Good Times with The Gray's

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T12:37:00.000-08:00

By far my favorite thing about Christmas this year was seeing Cooper's face when he woke up! He woke up to a room-full of family and presents and was stunned! It only took a few minutes for him to 'wake-up' and begin to play with his toys from Santa.

I think he is having fun! What a sweeeet smile!

We watched Cooper open his gifts, then we had monkey bread for breakfast...YUM

And mamosa's...

After all that we packed up and headed to my in laws house aka Papaw and Gigi's to have Christmas morning with them. Check this out!

My mother and sister in law like, I mean LOVE to shop!

Cooper doesn't look like he's ready to tackle his second Christmas, but my oh my did he!

Cooper got a TON of new clothes and toys, including these new boots!

After #2 we headed to #3 at my mom and dad's house aka Nena and Grinka's house. Guess who was there? Cooper's best bud and cousin, Hadley! Aunt Ammy got them matching snowmen shirts and they had a fun time together!

Once again there were TOOOO many presents!! My mom went WAY overboard!

Cooper made out with a haul! He got a workbench, kitchen, guitar, some super cute clothes and much more!

We had a non traditional Christmas dinner, complete with steak and baked potatoes. We ate dinner, cherished family time together and watched Josh and my brother (uncle B) play Golden Tee for hours.

What a VERY blessed Christmas we had and even with all that going on we never forgot the REAL reason for the season.

Anniversary date

2011-12-31T12:08:00.000-08:00

Fun pic in the car.

We dropped Cooper off with my mom at Blackeyed Pea, while she picked up dinner. She took these pictures of us before we left for Dallas!

Yesterday, December 30, 2011 Josh and I celebrated 5 years of marriage. We spent the day with Cooper then dropped him off with Nena (my mom) and headed for a dinner date in Dallas! We decided to get out of our bubble and try something different. The hubs made reservations for Al Biernat's steak house and it did not disappoint, It was fantastic! We started out with drinks and an appetizer at the bar, then moved to a cozy little table in the back of the restaurant. Josh ordered red snapper with some kind of seafood mashed potatoes (yuck, no seafood for me) and I had an 8oz filet with creamed spinach that was to die for!

Over dinner we reminisced about the past 5 years and discussed where we think we will be in the next 5. We had such a great time talking and laughing together, we rarely get time to ourselves with lil bit around.

After dinner we were STUFFED, but we had to squeeze in a bite of chocolate cake and a cup of coffee in celebration, of course!

After dinner what did we do you ask? What any 'old' couple would do, we went home and went straight to bed. We were asleep before 10:30 pm...lame! Ha!

It was a very relaxing night and we both really enjoyed our time out!

No sew curtains

2011-12-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I came across a blog ala Pinterest (Impartinggrace.com) and I found the perfect way to spice up my four, very large living room windows. I just knew that I could handle the task because it was a 'no sew' project!! So I went on the hunt for a stand out fabric that would rock my windows! I found it at Hobby Lobby and I was pumped, but I was boggled on how much fabric to buy! I obviously measured the windows, but I was still unsure, because I would be draping the fabric over tension rods. I took some advice from my mom and I purchased the fabric.

When I got home I divided all the fabric into the same measurements and had 4 huge pieces of fabric. I measured my windows across and found out that the width was 34 1/2 inches. I pinned my fabric so that it was even all the way down. After pinning I used the no sew iron on adhesive and simply started ironing.

I cut strips of adhesive from pin to pin, put it up where the fold was and then placed my hot iron on top of it for a minute then kept going all the way around my fabric.

After the sides were 'hemmed' I did the same with the bottom. For the top I went ahead and put my expansion rod at the top, folded the fabric over the rod and then used the no sew adhesive tape again. I did this so that I did not have trouble slipping the rod into the curtain later.

Once the piece was 'hemmed' all the way around, I hung up the rod/curtain combo in my window.

Then I took two more expansion rods and placed them on top of the fabric, one at a time, looping the fabric.

After the rods were in place I evened up the fabric to make all 4 windows look the same.

This was an overall easy process and I would say successful too!

It's the MOST wonderful time of the year!

2011-12-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

Check out our fabulous Christmas pictures...

(He looks so serious! Don't mess with me OR my sleigh!)

I can not juggle it all!

2011-12-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

My last post was way back in September! WOW, I love my social online life but I have taken a step back and been nothing but a busy teacher, mommy and wife for the last few months. I check Facebook, but other than that I have had no time for Twitter updates or blogging.

As I sit on my cozy couch this cold, dreary December morning all by MYSELF, I am sneaking a few moments to catch up on what I have missed.

What's up with the Gray family??!!...

School is going very well! I LOVE my 2nd grade team of teachers, we are all rock stars! My class is adorable and I love, love my job!

Cooper just turned 17 months and he is full speed ahead 100% of the time! He is very tall and I would be rich if I collected a dollar every time someone tells me "He is big"...I know! He has not an ounce of fat on him, he is just off the charts for his height, and that is that. I LOVE him MORE each and every day! He understands so much and can pretty much follow any direction (if he feels like it of course). He says a lot of words and a lot of not words ;) He can say mama, dada, ball, bath, kitty cat, gigi, nena, hi, bye, thank you,car and few more that I am unable to recall right now. He is SO SWEET, he wraps his arms around my neck and gives the best love! I am in shock that he will be 18 months at the end of this month. I am sad it has gone by so fast, but I love the independent little boy stage that is he in right now.

Josh is busy in the world of title company marketing (as always) but he never fails to spend family time with C and I! We are so proud of him! He is dedicated to making sure our lil family is taken care of.

On December 30th, Josh and I will celebrate 5 years of marriage!!! We are still so in love, just as we were when we started dating in 2000. The love continues to grow as we grow as people and parents!

Hopefully I can find time to keep this blog aka my diary updated. I have really missed it!

Much Love,

Bronwyn

Cooper's First Haircut

2011-09-03T20:10:00.001-07:00

When Cooper was born 14 months ago he had quite a bit of hair, then it slowly faded away and he became a baldy! It has been growing back steadily and had begun to look like a mullet mess. So I decided today was the day he got his very first haircut! I called my sis in law, Cooper's aunt Ammy and made an appointment at The Bungalow! My mother in law Lynda came with me to help keep him still! Ha! As if that was possible! We tried everything! A friend of ours, Molly was feeding him, and showing him Mickey on her iphone, Lynda was squirting water into his mouth using Amorey's skirt bottle. We tried it all! Amorey trimmed the back and made C look much more like a little boy and less like a baby. When Am finished cutting his hair she styled it and put some gel in it too! Woooo wooo what a cute lil man!

I can brush my teeth and my hair

2011-09-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

A few Sundays ago before church Cooper showed off his new talents! He is a multi tasker who can brush his teeth and his hair at the same time. Every time he is allowed in our bathroom he whines to get his toothbrush off the counter. He already has good dental hygiene! The hair brushing is a fairly new talent! I can tell him "brush your hair" and he knows exactly what to do!

Back to school!

2011-08-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Of course summer has flown by and now it is time to get back to work! I have REALLY enjoyed the time off with my lil guy but I do know that I am not cut out to be a SAHM! It is the hardest job in the world! My days were spent waking up early, cleaning C's highchair after breakfast, chasing him around, picking up after him, comforting him when he gets hurt, cleaning off his highchair after lunch, resting for an hour, if I'm lucky, while he naps and then it all starts over again! I did not have time to eat bon bon's and nap all day!

Cooper will be staying with Annette, and I am so so happy that he is with her! He stayed with Natalie and Annette last year when I went back to work and he loves the Ledyard family! I am blessed that I do not have to worry about him at all while I am away at work!

The last week has been difficult! I started back at work on August 12 (for inservice) and have been juggling working in my classroom as well as being a wife and mommy! I have definitely forgotten how busy I was!

I LOVE working in my classroom and I wanted to share my room for the 2011-2012 school year, for now! I am a tad bit OCD and it could change (will change) before the end of the year! Ha!

One day last week after inservice I decided to go and get Cooper instead of spending more time working in my room! Of course I decided to go to school and give another 2 and 1/2 hours of my valuable time once Coop headed to bed. My wonderful mom met up with my to put the finishing touches on my classroom and I am so thankful for her! Once we got up to my room I had a surprise waiting for me on my desk! It was an adorable goody basket from my sis in law Amy! She is so thoughtful and is always VERY creative! Check out my brand new cuter than ever crayon wreath!

She also left 2 cupcakes from J. rae's...YUM! I LOVE surprises and goody baskets so I was pumped! She made my day and I can't wait to display my cute wreath for the new school year!

I hope all teachers and kiddos have a fantastic school year! No looking back now! I must go to bed!

Night y'all!

1 Year ago today...

2011-08-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

I took this picture of me and my 7 week old baby boy! While trying to upload pics to some other posts I found this one. I love thinking back! I do it often, I will remember exactly what I did on a certain day and I can remember the way I felt. On August 16, 2010 I was on cloud 9! I was on maternity leave and I had 2 weeks left with my lil dude :( I enjoyed all the quality time that I got to spend with him! We spent a lot of time snuggling and he spent a lot of time eating! I laughed so hard after I saw this picture! He was in the middle of throwing a fit, but as the picture snapped he threw up the peace sign! Ha! That's Josh's son for sure!

Also August 16 is my brother Brandon and sis in law Amorey's wedding anniversary! Today, 8-16-11 marks year # 3... Happy anniversary you two!! I wish lifetime of happiness!

Boys+Box= Fun

2011-08-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

We finally, FINALLY were blessed with rain in Texas this past Friday night/Saturday morning! Not only did we get some much needed rain, we got a break from the blistering heat! On the day we were supposed to break the record for the most consecutive high temps we didn't get out of the 80's! Of course it would happen that way, but I'm not sad! It felt SO good to wake up to rainy, cool weather! We met my parents and nephew Hadley for breakfast, then spent the day working around our house! My dad and Josh went to Home Depot while my mom and I played with the boys and I introduced her to Pinterest, my newest addiction!

A couple of hrs after heading to Home Depot Josh came home with patio furniture! He went for a few small things and found a great buy he couldn't pass up. I was super excited to add something major to our new place! The furniture consisted of a small couch, 2 chairs and a small glass table. Perfect for our patio! The box that the furniture came in was a great playground for my favorite two little boys! They had a BLAST playing in that box! They crawled around and acted as if they were a real life Jack in the box busting out of the top! It was great entertainment! I hope they are always this easy to entertain!

Weekend Fun!

2011-08-09T13:12:00.001-07:00

OMGEEEE...I have been looking for my camera cord for over a week now and I found it randomly in a drawer tonight! I can finally upload pics and post!

Friday night ( a week ago) was movie nightwith some friends! We saw The Change Up and I really enjoyed it! It was hilarious!

Saturday (a week ago) I met up with my mom and Aunt Jackie and spent the day shopping! We started out at Mexican Inn for some chips, salsa and an appetizer for lunch. We then headed over to Arlington to visit one of our favorite places Stein Mart! I found 3 pairs of adorable shoes! They were must haves! I am not usually lucky enough to find things on sale, but this was my day! Each pair of shoes was marked down and all three only cost me $70. I was super pumped.

Check em out!

Next we went to Home Goods and Marshalls in Mansfield! I found 3 more treasures for my house! My living room furniture is chocolate brown and the pillows on my couch are brown and lime green. It is so difficult to find just the right color green and I found 2 things to add to my new set up! The green end table and floor pillow are the new purchases. I was super excited to add these things to our new place!

The other treasure that I found is a really neat front porch decoration/flower pot thing.

Josh and I spent all day Sunday and Monday trying to get our extra rooms organized! We moved in 4 weeks ago and most things have been put away but some things just don't have a place yet. I cannot seem to make all the decor work in our new house! I don't like, can't stand clutter so I am taking my time finding the perfect spot for picture frames, crosses, candles, etc. For the first time since we have been married we have an actual guest room with a bed! Our prior guest rooms have been used for storage. It feels good to have all boxes emptied and furniture set up. The only thing left to do is add the finishing touches to each room!

What does Cooper think?

2011-07-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

We are still settling into our new place and we are LOVING it! While we spent a few saturday's ago moving C stayed with Molly, very good friend of mine. Later that day my mother in law, Lynda picked him up and brought him home to us and I will never forget his face! He was both confused and excited! Obviously he doesn't understand the situation, but I know he knows that this is a new place. A place to run from room to room and a whole room dedicated to just toys! Freedom! When we brought him inside we said "Look at your new house" and in order to make him feel right at home we led him to his toy room! His face lit up! This is not an exaggeration! He did not know what to look at or what to touch first! So precious to show our son the home that we have created for him to grow up in! I think Cooper approves what do you think?

This and That

2011-07-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Random thoughts of the day!

*Cooper slept in his crib for the first time since Feb. (easier for him to be in pack in play in the pool house) and he slept from 9:45 until 8:30 this morning and he DID NOT wake up once! Wow I really can say I had a great night's sleep!

*I miss Ellie Mae, my sweet dog that is living with my parents until we get a fence.

*I ordered a super cute Life Planner @Erin Condren.com, I need another planner like a need a hole in my head! Oh well it's super cute!

*I bought Cooper some Converse shoes, he wears size 5! Holy moly he has big feet!

*I am getting super excited about another school year! I always get this way...it's because of the school supplies! A few weeks into school the school supplies isn't fun anymore.

*I had so much fun catching up with my HS girl friends last week, hoping we do it again soon!

*My mom and I are going to Canton this weekend with Molly and Jane :) Hopefully I can find some treasures for our house!

*Cooper is taking a nap so now I must indulge in my new obsession, Pinterest! I love all the cute, original ideas and the yummy recipes!

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!

Lots of Love,

Bronwyn

Welcome home!

2011-07-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Gray family is now residing in a new location! We packed up and moved out of our love shack (aka box in mom and dad's back yard) a week ago.

We successfully moved everything into our new home last Saturday thanks to the help of great friends! I do mean GREAT, because it was HOT HOT HOT! Summer heat in Texas is NO joke! While we sweated our booties off Cooper was in the comfort of an air conditioned home with our friends Molly & Cyrus and their sweet lil guy Beckham. B & C played all day and gave us a chance to nail down the fort here...I am so thankful to them for keeping Coop all day! Love my friends!

Saturday afternoon we put boxes into the correct rooms and by that evening we slowly began to unload. Sunday we continued to unload boxes and made a trip to the fabulous Benbrook WalMart to buy groceries and what not. I am so not a fan of Wally World I am more of a Target girl, but this location was clean, organized and not loaded with "People of WalMart" thank goodness :) By Sunday night our new place felt a little more like home. It was so nice to put Cooper down in his own room, kick back and watch tv in my bed in my own room. It's the little things!

This week Cooper and I have been waiting patiently on repairs to be made! Little things like window adjustments, tweaking of ceiling fans, paint touch ups, etc. This weekend we plan on hanging pictures and making our new place feel even more like home. Here are some pictures of our new home minus the pictures and wall decor.

One view of the living room! Notice Josh kicked back in his recliner!

The other view of the living room...hall and bedrooms on the right.

Kitchen and dining room, our bedroom is in the archway to the left of the picture!

The other side of the kitchen, you can barely see Cooper's playroom on the left, the laundry room out to the garage and then the door closest to the oven is the pantry.

Dining room looking very bare!

The master bedroom! Finally a room to myself, I mean ourselves :)

Opposite view, door out of bedroom leads into kitchen and then our bathroom is to the right!

Cooper's bathroom! Boyish but still neutral thanks to PBK!

Other than my bedroom this is my favorite room in the house! Cooper can play and mess this room up all that he wants! It is in a perfect location, it is in between the kitchen and living room! We can watch him/listen for him while we do other things in the house!

I have not shown our Cooper's room, our bathroom, or the two guest rooms because well they are not ready to be shown! Stay tuned more pics to come!

Moving on

2011-07-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

We are down to the last few nights in our love shack and I must say it is bittersweet! I DID NOT think I would be sad at all about leaving our very small temporary home but I kinda am!

