much fun and such a happy boy!! You have taught me so much about myself, life and love. I can't wait to see what lies ahead for us and watch you grow! I have made a list of a few things you are doing right now so that we can remember these later!

1. You have 15 teeth!! You just cut three of your eye teeth this week!
2. You can say: mama, dada, papa, kitty, moo, vroom vroom, fishy, baba, dixie, yuck, and several other things that I haven't figured out yet!!
3. You love to talk on the phone. You are always using our cell phones , the house phone, the remote control, just whatever. You will hold it up to your ear and talk and then start laughing. It is the cutest thing to see you just have a conversation with whoever you are pretending to talk to!
4. You love water! You love the pool, sprinkler, taking a bath, the hose! You would spend hours in the water if we would let you!!
5. You love to watch Baby Einstein. Your favorite DVD is the Old McDonald one! You would watch that DVD 5 times a day, if you could!
6. You are no longer walking, you are running!! This has been going on for awhile now but daddy and I always laugh because a lot of times your little feet get going faster than you and you run into things!!
7. You are wearing a size 18-24 month clothes and a size 6 shoe. Occasionally, you can even wear a 2T, depending on brand.
8. You are a great eater! I'm sure that contributes to you being such a big boy! You will eat almost anything mommy gives you. You FAVORITE thing is probably your mini ice cream sandwiches. You are constantly trying to open the freezer door and get one out. If you see them and I don't let you have one, you occasionally have a minor melt down on the kitchen floor.
9. That brings me to another point. You are DEFINITELY entering the terrible twos a little early! You have started throwing fits when you don't get your way! We are trying to work on this but I know it is just a stage and eventually we will come out of it!
10. You like to sing in the car. I'm sure you picked this up from mommy, probably not the best person to learn from :) It makes me smile everytime I hear you sitting in the backseat, making noises like you are singing.
11. You finally figured out how to reel in your fishing pole. You have had your own little spiderman fishing pole for awhile and it has a fake rubber fish on the end and you finally figured out how to reel him in, all by yourself!! Daddy is really proud!
12. You know how to dance along to "If you're happy and you know it." You clap your hands, stomp your feet and throw your arms in the air for hooray!!
13. You know how to put change in your piggy bank. You have been doing this for awhile now but you just get so excited after each coin, it is so much fun to watch. Daddy gives you his change everyday when he gets home and you take off running for your room!
14. You don't say no no but you shake your hand back and forth to mean "no". We have no idea where you got this from but it is so funny!
15. You go to bed everynight around 8:30 and usually wake up around 7:30. You still get up a few times in the middle of the night but usually just for a minute or two and then you are right back to sleep.
16. Your favorite toys right now are your golf clubs, your mini 4 wheeler, your kitty, your basketball goal, your fishing pole and anything that you are not supposed to have!
17. You love to climb on EVERYTHING!! You always try and climb into your highchair when I tell you it is time to eat. The other night when I was getting something out of the car, you climbed all the way into the seat by yourself. (I drive a GMC Denali so it is pretty high and I sometimes have trouble getting in it myself)
18. You can blow your nose! Well, not exactly like you are supposed to but you always put kleenex, napkins, towels, etc. up to your nose and make this cute little face and pretend to be blowing your nose!
19. You can blow on your food when it is hot, or even when it isn't! You blow on everything that we say is hot...daddy's grill, mommy's straightner!!

There are so many more amazing things you are doing, it would take me days to list them all!! We love you so much and are so incredibly happy to have you in our lives!! Happy 18 month birthday Tayson!

Love,
Mommy

Blogger

2008-07-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

Blogger was messing up the past few days and wouldn't let me post any pictures so there are several new posts below!!

Birthday Bash

2008-07-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we celebrated Justin's 26th and my 25th birthdays at our house. We usually do this every year because our birthdays are so close together. We had such a good time and loved having everyone over!! We cooked baby back ribs, bbq chicken, baked beans, potatoes, salad, rolls, and homemade mac and cheese!! For dessert we had cheesecake and triple chocolate fudge cake! They were both really good!! It was so hard this year with the desserts because I usually just get a cake from either Ricks or Shelby Lynns, but because this year it was 4th of July weekend, no one was open!

Tayson was really crabby at the party though because he didn't have his afternoon nap so this made it rather difficult for me to talk to everyone, take pictures and enjoy everything! He wanted ME to hold him the entire time! We tried several times to get him to go to sleep but he wasn't having any part of that, there was just too much going on! I finally got him to sleep around 10:15, which is WAY past his bedtime!! By this point, a lot of people were already gone but the guys sat out on the deck and played poker for awhile!!

Justin and I both had great birthdays this year and thank everyone for coming to help us celebrate!!

My Little Firecracker!

2008-07-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July this year! It was very low key and laid back. We just hung out with my family and one of my parents best friends, Rich. My dad and Rich are so funny and they play off of each other so well!! When we are with them, we just laugh the entire time!

We also went and got Tayson some fireworks to see what he would think. He really wasn't that crazy about anything that made noise but he loved the little poppers that you throw on the ground!

Come on mom, lets go get those fireworks!!!

Throwing poppers on the ground, as hard as he could!

I hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July too!!!

Girls Night

2008-07-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night I met up with Amber, Suzette and Nicole for a girls night out!! We started at La Huerta and then headed over to Joe's Bistro and sat on the patio. We had such a good time just being able to hang out and talk!! Here are a couple of pictures that the sweet little girl at the table next to us took!

I don't know why Amber and I are kind of blurry in this picture??

Way to go Justin!!

2008-07-02T09:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my 25th birthday!! I can't believe that I am 25 already. I didn't really think it would be that hard to turn 25 but it was actually a lot more shocking than I anticipated! It seems like a big milestone, like you are officially an adult. Not that I wasn't an adult before, but just different, I can't describe it!

Justin kept telling me that he had gotten me something that I would really like but would never guess or spend the money on for myself. I tried so hard to guess what it was, but I was WAY wrong!! He got me tickets to:

I am so excited!! I LOVED this season and I can't wait to go see all of them perform. We aren't going until September but tickets sold out right away so he had to purchase them from a ticket broker and he was right, they were WAY more expensive than I would've paid for them. However, it isn't everyday you can see all of these people perform together and we are both so excited to go see them!!

Overall, this has been a great birthday! Monday night my in-laws took us to Blu Fin to eat and then last night we went with my family to Hermans. This weekend we are having a joint birthday party for Justin and I (since his birthday is next week)!! So...stayed tuned for pictures of that!

Sprinkler Fun

2008-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

The other night, while Justin and I were watering the flowers, Tayson came running out of the garage with his Elmo sprinkler. We had never used it before so I'm not really sure how he knew that it had something to do with the hose that we were using but hey...this boy is constantly amazing me by how much he already knows!!

So, we decided that we would hook up the sprinkler and see what he thought. I honestly thought he would just stand back and watch. I guess I should've known better than that!!

He's a sprinkler pro!! He loves anything that has to do with water, he wasn't scared to go right up to it and stick his face right in the water!

Branson

2008-06-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Branson with The Norris'. We had such a good time!! When we got there Friday night, we went down to the Branson Landing and ate at Joe's Crab Shack! This was the first time I had ever seen the Landing and I was totally impressed. It is so nice and modern, a total face lift for dear ole' Branson!! They were having a really neat water/fire show while we were down there.

Saturday morning we got up and hit the outlet mall for a little while. I didn't know that Branson had a Gymboree Outlet! We will definitely be going back more often now! After shopping, we went back to the hotel and got ready and headed to White Water! It was so hot outside but the weather was awesome and Tayson and Colin loved being in the water.

I was trying to take a picture but Tayson wasn't having any of it!!

Tayson pretending to take a nap!

Ummmm....guys...could someone please tell my dad that my arm is stuck in here!!

All day, we heard "NO, NO BABY!!!" Colin calls Tayson "baby", it is so funny to watch the two of them together. Here are some pictures of them playing and Colin feeding Tayson ice cream!

Saturday night we went and ate at a Mexican Resturant on the strip and then walked around for a little while and stopped to get ice cream!

