Round 2

Rule #1: Don't hang out with me if you think you may ever want to get pregnant. Why? Because I suck at it. Let me first say that it IS a total BLESSING and I'm thrilled. I'm not saying that because I have to but because I mean it. However, if Evan is even thinking about a 3rd kid, I'll call a lawyer...

You know how some people glow? I hate those people. I get acne, sport grey hair, barf, dry heave, smell bad, get emotional, forget everything, gain like 45 lbs, and even have been known to sport a chin hair. In my culture chin hair isn't lucky or a sign of wealth or whatever, it's just a slap in the face.

You know what's cute? When I ask people if they were sick while pregnant and they respond,  "Oh I was so sick. It was horrible." So then I ask if they threw up a lot and they say,  "No but I felt really car sick." Um... Let me go into detail about something Kate Middleton and I apparently have in common. We barf. Like a lot. I thought I was a champ when I was carrying Russ- I threw up about 10 times a day for 16 weeks. Now I think that's just adorable. My new baby on board had me sick between 25-30 times a day for a little over 2 months and around 10 times a day for another month. I'm now on day 6 without making out with my toilet! Now it's time to get fat, dye the grays, put on my elastic stretchy pants and rock this. 

2nd try at the 1st Day of School

So, round 2 of the 1st Day of School was yesterday. To say I was nervous is an understatement. After last week's shenanigans, Evan and I were somewhat of a wreck. Let's just say that after about an hour of running around town, I realized that my shirt was on inside out. When I ran to the bathroom to fix this problem, I also noticed that my underwear was on backwards. Yes, you heard me, not inside out but backwards. We don't need to address that situation any further, thanks.

On Tuesday morning, we decided to play it cool. No fancy clothes, no pictures. Just our normal routine with Matt Lauer and (now) Savannah Guthrie in the background (why didn't they promote Natalie Morales??), an assortment of breakfast foods, a ton of coffee for me, and some playtime for the little guy. He was more than happy for our morning field trip, probably assuming that I was taking him somewhere awesome like Gymboree or Daddy's distillery. Russman didn't even punch me in the face when we walked through the school doors. The tears only began to flow when I tried to put his name tag on his back. ("Why do I need a name tag? Hello, I'm the huge redhead kid. I'm like 17 lbs bigger than anyone else at this school. I also barf when I cry. And I still like bottles. Big deal.") At this point, I knew that I had to hand him off and get out of there as fast as possible.

Once I was home, I waited by the phone for an hour. To my surprise, nobody called. I started to run pointless errands like going into Bath and Body Works. I mean, who even goes there when they aren't having their after-Christmas sale? I walked in, fumbled around and quickly left. I wondered if it was a coincidence that a police officer immediately followed me into Jamba Juice. What was I even doing here? It was time to get myself together and take advantage of having some time without Russ. So after the dry cleaners and grocery store, I decided to get my oil changed. This would be the first time in the history of my Jeep that I would get my oil changed on time. (Normally, Evan politely reminds me once I'm several thousand miles over.) Kwik Kar, here I come....well, until the second nervous parent in this relationship called. Evan said he couldn't get Russ out of his head and that he wanted to meet up. So the two of us grabbed lunch, could barely eat, took our doggie bags and were off to school to grab our guy.

When we arrived, he was upset because some of the other parents picked their kiddos up early. Apparently once one parent arrives, the little ones become anxious for their own parents. So now, instead of picking him up at 2- all the moms are going to fight to be the first to pick up their baby. I'm sorry but this is MY day. I pay till 2. Stop messing things up, early moms. Anyway, we were shocked to hear that the teacher got Russ to sleep on a NAP MAT for an hour. Evan doesn't believe her, but this is a Baptist school and I don't think Baptists are allowed to lie. He also made a picture which is the best thing I have ever laid eyes on. I can already tell we need a new house because I don't have enough wall space to hang up all of his pictures. Overall, I think he had an ok time and "ok" is good enough for his 2nd round of the 1st day of school.

I know, it's amazing.

We thought he would crash once he got home. Just the opposite, he was out of control wildman.

*I apologize that I don't have proof about my clothing issues. My mom and mother-in-law read my blog.

Pre-School Fail

Mother's Day Out is like pre-pre-school. Everyone I know puts their little guy or gal in school around Russ' age. I know, school for a one year old? Sounds dumb but it's awesome.