I am looking forward to living in a house that is quadruple the size of the place/room we are in now. I can't wait to have a closet again! The majority of my clothes are in an extra closet inside my parents' house, and a very small selection of my clothes are in a cabinet that I share with my hubby. My winter shoes are in a box in the garage and my summer shoes are in a pile in the bathroom. :( I cannot wait for Cooper to have his own room again! It has been VERY difficult living around him while he sleeps. I am thrilled to have a spacious kitchen so that I can cook again! I will be happy to have more than one tv around! Josh and I like a lot of the same shows, but I miss watching tv in the bedroom while he hangs out in the living room! I am pumped about Cooper's playroom! For the last 5 months he has been playing with the same bunch of toys because we just don't have the space to pull everything out! The last two things excite me the most...having a washer and dryer and a good air conditioner!!! I don't have to walk very far to use mom and dad's w & d but it is such a pain to haul all our laundry over there and then decide where it's going to go once it's dry. All of us Texans are VERY aware of the awful summer heat and boy is it HOT in our "house" by the end of the day! The window unit is working so hard to beat the heat and the high setting is not strong enough! The blinds are down the curtains are drawn and the fan is on high, we've done all we can. The sun sets right into the door and it feels like we are sitting on the sun, especially in the bathroom! I cannot put on my make up or blow dry my hair in our bathroom after 11am, it's too hot, miserable!

With all that being said I am so thankful that my mom and dad have allowed us to live in their backyard since the end of Feb. We cooked dinner together, spent many nights chilling on the back porch with a beverage, spent many weekends swimming and laying out, etc. My parents enjoyed play time with Cooper and my mom loved rocking him to sleep each night! I got emotional when we moved out of our house 5 months ago and I am emotional about leaving now. I just got used to being close to home again! Enough of the sadness! We are so excited to start yet another chapter in a new home in a new town.

Caught up in the drama

2011-07-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

Just like millions of other people I have been glued to the tv (ALL DAY long) for the last 6 weeks watching the Casey Anthony trial. It is a good thing that Cooper is too young to understand because I could not resist keeping up with every second of testimony. The trial has consumed me and like many others I felt like I was a member of the jury. I listened to witness after witness trying to keep an open mind about Casey Anthony. It was VERY hard to keep this point of view because of the lies she told. Anyone who kept up with this story knows that she created an entire web of lies! It makes me sick knowing that she could continue life for 31 days knowing her daughter was missing or worse, dead! If Caylee meant everything to her,which she should have, Casey should have stopped everything and alerted someone in order to find her baby girl! But she didn't and to me that showed guilt! Why do liars lie...to cover up or to hide the truth! I was irritated each day of the trial because of the lack of expression/emotion from Casey. She was listening to testimony involving her dead daughter and her face was stone cold, I would have been in shackles if that were me!! I was also disgusted with the way she sold out everyone in her family in order to save herself. All this being said my opinion is that Caylee died and Casey knows exactly what happened. Casey's "grieving" behavior was bizarre and to me and it doesn't make sense! If she was a good mom than she would have done EVERYTHING in her power to protect her little girl!! I would love to know what caused her to react the way she did...but I am sure that will remain a mystery!

As the verdict was being read July 5 at 1:15 pm I was sick at my stomach! When I heard the clerk read not guilty, not guilty, not guilty to the major charges I was stunned to say the least! I with everyone else in America was expecting her to be found guilty!

At first I was very angry with the verdict! Are you kidding?!! If she didn't kill Caylee who did? I just know that it had to be Casey! All the evidence pointed to her! Now as I look back at all the facts the prosecution wasn't able to indefinitely tell when, where, why and how. I didn't want to believe it myself, but it's true! 1st degree murder is a HUGE charge and I understand that the juror's wouldn't want to convict an innocent person. If they did not have proof that she murdered Caylee they simply had to follow the rules of the law and aquitt her. The prosecution did a great job, however they were not able to prove that it was indeed a homicide and or that Casey had anything to do with it. I wish that she would have been charged with neglegence, child endangerment, purgery or something that could have been proven!!

I am glad that we can all have our own opinions as to what happened but I believe some people are taking their anger too far! I wish the passionate public would step back and give the Anthony family their privacy...death threats, really? How awful! We need to pray for peace and comfort! I also think it is funny that many are jumping on the bandwagon after not knowing all the facts. You cannot assume she killed her daughter just because she made bad/odd decisions. She could have, but the facts were never there to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. We were not the jurors in this case and we do not have to like the outcome or agree with it, but it is not going to change! We were not in that courtroom each and every day and we have to respect their decision because it was based on the law!

It is hard not to judge, however the only one to judge us is GOD! Casey Anthony will answer to him one day and I will leave it at that no matter what I believe.

Let's follow the treasure and search for gold...

2011-07-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

Cooper turned one last Wednesday June 29th, as you all know and we couldn't wait for him to share his birthday with friends and family! I have been planning the special party for my one and only for a few months now and was so ready to just have fun and celebrate! Check out his awesome invite. My friends Jenn and Molly have an Etsy shop (oneperfectparty.etsy.com) and they created the invites, thank you tags, Cooper's smash cake and some adorably delicious cookies!

We stuck to the pirate theme and boy was I glad! There was a TON of cute pirate stuff to use for favors/decorations!

Jenn's mom, Melinda made Cooper's precious lil shirt!

This was a sweet banner that I made to show Cooper's growth each month for his first year!

The fun pirate ship water/activity table my mother and father in law gave to Cooper early so that he could share it with friends at his party!

Ice chests ready to go...LOTS of water, capri suns and soft drinks! Fun treasure ice chest to add to the pirate theme of course...thanks to Oriental trading!

Even a fun pirate flag flying high above the yard!

The yellow and red inflatable was a pirate ship mister that was fun for the kids!

These are the precious cookies made by Molly... (oneperfectparty.etsy.com) Every single cookie was gobbled up, did I mention we had 4 dozen plus all this...

This was Cooper's own personal cake aka smash cake. Made by Molly as well! He was feeling awful at his party-due to his one year shots, so we had to save the cake for another day. But isn't it adorable?!

Yes cupcakes too! Made by my mother in law! Good thing it was a holiday weekend because we definitely couldn't have eaten all those sweets in one day! (Although we did eat all the cookies)

This was another sweet treat that I almost forgot to mention. Chocolate covered marshmallows! They were made by my sis in law Amy! They are a lil taste of heaven!

Birthday boy's chair!

Hot dogs and chips was what's for lunch!

And of course fun goody bags for all of Cooper's guests!

Playing before all of his guests arrive!

We had a balloon artist come to the party...Bensballoons.com

Boston requested a T-Rex.

Hadley asked for a puppy. Madyson got a mermaid that was so cute, but I didn't get a picture :( We had all kinds of balloons made in the hour he was there...swords, parrots, princess crowns, etc.

Carrson the pirate!

Carrson and Dylan having a pirate fight!

Sophia having a good time!

It was a wonderful party and Cooper is so lucky to have so many amazing people in his life! Thank you to all of our guests for coming and for the sweet gifts! He had a great time and we hope you did too!

Cooper Jackson Gray is one today!

2011-06-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

June 29, 2010

June 29, 2011

Sorry for the fuzzy picture, my mom is no photographer! ;)

Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday dear Cooper...Happy Birthday to YOU!

A year ago on June 29th you were born at 5:34 pm you weighed 8lbs. 4 oz. and were 22 in. long. Even though I don't remember a lot after your birth, I DO remember how I felt when they placed you in my arms. I was overwhelmed with love and your daddy and I just cried and smiled down at our precious gift from God! You are one special little boy and we have had so much fun this year watching you grow and develop!

At 12 months you are walking and talking-you just started saying mama, dada, nono, and a few other babbles. You know that you control your voice because you get LOUD! The talking began the day after we came back from Disney World. I guess you had been listening for so long that you just couldn't take it anymore! You are very busy and are in to everything that you shouldn't be! Typical behavior for your age!

You love cars and anything that you can steer or sit on. Each time we are in nana's play room you go right to the mini 4 wheeler and jump on. While we wait for the car to cool off on these hot summer days, I let you hold on to the steering wheel and you know just what to do! I am not sure how boys know how to like boy toys but you do!

You are still a very good eater! You take 2-3 6 oz. bottles a day and we are slowing trying to wean you off of the bottle. You do not drink anything but formula out of a bottle. You love water and applejuice and will drink it out of any sippy cup or out of a cup with a straw. You love lots of table food and you try new things all the time.

You are an okay sleeper. We usually put you down around 8:30 or 9:00 and you will snooze until about 3:00am, then you wake up and whine until we get you. You go back down most of the time without a bottle and sleep until 7-8 am. I think that this routine has become a habit due to our living arrangement. I hope you will sleep all through the night as soon as we get adjusted in our new home!

You are wearing size 3 diapers, but I think we will start you in 4's pretty soon! You are wearing 12 month clothes some 12-18 month stuff too. You are a big boy but your weight is still proportionate to your height. You are 32 in long and 24 lbs. 6 oz. Dr. B said you are at the very top of the charts for your height and are 70% for your weight. At this rate you will be taller than me in just a few years! You are one healthy lil boy!

I must add that you are the most smiley, flirty, social baby that I know! Every where we go it is your goal to get someones attention and bring them over to talk to you! It cracks me up how you are already so social without being able to talk. You got those skills from you daddy! You do not get extremely fussy unless you are tired! I am so glad that you are a happy go lucky kind of guy!

It has been one amazing year with you in our lives! Your daddy and I love you more than you will ever understand! Thank you for making us your parents! You are truly a gift from God baby boy! Happy 1st Birthday son!

Cooper is ONE photo shoot!

2011-06-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Cooper will officially be one tomorrow June 29th, but this past weekend our friend and photographer Jennifer Matlock came and took his photos. Look at this little sweetheart! He has changed so much just in the last few weeks! I will give his official 12 month post tomorrow to update you on what he is doing, for now take a look at my lil sugar!

The Countdown is on!

2011-06-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

The driveway and sidewalk have been poured!

The lighting fixtures and carpet are in!

Close up of the light in the dining room

View of living room with carpet and ceiling fan!

Master bath, waiting on wood around mirror to be painted!

Jacuzzi tub! Ahhhhh yes please! Mama misses her baths!

Fixture above the front door entrance. Waiting on the front door to be stained and put in place.

Here is the door, upside down!

Cooper's room complete with carpet and ceiling fan!

We are currently waiting on the meter to be put in place, alarm system to be installed, and landscaping! We are thinking that we will be closing by the second week in July. It won't be long now!

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

2011-06-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

We are back from the magical land of Disney World! The much anticipated trip began at 4 am Saturday June 18. We woke up at 4 left the house by 5 swung by my bro and sis in laws house and were on our way to the airport by 5:20. If you know me, you know that mornings are not my favorite and it was super difficult to get going! My mom had the exact opposite attitude and she was pumped! She kept telling Cooper and Hadley "we are going to see Mick Mouse" or as Hadley calls him "kiki".
Mamas and our boys...on the bus from Remote Parking to Terminal! It was early!

We got to the airport about 6 am and noticed a very LARGE line to check in to our airline. We were told that the computers went down and that was the reason for the slow paced line. We finally made it to the front about an hour later (insert sleepy, restless baby whining here). The lady at the desk proceeds to tell us that we will not be boarding our 7:40 flight because we did not have boarding passes prior to check in. WHAT?!! We still had 30-40 min. until our plane left. Ridiculous! We asked when the next flight was, she then says that we will be flying stand by and hopefully we will be in Orlando by the end of the day! ARE YOU KIDDING! I open my mouth and say "We better or we are going to have issues", she then tells me that if we are going to have issues than she can call security and have us arrested, FOR REAL...do I look like I am going to throw down in the airport! She was RUDE! It was looking like we were going to be missing a full day of Disney park time and we were ticked to say the least! We decided to shut our mouths so that we didn't create any more drama than we already were experiencing and go through security to our gate. We check in at the gate so that we can fly stand by...when my mom and dad calmly explain that all 8 of us, 6 adults and 2 babies will be getting on a plane today and that we will not be missing our vacation because of their computer system. The lady conviently remembered that there was a direct flight to Orlando at 3:00 that afternoon. Problem solved, however we did not receive an apology and we had to call AirTran's HR department and request food vouchers. Way to go customer service dpt...NOT! We waited 8 hours with a one year old and a two year old!! Let's just say they ran free a lot of the time and we just ran with them. Sorry to all the travelers but the boys had a lot of cooped up energy! What were we to do??!!!
Here are Hads and Coop playing around in their matching Cars shirts... thanks Aunt Nette!

We weren't going to let the airport drama spoil our vacation. We did lose the whole first day and did not arrive at our condo until 8:00 that night. We were exhausted! Good news is Cooper slept the whole way there on the plane! Yay for his first airplane experience, I was nervous!

This is Saratoga Springs Resort, aka our condo!

We had to, wanted to, go to sleep early Saturday night because we had to leave our condo at 6 am to make it to Chef Mickey at 7 am. Crazy yes, but then we had the whole day ahead of us!

Here we are headed to Breakfast with Mickey at 6am Florida time = 5 am Texas time

Sporting our Disney love EARLY!!
"Hey Cooper, we finally get to see Mickey!"

Hadley wasn't a fan of the characters but Cooper didn't mind and even tried eating some of their facial features!

We spent the first day at Magic Kingdom and it was a magical experience. I felt like a kid again, as soon as the gates opened we were dancing and singing with Mickey and friends. You couldn't help but feel the excitement radiate through your body. We stayed at the park all day long and it was a great start to our vacation! Hadley and Cooper were fantastic! We rented a double stroller (best piece of advice) and they loved to ride in it! They got in and out of the stroller most of the time with out fussing!

Instead of narrating our entire trip I will just share some photos and tell where you we were. Enjoy!

The Castle during the day! It was even better at night, but I will show you that later!
I love these balloons! They were being sold on Main Street inside the Magic Kingdom Park!

We are about to ride It's a Small World! And Cooper LOVED it! Seeing his face was priceless!
I told you his face was priceless! I snapped a photo of him in our boat! It speaks for itself!

Waiting in line to ride a fun Jungle Safari ride. We never had to wait more than 10-15 min. for a ride or show! Thank goodness because it was HOT! The humidity was awful!

Cooper soaking it all in! Did I mention he was good? He and Hadley were ready for anything we chose to do!

Coop and daddy while we were riding the train! Hadley calls it a choo choo!
Hadley and Cooper with their Nana and Grandpa on the bus back to our condo. They were being VERY silly at the end of this day!

We had dinner reservations over at Disney's Hollywood Studios park at the Prime Time Diner, it was "home cooked food" and the restaurant looked like "Mom's house" in the 50's.
Silly boy! He and Hadley were delirious by the end of the first day!

After dinner we went back to our condo and watched The Princess and The Frog! Such a great way to end the day!

The next day we had breakfast at Animal Kingdom, but this time at 10:00 instead of 7:00! Much better:)

After breakfast we saw Finding Nemo The Musical and it was SOOOOOOOO AWESOME! It was the best musical I have ever seen! The colors, props, characters were all fabulous! At the end bubbles poured from the ceiling and covered the audience! This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I did not take any pictures, no flash photography was allowed :(

We ventured into Downtown Disney, just a few miles away from our resort. DD was a marketplace loaded with shops, restaurants, a margarita bar and more! I snapped this photo while walking by the Lego shop!

This statue of Buzz and Woody was made entirely out of Legos! There were many more Lego statues, however I only captured this one!
This was a restaurant that we ate at one night in DD called T-Rex. It was such a neat place to eat, each habitat was a dining room in the restaurant...we ate in the ice cave. Every 20 minutes the whole place went dim and there was a meteor shower! So fun! We joked and said we felt like the Flinstones! In the entrance of the restaurant was a Build a Dinosaur shop...it was owned by and ran just like Build a Bear. We created a Saber Tooth Tiger for Cooper and named him Sabe.

All the days are beginning to run together, now that I am trying to recall the events. But I believe we went back to Magic Kingdom on Tuesday night to enjoy the parade of lights, light show and wishes/ fire works celebration all in front of the castle. The whole entire hour of action was just incredible! We watched a real live Tinkerbelle fly from the castle to a nearby place. She sparkled and shined as she flew through the night. Like all the Disney movies she was the beginning to the nights events. The latest thing is the holograph light show that takes place on the castle. I will just show you a few of the most awesome effects that we saw.

The castle before the light show began.
And the castle during the light show

I wish you could see it in person! It gave me chills! My brother and sis in law videoed it, maybe I can post some of the video! After the holograph show was a tribute to wishing upon a star followed by fire works. It was such a special moment to share with my family. Cooper fell asleep in my arms and at that moment I was overcome with joy to have such a healthy baby boy and a wonderful husband. My wish that I made to live happily ever after has come true!

One of our last days was spent back at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Here we rode a few rides with the kids... a Buzz lightyear ride, the carousel and a few without the kids...the Aerosmith Roller coaster (best roller coaster ever!) and The Tower of Terror. Nana and grandpa took the kiddos for a bit so us big kids could play!