Sunday morning we went to breakfast and then headed home. We met Justin's mom and dad at Chili's on our way back into town and had lunch with them for Father's Day. Then we all went home and took a 2 hour nap, we were tired!! Last night, we went over to my mom and dad's for dinner. I think that Justin had a great 2nd Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to my dad too!! He is such an amazing dad to me, and Papa to Tayson! I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Pool Time

2008-06-09T13:13:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Tayson playing in his new pool. He loves it!!! I know that we will have a lot of fun days this summer with this little masterpiece!! The best part about it, if I put it on the back deck, part of it is covered so I don't have to go to all of the trouble putting the big canopy on it!

(Ignore the patio table on the deck stairs...those fur babies of mine will do anything to get up on the deck with us)

Trip to Toys R Us

2008-06-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Thursday night we were playing outside and Justin decided that Tayson needed some more toys to play with outside. This came as a total shock to me because I thought he had every outside toy that they made for a one year old! Anyways, Justin decided that a trip to Toys R Us was in order for us!! So...Friday night we went to Chick-fil-A and ate and then went across the parking lot to Toys R Us. I must admit that this isn't one of the best Toys R Us' in the world, but it is really one of the only toy stores in our area so we have to make due!

While we were there, we checked out all kinds of fun toys but most of them are too big for Tayson right now. He did find a small siamese kitty (that looked just like the one we have at home) and he carried it around the entire store. We left Toys R Us with a small pool, a gate to keep our dogs off of the deck so that Tayson can enjoy the pool, and a new floatie for Tayson to use in the big pool! I know what you are probably thinking...Tayson picked out that stuff?? No he didn't but mommy and daddy knew he would enjoy them! I think we probably could've left the store without anything and he would've been fine. He was just having fun running around and checking everything out!

Here are some pictures of our trip...

My sexy yard baby!

2008-06-05T13:10:00.001-07:00

Tayson is such a great little lawn boy!! He loves to mow, water, pick flowers, rake mulch, etc. You name it...he'll do it!! Here are some pictures of him watering our yard,mowing Justin's parents yard (or sidewalk), and picking flowers at my mom and dad's!

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

We had a busy, but fun, memorial weekend! We started it off by going to dinner Friday night with The Pecks at Hooters!! I know some of you may be thinking that this is wierd that we would go to dinner at Hooters but we actually love their food and normally love to sit on the patio!! However, this was not the case on Friday night. They had a band playing on the patio that was by far, the loudest thing I have ever heard!! We love live music but we couldn't even hear ourselves think, it was so loud!! We stayed on the patio about 10 or 15 minutes before deciding that there was really no point in being at dinner together if we couldn't talk! So...we moved inside! After dinner, Justin, Ryan and Aaron went night fishing and Tayson and I went home and went to bed!!

Saturday morning, Tayson and I met Amber at Target to start our day of shopping! We went all over the place and had a blast!! Tayson can be a tricky little guy at the mall because he hates to stay in his stroller and if you put him down, he's gone!! We didn't find a whole lot of great things but I did get these Yellow Box flip flops!!

I love yellow box flip flops and if you don't own a pair, you should head out RIGHT NOW and get some!!

Saturday night, we had The Pecks and The Norris's over for dinner. We had a great time just eating good food and hanging out! Tayson loves to play with Collin (who is 2 1/2). The two of them made quite a mess with all of the toys, but they had a great time. They have a love/hate relationship. They love to take each others toys and hate when it happens to them! It is so funny to watch them.

Sunday, we met Matt, Lynn and Collin at Las Margaritas for some lunch and then headed to the pool. Tayson LOVED the water and has absolutely no fear! It took Justin and I both chasing him around the entire time to keep up with him. He didn't mind if his face got wet, he would just get up and keep on going!! I know we are going to have lots of fun swimming this summer!

Sunday night we headed over to my mom and dad's house for my sister's 21st birthday party!! Her actual birthday isn't until June 3rd but because she and Billy were leaving Monday morning to go back to California, we had to have her party before they left! It was a lot of fun because my dad had been playing in the Member-Guest golf tournament all weekend at the Fayetteville Country Club so some of my parent friends from out of town, that we don't get to see too often, were there!!

Notice the chocolate ice cream all over Tayson's face...he couldn't wait any longer!

Monday we went over to Gentry to the Safari and had a blast! Tayson loves animals and he was just in heaven with all of these animals walking around and coming up to the car! I had not been over there since I was a kid and I must say, it is much better than I remember it being!!

I did a horrible job of taking pictures this weekend so I'm sorry for the lack of pictures! I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day!!

My little farmer!

2008-05-19T11:44:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went with my family over to my Grandma and Pa's house for the night. This was Tayson's first trip to the farm and he LOVED it!! They live about an hour and a half from Fayetteville, on what I call a "farm". Really, it is just way out, on lots of acreage and they have cows!! Tayson was so busy and I was so busy trying to keep up with him, that I really didn't get many pictures. But...since the trip, he has a new fascination with cows and ANYTIME we drive on the bypass (between Fayetteville and Springdale), where there are pastures/fields on either side of the car, he sits in the back and says "uhh" (Translation: Look Mommy!)!! I feel sure that if the city would allow it, we would have to get a cow for our backyard, that's how much he LOVES them right now!!

Don't you just love all of the pictures of his backside?? That is pretty much how I get to see him now, he is always doing something and I am always chasing him!! I LOVE IT!!!

Crusin' in Dumpy!

2008-05-13T13:03:00.001-07:00

Tayson got this power dump truck for his 1st birthday and we have had it in the house for him to play in. However, recently he figured out how to push the pedal himself and make Dumpy go!! We took it outside in our cul-de-sac the other day and he had a blast!! He kept going around and around in circles.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2008-05-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, step-moms and moms to be! I hope you have a great Mother's Day!! A friend of mine sent me this little poem awhile back and I thought it was perfect for this special day!!

Before I was a Mom -
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Before I was a Mom there were so many things I didn't know!! I knew that I loved kids but Tayson has taught me so much more! I have experienced a level of love that I never knew was possible!! Being a mom is, without a doubt, the best joy in the world!! There isn't a day that goes by that I would trade my position, as Tayson's mommy, for ANYTHING in this world!

Little Rock Zoo Pictures

2008-05-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

I know I am really late with these pictures but hey...better late than never! Here are a few pictures that we took on our trip to the Little Rock Zoo!! It was pretty chilly the day that we went so a lot of the animals were in their little caves. I think we are going to try and hit the Tulsa Zoo pretty soon!

New Blogger!!

2008-05-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends, Amber, has finally joined the bloging world! I have been trying to get her to start a blog for awhile now, and she finally did!! Check her out: www.thepecks-amber.blogspot.com.

A little history about Amber and I;
My best friend and college roommate, Jessica, went to high school and was really good friends with Amber in Shawnee, Oklahoma. When we were in college, Amber came up one weekend and stayed with us. Well...we all went out and Amber really hit it off with Justin's best friend, Ryan. And...the rest was history! They got married almost exactly a month before Justin and I did and we do pretty much EVERYTHING with them! They are such cool people and I know you will love her blog.

It's picture time!

2008-04-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

I finally have a few pictures of Billy's homecoming! I love the pictures of them hugging, they remind me of something you would see in a movie!!

This is the sign that Taylor made for Billy! Their song is "Everything I do" by Bryan Adams and this is a line out of the song!!

This is the sign that Tayson and I made for Uncle Billy. I must say, it looked better in person :)

Taylor and Billy actually came home this weekend for Billy's post deployment leave. They are going to be here for almost a month so we are super excited about getting to spend lots of time with them!!

Birthday, Race for the Cure, Golf and Bachelortte Party!

2008-04-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you can tell from the title, it was a pretty busy weekend! We started off the weekend by heading to Harrison Friday night for my great-grandma's 95th birthday! She is such an amazing woman. She still lives by herself, drives, rakes her leaves, etc. The leaf raking is really a big thing to her. She does this EVERY day!! She is so afraid that the neighbors will be embarrased by her lawn if there are leaves in it!! All of her children were able to come down for her birthday party, I think she had a great time!! We were even able to sneak in another 5 generation picture! We went and ate at De Vito's (one of the only resturants in Harrison). Tayson had a great time getting into everything and he even made a friend at the table next to us. The little boy was a few years older than him, but Tayson loved following him around and trying to hug him. Here are a few pics from the night...

