The Burrus Family

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day from our two sweet babies, who actually cooperated with us to get a photo this time. Charlie cracks me up in these pictures. He was so proud to have his arm around Evie--they looked just like a happy little couple. :)

We woke up today to lots of sweet cards, presents, and heart-shaped pancakes. Yum!

Charlie loved his cards, especially this one from Papa and Ali--it has a picture of Snoopy on the front (whom he finds hilarious for some unknown reason) and plays "Who Let the Dogs Out" when you open it. We heard "again, again!" several times this morning, and "Who Let the Dogs Out" more times than I can count...

Evie loved her presents. She immediately put her new bow in her "hair."

Charlie was thrilled to find presents at his place when he woke up. His reaction: "Open it!" Charlie's especially loved his new mail truck, which went EVERYWHERE with us today.

Charlie (with the help of Espy, his sweet babysitter) made us an adorable Valentine. He was SO proud to give this to us. His little puffed out chest was so cute. :)

Evie, relaxing in her new Valentine's outfit.

All this love is exhausting!

Hope you all had wonderful Valentine's Days!

Super Bowl Sunday

2012-02-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

We had a busy, fun, wild Super Bowl Sunday. We hosted some of our friends for the big game and it was so much fun. With 11 adults and 4 kids in our living room, I didn't watch much of the game, but I enjoyed all the food and had fun talking to everyone and watching the kids run around. Charlie, as usual, loves a crowd and once he warmed up to everyone, had a blast. He ate way too many chips (stealing them from our guests' plates once I stopped letting him have his own) and big cheese (queso), but only complained once that his tummy hurt. :) Evie enjoyed her first Super Bowl party, but was happy to return to a more calm day today!

Here's Charlie preparing for the game. He and Clint played football outside before our guests arrived.

Here's Evie, relaxed and calm, with no idea what's about to hit her...

Sam and Audra were first to arrive, and the kids were so excited to see them. Can you tell our kids don't get to watch much TV? They were both glued to the screen!
[Note Evie's outfit: she was in her first pair of skinny jeans and a big bow. Clint was horrified. :)]

The moms and babies. As usual, Colin was on perfect behavior all evening and Blythe was adorable--she always steals the show. :)

And what a game, by the way! I did get to watch the last few minutes, and loved the suspenseful finish. I was cheering for the Patriots (always loyal to my Boston teams), but was impressed the Giants pulled it off.

Evie: 3 Months Old!

2012-02-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe, but our little mouse is growing up. She is 3 months old today! And turning into such an adorable little person. Evie is developing the sweetest personality, and is suddenly so full of smiles, coos, and squeals. And although I was beginning to worry that we weren't funny enough for our discerning little lady, she finally laughed for me today. I was tickling her while I was changing her clothes and she squealed and then started chuckling--it was such a happy, fun sound. :) Evie is a happy, content baby for the most part, but definitely has her strong preferences. She loves to be held (or worn), but her favorite thing is to stretch out next to someone and just talk. She will smile and talk for long periods of time this way, and gets very excited about her conversations. Much to our delight, Evie is also beginning to love books. She especially loves I Kissed the Baby, which was one of our favorites with Charlie. She is very attentive to her books, and likes her "special" time. I hope she grows to love reading as much as her brother does! Evie likes her toys, but LOVES her hands. They are proving endlessly fascinating, and are always in her little mouth.

Evie is sleeping better and better and settling into quite a predictable schedule. She sleeps from about 7:30-7:00, with one or two feedings between. She takes 3 naps during the day, and eats every 3 hours (she is like a little clock and does NOT let me forget to feed her on time!).

Evie is still not a big fan of tummy time, but is getting better. She still rolls over like a champ, going from front to back several times a day. She is so pleased with this talent, and finds it particularly useful since it gets her off her tummy! Evie holds her head up well, and is starting to really enjoy the Bumbo (she has to fight Charlie for it, but she holds her own :). Evie continues to charm her brother and worm her way deeper and deeper into our hearts. There really is almost nothing better than hearing her tiny, soft little "goo." And although we think Evie is getting "SO BIG," Charlie is quick to correct us--"Evie NOT so big." You're right Charlie, she's still just a tiny little thing! :)

The mouse, 3 months old.

I tried to get her to smile for our photo shoot, but I couldn't take photos while I was talking to her. Don't let her serious face fool you--Miss Mouse has become quite smiley!

Here's the mouse in the Bumbo, working on her sitting technique...

Sitting up is exhausting! :)

I tried to get a few photos of tummy time...

...but Evie just got mad. Here she is mid-roll--she rolled right out of the frame!

Charlie was very patient, but a 20-month-old can only entertain himself for so long. I started hearing "I see Cargie!" around this point. Had to make sure I snapped a few pics for posterity (and to prove to him that the photo shoot wasn't ALL about Evie :).

