The Mattox family

An almost 6 month over due update!!

2011-10-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

First hair cut by Daddy

2011-04-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

We figured we could save some money and time by having Nathan cut Crawford's hair at home. It only made sense, since Nathan was the rodeo team's resident barber!

updates, updates, updates

2011-04-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have realized I have two main problems when it comes to blogging. First, it's the time. When I get home in the evening, I rarely get out the computer, and writing is the last thing I want to do. Second, is getting the pictures on to the computer. I have TONS on my phone, but again taking the time to get on the computer is what I have a hard time with. Anyway, enough with the excuses! On to what's more important...

About a week ago I went to a friends' house after work, and Nathan sent me this picture while I was there. I laughed so hard because I guess that is what happens when Mom is gone. Also, I'm not sure if you can tell but he does have a diaper on under the underware. Last week too, Crawford would NOT take off his boots! Here is another outfit with the boots!

This is before we headed over to Marble Falls for the day and Crawford would not put on anything else, and I wasn't sure if we could get any more plaid in the outfit. We went over there to hang out for a little while and had a blast. Crawford and Granpa (Papa) did a lot of yard work, ok maybe not a lot, because Crawford kept asking to go in the golf cart. Then, they would head to the park. I think all in all, he rode in the cart 7 times and went to the part 4 times. He LOVED every second of it. He also loved riding on Teetee's (Mary) rocking horse from when she was little. He kept asking Nanno (Granna) to ride with him.

If you haven't noticed throughout this post that Crawford has "renamed" our family members. I think it's so cute to hear him say them too. On Tuesday night we were supposed to be going to dinner to see Teetee, because unfortunately, she found out she will not have a job next year because of the stupid state budget. We were going to also meet Nanno and Papa there, so all the way home from school, Crawford kept saying "Teetee, Nanno, Papa", over and over! We however, did NOT make it to dinner. Crawford felt a little warm, so I asked Nathan to stop at Wal-mart to get a forehead thermometer. After we checked out and were going to borrow a pair of scissors, Crawford lost his lunch all over Nathan and himself. It was so hard not being at home and then watching him be so scared and upset. He started feeling better Thursday afternoon and went back to school on Friday and hasn't slowed down since. Also on Thursday, Nanno & Papa called and asked if Crawford could spend the night on Friday. We of course let him, but then weren't sure what to do with ourselves. Teetee and Tutu (Mary's boyfriend Henry) also came over on Friday afternoon to see us, which was great! We did figure it out pretty quickly though, and headed downtown to 219 West. We had been a few years ago and had always wanted to go back, but it's not exactly somewhere that you take a baby. We had a blast together, just eating, drinking and talking! Then we went to 6th street, which I had never been to when I was legal. We quickly realized that it's not really our scene anymore. We did stop though at the Dizzy Rooster, which I realize is lame because I just wanted to go since the Bachelor Brad Womack owns it. We didn't last long there, but did take this cool picture.

Yesterday we went to the Goudeau's for dinner and had so much fun. We haven't got to hang out with them in a while, so it was nice to see them. They have a bubble maker that Crawford loved, and Addie was excited to share!

March was a great month and April has started out great as well. One tiny thing I did leave out though was turning 30!!!! We went to Vegas and had a blast. I've never had many birthday parties, and it was fabulous. I wish I was better, but I need to figure out the time to upload the pictures. Until then, my dear friend April, wrote a very sweet blog about my family surprise party. Click here to look at it.

Last weekend with Granpa at Opie's!! He's in love!

2011-02-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

More Random in January

2011-02-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Our new favorite place is Chick-fil-a and Crawford loves it because of the playground. It's so funny how brave he is and will go up and down the slide all by himself and he LOVES every second of it. We can hardly drive by without him asking to go play.

For the last few years we have done Christmas with my mom's side of the family in January. This year we went to Garland and had it at my aunt's house and had a lot of fun. We did a gift exchange with the adults, and I ended up with a dart board, and Nathan got a bottle of wine.

When we were buying the gifts for the exchange, we found some crayons for Crawford in the bathtub and he loved them. They're already gone! A couple of weeks ago I had to stay late at school for science night (makes sense for a speech therapist right?) and this is what I came home to!

Crawford also had his first corn on the cob!! He likes corn, so the other night when we were eating dinner, he didn't want me to cut it off the cob for him, he wanted to be a big boy. At first he didn't get the concept, but a few bites in he got the hang of it! :)

Now to the not fun part...Crawford has been sick for a LONG time and we are praying that this is the beginning of the end of all this. Before Christmas he had strep, then croup over the break, and then two weeks ago he tested positive for the flu. When we went to the doctor he had a cough and a low fever, so when the doctor said he had the flu, I was SHOCKED to say the least, especially since he'd had the flu shot. That was on a Wednesday evening so Nathan and I stayed home with him on Thursday and his Granna came over on Friday. He loved all the attention from his Granna, and he didn't actually seem sick. Here is him and Granna watching videos from Christmas on her phone. He loves doing this.

To thank Granna for watching him, we went to dinner at Maudie's here at the Galleria and had a great dinner. We thought at first he might be able to sit in a regular chair but boy were we wrong. High chair for us!!!

He also wanted to wear his hat that night because his daddy does. It was sooo cute if I do have to say so myself. When we go outside, we also make him put his hood on, which he wants Nathan to do too. He's such a funny little boy!

His Granna also brought over a robe she had bought for him that he loves. Granna wanted a picture so I asked for him to stand there for it. This is what I got, not the most photogenic little boy, but I love him!

Now, we are fighting the FLU AGAIN. I don't know how this happened twice in TWO weeks. We can't seem to catch a break. Nathan's aunt Sharon come to visit last weekend and Nathan thought he had a spider bite, which turned into a staph infection in his arm. He spent three hours at the urgent care on Saturday, so on Monday we had to go back to see how to clean it out. I had been called that afternoon saying Crawford had a fever so we decided we should take him to the doctor at the same time. When the doctor said he was going to test him for the flu, I said "no don't worry about that, he just had it!". To say I was shocked his the biggest understatement of the year. Another round of Tamiflu it is!! We are thinking that he got it from going to the doctor last Friday. You might be asking, why was he at the doctor last Friday?! He fell at daycare last Friday and got a cut above his eye so the nurse at school thought I should take him in to get it looked at. Seriously?! One more thing?!

To say this week has been rough might just be an understatement, but I do have to say I am so thankful for an amazing husband who has helped so much with Crawford. We have taken turns staying home with Crawford and I appreciate it so much! I am also so thankful for Granna who helped with the last round of flu, and Granpa who came over today to help with this round. After Granpa left today we went back to the doctor because he seemed to be getting worse, than better, at least with his congestion. Nathan said this morning Crawford was pulling on his ear, and guess what he has an ear infection too!!!!!!!!! We are PRAYING that he gets better soon. I'm not sure how much more of all this we can take!!! I just hate seeing my baby sick.

So here is January/beginning of February in a nutshell (ok, maybe not).

Holiday in the park... Six Flags San Antonio

2011-01-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

Growing up we went to Holiday in the park in Dallas. We loved it because it's not so hot and the lines are really short, so we got to ride everything a few times, instead of just 1, if we were lucky! It's a great family memory that I kind of had forgotten about since we moved to Vegas. When I realized that they did this in San Antonio I wanted to go! Nathan had been with me a few times when we were dating, and as much as he loves Christmas, he was game for it!!! My parents decided to come with us too, which I know Crawford loved as much as they did. I know that when he's older we will enjoy the rides more, but for now it was great to just get to go and hang out and see everything. We rode the Scooby-Doo haunted house ride, which is a lot like the Buzz Light Year ride at Disney Land and World, which is mine and Nathan's favorite. Crawford loved it too!! You shoot at targets to try and score points, which of course Nathan always beats me at. I didn't have any pictures of this unfortunately because right before we got on Crawford decided to throw a major FIT!! Here are some pics from the night. Looking forward to next year! :)

We tried to watch the Looney Tunes show, but "someone" didn't sit very long.

We made our way to Santa's Castle which was really neat. They had all different Christmas scenes set up that you walked through and at the end was Santa!

Crawford wasn't too bad with Santa. He of course didn't want to be BFFs with him, but we had been talking about him so much, that he did ok.

Crawford waiting to ride the train...you can't tell from this picture but he was so excited! Actually I think he was more worried that his Granpa wasn't riding with him. Mom just isn't as much fun!

One of Crawford's favorite areas was a "ship" play area, which if you know me, would not have been my choice! :) They had slides, stairs, and tunnels for him to go through.

