My 2008

I "blog-lifted" this from my sweet friend Crystal's facebook page! Totally a great idea so I thought I'd post my version here:

January 1, 2008, we woke up elated that our 3 month old baby was sleeping through the night. Blessed to have a nice sized consulting load to supplement our income. Began going to the gym religiously and feeling a lot better! My baby boy turns 6 months old. He and I drive to San Antonio to meet Matt there on business. See Miss Brenda, Shop at Outlets and Ryder meets the Valles family for the first time! Discover Blogger thanks to Misty! Went on our first camp out with baby in Spring where Matt's Mom taught Ryder to drink from a straw. Ryder learns to crawl and the next week we leave for vacation on the beach in Florida. Ryder hates the sand and we take turns going to the beach and staying in condo with baby. Decide we shouldn't go to beach again for awhile. Matt changes jobs so that I am no longer a part time single mom. I.e. New Job=No Travel. Ryder begins feeding himself table food and we did away with bottles! Sounds silly, but saves me so much time! Ryder starts Mother's Day Out and turns One with a big boo-boo on his forehead. I started a Bible Study thanks to my Neighbor Paula! I have learned so much and made new friends. Economy takes a turn for the worst and suddenly all my work goes away. Since No Work, we drive 6 hours in a car with a baby that did absolutely wonderful to camp in Arkansas. Sesame Street a Musical Celebration will always remind us of this trip, LOL! Hike with Grandma & Grandpa. Ryder meets his Great Great Aunt Irma. She loves Ryder to death! Ryder starts walking just in time to go door to door trick or treating in his spooky skeleton costume. Holidays are approaching and my workouts seem to be tapering. Spend Thanksgiving at Aunt Kara's and then Aunt Mindy's. Go shopping, shopping, shopping...Ryder rides the carousel for the first time and LOVES it! I turn 31 and then Celebrate Christmas. Ryder made Christmas so much fun this year. Make New Years Resolution to be back at Gym 5 days a week, become more organized in every aspect of my life and make it to Church every week. We have no plans for New Years Eve other than playing Wii and eating yummy food, woohoo! We love you all and wish you the Best in 2009!

Christmas

I can not believe Christmas has already come and gone! Why does time fly by so fast? We had such a good and blessed Christmas this year! We were with both of our families on Christmas Day and Ryder was a trooper the whole day. I could not ask for a better little boy. He is so carefree and absolutely just goes with the flow. He didn't really understand the concept of opening presents this year, but he LOVED all of the new toys. It was almost like he looked at us in confusion. Not sure why we were giving him all of this new stuff, but gladly playing with it since we put it right in front of him! I think sometimes we tend to get wrapped up in the commercialism of the holiday and forget the true meaning of Christmas. We have a little book called "The Christmas Story" which is a 5 page, very colorfully illustrated book detailing the birth of Jesus. I started reading it to Ryder at the first of December and now every night he pulls it from the bookshelf for us to read. I am sure it is purely coincidence and in all actuality is probably just the book that is easy for him to grab, but as long as he pulls it out, I will keep reading! Needless to say, we got some pictures of the present excitement and I could not have received a better gift than the joy that was on his face!


Playing with the Camera...



If you know Ryder, you know he loves "Gucks"!



Ryder: "Mama, this Keyboard is FANTABULOUS!"



He is telling us all about his fancy Elmo Restaurant



Christmas Eve Services

Picture Tag from Miss Heather

Per instructions, this is the fourth photo, from the fourth folder in our pictures on our computer...
Explanation: The Year was 2004...we were camping at Lake Whitney and my girls were by my side! Bet a lot of you didn't even know we have these two...poor things have had to move to the back burner a bit since Ryder was born! They are our girls, though...getting old at 8.5 years now. We got them both a month after we were married in July of 2000. So, let me introduce you all to Autumn (in my arms) and Miss Blue!

Now I tag:
Janelle
Amber
Julie
Jennifer

24 to 31

There are 24 hours left before I officially turn 31 years of age. For some reason, I am having trouble with this birthday. I didn't mind turning 30 at all, but 31 just isn't giving me the warm fuzzies. So today I am celebrating my last day of being 30! I got a manicure and pedicure, had lunch out and gorged myself with sweets! And speaking of sweets, let me just say I hate this time of year because of all the sweets! I can resist anything fried, but put sugar on it and I can not stay away! I digress...so after sampling cookies, a piece of Red Velvet Cake (Yum!), Toffee and washing it all down with Dr. Pepper it was time for Ryder to get a bath and in his pajamas. I noticed about a week ago that his Cousin Evan has the same pajamas. Evan lives in Indiana and although the two have never met, they seem to be a lot alike! I took a picture of Ryder in the matching Pajamas tonight and posted their picture together here...little boys are so cute! PS-Evan looks much happier here than Ryder...I just took the telephone away from the little man and devastated his entire evening all to keep him from calling China or even worst 911..ha!