We also played in the gift shops, took pictures with more characters, saw a few shows and even an afternoon parade. Take a look...

Beauty and the Beast of course! I still remembered all the words to the songs! Princess at Heart :)

The next few pictures were at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play/water exhibit! We all had fun goofing off in here!

Of course we did so much more than I can share, but as you can see we had a great time in Disney World!

Cooper and daddy on the way to get our car at the airport! Home sweet home! Our amazing vacation came to an end on Thursday night June 23.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T19:52:00.001-07:00

Pictures of the house... it's almost finished!

2011-06-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

We finally got word that our house will be finished in 3 and 1/2 to 4 weeks! I am so excited that I am dancing as I type this! Here are a few pictures of the latest updates!

Here is the front of the house! They will be pouring the driveway/sidewalk this week or next and landscaping is not far behind!

Here is the stained cabinets, granite, back splash, sink-of course and you can see the rock fireplace and stained ceiling beams as well!

This is standing on the back porch staring into the kitchen. This just shows the tile color choice and my brother's converse :). We will have carpet in the bedrooms, this tile is in the entrance, kitchen, dining room, and hallway.

This is not the best shot, but this is part of our bathroom, tile shower, jacuzzi tub, and porcelin sinks/vanity.

This is a shot of the other bathroom, Cooper's bathroom. Very simple. Tub, toilet, small cabinet and sink.

I could show you more photos but it is hard to enjoy looking at empty rooms that are painted normal colors. Boring!

That's all for now!

11 Months (tear)

2011-06-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

Cooper Jackson Gray...How in the world has 11 months of your life flown right by my eyes?! Well it really hasn't...I have treasured each moment of these last 11 months. I truly am blessed with a perfect little boy and here is how you are doing one month before your 1st Birthday!

You weigh around 24 lbs and are about 30 inches tall. You are a healthy boy and you can tell that by taking one glimpse of you! I always hear "he is a big boy"! You are so tall that your weight is proportionate to your body. You do not miss meals however you have become a tad bit picky. When you are finished with or tired of a certain food you will swat your hand telling us no more! You know what you like and don't like and that just fits right along with your little personality! You only need formula 2-3 times a day and we are still working on transitioning from bottle to sippy cup. I don't even attempt to feed you jarred baby food any more. I do not like opening it and then wasting it when you push it away after 5 bites. You love fresh fruits and we can feed you pretty much anything when we are out at dinner. Things like grilled cheese, potatoes, small bites of chicken, smooshed vegetables etc.

You sleep in your bed and sometimes you end up in bed with mom and dad. It just depends on the kind of night we have. Whatever we can do to get the most sleep! You normally go down about 8:30 and wake up once in the middle of the night (somewhere between 2-5am) and then you are up around 7. You are taking two naps. One around 10 and the other around 2 or 3. I cannot wait to pick up on your nap schedule for the summer! Yay! I am officially on summer break and now I can be with you day in and day out for 2 and 1/2 months! Pure happiness!

You are wearing size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes.

You are now walking! Not always do you choose this method to transport yourself, however you are doing it! I don't blame you, you are a much faster crawler! It never gets old watching you walk. I smile and cheer you on like the goofy soccer mom every time I see you walk! I am so proud of my babe!

You LOVE to get into the swimming pool! We are going to have a fabulous summer in and out of the water!

Lookin' just like daddy! I love my sweet boys!

You personality gets CUTER and CUTER every single day! I am not kidding! You are such a joy and it radiates from your sweet little body! I cannot count the number of compliments you receive when we are out in public! People always say (other than he is a big boy) he is such a happy lil guy isn't he?! YES he is! You only get cranky when you are really sleep or sick. Occasionally you will have an off day, but the majority of the time you are ALL SMILES! You were fussy when you were a baby but I haven't seen that side of you in months and boy am I glad!

In just a few short weeks you will be 1 and it is bittersweet! I totally enjoy this age much more than the baby stage, but of course I miss the itty bitty you. Yes you were little at one time, long but little. Your first birthday party is going to be awesome! I have had so much-too much fun preparing for your special day! In just a few weeks I will share your last monthly update of your first year and show off your way cute invitation that Jenn made!

You make me so happy to be your mommy, I look at you each day and wonder how I can love you SO much that it hurts!

My lil Pirate!

2011-05-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

This has been a year of pirates! Cooper's nursery was (and will be again) decked out in everything pirate! I even decided to make his first birthday a pirate themed party! I have been loading up on a ridiculous amount of stuff for his very first birthday celebration! Don't judge, I know it is a bit much, but is SO fun and it is easy to get caught up in! Hey- he only turns one once!

I am putting a picture of Captain Cooper on his birthday invites and I just wanted one cute snapshot of him, that should be easy right?!!...NOT! I should have known that my wiggly, busy boy would not sit still for me to snag even one picture of him. I tried 3 different times on Sunday, in 3 different outfits! You should have seen me dancing around, singing and calling out his name to get his attention! It was quite a scene! Finally I got smart and asked for help! My mom and Josh helped me get his attention for 10 seconds so that I could snap a picture. Go figure that the cutest one I get he is wearing a pirate hat! How cliche! Oh well, if we are going to do everything pirate than how appropriate! Look at this sweet face! Ahoy Maties!

He didn't realize the hat was still on! Captain Cooper at work!

Oh and... how neat that Pirates of the Carribean 4 just came out in theaters!

Interior

2011-05-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

Here are the last pictures I took of the house. These were taken a week ago and since then the tile has been laid, cabinets have been stained and the walls have a coat of paint on them. Wow! Things are happening so fast and I CANNOT WAIT to move into this house! The update in these pictures is the wood work-the wood beams, trim, crown molding, closet shelves and our fabulous kitchen cabinets. The cabinets were done by Kirk, a very close family friend. They look awesome!

This picture does not do my closet justice. I had to include a picture because the shelves are SUPER exciting to me! I have plenty of room for handbags, belts, hats, etc!! There are 3 different levels to hang clothes, the top row is to switch out my seasonal clothes. It thrills me that I won't have to pack up the off season clothes in the attic, I can just pop them up on the highest rack!

We should find out very soon how much is left and when we can expect to close and move in. I am thinking 4-6 weeks, maybe less. What's left you ask... finish up paint, counter tops, carpet, brick/stone fire place, lighting, appliances, paint doors, put in the front door, lay driveway, and I am sure there are a few other things that I can't think of right now. All I know is that I am getting very anxious!

When it is finally time to move in it will be bittersweet! I will miss having my mom, dad and mother in law around all the time. We normally cook out 1-2 nights a week and we are always hanging out together. Also my brother, sis in law and nephew spend a lot of time at mom and dad's too...it feels a bit like Grand Central Station and I love it! It has been fun to live back at home! I will miss the home cooked meals, (I will cook but it won't be the same), early morning chats on the back porch and my mom rocking Cooper to sleep every night. Don't get me wrong I am tired of living in a one room apartment with a baby, having a cabinet for a closet and not having a washer and dryer of our own just to mention a few things. I do have to say that we have been living here since February and 4 months have just flown by! It won't be long now!

Exterior

2011-05-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Guess what?! We now have brick/stone on the house!! I am relieved that the brick sample we chose at the design center in March, looks great on the house! It was so scary to make that big of a decision just by looking at a pallet of brick colors. The name of the brick is Fall Creek and I think it is the perfect combo of colors! The brick and stone are a great match! Take a look...

Here is a close up of the rock and brick together. Love it!

A view of the brick without the glare of the sun!

Stay tuned for the update on the interior of the house!

10 Months

2011-05-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

So I am a little late on posting Cooper's 10 month update.

Here is what my little sweetheart is doing now...

Cooper at 1o months you are 30 inches tall and 23lbs. 11 oz. Daddy had to take you to the Dr. because you have been sick with an upper respiratory infection and another ear infection so they gave us your stats. You are very tall and your weight is proportionate to your height. You are still one healthy little guy and for that we are very thankful!

You are sleeping pretty darn well! We put you down at 8:30 and you usually wake up one time during the night, only to get a drink and go back to sleep! I am hoping that you sleep like this or even all night when we move to our new house!

You are still on formula and take a bottle 2-3 times a day. You have several different sippy cups that you like, but in the next couple months we are going to really encourage them instead of a bottle, so that maybe we can ween you around your first birthday. You are not a huge fan of baby food, you much rather prefer the real stuff, so we don't push it. You eat mashed up table food and of course the Gerber Graduate snacks! You really like water and you enjoy apple juice too!

You now have 4 teeth! Your top two front teeth have finally poked through and you look so cute when you show us your pearly whites!

You are the happiest baby boy I have ever seen and a little nosey too, I admit you come by that honestly! We cannot go somewhere without you trying to get the attention of the person in front of, behind or beside us. You cock your little head to the side and give off the BIGGEST grin! Everyone compliments you on your beautiful blue eyes and your sweet demeanor!

You are still not saying dadada or mamama repeatedly. We may hear it here and there but it is not consistent. That being said you are a babbler. I love turning the radio down in the car and just listening to you "talk"!

You are such a fast crawler and you pull up on just about everything! You love to stand up and walk between furniture. You are not walking just yet. You can stand on your own, but then fall down when no one or nothing is there for you to hold on to. We have seen you take a step and are sure you will be walking in the next month or two. No hurry, however I think it will be easier to chase a walking you rather than a crawling you. Atleast I will be able to put you down more places, and walk alongside you.

You have now begun to "dance" when you hear music. You bounce up and down and the look on your face is so serious as if you are really concentrating on your dance moves. Ha!

You absolutely LOVE staying with Natalie and Annette! Every morning that Annette picks you up or I drop you off with Nat, you just smile and head for their arms! It makes leaving you so much easier knowing that you are truly loved! You also love your cousin Hadley! He is with you 4 out of 5 days a week and you two play so well together. He takes care of his lil cuz and is so careful with you. He has also taught you to have some patience, I said some, you realize that when you are with him that you are not the only child. This will help tremendously when you have a lil brother or sister, not in the near future, just to clarify!

You are a little lover! Lately you have been laying your head down on our shoulders and we say awwww, and you just snug and smile. It melts my heart, let me tell you! I love my 'lil mama's boy!

I thank my lucky stars that you are my son! I can't even begin to describe how deep my love is for you, it grows each day! Thank you for making me a mommy! I love you Cooper Jackson!

My sweet boys!

2011-05-01T20:44:00.001-07:00

They make my heart melt! I am so thankful for a wonderful husband and a beautiful baby boy! This was such a sweet picture of my boys cuddling in their white shirts! I am a very blessed mama who is in LOVE with my boys!

A walk through of our future home!

2011-05-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

Our new home is coming right along! Josh and I have been closely following the progress and we are so happy with the way everything is going! Maverick Homes began building our house 30 days ago and it has POPPED UP right before our eyes! When they say they are going to do something it is either done on or before the scheduled date. We are so blessed to be working with such an incredible builder who is doing an excellent job on our home! Here is where we are at with the house as of today...

The front of the house...if the weather cooperates it will be bricked this week!

View of the front door from the living room. There is a small hall closet on the left. Cooper's playroom is on the right, to the left is the hallway which leads to a bathroom, a study, Cooper's room and a spare bedroom.

This is a view of the living room and entry way from the dining room. The fire place is in the back left corner, the kitchen is on the right and directly to the left is the back door to the patio.

This is the opposite view of the living room/dining room from the hallway.

This is the dining room and just to the left of this picture is the bar and kitchen. The door to the master bedroom is in between the kitchen and dining room. That is the back door on the right.

This is the kitchen area, Cooper's playroom is past the kitchen to the left and the laundry room and garage are straight back to the right.

This is one side of the master bedroom!

This is the other view of the master bedroom!

Here are Cooper and Josh checking out Coop's room! Our lil guy loves his new room and cannot wait to play in it!

We are so blessed to be able to build this house and we could not be more excited about it! I can't wait to see the finished product! We are thinking about 6 more weeks and it should be very close to, if not completely done.

This time last year!

2011-04-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

My my how so much can change in a year! I was looking through my picture library and this picture of me is one of the first pics that pops up. I stare at it when I load new pictures and I cannot get over the fact that this time last year I looked like this...

I was around 30 weeks pregnant! Wow! Now I have a precious blue eyed baby boy who is about to turn ONE! My friend and coworker Hannah said... "Why is it that when I want time to stand still, it doesn't and when I want it to hurry, it doesn't do that either?!"

When I was pregnant I wanted time to speed up so that we could meet our baby boy! Now that he is here and growing right before our eyes I want it to stand still because our special little moments are escaping too quickly!

I totally do not miss peeing 89 times in the middle of the night or the awful way I felt when I smelled creamy foods at dinner time for 14 weeks. BUT, I do miss; being pregnant, the tiny flutters of my first child bouncing around my tummy, getting excited about doctor appointments to get an update, the connection I felt being with child, the kind words from family and friends telling me how cute I looked pregnant. I do not like being in the spot light but I will never forget how many compliments I received while I was pregnant! It was such a wonderful feeling! I am not writing this because I have baby fever... I do want another baby, however now is not the time! I would like Cooper to be around 3 or so before we have baby #2. I just couldn't help but to reminisce when I saw this picture.

On a side note...I also miss my blonde hair! I go back and forth on hair color because my hair is really very dark! I wouldn't be surprised if I go back blonde even though my roots show in 4 weeks...ugh! Never ending battle I guess!

Cooper's First Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday The Borg family invited us to their annual Easter Egg hunt at a local Ft. Worth park and Cooper had a blast! We ate lunch, dyed Easter eggs, hunted Easter eggs and even had a visit from the Easter Bunny! After all that the plan was to ride the train! Cooper however had another idea...a nap! He was pooped and we had to leave early, but we had such a good time with good friends!

Cooper started off the afternoon by swinging in the park!

Family picture...our first Easter as a family of 3!
Cooper didn't mind the Easter Bunny at all, in fact he was quite intrigued by him!
The loot! I would say Cooper did very well for his very first Easter egg hunt!

Legoland Field Trip

2011-04-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

This year for the second grade field trip we took the kiddos to Legoland Discovery Center, a traveling exhibit currently at Grapevine Mills Mall. The attraction will stay put until the end of the year but we were lucky enough to be some of the first visitors as it only opened 2 weeks before we went. Such a neat place to take a field trip! The kids were pumped as soon as they set eyes on the entrance. It was a whirlwind of fun until we left 3 hours later. This is what they had to offer... 2 rides in Kingdom Quest, karaoke and girly leggos in the Princess Parlor, Lego Studios 4D cinema, Lego Racers Build and Test Zone, Lego City Play Zone, Lego Factory, Cafe and of course a Lego Gift Shop! The coolest part of Legoland for me was Miniland! Miniland is a mini city of Dallas/Fort Worth built entirely out of Leggos! They featured The Greatwolf Lodge, DFW Airport, some popular buildings from the Dallas skyline, Cowboys Stadium, The Ballpark in Arlington and the Fort Worth Stockyards only to name a few out of this amazing exhibit! Miniland went from day to night, the entire room went from light to dark and then the city lit up and fireworks were beaming from the walls. It was as if we were in an Omni theater with all the special effects. If you are in the Grapevine area and you have kids, you must check out Legoland this summer! Check out some of my photos.

Family time at the park

2011-04-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today Josh and I took Cooper to a park in Ft. Worth to "play", soak up the sun and to enjoy the day as a family. We took a short walk before trying out the playground equipment. Coop was sleeping in the car on the way there and he needed some time to warm up if you will. First we tried to put him in a swing. He cried and even pouted his bottom lip, so we lifted him out and tried the merry go round with daddy. This was a great way to get him to wake up. It didn't take but a few seconds and he was smiling from ear to ear. He sat all by himself, beside Josh of course and went round and round while he giggled. In the midst of the failed first swing ride, a kid had bent down and had stuck his fingers in throw up. O.M.G. It was disgusting. His mom said what is that and immediately looked down to see the vomit on the playground. It was not her sons which makes this even more disgusting! Josh and I just stared and gagged as we saw what could happen to us in our near future. The nasty things kids do!

After that Cooper was ready to play on other equipment. He slid down the slide with mommy and even rode on a green frog teeter totter type thing. He started bouncing up and down on the frog like a bull rider (yes Josh was proud). He also flirted with a little girl who was a year or so his elder. We even revisited the swing and he loved it!! Let's just say he enjoyed his first trip to the park. Here are some sweet pictures of us and our baby boy at the park.

A firm foundation...

2011-04-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

I am a member of Burleson Church of Christ and have been for my whole life. Also my mom has been a member for her entire life, my grandma and great grandma as well and on and on. This is such a wonderful family tradition for generations to follow in the same religious footsteps as those set before them.