Saturday morning I got up, bright and early, and did the Race for the Cure. You are just going to have to take my word for it because my brain wasn't functioning that early and I forgot to take any pictures!! The original plan was for me to take Tayson with me and push him in his stroller. However, because it was so cold that morning, I decided to let him stay at home and sleep! The Race was great!! It really didn't take us as long as we thought it would. I can't wait to do it again next year! This is one organization that is really near and dear to my heart. My mom and grandma were both diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2007 so I don't think I could find a more appropriate organization to "give back" to!! Side note: Oprah has really inspired me to give back!! I have always volunteered with the American Diabetes Association but I think I really need to do more!

Saturday afternoon, Justin, Tayson, Kitty and I met Ryan and Amber at the golf course so the guys could play! Amber, Tayson, Kitty and I just hung out in the cart and played!! Tayson had a blast playing with his plastic clubs, the sand, just whatever! I am hoping that I have a little Tiger on my hands!! (You will have to excuse Tayson's crazy outfit...I wasn't really aware that the wind was blowing so hard so we ended up putting together things from my car to keep him warm enough! It was actually great because I was able to prove to Justin that there really is a need for all of that "crap", as he calls it, in my car!!)

Saturday night, Amber and I went to Lynn's bachelorette party!! Lynn and Matt are getting married next Saturday! We all met at Jose's on Dickson Street to eat and then the other girls went out after that! Amber and I went home. It was already like 11:00 PM and while in college that was early, nowadays, that is late!! We had a great time just talking and hanging out with everyone. I really didn't get very many pictures because I was too busy talking (shocker, I know!!)!

Sunday, Justin had a tournament so Tayson and I just hung out! We cleaned out the refrigerator. Or, I cleaned out the fridge, Tayson sat in the drawer! We also went to the park and had a picnic, played at the park, and went over to Grand and Papa's and played outside there too!! It was such a nice day that we just stayed outside almost all day!! I hope everyone enjoyed the awesome weather!! Have a good week!

All about Tayson!

2008-04-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend was all about Tayson! Justin and I decided that it would be fun to just pamper him and make one whole weekend just for him (as if we don't do this everyday or every weekend :) )!! Saturday morning, we left early and drove to Little Rock. Tayson did really well in the car, which suprised me because he does not like to sit still for very long!! We stopped about every hour or so, to let him get out and walk around (or maybe it was because my husband has a bladder the size of a pea??)

Anyways, when we finally made it to Little Rock we went out to lunch and then headed over to the Wonder Place. Tayson was in love!! He didn't quite know what to do with himself. He explored every room, every toy! He just couldn't believe that there was so much fun stuff in one location for him to play with. We stayed there for about two hours until he started getting tired. Then, we went downtown and checked into our hotel and it was nap time! Tayson went right to sleep and slept for two and a half hours. YES, you did just hear me say that!! That boy has never slept that long with me, in all of our 15 months together! My mom and dad like to imagine that he sleeps about an hour and a half or so at their house during the day, but I'm not too sure about that because I am lucky to get a 30 minute nap out of him! He was sooo tired. I just kept watching him, checking to make sure he was breathing, because this was totally unlike him.

When he finally woke up, we all got ready and went to Target and then out to dinner. We had such a good time just relaxing and getting to spend time together. There is something wonderful about being in another town, where you don't know everyone, and just hanging out!!

Sunday morning we woke up, ate breakfast and headed to the zoo. Yes, it was a little bit chilly, but not nearly as cold as it was in Fayetteville! Tayson loved looking at all of the animals (or kitties as he called them)!! He was so good at the zoo!! His favorite part was when we bought some food for the catfish and he got to throw it in the water and watch them all swarm around. He thought that was so funny!! After the zoo, we went to lunch and then headed back home! When we got home, we all took a two hour nap and then we had to go to Grand and PaPa's house for dinner, because they hadn't seen "Bud Man" (as PaPa calls him) since Friday!!

Tayson had such a great time and it was so fun just to watch him explore and take everything in! On another note, Tayson is 15 months old today so HAPPY 15 Month Birthday Tayson!!

I promise, pictures are coming soon, we got a new camera (finally)!!

Uncle Billy is back!!!

2008-04-11T08:46:00.001-07:00

Sorry it took me so long to post this, I kept waiting on my sister to email me pictures and I have finally given up. I guess that if you haven't seen your husband in 7 months, emailing your sister pictures does not make the top of the priority list :)

He was supposed to be back Wednesday around 2:00 PM but they got delayed in Kuwait for about 5 hours and then with all of the other delays, they didn't get into Twenty-nine Palms until about 9:30 PM!! My sister was about to have a nervous break down. I guess when you have waited that long, waiting one more second seems like an eternity!

I was on the phone with her Wednesday night, trying to kill the time and help her pick out a new outfit to wear. That was rather challenging via phone!!! He originally told her that he wanted her to wear some cute little shorts and a sexy tank top of some sort. Well...when the husband orders up an outfit, we go out of our way to get it!! Or at least Taylor does! So...she got some cute little shorts and a black strapless tube top type shirt that looked really cute together. Well, then about a week before he was going to come home, he made the comment on the phone to her about whether or not she had her dress all picked out? WHAT??? We went to all this trouble to get shorts and a cute shirt and he had forgotten about that!! So, he said just to wear whatever she wanted because he knows she'll look cute in anything! Who knew that a man could have so much of a say in a woman's wardrobe? I guess when you have seven months to sit in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do, and think, that is what happens! So, then the hunt was on for a dress! She found a cute black one to wear and was all set to go! Well, in 29 Palms when the sun goes down, the wind really starts blowing and it gets really cold. So...the first and second outfit were both out now! She ended up just wearing jeans, a sweater, and a jacket!! Funny how things change so fast!

So, we got the outfit picked out (over the phone) and started just waiting to hear something on the radio. They have a station out there that follows the buses from about 3 hours out and keeps everyone updated as to where they are. While I was on the phone with her, they came on and said that the 3rd LAR was on their way back to 29 Palms after serving time in Iraq. This group is made up of 149 marines, packed in 6 buses, being led by police escort. At this point, she was pretty much done with me and her in laws came and picked her up and they headed to the field to wait!

When they arrived, Billy found Taylor and she ran up to him and he picked her up, just like in the movies! Or at least, that is what I was picturing. She was so excited about this because the last time he came home, she had just had major hip surgery and was on crutches and had to just wait for him to come over and hug her.

Anyways, enough with my babbling...
Billy is back safely and we couldn't be happier!! We are so fortunate that he made it safely through two deployments and is back home. Now we just have to pray for Bo, his twin brother, that just deployed last week. It is really funny because they actually missed seeing each other at a base in Al Assad (not sure about spelling?) by about 24 hours. This is Bo's first deployment because he has been on presidential security up until recently. Taylor said that Billy looks great, his arm muscles are huge, and he is sooo happy to be home! I can't wait to see him in a few weeks.

Thanks for reading my long, drawn out post and remember to say an extra prayer for those that are still at war!!!

Weekend Recap

2008-04-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

We had such a great weekend!! I think the weather played a HUGE part! Wasn't it soooo nice to be able to go outside and not get wet? We kicked off our weekend by going to Herman's Friday night. I LOVE Herman's and that is the perfect start to a weekend, for me!!

Saturday morning Tayson and I skipped Gymboree because Tayson had been sick this past week and I didn't want him to catch anything else or give what he had to all of his little friends! So, instead we went to the new Gordmans in Rogers to check that out! We got Tayson some really cute t-shirts that say "Ladies Man" and "Lock up your daughters". I also got him a little pair of crocs. I wasn't too sure how he would do in these, but he seems to like them! After that, we met daddy and Uncle Justin at Chilis for lunch! Later that afternoon, Justin stayed home with Tayson while I ran to Wal-Mart!! Oh my goodness....that was the first time I had been to Wal-Mart alone since, I can't remember when!! I know it was just Wal-Mart, but I felt like a new woman. I took my time, going up and down each aisle!! Saturday night we went to my mom and dad's house for a little Final Four get together. We had some awesome baby back ribs, baked beans, salad, macaroni and cheese, bread and brownies.

Sunday Justin had a tournament so Tayson and I went to Lowes and Home Depot and got some flowers and planted them! He was such a big helper!! We got his Little Tykes shovel and rake and he helped me with the dirt! I love to put my hanging baskets up and fill up the planters on the deck. There is nothing better than walking through the house and being able to see bright flowers outside the window!! I LOVE SPRING!