The Griswold's Moved to Mansfield

This absolutely must be the home of Clark Griswold! I found it while out with Ryder about dusk..hilarious!

Just Ryder

Ryder goes to Mother's Day Out on Thursdays.....I should be cleaning his bathroom, but instead I am looking at a picture I took of him this morning walking around the house....thought I'd share!

A Homemade Christmas

On GMA this morning they did a piece on making Christmas Gifts that are from the heart for your loved ones this year, especially during the economic times we are experiencing. They had some really good ideas. In summary:
1. Baking Mixes in a Jar. I actually received a Brownie Mix in a jar last year from my nephew for Valentines and they were so yummy and very simple to mix up. Another cute idea is Pancake Mix with a Bottle of Maple Syrup.

2. Cookie Dough. Basically the idea of the Pilsbury Slice and Bake, but you make the dough from scratch. How fun, I am making cookies this weekend anyway, so I may utilize that idea.

3. Ornaments in a hurricane. You can use the ornaments next year and then you have a hurricane all year round to decorate with. (Reminded me of Jenn's Jar-O-Lights in 1997...Janelle & Julie- You guys remember that??? Such a cute idea, but that jar got really hot, LOL!)

4. Salt Scrubs and Soaps. My sister always makes me sugar and salt scrubs and I love them! You can get all of the ingredients for relatively good price at Michael's (I think...don't hold me to it, I've never made myself).

5. My younger sister asked me for one thing for Christmas. She had seen this at a huge Craft Fair in Arkansas this Fall. Normally I would have sought out trying to find this for her, but this year I told myself I could do it myself. Thanks to my friends at 2peas I was successful! I don't think she is a regular blog reader, so hopefully I am not giving it away totally! I loved it so much, I did one for us!

So, if you decide to get creative this year, hopefully these ideas will help you out!

Daily Recipe

My friend Brooke sent this Daily Recipe out via email yesterday. It is such a good Recipe that I decided to Post! Hope you all have a Wonderful Day because of it!

A GREAT RECIPE...

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is

manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan

salmon,broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will

this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are in need. Your friends

will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll

be smiling before you know it.

Updates

I really need to read a blog on blogging. I do not keep up with my blog like most. I feel like my life is chaotic and I am here and there, but nothing really interesting happens that I should post on my blog. Then it turns into over a week since I've made a post. Matt said to me yesterday, "Your not really doing your blog much anymore are you?". I thought well yeah, just nothing interesting to blog about...but isn't that what blogging is all about. A place where you can post the monotony of your life sort of like a public diary in actuality. Well life has been busy here since pretty much the day before Thanksgiving. I spent that day with my sister and then the evening with my husband getting haircuts, oil changes, making pies, catching freebirds with my in-laws.

Thanksgiving was at my sister's and then Matt's sisters. We hit the mall at 5:30 a.m. on Friday with Ryder, I know we are crazy horrible parents, but he really does like the mall and watching all the people. Got some good deals, but still not through shopping.

Saturday we helped move Matt's Grandma to a new Senior Living place. It is really nice, kind of like a dorm for seniors. Everyone there was so nice and I think she is going to love it and maybe make some friends to boot!

Sunday Matt helped his parents with some more little move items and then we hit Costco in the afternoon. I got the absolutely cutest little table and shelf with bins for Ryder's playroom! It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but I was afraid I would never find anything I liked that well again. The brand is "Cafe Kids" and it is "Pottery Barnish" with a slightly less than "Pottery Barnish" Price. The Best Part was that the assembly was very minimal, which is always a plus for me! We once bought an entertainment center early in our marriage which I was totally excited about because I thought I got a super good deal! Then we opened the box to find a zillion and one pieces. Ever since then I make a point to buy furniture that requires no assembly.

This week I've spent getting back in the swing of things. Also it is the first of the month which is when most of my consulting work comes in. Until my current projects come to an end at which time I will become unemployed because nobody is lending money!! RRRR!!!! Such is life and the construction industry, I pray that it is cyclical like all other things.

