Birth to 16 weeks

Happy Birthday Linda!!!

Happy Birthday Linda Sue Redding!! Robert, Linda, Kenneth, and I drove to Victoria today to meet Cheryl and her family so that we could all celebrate Linda's birthday together. Cheryl had this beautiful cake made and I couldn't help but take a picture of it. Isn't it adorable??? Anyhow, hope you had a great birthday and have a wonderful year ahead. Love you Linda:)

Sam and Lunch

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!! Santa was very good when he visited our house. We had Kenneth's parents, Linda and Robert, staying with us over the holiday so our house was full of fun and animals. They have two dachshunds and a cat, add that with Sam and it was a ton of animal madness!! Last year Cheryl told me that she desperately wanted a "photo album" that she could slide her wedding photos in. At their wedding they placed disposable cameras on the tables and let the guests be their photographers. All she needed was the photos organized and slid into an "album". Mind you, over time it changed into "my scrapbook". When I would question her, it was always "remember?? My scrapbook!" Since I couldn't possibly say no to the sweet look on her face I took on the task of scrapbooking Cheryl and Chuck's wedding and reception. Many long nights, blood, sweat, and yes a few tears went into the gift. I was thrilled to see them enjoy it.

It was so neat to see the looks on their faces as the flipped from page to page. Fifty pages in all, countless brads, paper flowers, rhinestones, and ribbon. Their wedding was themed to a Hawaiian luau.

Kenneth's big gift was a tool chest from myself. From his family he received gift cards and supplies to make the garage into a "man cave". Lowe's has this stuff called Gladiator Garageworks and it is really neat to see the garage taking shape. I'll keep you posted! It is a continual work in progress.

From his dad Kenneth got a guitar signed by Amy Grant and Vince Gill. That was the latest tour Robert went out driving for. For those of you who don't know, he drives the musical tour groups in the big buses when they are out on the road on tour. It is a ton of fun when he is out on the road!

Last but not least, Sam's favorite gift. Linda got Sam a stuffed squeaky quail to play with. I don't think he's put it down yet!! We're trying to convince him that it's not a chew toy :) Merry Christmas to all, I hope Santa was as good to you all as he was to us.

Smile!!!

This toothless wonder never ceases to amaze me. It is such a neat feeling to go to work and have this tiny bundle of happiness smile up at you. I had to share a few of my favorite pictures from today. Enjoy!
Dylan is such a ham!! He loves to be sweet talked, tickled, and read to. He is really starting to notice the colorful pictures in books and beats at them with his hands.

Dylan on his tummy moments before he rolled over :) It is so neat to me that a month ago he could barely hold his head up and now he is rolling over!!

He loves this little frog by infantino. It has a rattle inside and this HUGE eyes. It had a velcro strap at the end of a sting and it can hand from almost anything. He lights up when he sees it!

Katy wins State!!!

Wow!! It was a very eventful Saturday! Kenneth and I went to the state championship game for division 2 class 5A. Katy High School played the Wylie Pirates and WON 17-3. It was crazy fun! They played at Reliant Stadium and, I swear, I think all of Katy was there. I even heard one fan state "Did we remember to turn off the lights to the city when we left?" Katy fans filled 3/4ths of the stadium in a sea of red. Talk about Red Out!!!
Coach Joseph was great! It was so neat to be there in person to support them. I just saw the 10pm news and it was on the sports section!! We went with Sean, Kristyne, Connie, Jack .... gosh the whole darn city! I even saw the Mayor Don Elder there!!
The leader of the Bengal Brigade had called before the game and asked Kenneth if as Captain of the Fire Department could he arrange fire apparatus to take the players to a rally at Rhodes Stadium. Of course!! So after the game we rushed home and got some other firemen together so that we would have drivers for the trucks. Kenneth and I drove Engine 5 which is the oldest firetruck the department has. I hung out on the back end so that Dr Mark Bing could ride up front with Kenneth. The speedometer on it doesn't even work anymore!! Tom Duffy and Josh Gresham manned Tower 1, and Chuck Buckman and Buddy drove Engine 2.
It was great to see the kids enjoy riding through town on the trucks and to see the whole city come out to support them. Everyone was honking and the police department blocked off all of the intersections. Finally we arrived at Rhodes Stadium to a great rally with the marching band and tons of fans. After a great rally we loaded all of the kids back up so that we could take them back to the field house. All in all it was a truly wonderful day. A wonderful day in Katy Texas!!!

Katy State Champs!!

Christmas Tree

We finally decorated the tree!! Or rather, I decorated the tree :) Sean and Kristyne generously lent us their artificial tree which is pre-lit. I love how easy it was to set up!! Sam was a good puppy as he posed in front of it. I think he thought he was in trouble there for a few minutes!

Tada!! Now it feels like Christmas!! I even hung the stockings on the mantle. Not sure if I'll get the outside lights up since there is only a week to enjoy them. Oh well, Christmas is about more than lights but they sure are pretty aren't they?

Dylan can roll over!!