We love our 3-month-old mouse AND our 20-month-old monkey! :)

Evie's Infant Recognition Day

2012-01-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

Every year, our church has "infant recognition day," during which all the infants born in the past year are "recognized." We did this last year with Charlie, having NO idea that we'd be lucky enough to do it again this year! :) It was so fun getting to have a special day just for Evie, and she did great on her big day. Embarrassingly, this was our first trip to church since Evie's birth (in our defense, Clint has worked almost every Sunday since she was born), and it was quite the experience. We started off okay--amazingly, we were dressed and out the door with time to spare. But things started to deteriorate shortly thereafter. We had to drop Charlie off in the child-care center while we took Evie to "rehearsal." Charlie, despite the fact that the child-care center looks like toddler wonderland, was NOT happy to be left. He started wailing as soon as he realized what was going on, and was making enough of a scene that the women working in the nursery called me back to make sure I'd written my cell phone number down. Uh oh. So off to rehearsal we went, complaining about the futility of having to come an hour early for something we'd already done last year. Since we figured we had the recognition bit down, we spent rehearsal visiting with friends and exclaiming over babies. It wasn't until after the service started and we got in front of the congregation that we realized we had missed the point of rehearsal: to take the card with your baby's name on it to hand to the pastor at the appropriate moment. Since we hadn't taken it, Evie's card had been removed. So Clint and I were whispering nervously at the front of the church about how to get the pastor to say Evie's name without the card--because after getting the four of us to church and leaving Charlie in the nursery, we did NOT want the trip to be in vain. Our solution: we were the only parents to whisper our child's name to the pastor when he got to us. Luckily, it worked fine and Evie was appropriately recognized. We then returned to our pew with our sweet (now very awake and very hungry) little girl to find two missed calls on my cellphone. Clint hurried over to the child care center and found a very distraught little Charlie, who recovered quickly when he learned that he was going to get to come sit in church with us. Everything went fine for the next few minutes while I fed Evie, but she then decided she had a burp that wouldn't come out and started wailing loudly. I rushed out with her, and heard a loud "Mama! Mama!" behind me. The sound continued, and soon Clint rushed out with Charlie. We decided we had about all we could handle, and so Clint snuck back in, grabbed our bags, and came out to shepherd us to our car. So our first trip back to church wasn't a huge success, but hopefully next time around, we'll make it the whole way through the service. Baby steps, right? :)

Here's Miss Evie, all dressed up for her big day.

Evie posed with her boys before the service. She looks a little nervous, doesn't she? Luckily, she was quite composed in front of the church. :)

The boys, exclaiming over the mouse.

A very proud brother. :)

Bumbo Time

2012-01-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

Look who's sitting up! (With quite a bit of assistance, of course :). We put Evie in the Bumbo last week and were surprised to find that she did quite well in there. She likes her new perspective on the world and her brother LOVES having her sitting up. I hear the "Evie Bumbo!" command several times a day. :)

She tends to get a bit droopy after a while. :)

Look who else loves the Bumbo. :) "I stuck!" has become a common phrase around here since the Bumbo came out.

Will's Wedding Weekend

2012-01-22T13:09:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, Charlie, Evie and I went to Seguin for my cousin Will's wedding last weekend [and I should mention that the kiddos were amazing on the car trip--for some reason, the trips have been easier with two! (it's the only thing that's been easier, but I'll take what I can get :)]. We had a great time seeing family and Evie and I had a wonderful time at the wedding. Weekends like this make me so grateful for my sweet parents and siblings, our big extended family, and all the little ones. They have so much fun together--brings back so many fun memories of all of us together as kids. Just wish we could all be together more often!

Charlie decided that he would "pay" for our stay with yard work. He helped Papa with the leaves, and I'm sure he made Papa's job SO much easier. :)

The helper took more than a few breaks to play in the leaves...

Megan, Chris, and Elec were in town from LA for the wedding and it was so good to see them again. Charlie and Elec are only 3 months apart, and they are starting to play together a bit. Elec is so adorable, and watching the boys together made me wish the Parks lived closer!

Charlie, adorned with stickers, thanks to Lizzie and Emma. :)

Here's Kay Kay (known to Charlie as Big Piggy's other half), and the lovely flower girls, Lizzie and Emma.

Evie tried to join in on the cousin fun. :)

Elec and Charlie headed outside to do some more yard work. Charlie tried hard to keep Elec away from the leaf blower and rake, telling him they are "Papa's!"

Without a rake of his own, Elec decided it would be easier to just throw away the leaves one at a time...

Apparently some people get to use Papa's rake.

Charlie and Evie love reading stories with Papa before bed. Is it just me, or does Evie look a bit bored with the Big Truck Book? [The book, by the way, is a hand-me-down from Jackson, and Charlie's new favorite obsession. The boy can't count and doesn't know his colors, but he knows every truck, tractor, and backhoe in the book!]

Here's Evie relaxing with Ali (one of her favorite pastimes). Ali accompanied us back to Dallas and we were SO grateful. The trip and the transition back home were so much easier and more fun with Ali along!

Can't wait to go to Seguin again!

Aunt Meggie the Photographer

2012-01-19T20:08:00.000-08:00

Evie is a lucky little lady with many people who love her. One of the most notable is her Aunt Meggie, who, despite being one of the busiest people I know, still finds time to dote on her niece. Evie adores Meg--Evie doesn't let just anyone hold her, but she is always happy with Meg. :) Charlie, Evie and I went down to Seguin last weekend for my cousin Will's wedding. Meg and Graeme met us there and we had so much fun hanging out with them. Meg is TIRELESS with the kiddos. Between playing with Charlie (thanks to Sam, Meg plays matchbox cars and construction vehicles better than any girl I know :), cuddling Evie, and running with me, Meg somehow found time to photograph Miss Evie and teach me some cool tricks with my new camera. I LOVE these photos she took--what a wonderful gift!

Meg finally caught Evie's sweet little smile on camera!

Evie was thrilled with all the attention she was getting. :)

Evie with her grandma Ali, who accompanied us back to Dallas and spent a few wonderful days helping out and playing here. We love you and miss you Ali!!

Visitors

2012-01-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

We have been the lucky recipients of lots and lots of visitors in the past week. First, my dad and Uncle Robie came to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl and stayed with us for a night. Charlie didn't know they were coming, and he was so surprised and excited on Saturday morning after the game when Papa came into his room to get him up. I loved seeing his happy little face. He was a bit wary of Robie at first, but warmed up very quickly, especially after Robie presented him with his first kolache. After that, it was pure love, and he followed "Wobie" all around the house.

