9 months already?

I know I say this every month, but I really cannot believe you are already 9 months!
You HAVE to stop growing so fast, Riley! I've already forgotten what it was like when you
used to put your head on my shoulder & sleep so peacefully.
It seems like yesterday that we were walking around at all hours of the night
with you while you cried & cried through the colicky stage.
I haven't forgotten that! :)

You are FULL of energy now and starting to show signs of wanting to crawl!
You have definitely started to develop a little personality of your own and
you know what you like & don't like already.
Not sure how much longer we'll be able to do baby food.
You are definitely happier eating table food!
Already such a BIG boy! :)

You can clap your hands now and love to put any & everything
in your mouth!

You just get sweeter with each passing day.
You love to watch your brother and laugh and laugh at him
whenever he plays peek-a-boo with you!

You absolutely LOVE . TO. ROLL! I can't get you to stop rolling!
You roll any & every time you get a chance...
on the floor, changing a diaper, changing your clothes, in my lap,
the list goes on!

You are such a happy baby and smile ALL THE TIME!!
You love the grocery cart, being in mommy's arms, and riding
in the car with your brother.

You HATE for your diaper to be changed and can't stand for me to lay
you down on the changing table! I almost have to pin you down to put clothes
on you! You're a stinker! I LOVE you to pieces!

I . LOVE . THIS . FACE !!!!
I came up with a little acronym to describe our 9 month old...

Roley poley

Into all kinds of things
Love bug

Eyelashes to die for
You have your mommy's heart

You are a precious gem of a baby, Riley.
I love going into your room to get you up from naps and in the morning.
I love seeing your sweet face looking up at me in the crib.
I love giving you bottles and cuddling with you at night before you go to bed.
I love the way you grab my face and hold it so tight.
I love how you already love your brother and want to be near him.
I love how you're already trying to play with big trucks like you're a BIG boy.
I love hearing your sweet baby talk... "ba-ba, ga-ga, da-da." It melts my heart.
I love you to the moon & back and am so in love with that little face of yours!

I wish I could freeze you in time and just enjoy this baby stage for a little while longer.
You are a joy & even though I love the baby stage, I can't wait to see what
you'll do next & surprise us with!

Happy 9 months Riley!
We adore you!

Bunny Brownies

I saw this adorable little Easter craft on a blog recently and just HAD to share!
It was so cute and easy and I loved making them!
I made some for Reid's teachers and they just turned out darling!
All in all, it took about 5 minutes to make them.
Add a little tag for directions on how to mix & bake, and you're done!
All it's is Easter colored m & m's, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and some peeps.
How can you go wrong with chocolate, marshmellows, and graham crackers?
Ummm.... you can't! I'm on a no sweets fast right now, so the smell of these m & m's is killin' me!
I may have to make a jar just for myself when I'm eating sweets again.
They just smell so darn good!

(a.k.a. Easter S'mores, but I thought Bunny Brownies was WAY cuter!)

Pictures with the bunnies

This has become an annual tradition in our family since a friend told me there were live Easter bunnies at the mall. How can I pass up on such a cute picture opportunity?! Reid LOVES it and enjoys it every time we do it. Riley.... well, not so much this year. He didn't mind the bunnies, but I think the photographer scared him with this silly toy he was playing with. Not sure why it scared him, but this was the best shot we got.
That's okay Riley-Roo. We'll try again next year!

Your brother would stay up there for hours if we could let him! He is in LOVE with bunnies this year ever since we had the little baby bunnies in the backyard. He was begging me and I mean BEGGING me to let him go up and play with the bunnies just ONE.MORE.TIME after we were all done taking the pictures. I couldn't quite convince him that it was not our turn anymore and we were all done! Riley was not a happy camper about any of it, so getting him back up there was completely out of the question! Poor guy. He was so happy when I'd pick him up and as soon as I would sit him back down in front of that white picket fence, the tears just wouldn't stop comin'! I felt so bad for my Boo-Boo (one of my favorite names for him). I had to just let it go and know that all pictures don't have to be smiley ones right?
(this was as big as I could make it after I scanned it... not sure what the deal is).

LOVE spring traditions like this. I can't wait to go to the arboretum! Thanks for telling me about this sweet Mandy! Such a fun time!

Texas Bluebonnets

Since Reid was about 18 months old, I have been taking him out to take pictures in the bluebonnets. Last year we missed it by just a few days, and I was determined that this year we were going to get out there in time to take pictures in these beautiful flowers. It is a Texas tradition that I love and the flowers are SO pretty!

I was out of town this weekend for a girls weekend and as I was driving there & back, I kept seeing all these families taking pictures of their children in the bluebonnets. When I got home, we made our way out to a beautiful field of these wild flowers not too far from our house!
I was all excited, and had high hopes that we wouldn't have any trouble with the boys since they had just both awoken from naps. Alas, it was no easy task! Is it ever when it involves toddlers and babies? However, we managed to get some good pics along the way after a little distraction and the promise of some treats after we were done. A little bribery never hurts! :)

One of the best shots!
Look at those sweet smiles!

