363 more days till christmas

bits and pieces from mc's 1st christmas

hope you had a very merry christmas!

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, b, b, t, m, m, n, b, bc and t

life lately

how is it already december 21st! yesterday was still november! i'm so confused.... one thing i do know is, it's friday!!! and i get the next 2 weeks off and i'm spending every second with my little man :)
so very thankful.

grandma's ginger crinkles*newest face*elevators are so much fun*cowboy boots and jammers*
our neighbors christmas lights that we love*cousins*lunch date*new clutch

 

we are headed south for the weekend to see friends, family and eat some tasty food.

hope you have a great weekend and safe travels.

 

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, b, b, t, m, m, b, n bc and t

sandstorms, sweden and santa

 

yesterday was one of those days where you question why someone would choose to live in west texas.

i was reading about sweden here and their love for spending hours outside every day.  every day. sunny, warm days. cold, rainy days. freezing, snow days. they say, "There is no bad weather, just bad clothing." as i was driving, dodging tumbleweeds, and trying to get the sand out of my teeth, i was thinking, do they have days like this in sweden? and if so, do they prefer being outside having their skin sandblasted or in the calm of the clean indoors?

i know i'm complaining about how terrible the weather was, but don't think it stopped us from taking mclain to meet santa at the mall. i figured most sane people would not want to be out in this nonsense. but i'm not one of those people. i'm about taking advantage of bad weather days and getting stuff done in a timely manner.

mclain meet santa.

(this is a picture of a picture because they won't let you take your own.)

mclain was enamored with santa. most of the pictures were of mclain just staring at santa.  mclain was so content i may have considered leaving him with santa while matt and i went to see a movie at the new theater. that might not have gone over too well with the people in line behind us.

Merry Christmas!
 

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, b, b, t, m, m, b, n, bc and t

merry christmas, happy holidays!

after seeing this video....

thanks ellee for sharing this magical find!

it got me thinking...

i haven't heard one of my favorite christmas songs this year! which then lead to me thinking....have you heard this gem of a christmas song this year? if not, i thought i'd share a little christmas magic with you. enjoy!

and, you're welcome!

hugs and kisses~s, m, mc, b, b, t, m, m, n, b, bc and t

go. go. go.

he is on the go. he's walking....with a little assistance. now that he knows how quickly he can go from point a to point b, he can't sit still for long anymore. look how cute his little walk is....

the cutest! right? love this kid.

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, b, b, t, m, b, m, n, bc and t

mc's wish list...

i thought it was only fair to share mc's christmas wish list as well. since he's not old enough to post on this blog or hold a pencil in his hand to write a letter to santa, or much less, use his words to express what he really wants for christmas, i thought i would be the great mother that i am and make a wish list for him.  keep in mind, he approved of all the items i am about to mention.

1. where the wild things are, best book ever! 2. cutest sweater ever! 3. woodland puzzle 4. wooden rainbow stacker 5. every boy needs a radio flyer wagon 6. rocking horse, of course! 7. dino tails book 8. red rain boots for puddle jumping 9. a new ride, he has good taste. 10. activity center

i'm glad we have an idea of what "santa" needs to bring...but man, he sure asks for a lot! i wonder where he gets that from?

what are some of your favorite must-have items for your littles?

hugs and kisses~mc

it's raining....inside!

raining inside? yep. and mclain's going to catch it!

 

 

we had to put the duck tub away...at least till the next babe comes.  mc was throwing his toys overboard and then, trying to fetch them....not very safe.  and i could tell you that i don't have any pics of him diving overboard because i'm a good mother and was giving him my -undivided, both hands free- attention. but in reality, i do have those pics but i don't want to post them because i try to think of mclain in 16 years and would he want his hiney on the internet? probably not. even though it is a super cute hiney.

 

 

so we upgraded (?) to the big boy tub. he only tried to drowned himself twice and instead of diving overboard, he tried to climb right out of the tub. bathtubs are slippery.  note to self: pick up one of those no-slip bath mats on the way home from work.

 

this little man is getting mobile and there is no stopping him! where can i buy one of those kiddie leashes? just kidding. but, seriously?

 

how do you keep your kid in the tub?

 

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, t, m, b, b, b, n, m, bc and t

dear santa....

lately, matt has been asking me what i want for christmas.
i thought if i post my christmas wish list here, then y'all could keep him accountable :)

1. modcloth handbag  2. scarf  3.replace my beloved tory burch leopard print flats (sz 8.5)
4. bugaboo double stroller 5. fancy camera 6. hunter rain boots 7. glasses 8. ceramic mason jars 9. pen tablet 10. a little house to call our own *this one isn't in lubbock, but i bet we could build it on several acres and accessorize with some horses ;)

what's on your christmas wish list?