I know this post is a little bit boring with no pictures but I currently do not have a camera!! Tayson accidentally dropped my camera on the floor and now it doesn't work! I called Bedfords about getting it fixed and they said it would probably be about $200.00 so I don't really see the point in that. I am just going to get a new camera this week! Do any of you have advise on what is the best camera? My mom and sister both have the same camera and they love it! It takes really good pictures so I am going to look at that one, but I would love any other suggestions!

I hope everyone has a great week!! This is a great week for us because Uncle Billy comes home Wednesday. For those of you that don't know, Billy is my brother-in-law who is a Marine. He has been in Iraq (for his 2nd deployment) since September. He and my sister are stationed in Twenty-nine Palms, CA. Taylor (my sister) just moved back to Cali about 3 weeks ago to get ready for him to come home. So...he is in Kuwait now and should be in Twenty-nine Palms at about 2:00 Wednesday. Tayson and I made a huge sign for the welcome home. There is a chain length fence about a mile long on the base and they bring all of the guys in on a bus and drive slowly down this mile long straight stretch to let them read their welcome home signs. We got lime green fabric and painted in brown "Welcome Home Uncle Billy" Love, Tayson!!! Billy's mom and dad are taking it out with them and Taylor is going to hang it up for us!! I can't wait for him to get here, it is so scary to have a loved one at war!! Fortunately, this is his last deployment and a year from now he will be out of the Marines!! I can't wait for them to move home! I'm sure I will post again Wednesday when he is actually there!!

Have a good week!!!

April Fools Day!

2008-04-01T17:37:00.001-07:00

Since today is April Fools Day, I decided that I had to get Justin good. I knew he wouldn't believe I was pregnant if I called and told him because he knows I wouldn't call him to tell him that! So instead, I had to come up with another idea!! He is always joking with me about what a reckless driver I am and how I have had several little finder binders and speeding tickets. He has, knock on wood, only ever been in one wreck and it wasn't his fault! So, around lunch time today I called him and told him that I had rear-ended someone! He was at lunch with some people so he was really trying to keep his cool. He asked me how bad it was, to which I had to say it was pretty bad!! He asked if I was okay, which of course, I was! He asked if the cops came, and for my story, yes, they did!! I had to make it seem as bad as possible without anyone being injured!! He asked if I had called Matt yet (our insurance agent)?? I told him that Matt was at lunch! Then I asked him how much our insurance deductible was? Like he would know...but he said $500.00 (good thing I control the finances because it is $250.00). With the way he said $500.00, I knew it was time to tell him. I said, $500.00..well, I guess it's a good thing it's April Fools Day. The phone went silent, because he hung up on me!! When I called him back he was laughing because he had completely forgotten it was April Fools Day and once again, I had gotten him good!!!

Hoppy Easter!

2008-03-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Tayson had a great 2nd Easter!! He doesn't really remember too much about his 1st Easter, since he was only 3 months old but he sure did like the Easter bunny this year. When we woke up yesterday morning, he was soooo suprised to see that the Easter bunny had left him lots of goodies in the living room! He especially LOVED the chocolate candy in daddy's Easter basket. He kept stealing them and trying to put them in his mouth, as fast as possible! I finally gave in and let him have one (or two)!!

We went to Justin's mom and dad's house for lunch and to Tayson's suprise, the Easter bunny made a stop over there too!! He had two BIG baskets full of goodies. He got a stuffed Siamese kitty that he LOVES. I have never seen him really attached to any one toy but he loves this kitty. Kitty was one of his first words because my mom and dad have a cat that he LOVES!! This new kitty has gone everywhere with us since yesterday. It slept with us and even took a shower with mommy this morning!! That's another story...Tayson loves to open the shower door in the morning while I am taking a shower and this morning, he dropped kitty into the shower too! Needless to say, kitty is a clean boy now!!

When we left Justin's mom and dad's we headed to Grand and Papa's house (my mom and dad's). Shockingly...the Easter bunny had been here too!! Tayson got lots of fun toys and some really cute clothes!! He got a big bag of mega blocks and I really think that daddy had more fun with these, than anyone!

We had a wonderful Easter (even though the Hogs got beat)!! I hope you guys had a Happy Easter too!

Happy Anniversary Justin!

2008-03-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Justin and I's 3rd anniversary! In a way I can't believe it has been three years already but in another way, it seems like we have been together forever. He is such a wonderful husband and daddy!! I guess it is true when they say that opposites attract. I am a big time perfectionist and worry a lot, and Justin could not be more laid back!! It is great though, because we balance each other out! When I first found out I was pregnant, I was a total basket case because I am such a planner and Tayson was a surprise. From the minute we found out, Justin was so excited and just kept reassuring me that everything happens for a reason and that everything would be fine!! He has been such an amazing dad. I knew he would be great, but he has really blown me away. I am so blessed to have him in my life and get to experience everyday for the rest of my life, with him!!

Happy Anniversary!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

2008-03-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

Happy 14 Month Old Birthday Tayson!!

2008-03-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Today is your 14 month old birthday!! I can't believe that you are 14 months old, already. It seems like just a few weeks ago that I was still pregnant, waiting on you to come. These 14 months have flown by sooo fast. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze you at this age, but I just know that the future hold so much fun for us and I can't wait to see what happens next!

There are a lot of things that I would like to remember about you at this point. It seems like so many things have changed since you turned 13 months old, and that was only a month ago! In the past month you have:

1. Learned how to walk
2. Gotten your 1st haircut
3. Learned how to clap
4. Cut 4 new teeth (all this week, one on the bottom and three on the top)
5. Learned how to say dada
6. Started trying to feed yourself with your fork and spoon

These are other things that I want to remember about you at this 14 month mark:
1. You love to laugh. When we go into a store, if the people near us aren't looking at you or talking to you, you start laughing really loud until you get their attention. This is really funny to see!!
2. You have learned how to walk very quickly. It seemed like overnight, you just took your first step and then you were off. Now you can walk pretty far and you have only been doing it for about a week!
3. You only want to eat grown up food. You refuse to eat any baby food besides cereal. You always want what everyone else is eating.
4. You are in the 90th percentile for weight and height. You are almost 35" long and weigh about 27lbs. You are a BIG boy!!
5. One of your first words was Dixie (Aunt Taylor's dog) and now you refer to all dogs as Dixie's. Our labs, Ace and Lexi have become "Dixie".
6. You still do not sleep through the night. I am not quite sure why this is, I think maybe because you just like to get up and see mommy every few hours?? (At least that's what I tell myself)
7. I am still nursing you, only at night! This is because you refuse to drink milk or formula. I have tried both several times and you won't have ANYTHING to do with them. We even tried chocolate milk!! So...since you have to have some sort of milk, here we are!!
8. You love to play peek-a-boo after your bath. You pull your towel over your face until we say "Where's Tayson?" and then you pull it down really fast so we will say "boo"!!

This is a picture that was taken a few hours after I had Tayson!

This is another picture taken in the hospital!!

This is a picture of Tayson when he was about 2 weeks old with his great great grandma!! Hasn't he changed so much??

Tayson's 1st Haircut

2008-03-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took Tayson to get his 1st haircut. Crystal has been cutting Justin's hair for about 7 years and he really needed a hair cut so we just killed 2 birds with one stone. She did an awesome job with Tayson. It takes patience to cut a one year old's hair!! The entire process went a lot better than I was expecting. I guess because Tayson hates to sit still, I was expecting it to be a real battle. However, between Crystal's phone and his french fries, he did amazing!! Here are some pictures of him getting his "Big Boy" haircut!!!

The Video

2008-03-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

(I think I need some technical help...When I preview the blog, the video works fine but when I actually publish the blog, the video doesn't work??? I know NOTHING about this stuff so I can't figure out how to fix it!)

I finally figured out how to load the video but now I can't figure out how to turn it!! I hope you don't break your neck trying to see it!!

I ended up taking a new video on my camera and my voice sounds really funny!! He is walking a little bit crooked but I know in time, we will get that all "straightened" out (no pun intended). I know this isn't very long but remember, we are still learning :)

Walking

2008-03-10T09:31:00.000-07:00

It has been in the works for awhile now...but Tayson can finally walk!!! We are so excited for him! I know that this opens up a whole new world for him and for us too!! Last week he started taking a few little steps (probably three) and then he would fall down. But now...he can take about 12-16 steps at a time without falling! There is nothing cuter than watching a baby learn to walk. He just toddles side to side and his direction is a little off right now. He kind of walks at an angle. We have to stay right there by him because you never know when he is going to bite the dust!!