Next came Courtney and Ava Grace and we had such a fun weekend with them. My Dallas SU girlfriends, Ann (plus Colin) and Cynthia, came over to hang out as well and we had such a great time catching up and letting the kids all play together. It was hard for Charlie to share his (and Evie's) toys, but he improved as the weekend progressed. Luckily, Miss Ava Grace was very patient and sweet with him, and he enjoyed her immensely.

Here are the kiddos posing for a photo. Evie did NOT want to be a part of it. Colin is the only one who looks worried about her. :)

We let Evie escape and did a few photos with just the "big kids." You wouldn't imagine how difficult it is to get a photo of these wild ones! [Luckily, Ava Grace cooperated with huge smiles. This girl may have a future in modeling. :)]

On Sunday night, Charlie and Ava Grace had their first co-ed bath together. Luckly, they behaved just like a little lady and gentleman. :)

Have you ever seen a sweeter pig and bear?

Following Courtney's visit, my Uncle Elam and Aunt Kay ("Big Piggy" (adapted from "Big E") and "Kay Kay") came to stay with us during a dental conference. We had a great time with them and Charlie really could not get enough of Big Piggy. Luckily, they were great sports and spent lots of time playing with and even feeding the little Prince. I'm sorry we didn't get photos with all of our visitors, but hopefully we can get some next time they come. We--especially social little Charlie--love nothing more than company in the house, so come back soon!

Picnics

2012-01-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

Charlie has a new favorite word--picnic--and it's his new favorite activity. He loves grabbing his lunch box, our picnic blanket, and eating lunch outdoors (we're not too picky about the location; both our backyard and the Arboretum have been really fun). For some reason, eating is so much more fun when it's done outside. Charlie's favorite picnic food is a PB "samwish," which I think he likes because he feels so big eating it (he proudly tells me that he's eating biting off a "peese of samwish" like "Papa and Dada do"). I can't believe we are getting to do outdoor picnics in January, but I'll take it...as long as it doesn't get too hot too fast!

Another big fan of picnics. :)

Evie: Two Months Old!

2012-01-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe our little mouse is already two months old. Time is flying by, and Evie is just getting sweeter and sweeter. She has a quiet, gentle way about her, with a soft, sweet little voice. She is smiling and cooing now, and it is the cutest thing. When she bats her little eyelashes as us, it's pretty irresistible. :) Charlie loves her new verbal skills, and frequently greets her with an enthusiastic "Goo Evie!" Evie is a great sleeper, but doesn't take a ton of naps. She takes a long nap when Charlie does (love that!), and then catches some cat naps at other times during the day. She sleeps from about 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. at night, usually with 2 feedings during that period. Evie holds her head up really well, and loves to observe the world around her. Evie enjoys her toys--especially her mobile--but prefers people. She loves to lie on the floor and "visit" with one of us. She will wave her arms, kick her legs, smile, and talk up a storm if someone is leaning down talking to her. Evie loves people, but prefers them in small, quiet doses--especially one-on-one. Evie hates tummy time, and so has figured a way out of it. She has gotten quite good at rolling over, and it's getting harder to keep her on her tummy. But we are trying! I cannot believe how lucky we got with this sweet little girl. Her gummy smiles and her sweet, soft voice just melt our hearts, and I do not know how we got by without her!

I love this little face. :)

Talking up a storm!

"Goo"

Working those little legs...

...and dancing!

I haven't quite managed to catch a smile on camera, but you get the idea. :)

Evie's two-month doctor's visit went great, and our pediatrician was quite pleased with her progress. She didn't like her shots too much, but recovered quickly. Her two-month stats were:

Weight: 10 pounds, 5 ounces (40%)

Length: 23 inches (70%)

Head: 15.25 inches (70%)

Thank you Miss E for a wonderful two months!

New Year's Evie

2012-01-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

Look who woke up at the stroke of midnight (Eastern) to celebrate the new year with us! Honestly, I can't think of a better way to ring in 2012. :)

Santa Makes a Special Trip to Dallas

2012-01-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Most people don't know this, but Santa doesn't just deliver gifts on Christmas day. If you email him and let him know that Daddy has to work on Christmas, he'll make a special trip down to see you when Daddy gets a day off (assuming the kids have all been good, of course). We so appreciate Santa's flexibility, and took full advantage of it this year, having our family Christmas on December 30 (personally, I think Santa enjoys extending the holiday a bit :). Despite having to wait for it a bit, our Christmas was wonderful, and we felt so blessed to have our sweet little ones to share it with.

Santa left a wonderful spread of gifts around the tree on "Christmas" morning.

The basketball hoop was a huge hit--Charlie had to try that out as soon as he came downstairs.

One last attempt to get good Christmas morning photos, but the kids just were not into it. I think the presents were too enticing. :)

Yay! Daddy's home!

Charlie loved getting into the stockings. He couldn't believe what riches were inside. He even helped Evie with her stocking, but her gifts didn't interest him too much. :)

The garbage truck in Charlie's stocking was the hit of Christmas. I really think he didn't need anything else.

Pensive little mouse...

Santa brought Charlie a Rody Pony, and it's so much fun. Charlie was very anxious for Rody to get blown up. Note to Santa: set gifts up beforehand next year!

"I bounce! I bounce!"