Our church is currently building a brand new building to accomodate our growing family. At church a few Sunday's ago our preacher Karl focused on how important it is to have a good, strong foundation. Obviously he was preaching about a spiritual foundation, however he kept making references to the building of our new church. He explained the obvious- a foundation is the lowest part of a building, on which it rests. Just like with the physical building process of a home, church, building etc. if your love of God, family is built strong from the bottom up it is prepared to withstand the strongest of storms.

This was a great lesson and it applies to me in my personal life right now. Josh and I are a new family of 3 and we are building our very own home. We are so excited and proud to have a new home being built. Our foundation has been poured and all the framing has been done. This process is symbolic for us. We want to continue being a family who serves the lord in a house with a firm foundation.

Luke 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

Toy Story 3 on Ice

2011-04-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

My sweet little boy in his Woody pajamas, a few days away from going to see Toy Story 3 on Ice! My Aunt Jackie said he looks more like Big Tex in this picture and I think she's right :) Whichever it is Coop says... "Howdy"!

Back in January my mom purchased tickets for her, Amorey, Hadley, Cooper and I to go see Toy Story 3 on Ice at the AAC. She randomly got an email with the info to buy tickets and she jumped on the offer! We sat on row F on the ice level! We had awesome seats, if we hadn't there would have been NO way that we could have stayed until the end like we did. The boys did not have seats of there own of course and had to sit still HA!, I mean sit in our laps. We were so close that they both could actually see all the characters and the bright colors of their costumes. We all really enjoyed the performance and the boys were very good!

Buzz...my dad has called him this since birth. Hahahaha! Look at Hadley's shirt...snacks were necessary during the 2+ hours show. He had orange juice all over himself, yes we peeled oranges during the performance! You could smell citrus for a mile away. Whatever it takes!

I had no idea

2011-03-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Cooper,

I cannot believe that you are 9 months old, just about the same number of months it took me to "cook" you! I am sad to think that this time last year I was getting so excited about being a mother! I had NO idea what your first days of life would be like, nor how you would arrive (c-section it was). I had no idea that a wiff of your baby breath or the softest touch of your skin would bring sweet tears to my eyes. I also did not really know how time consuming you would be. You have been VERY demanding since the day you were born. You have never been the baby that will nap for hours on end and I still await the day I get a REAL NAP! I was told "sleep when the baby sleeps"...well when exactly was that? You slept better at night than you did during the day...not bad at all just not normal for infants. You have also been a screamer from the get go. You did not have colic, just an attitude. I would have never guessed that your father and I who are so laid back would produce such a high maintenence baby. I had no idea that you would be SO incredibly happy! I sound like I am confused because in one breath I say that you are a screamer and high maintenence and the next I say you are happy. Which is it you say?! Well here's the deal...when you are happy you are SO happy! Your smile can light up the room and you know how to flirt and work your beautiful blue eyes. When you are mad I swear the earth shakes. You are both physically strong and strong willed! You are able to scream, cry, throw your head back and all that because we tell you "no" or because you didn't get your way. I am completely telling the truth. I have taped one of your fits as proof. I love how you are saying "dadadada" all the time now and occasionally you will slip in a "mmmmmomma".

I had no idea that such average parents could have such an above average child. At 9 months you are still way above average for your height, 29 1/2 in. (80%) and you weigh 21 lbs 4 oz (60%). You love snack food and most of the time could care less about baby food. You are eating/drinking around 4 bottles a day and you love water and apple juice. You are wearing size 3 diapers and are in 9-12 month clothes. Some pj's are 12-18 months because you are so long! You still only have 2 pearly whites. I am shocked that you do not have a mouth full. You are able to pick up snacks and successfully put them in your mouth. You are finally getting some hair! There is enough to 'mess up' and you even have bed head when you wake up! It is very light brown and looks blonde at some angles. You are crawling ALL over the place, standing up/pulling up on furniture and sometimes you are brave enough to let go before you fall to your diaper padded hiney. I am sure that your brave self will be walking soon (yikes)! You are quite a talented 'lil drummer! You are able to drum both of your hands on things such as the high chair, table, coffee table, your crib etc. with such rythm.

I had no idea that time would fly right on by without a moment's pause. Just the other day in the car I was asking your daddy what he remembered about your birth and we were talking about how he/we felt at the exact moment you were born. Of course your daddy remembered every little detail. We both just stopped and thought about how much has changed and how much we have learned in these last nine months. Most importantly I had NO idea that I could really feel SO deeply for you and be SO in love with you. Everyone says "you don't know love until you are a mother" and my oh my is that such a true statement! I couldn't have even guessed until I became your mother. What a precious gift from God you are Cooper! Your mommy and daddy are SO SO blessed and in good times or bad (fits) we wouldn't trade you for anything!

All my love,

Mom

151 Trifecta Lane

2011-03-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

I know this piece of land doesn't look like much to you, but I am picturing our future home right here on Lot 12 Block 5 of the Legacy Pointe addition in Aledo (Benbrook address). The last few weeks we have been super busy with appointments to 'create' our new custom home. We have made several trips to the Design Center a.ka. Reflections in Arlington, Texas Lighting in Weatherford, and Texas appliance in Arlington and of course meetings with Maverick Homes. MANY hours have been spent picking out EVERYTHING down to the smallest details, such as brick, tile, faucets, carpet, cabinet stain, arches for cabinets, drain spouts, front door, paint colors, grout color and the list goes on and on and ON! These are very very important decisions! Maverick Homes is actually building our very own house from the ground up based on our choices...YIKES! What pressure! Don't get me wrong it has been the FUNNEST thing ever, but it is so hard picturing what all this is going to look like all together.

Tonight we met with Maverick Homes to finalize all of our decisions before they actually begin building our house. We spent two hours picking apart all of the plans and making sure all the choices we made are exactly what we want! We have tweaked and added things here and there and I can now say that all things are a GO! The lot has already been staked, the forms have been set and the plumbing has been roughed out. Weather permitting we will have the slab poured Tuesday and framing will begin at the end of next week. This huge project sounds like it is moving very fast and it is! They told us 93 days (weather permitting of course) starting now until it is finished. So roughly we are looking at July to move in. We have been so very pleased with the service we have received and we cannot wait to see and live in our new home! I will try and keep up with what's going on. Stay tuned for the progress!

Check out Maverick Homes at Maverickhomes.net

This is our temporary home

2011-03-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

Here it is people, our house for the next 5-6 months! I am totally not complaining free rent, no mortgage or monthly bills, how fabulous is that?!! This little cozy love shack is in the backyard of my parent's house! We can walk 15 feet to the back door to enjoy a home cooked meal (even though there is a kitchen in our place) or to pass off Cooper to his Nana at 7am on Saturday mornings when he would rather play than sleep! Not to mention that we have a beautiful in ground pool right outside our front door! We will most definitely be living pool side this summer (ha! no pun intended!) Who could ask for more?!

Standing in Cooper's corner...looking at the kitchen, couch-living room and our bedroom lol! There is my hubby Josh and our sick little guy.
Here I am standing in the kitchen, showing you the other view of the house...Cooper's corner and the living room-bedroom! The bathroom is just over to the left out of sight of the camera and the door to the outside is over there too. The whole place is captured in two pictures! It is what we are calling home until our new home is built!

8 months

2011-03-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

Well I guess technically you are not 8 months because we did not have a 29th day in February. But I know that that fact alone will not slow down your growth process. Darnit! You are the light of our lives and we are shocked at how smart you are!

At 8 months you are crawling EVERYWHERE! When we were encouraging you to crawl we did not realize you would learn so quickly. You began crawling around the second week of February and not only are you crawling you are also pulling up on things and standing in your crib. It all happened so fast! You are beginning to look like a little boy and less like a baby. You are still an excellent eater and that makes for a healthy growing boy! You are eating Goodstart formula every 4-6 hrs and you eat and love baby food. You are also eating small snack foods in very, very small bits. We have tried things like goldfish, cheerios and you love the Gerber Graduate yogurt melts and the apple cinnamon puffs. You weigh around 22 lbs right now and are wearing 6-9 and 6-12 month clothes. You are now able to clap your hands and can clap when we sing patty cake to you! So smart! Your favorite show is still Wheel of Fortune and it cracks us up when you turn your head to watch it! Maybe one day you can go on your favorite game show and win lots of money!

You reached the 22lb weight limit with the infant carrier and we upgraded you to a bigger boy carseat! You are a growing boy!

You are still adjusting to our new lifestyle, your dad and I are too. We moved out of our first home and are currently living in the pool house, in my mom and dad's backyard. We will be living in tight quarters until our new house is built! I was so sad that we had to leave the house that we brought you home to, but I know we will be in our new home very soon, it is looking like it will be sometime in July!!

You are a very happy little guy and attract many people with your sweet smile! On the flip side you still have a temper and I can only imagine what it will be like as you get older.

I am sure that you are teething again but you currently have 2 bottom teeth. We are just waiting for a couple more to break through the surface.

Your sleep habits have been inconsistent lately. I think there are a few reasons why...you are probably teething again, you can see us when you stand in your crib and you would much rather be with us, you are sick. You have officially broken your healthy spell and have come down with a double ear infection, yucky chest- head cold and have been running fever, sleeping constantly, and you have been uncomfortable and achy. We are taking good care of you and are working to get you back to your happy, healthy state! We are so lucky to have you as our son. We thank the good lord for you every day and count our blessings because you are special! We love you Cooper Jackson!

What a day!

2011-02-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

It started off just grand at 12:45 am, when Cooper woke up SCREEEEEAMING, and again at 3:45 and AGAIN at 6:45! Wow...my poor baby is definitely teething. He is repeating all the signs that he had right before he got his first two teeth...not eating, not sleeping, fussy to the point of being angry. Normally he is cool chillin by himself, smiles a lot and is loving towards most people, but right now the slightest move can break his heart. I feel so sorry for him. Needless to say our night was sleepless.

Then today I saw one of my student's moms in the car line after school and she said..." Are you having a hard time with my daughter?" I said not really we are just having a hard time with her listening skills lately. She proceeds to tell me yeah Lexi said "Mrs. Gray used to be nice and now she's not" HA! As much as I was like, good, I want to be "tough" my heart broke a little bit. I really have been on edge with my kiddos lately and I need to take a step back and CHILL! It is so easy to get wrapped up in the school part and I really need to give my kids some love!! They need it more than I probably know.

Oh and about the car line at school...I was the one in charge of calling out all the names of our car riders today. This should not be a big task, however this is something that I have never done before. There are normally a couple people that do this and they do it very well. It was so nerve wracking to keep up the pace and pronounce all the names somewhat correctly.

The day continues...Just as I get home, (and I say that loosely now) to rest before having to return to school for Dual Language night, I get a call from Amorey telling me her car is not starting and she is stuck at Target. So I jump in the car and rush to help Amorey, when I get a call from my neighbor telling me she had my dog. Ellie had some how snuck out of the backyard but was luckily found and rescued. I am so thankful, because my dog is my stand in daughter and I would DIE if anything happened to her. Thanks Regan and Teri! Needless to say I did not make it back to school.

Sheeesh! It has not been a bad day just weird. I am so thankful that I can take a step back and look at this day and learn that I need to give my kids a little more precious attention. Also the lord was watching out for my dog. She is a runner and could have easily ran off and been gone forever. (Her collar was not on... Yikes!) I will say my prayers tonight and hope that I get some sleep. I will start over tomorrow, hoping for a better day!

Have you had a weird day lately?

Much love,

Bronwyn

Goodbye 904 Vicksburg Lane

2011-02-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

We are almost all moved out of our very first home. The whole thing moved VERY fast! We had a realtor come to our house so that we could sign a listing agreement on a Thursday night and the following day she brought us a buyer! WOW! It was unbelievable! Sure enough he had been pre-approved and was serious about wanting our house. This all happened less than a month ago and we are closing at the end of this week. I am so thankful that we were able to sell that fast, however I wasn't expecting to have to leave our very first home so soon!!

Where are we going to live you ask...well we opted to live at my parents house, no not with my parents. We have moved into a 600 square foot "room" with a small kitchen and bathroom, we call it the pool house, it has also been referred to as the love shack! Ha! I use the word room because it is one big open room. It is behind my parent's house, technically it is in the backyard. It is like a small to med size one bedroom apartment. We have all we need...our bed, part of our sectional couch (not enough room for the entire thing), t.v. cabinet, dresser, Cooper's crib, changing table and armoir. It is also equipped with a complete kitchen-fridge, dishwasher, oven and a shower in the bathroom. I do have to say our set up is quite cozy. I guess it better be, we will be living here for the next 4-6 months. We are living here to save money so that we can build a house. We will not have a mortgage payment, rent or any bills associated with having a house, this will allow us to save, save, save!! What a blessing! We were hoping this would happen, but now that it has I have been a bit emotional. Emotional because...packing/moving is stressful, I haven't had much time in the last week with Cooper due to all the packing, going from a 1500 sq. foot house to a 600 sq. foot room, and knowing that our lives are going to be turned upside down for the next several months.

I loved our first little home! I will always remember... bringing Cooper home for the first time, his infant photo shoot, feeling safe at night by myself, Josh and the next door neighbor competing for the "best" yard, Barry and Candy our favorite neighbors, Ellie frolicking in the backyard...the memories go on and on and I will never forget. I know we will go on to make many many more memories as a family in our new home. I will post progress on our new home as soon as things begin!

When I am able to find my camera cord somewhere in all the mess I will post pictures of our love shack!

Much Love,

Bronwyn

The halfway point of my first year

2011-02-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

Haha! One shot with an attitude!
He will definitely be his mama's lil Valentine!
On a better note!
Sweet cowboy in between daddy's boots
Family of three!
Some big boots to fill!
My little precious one!
He has stolen our hearts!

Does that make me crazy?

2011-02-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

I am a fan of the Kidd Kraddick in the morning show! I have been listening to KKITM since I was in elementary school. I still listen to the show (religiously) while getting ready in the morning and of course on my way to work. That one hour out of my day is very important, it is my morning cup of coffee, the thing that gets me going! Some of my favorite bits that they do include Love Letters to Kellie, calls from Kinsey, Get over it and Does that make me crazy! I have never called in to the show to admit my "does that make me crazy moments" however I always think about what I would say if I were to call in. So I thought it would be fun to share some things that I think make me crazy or what others would say is just plain OCD. Ha!

* I do not like or want my pillow to ever touch the floor. My pillow is sacred!
* I love to sleep all tucked in, the sheets have to be perfectly tucked in at the end of the bed.
* Often while brushing my teeth I will do squats to pass the time.
* I cannot stand for my horseshoe table in my classroom to be out of sorts! Neat little piles are a must and nothing can be out of place. Sounds almost impossible in a second grade classroom, but it's not!
* My closet is super organized, by season, dresses, t-shirts, work clothes, pants, jeans, extra hangers etc., a lil ridiculous!
* I do not like to check my bank account, I will check it sometimes, not sure why I don't like looking? It's not like there isn't any in there.
* I have a texture issue, some textures make my skin crawl-sand paper would be a good example.
* I will not walk around bare foot very often...I hate dirty feet.
* I almost forgot to list the thing that makes ME the most crazy...I hate middle of the road hotel rooms. I watch way too many drug, murder, crime shows and I am convinced that every single hotel room has been tainted in SOME way. It grosses me out to think who has been there and WHAT they have done. I will NOT use the comforter in the room...only the sheets or bring my own blanket. I do not walk bare foot on the floor...also beware of the t.v. remote...the dirtiest thing in the room. Hahaha my family loves to make fun of me for this one!

I am positive I could think of more, but I will stop there before I seem like a complete weirdo!

I know we all have a little bit of crazy in us! What makes you crazy?

Sneak peek

2011-02-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Matlock is such an amazing photographer!! She did our maternity session and Cooper's newborn pictures and we were absolutely in love with her work! I wanted her to get some of Cooper at 6 months (actually 7) and of course a few family shots as well. I cannot share them all just yet, but here is a sneak peak!

7 months old

2011-02-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

What a sweet little guy you are! Even though I don't think it is possible, I LOVE you more and MORE each day!! You are now 7 months old and you are keeping your mom and dad busy with a capital B! I will begin by saying that you love to watch Wheel of Fortune! Ha! It is so funny to watch you smile and stare at the TV as if you are in a trance! Something about the color and the ding the letters make when Vanna turns them over just pulls you in! You are not like that with any other show, Hilarious!