The lights were also something that we loved looking at. The whole time we were there, Crawford kept saying "woah woah woah" aka "ho ho ho". He loved all of it!! Can't wait for next year!!!

Decisions, decisions...

2011-01-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

Because of this amazing little boy, I have been thinking A LOT lately about some pretty tough decisions. I took this picture the last week of our 2 week break right after Crawford got a haircut. We went to Mc Donald's afterwards to eat lunch and I realized how much I LOVE getting to hang out with him. Don't get me wrong, it's really difficult some times, but there isn't ANYTHING I would rather be doing. It's not going to be possible for me to stay home with him all the time, but I am really considering looking for something to do part-time next year. I just realize that these are days that I'm never going to get back, one-on-one time with my little man, especially when we decide to have another baby. Even thinking about looking for something else and leaving where I'm at is difficult. I am comfortable and love where I work. I also LOVE Marisa who has been with Crawford since he was 10 weeks old. Crawford also LOVES Miss Marisa even more than I do. When I drop him off in the morning, I know that he is well taken care of and loved. I also love that I can walk down the hall and just look in the window to see that he's happy and playing. But.... like I told Marisa and Brianne, I can't stay just because I love them so much!
Something else that plays into this decision of looking, is where will Crawford go? This is so hard because he won't just be down the hall from me and will Crawford and I feel as comfortable as we do now with Marisa and Brianne?!
And lastly, which is something that plays into the other two decisions is where will we live?! When we orginally moved to Austin, we figured we would be where we are now, for a year, MAYBE two. When we move this summer it will be THREE!!! Not what we had planned, but then again, when we make plans, that's when God laughs :) We really like this area, but it's pretty high-priced out here. If we move somewhere else, we can get so much more for our money. These are ALL three very big decisions that are interdependt on eachother and ones that I am praying about constantly, because if I don't I will literally worry myself to death! I need to remember one of my favorite verses here, 1 Thes. 5:16 "be joyful always, and pray continually!" I have realized lately that these decisions have consumed me and I'm not living as joyfully as I should be. So here it is, I'm turning it over! I will be proactive but I will NOT let it consume me like I have been. I have way too much to be joyful about right NOW!!!

New boots!

2011-01-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

ALL three of us got new boots for Christmas this year! In our family it's a tradition that when you get new boots you have to smell the leather, mmmm! THis is in thanks to my uncle Marty. When I was in elementary school, I got a new pair of Ropers (so cool) for Christmas and the first thing my uncle Marty did was pick them up and put them to his face like this picture. So now, when we get a pair, which is usually at Christmas, you have to take this picture. Nathan's boots didn't come in until this week, so that's why I just got this picture. I guess now we need to find someone to take a picture of all three of us smelling our new boots!

Christmas part 1 (pictures to follow)

2010-12-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

We were supposed to have our 18 month check up on December 15th, but it turned out to be a sick visit. Crawford started running a fever that morning so I was thankful we already an appointment. The dr. did a strep test, but it was negative so she figured it was a virus. It turned out to actually be strep because his fever kept going up, I knew something was wrong. We got on antibiotics again, which I wasn't too excited about but I knew they would help. I wanted him to start feeling better too because we left for Ruidoso, NM on Friday afternoon. We were planning on staying with Heidi, but I didn't want to bring any sickness to their house right before Christmas. We got to Midland late Friday evening and figured Crawford would go right to sleep...no such luck! We were in a room with my mom, dad, and Mary and Crawford couldn't quit laughing! My dad started calling him "late night with Crawford". We however, were not laughing so hard. We decided to get our own room at 2 am, so pretty much we paid $90 for a few hours of sleep. Crawford didn't even go to sleep until 3. It was a really rough next day. We had about a four and a half hour drive to Ruidoso, and we didn't stop once, which means Crawford got to sleep :) We were so excited to get there and relax, or so we thought we were going to relax. It's great to go on vacation, but with an 18 month old, it's not always a vacation. O-ma and Granddaddy's house in New Mexico doesn't have as many "trinkets" but it's still not "Crawford-proofed". Someone always had to have an eye on him, which is a full time job. The other full time job seemed to be cooking and cleaning. That is all we seemed to do. I'm pretty sure I didn't sit down, but maybe a couple of times. Crawford's FAVORITE thing to do while we were there was to look for deer. The deck there was perfect for him because he could run around and be outside, yelling "duh, duh" for deer. He didn't quite get the concept though of being quiet. His Granpa and Granna took him on many walks to look for deer. When we got home he was still looking for them, and was very disappointed when they weren't around every corner! Well this is enough for now, maybe I can get it all finished and pictures uploaded before the break is over (don't hold your breath!).

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-01T18:57:00.001-08:00

Glad Plaid Green Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

UT won...finally!!!

2010-11-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

A teacher I work with had free tickets to the UT game on Saturday, which would make sense since they're not very good this year! Our seats were on the 20th row in the end zone, which was awesome!!!!
On our way to the game. Nathan dropped the three of us off so we wouldn't have to lug Crawford so far.

It was Nathan, me and Mary that went. We also took Crawford with us, which I didn't feel too bad about since the ticket was free. He did so great for his first football game. He sat in mine or Mary's lap for the first part of the game, then realized he could get down, which was a little difficult. There were two little boys sitting in front of us, who Crawford like watching play. He did however want the cars they were playing with. Note to self: bring toys next time!

Notice the empty seats above!! :)

Nathan and Mary asked me to take a picture of where they sat last time they went to a game. It was two years ago when UT played A&M at Thanksgiving. Quite a difference. Mary said her nose wasn't bleeding this time :) They sat at the VERY top row in the corner!!!

We had a lot of fun, but Crawford didn't get his regular nap, so he was getting a little tired. He grabbed Nathan's hat and started doing this...

After he took the hat off, he signed "sleep"! I think that was our cue to leave. We left at the end of third quarter, and UT ended up winning. Before we left I wanted to get a couple pics in front of the stadium like we did last year.
Here are a few.

I know this pic is really blurry, but when we were leaving we saw a few police officers getting on their motorcycles. Crawford said vroom vroom and got so excited when he saw them. One of the very nice officers said that Crawford could get on and take a pic. As you can see though, Crawford didn't think it was as good of an idea as we did. I'm afraid this is going to be what we will see in a couple of weeks when we go see Santa!!

We had another first after the game. We rode in a petty cab back to our car!! I have never done this before.

We had a great time, and it was even better that UT won. Now on to Thanksgiving!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2010-11-21T13:38:00.001-08:00

Well after being together for 11 years, Nathan's need to start celebrating Christmas early has rubbed off on me! Now, don't worry, it's not quite to the extent that he does, but we will decorating the tree today and hopefully getting the inside stuff done. It's so stinkin' windy here (think west Texas) that I don't think we'll be getting the outside lights up. Nathan has started listening to Christmas music already, no shock! The funny thing is though that our friends the Goudeaus introduced Nathan to Pandora for free Christmas music all day long. Nathan listened to it SO much that they wanted him to start paying for it! Has anyone ever listened to Pandora so much they've been asked to pay for it? Don't worry though, he has found another free station online. He has had to resort to listening on his computer because we used to listen on t.v. but since we switched to Directv, they don't have sounds of the season. Also, Nathan ruined my iphone/ipod dock that we can't listen to music that way either.
I realize that we haven't had Thanksgiving yet, but just thinking about all the family coming in town means Christmas is just around the corner. We went to the galleria on Friday night hoping to see Santa and the Christmas tree lit. We got there at 6:30 and they weren't lighting the tree until 8:30!! I wasn't hanging around for that long with a 1 year old!!! :)
I am looking forward to Thanksgiving this week and not working! I am doing the Turkey Trot with my parents, so I can feel better about eating that afternoon! I will post pics later or on Facebook of us decorating!!

Mary, Mary. Mary.