Charlie loves carrying Rody around the house. He kneels down, strains hard, says "Biiiiiiig," and picks him up. :)

Charlie loved his Christmas books. We spent lots of time reading our new books this holiday. Papa's book--"Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site"--is Charlie's new favorite all-time book. He is particularly amused by the fact that the cement mixer has a "lovie"--this gets a laugh every time. :) I highly recommend this book!

Evie got several "mouse" gifts, including "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." :)

Evie had quite the haul for such a little person!

Charlie's worst Christmas gift: a black eye. :( He got a little excited while playing with his new presents and hit it on the coffee table. Poor Charlie--he has had WAY too many bumps and bruises this holiday. We are asking Santa for a helmet next year!

Sweet Evie enjoying our evening festivities with Papa, Ali, Sam, and Auga.

Charlie brought Rody in to join the party.

Papa is always ready to read. These two love their books!

Charlie's car carrier from Sam and Auga is another new favorite toy.

The mouse bonded with Auga. :)

We saw this "surprise" face every time a gift was opened, immediately followed by an emphatic "out!" (meaning that we should get the toy out of its package as soon as possible). Charlie was such a gratifying recipient! :)

Charlie got a new tee ball set from Papa and Ali. We have had a blast with this. I love how Charlie warns me with "Ready?" before he dribbles the ball off the tee. :)

Best Christmas present: a whole day with Daddy!

Post-Holiday Fun In Seguin

2012-01-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

We were pretty busy with Christmas events while we were in Seguin, but we did get a little bit of time to relax and get outside. My dad took us out to the ranch for a Jeep ride/hike one morning and it was so much fun. The weather was gorgeous, and Charlie has not stopped talking about driving the Jeep. It didn't hurt that we found a digger next to one of the oil wells...see below. :)

The happy Jeep riders. Evie wasn't quite as thrilled with the Jeep ride as Charlie was, but she was a very good sport (she's hiding in Grandma Ali's arms in this pic :).

These two guys are best buds. Charlie loves Papa so much. He is so happy when Papa is around, and talks about him constantly when he's not. When Charlie gets hurt or upset, we often have to call Papa to make it better. :)

Charlie was our little hike leader. He ran the whole way out (and then got tired and Papa had to carry him the whole way back :).

Me and my babies. I think they enjoyed their time out at the ranch!

Here's Charlie, doing what he does best: "rifing" (driving). It is hard to get this boy away from a steering wheel once he gets ahold of it!

After the ranch, we headed home for naps and then met up with cousins out at the park (another "Big Bop"). Charlie had a great time running around with his cousins. He was especially pleased with the football he found.

Charlie was dying for Jackson to play catch with him. Luckily, sweet Jackson obliged. :)

Playing defense against Charlotte was not easy. That girl is tiny, but tough!

Julia was a little monkey on the equipment.

The almost-birthday boy enjoyed his day at the park.

Evie relaxed with the ladies...

Here's Katie taking a quick break from the park. She played hard!

Charlie was thrilled when Jackson did the slide with him!

We ended with some fun on the swings. Charlie and Charlotte had so much fun together--I think these two will be great friends!

Loved our time with family over the holiday. Can't wait to get back!

Kirkendall Christmas

2012-01-03T20:17:00.001-08:00

My dad is from a big family (he is the first of 10 kids, almost all of whom have had 3, 4, 5 or even 7 kids of their own). So our get-togethers are always big and crazy. There is always a schedule to keep us on track and all kinds of fun traditions and activities. My Aunt Mary (#7) is an amazing hostess and organizer of this annual gathering. I am so glad she makes the effort to get us all together, because it's so fun to see everyone and catch up! Since my dad was the oldest, my siblings and I are some of the oldest grandchildren, and as a result, I spent a lot of time babysitting my baby cousins when I was younger. These "baby cousins" are now full-fledged adults, and it was so weird this year seeing them home from college, with significant others, with jobs, and playing with Charlie and Evie like I used to with them. Gotta love a big family! :)

Here is my cousin Jake with Charlie. Jake was one of my favorite little ones to babysit growing up, and it was really fun seeing him with Charlie.

My amazing Aunt Mary, who organizes and hosts us all every year. Charlie loves her, if you can't tell from the photo. :) Here, she is starting off the "introductions," an annual tradition that has turned out to be one of my favorites. She pairs us up, we interview each other, and then we spend a few minutes telling the family about our person's year. I find out so much about my family members during this time! Even Charlie participated this year. I couldn't believe he spoke into the microphone, but he actually seemed to love the crowd. He said his name, his age, reported what Santa says ("HoHoHo"), and wished everyone a "Mewee Cwismas!"

Charlie amused himself during introductions...

My aunts and cousins brought lots of toys for Charlie to play with. He loved these little trains!

My dad's youngest brothers, Mike and Joe, are always hilarious during introductions (and at other times as well, of course :).

Evie was a little overwhelmed after 3 days of parties, but she tolerated the gathering pretty well. She was a little fussy in the crowd, but as soon as one of us would take her back into a quiet room, she would return to being the happiest baby ever--smiling, cooing, and waving her arms and legs around. Evie may need a little more "alone" time than Charlie does, but she sure is sweet when she gets it! :)

Here she is making eyes at some of her admirers... :)

One of our favorite traditions growing up was decorating gingerbread houses. Sweet Mary had gotten gingerbread houses and candy for Charlie to decorate. He didn't quite get the idea yet, but he sure loved the M&Ms.

This picture cracks me up. We were watching old home videos and Charlie, eager to do anything Ben was doing, crawled up on the ottoman with him and laid down just like he was doing. They were watching a video of my brother, at about Ben's age, playing with Jake, when he was about Charlie's age. So funny to see the same things repeated in a new generation!

