Christmas Time Was Here...

Wow.  Did that just happen??  So much has been going on in the past week that time has flown by!!

Last week James, Aiven, and I went on a little staycation in Dallas.  We stayed at a hotel...

For the indoor pool...

Then we went to the Galleria the next day...

And then last Friday (Dec. 23rd) my baby boy turned SIX months old!! How did that happen?

I love this picture

Also that same day, he got his helmet (because he has a lop-sided head)

Don't let this picture fool you...he doesn't really like the helmet this much

Also that same day he had his first taste of real food...

Yeah, he did not like it!

We first gave him avocado.  This was a recommended food due to it's neutral flavor, texture, and fat content. But we tried it the next day and he still did not like it at all.  Then we tried pureed yellow squash, still no go.  The next day I tried that mixed with breast milk - it was a little better, but still no.  I just don't think he's ready for food yet and that's ok!  

*Side note: we are not starting him with rice cereal.  Since our lifestyle is eating paleo, we're not going to introduce him first to things that aren't paleo and then take them away later.  

Also, that SAME day he rolled over by himself for the FIRST time!!

Now he does it like he's been doing it his whole life!

So needless to say, December 23rd was a very eventful day for our little boy!!

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And then Christmas.  This year we had all the parents come to our house!!  A few months ago, traveling to Austin on Christmas weekend with a baby did not sound appealing.  So we decided to have Christmas at our house.  Thankfully, my sweet in-laws drove to us to spend Aiven's first Christmas with us.  

We were missing my mom and step-dad, but they went to Iowa to surprise my Grandma for Christmas, which I know she was VERY grateful for!

 the Men :-)

 Us with James' dad David, step-mom Lisa, and sister Christina

 Us with James' mom Sandie and sister Christina

 Us with my dad Gordon and step-mom Peggy

Our Family Christmas Picture

:-)

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Blast from the Past

Christmas 2008 (just engaged) 

Christmas 2009 (married) 

 Christmas 2010 
(with Cider & Hudson & baby Aiven about 12 wks old...inside)

Christmas 2011!!

A Compilation...

Well I've been wanting to blog, but have been stumped on what to blog about.  So now as I sit here with some alone time (Aiven's down for the night and the hubs fell asleep in bed reading his Bible) I'm just gonna blog about...whatever :-)

I love this time of year...I actually usually like the cold.  The air has a crispiness that is refreshing.  I love LOVE Christmas lights.  Every store or restaurant you go in to has Christmas music playing.  You get to go to or throw parties.  Gifts are given and received. The house always usually smells good for some reason.  Decorations are put up.  Memories are remembered and talked about. And Christ's birth into our sorry world is remembered.

This is our cozy living room.  Fire's going in the fireplace can make any room feel cozy!

This is us enjoying that cozy fireplace for our annual Christmas get-together

These are my High School FOR-REAL BFF's!!  Seriously, we've all known each other since at least middle school (some of us since elementary) and we still get together often.  Last year we decided that each month we'd all put $10 in a savings account and save up for all of us to go on a yearly vacation!
Last year we went to Gruene, TX and floated the river. This year we're just gonna keep saving because I had a baby...but next year we'll have all the more money to spend on a lovely vacay!! I love these girls so much and know they will always be life-long friends.

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Speaking of friends...this lovely lady is the BEST!  

as you can see, we're also enjoying that cozy fire!

As Steph and I (for now) live about 4 minutes from each other, we've been enjoying some much needed girl time!! We've been getting together usually every Monday evening.  Some nights we just talk and drink decaf coffee, while scolding my too-rowdy dog and helping her poor Charlie dog hide.  :-) Other nights we do crafts!! (more of those nights to come...thanks to you, Pinterest!!)  And then other nights we go on a Christmas-present date!!

First to Olive Garden 

Then to Starbucks...duh 

Then beautiful Christmas lights synced to Christmas music...awesome

Pretty sure we were acting like 8-year-old girls when we pulled up in front of this house and tuned the radio to the right station...

Yes, it was an awesome date :-)

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And then of course there's this love of my life (other than my wonderful husband)

this face just melts my heart!!  Every day is such a gift to be able to hold him, kiss those cheeks, and hear his wonderful laugh

Since Thanksgiving we've had his friend, Broden, come "play" every Monday and Wednesday while his mommy is at school.  They are about 2 months apart (Broden is older) and our play-dates will continue next semester!