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, t, b, b, m, n, m, b, bc, and t

twelve on 12.12.12

twelve things i love about christmas...

(in no particular order)
 

1.christmas music
(lubbock is in desperate need of a 24/7 christmas station)

2.a christmas tree in every room of the house

3.giving to those in need

4.wrapping presents

5.reading the christmas story at midnight on christmas eve

6.christmas jammers--matt gets me a new pair and i open them on christmas eve :)

7.ginger crinkles--i would make these cookies with my g-ma

8.BILL COSBY! gingerbread houses

9.christmas movie marathon all december long

10.chinese food for christmas eve dinner

11.driving around looking at christmas lights

12.candle light service on christmas eve

i can't wait to see what mclain will love about christmas!
what do you love about christmas?

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, b, b, t, m, m, b, n, bc and t

a is for apple

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...at least that's true for me.

for my 29th birthday last year, my mom made a HUGE deal about it....because she thought it was my 30th. she wanted to drive 6 hours to take me out for a special dinner. she hasn't taken me out for a birthday dinner since my 18th birthday.  she always gets me really great presents, but last year the presents were extra great. i was 4 months pregnant with mclain and she sent my baby book along with all my birthday presents and a card that shouted "30!".  i didn't have the heart to tell her it was only my 29th. and to be honest, i didn't understand how she got confused?  my baby book said 1982....it was 2011. my mom is a smart lady. she can do simple math.

this past friday was my little brother's 16th birthday! i bought him a card that said so. i blogged about him and his special day. every birthday is special. but 16, just like 30, is one of the monumental birthdays. you can easily find a card at the store that says, Happy 16th! Happy 18th!, Happy 21st!, Happy 30th!, Happy 40th! What you can't find is a Happy 29th! or Happy 17th! i knew that he was born in '95. i knew that i was 13 when he was born.  i knew he was a junior in high school.  so why did i think he was turning 16?! i can do simple math. at least i think i can. i guess this apple isn't as ripe as i thought.

and since we're on the topic of apples...i thought i'd share my homemade apple sauce. most of you know i like to make mclain's food. i found a recipe recently (i don't remember where i found it), it's very simple, a little time consuming but he loves it and that makes it all worth it!

i started out with 3 large red delicious apples but only used 2 because mc was getting restless. peeling and coring the apple is the time consuming part, which is why in this recipe we're only using 2 apples.

*peel, core, and slice apples*

 

*fill microwavable bowl with apples and water. microwave for 3 minutes or until soft*

 

*drain most of the water. add apples to blender with a dash or 2 of cinnamon and sugar. blend.*

 

*once blended. let it cool and enjoy!*

 

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, m, t, b, b, m, n, b, bc and t 

date night

sometimes pops has to work late and mclain and i are real sad about it, so we like to distract ourselves. last night was one of those nights, so mclain was sweet enough to take me on a date....

he wanted to go to sprouts so we could get all the ingrediants for butternut squash soup...he say's i make the best (don't tell him it's becky's recipe, he thinks i made it up ;))! but once we got there, i realized he had a hidden agenda. he LOVES novelty hats and had to try them all on.....

 

football? no.

 

 sock monkey? maybe

 

turkey that we'd seen on pinterest? no, too big

 

this was my fave...i love me some moose!

 

 this was mc's pic!

 

 it might be even cuter from the back!

since we couldn't agree on which hat was the cutest and i really want to wait until they're 50% off, we decided to get ice cream to ease the pain.

 

and with it being the christmas season, we had to go with chocolate mint :)

 

pops made it home in time to tuck mclain into bed and we ended the night with coffee, dessert, and great conversation with great people, including a surprise visit from kelly with coffee and husband.  i am so thankful for nights like last night. you don't see it coming, it's not planned, but it ends up being perfect! 

 

what hat did you like best?

 

have a wonderful weekend!

 

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, b, b, t, m, m, b, n, bc and t

what a gentleman!

seventeen years ago, God blessed our family with this special person. he is one of three reasons i always wanted to be a mom of all boys.