[And notice the lovie carefully stuffed in Charlie's new "Big Bus" for safekeeping. :)]

3 Christmas celebrations down, 1 more to go!

Santa Comes to Seguin

2012-01-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

Even though we were without Clint, the kids and I had a very fun Christmas day in Seguin with my parents and extended family. I think I was more excited than they were on Christmas morning, but Charlie definitely got into the fun. Evie, however, had trouble staying awake for her presents. :)

Trying to pose these two for a Christmas picture is NOT easy. Maybe we'll do better next year...

Checking out the stockings...

Food always comes first for Charlie--we had to have some "Big Toast" (french toast) and fruit before we dug into the gifts.

This boy LOVED his stocking gifts. His matchbox cars and UT hat were all that he needed for Christmas.

BUT, Santa left a few more things, and Charlie loved those as well. He loves his new excavator (we also call it a backhoe, the current favorite construction vehicle).

His own "Big Truck" was a big hit.

Once he realized what these packages contained, Charlie really got into the unwrapping.

Charlie had so much fun with his matchbox cars and new trucks that we didn't get to the rest of the presents until our Dallas Christmas. Santa was very good to Charlie this year!

After presents, we headed out to the House on the Hill for our annual Christmas brunch. It was so fun to see what all the kids got. And Charlie got another present--a trash truck! This boy is obsessed with trash trucks (every morning he asks me if it's "trash truck day"), so this has been a huge hit.

Jackson was quite the shot with his new BB gun.

All Katie wanted for Christmas was "gai gai" (candy) and "wipstick" (lip gloss). She was very happy with her gifts!

Julia got the coolest present ever--the life size pony below. "Beauty" was so cool. She waves her head around, neighs, and pretends to eat a carrot. Charlie loved "riding" on her. I would have LOVED this pony as a child!

Charlie, Beauty, and the proud owner. :)

Evie loved her Christmas as well. We had to open her presents very slowly over several days, as we had trouble remembering to do it during her awake times. She was very blessed, and got way more than a 1 1/2-month old needs!

What a wonderful, blessed Christmas we had. And it's not over yet!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, we went out to our ranch for our annual celebration at the log cabin. My mom's family has celebrated Christmas Eve out there since long before I was born, and I think it's my favorite holiday tradition. There is something so exciting and special about going out there for Christmas Eve. Even now, I remember the excitement I felt going out there on Christmas Eve--it felt almost magical from beginning (playing with cousins) to middle (opening presents, taking a hay ride), to the end (riding home, looking at Christmas lights, and looking for Santa's sleigh the whole way). It's even more fun now that I have kids and can watch them running around with their cousins the way that I used to. We usually have beautiful weather and spend a lot of time outside, playing football, soccer, or baseball, and walking around the ranch. Unfortunately, it was cold and raining this year and we had to spend most of the day inside, but it really was still a wonderful day. Charlie had so much fun--I think this was a perfect celebration for him.

Charlie was racing around all day and I could not get a picture of him standing still. This blurry action shot is probably the best depiction of him that day. :)

Pausing for a quick smile...

Dede and Julia are a sweet duo.

I LOVE little Charlotte. She is the youngest (aside from Evie), but you would never guess it. She is a tough little one, and totally holds her own with the big kids!

Jackson and Charlie. See why Charlie loves this guy?

Missed my siblings this year, but so good to see my cousins!

Best buds.

Jane Ann loves babies and was just thrilled with Evie. And Evie loved all the extra snuggles she got! [JA got a new doll, Baby Alive, for Christmas. I had never seen anything like this Baby Alive before--she even poops! I tried to get JA to change Evie's diapers as well, but she didn't fall for it... :)]

Evie loved Christmas Eve--she got cuddled all day!

I couldn't believe how much little Samuel had grown up!

Sweet posing girls...

Elec sent Julia markers for Christmas and they were a huge hit. Perfect rainy day entertainment!

This was my favorite picture. Note the caption: "Me as a bird with Santa Claus." Jackson is so random!

Precious Baby Katie.

Evie relaxing with Ali.

Christmas Evie. :)

Charlie got to open one gift on Christmas Eve from his cousins. He LOVES his racetrack!

Despite the nasty weather, we decided to continue our annual tradition of an early-evening hayride. I was so glad we didn't let the rain stop us--it was so much fun riding around the ranch, even with the wet, cold weather. Charlie loved being a part of this tradition, and got into the caroling. He even started requesting songs, but didn't quite get that we were trying to stick with a "Christmas" theme. Luckily, my cousins are good sports and took a break from Christmas carols to sing a rousing rendition of "Wheels on the Bus" for Charlie. :)

We got home from the cabin pretty late, but baths were essential after all the mud and dirt (and hay!) we collected during the day.

There is something so magical about Christmas Eve. I still feel the same excitement and anticipation that I felt as a child when I get in bed on Christmas Eve (maybe because Santa still comes to my parents' house for me :). Can't wait to see what Santa brings!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

2012-01-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it wasn't actually 12 days of Christmas, but it sure felt like it (in a good way :). This holiday was hard--Clint was scheduled to work the night shift all during the week of Christmas Eve/Christmas, so he was completely unavailable for a Christmas-day celebration. Since he was going to be working and sleeping all week, Charlie, Evie, and I traveled down to Seguin to celebrate with my family, and then headed back up to Dallas when Clint finished his night-shift work and celebrated Christmas on his day off (the 30th). It was really sad being away from Clint on the big day, but the three of us had a wonderful time with our extended family. And our belated Christmas celebration with Clint turned out to be really special as well, so it was a blessed holiday! (Turns out, it's kind of fun to extend the festivities... :)

Charlie, Evie, and I arrived in Seguin on the 23rd and headed out to the treehouse for Dede and Robie's 40th anniversary celebration. It was a COLD night, but very fun, and we were proud of Evie for being such a good sport about the cool temps.