I've started playing around with my camera a lot and I love making cards and other little scrapbooking things! As if I don't have my days full enough, I'll sit and play with that stuff at night and then wonder why it is so hard for me to get out of bed in the morning!

And Finally, I am officially 10 lbs. heavier than I was on Monday because Matt made Peanut Brittle Monday night. His Grandpa always made it at Christmas time and he is carrying on the tradition. We just need to ship it on outta here because my mouth can not resist the temptation! LOL! Anyway love you all and now time for me to read and catch up on your Blogs!

Matt's Trophy

Matt went hunting this weekend and got a trophy Black Buck! He was so excited and I was happy he was able to have a weekend with boys! Hopefully this post isn't offensive to anyone...I know there may be some vegetarians out there. However, I would like to point out that research has shown that the brain shrinks when we don't consume meat! I'm proud of you babe, you did good!

Wordless Wednesday

Oh Blog, I've been Neglectful

O.K., so here are some updates from last week: Ryder had a bad cough which turned out to be Croup! Yuck! Glad to report he seems to be fully recovered and is back to his usual no nap today! I continued with my cleaning and organizing. Our downstairs seems to be somewhat under control, not that it was ever in terrible shape. My Mom, Dad, Ryder and I made a trip to the Container Store for some organizational tools. I really just love that store, I could have spent hours browsing the aisles, but Ryder still wasn't feeling perfect and started to cry every time he saw me. My fear now is that Christmas is coming up and new "stuff" will undoubtedly enter the house and I will have to find a home for it. Oh..I reckon I'll cross that bridge when we get there. A friend told me about the Flylady and she really has some good tips! Thanks, Allison! Speaking of Christmas, I am sure all of our Neighbors have us pegged as the weird ones on the ?street. Matt decided that the weather was nice and XM was playing Christmas Music so what better time than the present to get the lights on the house. Yes, they are up although we are not turning them on until after Thanksgiving! Ryder saw is Grandma and Grandpa Smith on Sunday for some good old fashion spoiling. Today we haven't left the house. Ryder really, really needs a nap but is fighting it hard. I don't know what to do...any tips? I wouldn't care if he didn't get a nap in if he wasn't grumpy, but he is terribly grumpy. I bought a book called Toddler 411, guess I need to go flip to the Nap Section for instructions...Ha! I took this picture while typing this...the scowl screams no nap!

Red Handed

Hard to not look guilty when the evidence is all over your mouth....we were cleaning and he decided the cinnamon-sugar shaker needed to be "licked" down.

Deep Clean..a Room a Day

My husband graciously pointed out to me yesterday that our house is living a lie. It is holding in a big dark secret, filth. I try and keep a very nice house. Please don't open a cabinet or a drawer though, because that is where you'll find it all "stuffed"! Matt was unloading the Dishwasher for me yesterday and when he went to put a wooden spoon away he was disgusted! Turns out that if you never wipe a drawer down, four years later there is bound to be gunk in it! Then we noticed that milk splatters are everywhere! I try to keep Ryder with his cup in the Kitchen, but I am not always successful. This morning after I fixed Ryder's breakfast I went to put the milk back in the fridge and thought yuck...I start throwing out the old and scrubbing the shelves. Then I look at the table and all of the crusties in the grooves that doesn't come off with a simple daily wipe down. There it began, I am cleaning every nook and cranny. I decide to just mark today down as a cleaning day and become overwhelmed. So my thought is a room a day. Today, I am going to focus solely on the Kitchen. I am going to clean drawers, cabinets, pantry, ovens..you name it and I am going to clean it. Tomorrow, I'll move on to the living room...doesn't seem nearly as daunting when I take it one day at a time!!

Thanksgiving Craft

Short Post....while viciously searching different scrapbooking blogs yesterday, I found this very cute Thanksgiving Craft. We decided to give it a try yesterday. All it requires is a pinecone, feathers and a piece of foam paper. Ryder has a fierce cough and cold, so he sort of helped with sticking on the eyeballs and beak. Then he was totally uninterested. I went ahead and finished it for him, hopefully next year he will be more able to do fun things like this!

What's in an Eyeball?

Maybe he can tell us, I can not overstate how patient these two are with him....

VOTE 2008

I voted today, kid in tow, have you?????

Trick or Treat!!