Yeah, they're both super chunky ;-)

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Then with James still not working (he starts his new job Jan. 3rd) we've had some AWESOME family time...e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y  :-)  and we're loving it!

This is when we were putting ornaments on the Christmas tree.  Aiven wanted to be a part of it, so I put him in the sling my mom MADE :-) yeah, she's awesome like that.  

Maybe I'll see if she'll do a guest post for me and tell how she made it!

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Oh and Aiven got his pic with Santa (aka my old boss Chris at Sterling House) 

He didn't cry!!

Well that is all for tonight...I know this post is super random and maybe boring to some, but it's my life! :-)  Stay tuned tomorrow for Friday Food Frenzy!  

The Latest

Well, I haven't been on here in a while!!  A lot has been going on in the past few weeks.  For about 1/2 a week me and the fam took a camping road-trip all the way to Colorado!!  It was crazy, spontaneous, challenging, and fun!!
    We left on Wednesday morning (October 26th) and drove all the way to Logan, New Mexico.  We packed everything we thought we'd need in the truck....it was packed full!

We stayed in a tent that night at a campsite near Lake Ute, NM.  We always got electrical sites because we had a small space heater for our tent and we stayed SO toasty!!  This is what we woke up to the next morning...

It was so beautiful!!  But as beautiful as it was, it got our stuff wet.  So we packed up (as the snow was still coming down...hard) and we put all the stuff that couldn't get wet in the back seat of the truck and all the stuff that could get wet in the bed of the truck and headed out!  We drove to Sante Fe & found a campsite in the mountains there.

BEAUTIFUL:

  Since our stuff was wet and we didn't have time to dry it out before nightfall my amazingly handy husband made us a "tent" in the bed of the truck!  It was SO cozy...despite my skepticism!  Here's a look at our "home":

Then the next morning we took off to Colorado!! The first site of "the-real-thing" mountains was beautiful!

We stopped to do a little hike to see a waterfall....

I had Aiven in the moby wrap under my jacket!!  We didn't get to see the falls though because you had to walk through the water on ice-covered rocks to get to it...but it was still so fun - Aiven loved it!

Then we headed to Salida, Colorado to stay the night in a hotel - which felt awesome!!  Then the next day we made the long treck back home to Texas...but saw plenty of beauty on the way:

:-)

So that was our fun, spontaneous family camping road trip!!

Then when we got back....Aiven had to have surgery on his hernia that he's had since he was about 4 weeks old.  It was really difficult to see him go through it...but James and I were trusting the Lord...that's all you can do in those types of situations.  It was really hard seeing him crying and out of it after he woke up from surgery...it took us a while to get him calmed down enough to go to sleep.  Then the rest of the day at home all he did was sleep and when he woke up he just cried.  But after that first day he recovered great!!  He slept a lot (mostly b/c of the medication) but when he was awake, he was his old smiley self!!  He's been doing great and we are so thankful that he is well.  :-) 

So that's the latest!! Hopefully I will post more frequently and consistently!! 

a gain & a loss

Today was an interesting day....

I watched my friend's 6-month-old baby boy today while she went to school. It was fun and challenging. Having 2 little humans that can't do anything for themselves and cry when they need something is, at times, a difficult thing to handle. But they did have fun together when they were awake, full, and happy!

And I didn't do it alone for the whole day because...my hubby got laid off.

It's interesting when you get news like this. For a second your world stops, then fear and worry want so badly to take over you. But then I remember the Lord. He is in control, He was not taken by surprise, He knew this would happen, and He will take care of us.

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today & tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith?

Matthew 6:28-30

"...the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

Job 1:21

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

And it's in times like these that I'm reminded so much of why I married my husband. He is so calm and collected in times where some (not all) men would freak out or get depressed. A few weeks ago I found our wedding video and watched it. One of our officiants (who was also our friend) had asked each of us before the wedding what the ingredients were that made the other person and why we wanted to marry them. One of the things I said about James was his stability and trust in the Lord. And when things like this happen I am so thankful for this attribute!!

Laughter is good for the soul too. We have often found ourselves making jokes about the situation. However, this is not to say that we're just sitting back, laughing, and doing nothing. As soon as James got home, he started updating his resume and applying for jobs online (and picking up one of the two unsatisfied babies...). I'm also brainstorming ways to make money, yet to continue staying at home with my little booger!!

All in all this was not a typical day - a day with a gain (little Broden) and a loss (our only income...)

Will keep you posted on our search for a job!!