You weigh 20 pounds and 6 oz, and are somewhere between 28-30 in tall. We do know that you are just about as tall as your cousin Hadley who is 10 months older than you. Your weight is still proportionate to your height, but that said you are a big boy! You are still wearing size 3 diapers and miraculously you are wearing some 6 month onesies but mostly 6-9 month and 6-12 month clothes! Right now you are being picky and do not like the baby food that you liked just a week ago. All you care for right now is applesauce and nothing else is getting in to your buttoned lips. It is so cute when you turn your head and let us know that you are NOT eating the food. You are slowing down on your formula feedings and are eating 6 oz every 4-5 hours. You are finally back to sleeping at night, HALLELUJAH!!! You are also sleeping in your own bed every night! For the last 3 weeks you have been sleeping anywhere from 8-14 hours a night, WOW what a quick turn around!

Just last night I was letting you gum down on my finger and I felt your first little tooth poking through!! You have one of your front bottom teeth! I am sure many more will follow now that you have officially begun teething.

You are still not crawling, but that doesn't stop you from getting where you need to go. You are v-e-r-y close!! You have begun to hike up one leg but just can't get going...your daddy has even tried to show you what to do :) We will just wait until you are ready.

You are very busy and grab at everything within your reach!! You are still a jumper! The bouncer should be worn out by now with all the daily abuse that you give it!

You went to your first sunday school class and you loved learning about Jesus and "reading" your Bible. It is so important that you are raised in a family of faith and know the word of God. We will be dedicating you to the church in the next few weeks and I could not be more proud to raise you with such a wonderful church family. The same one that has helped raise me all my life!

Your dad and I are so so blessed to have one healthy, active, precious little boy! We thank God for you every single day and we do not take one second of our amazing life for granted!

No Not Me...

2011-02-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

>I did not let my 7 month old son lick, slobber, drool and gum down on a rib bone. Oh wait I did...well sort of. My aunt Jackie is the one to point the finger at!! We were at Cousins BBQ last Friday night with the fam and since my child looks like he is 2 (when he is just over half a year old) we went ahead and gave him "man" food! At first I was like OMG, he is going to have an upset tummy!! But I calmed down and let him relish in the moment! He did not have a stomach ache, thank goodness and well lets just say he LOVED him some rib juice! Take a look at the mess for yourself!!

I am so over Winter!

2011-01-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

I am one who loves the change from summer to fall and then from fall to winter...however this year I wish winter would GO AWAY! I come home from work around 5:00 and bundle up in sweat pants, socks, a sweat shirt and a blanket too! I hate how I am ready for bed at 8 o'clock! As soon as I put Cooper down, I begin nodding off and I can't bring myself to do one more thing around the house. I am tired of being useless during the week! I want to be able to go outside, take Cooper and Ellie for walks and get back into a walking/running workout routine! We used to have a sign hanging on the front door that said "Welcome Winter", I sure did take the sign down in hopes that winter will get the hint! ;)

Sunday Sweetheart!

2011-01-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

My mom (nana) took Cooper to his first class at church this morning. I would have taken him, but this mama took advantage of some MUCH needed sleep! He looked adorable in his khakis, baby Gap shirt and jean jacket! He was really good and he told me he can't wait to go back next Sunday! Oh and by the way he is saying mamamama now!

Cooper used to sleep at night...now not so much!

2011-01-13T17:25:00.000-08:00

Cooper has been a quirky child right from the get go! He has NEVER slept like a newborn. That is both a good and bad thing. The first night in the hospital I should have known that I was in for a ride with CJ! We sent him to the nursery night one so that we could try to sleep and also because I was in and out from the mag drip...YUCK!! I faintly remember the nursery bringing him to me saying"I think he is hungry". They would leave him with me to feed and we would send him back. Josh would bearly get settled on his chair bed...lol and the nursery was BACK AGAIN! Oh brother! They discharged us just a few days later on July 1 and from that day until around Thanksgiving Cooper has been sleeping pretty good at night. Pretty good means 5-7 hours in between feedings. Cooper has also never been a napper...pretty bizarre for an infant. He takes maybe 2 cat naps a day, and occasionally he will take a 1-2 hour nap. I stopped breast feeding when he was 5 months and right around the time I stopped he has NOT been sleeping at night. I guess the magic was in mama's milk and I would give anything to have some more right now!

Right about the end of November Cooper has been...well a pain in my @$# at night! I love him like crazy but the fits that he throws are absolutely the worst thing to wake up to at 12 am, 3 am and 6 am! The squeal/scream is SOOOOOOOO loud, and to make it even worse he throws his head back and scoots his body up to the top of the bed! It is BAD people!! We feed him a bottle and he falls back asleep before he can even finish it. Then 3 hours later....repeat above! I thought he was doing so good, and now Josh and I are walking zombies at night. You would think the older he got, the better he would sleep.

We make sure to get his tummy full with a bit of oatmeal mixed with formula before bed and he is eating solid food 2-3 times a day. My hungry man is well fed and he is an excellent eater!!

At first I thought it was a growth spurt...let's face it we have a lot of those, he is a growing boy! If he is teething...he has no signs of teeth coming in just yet. So we asked his pediatrician what to do and she said...put water in his bottle. If we substitute water for formula in the middle of the night he will realize water is not worth waking up for. It will start to break the habit of waking up to eat all the time.

I would like some suggestions/advice from all you mama's. I know this to shall pass however I wish it would be sooner than later!

Happy half birthday!

2010-12-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

Days turn into weeks then months and now 6 months have passed since the birth of our first born. Cooper Jackson Gray is celebrating his half birthday today. Not that we did anything special, but I sure was glad that I am off on Christmas break so that I could share quality time with him! Josh has been off of work the past two days with an ear ache :(, but we have gotten some very valuable family time.

CJG, at your half a year milestone you are: Sitting up all by yourself! You get a little wobbly, but I would say you are able to do it with little to no help. You are SO close to crawling! You are up on your hands and knees and rocking back and forth. You know the motions you just haven't quite got the hang of it just yet. It won't be long before we will be chasing you all over the house.

You are still a great eater which means you are one healthy little boy.

You are eating 5-6 oz. of Good Start formula every 4-5 hrs. (+ or -). You are a pro at holding your bottle on your own. You are now eating several 1st foods (1-2 times a day)-green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, pears. You like them all however it takes you a few bites to get acquainted with the flavor. You even mock your mama and say mmmmmm! So sweet. I try to get you to say mama since you already have the mmm sound down...lol.

We put you down to bed around 9pm, you wake up to take a bottle around 3am, then you will awake around 7:30 or 8. You have always been a pretty good sleeper at night! For this I am thankful!

You are a jumper in your bouncy chair, sometimes I swear the chair is going to detach itself from the base and you will fly to the ceiling. This is no joke, anyone who has seen you bounce is amazed at your jumping ability!!

You are wearing size 3 diapers and are beginning to sleep in your own bed. Some people may disagree with this but I wanted to make the transition when I was ready. Trust me I do not want to sleep with a kid in my bed forever! The first several months you liked being next to someone and laying you down by yourself was simply not an option, especially if your dad and I wanted any sleep. You are getting used to your crib and you are sleeping quite well in it.

You are such a smiler! You just grin from ear to ear and it melts my heart! You have been rolling all over the place for a month or two but your new thing now is trying to sit up from lying down. You could be getting your diaper changed or just laying on the floor, but you lift up your head and tighten your ab muscles and try as hard as you can to pull yourself up. You are almost there, you are one strong dude.

Each day is more fun than the day before. I love watching you make new discoveries. I am going to try and slow down life for the next six months. Yeah, good luck I know! I will have a 1 year old!

New Year/New Start

2010-12-22T17:29:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have been behind on EVERYTHING since I returned from maternity leave in late August. Having a child is the absolute best thing in this world, however my world has been rocked upside down since having him!! I began this school year, wanting to be a mommy and not a teacher, so I delayed getting things ready at school. I did just enough to get by and I think that was a BIG mistake. I did not want to spend one second away from my new little man and it was a great choice because I will never get those precious moments back. I would never trade time with my son for work, but ever since then I have not been able to get back on my feet. I am currently living one day at a time and that is not going to cut it. I am struggling to get my lesson plans and weekly newsletter done in time. My principal has been so understanding and luckily she isn't checking to see if I have those things completed until Monday night or sometimes later in the week. I would like to get to the point where I am thinking weeks ahead.

Not only is my work life affected but my home life is as well. I have such an amazing husband who is being patient with his wife who before being a mommy had a touch of OCD and was on top of most everything. He packs Cooper's bags, cleans the house, washes bottles, and on and on. Yes I know these are things good dads do but he does it without one single complaint. I am so grateful to him for not giving me a hard time about getting my sh*# together.

It didn't help that I was sick with a stomach bug the weekend of Thanksgiving and the whole first week of December. What a crappy way to begin the holiday season. We were able to get the Christmas tree up, but it took a while to get it decorated (yes it was Josh that decorated the tree). It also didn't help that we have not had a free weekend to shop and do all the things that I enjoy during the holidays (sleep in, bake, watch movies, etc). And my final waa waa moment is...here it is 3 days until Christmas and I JUST got out of school for the break, and to top it off I am not done shopping. No real complaining here, I am thankful for the time off, just a little angry that we are the last district in Texas to begin our Winter break.

So here is my solution...We are just days away from ringing in the new year and I plan to have a (cliche I know) new year's resolution. Everyone needs a list of things that they can do to improve themselves and it could not come at a better time for me. I need a change of pace, a new start and I promise that I will work hard to get my act together. I plan to get an organized start at school, give a balance of energy to work and my boys at home. I want to not feel so utterly exhausted when I get home. I want to really LOVE on Josh and Cooper. And I want to feel like a successful teacher, mother and wife! With all that being said 2010 has been good to my family and I and I hope 2011 brings lots of joy as well! I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy Happy New Year! Blessings to you all!

First family trip to the zoo

2010-12-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

Dad showing me the flamingos!
Lookin just like daddy!
Monkey mama and her baby...so sweet!
What a fun day! Now I am tired!

5 Months old!

2010-12-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

Another month has come and gone and my baby boy is 5 months old. I could blog about other things than just my son, but when would I have time? Ha! I am already a few days late on posting his monthly updates, sometimes it can take up to a week or more. So for now baby news is all you get, but that is what you want I'm sure. This family of three is doing great!

Cooper has been such a blessing to Josh and I and we are SO thankful that he is in our lives!

Cooper Jackson Gray at 5 months you are: Probably between 17-18 pounds and you are so tall, maybe 27 in. or more! Seriously you look like you are 8 or 9 months old. You do not have fat rolls, you are just one stout baby. You are getting a little bit of hair, but for the most part you are still a baldy. Your eyes are still the prettiest blue I have ever seen, just breathtaking! You are wearing size 3 diapers, and are wearing 3-6 months and 6-9 month clothes. You just recently stopped breastfeeding and you are still on Good Start formula. You are also eating rice cereal/oatmeal but only when it is mixed with green beans, carrots, or squash. Those are your first foods and you like them all, so far you are not picky! You have always been a good eater. You are finally beginning to understand how to eat from a spoon. You open your mouth when we say "bite". You LOVE LOVE LOVE to bounce in your bouncer! You are definitely getting your exercise and tend to wear yourself out. You have really good eye hand coordination and most things that you can get your hands on go into your mouth. You are beginning to notice when we leave the room, and you whine for us to come back. You get up on your hands and knees, but you are not crawling yet. You have found your voice and you love to squeal very loudly! You still have a serious temper and you throw your head and arch your back, you let us know that you mean business. You usually do this when you are starving, because we all know your mother and father keep food from you...not! You have begun to try and sit up on your own. You still need just a little support, it won't be long and you will be sitting up all by yourself! You are still a great sleeper! You go down around 9:00 or 9:30 and sleep until 3 or 4 am, take a bottle and go right back to sleep until 8:00 or so.

I take every moment I can to hold you, squeeze you, and kiss you because I know it won't last forever. You melt my heart when you hold me back. We love you son!

Cooper pooper!

2010-11-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

This morning was a normal Sunday morning around the Gray house. Daddy gets Cooper bathed and dressed while mommy gets ready, then we load up for church. I love dressing Coop in the cutest little outfits and of course today was no different. I just had him an adorable little Turkey onesie made with his name on it to celebrate his first Thanksgiving. I decided to have Josh put it on him so he could wear it a few times before Turkey day past. We were running late as usual...I am never on time now that I have a baby. It takes forever to get my act and his together to leave the house. We make it to church only a few minutes late and as soon as I park the car, I hear Cooper in the backseat grunting quite loudly!! Outloud I said, "no not now!!" Apparently it was too late!! I took him out of the carseat and immediately smelled trouble! Sure enough I see a leak on his sweet little khaki pants, so instead of going in to church to change him in the nursery I decide it cannot wait. I open the back of my car and lay him down, take off his pants and OH WOW!! I was greeted with one huge disgusting mess! So much for that sweet turkey onesie, khaki pants and jean jacket. I had to scramble to find some sweatpants that were too big and a white longsleeve onesie that was too short in the arms. It would have to work... I almost loaded up and headed back home. I decided that God would want me to stay even though I was super late and traumatized by all the poop that came from my kid. So we walked in 15-20 minutes late and listened to the wonderful sermon. I guess we will try to wear the Turkey onesie next Sunday!

Trick or Treat

2010-11-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

I ordered Cooper his first Halloween costume, well it was just a hat, from Etsy.com! He was Baby Frankenstein, one adorable little monster if I do say so myself! We went Trick or Treating on Halloween night and it was just enough fun for a 4 month old! Cousin Hadley...Super Baby showed Cooper the ropes!

Mommy and Daddy's little pumpkin!!

2010-11-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

We vistited Mainstay Farms for the first time this past weekend. It was absolutely PERFECT weather to spend the day outside with the family! Cooper was a little fussy when we arrived but as soon as he sucked down his bottle and took a cat nap he was ready to go! We enjoyed a hayride and played in the pumpkin patch! It was a perfect Fall day!

4 Months

2010-10-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy is four months old and he is becoming a smart little boy right before our eyes. At 4 months he weighs 15 pounds 10 ounces and is 26 inches long! That puts him in the 90th percentile for his height and 70th percentile for weight. We have a little giant on our hands! His weight is evenly distributed since he is so long and he still fits in some 0-3 months clothes. His pants are a different story, our gentle giant is wearing 3-6 or 6 month pants/jeans. Cooper, you are eating 4-5 oz. every 3-4 hours during the day, yes you are one hungry boy...that would explain your growth! At night you normally only wake up one time to eat, you love your sleep at night, and momma and daddy love that too! I am still nursing you when I get home, at night and on the weekends and during the day you get breast milk and Good Start Formula. You love them both!! Dr. B said we could begin to give you rice cereal, with a spoon! Only once a day for now and will build up as you get used to it. You are currently wearing size 2 diapers. You love to blow bubbles and "talk" to everyone. You are a squirmer and can move from one side of your crib to the other when you are on your tummy, I bet we have a crawler in the next month or two. When you are in your bouncy chair you jump up and down and squeal and babble! You are one active little guy! You are a paci baby and a thumb sucker and you absolutly LOVE your satin blanky that Aunt Amy got you. It is a MUST have at nap time, you rub it on your face to soothe yourself. Soooo sweet! You are able to sit up while holding on to our hands and would rather stand. You are so aware of your surroundings and you are even trying to hold your own bottle! We call you little Benjamin Button because you seem to be too smart for your age! You had your first major outing to the State Fair of Texas and you were a trooper, considering we were gone ALL day! We are proud parents as we watch you grow! We couldn't imagine life without you! I am sure I will have much more to say about your development in just another month!

My first birthday as a mom!

2010-10-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night we celebrated my 26th birthday by eating at Trail Dust in Arlington. I had such a great time with the family as I usually do, but being a mama this year has made my special day EVEN more special!! I got some really great birthday gifts...a new digital camera, it's a Nikon! I also got some clothes and a Cricut machine, which is SUPER awesome! But I would have to say the best gift of all is having my little Cooper man! My how things change. I spent the whole time at dinner staring at him, thanking God for making me a mama! I adore my baby boy and my husband more than life itself. On Tuesday-my actual birthday Natalie surprised me by bringing Cooper up to school to visit for lunch! It was awesome that I got to hold and love on him during my lunch break! I did not want him to leave! Here is a pic of mommy and Cooper at school!
These are pictures from Trail Dust! My sweet baby boy all dressed up for mama's birthday! He was rockin his polo shirt and jeans!! Adorable!!

