Happy 18 months, Grayson!

Grayson, you had your 18 month check up a few days before Christmas and you are....

35 inches tall

28 lbs

19.5 inch head - (still don't know why they measure this or why it matters)

Mimi, come get me NOW! Crazy talk about shots
up in here!

In a 6 1/2 W shoe

in 24mo & 2T tops - still in 18-24mo bottoms

Still in size 4 diapers

We have had a couple of big changes in your growing up that I want to share!

First, you are officially down to 1 nap! Getting on the same schedule as the rest of our friends has been a big deal for me! The unpredictability of 2 naps, sometimes 1, had us canceling and missing a lot of events, play dates, church, etc. It feels good to have a routine with my big boy!

And second, this past week, w/o 1/2/12, you successfully and permanently weaned off the pacifier! I feel so free! It was surprisingly easy and I realized it was ME that was much more dependent on it than you. :) I didn't expect this but it has actually been a huge relief not being dependent on those things, panicking when I couldn't find one, and you even seem to feel more free without being addicted to it! The best part, besides not having to make sure we ALWAYS have one near by, is that you don't immediately cry in the middle of the night or in the morning like you used to when you would realize you didn't have it. You now soothe yourself in the crib and the babbling and talking you now do when you first wake up is a JOY to listen to! It's pretty funny actually. :) It also gives me more time to wake up vs. the screaming you used to do when you realized you dropped your paci out of your crib (sigh). I can't believe we didn't do this 6 months ago!

No more of this! Well, we still love the tongs.

You get what we are saying! You now answer yes and no to our questions. Blows my mind that we can now communicate with that little baby that once came out of my belly. You're a little adult already!

Music! You dance and sing more and more. Your Dad taught you about singing when he was home this past 2 weeks. Singing around the house, making up funny songs, singing you to sleep and watching you join along was so funny! Your dancing is AWESOME but I have yet to get it on video. Here is a video of your Dad teaching you the drums. With a storage bin and my kitchen utensils, of course! :)

You love stacking things. I love watching the random things you will come up with to put into your tower. :)

This is a plastic pitcher with a sippy cup in it, a Christmas
gift box and a spatula. Makes perfect sense.

Passive agressive! ;) Maybe that's not the best term but you will specifically NOT do something we want you to do when the camera is on! Here's a great example ;) 

So curious! You want to know about EVERYTHING we are doing and be involved in it all! You are the biggest helper b/c of this. You feed the dogs, unload the dryer, want to help us cook but you know to stand back when the oven or knives are involved (I love how you are learning!)

Watching the ducks and/or golfers at Mimi's house

Best buds

You just adore being outside and never complain about the weather. Most of the time, I think it's too cold out there but you don't seem to notice. You just HAVE to be let out in the backyard and are completely content with your world when exploring out there. 

Things I Love Thursday

This gorgeous Spring weather!

This short week - Beau comes home today! He just left Tuesday ;)

My friends. Good girl time last night, support from others that have reached out recently, a fun play date with our play group this morning and amazing neighbors. Even the ones I don't talk to every day or week, I am just so grateful for all of the girls in my life!

This time. Just when I want to scream because Grayson won't sleep, I have to remember that this age is flying by and pretty soon I won't get to cuddle him like this. Or sniff up all that Grayson baby hair. And let's be honest, this is the ONLY time he sits still long enough to cuddle with me. :)

My new lamps! What a RUSH it is to take a discounted item to the register to find out it has been further reduced!! Originally $80 each, thought I was getting them at $46 to only find out they were $30 a piece! Pottery Barn scored major points with me yesterday!

So much prettier in person. Trust.

I LOVE this tush. I want to start a blog just about this bum. But I don't want him to hate me when he's older. Well on that subject, it would be awkward to blog about it when he IS older.

A new coffee experience. My new mugs have become even more exciting to use in the mornings now that we have found a coffee that we both love. Dunkin Donuts flavored coffee is the new smell in our house. I will always love the convenience of the Starbucks Via but nothing can replace that fresh brewed coffee smell in the mornings :) The coffee maker was brought back out and dusted off for this stuff. It even converted my formerly-coffee-free husband to being an addicted coffee drinker like me. Welcome to the dark side, honey!

5 Life-Changing Goals for 2012

I'm down to 5 from 11 in 2011 - yes it may seem that way. But seeing how I averaged about 5 successes last year and only thought of my Goal List about that same # of times throughout the year, I thought I'd slim it down and really focus on my list. I have ideas swirling that I want to jot but as they say in the advertising world, these are my 5 "Big Ideas":


365 Days of Declutter.
I haven't proactively done ANYTHING in my life for 365 consecutive days. Besides eat, sleep and go to the bathroom, which are only for survival reasons. This link, which I just decided to do in about 30 seconds, is my new best friend. I'm already 2 days behind. Chop, chop.

Become pregnant. 