I guess Riley was a little hungry!
Bluebonnet, anyone?

All of my sweet boys. :)

He loves when Daddy tosses him in the air!
What kid doesn't?!

Me & my sweet Reid
LOVE.THIS.BOY

Riley-Roo
Sweet little boo-boo!

Don't you love the forced smile?

Isn't that angelic? MELT.MY.HEART. SWEET

I can't wait to watch these boys grow up together.
I love watching Reid be a big brother, hand Riley toys, take them away, and he always wants his little brother's high chair right next to him at the table.
I can already see Riley looking up to his big bro and watching every move he makes. He gets the biggest smile on his face when he sees Reid and just giggles with delight when he is around him. It's pretty stinkin' cute if you ask me and I just love saying "My boys."
Thank you Lord for these precious, adorable blessings.
They are my greatest joy.


"The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. You care for the land and water it..."
Psalm 65:8-9

Easter bunnies came hopping by

Is that the most precious, happy face or what?

This little baby bunny and 2 more were under the boy's playset last week. A momma bunny thought it would be a safe place for her to give birth to her babies. Alas, she was not aware that we have a Yorkie in our backyard that has an incredible sense of smell! On Wednesday of last week, Jake (our dog) began to try & dig a hole under the the playset. In the 9 years I have known this dog, I have NEVER seen him dig, so I knew there had to be some sort of animal (dead or alive) under that wood. Late Sunday afternoon, the first baby bunny appeared in the corner. Jake was going NUTS and tried his darnedest to get to that little baby.
He ran out and we finally caught him and put him in a box.

Here is our first baby bunny.



That very night, we went to get some dinner, came home and found Jake with another little baby in his mouth!!! Ahhhh!!!! I saw him & screamed and began to cry for this poor little guy. Rod went out there and got him. We thought we had rescued him just in time, but he only lasted a few hours. :((((

The next day, I went out to check to see if there were anymore, and I moved the brick I had put in front of the place where Jake was digging, and there was 1 more... he was already gone. :((( Not sure what happened to that little guy.

The WORST news of all is that the first bunny we found in the picture above, didn't make it after all. He died sometime last night. Poor bunny. Not sure what happened.
We still haven't told Reid about it. UGH.
So sad. Baby bunnies are so cute! It was fun while it lasted.
I'm thinkin' telling Reid that the bunny died is not a good idea....

Spring has Sprung!

I love this time of year for so many reasons.

• the weather changes
• longer days
  
• eating outdoors
• outdoor grilling
• going to the park
• playing out in the backyard
  
• spring flowers
• Easter decorations
• Easter outfits
• Easter egg hunts
• going to the Arboretum
• pictures with the bunnies at Northpark
  

I could go on and on! I heart spring!
The other day our yard guy filled up our back flower beds with mulch, it was time to bite the bullet. Yes, it was time to give our boy something he could dig in and make a mess... boys do that pretty well! We couldn't have him go ruining all that pretty mulch back there!
Reid LOVES to dig!
He is ALL boy all the time and loves anything to do with dirt and playing in it these days. I love it! He and I loaded up this afternoon and drove to Toys 'r Us and bought him a fun sandbox.
We had the perfect place to put it and he had a ball playing in it this afternoon!

We discovered another little something that decided to find its home under the boys' playset today too.... a momma bunny thought our backyard was the perfect place to bring her little ones into the world. How precious is that? See below...


Reid's new wheelbarrow. I think he was just about as
excited about this as he was the sandbox!

Isn't he delicious? ;) Love those little cheeks!

Our new little friend we found hiding under the playset.
We haven't found anymore. Just this little one.
Hope his mommy finds him soon or Jake will. :(((
We are trying to keep the dog away, but he is determined to get to this
poor baby bunny. We may have to rescue him soon!

Can't wait to plant these in our pots out front!
Happy Spring everyone!

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed , for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:23

A Day Out with Thomas the Train

On Saturday, we went to Grapevine to see "Thomas" the train.
We told Reid about it that morning and he promptly said,
"I don't want to see Thomas!" We were flabbergasted as we know this boy loves trains and anything to do with Thomas! After a few questions, we discovered that he was scared because he thought the train would go too fast. We assured him it didn't and his biggest question was, "Will Mommy & Daddy protect you?" Sweet boy, of course we will!
It was the perfect day with absolute perfect weather!
Reid had a ball and so did we! Yeah for Thomas!

Fun with the train tables before riding Thomas.

Riley seemed to enjoy his "ride" on my back!

Wow! Thomas is so cool!

Don'tcha just love sun hats on babies?? :)

Getting ready to ride...

Meeting the conductor.

My boys. Love them.

Reid's "official" Jr. Engineer certificate.

Sweet smiles... still lovin' those 2 teeth!



Riley man hangin' in the stroller soakin' up some rays.

Reid was getting a little hungry and tired at this point... guess we need to pack a few more snacks next time! We had a ball and look forward to seeing Thomas again next year!