The school trend is actually a simple equation:
1 yr= 1 day, 2 yr= 2 days, 3= 3 days, 4 = 4, 5=kindergarten.

Mother's Day Out is outstanding for many reasons. First, my super shy son can learn to be without me while making friends, discovering new things, and enjoying music, recess and chapel. He can also learn that he is ok when he is not attached to me. This time is equally important for me, so I can do things like shop at Ann Taylor Loft and drink cheap wine at Hollywood Nails. Yeah right, I wish. Let's try again... This time is also important to me so I can learn to be without my son and realize that I, too, will be ok. Oh yeah, I can also do things like wash my car, dry my hair, and go to the dentist.

Yesterday was Meet the Teacher. I was so nervous that Evan would spend the entire time pacing the halls with a crying Russ while I listened to the teacher tell me that she would have all ten 1 yr olds sleeping on nap mats. What? However, we were both impressed as Russ peacefully hung out and played with the toys. We left knowing that this was one of the best decisions we were making. Last night, I was so excited as I pictured Russ wearing his extra preppy 1st Day of School Clothes, while planning Evan's and my cool lunch date in Deep Ellum. It was like Christmas.

Exploring the recess room at Meet the Teacher

Well, today was the big day. Everything was perfect. The end.

Ok, well actually it was a disaster. He made it known that he was not a fan of his prepster gear, he hated his backpack, and the nap mat was just ridiculous. ("Mom, I sleep in a crib. While I appreciate that you spent $49 on this puffy nap mat with sports balls all over it, let's just be open and honest about this. You wasted your money and might as well just give it to Ollie.") The good news is that we managed to get one picture of Russ not crying- ok he was crying but you can't tell because it was taken from behind.

Evan had a meeting this morning, so I was on my own taking the school boy to campus. Holy mackerel. So, as I was squatting down, neatly putting his baseball backpack, camo lunchbox, sports-themed nap mat, diapers, sippy cup (that he also hates) in his cubby, he decided he had had enough and pulled on my shirt. I lost my balance and literally fell on him. At this point I am sprawled across the hallway on top of my son and another Dad who witnessed this, uncomfortably said, "Wow. Strong little guy." and scooped up his adorable little girl and got the heck out of our way. So, this obviously makes dropping him off to his new teacher fun. (Let me note that the teachers are amazing, loving and experienced women.) Russ, of course, still not over the fact that I steamrolled him in public, screams bloody murder as he realizes that even his clumsy mom is a better option than the stranger. Once I had delivered the goods, I decided to use the restroom in order to buy some time to spy on Russ. His crying had calmed down a little, so I bolted. I had a disgusting car to wash and was not going to go another day with red crayon melted all over my cup holders. I literally made it half way through the car wash when the phone rang. Russ had barfed. He made it 44 minutes. And I STILL had melted red crayon in the car. Dang it.

I had no choice. Russ already knew the trick. You barf at school? You're done. Free to go. So I grabbed him, chatted with the director about a plan to get him used to school, and Russ had an awesome time eating out of his camo lunchbox at the carwash. So what did I learn today? I guess you can take a 1 yr old to a car wash.

*** I forgot to mention the fact that Russ still drinks from a bottle- like, a lot. He doesn't do a paci or have a lovie- but he enjoys sippin' back a cold one a few times a day. Can't blame him. So, during the "Any questions?" time when all the parents just stare at each other, I raised my hand and asked, "Is it ok if I bring a bottle? Russ still takes them several times a day." The room went silent. Dead silent. Everyone stared at me like I had walked in with a cost-co sized peanut butter jar in this nut-free school. The teacher smiled apologetically and said she was sure she could figure something out. What was happening? Well, after we left, Evan told me it sounded as though I was still breastfeeding my 15 month old (I guess this is where I have to say- "Not that there is anything wrong with that."- but there is. My son has like 87 teeth, so we knocked that off months ago.) So now, I'm the weirdo that is probably related to the chick on Time magazine with the 5 year old attached to her chest. So, as of today, I don't think Russ and I have many friends at that school.

Russ enjoying his first day of school

Russ wearing his "extra clothes for those just-in-case moments." Too bad he "just-in-cased" all over himself to get out of school. Here he is happily eating out of his lunch box at the carwash. 

Strike a Pose

You know how every girl age 14-22 (and moms on "Moms' Night Out) makes that kissy fish face in every picture? Well, Russ has a favorite pose too. It's hilarious.

