Fun and productive weekend

This weekend, I got the urge to get some things done to prepare for baby. We will be losing a guest bedroom to Baby #2 so I wanted to make space for guests in the basement. I also wanted to basement to be a playroom for Jackson. Basically, I needed to basement to be more functional. So, we reaaranged furniture and came up with some storage ideas. (Poppy will be here on Thursday so we plan to have him implement some of these ideas!) We also bought a freezer. Russell has been wanting a freezer for the garage. We went to Lowe's to look and, lucky us, they were having a huge sale. We got a freezer for 1/2 off. Someone paid regular price for the freezer but returned it when it was delivered with a small dent in the corner. If I paid regular price, I would want a dent-free freezer, too. But, it was a tiny dent and going in our garage so we were super happy to take it. So, on Sunday, we joined Sam's Club. We needed to fill-up our new freezer. We loved Sam's Club and I ended up going back a second time already. We also know the new freezer will come in handy with baby #2. I plan to make meals ahead of time and I will be freezing breastmilk. In all of our productivity, we had a little fun. Jackson LOVES dancing so, here he is in action!

Happy Birthday Maggie

Today Maggie turns 5 years old. Of course, dog's birthdays can be bitter sweet since they don't live forever. Not that we live forever, but you know what I mean. With this birthday, I have decided Miss Maggie (and I) need to step it up! We have started walking almost every morning and trying to do a little better with our diets. We even added a few streets to our walk this week since we had a cold front come through Lubbock. The temps were so nice, it was easy to go the extra mile and now that the fall temps are upon us I think it will be easy to maintain. Happy Birthday to our first baby!

Baby Solomon sonogram

Here is Baby Solomon! Can you tell from the first pic whether Baby is a boy or girl? You can definitely see how much Baby was moving around. The last two pics look like Baby will take after Big Brother Jackson - loving those dance moves. Baby is not quite 16 weeks in these pictures. Can't wait until our next sonogram so we can see how much he/she has grown!

16 week sonogram and a 16 month old

This morning, Russell, Jackson and I went to my sonogram. We have a very healthy and active Baby on the way. The doctor said he enjoyed watching our active baby. Our little one was moving around so much I asked if it was normal. The doc reassured me that all the movement was a good thing. The doctor said they can often tell the gender at this point (16 weeks tomorrow) but they couldn't with our little guy/girl. They waffled back and forth and said it was just too close to call. We go back in about a month for another sonogram so we should know then. Jackson also has a big day because he is officially 1 1/3 years old! Are we going to be able to keep up with all these birthdays once Baby #2 arrives?!?!

Jackson tinked on the big potty!

We are so excited, we finally witnessed Jackson tink on the big potty. Well, okay, I didn't get to see it but Russell did. Russell has been out-of-town the last three nights which meant I was responsible for baths (usually Russell and Jackson's bonding time). While the water was running, I put him on his potty. Nothing all three nights. I told Russell about our new ritual so he went along with it and it worked! Russell yelled to me but it was a short process and I didn't get to see. Nevertheless we are so impressed. I guess Jackson was saving this accomplishment for daddy! We cheered and gave him a skittle for a treat.

Breakfast in Bed

Jackson recuperated super quickly from his bout with Strep. He had his first dose of antibiotics on Thursday night and Friday morning his was back to his playful self. I think we caught it super early. We still stayed home from school on Friday and, other than a few errands, little man was home most of the weekend taking in lots of TLC. Here are my boys enjoying breakfast in bed on Saturday morning. Jackson enjoys breakfast in our bed almost every morning. Probably not the best habit but it is working out great for us. Everyone is happy (even mommy considering I am constantly washing the sheets because of crumbs)!

Baby boy has strep

Russell has been super busy this week and stayed the night out a couple nights. So, yesterday we picked up Jackson early from daycare for family time. We could tell immediately that he wasn't his playful self. We came home and started reading books. My mommy instincts kicked in and I told Russell we needed to go to the doctor. In the back of my mind I thought I might be overreacting but I wanted to go get him checked out. Good thing! The doctor said it looked like we caught it early. We got him some meds and a whole lot of TLC.

Fortunately, I don't have to be anywhere today so I am with Boo. He woke up and seemed back to his old self. I think we did catch it early. Since he was better, Boo and I went shopping to take advantage of Texas tax free weekend. Boo and I picked out some super cute clothes for fall including his first "Big Brother" shirt. Lots of prayers that Jackson continues to feel better (and that Russell and I don't catch it)! The night before, Jackson and I were sharing Popsicles so I keep waiting for the symptoms to hit . . .

Doctor visits

This morning, both of our babies had doctor appointments. We have two healthy babies. It was really nice to hear Baby Solomon's heart beating strong. Now, I can relax a little since we made it through the first trimester.

Jackson also had his 15 month doctor appointment. Can I just say, my baby is getting cuter and more fun by the day! He is in the 89th percentile for weight and the 70th percentile for height. So, he is slowing down a bit. He got two vaccines and no one was happy about it. We also saw he has molars coming in. It looked painful so we made sure to give him some Tylenol.