I recorded him with our video camera but I can't figure out how to load it on blogger. I am working on that and hopefully will get it up here pretty soon!

Way to go Tayson...Mommy and Daddy are so happy for you!!!

The Mohawk!!

2008-03-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

I took some pictures of Tayson playing the in bathtub the other night, sporting his nightly mohawk! I think we are about ready for the "big" haircut because Justin and I agreed that he is starting to get a mullet!! So...stay tuned for his 1st haircut pics!!!

It's Official!!!

2008-03-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Fishing season is upon us and once again, I have become a fisherman's widow!! If you are like me (or at least like I was) you are probably thinking, fishing?? Oh...the sport where you have a pole, usually a worm and you throw the worm into the water and hope something bites it!! Well, that is exactly how I thought of fishing until I married an AVID fisherman! Now I know more about fishing, fishing baits, rods, reels, boats, etc. than I could ever care to know!! I didn't know that fishing was a multi-million (maybe billion) dollar industry and that there are professional fishermen, like professional golfers, baseball players, basketball players, etc. But trust me my friends...It's true!!!

Justin loves to play golf too and I used to think that golf could get rather expensive, depending on where he was playing, how often he played, etc. but I am here to tell you, golf doesn't hold a candle to fishing (at least at our house). I think I could retire at about 35 if Justin only played golf and we saved the rest of what we spend on fishing!! (Just kidding :)....well, not really but I like to try and make myself think that I am)

Anyways, so Justin has been tournament bass fishing for, I believe, 6 years now!! However, this year he has switched circuits and is fishing a new club with a more intensive tournament schedule!! I know, I thought last year (and the year before and the year before...) that there was NO possible way this man could fish anymore than he already does! But it seems as if he has it all figured out. The old tournament schedule consisted of only ONE tournament per month and then he would fish several odd and end tournaments here and there. Oh ya, and then there is PRE FISHING!!! You can't win a tournament if you don't practice (ALL THE TIME), right? Well...this one has TWO tournaments per month and then I guarantee there will still be the odd and end tournaments as well!

So...that's where the term fisherman's widow comes in. It will be probably November before I spend a full weekend with my husband again (unless of course, we go on Vacation, he is sick, etc.) because he will be living on the lake!! I will be sure and post some random pictures because trust me, he gets an awesome tan, usually consisting of a really tan face and really white sunglasses mark!!

Don't get me wrong, I am VERY happy for him and LOVE that he has something he is so passionate about!! I also LOVE going to his weigh-ins and, hopefully :), watching him win some $$$!! But, I also love my husband and get tired of not seeing him very often!!!

So, we kicked off the beginning of fishing season by heading to Springfield this weekend, to go to Bass Pro. Well, I didn't go to Bass Pro, but Justin and Justin did!! Tayson, Cindy and I went to the mall for the day!! We had lots of fun shopping while the boys racked up at Bass Pro. Does anyone else have this problem...I specifically go out of town to shop and never find ANYTHING?? I think I bought like 4 things!! After shopping all day, we went and picked the boys up, went out to dinner and then drove home!!

Sunday morning, Justin, Tayson and I went out to breakfast and then headed to the park in Tontitown!! Tayson LOVES the park and it was such a nice day!! The only thing he didn't really like was that his overprotective mom made him wear a hat because it was so windy!! I tried to explain to him that it was much better to look silly in the 65 degree weather with a hat on, than it was to have an ear infection, but for some reason he just didn't understand!!

Big boys wear PINK!!!

2008-02-28T09:26:00.000-08:00

I took some pictures of Tayson yesterday, in his pink shirt, playing with my pink cell phone. I think later on in life, he probably will hate me for these pictures! But maybe not, Justin actually has a few pink shirts that he loves to wear!!! I think most guys look really good in PINK!!

So...here are my random pictures for my random post!! (Don't mind the wet spots on his jeans in the 2nd picture, his juice bottle was leaking)

Tux 1 Tayson 0

2008-02-27T10:15:00.001-08:00

As I am sure most of you know, Tayson stays at my mom and dad's house during the day! Well, my mom and dad have a cat, Tux. He is a rather large, black and white furball!! Tayson is infactuated with him!! As a matter of fact, Kitty, was one of his first words! However, Tayson doesn't exactly understand how to properly pet this cat. His petting is more like a pounding on Tux's back. Ordinarily, Tux is pretty even tempered and just puts up with Tayson. Well, yesterday was not a good day for him. As Tayson was attempting to "pet" Tux, Tux decided to strike back!! He left a pretty good scratch on Tayson's cheek that bled all over his shirt :(

I tried to get a few pictures of the battle wound, but Tayson kept turning his head (I don't think he wanted people to know that the cat won the battle). It really doesn't look too bad in this picture!

It doesn't matter though, after taking him home, letting him eat a chocolate sucker (or two), he is over it and still loves Tux like he did before this happened! Actually, the chocolate suckers are a whole different story. I was trying to do dishes in the kitchen, while Tayson played in the pantry (one of his favorite things to do). Well, I turned around and he had the foil wrapper off of two different suckers and was going back and forth between them. So, at that point, I couldn't exactly take them away from him!

Baby loves ranch!!

2008-02-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

One night last week, Justin and I were eating dinner and of course, I had the ranch dressing out!! I decided that I would let Tayson try it and see what he thought. Well...like mommy like baby. He loved it!! I just put a little bit on his high chair tray and he started dipping everything in it. He would put it in his mouth and say "mmmmmm."

On Thursday night, we went and ate at Grubs and I was eating ranch with my fries and Tayson kept whinning because he wanted some too. So, I gave in and let him have some. My parents were laughing so hard because he eventually just picked up the bowl and started licking it! I was trying to get my camera out to take some pictures but he was so messy that I ended up getting ranch all over my hands and didn't get the camera in time!!

So, on Saturday night, I was prepared! We went with Ryan, Amber and Kaid to the new Texas Land & Cattle Steak House at the Pinnacle Mall. Here are some pictures of Tayson and the ranch. (On a side note, the bowl of ranch was basically empty when I gave it to him so it isn't like he is drinking the entire bowl, but he was dipping the bread and croutons in it!)

There isn't much this boy won't eat!!!

Here are some other random pictures that I took of him in the car on Saturday. He always wants to take my sunglasses and try to put them on. So, I gave him his to wear, and he wasn't interested in that!!

"Here mom, you wear mine, and I'll wear yours!"

"No?? Okay, I'll just eat these then!!"

The "Big" Debate and other ramblings of a mom!!!

2008-02-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

Okay...it is widely known, my baby boy needs a haircut! He has really needed a haircut since before his 1st birthday but I kept telling myself that I had to wait until he turned one! Well, he was 13 months old on Friday and still no haircut!! Why? Probably because this crazy woman that he calls "Mama" can't seem to part with that baby hair! I am so on the fence about this. I guess I am really not ready to cut his hair because then he will be more of a "Big" boy!! I know that I am going to have to do it at some point so I guess I should just get it over with, but it still is REALLY hard! Has anyone else had such a hard time with the 1st haircut or am I just crazy??

On another note, I am going to go off on a little tangent here! You will probably not be able to side with me and/or fully understand where I am coming from with this, unless you have a child or have siblings/nieces/nephews or something of that nature!! Last night, Justin didn't really feel like cooking dinner so we decided that we would just go to Hunan Manor in Fayetteville and grab some Chinese food! Well, we live in Springdale, kind of out towards Tontitown so this was a little bit of a drive!

We get there, they ask us if it is just us two and the baby. We say yes, and they proceed to seat us at a table. Well, we wait around for a few minutes while they went to get us a high chair. He comes back and says that they do not have any high chairs! What??? A resturant does not have a high chair? So, I look around the place and in the entire resturant, there are 2 other babies using, apparantly, the only 2 high chairs they have!!! So, we had to leave and go somewhere else!

Is it just me, or should a resturant of that size (they have moved and have a much bigger resturant now) have more than 2 high chairs? I was telling Justin that to me, it wouldn't be all that unlikely for ONE family to come in and need 2 high chairs just for their kids!!

