seven.

Today marks 7 years of marriage for my Jeremy and I! What a blessing! Yesterday marked 10 years from the day he officially went from a guy I was dating to my exclusive boyfriend. We were 19 and so I don’t think we called it that. Boyfriend/girlfriend. But that’s really what he became on November 22, 1999. I won’t go into some sappy post about him or our marriage. I’ll save the sap for him alone.

Due to the crazy time we decided to get married . . . among the holidays, we won’t be celebrating for another 2 weeks. In 2 weeks, my parents will take the boys for the weekend and we will have some time for ourselves. I am REALLY looking forward to it. Sleeping through the night, sleeping in and just doing some fun things with Jeremy. He is planning and I am not interfering. But, I did tell him that I just wanted to have fun and laugh a lot and stay out late . . . if I can keep my eyes open. Just 3 small, easy requests. So he has told me that we are going here one of the nights. If you’ve never been, then you have missed out. It should be a great weekend and it can’t get here soon enough.

Jeremy, it’s a blessing to share life with you! I count myself a lucky girl! Just an old picture, because I don't have anything recent that doesn't include 2 cute, little boys.

Let the Christmas festivities begin!

I know, I know. We haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet and here we are starting Christmas. But I'm not complaining. I do complain when Hobby Lobby's Christmas decorations come out in August. But people, it's late November. It's time. So last night we went to this big tree lighting at a fun little place just down the road from us. Holden is quite into all the decorations this year. If we're out shopping and there is garland or snow flakes hanging from the ceiling of the store, it gets him pretty chatty and excited. And it keeps him quite entertained. Which is so nice for me. And he loves lights. Any kind of light. Anything thing that lights up! So I figured a Christmas tree lighting would be right up his alley. So off we went, with the boys decked out in their Christmas attire . . . yes, once again, almost a full week before Thanksgiving! And even though the pictures won't prove it, Pax and I were there too.

watching the lighting of the tree

Distracted by an airplane. Have I mentioned that he loves airplanes?! :)Holden seeing the tree all lit up! Goodness, I love that sweet face!and the tree. Oops, took the picture with the flash.

See, we were there too!

our little guy.

Here is recent picture of mister Paxton in one of the outfits his birthmom, M, gave to him as a gift. I meant to get a cute picture, BEFORE he conked out. Cute nonetheless.And here is my bright-eyed boy! Friday night my sister said he looks like a little Cabbage Patch doll. She's right! There's not a better description. It's that little round face! Love this boy!

So Thankful!

Well, today has been a great great day!
It's only 3pm (knock on wood). Both boys are napping peacefully (again knock on wood). I have been scraping for fun things to do with Holden lately. It's a tough age for entertainment. Not quite ready to sit and do crafts at the kitchen table. But I know that we are in this apartment more than we should be (especially with this beautiful weather). And to be honest, he's just not that into toys. Which makes this apartment get really boring, fast! Holden would just rather be outside, discovering leaves, watching squirrels, pointing at airplanes and just running free. So that is exactly what we did today.

And it was so great. I think we need to do this every single day! At the complex where we're living, there is this great area, away from all the parking lots and cars. Holden can get out of the stroller and just roam. And I feel like he's safe. Meaning I can keep an eye on him, but I don't have to chase or say no 20 times. I don't think I said no one time today. He loved it. I loved it. I snapped way too many pictures. But I had to share a few . . .
ready to cruise
Paxton enjoying some fresh air and a cozy ride.watching mister squirrel
mister squirrel watching us. (he kinda freaked me out.)
chasing mister squirrel
He heard someone playing music. What do you do when you hear music? You dance.You close your eyes and bust out your best moves!
Holden noticing an airplane close by. He is obssessed with airplanes. LOVES them! Which I know is a little boy thing. But we find it pretty cool, since in a way, Holden's daddy works with airplanes. So be looking for an airplane-themed room for Holden in the new house. Can you imagine bring your kid to work day? He would be in heaven!
Stopping to see the flowers.
And one of his all-time favorite things to do . . . running free! FREE FREE FREE! This boy loves to just run around. And he's fast. Just take my word for it.