Not sure what to call it...
"Throw ya hands in tha air like ya just don't care."
"Praise Jesus." (In a Melissa Gorka New Jersey accent.)
"No pictures, please."

Help me name this pose!

Nawlins Vow Renewal

Bride and Groom at the French Quarter Wedding Chapel

On June 9th, Evan and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! As many of you know, our relationship started in New Orleans, LA. About 10 years ago, we rode across from each other on a bus from College Station, TX to New Orleans, LA. It was on this bus that I decided that I liked Evan more than a friend.  We went on to celebrate my 20th birthday in New Orleans, followed by many Pi Kapp formals, a proposal, our son's first vacay, and now our 5 year vow renewal! We celebrated with Evan's oldest friend, Matt, and his awesome wife, Chrissi!

This Is Rev. Tony- he had 2 teeth on the bottom and spoke just like the guy from Princess Bride. Perfect.

Our complimentary bottle of champagne ($3 Andre) and cake

Mom's Music Camp

In case you don't have a little one, let me inform you that there are a handful of cool activities that are offered for children around town. The problem is that everything costs 1 million dollars. The most awesome class I've found is a music class offered at Kidville. They actually audition and hire local musicians to form a band that plays and teaches music to kids ages newborn to 6. Sounds amazing right? Yeah, except for the fact that it's over $500. Normally I'm the cheapo in our family but this time Evan had to remind me that our son was one and didn't need a semester of music school. I almost karate chopped him when he asked, "Can't you just do your own music class at home?" So that is exactly what we are doing now. Mom's Music Camp.

It actually just happened on its own. Russ has inherited my adorableness and Evan's attention span. He won't even look at kid programs on tv. When I told everyone that he loved "I'm Elmo and I know it," I lied. He didn't look at it for more than 10 seconds...I was the one who got the biggest kick out of it and even made my neighbor, Ashley, come over and watch it with me. So, a few days ago we started our normal morning routine of tearing up the house while playing with every single toy. I decided to YouTube videos of my favorite musician, Bob Schneider, so we could have some background music. Little did I know that Mister Spazman would pull up, find where the music was coming from and then watch the music video in its entirety. Just like his mom and dad, he recognizes good music. I then turned on another one. Same thing, just stood and stared. I then took out all his instruments and started shaking them to the beat. Russ banged the drums and at times, shook his maracas. My proudest moment was when he started dancing- a little bounce that is pretty darn cute. This is now our new morning routine. We do mom's music camp for as long Russ wants to. So, what have we learned from this little story? Mommy needs $500 for music class.

 ****Russ' Favorite Videos ***
[if you are already a Bob fan, you know he often uses too many f words to feel comfortable about taking your mom to a show. These videos are Russ and Jane approved.] 

 His favorite one is: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mZN0CHclAtw 
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NwRG2VSpTsc
 http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=O991CGNvCfc
 http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mZN0CHclAtw

(I have WAAAAY better pics on my phone but for some reason they aren't uploading on here! ugh!)

Bangin' on the drum

Loving the music videos

Russ pointing to his music video

I knew the poop wasn't normal

I'm thinking back to a different time in my life. I was drinking my jack and sprite at the bar, wearing heels, and arguing with my friends about which Sex in the City character I was most like. Never did I think that in just a few short years I would be calling said friends to ask what their kids' poops looked like. Since some of you who read this haven't hit parenthood yet, we will skip the details. (Just know that one day, you will relate to this discussion.) Anyway, Russ' diapers were out of control and he was becoming fussier by the day. It took many doctor phone calls before someone took me seriously when I said that I thought Russ had a food allergy. Sure enough, he does. He is allergic to MILK. As Evan says, "Every Superman has his kryptonite."

So let me say this about food...I don't come from a family who diets. One time I bought reduced fat Wheat Thins and my Dad immediately asked my Mom if I had an eating disorder. Yes because 1 box of reduced fat crackers= eating disorder. Imagine what would have happened to me if I brought home coconut butter. I would have probably been sent to a juvenile detention center.

Well life has changed. I am now surrounded by hippie food. I happily serve Russ almond yogurt, soy milk, coconut butter, dairy-free bread, etc. I even make him Namaste pancakes, which get this, are $8.99. For pancakes. (* See previous post about me being cheap. This kills me but Russ freaking inhales them.) 