Charlie had a great time running around with his cousins. So great, in fact, that we hardly noticed when he took a "BIG FALL" (in Charlie's words) after it got dark outside. It wasn't until we got home and turned on the lights that we realized he had a huge goose egg on his forehead. Poor little guy hardly fussed at all!

Here is Julia (JuJu), Charlie, and Jackson. Charlie is in love with these kiddos--I hear about them all the time!

Sweet Lizzie joined the photogenic group.

Emma and Julia were excited to meet their new baby cousin. Evie got lots of cousin love over the holidays, and seemed to enjoy all the attention!

Isn't the treehouse amazing? It looked so pretty decorated with Christmas lights. I cannot wait for our first camping trip here!

Congratulations on 40 wonderful years Dede and Robie. Thanks for setting such a good example for us!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Burrus fam! Our holiday card/birth announcement, along with the full set of Evie's newborn photos, is below. I hope you all are having a wonderful and blessed holiday!

Charlie & Evie Meet Santa

2011-12-21T12:18:00.001-08:00

My mom and I took Charlie and Evie to meet Santa at the downtown Neiman Marcus this week. It was such a fun outing (and made so much better by having my mom there!). Mom and Evie waited in line while Charlie and I raced through the tunnel winding around the outside of NM (very fun, but realized why they had a 4-10 year-old age limit :). Charlie was very excited about meeting Santa--he said "Santa," "HoHoHo," and "I sit. Santa!" while we were waiting in line, all leading me to the erroneous conclusion that he was going to enjoy his time with the big guy. Alas, that was not the case, as seen below...

Evie is starting to look a bit concerned. Santa, however, is not phased a bit.

Evie and Santa had a very nice conversation once Cargie made his way "off!"

Although it looks like Charlie was terribly distressed by his encounter with Santa, he was happy as could be the moment he got off his lap. He bounded off happily and was talking about Santa the rest of the day. I asked Charlie what he told Santa he wanted for Christmas and he responded, not surprisingly, with "Big Truck!"

After our visit with Santa, we went upstairs to the children's area to relax so I could feed Evie. Charlie loved getting to play with all the toys. His first order of business was to don this pink bike helmet and drive a jeep. He proudly wore the bike helmet all around Neiman's...we had quite a time getting it away from him. :)

Rolling!

2011-12-20T20:51:00.001-08:00

On Evie's 7-week birthday today, we hit another big milestone: Evie rolled over (front to back) for the first time! She was VERY proud of herself, but I think her big brother was even prouder. Charlie and I were down on the floor with her when it happened, and it just thrilled him. Her big moment was met with a resounding "Again! Again!" Unfortunately, Evie couldn't make it happen again today (Charlie quickly decided we were "All Done!," so she didn't get a ton of practice), but we'll try again tomorrow. :)

Christmas Parties

2011-12-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

We have had some fun Christmas parties this season, and two of my favorites were our playgroup Christmas parties. The kids aren't old enough to really be excited about Christmas yet, but they are super excited about the sweets this year. :)

Here are the kids (minus a few) in our Lakewood playgroup. Charlie has been playing with these little ones since he was 5 months old, and it is so fun watching them grow up together. It's amazing how much they've grown in the past year, but how little their personalities have changed!

Evie dressed up for the Christmas party as well. Charlie was fascinated with the "Big Tree" and "Big Bow" on her onesie. :) Luckily for Evie, a lot of my playgroup friends are having second babies right now, so the little ones won't get left out of the fun!

Sweet Evie was smiling, cooing, and telling Daddy all about the Christmas party later that night...

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get pictures at our other Christmas parties...too busy keeping Charlie out of the cookies!

Evie Meets the Harolds

2011-12-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

My college roommate, Sarah, and her husband, David, were in town last weekend for a work Christmas party and stopped by to meet Evie. It was so good to see them. Evie loved getting some extra snuggles and Charlie was thrilled with his company. He LOVED "Dawid," conned him into reading "Cars, Trucks, and Things that Go" with him, and even said "Go Jawhawks!" for him. :) Sarah and David's wedding was our last big weekend away before Evie was born, so it was fun to get to introduce them to her. Hope you two come back again soon!!

Father Christmas

2011-12-17T20:42:00.001-08:00

Clint hasn't had much time off recently, so I've had to grab little bits of time with him to do a few holiday things. When we heard about a historic Christmas village in downtown Dallas, we had to go check it out (it didn't hurt that I got Junior League meeting credit for going :). So we got the kids dressed up and off we went!

We forgot the double stroller and the Baby Bjorn, but we made do... :)

Charlie was most interested in the "Big Choo Choo," seen behind Clint here. He wasn't sure what to make of the period costumes.

I was very excited about the "pictures with Santa" that were advertised, but we were a bit disappointed with the jolly old guy once we saw him. Clint decided that maybe they were trying to show how people couldn't be too picky in the pioneer village--Santa might just have to be a large-ish guy with a red beard (and a green robe???). Turns out it was Father Christmas. Seriously?? As you can tell, Charlie was not impressed.

Evie: "You really took me out of my warm coat for a picture with THIS guy?"

Period carolers. Suspicious Charlie wouldn't touch the candy cane they offered him.