Other then the doctor, Jackson is making progress in other areas. As you already saw, he is becoming quite the dancer. He is also jibber jabbering and he is saying "momma" quite frequently which makes me very happy. He also loves to read. I must have read a hundred books this weekend and I am not exaggerating. He finds a book and brings it to me. He is a little spoiled because I always stop what I am doing to sit down for a good story!

Not much else for now, Happy Monday!

Jackson dancing in the car

Jackson and Cy

Weekend pics

It was a fun, busy weekend. Mimi and Poppy flew in on Thursday morning. We stayed very busy with activities and last minute wedding details. Jackson got lots of love and attention from Mimi and Poppy. He loves to read books and go for walks. The first few days Mimi and Poppy were here, I noticed a big increase in Jackson's jabbering. He really likes to carry on a conversation, even though we can't really tell what he is saying. He did pick up another word, "uh, oh." It is so cute! He would intentionally drop a toy or book so that he could say, "uh, oh." He also loves his new lawn mover Mimi and Poppy brought him. He loves a good push toy. We also tried a chocolate chip cookie. I just gave him a few little bites but, as you can see, most of it ended up on his face. He liked it! We really appreciate Mimi and Poppy coming to visit. On Saturday night, they watched Jackson while we went to dinner and a movie. It was really nice but kind of strange. I can't remember the last date night we had!

Weekend preview

Here is a video from one of our favorite activities over the weekend - Jackson, Poppy and Maggie walks. Jackson was so cute teetering next to Poppy. He wanted to be a big boy and walk instead of ride. He also loved holding Maggie's leash. We could watch them all day!

5 year anniversary

Today, Russell and I are celebrating 5 years of marriage. Below are pictures of our wedding. This morning, we got married in the Catholic Church. Afterwards, we went to brunch to celebrate. Jackson was such a sweet boy. He took a morning nap and was well rested for the event. Doesn't he look adorable in his outfit! Tonight, Russell and I are going out to celebrate our anniversary. This has been such a special day!

Wedding pics

Wedding Ceremony

I had a dream last night . . .

that I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy! I also dreamed that it was a super easy delivery. Isn't it amazing how real dreams can seem? We'll see if it comes true!

Countdown to our (Catholic) wedding day!

Saturday is our 5 year anniversary. I can't believe it! Over 5 years ago, Russell went through RCIA, the process of becoming a Catholic. During that year, we got engaged. Growing up (very) Catholic, I thought we would definitely be married by a priest - especially since Russell converted. Nevertheless, on a quick Christmas break trip to Austin, I found an amazing location for our wedding. The only problem it that a priest could not marry us in that location, we had to get married in a church. The closest Catholic church was about 45 minutes away and since I was in my last semester of law school, studying for the ethics bar exam and soon to be preparing for the Mississippi Bar Exam, I decided to forgo the church wedding and get married at my dream location, Villa Antonia.

Needless to say, my father wasn't so happy with this and, to be honest, neither was I. However, at that time in my life, compromises had to be made to have a destination wedding and to graduate from law school with my sanity in tact. I don't think I was the Bridezilla at all (at least not until the week before the wedding, mere days after taking the bar exam). Luckily we had a wedding coordinator who made suggestions and I didn't questions things. I let my mom make any remaining decisions. I was even nonchalant with the wedding dress (the most important part for most gals). I picked the very first dress that I tried on without looking anywhere else. So, I think I was easy going. To me, it was just a wedding, not the event of the century. After all, the truly most important part was the commitment that Russell and I were making.

So, that gets me to my point. During this planning, we spoke with Deacon Frank who was conducting Russell's RCIA class. He said not to worry, he would marry us (in the church) as soon as we returned from the wedding. Great! Crisis averted! Well, when we returned from the honeymoon, Deacon Frank was quite sick and remained so for a while. As times passed, the church wedding was put on the back burner and before you know it, we were off to Texas. Five years later . . .

As our five year anniversary approached, I knew it was time to officially get married in the Catholic Church. When most little girls picture their wedding, I am sure there are many different dreams. For me, when I thought of my wedding, I always pictured my parents wedding. Obviously, I wasn't there but I have a picture from their wedding. I can almost picture it as if I was there because they were married in a church where I completed all of my sacraments, thus far. A very special church. Well, it is time to complete another sacrament, the sacrament of Marriage. I am so excited just writing that because this has been a long time coming. So, back in May, we meet with our priest here in Lubbock. I thought it would be very special if we could complete the Sacrament of Marriage on our 5 year anniversary. I must say, I think I have spent more time preparing for this wedding that the last! Alot of work goes into a Catholic wedding (and those Catholic gals know what I am talking about). Not just little details, but many decision regaridng specific prayers, readings, vows, and blessings.

Keep us in your prayers as a very special day approaches for us. This is not about frills but this day will truly be about the commitment that Russell and I made 5 years ago and reaffirming that commitment in the Catholic Church.