In 2 months we can try to give him food with milk baked-in. Some kids' bodies don't recognize the milk once it's been cooked. I'm hoping this is true for Russ. That would make things a lot easier! Either way, he is so much happier and I don't have to call people and ask them what their kid's poop looks like anymore. If you wanted to know, Russ' kind of looks like organic almond butter.

One is Fun!

Anyone who has had the joy of raising a child understands the excitement of the first birthday party! It the moment when you gather family and friends and throw yourselves a big bash. Let's be honest, who is the party really for? I mean, seriously, Russ would have been just as happy eating a Sammy Jammy in his teepee; It was us, the parents, who were ready to celebrate!

Luckily I didn't have to brainstorm much since we have 2 themes built into our last name.
Batt= 1) Baseball party  2) Batman party *) Maybe for his 21st we combine the two

So, for his first shindig, we made Russ our lil "Batt"boy and a baseball theme it was. If you know us as a couple then you know that Evan and I have a different style of party planning.  I immediately set out and started to make decorations with construction paper and glue sticks. The kindergarten teacher in me allows me to think that anything worth having can be made with construction paper. Also, as most of you know, I'm cheap. Evan is the opposite. He immediately started to google hot dog, margarita, snow cone, frozen yogurt and cotton candy machines. It got out of control so fast, we didn't even know what happened. Luckily, we were able to compromise and the party turned out perfectly! We had a FABULOUS time and want to thank everyone for coming. It was a SPECIAL day for us and we will be sure to tell Russ that he had a good time (well for about 15 minutes of it.)

Mustang Sally

Mustang Sally Evan:

It's taken me a month to blog about this. I wasn't going to for the following reasons:

1. Posting pics of your new car is only acceptable if:
 - It's something really cool like an old jeep.
 - You traded in your sexy car for  a minivan and you need people to tell you it's ok because it's "reliable"or to reassure you that you still got it!

2. This was not a Sally/Evan decision. (I will say that we have purchased 2 jeeps off of craiglist, fixed them up, enjoyed them for a few months and then sold them for a small profit. This car was supposed to be the same sort of thing.) If I blogged about it, I could no longer ignore this new thing in our garage.

3. If you are in a relationship, you probably have something you bet/barter with. For example, "I bet you a million dollars that I'm right." or "I'll give you a back rub if you will feed the dogs." In our relationship, Evan always bets/barters with a Mustang. Who in the heck actually believes that one must PAY UP in these actual situations?!

Side Note: Let me also say that Evan's spontaneity is one of my favorite qualities. It is what makes our marriage so much freaking fun. For example, nothing planned on a Saturday night? Let's get dressed in camo and go wrap our friends house. No NYE plans? Let's go to New Orleans for the night. However, surprising me with an old car did not get the response he expected. 

Anyway, I've done a pretty good job of giving the car the cold shoulder. I may have even hinted a smile when it broke down 3 times in the first week. However, I have started to check on it in the garage a bit. Maybe Evan is right, we have a little fun with it and then sell it, just like the Jeeps.

So, why I am writing about this 3rd wheel in our relationship? Because it may have just made our night last night. We decided to go on a date since we have had a hard week with a sick baby. Since Russ is finally better, we felt comfortable getting a sitter and going to dinner. We got all dressed and Evan asked, "Wanna take the mustang?" I asked, "Do you think it will get us there and back?"

Let me tell you, last night was awesome. We got in, rolled down the windows (no air conditioning), turned on oldies/ classic rock and were off. I don't know if he realized it, but Evan had his arm around me the whole time. He also kept saying things like, "I'm takin' my best gal to dinner." I couldn't help but smile the entire time.

So maybe I accidentally opened the door instead of rolling down the window, twice, while we were driving. Maybe we had to park it 4 times before we got the hang of it. Maybe we should still be arguing about it. However, before we do re-list it on Craig's List, I may have to enjoy it a bit.

 I couldn't help the feeling I got when we were both singing at the top of our lungs, cruising around like it was 1966.

Spur of the moment New Orleans trip- NYE

Our first craiglist jeep-: cost+ insurance+gas= sale price. Broke even on this one.

Wrapping Jake and Carrington's house. Sorry guys, we were bored.  (those are wigs.)