2010-11-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

That was for you sister!!!!!!!!! I went to Sam Moon last weekend with my favorite sister, forgot to mention that in my post earlier! :) LYLT

Christmas Cards and good stuff

2010-11-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas cards have always been a HUGE part of our family tradition. I remember growing up how much time and effort my mom, sister, an I put into them. We have so many friends and family all over, my mom would include a letter/synopsis of our family's year. We also of course had to include a family picture. I remember each year trying to decide what went into the letter, as well as what everyone would wear for the picture. Most years it had some sports theme to it, whether we all wore our favorite team, or took the picture on the golf course. Once my sister and I were old enough, we were expected to help with the writing of the letter, as well as addressing and stamping the letters. My mom of course made a long spread sheet of the names and addresses of friends and family to send the letters to. This was our task to get done while we were on the first part of Christmas break so that they could be mailed out. The mailing out, typically happened on our way out of town to go see O-ma and Granddaddy. Crhistmas cards have come such a long way from when I was growing up, and now that I have my own family, I LOVE that we have started this tradition ourselves. We will be using Shutterfly this year to send ours out. Here is a link for their SUPER cute Christmas cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards
They have so many options to chose from and the quality is also great of course. Here is another link for stationery and cards
I think this year, we might also make a calendar from shutterfly because as many of you know, Nathan enjoys planning things and making to-do lists.
Now, all I have to do is get our outfits together, and get someone to take our picture for our card. Oh, and I have to find some creativity since it's not my strong point.
Now to the good stuff: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010
So, once this is done, I will be sending them out so be looking for it in the mail!!! :)

Way too long and too much

2010-11-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

It has been way too long since I last posted and way too much has happened for me to even begin to fill you in on everything so I'll hit the highlights.
October
-Nathan went to Dallas for training
-us and Goudeaus met him there to go to the Texas State Fair (it was a blast!!)
-Crawford got the stomach bug
-Our Mamaw Dollie passed away at the ripe old age of 97 (blog to follow)
-I got the stomach bug
-Nathan got the stomach bug
-I had a sinus infection, ear infection and bronchitis
-Crawford had a virus with a pretty high fever that scared me for a little while, but now all is well
-we went to the pumpkin patch with the Goudeaus and then had a blast carving our pumpkins!
-Crawford LOVED Halloween and growling at anything that was even remotely related to Halloween (we are trying to transition this into HO HO HO for Christmas!)
-He was Bamm Bamm for Halloween, we're still trying to get together with the Goudeaus for pictures because Addie was Pebbles!
-We went to my parent's house to trick-or-treat and had a blast!!! Crawford loved riding in Granpa's golf-cart. He figured it out pretty quick to go to the door and get candy to put in his pumpkin. It was so cute (at least we thought it was)!
-He's still signing like crazy and we're trying to help transition that into words now too.
-He's a toot too!!!! He's a little problem solver and has gotten in trouble at school for untying his belt on his chair. He's just like his mom, I love undoing knots!!! :)
-He is now enjoying reading books! I'm so excited about this because before he wouldn't sit long enough for me to read anything. His FAVORITE is a book about all different trucks. The fire truck is his favorite!!
-oh and Nathan is ALREADY listening to Christmas music!
I think this sums it up. We were ready for October to be over and start over with November. So far November has been a great month. Nathan did go to Dallas again for training, but Crawford and I sat this one out. We're looking forward to our week off for Thanksgiving and getting to see family. We are going to do the Turkey Trot again this year, taking Crawford with us this year. Then after that we only have three weeks of school and it will be Christmas break, which is crazy to me. we have quite a bit planned for this Christmas season, so hopefully I can keep up with it, but I'm not sure I would count on it! :)

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

I seem to start EVERY post with "I'm sorry, it's been too long". I guess I need to do a better job at this, but since going back to work I don't seem to have as much time, or desire to sit down and do this! Anyway, on to the important stuff...
For Labor Day we went to San Antonio with the Goudeaus. We wanted to go Saturday and come back Sunday, but someone (Nathan) had a fantasy football draft. We got up early Sunday morning and drove straight to the zoo. We figured if we got there early, it wouldn't be as hot. We were ok for about the first 10 minutes. Here we are at the beginning and the dads.

One of our favorite areas were the birds. We got to go inside and feed them which was kind of fun and kind of scary! :) These birds were so pretty though.

We also went to see a bird exhibit that was indoors. We didn't really go to this one because it was great, but because it was inside. It was so funny to watch Crawford and Addie in there. Addie was much more interested in the people and saying hi, while Crawford was more concerned with running in circles and chasing the birds (even if that means going where he wasn't supposed to!).

Next was the aquarium. This was also semi-inside, which I was a fan of! The kids loved being able to get so close to see the fish. This was actually the first part of a kids area where we hung out for a while.

They had a beach/water area for the kids to play in, but we made sure ours did NOT see that! There was a little play area where we let the kids run around and get a little snack. Addie found this little toy to ride named "Rody". She sure did enjoy Nathan giving her a ride on it like she was on a bull. Crawford tried to get on a couple times but I'm pretty sure she was telling him "No, you can do this any time you want, let me have fun for a little while!" :)

We've been wanting to take Crawford camping, and I guess this was his way of saying we need to make that happen! Maybe that can be our next trip with the Goudeaus!

While we were playing, a lady who worked at the zoo came and asked if we wanted to go feed the birds. Since our first experience with feeding the birds was so good, we thought, sure why not! This was the kids putting out the seed, and as you can see there are NO birds around. Not quite the success we had expected.

After the zoo, we made our way to Chama Gaucha, a Brazilian steakhouse. Jared grew up with one of the managers in Brazil and since I had never been to one we figured it would be a good idea to go. We were all hot, sweaty, and probably a little stinky but fortunately they still served us! It was wonderful! I am a carnivore through and through so this place was perfect. I'm pretty sure we ate our weight in meat. None of us had dinner because we were so stuffed! That night we went to the River Walk and came home early. We were all laughing at how much our nights have changed. But we also realized how great it is to travel with other people who understand what it's like to have a one year old!
Monday morning we had breakfast at the hotel and Texas shaped waffles were our favorite. Then it was on to Gruene Texas. I had been once when I was in junior high with my mom and Andie but haven't been back since. We walked the streets (that were packed) and took only one picture. I guess I was eager about the pictures at the beginning but then the enthusiasm mush have worn off.

We ate at the Gruene River bar and grill. It was great, but I didn't get to have much because we had a sleepy, fussy baby boy who was ready to get home! We had a great trip and are looking forward to planning our next one!!!

wow!

2010-08-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

Lots and lots has been going on in our little world! I started back to work last week and that was probably the hardest day of my life. This is part of the reason my blogging as suffered. Last year was difficult, but Crawford didn't know I was leaving, so that made it easier. Now he just cries and holds his hands up to me. It just breaks my heart!! I know it will get easier, but it still sucks. He has found something he likes though, the hats! I know you're thinking to yourself "what? Crawford wearing a hat?!" I know crazy! He really likes the construction hat, which hopefully means he'll be the superintendent, not the trash picker upper!

He has been adjusting so well, actually probably better than I have. I am just so thankful that he is with Marisa again!! She is so great with him and doesn't let him get away with anything, and he WILL TRY! The picture I took the other day of him on the end table was a foreshadowing of what was to come. I watched him climb on the table at school as Marisa was telling him NO. She had to come get him down and he was laughing. I promise Marisa we are not letting him get away with this at home!!! I'm so sorry!
We will be going to Dallas this weekend for my cousin's baby shower and to see one of my best friends, Brittany. She found out on Monday that she has thyroid cancer, which is devastating, but we know that God is in control and we are just praying. Hopefully we'll have pictures from this weekend.

Such a little boy!

2010-08-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Crawford is climbing even more now! And he loves it!!! He saw me coming after him, which is why he's smiling, and NO I was not smiling, he just thinks it's funny. Not a good thing. I guess this is just a glimpse into what's to come :)

zoo!

2010-08-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

I know this is a little out of order because I haven't done our vacation yet, but I thought I would do this while I was thinking about it. We went to the Austin Zoo today with my friend Marisa and her two boys, Nicho and Noah.

Marisa is Crawford's teacher at school so we thought it would be a good idea for him to see her again before next week. We got to the zoo right at 10 when it opened before it got too hot. Crawford LOVED the goats and feeding them. He is definitely not afraid of animals, which I'm sure is because he has so many at home! :)

He also liked feeding the deer. We see them all the time around our house, so it was cool to get to be so close.

Test!

2010-08-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

2010-08-07T09:36:00.001-07:00

Well we got back yesterday from Baltimore & we are tired!! I will update with pics hopefully soon!!

Jenni

First PROFESSIONAL haircut

2010-07-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if y'all remember but Crawford had his haircut by his dad two days before his 1 year pictures!! So even though he's had a haircut before, I consider this his first REAL haircut. We are going to Maryland on Saturday so we wanted him to look good for seeing family :) The place was great because he was able to sit in a car with a steering wheel.

This was the beginning and he wasn't too sure about what was going on. He didn't really want to wear the cape either so I had to work pretty hard at distracting him while she put it on. He was a little squirmy too! The girl said she would rather have squirmy than screaming, which I agree with.

AFTER!! I think he looks so handsome and no mullet! Yea!!!

Water Park

2010-07-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we went to the water/splash park with Addie and April. It was great because there was a fence, so Crawford was contained. Him and Addie had fun exploring. They both however, got a bucket of water dumped on them, which they weren't too fond of. I did get him in the water a few times though.