I'm very thankful for today. Reminding me to keep it simple. It doesn't even have to be a park. I don't even have to load the boys up and take them anywhere. Because that can be a chore in itself. Holden is 18 months and his world is simple. I don't need to make "entertaining" him complicated. So I'm thankful for today. . . for the fun we had . . . for the joy these boys bring. I'm thankful for what God has done. And thankful for where he has taken us through this journey of growing our family. And there are days that don't go as smoothly and so I just need to remind myself to be THANKFUL!

a few pictures.

I was just noticing that my recent posts have not included any pictures. And I have been told that pictures of my boys is the reason some people even check this blog out. So here you go . . .
Monday was a colder day here. So we bundled up before heading out for some errands.
You've probably heard me speak of his passion. Well, this is the good, fun, positive side of that passion. This is the part that makes us laugh until we cry. And this is just a typical dinner with our Holden. He was clapping. I can't remember what all the hooplah was about. But I'm sure it was something huge for our little 1 year old. I love his expressiveness! It's constant.
Goodness, have you ever seen something so cute!
Now, I know you would like to put your lips right up there on that computer screen. Because this boy is extra kissable when he is sleeping with those pouty, little lips. But hold yourself back because that computer screen is probably filthy . . . and that's a little bit weird.

So for those that tune in for the pictures . . . done. You're welcome. :)

I'll be home for Christmas!!!!

I have been singing that little number since yesterday evening. We have found us a house! And we are closing on December 11th! That means that we will be in our new house in time for Christmas. And I was beginning to wonder about that. I know Christmas IS NOT about the tree and the stockings. But I was a little sad that those things were packed away in storage somewhere and we wouldn't be able to get to them until the move. And not knowing when that move was going to happen. I was just beginning to wonder what Christmas would look like for us this year without it all. And I kept telling myself: IT'S NOT IMPORTANT! That's not what this season is about. But I do get a little hung up and excited about family traditions. I love the fun stuff that comes with this special season. Normally, I would have already decorated the house by now. But this year, we will be decorating a little later. What a fun year it will be with Holden . . . and as Paxton's very first Christmas . . . and us at our new home in Texas. This year should be a memorable one!

error.

Jeremy began fixing up my blog last night. It's still a work in progress. You see, I have been waiting very patiently. He's pretty nice to do it for me. And I think he's pretty smart with all the code stuff that I don't understand AT ALL. So when he told me he accidentally lost all of my links, I couldn't really be upset, as he was doing me a favor. So I didn't have many blogs saved any other way, except through my blog lists. I am trying to find many on my own during my spare moments, which you should know is muy poquito. So please help a friend out and comment, so I can find you and add you back to my links.

Guy's Night

Recently, Friday nights have become guy's night. Not a night where Jeremy leaves me to go and play poker. Though, I think he could use some nights like these. But instead, it's a night where Jeremy take night duty with Pax. And I sleep, somewhat soundly, next to them. Normally, every other night of the week, I get night duty. It makes sense to me. I stay home with the boys, while Jeremy gets up early and goes to work every day. Not that my job is easy. Jeremy has said you couldn't pay him any amount of money to trade jobs with me. But, there is a rare occassion that both boys are sleeping and I can rest. Choosing to rest, instead of cleaning, blogging or prepare a meal is a different story. But either way, it makes sense for me to normally do night duty. Paxton normally sleeps okay. I'm not saying good. Just okay. We normally just have to do one nighttime feeding. But, at this point with Holden he was close to sleeping 12 uninterrupted hours at night. I now know that we were lucky with Holden's sleep patterns. Paxton is doing 6 hours at a time . . . MAX. And 6 is good for him. Sometimes it's closer to 4. We have to stretch him out to do 6. And he is developing the quite belly and thighs to show for all of that nighttime eating. I do love that baby fat! Anyways, back to my story. Last night was guy's night. It was kind of rough, I think, by seeing 2 used bottles this morning. So I got up at 7:30 with Holden and let the party guys sleep in this morning. For the record, to anyone that is judging us from this picture: Paxton doesn't sleep in our bed. This was just a morning cuddle, I guess.

BIG conversations.

Paxton is talking. Talking up a storm! I don't know what he's saying, but I would love to figure it out. I love it when babies move into this phase. It's like he has so much he wants to tell us and so he just talks and talks and talks. He just tells us a little story. Video footage would be better, but instead I took a few pictures of Paxton and daddy's latest conversation. It was just this evening. And it was pretty cute.

brotherly love.