I am so amazed every day that I come to work with this little boy. He always has something new to show me, and today it was rolling over! He has done it on accident for a few days now, but today it was seven times in a row. I think it qualifies as a learned milestone! He will start off on his belly with his arms up under his chest and start to flail his arms. Then he starts to wiggle his hips and pulls one knee up to his tummy. About that time he is on his side and before you know it he is flat on his back. You can definitely tell when he is done playing though... He will grunt and chew on his fists and start to pout. That's when he wants a cuddle or to be put in a different position. Such a doll!! I need to learn how to take a video clip of it because it is too cute!!!

Daddy Gus

This is Daddy Gus. He is Sam's biological father. I think it sounds so funny to say that, but Sam responds to Kenneth as "Daddy". All you have to do is say "Where's Daddy Sam?" and he goes nuts trying to find him in the house. Same for me though, I'm Mama. That was one of Sam's first tricks. He would bark when Kenneth would ask "Who's there", like when there was a knock on the door. Now it's "Where's Mama? Is Mama home?" and he goes nuts to greet me at the door.
For those of you who have met Gus, you know he is the most gentle, obedient dog ever. I think he is one of the most well mannered dogs I've ever met. Add that with Sophie's temperament, Sam's dog mama, and you can see how he turned out so great.

I'm not abnormally cruel, but when Sam is at Sophie's and Gus is there it gets a little crazy. Sam and Gus are both "intact" and Gus doesn't always remember that Sam is his son. He thinks Sam is there to mate with Sophie and madness ensues!! Therefore, we kept him outside for our short visit and clipping nails. Couldn't resist posting his photos!!!

Snow in Katy!!

Ok, I found a picture that showed the SNOW!!! Whopee!!! I know, I'm a dork. I just can't help it, snow excites me!!! Tyler was a good sport, don't you think?

Talk about the perfect end to this week. It snowed tonight in Katy Texas. Light flurries but they count! I can't wait to wake up tomorrow to see if there is any on the ground. If so I'll take some pictures!

Semester One is OVER!!!

So, I haven't posted in a while... but now that semester one is over with nursing school... WAHOO!!! Such a relief!! I wish I could take a picture of the grin on my face because it is enormous :) I passed all of my classes, my finals, my head to toe assessment for health assessment, my clinicals, fundamentals of nursing, and the health assessment class. I know that's a long list but I am so proud of myself I just had to write it all out. This semester has been rough but I am so ready now for the next four. Life has been really good with being blessed with a new job, doing well in school, and wonderful friends to support me. Thanks to everyone for all of their well wishes, I felt each and every one of them. On to semester two!!!!

Sam and the Pepsi bottle

We emptied a Pepsi bottle tonight and gave it to Sam to play with. He had the best time with it!
Check out his paw on the bottle, isn't it huge!?! I can't believe his paws are the size of my palms.

There was no way he was going to let us take the bottle away from him! We had to trick him in order to give it up so that we could hide it for him to find. Tons of fun!

Happy Birthday Tyler!!

Happy Birthday Tyler!! He chose to go to an Aero's game for his birthday so we packed up to tag along. It was great! There were three fights in the first period alone... crazy!! The Aero's played the Milwaukee Admirals and won 4-2.
Tyler, Kenneth, Sean, Jack, and Kristyne getting settled to watch the game.

Tyler liking his Old Navy Sweatshirt :) Hope it keeps you warm Ty!

Kristyne and I getting cozy right before the game started. It was a lot of fun to get out on the town and see a great game.

Thanksgiving in Conroe

Happy Thanksgiving!! Kenneth, Sam, and I packed up for Conroe early Thursday morning. The turkey and trimmings were wonderful thanks to the culinary skills of Linda Sue.
Sam had a blast with toys that belong to his cousins. I think he likes taking them away, what do you think?

Family photo! Grandma Linda, Gretchen, Fritz, Sam, and Grandpa Robert. Love it!

Sam and Grandpa Robert feeding the fish Friday morning. Sam couldn't figure out why there were no ducks coming to eat the food Grandpa Robert threw out.

Sam and Fritz playing tug-o-war. A neat photo considering that Fritz allows himself to be pulled about three feet before he lets go!

Finally, the fire pit in action. It's great at drafting a fire. We barely lit the branches on fire and the whole pit went up in flames :)

Some of My Favorite Pictures

I just got my laptop back and was sorting through my photos and came across these pictures. I just had to post my favorites to share! This is Kenneth's best friend Tom with Kenneth and Baby Zachary last August at their friend Margie's wedding in San Diego. I can't get over two good looking men with a baby. Adorable!! Tom and Kenneth were in the Navy together. Tom is still serving in Norfolk, Virginia.

This is Kenneth and I on the beach in San Diego that same trip. He took me to the base where he was stationed and I got to put my feet in the water. It was really neat to put a place with all of the stories I've heard.

Ok, I wish this one was bigger. It is my favorite picture of my sister and I. It was taken at her wedding in March of 2007. I was so happy to see her so happy... redundant I know but so true!