3 Months

2010-09-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe my last post was a whole month ago! I have been super busy and have had no time to blog. I have been back at work for 5 weeks now and my second graders have kept me on my toes. I am balancing work and motherhood pretty well now. I cried the morning that I went back to work, of course but the day only got better as I received beautiful pink flowers from Cooper-thanks to my mother and father in law! Then just a week ago I got super emotional while I was watching Cooper sleep at 6 am. I wanted to stay in bed with him all day long and squeeze him tight, instead I sucked it up and got ready for work. I thought that it would get easier to leave him (after I got use to being back in the swing of work) but I think that it has only gotten more difficult. I CANNOT WAIT to walk through the door and hold him in my arms! I am pretty stingy with him at night and on the weekends! I can do that though, he's my baby boy!!

Cooper, at 3 months you are: First and foremost so adorable! You are wearing size two diapers, wearing 0-3 month and 3 month clothes. You are a big boy but still are long and somewhat skinny, some of your 3 mo. clothes are too big. At your last doctor appointment (11 weeks) you weighed 13lbs and 10 oz. You are one healthy baby who has not ever missed a meal! Your weight is in proportion to your height says Dr. Brennan. You love to suck on your hands and we have to keep a pacifier close by. You are still nursing when we are together and I pump while I am at work for you to have when we are apart. You are not a stranger to formula and we may introduce you to rice cereal soon. You are "talking" so much and you have complete

conversations with your eyes and eyebrows, adorable! You recognize mommy and daddy's voices and light up when we talk to you! We love to watch you kick your arms and legs. We laugh and say you are kick starting your motorcycle, dad says you are practicing for when you become a bull rider, mom says we will have to see about that! You can intentionally play with your carseat toys and you are able to rub your eyes when you are sleepy, so cute! It just blows our minds that you are growing up so fast, tear! With that being said we are enjoying all the phases of you and we know that it will only get more fun as time goes by! We love you baby boy...you are a quarter of a year old now! Here you are at 3 months!

Two Months old already!

2010-09-01T18:34:00.001-07:00

Cooper oh my goodness, you are growing so fast! We notice a small change in you every day and it blows our minds that you were inside my tummy just 9 weeks ago!

At two months you are beginning to be able to lay by yourself-my little snuggle bug is gaining some independence! You are so strong! You are able to hold your head up so well and you have right from the start, but man those large hands and long legs are super strong too! You still have quite the temper and I am guessing it will stay around for a while, definitely not a personality trait from your mommy :)! Your daddy and I crack up when you "talk" to the canvas paintings above your changing table...it is hilarious! You coo a lot and my favorite is when you say"gheee", I have to mock you every time I hear it! Your tummy is ticklish and you smile and squirm when we tickle it! You are very impatient at times and I sometimes think your stomach will touch your spine the way you scream when you are hungry! Mommy is not trying to starve you little one! You are still nursing like a champ and do not mind eating from a bottle. You are able to space out your feedings for 4-5 hours, sometimes longer :) I swear you know night time from day time. At night you are a good sleeper until you realize your stomach is empty! Who knows, you may adopt mommies love of sleep just yet! You are wearing size one diapers and are wearing 0-3 month clothes! At six weeks you weighed 11lb 1 oz. and were 22 and 3/4 long. You enjoy tummy time and love to look around! You are the love of our lives and we cannot get enough of you! Thank you for blessing our lives baby boy! You are one unbelievable little guy! Pictures coming soon...sorry for the delay, but if I do not post now he will be three months old!! Gahhhh time is FLYING!!

Boy time, no girls allowed!

2010-08-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Josh is one wonderful daddy and boy does Cooper love him! Josh calls several times a day while he is at work to check on his family and to get an update on Coop. He enjoys giving Cooper his baths, I hardly ever get to because Josh loves it so much. He has nightly chat sessions with him and it is so adorable. He still gets up throughout the night to change diapers and does not gripe. I love listening to him talk to Cooper while he is changing him in the middle of the night. We are both still happy people at 4am, believe it or not! I knew Josh was going to be a good daddy, but he is a fantastic daddy! Cooper and I are so blessed to have such a great man in our lives.

Dear Cooper

2010-08-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

Cooper,

You are almost 2 months old and in just a few days mommy has to go back to work and become a "mommy" to 20 second graders. Don't worry, you will always come first! I am so glad that you were born in the summer so that I could afford to stay home with you for more than 6 weeks. I love our new life with you and I cannot remember what life was like without you. I will miss... feeling like ALL I do throughout the day is nurse you, waking up at 7 am and knowing that we can stay in bed cat napping until 10 or 11, changing 400 diapers during the day-with an occasional 'shower', watching crummy daytime television while holding your sweet little sleeping body and most of all I will miss the special mommy-Cooper bonding time!!! You are growing fast and I know there are so many fun things to come, but I will not be able to bring back the 'little' precious moments we have already shared!!!

Love,

Your mommy

Cooper is one month old!

2010-08-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

I have heard over and over...they grow up fast, so you better savor EVERY moment! I now understand the truth behind that statement! The last month has just flown by...I have a one month old baby boy and summer break is quickly coming to an end. Bummer :( On a happier note- we are so in love with our son and he is quite the addition to our family!

At one month old you are...in control of your head (and have been for weeks now), you are an infant with a temper, during these tempers you arch your back and scream at the top of your lungs, you do not like to sleep during the day...at all...which is strange for a newborn, you are sleeping 3-4 hours at a time each night and our nights are actually pretty easy (for now), you are a growing boy who LOVES to eat...you nurse from mama and sometimes get formula. You do not mind drinking out of a bottle as long as you are getting food...the Tommee Tippee bottles make it easy to go between bottle and breast! You are a champ at nursing :) You are wearing size 1 diapers and are still wearing newborn clothes and some 0-3 months too, you are l-o-n-g and skinny but I am sure that will change soon with your love of eating! You do not like to be cold and you love to be held and snuggled up tight, you have been smiling in your sleep since week 1, but you are now beginning to smile and coo at us! At 3 weeks you weighed 9 lbs 4 oz and were 21.5 inches long. You are one lucky little boy to be loved as much as you are! We are treasuring EVERY single day with you because you will grow up fast!

Here are some photos of you at one month old!

These are daddy's swim shorts from when he was a baby :) They are big on me but oh so cute!!

June 29, 2010

2010-07-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Induction day! One of the last pictures with Cooper in my belly :)

A thumbs up from my hubby in between contractions, notice my hand in his pocket...it was the best way to cope with the pain! Love you babe...you were so great! This was before we were whisked away for an emergency c-section.

Seeing my baby boy for the first time wishing I could hold him in my arms... I love him and his daddy so much!

Daddy and Cooper...right after he was delivered! I love my boys!

Finally holding Cooper in my arms...oh how Josh loves us! We are so blessed!

Welcome to the world Cooper Jackson Gray

2010-07-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

We have been so blessed with a brand new baby boy! He is absolutely perfect and he takes my breath away each time I look at him. I can't get over the fact that Josh and I made him...his eyes, feet, hands, skin...having a baby is a miracle and truly a gift from God!!

For the last 3-4 weeks of my pregnancy I had trouble with my blood pressure. It wasn't too high, but it was creeping up and Dr. Alexis was paying very close attention to it. She made the call to induce me on June 29th, unless I went into labor on my own. I was dilated to 3cm at 37 weeks, so it was possible that things would move along with no help, this did not turn out to be the case. I had to go to the hospital twice to be monitored and have blood/urine checked in the week before the 29th. My blood work/urine/blood pressure heart rate were all fine so I was told to stay on strict bed rest until June 29th.

Tuesday June 29th-Josh and I were up early and ready to have our baby!! We made our way to the hospital at 7:30 am and things progressed pretty rapidly from there. Dr. Alexis was quick to break my water and I was given a small doce of pitocin to jump start labor. I dilated from a 3 to a 5, then I requested my epidural...which only worked for a little while. The anesthesiologist had to return 2 times to give me MORE! I progressed to a 7 then a 9.5, and the labor was still SO painful! This should not be happening I had a catheter in my back for goodness sakes. Thank goodness I quickly dilated to a 10 and it was time to push...it was around 4:30-4:45. As I began pushing my blood pressure went up and Cooper's heart rate went down. It was then that Dr. Alexis had the nurse call down to the OR to see if there was room available. Josh was freaking out...I was shockingly calm. I was immediately wheeled down and prepped for surgery. More medicine was administered into my epidural and it did not numb me completely...so he added more, then had to make one last attempt or else I would have to be put to sleep. I was so scared when I kept having to ask for more medicine...I wanted to be awake and I wanted Josh by my side to experience the birth of our son!! Thankfully the last attempt was successful and Josh was able to scrub in. The c-section was not a pleasant experience, I felt so much pressure the whole time and when it was time to pull Cooper out I thought I was going to die. He was wrapped up very tightly inside me and it was so difficult for them to get him out that the anesthesiologist had to help by pushing on my chest to help dislodge him. All of the pain quickly faded away when I heard our lil guy cry for the first time, I was instantly distracted and totally obsessed with him.

Josh was so wonderful! He was by my side cheering me on the entire day! He kept telling my how strong I was and that he adored me for being so amazing. I have such an incredible husband! We found a deeper love after experiencing such personal moments together.

The drama didn't stop there...after the c-section, my blood pressure continued to act up and I had to be put on magnesium sulfate. Oh man was that rough!!! It made me hot and very sleepy! It was such a yucky feeling, especially after just being cut open and stitched back up. The worst thing about the magnesium sulfate is that I had to be on it for 24 hours, I could not eat and I could not fully enjoy my new baby boy! Josh stepped in in a big way and changed all the diapers and even had to help me nurse Cooper.

Finally Wednesday night at 6pm I was free from that nasty drug and I was able to get out of bed, eat a Subway sandwich and LOVE on Cooper! I was a happy girl! A few hours later I was transferred to a postpartem room and discharged Thursday night!

A week has past and I am 100% in love with my new family! Being a mother is so special and I am so thankful that God blessed us with a handsome baby boy! I would do it all again Cooper Jackson...you are one perfect baby boy and your mom and dad LOVE you to the moon and back!!

Cooper Jackson Gray
June 29, 2010
8lbs 4oz
22in

Fun photo shoot with Jennifer Matlock

2010-06-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

These are just some of the wonderful photos snapped by Jennifer Matlock! She took these when I was 32 weeks preggo...we had such a fun time with her in the park! I am so glad we have these photos to look back at! Some of you may gag when I say this but my pregnancy has been 100% perfect and I wanted pictures illustrate such a special time in our lives. I can't wait for her to capture our first family photos in the next week or two! Enjoy :)

The last night as a family of 2!

2010-06-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness where has the time gone? I swear it was just the other day that I found out I was pregnant! In all actuality it has been 37 weeks and 3 days, but man has the time flown by!! I am being induced tomorrow morning because my blood pressure has been acting up for about the past month. Josh and I were shocked when just last Tuesday Dr. Alexis told us that she was going to put us in the books to be induced June 29th. She checked to see if I had dilated at all and to our surprise I was at 3 cm and baby had already dropped very low!! She said I was a very favorable candidate for induction since my body was beginning to do the work by itself. I am going to insist that she break my water and see if that will be the push that I need to get this party started. Party..ha!

My how things can change drastically in just ONE year. Last year on June 15- I had a D&C and just one year and two weeks later we are going to welcome a healthy baby boy into this world. God is definitley in control and I will never ask why that pregnancy didn't work out. I KNOW he has a plan and you can't ask why when things go wrong, you just have to have faith that there are other things in store.

Josh and I are sitting here on this rainy afternoon watching Tour de France clips from past years...do you think we are anxious?!! This sounds kind of pathetic-but Josh loves Lance Armstrong and he is ecstatic about the 2010 Tour de France that will begin this Saturday. However we ARE twiddling our thumbs to pass the time because we CANNOT wait to meet Cooper!! It will be so amazing to see Josh hold our son for the first time!! We have anticipated this moment for a long time now and in just 24 hours (more or less) we will be a family of 3!

I am not sure how I will sleep tonight, but I do know that I will try my best because sleep as I know it will be non-existant after today. This is totally okay because we are as ready as we will ever be. Everyone that decides to have children will have sleepless nights, you just have to pay your dues. What a small price to pay for such a precious gift! Now...off to double check our bags and finish up a few things around the house. A new chapter of our lives will begin tomorrow and life as we know it will be no more, but we are up for the challenge!

Down to the end...hopefully sooner than later

2010-06-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here I am...just about 36 weeks pregnant! We went to the doctor yesterday and here is the new info: I lost 3 pounds...not sure how that happened, but I have only gained 14 pounds during this pregnancy. No I am not starving my child, you wanna know how I know that?! They did a sonogram to measure amniotic fluid, check movement and size of our lil guy and at the conclusion of the sono the tech asks us...do you have other children? We said no...she proceeded to tell us that Cooper already weighs somewhere between 7-8 pounds!!!!!!!!!! Our mouths hit the floor. ARE YOU KIDDING, I still have about 4 weeks to go. Granted I have been measuring a little bit ahead, but WOW! How can that be possible??? If I have only gained 14 pounds how can 7-8 of them be baby? What about the weight of all that other stuff?? Anyways I asked about an induction in the near future...he is ready right?! She said the sono tech wasn't even sure that the guesstimate was accurate, but that he may not be fully developed just yet. Here is the plan for now...we will go back next Tuesday and they will do another sono to see if they get the same result. At that point I will be almost 37 weeks and hopefully a discussion of an induction will be be possible. I want to make sure he is ready but I also DO NOT want to push out a 10 pound baby and I would rather not have a c-section. My solution is that Cooper needs to realize on his own that it is time to enter this world within the next 2 weeks! That would be an ideal situation :) I'll keep ya posted!

The finishing touches

2010-06-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

Cooper's very own Treasure Map, created by his Gigi! Lynda made this on the computer, printed it on fabric and it is fabulous...It has very special places marked on the map so that Cooper can find his way to his favorite family member's houses. What a special addition this is to his nursery!

A trip to the hospital...

2010-06-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

The trip was NOT for this mama to be, but rather for the daddy to be. Tuesday night about 9:30 I was changing clothes in our room when I hear all kinds of curse words coming from Josh's mouth in the living room. Those of you who know Josh know that curse words coming from his mouth is not an unusual thing, however there was some terror in all his shouting. I raced half dressed into the living room to find a trail of blood leading into the kitchen. There Josh was draped over the sink...he had cut his hand with his very large pocket knife... and he was bleeding like a stuck pig. He doesn't like to say what he was doing because he says it was a sissy accident...but he was putting together Cooper's high chair and cut himself while trying to cut off the zip ties. The cut was at the base of his thumb and it was deep, so we decided to go to the hospital to get him stitched up. We joked on the way to the hospital that there is never a dull moment and boy is that true. We were in and out in less than 2 hours and his wound is healing nicely! Hopefully the next time we race to the hospital we will come home with a precious baby boy!

Baby Update

2010-06-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

I went to see Dr. Alexis today for my 34 week appointment...when on Friday I will actually be 35 weeks! Anyway here is the latest on Mama and Baby Cooper... I gained a few more pounds for a total of about 17 pounds so far, my blood pressure was a little high, my feet are beginning to swell, my belly is measuring a little bit ahead...so all things suggest it is ALMOST time. She did not say bedrest, she said to keep my feet UP as much as possible and drink LOTS of water.

My pregnancy has been picture perfect thus far and I am so thankful for that!! I will do everything in my power to make sure Cooper stays cozy for a few more weeks.

His nursery is just about finished...only a few small details remain...so I'm a little OCD...I already know that. I promise to post pics of the completed nursery very soon!!

All 4 baby showers are over and they were fantastic! I am so blessed to have so many people in our lives that care for our soon to be family of 3. The little guy inside me does not have to be worried about having people to love him...we are smitten with him already. Stay tuned for more updates...it won't be long now!!

Much Love,

Bron

Photo Shoot #2

2010-05-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Cooper had lots of pictures taken of him this past weekend and he didn't even know it :) I made an appointment with Jennifer Matlock to take some maternity photos. Her work is fantastic and I was super anxious to work with her! Josh and I had so much fun taking photos at the park and they turned out to be INCREDIBLE! I cannot wait to post the ones from her. The photos in this post were done just the next day by my friend Kasey Mathieu. She wanted to take some of me/us to help build her portfolio. We played around for over 2 hours on Sunday. She too took some AMAZING photos and here are a few. Both photo shoots were awesome! I couldn't be happier with the way these pics turned out. Cooper will be here in about 7 weeks...or less! Enjoy!!