 

 

christian, you have a heart of gold, you are always thinking of others, you love well! very few high-schoolers would give up part of their spring break and part of their summer vacation to willingly spend time with family, but you were so eager to meet and hang out with mclain and for that i am grateful. you are very special to me and i look forward to mclain knowing you, looking up to you and learning from you. i am so proud of you and the gentleman you have become. you deserve the BEST in life and are destined for great things, don't settle for anything less. 

 

*spending his spring break loving on this cutie*

 

*mclain loves his uncle christian*

 

we wish you a very happy 17th birthday!!! we wish we could be there to celebrate you on your big day. (maybe on your 19th, you'll be at texas tech and we'll have a grand celebration ;) wouldn't that be the best?!?!)

we love you dearly and we consider ourselves blessed that we can call you 'brother', 'friend' and 'uncle'.

 

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, m, b, t, b, b, n, m, bc and t

9 months of greatness

9 months old and lookin' good!

 

height: 28.8in. 80%

weight: 21 lbs 12 oz. 75%

head circumference: 18in. 75%

his 9 favorite things....

 

1. his new friend jaxon

2. light switches

3. toast

4. reading tearing up the newspaper

5. his buddies

6. his shoelaces

7. splashing in the tub

8. clapping

9. singing the ittsie-bittsie spider, patty cake, and the tech fight song!

 

guess what, nugget? you're our favorite!!!

brrrrrr.....it's cold in here...

splashin' is serious business

hangin' with my buddy aka turtle

christmas lights are the BEST!

favorite j's

rollin' with my homies

too much eggnog

 

hugs and kisses~ m, s, mc, t, m, b, b, m, n, b, bc and t

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

hope you had a wonderful weekend! we are getting into the christmas spirit over here with our first christmas party, the muppet christmas carol, and our first carol of lights as a family!

bing*christmas in a cup*frosty's down*cagles*successful pinterest wrapping*our failed attempt at a family portrait*carol of lights*mc's first christmas tree and his pops' DIY manger from when he was a tiny-tot

i just love this time of year!

what about you? what are some of your christmas must-haves and must-dos?

 

hugs and kisses (under the mistletoe)~m, s, mc, b, b, t, m, b, m, n, bc and t

dance for me...

one of my favorite things about mclain is that he can entertain himself. it's nice to be able to brush my teeth, make a snack, fold those pesky towels or put his laundry away without having to take him with me or have him cry while i sneak away for a few seconds. but what i love most is sitting back and watching him entertain himself. watching him learn. those wheels are constantly in motion. and i love it.

he loves his buddies. he loves to stand. he loves to stand in his crib and pick-up his buddy, drop him and pick him up again and do it over and over and over.

 drop. pick-up. repeat.

drop. pick-up. repeat.

 

as he gets older, he gets wiser. he's trying new things. and we love watching him figure it out.

 

unfortunately, this new game does not allow me to reheat my coffee for the eighteenth time.

 

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, b, b, m, t, b, n, m, bc and t



turkey + taryn + zach

we had a wonderful thanksgiving with family. there was no shortage of attention for mclain and no shortage of pies for matt. matt was in charge of the green bean casserole (he makes the very best!) and i made my grandma's 5 cup salad (she was the very best!). the food was amazing-as always. the card games were endless and fun and mclain's first talent show was a success! 

on saturday we traveled down south for our good friends' wedding. every detail was perfection!

we had such a great weekend from the turkey to the vows and the pies to the campfires, we are so thankful to be blessed with such amazing family and friends.

thanksgiving donuts*free babysitters*talent show*hand and foot*cruisin'*goodbye thanksgiving, hello christmas*great bridge in llano, tx*moo*outdoor wedding*tarynpluszach*manly men*long drive home

 

we hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving!

hugs and kisses~m, s, mc, b, b, t, m, b, m, n, bc and t

 

p.s. there are a lot of great pics of the wedding at #tarynpluszach on instagram!

santa?! i know him!!!

what a weekend!!!

we started it off with a red cup! we met santa and his reindeer! we had cherry pie for breakfast :) we had family movie night with a fire. we heard one of the best sermons...ever. the raiders didn't win but the cowboys did and my fantasy team is still too close to call. i didn't win in our not-so-friendly family card game but matt did...so i guess if i'm gonna lose, it should be to him. but biggest of big news...mclain finally. FINALLY. got his first tooth AND finally. FINALLY started crawling!  what a weekend!!!

 

 

 

 '

 

hope y'all had a great weekend! happy monday to one of our favorite weeks of the entire year!!!

hugs and kisses~m, s, one-toothed mc, b, b, m, t, m, b, n, bc and t