Ryder's cousin Anna came over tonight and we took them trick or treating around our neighborhood! They got soooo much candy, especially for being so little!! It was my first "real" time to go trick or treating! Matt and I got married in 2000. Over the last 8 years I have always handed out candy from our house...but I have never walked house to house. Never. Where I grew up we lived on an old country road and houses are literally full pasture lengths apart. Halloween for us meant going to the Carnival held on the Main Street of our little town. Matt looked over at me tonight and said, "This is your first time to walk around trick or treating". I thought to myself for a second and realized he was right! It was so much fun to see all of the decorations and hear the scary music playing as we approached the doors! Anna and Ryder took turns riding in the wagon. For some reason when they were both in the wagon together they would cry! Crazy kids! Anyway hope all of you had a fun and safe one! Onto Thanksgiving!!!

Fun in the Leaves!

We just got back home today from a week long vacation to Arkansas's Mt. Magazine State Park. It was beautiful! This last week in October is the week that the color of the fall leaves peak. We don't really get a "true" fall here in Texas, so for us it was wonderful! The morning air was cold and crisp and the afternoon's never heated out of the sixties! We hiked, took Ryder on Wagon rides, drank hot cider and just plain relaxed. We had the most fun doing absolutely nothing that we have ever had! Back home now and ready for Halloween tomorrow! Thank Goodness the weekend is here and I'll have Matt home for a few more days before Monday rolls around and we are back to normal! Happy Trick or Treating!!!

Splish Splash

"Mom, I can make this Bathroom look like a Tidal Wave came through....watch!"

Halloween Costume Take 2

Do we all remember how I shattered Ryder's dream for a perfect Halloween when I suggested that he might dress up as a cute puppy and then went one step further having the audacity to actually try the costume on him? Let me remind you:

Well, I made my mind up that I was not going to go out of my way to get him something different, but if I came across a costume that, A. Did not have a head piece and B. did not cost a fortune, I'd pick it up. A few weeks pass and then last week I was at Joann's looking at stationary for Ryder's Thank You's (this is what I came up with...still not in the mail....see below as I digress) ...and I found a really cute skeleton costume. It does have a hood, but the hood doesn't have to be worn for the costume to be recognizable. It was 50% off, so I snatched it up. I decided to try it on him today since it was rainy out and we had to stay inside. I think I can declare it a winner, besides a few tugs at the sleeves he didn't fuss. I should say as long as the hood was not on. I pulled the hood up at the end and he wasn't real happy..actually he was mad...but thats o.k. Here are some pictures! If anybody wants to try the Puppy let me know and I'll send it your way!

PS-We got the walking on video, but with our video camera so I have no idea how I could possibly upload that onto the blog. Anyway, I'll try with my camera later!

Flashback a Year to our spooky little spider that was barely a month old...wow how they grow in a year!

We are Walking...Sort of!

We made some huge steps in our house yesterday, literally! Ryder walked across the room twice and spent the day taking baby steps (5 to 10) intermittently with crawling! I was so excited, but of course didn't get any of it on video. That is my goal for today! I am not sure when he will just cut out the crawling all together and solely walk, but I was his "cheerleader" all day yesterday! LOL!

Play Date

Ryder's cousin Anna came over this afternoon for a Playdate. He was not a Happy Camper this morning and I actually believe there is some truth to that whole waking up on the wrong side of the bed thing. I mean, he literally woke up just plain mad. He got better once he had a friend over to play and he took a really long nap this afternoon which seems to have helped! He was really excited to show her up the stairs where we keep all of the toys! They are so cute at this age! Miss Anna even had fun after Ryder went to bed!

Some Candy, Please??

What does da da da ga ga ga duck mean? Apparently, I'd like some of that Halloween candy....how obsurd is it that I felt it necessary to take a picture before cleaning it up?

Last Nigh't's Lasagna is Tonight's Lasagna Soup

Matt hates Leftovers! Growing Up Friday Night was Cafeteria Night at his house. Cafeteria Night consisted of his Mom pulling everything from the week out of the Fridge and Heating it Up. To this day, I can not make the Man eat Leftovers. So....I have to get creative! He hasn't made it home yet, so I'll keep you posted on how this one goes over.

Instead of just heating up last night's lasagna (remember it served 9), I turned it into Lasagna Soup. This is so easy! Take your Lasagna that you refrigerated over night. Cut 1/2 in. strips vertically through the lasagna. Then go back and cut 1/2 in. strips horizontally through the dish. Dump all of this into pot and pour two cans of chicken broth over the lasagna. Let simmer for 3o minutes until the lasagna pieces begin to crumble into the soup. At this point you can add more broth if you think the soup is too thick.