1966 Mustang

You Stuck a Lego Where? And other 11 month milestones

 As you know, I have not created a braggy, "my life with my perfect baby is just so glamourous and easy" kind of blog. However, I have bragged and smothered you with pictures of Ollie and Russ being best friends. All those pictures were so darn cute that I could have made a million dollars with the greeting card companies. (Wait. Be right back. Ollie just licked my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and now Russ is grabbing it...) Ok, like I was saying, those 2 were on their way to making it on that Channel 5 "Tell Me Something Good" segment. "Why is this all in past tense?" you may be asking aloud in front of your computer. Well, we actually have no idea. Ollie now hates the baby. He is terrified of him. He sees Russ crawling in and he takes off running. Tail between the legs, ears down and books it. We think Russ must have taken a lego and...well, you get it. So, while my dog & baby pics were getting more likes on Facebook than sorority girls in bikinis, this time in our lives has temporarily closed. Hopefully "to be continued..."

On a happy front, Russel has grown up so much this past month. While we had a rough 8 days of Mr. Screamies (yes, I took him to the doctor b/c I thought something was physically wrong- nope just a phase) the other weeks of month 10 were awesome!! Russ now crawls and pulls up on everything! He is fast, determined and all over the place. It has made our job so much more difficult but it is so fun seeing him grow and learn new tricks. Our favorite new trick is his head shake. He shakes it side to side like he is saying "no." That alone is cute but his timing has been amazing lately. It actually started a few weeks ago when Evan picked up some banh mi sandwiches from a local food truck. Those of you who know Evan, know that he is full of it. Evan was "explaining" to me that the French had formed colonies in Vietnam and together had invented banh mi sandwich. As Evan was bs-ing talking, Russ started shaking his head "no"and hasn't stopped since. One of the neighbors came up to us on a walk and asked Russ, "Are you being nice to you parents?" Head shake no. Another lady said, "You are going to be a shameless flirt." Head shake no. I ask if he likes Mommy more than Daddy. Head shake no- which we have found also means "yes."

Memories.

Russ pulling up on the toilet. I've obviously given up on being a germ freak.

Stats: 11 months, wears 24 month clothing, 26lbs, 6 teeth.
Favorites: Gerber Graduate Snacks, playing in the front yard, eating bananas

Napa

As I started unpacking tonight, I was thinking that wine tasting is actually one of my top 3 favorite activities. The others being a) going on walks with my boys and b) eating sushi and/or chocolate cake. Then I realized that both of these activities are more fun while drinking wine. So, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I REALLY like wine. So when Evan's mom said she wanted to celebrate her birthday in Napa, we bought tickets the next morning.

Getting There:

Evan and I were terrified to put the Chunk Nugget on a 3.5 hour flight to Cali. Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky had turned into quite the pill lately. He was acting so crazy that I actually took him to the doctor to see what was wrong. Nothing, just a weird phase. So, let's just say Mr. Screamies (as we had been calling him for a week) lived up to his name. The first hour was filled with screaming as well as that weird arching back thing babies like to do. The second hour he slept (thank God!) after bouncing him in the plane bathroom for like 20 minutes. The last hour and a half, Evan and I took turns doing anything and everything to keep him entertained. ("Look at the plastic cup, Russ! Isn't it awesome?" chunk. "Oh look at the book! It's so great!" chunk. And so on.)

We successfully landed in San Fran and picked up Missy, Deepak, Nicole and Justin. After trying 3 rental cars, we found one that would hold all of us, our luggage and the baby gear. We fought the traffic and joined Evan's parents in the lovely wine country.

Napa:

Once we were there, it was amazing! My favorite thing we did was go to a winery called V. Sattui. It was absolutely beautiful. We bought food and had a little picnic on the grounds. We also bought a bunch of wine to bring home with us. Evan's parents even joined their wine club.  Heaven on Earth. I would recommend it to anyone going to visit the area. 

Russel at V. Sattui

We drank a lot of wine but we also ate a lot of good food. The CIA has a campus in St. Helena and you can eat in the school's restaurant. It is really fancy and delish. I was nervous about taking the baby in such a nice place but I was not going to miss out. Yes, the food was awesome and yes, the baby threw up on me 3 times there. It was one of those situations that will be funny later. 

Another highlight was celebrating Russel's First Easter. Evan's parents drove their "bus" to the wine country, so we had a little Easter party on 4 wheels. Russ enjoyed crawling around all over the place and even playing with the steering wheel.

Happy 1st Easter!!