I was just so frustrated by this because they are in a service industry and this was not good service! Yes, Tayson does have a Bumbo but his "little" legs no longer fit in it, so I stopped taking it with us! I think that I might call them and let them know that you can purchase resturant style high chairs in the Lakeside catalog for only $19.99. I know this because my mom and dad have one that fits perfectly at their dining room table for our little Prince!

While I am going on about this, another thing that really frustrates me is going to a resturant that does not have a changing station in their restroom. Yes, I know that these things can be nasty, that is why I have a cover that I lay over it, but it is still so much better than NOT having one! I can't tell you the number of resturants in NWA that do not have these. You never know where you are going to be when nature calls and you need to change a diaper. I have had to take Tayson out to the car on numerous occasions to change his diaper! This is so frustrating!!

Okay, so I guess I should just be happy that I have a baby who needs a high chair and needs to have his diaper changed. I am VERY happy about those things and know that I am so truly blessed to have him in my life. But...it still frustrates me! :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Gage!

2008-02-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon, we went to Gage's 2nd birthday party. Tayson had sooo much fun getting to play with all of Natalie and Gage's toys. For Natalie's birthday, in January, we got her a shopping cart and a bunch of food to go in it. This was Tayson's favorite!! I think he pushed it around their house almost the entire party! I know he could walk, if he wanted to!!!

Here are some picutures from the birthday party!!

Happy Valentine's Day (a little late)!

2008-02-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I think my Valentine's were the best!! Thursday morning they left me a really sweet card and a rose laying on top of it! I'm sure it took lots of consulting between the two of them to pick it out :)

Normally for Valentine's Day, we go out to dinner but because Tayson is such a busy body right now, we decided that there was no way we could go somewhere and wait for hours to be seated. So instead, we decided we would just stay home and grill steaks! I also went to Maggie Moos and got some Valentine ice cream cupcakes for dessert!

It was such a relaxing night, just hanging out at home! Plus, one of my new favorite shows, Lipstick Jungle was on!!

Here are some pictures from Valentine's Day!

Don't mind the leg warmers, Daddy thinks they are girly!!

These ice cream cupcakes are delicious!!

Mommy helping Tayson open his Valentine gift from Grand and PaPa!
Happy Belated Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Where do you shop?

2008-02-13T09:32:00.001-08:00

I was reading a blog the other day that was talking about some great buys and it got me thinking...Where do you shop? I LOVE to shop, this is one of my biggest weaknesses!! I especially love to find a good sale. I don't mind paying full price for things, but to me, it is so much more fun when you find things that are either on sale, or are just a really good deal. I guess for me, it is the thrill of the hunt, more than anything else.

I love certain stores for certain things.

Home Decor:
I especially love TJ Maxx when it somes to home decor and things of that nature. I also love Hobby Lobby for this same thing. Hobby Lobby is so great about having things 50% off, which makes it such a bargin!! Kirklands is another awesome place for good stuff!!!

Clothes for Justin:
I would have to say for Justin's stuff, 70% of it comes from Express. He loves that store!! He also loves Banana! We sometimes find him stuff at Dillards, Old Navy, and places like that. This man is just PICKY!! As a general rule, he will not wear stripes. He likes solid colored shirts!! Occasionally I will find him a shirt that is a very subtle stripe that he is okay with. He will not wear regular Polo golf shirts. He thinks the material is too heavy. He will wear Polo shirts but they have to be the softer cotten ones. So normally, I get these at Express because they are one of the only places that carry these.

Clothes for Tayson:
For Tayson, I shop everywhere! Old Navy has great prices and good quality for babies. I also have gotten some cute stuff at places like Target, Kohls, Dillards, TJ Maxx, Baby Gap (he has a lot of stuff from there), Gymboree, Childrens Place, just wherever. I have a big weakness for things at local boutiques like 3 Monkeys and Monday's Child. However, I hate to spend so much money on things that he outgrows so quickly.

As I am sure you have read before, I am a huge fan of Robeez and now Pedipeds! I also like brands like Kelly's Kids and Bailey's Boys!

I am a freak about him being comfortable though!! During the day, he stays with my mom and dad and I always put him in some sort of little cotton, sweat suit or something along those lines. I usually only put him in jeans and things like that when we go out to eat or to somewhere like that. The way I look at it, he is crawling around and playing all day and I want him to be comfortable!! Another thing I am a big fan of for Tayson is Old Navy's PJs. They are 2 piece sets (pants and shirt) and they come in all kinds of prints. These are wonderful!! They seem to hold up very well and appear to be very comfy!!!

Clothes for myself:
Again, for me, I shop everywhere!! Target, Express, Gap, Banana, Dillards, TJ Maxx, JCPenney, Old Navy (they have cute stuff sometimes but I have trouble fitting into everything there!), Victoria Secret Catalog (they have some really cute clothes, I wish they sold them in the stores), Macy's, Kohls, just wherever I am when I find something I like!! I also love places like Mason's, Maca and fun little stores like that but I primarily only buy purses or jeans there because if I am going to spend that kind of money, I want it to be on something that I will use/wear over and over again!

I know that there are stores that I am forgetting about, probably ones that I go to all of the time!! I also know that this is a very random post but I love to consult with my friends and find out where they are shopping because you never know when someone might have a fun little place that you don't even know about!! So...Where do you shop?

It's game time!

2008-02-11T12:55:00.000-08:00

Friday night Justin and I actually went on a little date! I say "little" date because his parents actually went with us. But...we did get to go out to dinner and to the casino and my mom and dad watched Tayson. I must say, people tell me that the older Tayson gets, the easier it will be to leave him but at this point, it doesn't seem to be getting any easier! However, we did have a great time!! We went to eat at Mama Z's and then headed over to Siloam Springs. Normally when we go to the casino, I like to play either blackjack or roulette but this time, I decided I would venture out and try something new, so I played the slots. They were actually a lot of fun and I won some money!! I guess we were so wrapped up in everything that I forgot to take any pictures, sorry!

On Saturday, Tayson and I headed off to Gymboree, like we always do. Afterwards, we met up with Justin and one of Justin's best friends, Justin at Chilis for lunch. That afternoon, Tayson and I headed to the mall and Target for a little while to see if they had anything that we couldn't live without. We came up short! There are a lot of cute spring things out right now, but I am just not in ready to buy springtime clothes right now when I can't wear them for another month or so. I must say though, I love the bright springtime colors!!

Saturday night, we had Ryan, Amber, Kaid, Justin, Jenn, Matt, Lynn and Colin over for dinner and to play Apples to Apples. If you haven't ever played this game, you should, it is so much fun!! I think Colin had a lot of fun playing with Tayson's toys and Tayson had fun showing him how they worked :)

Sunday was a pretty low key day for us. We just hung out, cleaned the house, went to Old Navy (we had to check out the baby/kid sale that is going on) and got Gage a birthday present for his party next Saturday!! Tayson really wanted to play with Gage's present that we got him. He didn't understand why I bought this really cool toy and he wasn't allowed to open it up and play with it. Poor baby, if there had been more than one left, I probably would've buckled and gotten him one too. I am a BIG sap when it comes to my baby and I have a VERY HARD time saying no. Sunday morning I did venture out and try to let Tayson feed himself with a spoon. He is really trying to be a big boy and always tries to take the spoon from us when we are feeding him so I thought I would let him try it out. He was a BIG mess, as you can see.

It didn't take him long to ditch the spoon and go right for the bowl!! Sunday night we went to my mom and dad's house for dinner, we do this every Sunday!! That was our weekend in a nutshell, I hope everyone had a good weekend too!!!

A shout out to Uncle Matt...

2008-02-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

I recently found out this weekend that one of Justin's friends, Matt, is one of my blogs biggest fans. This is really big, seeing as how very few people actually read my blog and this tends to get discouraging at times. However, I just have to remind myself that I am doing this blog as a way to keep up with Tayson and the things that are going in our lives. I want to be able to look back and remember those years that flew by all too quickly!

Anyways, back to Uncle Matt, our biggest fan!!! Matt is one of Justin's best friends and has always been a BIG part of our lives. He was a groomsmen in our wedding and has been a part of our family since day one! He isn't a blood uncle to Tayson but nontheless, he is still "Uncle Matt" in our house! Matt is without a doubt, the funniest person I know. He always has a good time and is the life of the party. He is wonderful with Tayson and this means so much to me. He was commenting on the fact that he never has made the blog. At the time, I found this so hard to believe because he does so much with us and is such a big part of our lives. So...I decided that I would do a blog all about him.