After the splash park, we went back to the Goudeaus and had lunch and let the kids play. We didn't put them in their clothes for a while, which they didn't mind. It started raining really hard so we took them out to play in it. They both loved it and were not too happy when we made them come back inside!

I'm pretty sure these pictures will be blackmail pics some day! :)

Random

2010-07-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few random things!
Crawford started putting his hands up on his face like this, so we started saying "ahhhhhh". He now does it on cue! :)

The other night we were coming home from my parents and Crawford couldn't decide if he was tired and wanted his pacifier or thirsty and wanted his milk. He's such a little problem solver!! :)

It's crazy to me that Crawford is old enough/big enough to ride in this!! I think this will make future grocery store trips much better for all of this :)

Mamaw Dollie

2010-07-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

We went and saw Mamaw Dollie last week. Crawford kept me busy while we were there. He wanted to open and play with everything. It's a good thing that her place isn't too big because it's definitely not Crawford proofed! He loves pushing around her walker!! She really loved getting to see him and we are planning on going back before we go back to school.

After we saw Mamaw we went to Red Robin for lunch, where kids eat FREE! The only problem with that is that Crawford didn't really want to eat. Most of his food ended up on the ground, so I just brought the rest home. This was a picture I took while we were there that I thought it was so cute!! :)

Last week and weekend

2010-07-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

Last week went by so fast...I think because we were busy every day! After Kiddie Acres on Wednesday, one of my oldest friends (as in since we were 6 years old) Andie came over to hang out with us. We went swimming and then came back to our house and had lunch. It was so great getting to hang out with her, the only bad thing is that it's so rare! We live so close, I think we need to make a better effort!! :) Then on Friday April and Addie came over for pretty much the same thing...lunch and swimming! Crawford and I are becoming regulars at the Lakeway pool. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from that day :( After hanging out, we met the Goudeaus for dinner at Serrano's. They have a great happy hour for margaritas and appetizers, quickest way to my heart! I'm not sure if the next part makes us bad parents or not, but we gave Crawford and Addie a lime! :)

Addie was looking at Jared, I'm sure asking what the heck Dad?!

This is them "talking" after their limes. I'm sure they were figuring out what they could do to get back at us :)

On Saturday my mom came over at about 9 so that Nathan and I could hit the road to go float the river in New Braunfels. They then met Granpa and Auntie M to head over to Bastrop and Smithville to look for a place for Mary to live. She got a job last week in Smithville teaching 1st grade!! We are sooo happy and proud of her. This is a picture of Crawford "calling" us while we were gone. On another note, he's not supposed to have a paci!!! We forgot to tell Granna that part, and he sure didn't seem to object :) Also, the muscle shirt was for Granna and Granpa, they love when Crawford wears them!

Last but not least, we went to the mall yesterday afternoon for me to look at the new iphone 4. Kind of sad that I was put on a waiting list that had over 1,000 people on it. Hopefully it will be worth it!! For Crawford it was a much better experience! He absolutely loved it and I think this might be our new "best friend" while we're shopping! :)

Kiddie Acres

2010-07-14T13:06:00.001-07:00

Here is my attempt of staying on top of the blogging!! We went today to Kiddie Acres with the play group from Lake Travis daycare. Since all the kids' parents are teachers we all have the summer off. It was a lot of fun, but I think bubby might have been a little tired. He woke up at 8, which is not like him! I guess he was making up for sleeping in until 10 yesterday. He definitely has figured out this summer vacation thing, which I am so thankful for. :) The first ride for Crawford was the little train. He is riding with miss Marisa's little boy. Sometimes I think Crawford is so big and then I see him next to an adorable 3 year old!!

Then it was on to the boats. These weren't as much of a hit, but I still think he enjoyed it.

Next we rode the train that went around the park. It even had a whistle, that Crawford was a little unsure about. This ride didn't have belts for the kids so he had to sit in my lap, which he wasn't too fond of.

This next one was not my favorite or Crawford's!! I knew my inner ear was bad, but it was confirmed on the carousel. I told Nathan it went really fast, and then I had to rethink my words. I'm sure to most people it was "normal" for a kiddie carousel!! He really didn't want to be sitting on the horse, which I didn't force because we were both ready to get off. I had to pick a spot and stare at it to not lose my breakfast. Wuss I know! The picture looks like I'm saying "um, not you're not getting off and you better smile like you are enjoying it". I promise I didn't torture him. :)

We also rode the ferris wheel, which was fun. He liked looking out the cage, but wanted to be standing up, which they told us not to do. Not an easy task to keep this little one down!!

Last, but definitely not least was the pony ride. When we walked up Crawford got excited and started pointing at the horse and doing his little "uh-uh". He got right on and tried "petting" the pony. He did really well the first couple times around and then got a little fussy. Nathan's comment to this picture was "good job keeping your head down, now reach forward and turn them toes out!" The coaching has already started and he just turned 1!! :)

All in all it was a great morning! We got home, Crawford ate and then took a 3 hour nap. Sounds like the perfect day with my favorite little boy!!! :)

failed...

2010-07-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well if there were a test for blogging, I would have failed!! There are so many posts that I would like to do with pictures, but it seems to take FOREVER, so I just don't do them. Horrible I know. I have also realized that I have been bad at doing a baby book for Crawford. :( I will try to get better at this even if I don't put pictures up. These days are going by so fast that I want to be able to remember them! We've been spending quite a bit of time with our friends the Goudeaus, Jared, April and Adelyn. I saw recently on April's blog that she writes down things Addie is doing and I thought I might pick this up too (I hope that's ok April!). Speaking of the Goudeaus, it's been great getting to hang out with them! They came over for dinner on Saturday night, which of course we grilled, thanks to Nathan's father day present. We then went down to the lake and the park which I'm not sure if the dads or the kids had more fun :)

One of the reasons it's been so nice to hang out with them, is that they understand what it's like to have a 1 year old and are also in that "phase" right now where all you do is chase! Crawford is a mover and a groover, so we always have to be on our toes. So on to what's Crawford up to these days:
-walking/running everywhere
-opening any door or drawer he can find
-he loves throwing away his diapers and then clapping afterwards
-CLIMBING!! I have found him on top of our end table, and most recently tonight, on top of the kitchen chair
-this boy is also fearless! (a little scary for a kid who's dad used to ride bulls!)
-playing with pots and pans from "his" cabinet because all the other ones are "Crawford proofed"
-doing "touch down"
-pulling up his shirt when asked, where's your belly? (we're working on toes)
-clapping for "yea"
-testing the limits (knowing exactly what he's not supposed to be doing and looking to see if you're watching)
-he gets sooo excited when he sees his dad and Granpa, us girls are kind of left in the cold!
-pulling/pushing anything, particullary his lawn mower and golf bag
-taking things out, and putting them back in
-playing with his puppies (mainly taking their toys and running)
-he LOVES strawberries and bananas
and last but not least, being the cutest little boy in the world!! Well maybe next time I can get some pics on here. And if anyone knows an easier way, let me know!!

1st birthday party

2010-06-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Yet again, I'm behind! Oh well! We had Crawford's 1st birthday at my parents on the 12th. It was the perfect place because they have a great covered patio and the backyard where we put a baby pool. The Goudeau's came and thankfully brought their ladder golf game. We played this the first time when we went to their house, and Nathan has loved it ever since!! It was perfect thing for the part because the big boys (aka adults) had something to do.

Here is Crawford and Coleman. Crawford wasn't too fond of the pool. We're working on it!!

April and Adelyn Goudeau

The guys hanging out!

Well Crawford is awake, so I will do part 2 later!!!

Crawford is 1!!

2010-06-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my baby is 1! This has been one of the most amazing and had year of our lives. I don't even remember life without him (ok, maybe a little...sleeping in, staying up late, being able to pick up and go in 5 minutes, getting ready without worrying, sleeping all night and not waking up worrying, worrying that I'm doing it right, shopping, working out, etc) but I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING!! He has been so amazing and I can't wait to watch him turn in to such a wonderful little boy. I am really enjoying being home with him right now for the summer. We stay up late and sleep in. Right now he has my love of sleeping in, and hopefully this lasts! This kind of worries me though about our next one. Actually everything worries me about our next one. Crawford has been such a wonderful baby, that I can't imagine getting that lucky/blessed twice!! He is such a great walker too. When I would tell people he wasn't 1 yet, they were amazed that he was walking that well. It's been great, but it has also brought the beginning of what I'm thinking will be some WONDERFUL fits!! He wants to be Mr. Independent! He barely wants to hold our hand when we're walking. I'm also pretty sure we might have a "leashed" kid here pretty soon. I have always said that I wasn't too proud to put my child in one of those, but now that I have a very active, independent little boy, I see that happening even more. We went to the dr. today and he got three shots :( The good news was he's still a healthy boy, who will be like his daddy, tall and skinny! Tomorrow I will be going and picking up our pictures that we had done with Robin Winkles photography. I am beyond excited!! Here are a few of them.