Next, I took some French Bread and cut it into 1/2" slices. Toast lightly in the toaster and then drizzle with olive oil, garlic salt and mozzarella cheese. Place them on a cookie sheet under the broiler until brown. Serve soup, cheese toasts and a salad with a vinaigrette dressing for a meal.
WA-LAAA You are Finished!

Lasagna Dinner Menu

Alright, I am going to start this and hopefully some of you will follow! Tonight's Dinner Menu: Whole Wheat Lasagna, Light Caesar Salad and Whole Wheat Garlic Bread.

Lasagna Ingredients:
3/4 lb. extra lean ground beef (I used 96/4; You could use Ground Turkey)

1 spoonful of minced garlic (I used from the jar; You could use 3 Cloves of Fresh Pressed Garlic)

Several Shakes of Italian Seasoning

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 egg (I used 1/4C of Egg Beaters Egg Substitute)

1 container (16 oz.) 2% Low Fat or Fat Free Cottage Cheese(I used Fat Free)

1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

9 lasagna noodles ( I used Oven Ready Whole Wheat; there is No Boiling Involved with these just pop them straight to the oven. If not using Oven ready you need to Boil them as directed on the Box)

2 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, divided

Pre-Heat Oven to 375 Degrees.

Put Ground Beef, Garlic and Italian Seasoning in Skillet. Cook at Medium to Medium-High Heat until No longer Pink and the Beef Crumbles. Pour Tomato sauce in with ground beef and let simmer on Low heat for 5 minutes. While simmering Mix Cottage Cheese, Egg and Parmesan Cheese in a small mixing bowl.

Grease a 13x9 Baking Dish. Pour 1/2 Cup of Ground Beef - Tomato Sauce Mix in the Bottom of the Baking Dish. Top with 3 Lasagna Noodles, 1/2 of Cottage Cheese Mixture, 1/3 of Remaining Sauce and 1/2 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese. Repeat Order Again. Top with 3 Noodles, Remaining Sauce and Remaining Mozzarella Cheese. Cover with Foil and Bake for 40 Minutes. Remove Foil and Bake an Additional 5 Minutes or Until Cheese is Brown and Bubbling. The Lasagna will Serve 9, so most of you will have Left Overs.

Toss Together Romaine Lettuce, Light or Fat Free Caesar Dressing and Croutons for Salad.

Butter Whole Wheat Bread (I use Country Crock Light) and sprinkle with Garlic Salt. Pop under the Broiler or if cooking for just a few (Like Myself) put them in the toaster! Enjoy!

Veggies

Alright for all of you with the itty-bitty ones, I found a new trick for getting mine to eat veggies! He was doing really good eating whatever I gave him and then he decided to turn picky. I am not buying baby food anymore so to get veggies in, I bought a bag of frozen mixed veggies. You can even get a huge Organic bag at Costco for a reasonable price. Cook them however you normally would, my lazy self puts them in my Pampered Chef Black Microwave Bowl thingamajig, and pops them in the microwave. After you get them cooked, pour a can of cream of chicken soup over it. Puree to whatever texture stage your little one is at and then pour them into ice cube trays. Freeze and then you can pop out however many cubes you might need when it is feeding time. Mine takes three cubes for example. You might need to run a little warm water over the bottom of the tray so that it doesn't crack. Ryder devours it and I think the Cream of Chicken is the key. Anyway, just thought I'd pass this tid bit along and hopefully it will help if any of you are in the same boat! Remember you'll need ice cube trays and a food processor/blender/puree tool! Also, in light of my blog yesterday regarding dinner, I think I am going to start posting my dinner recipes on the nights I get dinner accomplished! Fresh ideas are always good! Happy Veggie Making!

Mood Swings...

How can the mood of a 1-year old change so quickly? How can you be happy one minute and screaming mad the next? We were smelling flowers and rolling pumpkins in the yard one minute and kicking our legs in a fit the next. It is so challenging to figure out what the problem is when they can't tell you. Are you hurt, are you thirsty, are you hungry, are you dirty? Offering solutions to each of these and we are still mad. It is so frustrating because I want to fulfill needs and make him happy, but I guess that is not possible all the time! Calmly ignoring and leaving the room seems to change his tune a lot of the times, but I don't know if this is the right answer. I know things only get tougher, but sometimes I can't wait for the day when he can verbalize his needs!

On another note, what to cook for dinner? Do you ever run out of ideas! That is frustrating, too! I am about to search foodnetwork! Hmmmm.....

Party Pictures!

It's Party Time!