I mean, really. I'm tired of being asked, joked with, or whatever. Yes, we're trying and no, it's not happening as quickly as we'd like. 7 months of trying to be exact. I'm frustrated and disappointed. People, what does it say when five couples get together (each has one child) and FOUR of the FIVE women are having trouble having a second baby. You caught me on a bad day, sorry. Anytime I even attempt to get sad about this I just think if we only had Grayson forever, that we have already been so richly blessed and been given more than I could have ever hoped for. If we are meant to have more babies then all in God's time for sure. 

Become a better cook. 

Y'ALL. I'm the daughter of the 1969 recipient of the Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow Award. There are NO EXCUSES. I always have a frozen pizza in the fridge as a backup and more times than I'd like to admit, we use it. I should be a pizza-back-up-free cook!

Be a better friend/family member. 

I feel like I'm a thoughtful person but I definitely don't show it. For example, I can know that a friend has a big test or interview coming up or a birthday party that I can't attend and I think about them a lot but I don't let them know that I'm thinking of them. Nor do I follow up to see how things went. That's just not thoughtful. I also show up places empty-handed a lot. I hate that. I always think about it ON THE WAY to someone's house. On Christmas night. When stores are closed. (sorry Aunt Gayle :( ) I think this is all a matter of being more organized in my planning and keeping a better calendar of events/birthdays/special moments in OTHER people's lives - not just my own. Then training myself to look ahead at the events on the calendar for the next few weeks. My sister Andrea dominates in the Thoughtful Department. Sometimes we get a letter IN THE MAIL just to say hello. And she always brings hostess gifts. W.W.A.D fo sho.

Savings, savings, savings!

When I think about how many things we need to save for, I want to hyperventilate. Retirement, college(s), a new home, a new car, 4 new tires, home repairs, a new baby, another new baby (I mean someday), another new car, all of the trips we want to take...blah blah blah! We have sworn that we will pay cash up front for our next new car. And since we are so close to having 0 car payments, there is no reason that we can't set aside that money every month for the next one. Or both! And we are starting to stir more than ever about moving (staying in Frisco of course). I never thought we'd get so restless so quickly but it's a good thing b/c it's definitely making us adjust things to start saving for such an expensive decision! Not just the house but the MOVING. Anyway, if we had a different account for each major purchase or goal, we'd have like 35 accounts. My cup of anxiety runneth over. I wish my cup of savings account would too ;) So, 2012 is the year to grow!

A Rockenbach, TX New Years Eve!

Beau and I started the day with a trip out to North Richland Hills for a baby shower for our dear friends, the McAllisters! They are having a miracle baby boy and we are so, so, so happy for them! Katie was told that she wouldn't be able to have children due to her battle with cancer (she has been in remission for 2 years now!). She was even told as recently as March by a Fertility Specialist. The reality of not being able to have children was slowly setting in through some really depressing months when she found out she is pregnant and due on April 18th, our wedding anniversary! 


The Rockenbachs had a party for the families this year! Ken made lasagna from scratch and it was amazing. But everything Ken makes is amazing! The rest of the time was a ball and should be told in pictures...

How adorable?! BABY HATS, people!

Prep for the line-up picture can be so stressful! ;)

So much easier than in the past! They actually just sat there!

Still sitting....

Seriously, everyone could have taken a bathroom break and
they still would've been there!

Our only adult group picture :/ (Not pictured: Rockenbachs
and Annie's parents, the Volks)

These 2 girls were so much fun to watch! Busy, busy!

Kate hammin' it up.

Grayson got his hands on tongs! No one knows how he got them either! 

Action shot ;)

Emmie loving some Curious George

Grayson thought he was so funny here. So of course we laughed ;)

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family! Hoping health, happiness and many blessings come your way in 2012!

Frisco Christmas Light Shows

Every year there's a house near us that does a light show at Christmas. It's incredibly orchestrated and we love to drive by each year! This guy also does the light show for Frisco Square. If you haven't been by the Square, you should totally go (and eat at Josephine's)! We actually did this with the Pharrs Tuesday night! They said it's SO much cooler than anything they have in NYC. Okay they didn't say that at all. ;)

Anyway, I digress...this house is a ball to visit and I finally got a bit of it on video:


I don't recommend shooting video or pictures of a light show with your iPhone. :/ But here are my adorable boys!

Give me an "R"!......."R!"

No really, I need an R! In the meantime, I'll be so excited about these snazzy new coffee mugs that I scooped up at Anthropologie with Christmas money. And about being the Eynolds! ;) 

"R" back ordered until Jan 2012 :D

Sail away...

Joss & Main vendors are so speedy! Here it is in all it's glory...as pretty and detailed in person as it appeared online. It can be so scary ordering online sometimes. Especially when it's "final sale". Eek.

About 18" by 18" if I had to guess.

I guess there's no turning back now. Especially because I think an equestrian theme could be really fun! :/

"I'm on a boat!" - revisited

I fear that I'll look back on this blog in 20 years and not even understand any of my pop culture references ...[Mama, don't watch that...]


A couple of updates on Grayson's big boy room...I know it's boring but besides the Pinterest board I created, this is the best place to keep track of it all. Sooo....


Who is as freaking STOKED about this sailboat as I am?!

