Dedication.

This past weekend, we had Reyna dedicated at church.
I was so glad to be able to share the day with both our parents, and my sister and brother-in-law.
Living away from family, I know it was a sacrifice of time and money to be there but it meant so much to me. She will always know that she is loved.

The dedication was great. Neil prayed a prayer for her and she received a Bible and certificate.
She also kinda stole the show. She waved at the crowd and giggled for everyone. It was a perfect display of her joyful personality.

Her little dress.

 Doesn't she look so grown up in this picture?

 Notice her two front teeth!

Of course I always think about it after the fact, but I wish I would have gotten a picture with everyone who came :(

7 months.

During this last month, we had our hands full with teething, sickness, and the start of mobility.
We were able to get lots of help from visiting family and friends.
We celebrated Thanksgiving and her Dedication at church.

She has grown to be so curious. She still loves people and can wave, too!

She is about to crawl, we think. She tries so hard but only moves backwards. 

Boy, the months are flying by.

My Mommy Car.

I didn't want a new car. In fact, I got a NEW new car two years ago and I LOVE it! With Neil traveling from Waco to Austin EVERy.DAY, it made more sense to take my car. The gas mileage is great and it has cruise control. I took Neil's Aveo. I was fine with it but when Neil told me to find a new car, I said, "Okay"!

The problem was that I had to find and negotiate it myself! I thought that was one of the perks of being married!!! I knew that I wanted something bigger. I drove around some parking lots on campus and wrote down what I liked. I noticed a trend. They all seemed to look the same. I also wrote down the same ones multiple times. As Neil put it, "You definitely have a type".

I narrowed it down to the ROUGE, MURANO, and TUSCON. After a solid negotiation, in Georgetown, with a baby in tow, I got what I wanted, for the price I wanted.

2012 Hyundai Tucson

If it looks familiar, its because it is the SUV version of the car I got two years ago! Ha! I guess I do have a style :)

I love it and it is serving us well!

Nice November Weather.

The days have been great for playing outside. Some days we go to the park and watch the kids run around the playground. We pull a blanket out and take a nap. I especially love these pictures because she is wrapped in our wedding quilt.

I decided to try the swings and she seemed to really like it!

 

 This weekend we went for a walk around the stadium while Neil ran.

We brought her to our family brick. 

We decided that she might be the youngest person to have her name at the new stadium!

We are in the 50s today but I'm not ready for the winter. I hope we have a few more days to be outside!

November Goals.

It's November already!

The days are beautiful in these parts. 

This is the first year that I am not using a planner. I have converted to an Outlook Calendar and I'm not sure I like it. I do have a TO DO tablet on my desk but I always feel better when I set goals so here we go.

1. Finish an "I SPY" quilt for a cousin's 1st birthday party.
 Even though the entirety of this project is time consuming, I find it fun to choose fabrics and stress relieving to work on it. My hope for the future kiddos in our extended family is to make a gift for all 1st birthdays!

2. Go on a REAL date.
So, there are obvious reasons why this is a goal but with Thanksgiving coming up, I thought it would be a great time to plan something more than eating popcorn while watching The Amazing Race while Reyna is asleep :)

3. Finish The Stand.
I picked up this book when Reyna was about 3 weeks old. I thought with all the nursing sessions I was doing, surely I would finish it. Well, sometimes I chose sleep or social media instead and it is still not done. I really like the story line so I'm sure I can get it done this month!

4. Complete Christmas shopping.
I have periodically been buying things throughout the year and I have ideas for most everyone so its just a matter of finding/ordering/buying them. I'm sure this will save time and stress next month.

What I notice even in writing them down, is that they are all enjoyable tasks. I'll let you know how it goes next month! Maybe this will be a regular thing.

Happiest of the Halloween Babies.

Her first Halloween, and she knocked it out of the park with her enthusiasm!

She didn't even need candy to motivate her :)

Isn't she the cutest Dalmatian you have ever seen!

 

6 months - already.

Where to start?!

Every month has been a whirlwind of emotions. I feel like I have been flying by the seat of my pants but loving every moment of it!

At this milestone, I want to take a minute and write out my thoughts about this child.

So many pictures have been taken. It is so easy and convenient. I go back through them and can be taken back to that moment but even those memories are fading already!

At 6 months, I feel so lucky to be a witness to this little developing person.

Her personality is peeking through and it is so fun!

She is cheerful, always smiling. Even in pain, she tries flash a smile. She loves people and is quite the social butterfly. She loves to be outdoors which I hope is a sign that she will be adventurous.

We have often been told by day care sitters that she is the most "chill" baby in the bunch. And I believe it. She is content and loves her toys. She knows who we are and can recognize faces.
She is a great traveler and enjoys new places.