The historic village was fun, but it did not check "pictures with Santa" off my to-do list! :)

It's (Finally) Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am behind on everything Christmas this year (and Evie is a very good excuse, thankyouverymuch), but we are getting there. Slowly but surely, I have gotten the house decorated, and Clint, Charlie, Evie and I recently went out to pick out our Christmas tree (or "Big Tree!," as Charlie's dubbed it).

Charlie negotiated a very good price for the tree...

The tree experts.

Evie had surprisingly strong opinions. The girl loves Douglas firs.

I wanted this tree, but the kids opted for a traditional one.

Decorating the house has been so fun...but I've realized that I really need more Christmas decorations. Guess who's going to be shopping the post-Christmas sales... :)

This is my favorite decoration. It was my grandmother's, and I always loved it at her house as a child. Apparently I fiddled with it enough that she eventually gave it to me. :)

Stockings hung with care...

And here is our expert tree decorator. This guy LOVES hanging ornaments (and by hanging, I mean thrusting the ornament in the branches over and over until it finally sticks). Unfortunately, we ran out of non-breakable ornaments too quickly for his taste, leading to a small tantrum that cut our decorating experience short. Oh well, more decorating next year, right?

[Charlie also loves un-decorating the tree. I keep finding our ornaments scattered around the house, and have been having to move them higher and higher up the tree. He has someone managed to reach some ornaments (the small ceramic truck, in particular :) hung VERY high on the tree. I did not see him get it down, so I have no idea how he managed this. What a monkey!]

Big Tree!

Evie quickly got in her reindeer pajamas in order to take the obligatory pajama pictures next to the tree.

Charlie got in his matching pajamas, but we couldn't quite make the picture work. I will keep trying... :)

My attempt at homemade ornaments is below. Evie cooperated nicely for her footprint ornament (on the left), however, Charlie was not so cooperative for his handprint. For some reason, the "monkney" totally freaked out at the idea of putting his hand in the clay. I finally had to settle for a fingerprint (right) (and had to do my fair share of consoling even after that!). Oh well, at least the ornament is unique!

And finally, the newest addition to our tree, in honor of the newest addition to our family...the little mouse. :)

Our halls are finally decked! Yay!

So many changes...

2011-12-14T20:29:00.000-08:00

I feel like these two little kids are growing up so fast. Some days I want to freeze time and spend more time with them at this stage and other days, when they are particularly fussy, the passage of time doesn't seem quite so dreadful. :) But, like it or not, they are changing and growing up. That was brought home to me the other day when Evie started cooing. Seriously?? I am still thinking of her as a brand-newborn and all of a sudden she's smiling and "talking." So weird [and SO adorable--her tiny, high little voice is really sweet. :)]. And then, today, I went to get Charlie up from his nap and was surprised to find that he wasn't in his crib--he was playing on the floor of his room! I'm going to stick with the crib for a while and see how it goes, but I can't believe we're getting closer to a "big boy" bed. [Go figure; after much debate, I decided not to move Charlie out of his crib and purchased Evie her own, and she hasn't even slept in it yet!] Charlie is really into climbing on/out of everything right now. Luckily, he usually gives me a heads up--when I hear him saying "monkney, monkney" ("monkey"), he is climbing on something. :)

The last few days have been a bit crazy (Clint's been working crazy hours and Charlie's going through a clingy phase this week), but there have been some funny moments. Charlie's new favorite words are "yay" and "okay," and his exaggerated, Texas-accented way of saying them just crack me up. Everyone gets a yay--it was "Yay Meggie!" over and over when we purchased her Christmas gift, "Yay Dada!" every night when we get the phone call that Clint's on his way home, "Yay Mama!" when I get him out of bed, etc. :) And thanks to Goldbug in Richard Scarry's "Cars, Trucks, and Things that Go," Charlie has developed a fascination with bugs. He now leaps across the table to get the fly that's trapped in our house, and brings me little dead bugs that he finds, each time with a very excited "a bug!"

Evie: One Month Old

2011-12-06T12:46:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe the mouse is one month old [I know this post is almost 2 weeks late. Don't judge.]. It is painful to me how fast time is moving right now. I thought the pregnancy went fast, but it was nothing compared to Evie's newborn days! Evie is an amazing [Clint calls her "e-mazing" :)] baby. She is so good that it's a bit scary, as I can forget she's around. I have put her down for a nap in her bassinet and stopped by to check on her, only to find her wide awake in there, just looking around happily. Evie is patient, calm, and just as sweet as can be. She really doesn't have a "fussy" time of the day, which is a relief after her brother, who required an hour or more of bouncing on an exercise ball every night. But our favorite thing about Evie is her big, wide-open eyes. They look so wise and inquisitive; I just love it when they are open and looking around. And Evie is just beginning to smile. No "real" smiles yet, but she does crinkle up her mouth and looks like she is trying to smile when we talk to her. I think a real smile is right around the corner. :) Although Evie is great during the day, we are still figuring out the nights--some are really good, with only one feeding, while others involve a bit more feeding and cuddling. Evie never asks for much, though--she mostly just likes to be held, and is the sweetest cuddler I know. :)
Evie had her one-month appointment this week (at 5 weeks old). Her current stats are:
Weight: 9 lbs., 5 oz. (60%)
Length: 21.25 in. (60%)
Head: 14.75 in. (65%)

Love this little face!

Notice a hand coming in the frame? Someone has decided that the mouse has had enough time alone in the spotlight...

...and here comes Charlie, taking his rightful place in front of the camera lens. :)

A gratuitous kiss for the camera...

...and then on to the fun. Charlie LOVES pointing out Evie's various body parts, especially her mouth and eyes (eeek!).