What?? No one? Not one of you?! Okay, but I got it for $15, originally $70 at Joss and Main, and I can't freaking wait to play with it! Not that it's a toy. Can't wait to tell Grayson that IT'S NOT A TOY!!  7,000 times. ;)


Rope tie-backs are my next big exciting thing. Ideally with horizontal navy striped curtains that Beau is threatening to make me make (got that?) but who knows. 

Okay so this is looking more Jesus-Moses-cloakish
but think more "I'm on a boat-ish"

This is so predictable and I have sworn since Spring that I wouldn't buy it...but it's officially on sale at the Land of Nod. And you know I'm a sucker for a deal. But what boy needs that many throw pillows?! Remember the 4 I threatened here?

A little cliche, yes?

Lastly, we have had a change of plans with moving directly to a twin bed (as opposed to transitioning to a toddler bed). Mainly because we were offered an alternative for free, which they had me at the word "free". So Grayson will be moving into a toddler bed first, which means that the Restoration Hardware bedding I have been seriously obsessing over since April can be mine all mine. At final sale price too! 

Yeah, yeah, yeah so this option isn't technically free if I have to buy this and the yellow isn't in our color scheme but this is the bedding I initially based the entire room around (besides that picture of Grayson in front of the lit up captains wheel) and I can't even believe they still have it and at almost 1/2 price. [breathe]

Smile!

Beau taught Grayson to smile on demand and it's the cutest, squintiest, toothiest, fakest smile I've ever seen. ;)

Christmas 2011 Recap

I just wish I could freeze time! Everything seems to be flying by and all I have is this blog to freeze-frame it all! :) I'm so appreciative of Beau for taking so many good pictures. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even have pictures for memories. 


Christmas Eve
The 3 of us met my mom and grandmother at church for the 2pm children's service. I mentioned last year that this is an absolute HOOT. Organized chaos at its finest and I just love being a part of it! This was my first, last and thus only time to dress Grayson in a corduroy longall! He looked so stinkin' precious but any older and he couldn't have pulled it off. Here is the only picture we got of it :( The smocking was a Nativity scene - it so pretty in person...

Grayson fell asleep before we left the church parking lot and continued to sleep well into the afternoon. We arrived at my parents' house just in time to open gifts before their guests showed up. 

Grayson loved his custom nap mat! His name is on the inside and outside.
I know, I'm out of control.

Thanking Ma for the nap mat!

We had a lot of family and even some sweet friends show up for some wine and fun (shout out Anderson family!). I say this every holiday but I hope to be able to decorate/cook/bake like my mom someday....

Christmas morning
The first 20 minutes were interesting. Grayson woke up in the worst mood I've probably ever seen him in. He was in an absolute fit to the point that we thought he was sick or his stomach was hurting. We sound like novice parents but he hasn't been sick since he was like 9 months old (yes, we have been VERY lucky) so we didn't know WHAT was going on. Still don't because he warmed up to the gifts around the tree after about 5 or so minutes of crankiness. Anyway, we had a good time with the new gifts. They were welcomed since he hasn't had anything new in a while and this house was getting old to him. :(


We were proud of ourselves for keeping the # of gifts under control. It's just so much fun for the parents so I see now how people go overboard.

The kitchen and work bench came from Craigslist, which means
no assembly required - score! The baseball tee, soccer goal and basketball
hoop all have mouths that move and talk - creepy! But fun. Oh, and some
coloring books under the tree. 

Black & Decker work bench 

Oh good that jigsaw makes sawing noises.

Taking a break to eat chocolate

Aww, the only pic I have of Beau and he's blinking. Or 1/2 asleep.

Playing with his food that he later tried to use the tools on.

Shelby wanted to eat too :)

Y'ALL. By the end of the day, he could take a screw, put it in a hole,
grab the screwdriver and screw it in. That took me like 15 years to figure out.

Mimi and Pop came over later!

Reindeer stuffed animal from another Mimi (Aunt Gayle's mom)!

Pop liked the work bench just as much :)

Christmas Day
We headed to Beau's grandparents' home in Boyd, near Beau's hometown. Nothing could have prepared us for the Christmas experience there! Beau's mom and sister and brother went above and beyond to give us all an incredible experience. Just when we thought everything had been opened, they would wheel or carry out more! I had tears. It was really cool to see Grayson and his cousin Payton with so much joy and Christmas spirit surrounding them. We all had so much fun!

I looooove this outfit :)

Grayson and his cousin Payton

Grand Finale gifts - they are so cool!

Christmas Evening
We headed back to Dallas for dinner at Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Gayle's house. They had about 25-30 of us over and it's always so special! I wish we had some pictures! Grayson has so much fun exploring their home. Different stairs, hallways and rooms to explore. There are also many doors he can sneak out of as he gets older so we'll really have to keep an eye on this mischievous boy as he grows up! 


Beau and I talked a lot about how richly blessed we are. We also talked about the vast extremes of personal experiences our friends are going through these days. While some are getting married and welcoming babies into the world, others are dealing with great loss and heartache. It doesn't seem fair really (although I know it's not right to think that way). I pray that 2012 brings new beginnings and blessings for everyone! We love you all!