Ok, one of my many favorite pictures of Sam. This one was him at Lori's house when he was still a baby before we were able to keep him for good. She was so sweet to put together a disk of his baby pictures and this was one of them. I still remember when he was this small!

~Enjoy!!

My Sister and I

Ok, I just had to share two more photos of my sister and I. I miss her so much!! She is getting over a cold right now, wish I was there to make her chicken soup.
I think I like this picture better than the other one of us in front of the cactus. Our smiles are better!

Say cheese!! I couldn't believe how good it felt to hug her :)

Antique Chair Start to Finish

Arizona Trip

Friday afternoon I flew out to Phoenix Arizona to see my sister Melissa and her husband Jon. I had the best time!! It was a mix of a birthday present for my sister and a task for me. She had pulled apart and refinished a chair that Jon's Grandmother gave them and I had the chore of putting it back together! I say chore, but it was such a blessing to be able to see family and catch up in person.
Saturday afternoon Jon smoked a turkey so that we could have a mini Thanksgiving. His parents, Deb and Bob, came for dinner and we had a wonderful time. The turkey came out so juicy!! Most of the trimmings were present, but the best part was the wonderful company.

I took the liberty of relaxing in the chair that I finished Sunday morning. It was so comfy when it was done!! Jon kept saying "are you sure you have enough time to do it??" I think by the time I left he was aptly impressed!!

We sweet talked Jon into taking our picture in their backyard. Melissa kept saying "come on, we'll sit on the couch and take it". I wanted one with the cactus in the background!! We went shopping shortly after this and got asked something that we haven't in years... "Are you two twins??" Too funny! Nope, just sixteen months apart.

This is Bear, named after the bear stock market in '99. It only makes sense if you know that her husband is a financial advisor! He is a greyhound lab mix but very sweet.

I had to include this picture, aren't his ears funny?? I love how he sits!!

Trick or Treat

Well, the treats were on us tonight!! I think we had a record low of trick-or-treaters. The doorbell rang maybe a total of 15 times. What happened?? We ended up letting the kids take handfuls of candy cause goodness knows we don't need to eat it! Oh well... Sam loved it though! Every time the doorbell rang he went nuts and then wanted to kiss all of the kids. Too funny!

Happy Howl-O-Ween!!!

Tonight we went to the Katy Dog Park for their "Howl-O-Ween" party. It was crazy!! Sam hated being on the leash in a place where he can normally run and play. He did not understand the concept of sit, lay down, and no while we were there. Of course, the moment we went back to the truck he magically turned back into the Sam I know and love. I think somewhere in the world the clock struck twelve and he turned back into my little pumpkin!! There were booths where you could do a trick for a treat, orange painted paw prints to take home, a bone yard, bob for a ball, and costume contests.
Sam went as a ghost this year. Kristyne and I had gone up to walmart and found the cutest kids t-shirts to put on the dogs. Sam's had a big light up ghost on the back (it lit up when he moved). Of course he had to wear the jester collar that Aunt Cheryl got him last year for Halloween!! He loves the jingle bells and the ghosts on it glow in the dark... not that he holds still long enough for you to be able to see them!

Sam and his friend Maddox who went as a cowboy. He was adorable!!! He kept rolling around trying to figure out what was on his back... Low and behold it was his hat! I think this was the one time that they actually held still for a photo.

You can kind of see the back of Sam's t-shirt with the ghost that lites up. It was too cute!! The "bone yard" was one of the booths that was set up for the dogs to play in. It consisted of several bales of hay in which rawhide bones were buried. It was crazy because the dogs almost became desensitized to it and started marking their spots instead!

This is the best picture I could find of Brody, Sean and Kristyne's lab. I love how it says "My Mummy loves me"!! Kenneth would never have let me put that on Sam!! Sean was a good sport about it. I couldn't get Coco to hold still long enough to take a picture of her but she was adorable too. Tomorrow night it's on to passing out candy, wish me luck!!

K.C. and Cody

Meet K.C. the pig, not to be confused with Casey (Cody's sister)!! I think this is one of the cutest pigs I have ever seen. I love how she looks like an oreo cookie! Apparently there were so many kids in Cody's AGG class that chose pigs that they have to share pens. I think it works out pretty well, half the shavings and care!
I am really proud of Cody! He goes every morning and afternoon to clean up and feed his pig. The other pig is Skittles and is being taken care of by another young guy. Skittles is a little bit bigger and has "louder" markings than K.C. I had to ask the AGG teacher what that meant! He told met that it just meant that the coloring was bolder.

A rare moment when both pigs were eating out of their own feed buckets. I was told that this never happens! You can tell the size difference in the pigs. The AGG teacher said that size was not the most important when it came down to being a "good" pig. It is all about the back being arched, the muscle tone, and overall appearance of the pig.

K.C. likes to have water squirted in her mouth! She was oinking and making a stink when Cody stopped. This was discovered by accident, he had gone to clean her one day when she turned her head and loved the water bottle being squirted in her mouth.

I had to add in this picture of a lamb. I thought it was too cute how they had made clothes for it to keep it warm and clean!! It looked really well taken care of.