I will add pictures from his party soon!

again, it's been too long...

2010-05-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm not very good at this thing! I LOVE coming on here and reading everyone else's, but tend to forget to write my own. SO much of course has been happening, which I guess is the case when you have a baby. Things seem to change daily, or actually hourly! :) Our biggest thing going on right now is that Crawford is walking and that we're getting ready to celebrate his first birthday. He took his first steps at the end of April, which means he was only 10 months, he's a quick learner. He must get the from Nathan though, because Grammy Bon Bon said that's when Nathan also started walking. Crawford has become pretty proficient and is actually preferring to walk places. I know that he will soon be RUNNING!!
Last week was pretty rough around our house. The daycare came and found me at lunch on Wednesday and said Crawford wasn't feeling well. This is one of the best parts of him being down the hall from me, I was able to go right down and check on him. They said he hadn't wanted anything to eat (NOT like him) and only wanted to be held. I decided to go ahead and take him home because he is NEVER like that. When I was signing him out, I officially got inducted into the mommy club "I've been puked on!" It was so sad to watch him and he was so upset. We made it home where he slept most of the afternoon and then almost all of Thursday. We were fortunately able to keep him home too on Friday just to be sure, but by Thursday evening he was back to his active self. Definitely a 24 hour thing, thank goodness! Since he was feeling better we decided to head over to the Goudeau's house for burgers and hanging out. We had soooo much fun and I can't wait to do it again! :) Looking forward to the summer so Crawford and I can hang out with April and Adelyn. While we were there we played Ladder Golf, which was so much fun. I see that game much more in our future.
Last thing, on Tuesday we went to Robin Winkles for Crawford's one year pictuers, as well as a few family shots. Here is the link for her website. Go to her blog and it's under "happy 1st birthday Crawford". These are just a couple teasers so I can't wait for all of them!! :)

11 months old!

2010-05-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Crawford is 11 months old! So cliche' but where has the time gone? He actually was 11 months on Friday and we had a trip planned to San Antonio. It started raining REALLY hard on Friday so we decided not to go since it would be me and Crawford driving by ourselves to meet Nathan. Friday afternoon we decided to go to Abilene instead, which was a great idea! We got to meet baby Ethan and see all my other ACU girls. Much needed girl time with some of the girls who know me best!
While we were there Crawford really "took off" with the walking thing! He has been walking/taking a few steps for a few weeks now, but this weekend he really started walking a long way!!! We were so excited and proud of our little man. I have some pictures of the weekend and I will upload those later, when I can find my camera! Bad I know.
On another note, Marisa & Kelly (Crawford's teachers) had an end of the year/birthday party for the babies today. It was so much fun to see the babies play in the pool. I think we will be getting one of those shortly. Crawford had so much fun splashing and playing with his friends. I think we have Coleman to thank for that! He learned it from his this weekend when they took a bath (blackmail picture for later). Here are a couple pics from this afternoon. Stay tuned for the Abilene pictures.

9 Month school pic

2010-04-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

Here is my little man's school picture. Next month we will be going to get his 1 year pictures taken by Robin Winkels, which I am sooo excited about! I'm thankful that we were able to get these though!

I know, I'm bad!

2010-04-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have been so bad at updating this thing, but hopefully I can get back on track. Crawford has been changing so much lately that it's hard to keep up with him! He's almost 10 1/2 months which is crazy, and what's even crazier is that we're planning his first birthday party. I think we're going to be having it at my parent's in Marble Falls. If you're reading this, you're invited! He has been "walking" pusing his walker, and this video is a couple weeks old. I'm trying to get a new one because he is doing so much better, but he hasn't been feeling great so hopefully soon!

His favorite thing is his "truck" (or that's what we call it). I think he loves how fast it can go, which I'm sure will be trouble for us in the very near future. He loves the freedom too. In the video he comes and get a puff from me, which we call a "power puff" because it gives POWER to keep going!! Here is the video!

At the end of March I had a conference in Ft. Worth and got to see lots of friends. We went and saw the Millers in Weatherford, which was awesome because we hadn't got to meet little Italee. Here are a couple pics of Crawford and his future wife.

Now for any of you that don't know Melissa Miller she is probably one of the MOST creative, talented people I have EVER met. If you couldn't tell by the outfit Italee was wearing! Here are just ONE pair of shoes that she has made for her little girl. I wish I had an ounce of her creativity!!

After we saw the Millers we went to meet up with the Cobbs and Bisettis. I didn't do a good job of taking pictures while we were there, but I did get a cute one of Crawford (shocker!). He LOVES straws, which I'm assuming he got from Nathan, because he does the same thing. He was looking at Brittany in this one. So funny!

Before I was a mom...

2010-04-27T17:06:00.001-07:00

I got this as an email and thought it was too good not to share! Try NOT to cry!

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

Easter, or lack there of...

2010-04-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Well our first Easter with bubby wasn't quite what we had expected/planned it to be. We were supposed to go to West with the whole family to celebrate and have a big egg hunt, but Crawford started running a fever Saturday afternoon and it just got worse! But before that happened we were invited by a girl I work with to the Steiner Ranch annual Easter egg hunt. Not that any of this really meant anything to Crawford but, I'm so glad we went since we didn't get to go on Sunday.

Since he's not walking yet, we helped!

Checking out this thing mom keeps calling a basket!

Park

2010-04-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

So we have been to the park a few times in the last month and here are a couple pics. I do have to let you know in advance, that the hat Crawford is wearing lasted about 2 seconds (long enough for me to take a pic)!

This is 2 seconds later!

It was so beautiful so we were at the Lakeway park and it was so nice since the water is up too! We decided to take two cars so that the dogs could go as well. They were super excited because they don't get to do this much anymore. As you can tell from this picture, Crawford will put anything in his mouth. I assume he's thinking "hmm what is this?"

"I think I'll just put this in my mouth, maybe Dad and Mom won't notice!"

"Shoot! Dad saw! Where'd it go?"

Me and my bubby!! :)

Kind of a family pic :)

More random stuff!

2010-03-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some more random pics from this last week. It was spring break so I got to spend EVERYDAY at home with my baby! It was wonderful. We have been praying and praying about wisdom and direction on this. I know that God has placed this on my heart for a reason, we just wait patiently and pray for God's will to be done in this. Either way, right now I am working full time so I am making the best of the time I have with my favorite little man!!

We went to Johnny Fins for dinner on Friday night and sat out on the lake, it's a floating restaurant. It was so nice! The restaurant was up much higher than it was last time we were there. All this rain has been so nice! Here is a pic of Nathan and Crawford in front of our new boat. Yeah right! We wish!

On Thursday Crawford and I went to O-ma and Granddaddy's to see The West Crawfords. Unfortunately O-ma fell on Wednesday so we weren't able to go to La Cantera in San Antonio for the weekend, so we went to their house instead. Also, unfortunately, Crawford, Nathan and I had a stomach bug earlier in the week and passed it along to everyone else! We feel horrible about that!!
Crawford and cousin AJ

This is Crawford and Jackson. Crawford is standing on AJ's walker. I promise we didn't buy him a pink and purple one! It looks like Crawford is saying to Jackson, "what'd you say punk?! This isn't mine!!" :)

And finally here are some pics of us with our little man, who has us wrapped around his little finger! :)

9 months!!

2010-03-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone?! I remember being pregnant and thinking 9 months is FOREVER, now it seems like it has flown by. I can't believe the little boy Crawford has turned in to. Always moving, getting into things, and typically very happy! Here is a picture Marisa took of him on the playground at school. I think it's adorable!!

Recent pics

2010-03-10T11:21:00.001-08:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Dancing Crawford!

2010-03-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

Random...

2010-02-12T10:41:00.001-08:00

I know I'm horrible at this blogging thing! I tried uploading a video the other night but it took forever and it never finished. It was of Crawford CRAWLING!! That's right, my baby is mobile. It's bitter sweet because we're excited and proud but also realize he is growing up so fast. I guess that's what happens huh?! On another note here are some recent pictures of my bubby!

He LOVES spoons and spatulas so that's what he plays with while I'm cooking!