We had Ryder's Party for him today! Wow, never realized how much work having a Birthday Party for a kiddo is! I am much more appreciative to my parents now! LOL! There were so many people here, but we had a a really good time! Ryder got lots of toys and clothes! Next week I'll have to sort through the old to bring in the new! He got a little fussy towards the end and didn't want to open any of his presents, but he LOVED his Cake!!!! We are so blessed to have so many family and friends who love this little man and came to share this special time with him! I spent prior week baking cookies, making chocolate suckers, 60 Cupcakes and icing them all...so we are all "sweeted" out!

Ryder a Year in Pictures

Happy Birthday, Ryder!

Our Baby Boy turns One today! My goodness where did the year go! I am supposed to be happy today, but I am actually a little sad that the time has gone by so fast. Oh Ryder, it is hard to remember how little you must have been on that first day weighing in at almost exactly 7 lbs.

Daddy said that the Nurses thought the scale was broken because you looked so much bigger than that! You let out that first scream even when Dr. Z didn't want you to and a Nurse came to tell me that you were the loudest baby they'd ever had in the Nursery. At least the Hospital was new! They said you couldn't hear, but you proved them wrong there, too! That is Ryder. You are such a strong boy!

This year you learned so many things and so have we. In the beginning you loved to be swaddled up tight and to have your face covered. So many nights, Daddy would watch TV, while walking circles around the house with you in his sling. Must have made you feel safe. The swing was your best friend and it better move fast. We had to trade with Grandma because our new swing was too slow. You loved the noise from your sleep sheep and you still sleep with him today. It never ceases to amaze me how when you wake up from your sleep you turn his little heartbeat on to soothe you. We also learned that you love to be outside which works out good for us! You love the water and have always been excited when bath time comes around. For Thanksgiving you gave us a present and started sleeping for 8 hours through the night and even though you were fussy leading up to bed time, I was so proud of you!

Once you learned to roll you've never stopped being on the move. In the beginning you used to get stuck in all sorts of crazy places, like under Daddy's chair or the TV stand. We didn't think you'd ever crawl because you could just roll to wherever you'd like. In April you started sitting up like a big boy and even though that was just 5 months ago it seems like a lifetime.

In May you started crawling just in time for our beach trip to Destin. What a crazy place for us to take a 8 month old baby, but you had fun and learned how to pull up on furniture. You didn't like the sand, and your teeth hurt really bad...but you loved swimming in the pool and riding in Daddy's pack. You learned the meaning of the word "No" about this time too. The minute we said it you would stop in your tracks, pucker your lips and cry. How could this word hurt you so much? You still do it today and I could just eat you looking that cute.

This summer you learned to use your hands to feed yourself and to drink from a cup. I miss starting our mornings giving you a bottle in my lap. You are almost walking, although it has been a clumsy process. I know you'll get it down just like you do everything else. Always know how much we love you and although we have only known you for a year, we can not ever imagine how we lived life without you!

Mommy took me for Ice Cream on my Birthday, Yummy!

Thank you, Mommy!!!

Stan Crawford Music

One of Matt's very best friends from A&M has a new album being released soon! It is so good and I thought I would give our Stan some love. Please check out his "Yummy" Website. I love you, Matt! I have a link to it under sites we love. We love you Stan and wish you the Best of Luck!!!

Our fist big Ouch!

Oh my, what a horrible blogger I have been! Seems like we've been running here and running there and although there is tons of stuff going on in life, I haven't had the time to sit down and type it out or snap a picture! I came down with a stomach bug and today is the first day I have felt semi-normal. I haven't had a bug that put me out that hard and fast in awhile. I literally could not get out of bed. I thank God for my husband! He took care of Ryder and all the household chores while I laid in bed thinking I'd probably be better off dead. O.k., it wasn't that bad, but puking is just the worst!

To top the cake, Ryder fell and got his first big boo boo. He is trying to walk, although I haven't seen many attempts since the face dive. A concrete walk isn't the best place to try out unsteady legs. He face planted on the cement and it looks horrible. The first day I thought it looked bad, but it turned from bad to uglier the second day. I felt/feel horrible...everyone always says that you hurt worst than your child when they get hurt and you never truly believe it until it happens. My poor baby boy!

Anyway, he turns the big No. 1 on Thursday!! So, we are getting ready for that! Hope you are all doing well and have a wonderful first day of Fall! (Yippee!!! My favorite season!)

Just a few Hours after the Face Plunge...

Exhausted after the Fall and his Cousin's Birthday Party.....

How do those faint pink spots turn into this the next day? At least he is all smiles!