Uncle Matt, you are truly a blessing to our family and we love having you around. We are so happy that you have met someone that is making your life so much fun right now. You deserve someone wonderful in your life and we knew that if you waited long enough, the right girl would come along. We wish you the best of luck with Lynn and want you to know that we are always here for you!

Go Hillary, Beat Huckabee!!! (just a little inside joke between Matt and I)

Where did the weekend go?

2008-02-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is Monday already!! Everyone in our house has been sick for the last week so we were ready to get out of the house this weekend and man it flew by! Saturday night Justin and I had a little double date with our friends, Ryan and Amber. We went to the new Shogun in Fayetteville and then we went to the movies. We originally had this planned for the weekend before but we were all sick so we had to reschedule. I say this was a date night, but actually Amber and I went and saw 27 Dresses and the guys went and saw the new Rambo movie. We loved our movie! For those of you that have seen this, I now love the song "Bennie and the Jetts!" I liked this song before but seeing them dance on the bar and have such a good time singing this, makes this song so much more fun. My parents watched Tayson and he had lots of fun there, as he always does!

On Sunday, we took a little family trip to Sams! I really don't let Justin go to the grocery store with me very often because he thinks that we need to purchase one of everything and it takes FOREVER!! However, I try and let him go to Sams with me once every 2 months or so, since he does do the cooking. Well, this trip was no exception. After him picking out steaks for OVER 15 minutes (no exageration), I was ready to go. When we went home, the boys decided that they needed a nap. I probably did too but I decided to work on filing our taxes instead! I know they say that you should try to rest and relax when your baby is sleeping but I have such a bad habbit of using that time to try and catch up on other things I need to do.

This year for the Super Bowl, we went over to The Pecks House. This consisted of the girls hanging out in Kaid's bedroom while the kids played with his toys and the guys watching the big game. Honestly, I don't think I even watched one full commercial. I was too busy trying to keep up with Tayson who was busy trying to explore new things!! Tayson had so much fun playing with Lynn's little boy, Colin! Hopefully Colin will come over soon to play with Tayson at our house!!

I was feeling a little domestic yesterday morning so I decided I would make cupcakes to take over there. I think they turned out pretty cute and they tasted even better!!

Brandy's Bloggy Designs!

2008-01-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

My blog got a face lift! Isn't is amazing? It is all thanks to Brandy. She does amazing work and is so easy with. If you've been considering a bloggy makeover, visit her blog and I know she will do a wonderful job for you too! Thank you so much Brandy, I really appreciate you doing this!

Lipstick and Sickness...

2008-01-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

Monday morning, I was in the bathroom getting ready for work. Normally during this time, Tayson likes to take EVERYTHING out off the cabinets and play! Well, it was time to feed him breakfast and I started to walk out of the bathroom, headed for the kitchen. He normally would just crawl right along with me, as he started to this time. However, by the time I got into the living room, he was no longer following me. I went ahead and went into the kitchen, thinking that he probably had just gotten distracted by something. (Man was I right!) From the kitchen, I started getting his cereal ready and yelling...Tayson...Tayson...come in here. After about 30 seconds, I thought, he must be up to something. I walked into my bathroom to find him with lipstick! He had it everywhere!!! On his face, on both hands, on his clothes, all over the tile, all over the bathroom wall and all over the carpet in mommy and daddy's room! I was really frustrated but at the same time, it was hilarious to see him with lipstick all over him! I ran and grabbed the camera to take pictures, but of course, the battery died right when I turned it on. So, needless to say, we have a redish tint of lipstick all over the carpet in our bedroom. I had no idea how to get this out of the carpet, so I called our carpet cleaner and he is coming today at noon to clean the carpets and hope that it comes up! Has this ever happened to any of you? Do you have any tips for how to get lipstick out of the carpet? I have a feeling that this is just the first of many stains to come!

On another note, I feel really guilty because I think that I jinxed Tayson when I wrote the post about him being one. In the post, I made reference to the fact that he has never been sick. I should've known better than to brag about that!! On Tuesday morning at about 1:30, he woke up, throwing up. I think he threw up 6 or 7 times. We went through 2 sets of sheets and 5 sets of PJs for Tayson and mommy before the morning finally rolled around. I stayed home with him on Tuesday and he seemed to be feeling a little bit better. Then, when I put him to bed on Tuesday night, it started all over again. So...I stayed home with him on Wednesday too! I think he is finally starting to get over whatever little bug he has been fighting, thank goodness!!! It is so horrible to watch your little one be so sick and not know what to do for them. When they can't keep anything down, it really makes it tough. We just prayed everyday for God to help him get better and take that darn bug out of his belly!

Things I want to remember about the BIG "1"

2008-01-18T08:21:00.001-08:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about Tayson turning one and how fast this first year went by. It is so amazing to me how much he has grown and changed into the little guy that he is today. God is so wonderful for blessing us with him! I have made a list of things that I would like to remember about Tayson at his one year milestone. I know some of these things are rather boring but I wanted to put them down so that we can look back, years later, and remember this time!

1. You have 8 teeth, 4 on top and 4 on bottom!
2. You can't walk yet, but are an awesome crawler and can pull up on everything!
3. You can say kitty, kitty eeeeoooowwww (supposed to be Meow!), mama and babababa (we aren't quite sure what this is)
4. You are the happiest baby I have ever seen in my life. You NEVER cry and always have a HUGE smile on your face.
5. You have the most amazing blue eyes!
6. When you were born, you had a headful of dark, dark hair and now it is a blondish-brown color
7. You are such a mommy's boy and I LOVE IT!!!
8. You don't like to ride in the car unless we are listening to Baby Einstein CDs.
9. You love sweets and bread, just like your mommy! (Yes, I am guilty, I let my child try things that I am eating. I am not a nazi who thinks that children should only eat baby food and drink milk)
10. I am still nursing you! I never thought I would make it to 3 months, and look at us now!
11. You have never been sick! Once or twice you have woken up with a stopped up nose, but other than that, you have never had anything else! We are SOOOO very fortunate for this!
12. You love to stay with Grand and PaPa. They keep you everyday and next to mommy and daddy, they are your next favorite people!
13. I made your name up! It is a combination of Aunt Taylor and Aunt Ally's names. I didn't want you to have the exact same name as anyone else in our family but I wanted it to have some meaning. So...Tay (from Aunt Taylor) and son (from Aunt Allyson). Your middle name "Jac" is from daddy's sister...Jaclyn!
14. When I was pregnant with you, everyone on Grand's side of the family started a pool to guess which day you would be born. For $5.00 you could pick a day and time and whoever was the closest to your actual birthday and time, won the money! Guess who won? Grand (my mom).
15. You were due on January 27th. However, from the day I found out your due date, Grand told me that you would be born on the 15th. I never believed her but she thought because I was born 12 days early, you would be too! Man, was she right!!!
16. You LOVE electronics. Cell phones, cameras, laptops, computers, radios, etc. You have already broken PaPa's cell phone, my cell phone and Aunt Taylor's camera. I know we shouldn't have let you play with them, but we have a hard time telling you no!
17. You had surgery in Joplin, MO when you were 9 months old. You were born with a condition called hypospaedius and we had to have it repaired. You were such a champ! I think mommy cried a lot more than you did.
18. I know this one isn't a happy one at all but it is a fact. You attended 5 funerals/visitations in your first year of life. That is more than mommy had ever attended in her entire life, before this year. (Grandma June, Papa Roy, Erica, Randy Matthews and Uncle Justin Pinkley's Grandma)
19. You LOVE to take a bath.
20. You have always slept in the bed with daddy and I. We love having you in bed with us. People always tell me that I will regret this but right now, I'm loving it!
21. You have only spent the night away from me one time. One night daddy and I had to go somewhere and I let you stay with Grand and Papa all night. Don't worry though, I was there to get you at 7:30 the next morning.
22. You love to go on walks! We do this any time we have a chance and it is warm enough outside.
23. You LOVE Gymboree and all of the kids in your class. It is primarily boys, but you love just being there and playing.
24. You LOVE to listen to music. You are constantly trying to get daddy and I to turn on the radio in your room so that you can listen to your "If your happy and you know it" CD
25. You went on your first long road trip when you were 4 months old. We drove with Grand, Aunt Ally and Katie to Michigan to see RJ graduate from College.
26. You are the 5th generation on PaPa's side of the family. You actually have a Great, Great Grandma.
27. You were born on Martin Luther King, Jr. day. I know it has nothing to do with the holiday, but mommy thought this was neat because my maiden name is Martin.