Let's be honest though. Even with awesome wine and yummy food, what is the best part of being together as a family? Family game night. Evan's mom brought some game called Headbandz (yep, with a z.) Basically everyone wears a headband with a card facing outward. You can't see it but everyone else can. You ask the group yes or no questions and try to guess what is on your card. This game was ridiculous and even more so after drinking wine all day long. Some of our cards were the following: bra, beaver, Hong Kong, and Britney Spears. So yeah, you get the picture. 

So, this morning we were not ready to leave. We wished we had one more day of wine, food, family and Headbandz. We were also dreading the trip home with Screamies.

Trip Home:

We got to the airport with about 2 hours to spare (you have to place it safe with the San Fran traffic.) Russ had so much fun crawling around and making friends with strangers. It was time to board the plane and we were in line when Russ started tooting. As I was holding him, I realized we had more than just toots happening. I grabbed the baby gear and ran to the bathroom. As I was changing him, he did the newborn boy thing and peed EVERYWHERE! I ditched his clothes, cleaned him off and ran back out to the airplane line. TOTALLY forgot extra clothes (like a beginner mom.) Evan jogged off to a souvenir shop, bought some new duds, and we ran to get on the plane (which was delayed an hour.) However, once we finally took off, Russ was an angel!! Whew! He didn't figure out how to take the water bottle cap off and dump it all over us until we landed. It was kind of like the gatorade or champagne shower celebration. We didn't care! We had made it home without a screaming baby. 

The Batt girls at V. Sattui

Deepak would bring a milkshake to a wine tasting and then add the dessert wine.

Russel and the birthday girl at Mumm

Family at Louis Martini

Russ, waiting for his new gear.

***Ok, I am so excited to announce this!!!!! I didn't include it in my original post because I wasn't sure if the word was out. I just got permission to share! Russ is going to have a baby cousin! Justin and Nicole told us in Napa that they are going to have a baby!!!!! I am so excited that I can hardly stand it!!!! YAY YAY YAY!!

10 Months

Whew...it's been a long time since I have been on here. It's cute that I thought I would have time to sit down and type every few days.
Yesterday Russ turned 10 months old!! If you do the math, that means I will have a ONE year old in 2 months. What? Anyway, I'll admit it; Month 9 has been my favorite. Let me start off by saying that Russ is the WORST sleeper ever. This problem is even worse now that he has learned how to sit and pull up in his crib. Oh and he also learned how to scream at the top of his lungs. So it goes like this: 1) Russ wakes up in the middle of the night. 2) He sits up and then pulls up trying to make a break for it. 3) He gets freaked out and then screams. 4) Mom and Dad start the "sleep training" process and ignore him. 5) Mom decides this is ridiculous. 6) Mom is up for 10-30 min comforting child back to sleep. 7) Russ remembers all the fun stuff we do each day, so he decides to wake up at 6:43 on the dot every morning. (Unless he decides that we should get up earlier.) 8) Mom inserts coffee into her veins, hears Russ laugh and then decides that waking up at 6:43 was probably a good idea anyway.

Fun Facts:

-My 10 month old is busting out of his 18-24 month Batman pajamas.
-During month 9, he crawled twice to the one dog in our family who has no interest in him. (Why do guys always want the girl they can't have?)
-He learned how to open drawers. Darn it.
- He says "Dada," "baba," and "woah," which probably all mean "Mom" in Spanish.
- A 5th tooth is coming in which is cute but has turned him into a vampire. He gets all hyper and bites me. It is hilarious but painful.
- He is pulling up on everything, especially on us and the Boxer.
- He loves going out to eat. He enjoys "real people food" mashed up into small pieces.
- Adventures this month included a trip to my parents' house in Boerne, a stop in Temple to visit cousins, and a field trip to downtown McKinney for an afternoon.

Hanging in the Hill Country in his cousin's truck. 16th birthday present?

Our lives as we know it are over.

Now that he can open drawers...

Russ passed out sitting up.

9 months

Little Man is almost 9 months old and all of a sudden has so many new tricks.  It's about time because I was sick of answering the same questions: "Does he roll around a lot?" "No." "Is he sleeping through the night?" "No." And my ABSOLUTE favorite one that makes me take a deep breath so I won't punch someone: "Does he crawl yet?" "No. My baby weighs more than all 3 of your kids combined (and could eat them) and is happy just hanging out.

Even though he couldn't do these "tricks" he was still more awesome than anyone I know. He has 4, yes 4 teeth. He has bright red hair that usually spikes straight up in the air. He laughs at all of my jokes. He can pet the dogs, play with toys, play the keyboard, and melt your heart.