Here he is with his great great Mamaw Dollie. We went to see her the other day and she was so surprised. As you can see Crawford isn't much for being held any more, all he wants to do is MOVE!!! :)

I know this one is a little blurry but it's the only one I could get of him smiling. You get the point though, he's the cutest darn little cupid ever!! :)

And this is one of my favorites! We were at the dr. this morning getting a check-up to make sure his ears were ok. The dr. said there is still fluid in there so hopefully it won't get infected again! Anyway, he's my little Valentine and I couldn't ask for a better one! Happy first Valentine's day bubby!!
Love you,
Mommy

I know I am horrible...

2010-02-03T17:54:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure why I haven't been able to get my act together and blog! Crawford is even going to bed around 6 or 6:30 so what has been my problem? Well, actually I think I know it's the fact that I was getting up at 5 to go work out. Was is the key word there. I hurt my knee and actually have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to get it checked out. I am praying that I don't have to have surgery again, it was so painful and hard the first time so I cannot imagine it with a baby at home. Anyway, on to something much better, my adorable little boy!! :)

This is him in his Longhorn outfit for the BIG GAME, which UT lost, but we're still proud! It's crazy how much Crawford has changed in the last few days/weeks/months!! He is MOVING as much as he can without crawling or walking. We're enjoying the non-mobile days as much as we can, because we know once he starts, he won't STOP!! :) He is so much fun now too! He gets sooo excited and loves playing hide and seek with his dad, it's the most adorable thing in the world. He also loves spoons and spatulas! This is how I keep him entertained when I cook dinner.

On a not good note, my Crawbaby has been sick for a little over a week now. He had an ear infection at first so he got put on an antibiotic, but it got worse so now we're on another one! UGH! We are praying that he gets better soon, I don't like seeing my baby like this. Well I will hopefully be keeping up with this better now!

2010-01-22T12:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas, better late than never!

2010-01-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

Wow this was a very busy season for us. We got back from Vegas on Monday morning at about 3:30 am, so needless to say we (Crawford & I) didn't make it to work/school that day. Which actually worked out because Crawford has his 6 month check up that afternoon. He weighed 19lbs 9 oz. and was 27 3/4 in. long. My growing boy :) He also got his vaccinations as well as his flu shots. I was a little leery of getting them, but I feel much safer knowing he's protected. We were only home for 4 days and then we were gone agian to my grandparents house in Ruidoso. But before we could leave, we had to celebrate my little sister graduating from college! Here is a pic of that. I know it's not very good and it stinks that this is the only one, but Crawford wouldn't let anyone else hold him, so I wasn't able to take pictures! Then, when Mary crossed the stage, I yelled really loud, which is NOT smart holding a 6 month old. It scared him to death, and he started screaming, so out we went! Atleast we got to see Auntie M cross the stage. :)

So after Mary graduated, we left straight from there and went to Midland to spend the night. It was funny because we actually stayed at the same hotel that Nathan and I stayed at the night we got married. Where it all began! :) On a funny note, Crawford's humidifier set off the fire alarm in our hotel room at 4 am!! WE had only been asleep for an hour when it went off and scared us all. Thank goodness I have a tall husband who was able to take it off the ceiling and stop the craziness.

Then it was off to Ruidoso for a relaxing few days. We didn't do a whole lot while we were there. I think there were two days we didn't even get out of our pajamas. We did go walk around downtown and look at some shops, which was nice. After that we went to Cattle Baron's to celebrate Mary's graduation. Here are a couple of pics from that.

Mary enjoying her glass of wine! :)

Here are some other pictures of that same day. I think this was the only day that we got dressed and went out! It was so nice to just relax. Well, actually Nathan and Mary did go skiing on Monday and had a lot of fun. Crawford and I decided to hang out with Granna and Granpa where it was warm! :)

Crawford and his Auntie M

Santa Baby and Daddy

This was the awesome snow that we saw the day we were LEAVING!!! We woke up to see almost 4 inches of snow on the ground. Seriously? Why couldn't it do that while we were there so we could play in it. Well, I guess it was good to see for a little while, right? I guess we got a while eve of Christmas eve!
We left Ruidoso at about 9 and drove to Midland/Gardendale. We stopped first to see the Christensen's and their new little one Emery. She was adorable and sooo tiny! :) I didn't take any pictures while we were there because she was sleeping and then eating. After that we stopped at Rosa's, mmmmmmmmm!!! It was UH-mazing as usual. Then it was off to Bob and Lisa Lange's to see my HO (Heidi). It was so good to see her and her family. I only took one picture while we were there and it was of Crawford and Hannah. It was adorable. I'm sad we didn't get a picture with all three kids, but of course we weren't thinking. Here it is!

We wish we could've stayed longer, but we were ready to get home and the next day was Christmas eve. We will definitely be going back to hang out longer! :)

I've been gone a while!

2010-01-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

I have been gone for too long! I think life was soo crazy that I didn't even turn the computer on (not sure what I'd do without my iphone). So I guess I have some catching up to do huh? We had a great Thanksgiving at my grandparents house and Crawford and I really enjoyed the week off. Then it was off to Viva Las Vegas. We went out there for Nathan's cousin, Ryan's wedding. We got to see soooo many friends. It was so great to get to spend so much time with Shawn and Kelly, and we really appreciate them opening their house for us. I didn't have a lot of pictures from the trip, which is a good thing because I accidentally erased the ones from my camera but I have a few from my phone, so if these aren't that great, you know why. :)

All I want for Christmas is...

2009-12-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if' you'll be able to figure out who got Crawford this shirt! :) He hasn't got to see his Auntie M in a while so we took this for her to see him in his adorable shirt!
And we're leaving for Vegas this afternoon so there will be pictures coming!

Santa baby...

2009-12-07T06:21:00.000-08:00

So we went and saw Santa yesterday at the Galleria. It was perfect because it was quick and FREEEEEE, which we like even more! :) This was actually our second attempt at seeing Santa. We went on Saturday night to Johnson City to eat at Silver K (soooo good!), see the lights, and get Crawford's picture taken with Santa. That did not happen though!! Crawford was NOT in a good mood. He was soo tired but wouldn't take a nap and wouldn't let anyone else hold him but his mom. Hopefully next year will be better! Thanks though mom for the wonderful dinner! :)

So here are the pictures of Crawford. I should also say that this was outside so there were cars driving by which is why two of the pictures are of Crawford watching the cars drive by. Nathan said he is definitely his mother's son!

Oh, and we're going to Las Vegas this week, which we are SOOOO excited about. Nathan's cousin Ryan is getting married and Nathan is in the wedding. I will have pictures next week of Crawford's first trip to Las Vegas and meeting all the family and our friends there.

Cutest little Cowboy EVER! :)

2009-11-08T10:30:00.001-08:00

Ok, maybe I'm a little biased but I do believe this is the cutest little cowboy ever. He's wearing my big cowboy's hat and I'm sure one day he'll have one of his own. :)

This is also the picture we will be using next weekend at baby dedication at church, which we're excited about. I will have pictures of that next week!

Costume only!

2009-11-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well it was our first Halloween with Craw-baby! We started out with lunch at Sago's thanks to Auntie M. She won a gift certificate on the radio :) We met Mom/Granna, Dad/Granpa, Mary/Auntie M and Andie. It was so good to see Andie! The last time I saw her was the day after Crawford was born. Here is a picture of Crawford with Andie.

We also found out that Crawford is going to be like his mom and dad! He already is wanting a Margarita! :)

Oh and we're not too sure what my dad was doing here! :) My dad loved hanging with Crawford. This is Crawford showing his Granpa that he found his feet!

Then we came home and put Bubby in his Doggy Costume. We had originally planned on him being a chili pepper, but we tried it on the night before and he had already out grown it. So, yesterday I ran to Target to get another costume. We will NEVER wait until the last minute to get him a costume when he gets older. It was craziness. After we took about 5 pictures in the costume and then took it off, I was wondering exactly why I went out and bought one for him. Oh well, maybe his next sibling can wear it. Here is my little puppy dog! :)

I think this is the cutest puppy dog EVER!

His cute little tail!

Back of the pumpkin

Crawford and Granna with the pumpkin Granpa carved. The back of the pumpkin says CJM with a number 1 since it's his first Halloween! :)

FEET!!

2009-10-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

Crawford had a new discovery on Sunday morning. Not only can he grab his feet, he can now put them in his mouth!! :) Yummy! Here he is looking like he's thinking "why didn't anyone tell me I could do this?"It's just so darn adorable! But then again anything he does I think is adorable. On a not so good note, Crawbaby got his first boo-boo :( As you have I"m sure seen in previous posts, he loves his jumper! Well last week I noticed he had a blister on his toe from the carpet and jumping so much. You might think we're not good parents for leaving him long enough to get it, but he is just so darn happy in the thing. I think he also likes it because he is upright and can see everything that's going on in. He is sooo curious now and aware. Even though it was a not good thing he got the blister, Nathan found a way to make it all better. Of course Transformers were involved. Here is evidence of Crawford's FIRST band-aid! :)

AND YES IT'S TRANSFORMERS!!!