I know there are so many other things that I would like for Tayson to know/remember about himself right now, but this is all I can think of right now. I hope I didn't bore you to death!

Taysons 1st Birthday Party!!!

2008-01-14T11:59:00.000-08:00

Tayson's 1st birthday was a huge success!!! All of the fun started on Thursday night, when Aunt Jaclyn flew in from Atlanta. We went to pick her up and Tayson was so excited to have someone staying at our house with us. So excited, in fact, that he wouldn't go to bed! Don't you just love when they get off their normal routine, it seems like it takes forever to get them back on track!

On Friday, Aunt Jac watched Tayson while I worked. She took him to Toys R Us and Mondays Child. I think he loved getting to spend time with her because we only get to see her every three or four months. Then, they came and met me and we went to lunch with Justin's Aunt, Sally. Sally doesn't have any kids of her own so she tends to contribute to the spoiling! She bought Tayson LOTS of clothes, that I didn't even know they made for babies! Brands like True Religion, Joes Jeans, Burberry, Paul Frank, Juicy Couture, Ugg, etc. I am extremely appreciative and know that Tayson is so blessed to have so many people that love and care about him! I know that he will look like a little stud when we are out in public and he is wearing his designer clothes and mommy has on her Target shirt! ha ha...

On Friday night, Aunt Taylor came over and helped us get ready for the big party. We just hung out at home and put up decorations and waited for my best friend, Jessica, to get here from Dallas.

Saturday morning, Jessica and I took Tayson to Gymboree. Tayson and I go every Saturday but this was the first time that Jessica has gotten to come along and watch Tayson. She had so much fun watching him interact with all of the other babies in his class.

After Gymboree, we went and picked up the cake and balloons and got ready for everyone to come over! We had his party at our house. We had probably between 35 and 40 of our family and closest friends come over for dinner and help Tayson celebrate! Tayson loved having everyone around and trying to keep up with all of the other kids. He also LOVED his smash cake! My bathtub was all different colors by the time we got him cleaned up. He got lots of fun toys, including a mini 4-wheeler to ride around inside, a HUGE rocking fish (perfect for a bass fishermans son!) and a power dump truck. We have had LOTS of fun riding these around the house! Here are some pictures from the party, in no particular order...

Tuesday was Tayson's actual birthday so I took the day off work. We went to lunch with Aunt Taylor, Grandma and Papa.

After that, we went and hung out with Aunt Taylor because she too, had taken the day off for Tayson's birthday. Tuesday night, everyone went to Chuck E. Cheese. Tayson LOVES Chuck E's!!! He has so much fun watching all of the little characters on stage and riding the rides for babies! All in all, I think this little Prince had a wonderful birthday and I just can't thank everyone enough for going above and beyond to make this such a special day!!! Here are some pics from our night at Chuck E. Cheese...

On the 8th, 9th and 10th days of birthday...

2008-01-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

I know, I missed a few days but I have been busy trying to get ready for the big party! I know I say it in every post, but I cannot believe that my baby is going to be one on Tuesday. There are not words to describe how blessed I am to have him in my life. When I found out I was pregnant, I was upset initially because I am a big planner and this was a suprise! However, I know that God has a plan for all of us, and this was definitely the plan for us! Now looking back, I can't imagine my life without Tayson and I really can't figure out what I did with all of my time then.

Back to the days of birthday...on the 8th day of birthday, Tayson got this really cute photo album that says "Our Little Prince" on it. We fill up photo albums so quickly that it is always great to get a new one!

On the 9th day of birthday, Tayson got another new hat with matching mittens. It is red, gray and black striped. I haven't taken a picture of this yet!

On the 10th day of birthday, Tayson got a really cute black fleece outfit. It is pants and a pull over. It is a little bit too big right now so I don't have a picture of this yet either!

His birthday party is tomorrow and we have been trying to get him ready for it. Since the theme is "The Prince is turning one" I ordered a throne for him to sit in and a personalized crown. He loves to sit in the throne (for about 10 seconds) but he isn't too crazy about the crown! Here are some pictures that I took of him!

On the 7th day of birthday, grandma and papa gave to me...

2008-01-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Another thermal onezie and a pair of Target's version of Robeez. My mom saw these online at Target.com and decided that since they were half the price of Robeez, we might as well try them and see if they fit like Robeez. They are size 12-18 months so they are a little bit too big right now, but as soon as they fit we will try them out and see what we think!

I think I am seeing a trend between the Robeez and matching onezie! I have a feeling that it is about to change...

Tayson will be one a week from today! I think I am growing more and more upset as the days pass!!! When he was born, this day seemed so far away and now it is within a week...Where does all the time go?

The 15 days of Birthday!

2008-01-04T10:18:00.000-08:00

Okay...so, I know it is a little cheesy but I always sing to Tayson. I am constantly making up songs about things we are doing, or places we are driving to...just whatever! Am I the only mommy that does this? Sometimes I worry, what if someone were to hear us, they would think I was a complete nut!!! Anyways...my mom and dad decided that for Tayson's birthday they were going to start on January 1st and give him a gift, everyday, up until his birthday on the 15th! So, again, I have made this into a song everyday, to the tune of "The 12 days of Christmas." My song is not nearly as good, but Tayson seems to like it!

On the 1st day of birthday, Tayson got a new pair of mittens! (He wasn't very happy that I made him model them! I grew up with 2 little sisters so Justin keeps having to remind me that Tayson doesn't like to play dress up!)

On the 2nd day of birthday, he got the hat that matched his mittens! Here he is modeling them in his PJs...

On the 3rd day of birthday, he got this really cute t-shirt that says "Birthday Boy!"
I haven't taken his picture in this shirt yet, but I will!!!

On the 4th day of birthday, he got a new pair of black Robeez! (On a side note, for all of you moms out there, if you have not tried Robeez, you must! They are absolutely the best invention ever! Tayson has really round little feet and I cannot get shoes on him for anything! However, I can get Robeez on without any problem, and he can't get them off!!! It is no exageration to say that I bet we have AT LEAST 20 pairs of them! We love them!!!)

These are the same style as the ones he got, but his are solid black!

On the 5th day of birthday, he got a thermal onezie and another pair of Robeez that have a giraffe on them!!!

On the 6th day of birthday, he got a personalized piggy bank that says Prince on it! It is so cute!

I will TRY and update the blog everyday throughout the 15 days of birthday, so check back to see what he gets!!!

2007

2007-12-31T20:57:00.001-08:00

With this being the last day of the year, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on this past year. I really started 2007 off with a bang. On the 15th of January, Tayson was born! This has been the most wonderful thing I could've ever experienced. Everyday this year was just so exciting and new with him!!! Words can't explain the overwhelming love and bond that I feel for him.

On January 18th, Justin's grandma, June, passed away unexpectedly. We were very close to her and this was a very hard time for us. Just having had Tayson was the only thing that helped everyone through this tough time.

In March, Justin and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary!!! In May, Tayson and I went with my mom and sisters to Michigan to see my cousin graduate from college. This was Tayson's first big trip and we had a great time getting to see family that we really don't get to see often enough.

On July 1st, I celebrated my 24th birthday. While this wasn't a very exciting, Justin's 25th birthday was July 9th! I threw him a HUGE birthday and it was so much fun. I bought him 25 gifts for every year of his life...that was lots of fun!!!

On August 23rd, we lost Justin's grandpa to cancer. Having just lost his grandma in January, this was probably one of the hardest things we have been through together. We spent so much time with his grandparents that we were left with a void in our lives. This was definitely the worst part of 2007!

In September, my brother-in-law, Billy, went back to Iraq. He is in the US Marine Corp and this is his second tour of duty. While I hate it when he is gone, I love that my sister moves back home while he is gone. They are stationed in Twentynine Palms, CA so I don't get to see her all that often.

At the beginning of November, one of my best friends lost her sister. We grew up together and her family is like my family!

In December, my baby sister turned 16!

These experiences, both good and bad, were the big things that made up my life this year. I pray that 2008 can be filled with good health, wealth and happiness for everyone!!!