With every story read, every hug given, and all the smiles flashed, I hope she feels how much I love her.

At church this weekend, the sermon was about how to worship. I heard, "Raising a child is worship". 

I believe that! What a blessing it has been! Now, to give it back to HIM....that is the challenge!

My Pumpkin in a Patch.

These October days are calling us outdoors. Instead of our usual walk in the park, we stopped at the Pumpkin Patch. 

These were some of my favorites.

 My big girl is standing more often these days.

 "Wow! That's huge!"

 "Hmmm...I can't decide which one to take..."

 

Its Fall Ya'll!

What a beautiful time of year. 

60s in the morning, 80s in the afternoon.

These days we spend at least 30 minutes on our porch every evening. 

Fall not only brings nice weather but pumpkins, costumes, and leaves!

Reyna got to check out her first jack-o-lantern.

She was not sure at first...

 

Had to check it out a little more ...
 

  Ya, it's good, mom!

  Since she is still too little to make her own, I had to involve her in some way. 

I traced her hands for the eyes and I think she likes it!

 We are headed to the pumpkin patch tomorrow! More pictures to come!

Quick Read.

For any of you moms and dads in the same phase of life, here is a good read.

(Warning: May induce tears)

It seems so far away but it made me realize that everything we say and do now, will shape Reyna into the sister, wife, and mother she will become....yikes!!

 

If my child marries yours.

 

 

"How has life changed?"

My 10:00 class is over. I head down to my office and I find Neil and Reyna waiting for me outside my office. We discuss: "when did she last eat, "Has she napped", " You picked a cute outfit", "When will you be home?". A quick switcharoo so Daddy can go to school in Austin. With 3 hours till my next class, we go for a walk. Let's see if our friend Roberto is in his office! He is there! We decide to catch up over coffee. As we walk to the coffee shop on the other side of campus, I become aware of the extra half mile we have to take to find all the ramps for the stroller. I am aware of how warm and sunny it is as I move the canopy of the stroller everytime we make a turn. Also, strollers don't fit in Starbucks lines very well. We order and as I stand and wait for my name to be called, I notice it...I pick her up and find what I thought I would...the source of THAT smell. We squeeze the stroller through the narrowest, longest bathroom hallways I have EVER seen for a quick change that lasts about ten minutes since it includes a full wipe down in the sink! As I remove the "cute outfit" I hope that there is something to wear in there. Victory! A semi-clean, too small onsie. We emerge with a new outfit and are greeted by Roberto, seasoned father of two, who gives me a look of understanding. As we find a small table with room for a stroller, we start catching up on summer happenings. That first taste of my white hot chocolate is perfect. I guess Reyna is eager to try some to because in the blink of an eye, she has lunged over and knocked my cup to the ground. Splashing Roberto's pants and leaving a huge mess on the floor. We used about two trees worth of napkins to clean it up and pick up on conversation where we left off - kids, daycare, and teething. That first and last taste of white hot chocolate is a distant memory. One hour of my day.

I have been asked the question many times now, "How has life changed?"
This is how.


*not complaining, just a snapshot. Also, it was a distaster but I was able to laugh about it immediately. Thankful for understaning friends like Roberto :)

5 months.

This month has flown by!

We spend less time together but we have surely grown so much together this month.

     

She started day care. She sleeps all night. In her crib! She naps well, too. She has found her thumb which soothes her to sleep. She is rolling over and lifting her chest high up off the ground. 

Watching her meet new challenges is so fun.

I can't wait to see what happens this month!

Luna's Bow-tique

This weekend Reyna and I celebrated the newest addition to the family. Little Luna is due November 1st so we went down to celebrate! We helped decorate.

 We ran wrapping paper down the middle of each table and set out the decorations.

My mom made these cute centerpieces. Here is a closer look.

 

 Popcorn party favors.

 

My contribution was Luna's Bow-tique.

The table was set up with ribbon, flowers, fabric, buttons, etc with elastic headbands.

Everyone made their own headband for baby.

I wish I would have taken a picture of the finished products - so creative!

Reyna in her party dress. 

The hosts. 

It was great to see family again - some for the first time.

But it was all about LUNA (I love that name)! Can't wait to meet her!

Sic 'em Reyna!

The second game of the season and Reyna got to see the Bears!

It was cool weather and we had already bought headphones for her and since we had family with us, we had a few extra hands. Here she is ready to cheer on the Bears.

 

That 5,000 sq ft. screen had her attention for a bit!

Our first family picture with the new stadium!

Those headphone worked wonders. Through fireworks, cheering, and music, she was never phased.

She napped and ate on schedule.  I know we are pushing our luck but we are thankful for the experience.