Cooper's (almost finished) nursery!

2010-05-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

The net is going to be a toy bag..pirate style of course ;)

Even the duck is a pirate in this room!

What a week!

2010-05-20T17:54:00.001-07:00

I am so glad that this week is finally coming to a close! What a rough one it has been! My friend and co-worker Paula was assigned to give the TAKS test to a 5th grader this week, so instead of getting a sub for her they gave me her class, and all of our 26 little darlings were in my room!! Here is the problem with that...it was not one day or two, but THREE days and we have a student that needs a teacher or aids SOLE attention all day. He is one defiant little boy. I know your thinking so big deal your a teacher-handle it. YOU HAVE NO IDEA what I am talking about until you witness his behavior. He is a major distraction to the class, very defiant, does NOT listen, argumentative...I could go on and on. Do not think he is getting away with this behavior, but it is an exhausting task to deal with him! Let's just say this arrangement was not a good idea for this 8 months pregnant teacher (with no patience) who is MORE than ready for the last day of school.

But Friday is upon us and we made it through the week alive!

We have a SUPER busy weekend ahead: Saturday-Maternity pics, baby shower, Paisley's first birthday party (hoping we make it in time), and Regan's graduation party. Sunday-More maternity pics with Kasey Mathieu, church, and hopefully getting some sun!!

Followed by Jury duty on Monday-I am not in the least bit sad about this...for now anyway. Is it sad that I am looking forward to jury duty so that I can have a day off from school and my trouble maker??! However I do not want to be chosen, so that I can finish the end of the year tasks that await me!

8 1/2 more days left until summer!!

The baby bump is officially in the way!

2010-05-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

My little guy has been getting bigger right before my eyes for weeks now. It is so precious to feel his tiny body moving around inside of me. I am just about 30 weeks now and I am beginning to feel winded when I get in and out of bed. It is definitely getting more difficult to get comfortable and I have added another pillow to my nightly collection!

Our dog Ellie sleeps at the foot of our bed and has been getting up around 2 am for a late night run around the backyard and/or a snack for sometime now. Josh and I have been rotating nights to take care of our Ellie girl until..............NOW. I think Josh is going to have to pick up my shifts because I simply cannot do it anymore.

Last night was my night to let her out, so I do. It wasn't that simple of course, I had to roll out of bed and stumble through the living room. While she is outside strutting around the backyard, I head right back to bed. It could be minutes or hours before she decides she (Miss Priss) is ready to come back in. I should have known better because as soon as I get situated in my cozy bed, I hear her paws at the back door. So, I sigh VERY LOUDLY, hoping Josh will hear me, but of course he doesn't. Her crying doesn't phase him...I am the light sleeper that will be bothered all night if I don't let her back in. So here I go again back through the living room this time a little irritated. I bend down to open the door, wipe off her wet feet and just before I get her little body completely through the door, I slam it along with her tail! OH CRAP!! She yelped SO loud and I immediately began to cry. I think it was a combination of exhaustion and yes again- pregnancy hormones. I have not had a breakdown since the frozen pizza incident, just FYI :)

After the loud cry Josh came into the living room curious as to what was going on. (I am still sobbing) He tells me to go back to bed and he checks on Ellie and her tail. We all crawl back in bed and he holds me while I continue to weep! Thank you babe...but your on dog duty until Cooper gets here!!

28 headed to 29 weeks preggo!

2010-04-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today Josh and I went to the doctor for our 28 week appointment! Here is the update: I passed my glucose test!! I am so stoked that I do not have to take time off of work to take the 3 hour test! It would have been misery to sit at Quest Diagnostics,drink the sugary-flat triaminic tasting juice (again)and to be poked once every hour for 3 hours.

We also found out that my iron was low and I am a tad bit anemic. Dr. Alexis gave me some iron supplements to take once a day. No biggie she said.

I gained 3 1/2 more pounds for a total of 12 1/2 pounds so far.

She measured my belly and it was 30 cm. I will be 29 weeks on friday, she said it is completely normal to be off between 1-2 cm. Due date is still the same as of now.

We heard his strong heartbeat...LOVE IT! He kicked it when she placed the doppler on my stomach. We all began laughing and then his heartbeat sped up. He heard us talking about him :)

Our doctor's visits will now be every two weeks until we reach 36 weeks. At that point we will be weekly visitors!

That's all for now! Hope everyone is having a great week!

Bron

Busy with a capital B!

2010-04-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

Josh and I have been super busy getting ready for Cooper's arrival. Here is what we have been up to... working on the pirate themed nursery (I will share photos with you upon completion), scheduling a 4d sonogram (May 15)-we cannot wait to see how much he has changed since we last saw him (March 3) :), finding a photographer, filling out paperwork...lots of paperwork (cord blood, hospital registration, insurance info and maternity leave forms), trying to coordinate the 3 showers we will be having not including one at school...yes 4 a tad ridiculous I know, we have lots of family and friends! We feel VERY blessed!

I am also enjoying every single moment of this pregnancy! I have been feeling wonderful and I am still going full speed ahead. Cooper is definitely getting bigger, when I get out of bed or bend over I feel like I am carrying a ton of bricks, he will only get heavier I know! Last week I was on my way home from work when I felt a baby body part shove itself into my ribs. It did not hurt, it was just a different feeling than what I have been used to thus far. Also I was able to experience a butt or head (something smooth and round) roll and push out my stomach. SO COOL! I have been wondering for some time what it feels like to be pregnant...well I can tell you I LOVE this feeling, it is like none other. A few other joys about being pregnant: I can no longer see my feet unless I lean over, the bath towel is getting close to not being able to fit around my body, and my bladder is full ALL the time, or atleast it feels that way. When I feel like I cannot wait any longer I will rush to the bathroom only to realize I didn't really need to go at all. Cooper is constantly pushing down on my bladder! Take it easy dude!

Oh and Josh is in love with my growing belly...he thinks it's adorable and I love him for that! He talks to Cooper and we are enjoying feeling him move. Although when I tell Josh to put his hand on my stomach to feel him move, it's too late, Cooper is a tad bit shy!

I have to take the glucose tolerance test this Friday...crossing my fingers I pass, so that I do not have to take the 3 hour test! We go for my 28 week appointment next Wednesday and after that my visits will be every 2 weeks! Holy Cow! Where has the time gone?!

Amidst all of this I am counting down the days until summer break!! 6 more weeks is all that is left! Woo Hoo! However the calendar is FULL! Less time more things to do, of course that's how it goes! Oh well, I will gladly do whatever it takes :)

Will update when I have more news!
Much Love,

Bron

Viacord

2010-04-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

That is the name of the company that is going to bank Cooper's cord blood! We are thrilled that the precious life growing inside me will be ready to make his debut in just a few short months. During the last 27 weeks we have begun to think about things that we never have before ie. childcare, the latest baby trends, recalls on baby products, baby products (in general), breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding,cord blood banking, etc.

We have heard about cord blood banking and knew that it was pretty costly, but we looked into it and asked around and decided we couldn't not do it! We had a family friend pass away of Leukemia on March 31, 2006. Kourtney was 16and was unable to beat such a viscious disease. It is our hope that if Cooper were to be diagnosed with something like that that the cord blood that we saved would help to save his life.

If you want to know more about Viacord visit www.viacord.com, if you would like to donate to Cooper's cord blood registry visit www.viacord.com/giftregistry.

A decade of love!

2010-04-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is the day Josh and I began dating 10 years ago!! We now like to refer to it as our dating anniversary. I absolutely cannot believe we have already spent 10 years of our lives together and we are both still so young. 10 years together today April 10, 2010

Our relationship officially began April 10, 2000 but we had known each other for years. Lacy Eaton and I were inseperable through our elementary school days and it just so happens that Josh and her brother Billy were pretty tight as well. Josh, Billy and a few other of their friends would tease/pester us. Let's face it we were the younger more obnoxious little girls and they were the cool older boys. Years went on and I had not seen, heard, or talked to Josh since we were practically babies. Then about the time Josh was a sophomore in high school my mom, brother and I saw him at the donut shop. I made the comment that he had a cute butt. He was all dressed up in his baseball uniform. My brother then took that information and shared it with a friend of his, Lauren Parker, who was friends with Josh's sister Amy. Anyway the comment made it back to Josh and he liked me but I was too young. An eighth grader...yeah he was too cool for me, still!

Well a year rolled around and I was finally a ninth grader. It was fate because Josh and I rode the school bus together and I just drooled over him every day on the ride home. I was WAY to shy to talk to him, but somehow we connected around the middle of March 2000 and began to talk on the phone A LOT! There was only one problem now...we were both dating someone else. There was no stopping us, we both cut ties with our bf/gf at the time and decided to give our relationship a try.

We were still a very new couple when Josh's junior prom rolled around. He asked me to go and I told him No! I told him no because I was still in shock that this sexy older guy was interested in ME! I was sure that I was a bet between Josh and his friends and that he was just trying to get with me on prom night. He showed up in his tux and everything still thinking I might join him. I stuck to my guns and said no once more. He went to prom alone :(, but returned early to spend the rest of the night with me. I guess you could say the rest is history!

Yes, of course we had our break-ups and drama that any young couple would normally experience, but there was something more between us. An unexplainable love that has grown so deep over the years! My emotional side is coming out a bit more now that I am pregnant, but as I look through pictures and all of our love notes, cards, etc. this morning I began to cry. I have such a wonderful man in my life and I am so incredibly lucky to be able to call him my husband and soon he will be the father of our little guy,Cooper. Time has flown by, but we can truly say we have lived a fairy tale love! I know we will live Happily Ever After! My life is perfect and I could not ask for more. I love you Josh Gray and I look forward to the next decades of our lives.

Headed to prom-Josh's senior year! 2001

Prom-my junior year 2002

Operation graduation photo-my senior year 2003...we were ready to take the plunge way back then!

Random pic around 2003-2004

Megan and Rusty's wedding- 2005

San Antonio 2005

Mayfest 2005

December 24, 2005-He proposed!

Engagement picture- June 2006

Wedding Shower-Fall 2006

Wedding Day! December 30, 2006

There's something about our bedding...

2010-04-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is what our bedding looks like, and my four legged daughter absolutely loves it. Or maybe she hates it, I can't decide. She is 3 years old and totally potty trained, so tell me why she insists on peeing on it?!! We have had to take this comforter to the cleaners 3 times in the last 8 months! I am not sure what it is about this particular one but she does not do this to any other comforter we have. Just a few weeks ago we picked it up from the cleaners, had it on our bed for one night and the next night it was back off! Oh we could have KILLED her! She has her occasional accidents in her sleep just like a 3 year old child. But please tell me why on this comforter?! The comforters should smell the same, we get everything cleaned at the same cleaners. Not sure but it is back on tonight and hopefully it will last a lot longer this time before its trip back to the cleaners.

The funny things kids say...

2010-03-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

One day last week my kids were getting packed up to go home and of course they were talking amongst themselves. Talking is their absolute favorite thing to do, as I know this is true for most children. There was a conversation that caught my attention between two kiddos and I had to tune in for the rest of it. Here is what they said..."McKenzi said yes, your mexican." And Jose fired back with "No, I'm not I live in Joshua". I burst out in laughter, the whole class looked at me wondering what I was so cracked up about. It was a great way to end the day.

Yesterday Paula and I took a team of 2nd and 3rd graders to participate in Joshua ISD's third annual Battle of the Books competetion. The primary level (2nd and 3rd graders) were the first to compete, so the rest of the day was spent attempting to keep our kids quiet. While I was working on a Sudoku puzzle and listening to the quiet conversation around me I heard a group of girls talking. They were discussing how old their parents were and one of the little girls said to another "I thought your mom was younger than that" The girl said "No, she just wears a lot of make-up". HAHAHAHAHA!! I laughed to myself, but she was dead serious.

Precious moment

2010-03-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

Josh and I are laying in bed watching t.v. about to go to sleep, and suddenly I feel Cooper move. I put my hands on my stomach where I felt him move and sure enough I felt a push back. I immediately told Josh to give me his hand, so that I could guide him to where I felt the movements. Cooper gave us another good push and we were both able to feel him at the same time! Such a sweet moment for us! We are looking forward to many many more of these miracle moments!

On Friday I will be 23 weeks pregnant. Time is flying by, but you can bet we are treasuring this whole entire pregnancy experience. I know my hormones may be a bit out of whack, but I have to say Josh melts my heart every day. He is a fabulous husband and he is SUPER excited about this pregnancy and the arrival of our son! The look on his face when we talk about Cooper is just adorable! He does anything and everything for me and I know he will do the same for our little man! I am so blessed to have such an amazing man in my life! Sorry for the sappy post but I don't brag on him enough for all that he does! Love you babe!

Total Blonde Moment!

2010-03-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am telling on myself, but I can't help but share the totally dumb stunt I pulled tonight! Josh and I decided to go to a movie at 4:30, we saw Brooklyn's Finest. I thought it was a good movie, but I do not think the typical girl would enjoy the sex, drugs, violence and just plain gore that this movie entailed.

Now to the point of the story, we planned to cook a frozen pizza after we returned from our movie. I preheated the oven and read the box for directions, it said remove plastic from pizza and tray and place on bottom rack. LOL, I removed the plastic and the tray and placed the pre-sliced pizza on the bottom rack. A few minutes later I checked on the pizza and noticed that the pizza was falling through the rack. Yes I placed the pizza on the rack with no pan or tray!! OH NO! I yelled for Josh to come help me! We desperately tried to save the pizza...and we did however, it did not look like the picture on the box anymore. It was a doughy mess. I then let the pregnancy hormones get to me as Josh was laughing hysterically at me in the middle of the kitchen. I began to cry, storm off to the living room and tell him that I will just order us a pizza. It took me a few minutes but I then saw the humor and started to laugh at myself. What a moron! As I look back at the box it clearly says place frozen pizza in TRAY on LOWER RACK. DUH!! We carefully put the pizza back together and finished cooking in on a pan. It turned out to be delicious! I am normally a decent cook, but I guess the frozen pizza was too complicated for this fake blonde.

Almost halfway!

2010-02-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

Today I am 19 weeks pregnant with Baby Cooper! I cannot believe how fast time is flying! I felt just a little yucky at the beginning, definitely had some food aversions but all is well now! I feel great! My energy is back for now and I am just enjoying being pregnant! I have been feeling him move for about two weeks now. It feels like a muscle twitch...this week I have noticed a little different feeling like a push or a nudge. We go back for our 20 week appointment on March 3. I will be almost 21 weeks at that time, and we will have a sono! Can't wait!

I am somewhat of a numbers person, I think this is solely because of my mom. She always comes up with a connection to dates. Anyway, the day we found out it was a boy our appointment was on 1/30 @ 1:30...our next appointment is 3/3/10...3310 is mine and Josh's "number" and today is the 19th and I am 19 weeks pregnant!. Oh the irony.

We have decided to stay put in our house for a while! So Cooper's nursery is well underway! This past weekend we moved out some furniture that was in the room, and we put up black chair railing! By we I mean Josh, his dad and some sweet friends! The room is going to be decorated in a pirate's theme. It is precious!! The bedding, crib and other nursery furniture has been ordered! Here is the link for a peek at the bedding. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2615625

That's all for now!

Much Love,

Bronwyn

Boots or Bows??

2010-01-31T18:21:00.000-08:00

Boots it is! Josh and I are elated to announce that we will be welcoming a baby BOY this summer! About a month ago I made an appointment at Stork Vision (which I highly recommend) to have an ultrasound to determine the sex of our little one.

Josh and I asked our family to accompany us for the special occasion since they are a HUGE part of our lives! However, the family did not immediately join us in the sonogram room, Josh and I wanted to share the moment together first before we invited them in! Baby Gray quickly revealed himself to his mom and dad! Yay! Now it was time to share the good news...Josh gave everyone the go ahead and they anxiously waltzed in! Josh and I chose to keep the news a surprise until they saw the boy parts for themselves! It was so fun to hear them say..."It's a girl....no that's a boy"!! Baby Gray definitey got a little camera shy when the family came in! He had turned over and was lying with his tiny hiny in the air! So sweet! It was a little more difficult for the family to see him and all his glory! But soon enough they were able to get a quick glimpse! Everyone shouted in excitement! What a beautiful moment it was!! Tears filled my eyes and the look on Josh's face was priceless! Baby Gray quickly became Cooper Jackson Gray. He has a name!! It makes this wonderful experience even more real now!

I will post a few sonogram pictures soon!

Thanks for all of the love, prayers and shared excitement! We love you all!