HOWEVER, this past weekend was huge! He learned how to roll and won't stop! He rolls around all over the place and thinks it's a game. He can "drive" his car forward and now tears around the house. Tonight he "crawled" backwards (naked.) Russ also discovered new instruments: the drum, bells, and his new favorite, the tambourine. Today was the first day that I made him his own plate of lunch and dinner. He ate meatballs, veggies, and fruit. He drank water from a sippy cup. Afterwards he splashed like crazy in his tub. Ok, ok, now I'm just bragging.

I thought I would also share a list of his current 3 favorite things:

1. His new Teepee

Evan bought himself Russ a teepee

2. Pedro- Mimi sent him a new toy and we thought it was a mistake. It looked like something from a Mexican market. However, Mimi was right and it rocks. We named it Pedro.

Russ + Pedro= Party

3. Ball Pit

Wanna join me?

Craiglist Killer?

What do you do when you decide you want to hunt quail for the first time? You go on Craigslist. Yep. Evan tells me, "It's super safe because we will be carrying guns." Oh.

Matt with gun in case this is a Craiglist hoax

Evan and his partner in crime, Matt, connected with some dude on Craigslist to go out to his property and quail hunt. Naturally the boys put on their hunting costumes gear, grabbed Whataburger, and and headed out an hour and a half away from safety home. To our surprise, our husbands were not kidnapped and held for ransom. Instead, the guy turned out to be an old Aggie and his wife provided handwritten recipes (in cursive) for the quail. Chrissi and I were provided with a FEAST! The boys cooked all 19 of their birds + jalepeno cheese grits, wedge salad, cheddar biscuits, broccolini, and an apple pie. I even think they looked cute in camo. For some reason, I was the lucky one who kept finding bullets in my food.

Proud Hunter with our dinner

Oliver

Evan and I didn't plan to become "crazy dog people," it just kind of happened on its own. Growing up, I always wanted a dog. I'm not afraid to admit it: I come from a CAT family. Cats have a bad reputation but we had the best cat in the world, Katie. She followed my brother home one day and we loved her dearly for the next 18 years. Katie was perfect but I asked for a dog (and a horse) for every holiday throughout my childhood. Guess what? I didn't get a dog (or a horse) from my parents.

I adopted Sam from the College Station pound. He was an abused, homeless little guy and I loved him. Sam was everything I ever wanted in a pup. About 6 months later, Evan adopted Layla from the Houston pound. He calls her a miniature Irish Water Spaniel because he is too embarrassed to admit that he adopted a poodle mix. She is awesome too. Things were going along just fine with our 2 dogs until Evan had to have this boxer puppy. To be fair, we had seen a lot of cool boxers in the recent past. In Hawaii we sat and watched a guy surf while his boxer sat on top of a picnic table and watched. When his owner finished, the dog ran in the ocean to swim with him. Most boxers we had seen could do all sorts of cool tricks, didn't need a leash, and were definitely "man's best friend." So, when we were faced with a tiny little boxer puppy, we decided to add him to our gang and call him "Oliver."

Ollie was so cute but we realized quickly we may have made a mistake. Ollie was freaking NUTS. He needed a lot of attention, a lot of exercise, and had to be trained fast. We sent him away to a 2 week training camp which cost $$$$ (yep, 4 dollar signs.) Oh, and it didn't work. Then we found out we were pregnant. Everyone would look at us and ask what the heck we were going to do with Ollie once the baby got here. There were even days when I cried because I knew we would have to give him up. Many people who came over would say "Boxers are THE BEST with kids!" and then Ollie would jump all over them and we would put him outside. Evan and I decided we would just figure it out once Russ got here and I am so glad we waited before making a decision.

Ollie is AMAZING with Russ and I have never seen anything like it. Every time we put Russ down, Ollie has to be right next to him. Russ talks to Ollie and has learned how to pet him. The two can sit and play together forever. Russ is so huge that he no longer likes tummy time. However, if Ollie is laying next to him, Russ will put up with tummy time for a little bit.  The only gross part is when Ollie licks Russ all over and we have to sanitize the baby (we have seen what Ollie eats in our backyard.)

So, Evan may not go surfing with Oliver anytime soon but he sure has become "Man's Best Friend." (Even if his man is only 8 months old.)

The Crew

Best Friends

Ollie is always RIGHT there

Love + Sanitizer

Tummy Time Practice