Nathan just LOVES the fact that Transformers are popular again. He wishes so badly that they had a baby Transformers Halloween Costume, but I guess the costume makers realize it would just be for the parent's enjoyment! :)

Week in review

2009-10-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Well I posted earlier about Crawford getting his vaccinations on Friday. The nurse was right, she said Saturday might be harder for him than Friday. He was SUPER fussy yesterday, so... we had to cancel our pictures with Tanya at the pumpkin patch. I was so sad because we've been trying to coordinate for so long & we were really looking forward to going. So instead of going for pictures we just hung out longer at my parents, which I know they enjoyed. On a better note, since the Dr. said we could try rice cereal with Crawford, we did last night. It was actually pretty uneventful. We're going to have to keep trying but here is a look at Crawford before and during!

BEFORE

DURING! :)

AS you can see Crawford was not a big fan of the rice cereal. I added apple juice hoping that might help the taste, but not so much. We'll keep trying though. I imagine that he will be liking food, so I"m not too worried!

4 months!

2009-10-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

We had our 4 month check up today, even though he was on the 14th. He did very well considering he got jabbed in the leg 4 times!! I'm going to have to copy my friend Katie's portrayal of a nurse that we saw, and the one Crawford saw!

This is what we saw...

And I'm pretty sure this is what Crawford saw when she came walking in with the shots!!

Poor Baby!!

On a good note though, he weighed 17 lbs 2.5 oz, which is the 75th percentile. Some might call him a block! :) He is also now 27 inches, which is the 90th percentile. We DO NOT have a small boy, to say the least. Here's a picture of him at 4 months and you can see all the rolls. Some times I like to call him "Baker" since he's got so many rolls! :)

He is soo much fun and adorable! He is loving his jumper and standing up. We can't hardly get him to sit down. I can only imagine what he will be like when he really starts moving. Definitely will be keeping his mom and dad on our toes. :) This weekend we will be going to a pumpkin patch to get our pictures taken and I'm so excited! The photographer is a teacher I work with who takes amazing pictures so we can't wait!! Nathan is super excited since he loves Halloween so much and we will be surrounded by pumpkins. So... Stay tuned for those! Have a great weekend!

Teeth or not?

2009-10-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

I think my little boy might be teething. He's been fussy, drooling like crazy, chewing on anything he can get in his mouth, & not really wanting to eat a lot. I'm hopin that's what this is and that darn tooth will hurry up and get here. I want my happy baby boy back!!! :)

Rollover, again!

2009-10-11T18:53:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to write it down so I don't forget that Crawford rolled over again by himself, this time from his back to his belly! We weren't sure how this would happen with his "milk belly" but he did it! :) We also think he's teething!! Chewing, drooling, and fussy. Fun Fun!

Family Time

2009-10-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

We have had a great weekend of family time! It's been really nice to atually be home the whole weekend. We're either in Marble Falls or out of town. Since my mom and sister are in Missouri, my dad came over to our house to watch UT last night.

Crawford and his Granpa

O-ma and Granddaddy also came over to see Crawford, which was so nice to have them over as well. Crawford was worn out after such a busy day of being cute and laughing for his family!

Such a cute pic of Crawford with his Daddy!

Since we had company yesterday Nathan got the cleaning done while I went to the grocery store. It is so nice having it all done and not having to worry about it today. I have enjoyed being home together in this cool rainy weather watching football with my boys! :)

Cousin monster mash

2009-10-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

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Abilene, Abilene, prettiest town I've ever seen...

2009-10-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun in Abilene this weekend. It's always a great time when we get together with the Gardner Girls. However, this time it just wasn't the same without the Longley family. We can't wait for them to come down for Halloween so Coleman and Crawford can meet. We wish Coleman could've been there for the pictures. It would've been Coleman, Brady and then Crawford. We thought it could be one of those ads for at& t, "more bars, in more places" with their height! :) Here is the pic of Crawford and Brady.
And yes, Crawford eats VERY well! :)

Bubba boy!

2009-10-07T06:19:00.001-07:00

My bubba boy this morning! He woke up a little too early and was REALLY wanting to go back to sleep, but I couldn't resist since he's so darn cute!!! :)

And the little one said...

2009-09-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

ROLL OVER, ROLL OVER!!!!! Yea, Crawford! He rolled over!!

Jumpy Jumperton!

2009-09-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

This is Crawford loving his jumper! I think he could stay in this thing ALL DAY long!!! :) He loves being so active.

Crawford & his Great-Great Mamaw Dollie

2009-09-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

We took Crawford a few weeks ago to see his Great-Great Mamaw Dollie! Boy does she love him and he love her :) Look at that adorable smile he's giving her, it just lights the room!!

Crawford & his Great Grandma Sarah

2009-09-24T17:03:00.001-07:00

I know this is a little late, but my Grandma Sarah came to stay with us while Nathan went to California for the last part of his training. I tried to get the video of her singing to him, but I was too late! Anyone who knows my Grandmother knows that her signing is a sweet, sweet sound!! Much better than his mommy's!! :)

Back to the land of the living & 6oz

2009-09-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well it's been officially a week since I started feeling HORRIBLE and I am finally back in the land of the living. My wonderful husband took care of Crawford last night so I could go to bed early, and that I did!! :) I feel actually like a normal person again. I'm done with Tamiflu and am now just on antibiotics. My poor sister however is on Tamiflu now...I think I gave it to her :( Nathan was also on Tamiflu, but just for precautionary measures though. Crawford wasn't feeling very good either for the last few days. He was coughing, sneezing, and very congested. I think he's turned the corner though and doing much better, which is where the 6 oz come in. They told me at his school today that he needed a medium flow nipple because it was taking him too long to eat and was having a difficult time finishing. Soooo, I went and got him some new bottles and he finished 6 oz in about 5 MINUTES!!! Where is my baby going? He usually eats 5 oz, and now 6?!!! :) Crazy Crawbaby!!! :) I love you so much and love being your mommy!!!!! Here is my big boy!!

Seriously???

2009-09-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

I started not feeling good yesterday and now have the flu!! Not the Type A, really serious kind, but enough to make me feel like I got hit by a truck! UGH! I started tamiflu today so hopefully it will help some. Prayers would be appreciated that Nathan and Crawford don't get anything.

Answered prayers

2009-09-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, one of these is not that significant and probably shouldn't have even been prayed, but I'm from Texas where football is KING!!

1. TEXAS won!! :) This is Crawford and Granpa enjoying their first Texas game together! My dad is in HEAVEN!!

2. (This is the more important one) We haven't gone to church since Crawford was born because I wasn't sure what we would do with him. I knew I hadn't seen any other babies in church so I figured they went to the nursery. I just didn't want to do that because I feel like I don't get to see him much and I don't know who the people are that are working. Not that I think the chruch would have incompetent people working, I just am not that comfortable yet. So needless to say we hadn't gone. We made the decision last night that we were going, you don't know until you try. Well when we got there someone could tell we weren't sure what to do, I guess it was written all over our "new parent" faces. He showed us the nursery and the FAMILY ROOM!! :) they have a room where you can go with babies and watch the service. It was perfect because we got to be at church and with Crawford. Maybe someday we'll (or should I say me?) be comfortable enough to leave him, but we're/I'm not there yet. So until then we will enjoy the family room! :) Thank you Lake Hills!

oops!

2009-09-11T06:32:00.001-07:00

I said something a little funny this morning and thought I would share! This morning Crawford's teacher Miss Marisa said that she was checking Crawford for a poopy diaper. She said, "yep, he's pooped" to which I replied, "really? Nathan pooped this morning!". She said "what?" and then I realized what I had said!! I meant, Nathan had changed Crawford's poop already!!! OOPS!! :)
I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Lil' longhorn

2009-09-08T18:53:00.001-07:00

Well here is my handsome little longhorn! I put him in this last Friday since Nathan was coming home and I knew his dad would be proud. I couldn't believe how darn cute he looked in it :) It's also amazing to me how much he is growing up. I can't believe that he will be 3 months old in less than a week. Speaking of that, I'm not sure if I go by the actual date of the 14th, or the weeks, because if you go by weeks, he is 12 weeks old. Oh well, either way, he's growing up.
Another reason that I put him in the outfit was because it was the first UT football game of the season. Our friends from Vegas, the Purvis' were in town so we took them down to show them what a real football game is all about. The weather actually wasn't that bad and we had fun. Next time though I want to actually go in the gates! :)

My happy boy!