Holden loves his new brother. In fact, he loves him so much that I can't leave Paxton alone on the floor. He might love on him a little too much, if you know what I mean. We are working on "gentle", but we still have to keep an eye on Holden. He is obssessed with him. Always wanting to hug, kiss and just place his head next to Paxton's. It' sweet. I like it. I hope he always loves him this much! :)

Date night at home

Sometimes I get overwhelmed these days. I'm just trying to get a grasp on having 2 little ones. I guess Jeremy sensed my feelings last week. Friday he returned home from work with tulips (my fave!), a chick flick and a bottle of wine. We put the boys to bed and had a little date at home. So nice. So thoughtful. And I SO needed the time to relax. I have about 14 vases in storage with our other belongings. So I did what I could to make the flowers feel at home here.

Waiting on daddy to return home from work

Nana comes to town

Nana spent a few days with us this week. Another good reason not to sit at the computer and blog. We had a fun few days of more exploring, a little shopping and a special day for Holden. Some pictures of nana and her boys.I have really been wanting to take Holden to the Rainforest Cafe. My mom thought that he might be a little scared of the noisy place. But not so! He LOVED it! In fact, it may have been my easiest dinner in the last several months. He was completely entertained throughout dinner. He ate well. He did not throw his food on the floor. It was amazing. If only every mealtime at home could go so well. Here Holden is mesmerized by the "thunderstorm". Such a fun place for kids!This is what Paxton thought of the "thunderstorm". Not really. He snoozed through it all. This is just what he does sometimes when he sees the flash on my camera in a dark place.Holden's first carrosel ride. Again, he loved it. It was just a fun day for Holden. I wanted to do some things especially for him. We are inside the apartment alot right now and I know he is often bored to tears. Heck! I am often bored to tears. I know that I need to try hard to create more days like these. It was a hit!

BFF Reunion

I am so behind on the blog. But for a very good reason. We have had visitors the last couple of weeks. Our friends Daysha and Lyndon came to Texas last week. So we spent our days doing fun things together. It was great! The boys were inseparable. They read books together.They played trucks together.They drank milk together.Oh, these boys love each other. Holden normally makes his hyperventilating noises when he sees his buddy Lyndon. And Lyndon just gets a sweet, little smile on his face like this one.
Lyndon was even sweet enough to help Holden out when he dropped his paci. So needless to say, last week was just plain fun. And with an extra pair of adult arms, we were able to get out an explore my new area. Daysha and Lyndon, we are so thankful that you were able to spend your week with us. We love you and miss seeing you each day!

Monday's visitors

I have probably mentioned that I have been cooped up in this apartment more than I would like. More than Holden would like also. Just me and the boys, mostly. And things get a little hum-drum. But that is starting to change. We are beginning to see people and trying to get out and go places lately. You will see what I mean in later posts. But this week has been great! We have stayed busy playing with some friends. Amanda and Camryn came to visit us on Monday. We didn't go anywhere, but the company was good. Here are the 3 little friends.We are so thankful that Josh, Amanda and Camryn are now only 1 hour away. And there are many fun places smack dab in the middle of our locations where we can meet. I have a very strong feeling that we are going to be seeing these sweet friends more than twice a year. Amanda and sweet, smiley Camryn, thanks for making the drive this time and spending your time with us. It was much appreciated and much needed for me. We love you so much!

Sunday

We visited our first church on Sunday. And we loved it! It seems to be an incredible place, where God is using an incredible pastor and group of people to do some big things in DFW and also internationally. It gave me hope that this church hunt isn't going to be as difficult as I first imagined. If anything, I am going to have too many good options rather than none.

I have worried about sending Holden off to a new church nursery every week. When we got to the nursery door on Sunday, he knew exactly what was happening. He laid his head on my shoulder in hesitation, which has been pretty typical lately, even at our regular church in OKC. But I mentioned the word TOYS and he couldn't get out of my arms fast enough. He was wiggling down and down and down to the floor and ran right in. Sigh of relief. As long as Holden's class has toys as we visit churches, we are in the clear . . . at least for now.

Paxton joined us for worship and was a quiet little mouse the entire time. I had to get a picture of our little guy dressed in his Sunday best. It's a little outfit from nana and I love it!