With Love,

Bron

Fun Purchase!!

2010-01-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

I splurged and bought myself a brand new beautiful pink Juicy Couture handbag! I normally would not spend this much money on myself, but I had some Christmas cash just waiting to be spent on something fun! Juicy was feeling generous for us after Christmas shoppers- they had a no shipping promotional code! Woo Hoo! Even better! I just had to share my purchase with you! Look how cute!

For Sale By Owner

2010-01-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

Yes...Crazy I know! We have lived in our home for just over two years now and we love it! So why are we selling you ask? I do not know... ask my husband!! LOL I am serious. He has just recently decided that our home is too small for us, especially upon the arrival of Baby Gray. I am perfectly happy in my home in our very wonderful neighborhood, but I am not going to argue...a new home would be nice! We knew this would be a great starter home and I guess Josh is already ready for bigger and better things. A few weeks ago he and I discussed buying a new house and we drove around looking at subdivisions. I did not think we were serious as of now! Last week to my surprise, he decided to make it official by putting our house on Craigslist. We have already had someone inquire about our house and wants to see pictures!! He has also purchased a For Sale By Owner sign to place in our yard.

I can see it now...our house sells and we will be living in the pool house at my mom and dad's. Not to mention I will be very pregnant living out of boxes.

I don't think it will happen that fast, but I have to say it scares me a little just thinking about it.

Wish us luck,

Bron

Happy Holidays!

2010-01-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love the holiday season! The past two weeks have been filled with family, food,parties,friends,gift exchanges,laughter,card games,cold weather...even some SNOW! My Christmas break began on December 18 and is quickly coming to an end :( Josh had some extra vacation days saved up this year so he took off the entire week of Christmas to spend time with me! It was great! We started off the week by visiting the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine. My sister in law Amy went with us and we ended up spending most of our day there. We had a wonderful time especially me...I can't help it, it's the teacher in me!

Aunt Jackie, Uncle Jack, and Miss Clarabelle (their dog)came into town from Houston on Tuesday. They have been spending Christmas with us (Brandon and I) our entire life. It would not be Christmas without them!! I still get so excited the morning they arrive!

Hadley just turned 4 months old and he celebrated his first (white) Christmas! What a joy it was to have him with us this year! His uncle Josh is already trying to teach him how to ride bulls. OH NO!!

Ellie, our daughter I mean dog, just turned three years old. She is such a great dog! I think she already knows that their is something going on with her mom. She normally sleeps on the foot of our bed, but the last three weeks she has positioned herself right on top of my stomach. I wonder what she will do when my belly grows?!! Her cousin Tye will have to tell her what goes on when there is a baby around the house. Tye and Ellie are best friends. Here is a picture of Ellie at Christmas. She had had enough excitement so she crawled into the gift box and went to sleep!

On December 30 Josh and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary! My friend Jenn and her husband Keith got married the same day and year as us so we decided to double date. We had a blast together! Lots of laughs!! Good times, Good friends!

We had yet another blessed Christmas. I hope you and your family did too! The year 2010 is now upon us and I look forward to all that it brings.

With Love,
Bronwyn

Baby Gray is (really) on the way!

2009-12-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

It is with great pleasure that Josh and I announce...we are pregnant!! That's right 8 weeks and 3 days!! We found out on November 2 and have been keeping this gigantic secret for 5 LONG weeks!!

When I got pregnant back in April, we shouted the great news from the rooftops, then a few weeks later we had to eat our words!! When it ended so suddenly we were devestated and had to deal with everyone saying "I am so sorry". I did NOT want to go through that again. So when we saw the two solid pink lines on November 2, Josh and I decided we would be a bit more guarded this time around. However, my doctor did assure me that what happened last time(a blighted ovum-a sac but no baby) was a fluke and it would most likely NOT happen again.

We went to the doctor today and heard the small but very strong heartbeat!! 179 beats per minute!! What a relief!! It was the sweetest sound I have ever heard in my life. I already knew how precious this little miracle would be before I even saw it. Not that all women don't feel this way when they see their baby for the first time, but it is truly even more special when you have gone through heartbreak first. We wanted this baby so bad! I do know that the reason that it happened so fast for us again is because we stayed positive and did not dwell on the past. We just let fate take it's course. I am so blessed and I thank God every day for all that I have. Thank you to all of our friends and family who have prayed for us, all prayers have been answered! I will post the sono picture soon!! My next doctor's appointment will be January 6, I will be 13 weeks, stay tuned for the updates!!

Much Love,
Bronwyn

It's been a while...

2009-11-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

Wow!! I have not blogged in two months!! I am such a slacker. However I do have some really good reasons as to where I have been and what I have been doing. Back to October- My very near and dear Aunt Mary passed away suddenly. If you do not know about my Aunt Mary, she was as close to my brother and I as our own grandma. She kept (raised) us from the time my brother was six weeks old until we I mean he was self sufficient (ha). She was the BEST! We built forts in the living room, sold lemondade in the driveway using tv trays, watched soap operas on 5 different t.v.'s (no lie)- then locked Aunt Mary out of the house because of the soap operas...can you blame us?! We had so many good memories with her! She was very special to us and we both had a very hard time saying goodbye to her.

I have also been spending A LOT of time with Amorey, my brother Brandon and my new nephew Hadley!! I LOVE being an aunt!! Hadley just melts my heart. I give him kiss after kiss and I just can't get enough of him!!

The school year is flying by! Next week is December already! Yikes! This year has been great! I definitely feel like I know more the second time around! I still have a lot of learning to do about teaching but it is a learn as you go process! I have a great group of kiddos and I enjoy every (almost every) day at work!

Right now I am enjoying one of the best perks of being a teacher....a holiday break! That is why I have had time to sit down for once and catch you up on the past few months. I am looking forward to being with my family this week! Thanksgiving and Christmas are very special holidays to me and my family as I am sure it is to all of you! We take the time to reflect on all of our blessings and how lucky we are to have one another. I am truly thankful for all I have! I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day!! Gobble Gobble!!

Much love,

Bron

A Birthday to Remember...

2009-10-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

My mom called me one day in September and she said I have a proposition for you. That already had me thinking great...what does she need me to do for her?? I would do anything for her because she is such a wonderful mother, so of course I said...okay lay it on me. Much to my surprise it was not at all a proposition!! She proceeded to tell me her friend Connie who works for the Dallas Cowboys had 4 tickets and a parking pass that she would like to let us borrow for the September 28th game against the Carolina Panthers!

My family has always been football fans! Yes, even my mom and I! Some of my favorite memories were spent on the couch watching Troy Aikman and Emmit Smith lead the team to victory time after time!

My mom said I would like for you and Josh to have the tickets, and Brandon and Amorey can go with y'all for a fun night out! Even better the game was going to be on my 25th Birthday! I said YES!! YES!! YES!! I would LOVE to go! She went on to tell me that the seats were on the lowest level, row 8! WOW! A once in a lifetime experience to have those incredible seats! Amorey decided to stay home with her Baby Boy Hadley and gladly let my brother's bff Josh go with us!! We had a BLAST!! It was the first Monday Night football game to be played in the new Cowboy Stadium in Arlington! Here are just a few of the photos!

Tailgating with some friends before the game!

Sportin the Romo jersey of course!

Josh, Brandon and Josh getting ready for the game...next to a Panther fan!

Our seats were INCREDIBLE!

Can you tell we were having fun?

This is Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers. We were on the visitor's side and Josh, Josh and mainly Brandon spent the ENTIRE game shouting at him! And I do mean shouting! Enough to where the man actually heard us. He turned around time after time and was clearly rattled by these trash talkers in the stands. I was laughing hysterically! I was hoping that Steve Smith didn't go out and catch the winning touchdown of the game. If that would have happened the entire section 137 would have been raging at my trash talking men for pumping him up enough to catch the winning pass. Luckily this did not happen! So I am officially 25 years old and I had the best birthday a girl (that loves football) could have!

Finally!! ( No I am not pregnant)

2009-09-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am supposed to be doing lesson plans, however blogging sounds like more fun!!

So about 2 months ago a friend from high school messaged me on Facebook and said have you ever heard about the OV Watch? I said no of course as I had no idea what she was talking about. She wrote me back and explained that it was exactly what it sounded like, an ovulation watch that predicts when you are most fertile during your cycle. She continued to explain that she used it when the doctors told her that she would probably not be able to have children. I am happy to report that the doctors were wrong and she is very close to (if not already) having her second child!! This definitely got my attention. She was so nice to offer to mail it to me to use! I said Wow, of course I will give it a shot! Plus, I looked it up later and these things are NOT cheap! Super sweet of her to lend me this great tool, to aid in our baby making! ;) A week passes and I get the watch in the mail! I was extremely excited because you MUST begin wearing the watch on day 1, 2, or 3 of your period and it was about that time for me.

I read up on the watch prior to receiving it in the mail and I was stoked to begin as soon as it arrived at my door! So I open the box, re-read ALL the instructions again so that I followed EVERY direction to the T! I am now ready to activate the watch!! Each cycle that you use the watch a brand new sensor ($50.00) is required!! These suckers are expensive!

I put the sensor in and try to turn on the watch...NOTHING!! I am like maybe I am doing it wrong. So I take out the sensor and try again...NADA!! OMG I was crushed! The sensor was expired. I know what you are thinking, go get another one. Well, I would have but they only have two stores in the state of Texas that sell them and they were in Dallas and Frisco. I was not going to drive there for a sensor, ridiculous. I was already on day two of my cycle I had to have the sensor by the next day, it just wasn't happening. It took a few days, but I got over it! I decided that if I didn't get pregnant that month that I would order a new sensor and try again.

I ordered the sensor a little over a week ago, and got it in the mail a few days later. I was pumped...round two! At this point I was just waiting on my period to come! And it did, no baby yet. This time I want to make sure that nothing gets in my way of wearing this watch! I decided it would be smart to replace the battery just in case, luckily the battery is a very common watch battery and you can get it anywhere! So now all the parts are updated and ready to go.

Last night, day 2 of my period, I am trying to remove the screws on the back of the watch to swap out the batteries. I get two of them out and the other two are stripped!! AHHHHHHH!! Yes me screaming in frustration. I am running out of time and I need to get this thing on my wrist ASAP! You are totally laughing right now, I just don't understand why this watch and I are not vibing! So I leave it alone so that I don't ruin it completely. Josh says he promises he will take care of it when he gets home! So I go to bed, hoping that my hubby will save the day tomorrow! He got the screws off!! YES!! I get the new battery and sensor in place...hit buttons B & C and nothing!! I wanted to throw it across the room...I disassemble it AGAIN!! The battery was upside down, I put it all back together and finally...it worked!! We are in business!! I have gone into so much detail about how troubling this has been for me that I won't ramble on about how it works. However if you are interested check it out at ovwatch.com.

Wish me baby luck!

Hopefully this watch and I will finally make amends!

Hadley Tate Jackson

2009-08-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world little guy!!

Hadley Tate is here!!

2009-08-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce that my nephew Hadley Tate Jackson arrived Saturday (8-29-09) morning at 5:12 am! He is 8 weeks early but he is a fighter, weighing in at 4 pounds 2 ounces, 17 1/4 inches long! Brandon and Amorey are doing so good! Emotions are high, but that is definitely to be understood! Each day Mr. Hadley will get stronger and stronger and hopefully be able to come home in just a few weeks! I was lucky enough to get to meet him on his birthday in the NICU. Amorey let me go in with her and it was such an amazing feeling! She and I and baby Hadley had a special few minutes together! What a gift from God!! He is so perfect and is loved by so many already!! I will share pictures of him when I get a few more minutes. Congratulations to my little brother, Brandon and his precious wife Amorey!!

Back to School Fun!!

2009-08-07T15:04:00.001-07:00

I am blown away as to how fast Summer really went!! It was my first Summer to not have to work and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I know some of you will gag when I say this, but there were many of days that I didn't even get out of my pajamas! Hehe! But now it is time to start buying school supplies, think of ways to improve from last year and to STOP staying up until the wee hours of the night!

Speaking of school supplies, I visited Teacher's Tools on the day they had their big sale to shop for new classroom goodies!! They were having a huge drawing on this day! They had 12 different baskets to give away and it was your choice as to which basket you would enter yourself in to win. My favorite one was the Treasure Chest! So I dropped my slip of paper in and NEVER expected to win. I mean I put 1 slip in there...I figured slim chance of me winning for sure!! A few days later Amorey and I were hanging out and to my surprise I get a call telling me that I had won a basket from their drawing!! I made Amorey drive me to Teacher's Tools (we were close by) to redeem my prize! To add to my excitement I had won the most valuable one!! WOO HOO! It was definitely my lucky day!

When we got back to Amorey's house we dumped it all out on the floor and went through every single thing! We had so much fun!! Here are some pictures of my awesome prize!!

Big Brother Addict!!

2009-08-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

Big Brother has been a favorite show of mine for several seasons now! However I can honestly say it has recently taken over my nights, I'm addicted and cannot stop watching the show! I am convinced there are far worse things to be addicted to. The show's normal times are Tues, Thurs, and Sun for an hour,the bonus is it airs on Showtime every single night of the week for 3 hours (11-2 am). You would think that 3 hours a week would be enough, but no!! The live, unedited 3 hours a night is sinfully addicting. The show is a social experiment (taped 24/7) of who can outsmart who, but of course it is tangled up in lies, lust, backstabbing and "showmances", the term was coined by BB for a romance on the show.

The whole point is to win challenges and allign yourself with people that will get you to the end. Then it is up to the Evicted Houseguests to determine who played the game the best and then ultimately decide who wins the game.

This habbit of mine is fine now since I am still on my summer break, but things could get interesting in a week or so when I will no longer have the hours of a teenager.

So yes, I should be getting back into a normal routine just a few weeks before school starts, but I will remind myself of that tomorrow. Right now it's back to the Live BB Showtime feed!!

A Father's Love...

2009-07-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky to have In-laws that love me and treat me just as if I was one of the family! I have always felt at home with them, probably because they act just like my folks! The first time mine and Josh's family met, we knew it was love at first sight! When I say that I am talking about my dad and Josh's dad, Tibby. Those of you who know my dad, know that he is the craziest, laid back, loving man EVER!! He loves to dance and sing and just say the silliest things, literally! So when he met Tibby I know for sure he met his match! These two grown men crack me up!! They say some of the most obseen things to one another (our families are used to this by now), and carry on for hours! They are a hoot at family gatherings, holidays and most current, our family vacation to San Antonio. I am not sure you understand their love. So let me just show you! And by the way, they are sober...Honestly!

Really!!!! I thought we were past the puppy stage!!

2009-07-16T08:25:00.001-07:00

Isn't the little white dog with the red bow in her hair just the cutest thing you have ever seen.....well thank goodness she is or I wouldn't resist popping her a few times for her immature-ness this morning!!!

Well I have to give her a tad bit of credit (not much though) she has been on allergy medicine for a week now and on the label it says...increased urination! Are you getting a picture now as to why I want to beat my 3 year old West Highland White Terrier??!! Yes she wet the bed! Not one, two, but three times (in all different spots) on our brand new adorable royal blue, paisley bedspread!!! Awww you are probably feeling sympathetic for her because of her medicine??? Here is why you should not: 1.she has been on the meds for a week and has only had one accident she was asleep and did it mid nap)I let it slide, 2. For the last 5 days she has had two doses instead of one like she did last night, 3. I even took her outside at 1:15 AM!!

So when Josh wakes up at 6am, he says oh s#$t Ellie pissed on me!!!! LOL I have to laugh a little, because he was in such disgust. There were two pee piles right by his elbow!!!! He was livid...Ellie went outside and we had to clear off our bed, take our comforter to the cleaners and try to clean the wet spots that leaked through to the mattress pad!!! OMG what a way to start your morning!

But the story gets just a little bit better...Josh is in the living room and he yells out to me, who finally settles back to some sort of sleep in the unmade bed..."She pissed all over the living room floor" She had a pee path!! Luckily we have hard wood floors, but still!! WOW! My dog who never (honestly never) gets into trouble was,(OOPS I mean IS)in BIG trouble today!

On a better note: I am going to New Braunsfels and San Antonio this weekend! Maybe I will actually take pictures for you to see when I get back!

Ellie Gray

2009-07-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

We were playing around in the kitchen (or shall we say I was) and I decided to doll up my little tom-boy. She hates it when I do this to her and I just think it is so cute! Dogs are really not my style, so the fact that I love her more than life itself it bizarre! I think red is her color! Enjoy! Happy 4th of July!!