2009-09-01T12:49:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture my Grandma Sarah took last night while we were out on our walk. He was talking to her and obviously enjoyed it. Seeing him smile just melts my heart, especially when he sees me and smiles. :)

HELP!!

2009-09-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

I need some help on figuring out this blog layout thing! Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated! :)

Time flies when you're having fun...

2009-08-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

This has two meanings for me, one that my baby boy is 2 1/2 months old!!! And second that Nathan will be leaving again for California on Sunday, it seems like just yesterday he left the first time. Fortunately I was able to stay with my parents the first time he left and this time, my grandmother will be coming from Plano to stay with Crawford and I, but oh how I miss Nathan. I knew we were a perfect match/team but having Crawford has proved it even more. I just don't feel like we're complete without him there. He's the yin to my yang, the coffee for my cup, my umbrella for the rain, the coat to keep me warm from the cold, he's my EVERYTHING!! I am realizing even more now how blessed I am to call him my husband, my teammate, my friend, the father of my baby, and my love!

All this reflecting is because he's leaving in a few days and because yesterday is that day that I met him 10 YEARS AGO!!!! Crazy huh?!

I LOVE YOU NATHAN JAMES DONALD MATTOX!!!

This is harder than I thought!

2009-08-25T06:15:00.001-07:00

I have ALWAYS been someone that said I wasn't "cut out" to be a stay at home mom. What the heck was I thinking? I would LOVE to be able to stay at home with my baby boy all day. It literally breaks my heart and makes me want to start crying right now knowing that someone else will be feeding him, changing him, rocking him to sleep, and playing with him. I also know that I am so blessed to have him here on campus with me so I can go see him whenever I want, which believe me, I have surely done! Miss Marissa his teacher is wonderful, but she's not me, his mommy. I know that things will get better, but boy do I wish Nathan and I had planned better. My hope and prayer is that I can go part time soon! Until then I just keep praying for my sanity!!

2009-08-09T04:38:00.001-07:00

Crawford & Granpa

~ Jenni

2009-08-09T04:35:00.001-07:00

This is a test to see if my mobile blogging works!!

~ Jenni

Not too good at this!

2009-07-22T19:11:00.001-07:00

Well I'm not too good at this blogging thing! Lots has happened and I can't seem to keep it updated. I think the main reason is that I actually have to be on the computer to do it, and those times are few and far between! :) If I could do this from my phone it would be much easier. I'm not sure what I would do without my phone or Facebook!! They have saved me during those middle of the night feedings. I am really looking forward to the day when those stop. We're really trying to get Crawford on a schedule (as much as I can with a 5 week old), and hopefully this will transition into sleeping through the night.

Having him at home with us has been amazing. He is typically a happy baby, unless of course he is hungry. Who can blame him though, I know I get the same way when I'm hungry! :) Well here are a couple of pictures of him, and one of him at one month. Cannot believe he is 5 weeks old. Wow how time flies when you're having fun!

long over due!

2009-07-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

well most of you know, Crawford James is here! He was born June 14th @ 2:27 am, was 7 lb 13 oz & 21 inches long with big feet! Here is a pic of proud parents with our little man!

If you're counting...

2009-06-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

We only have 12 more days until Crawford James Mattox is here! Nathan and I were talking this morning that not only are we having a baby this month, he will be here next week!! This is so crazy for us since it's been just the two of us for almost 8 years. That's something crazy in and of itself, that we've been married almost 8 wonderful years. I guess time flies when you're having fun. I had a dr. appointment last Friday and everything is going ok, and I will have this Friday as well. Hopefully there will be a little more progress! Keep your fingers crossed. And Katie, I would appreciate your prayers since I did for you!! :) Well I will keep everyone updated as we continue on this amazing roller coaster!!

36 weeks

2009-05-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't done anything on here in a while! I'm 36 weeks now, so only a few weeks left. I have actually scheduled my induction for June 12th, so hopefully he will be here the 12th or 13th. I feel much better having an actual date, of course he comes before then. Nathan and I counted and we have 3 more Friday nights, just the two of us, and then BAM! Crawford James will be here. I have two weeks left of school, which is very exciting for me. I've always worked the summer, which even though I will be off, I will still be "working" just in a different way. I'll have to add pictures on here soon of Crawford's room. Well I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!

36 weeks!

2009-05-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well I'm 36 weeks so Crawford James will be here in a month, which is beyond crazy for us. We had a dr. appointment today and found out that everything is moving in the right direction, including Crawford, he's head down! :) Here are a couple pictures of him from the ultrasound today. We're so excited, but of course nervous at the same time.

Crib!!

2009-04-19T11:42:00.001-07:00

We're actually putting the crib together today which is very surreal! I guess we can't keep acting like this isn't going to happen. Crawford will be here in T - 59 days!!! :)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to say Happy Easter and I hope that everyone has a great one! We're heading to DFW tomorrow for lunch (yep that's all!) and then on to Waco for Easter with the Crawford family!

Cassia June Mattox

2009-04-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

Our second niece is here! She was 7 lbs 6 oz and 19 1/2 inches long, so we're figuring she got Jason's height! Here is a picture :)

Update this week!

2009-03-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that we have TSHA (Texas Speech and Hearing Association) this week! Not only because I guess I'll be learning but mainly because I won't be at work on Thursday and Friday! Also because I get to see Brittany and another friend Tenille. Fun times!

My sister-in-law Nataly is supposed to be having our second niece, Cassia soon. We're so excited for them and praying that everything goes smoothly for them as well as Joelle. One cool thing that our families (Jason and ours) keep doing is using the same initials. We have NM, JM, and now both of our babies will be CJM! Cassia June Mattox and Crawford James Mattox :)

I am 29 weeks today so only 11 left. It's crazy! We do have the car seat and stroller which is a step in the right direction. A few people at work have told me they're a little concerned about how little we have done. Nathan has started moving some of the furniture around so we can start getting his room set up. We are supposed to get the crib in a couple of weeks from my aunt and uncle. Maybe it will all start being a little more real!

Ok Ok!

2009-03-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

People keep asking for a pregnancy picture, so here is one of the belly. I didn't look too good so I thought you could just get the gist from the belly! Crawford is growing, as am I!

Tornado!

2009-03-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Texas! A tornado passed right by my parents and we had some major storming in our area. What would spring time in Texas be without a tornado and some hail?

2/3 of the way there!

2009-03-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am so excited because I am officially 2/3 of the way done with this pregnancy!! I'm excited to meet Crawford James, but also scared out of my mind! It also makes me realize that we have NOTHING done. Better get to it huh?

Long time!

2009-03-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a LONG time since I've written on here, so I thought I would catch up. I am obviously no Katie Longley! Hopefully though once Crawford gets here I will be as good as she is. :) I just started back to work after a nice week off for spring break. It was great but sometimes I feel like it's just a tease! I did get to go to Vegas and see everyone which was great, but it sure did make me miss it. I only came home because Nathan was here and I can't raise a baby alone! We are heading back in December though for cousin Ryan's wedding & I won't be pregnant so I can live it up. December can't come quick enough! I did realize though while I was out there, that Austin, TX is now my home. Not because I just love it here but because I realize that this is the life we have chosen and where we decided to move and we need to make the best of it.

Long time!

2009-03-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

Well it's been quite a while since I wrote on here. I guess I just don't have as much going on, oh, and I don't have any cute pictures, unless of course you want to see my four legged kids! I did want to say though that Katie, you are doing a nice job of updating and posting pictures. Hopefully I will be able to do the same when Crawford gets here!
Today is Monday the first day back from Spring Break and I am NOT wanting to be here. My bed sounds much better to me right now. On a positive note, I will be 28 weeks tomorrow which means I will be in the 3rd and FINAL trimester. This is good and bad at the same time. Good because I can't wait to meet Crawford and bad because we don't have ANYTHING done. And for y'all that know Nathan, I know that is hard to believe. I guess it just hasn't really sunk in yet that we're having a BABY! I don't feel grown up enough, but I guess I am at 28 :( Atleast I alwasy have Nathan who is 4 years older :)
Well I will update if I have any cool news, which I doubt I will. We are supposed to have another ultrasound so I will upload those pics when we have it.
love to all!

1st time

2009-02-22T07:22:00.001-08:00

Well this is my first attempt at blogging!! I've heard so many people do it so I thought I would give it a try. Not too much to report though. Well actually, I am happy that Texas beat OU last night, even if it was because Blake Griffin left in the first half. I guess I should get going though because my wonderful domesticated husband is waiting for me to start helping!!