Another kiss, when he remembers that there's a camera in front of him.

And then back to the mouth. Time to rescue poor Evie!

At only one month old, Evie doesn't have a ton of favorite things (aside from eating, cuddling, and burping), but she has really been enjoying our evening dance parties. The three of us have done some wild dancing!

Dance parties get even crazier when Dada (or in this case, Papa) joins in. Charlie was thrilled with his energetic dance partner!

Evie is also a pretty big fan of her baths. My calm little mouse is so good about hanging out patiently in her tub while I bathe Charlie. She is such a sweetie--and I think I may have a future spa-junkie on my hands. :)

We love you SO much Miss E. I cannot believe how much you've captured our hearts [including that of your brother, who now refuses to go off to bed before he's gotten to kiss you :)] in only one short month!

Evie's Big Debut

2011-12-06T12:11:00.001-08:00

Two of my best friends, Ann and Bethany, threw the most adorable little sip n' see for Evie to meet some of my Dallas friends. It was a gorgeous party with wonderful food (I have eaten way too many of those petit fours in the past few days :). It was so fun to get away for a few hours and visit with my friends and show off Miss Evie. My mom was in town, so she got to join as well, and I loved having her there with us. What a fun party! [Luckily, Charlie decided he would stay at our house with Papa and the two of them had a blast. They went for a drive (they would not disclose who drove), pumped gas (which apparently was a huge hit), and went on a hunt for construction sites. Charlie proudly reported that he had seen a "backhoe" and a dumpster. Evie and I were very jealous of all that fun! :)]

Evie was so excited about her big party that she put on her first dress (a gorgeous hand-me-down from Julia and Katie). [As a side note, dressing girls is so much more complicated that dressing boys. I am still figuring out how to put a whole outfit together: a dress, matching sweater, matching tights, matching shoes, matching diaper cover, bow (as you can see, I still haven't gotten the hang of it--Miss Evie is missing tights, shoes, and a bow!).] Evie looks wide awake here, but looks are deceiving. The little mouse slept through the entire party!

Starting to smile! :)

Me, sleeping Evie, and our sweet hostesses.

Thank you Ann and Bethany for such a wonderful party!

Charlie: 18 Months Old

2011-11-28T19:57:00.001-08:00

At 18 months old, Charlie continues to be the funniest, quirkiest, most amazing little guy, and I just can't believe how he continues to worm his way deeper and deeper into our hearts. He is just exploding right now with new tricks, new ideas, new words, and new ways of doing things. It is so fun to watch him develop right now. Some of our favorites:
* Charlie's standard greeting for people is "Big Truck!" rather than "hi," or something else typical. I think he believes that this is his best conversation topic, so he likes to start things off on an exciting note. :)

* Charlie now says "Chargie" if you ask him his name, and "one!" when you ask him how old he is.

* Charlie loves to perform, and as a result, is learning a lot of words (and silly faces and noises) just by observing people. He has a "silly" face, a "surprised" face, a "happy" face, and a "mad" face.

* Charlie loves nothing more than family. He seems to know the difference between friends and family and treats family like they are something special. He knows the names of all of his "people" and talks about them constantly (randomly, he also likes to keep people in pairs--if someone shows up without their other half, he always inquires after the other person and seems a little agitated that they are not together). I have never seen anyone love a big crowd of people more than Charlie--especially when it's his family! [As a result, Evie's birth and the resulting mass of visitors has pleased him immensely.]

* Charlie's biggest loves right now are trucks, construction vehicles, and driving, followed closely by trips to the park (referred to by Charlie as "Big Bop"), picking up sticks, and playing outside. He is also a big fan of hats and boots--we rarely leave the house without a hat these days.

* Charlie LOVES to read. He reads all the time, either by himself or cuddled up in one of our laps. He gets very attached to certain books, and will read a certain book or two almost exclusively for a few weeks, and then he moves on to something else (at which point he is so tired of the previous favorite that we can't read it to him for a quite a while again). The big favorites right now are "Go Dog Go," "Curious George and the Puppies," "Cars, Trucks, and Things that Go" (this book is so quirky and fun. Charlie gets really excited about it, and I will hear him screaming "big truck!" "big bus!" "a BUG!" (when he finds goldbug) from across the room when he's reading it.), and "The Nursery Rhymes of Mother Goose," particularly Hickory Dickory Dock.

* Charlie's favorite adjective right now is "big." He thinks anything is more impressive if preceded by the word "big," and so he adds it to everything he likes in order to impress his audience ("big truck, big car, big bus, big trash truck, big bop, big nana (banana), big cheese, and big toast"). So random!

* Charlie loves animals and making animal noises. He knows quite a few noises right now, and cracked us up the other day with one of his newer ones. My mom was feeding him his snack and I asked her to try to get him to eat a bit more. She replied that she didn't want to "stuff him like a Thanksgiving turkey." Upon hearing that, Charlie turned to us and smiled and said "gobble, gobble, gobble." We just about died laughing. :)

* I cannot say enough good things about Charlie right now (which probably means that he is about to go through a difficult phase :). He is so sweet and loving, and has adjusted so quickly and well to having Evie around. He gives the sweetest hugs and kisses and has even started saying "love you" to me and Clint before we leave the house or before he goes to bed. He cannot go to bed without giving (or getting) kisses from everyone in the room, especially his sister. He kisses Evie about 20 times a day, and always seems so pleased about it (I'm not sure that these kisses are wholly benevolent. Charlie loudly announces "I kiss!," and then scans the room to make sure everyone is looking before he plants his mouth on Evie's head. He then looks up immediately to hear how adorable the kiss was. :). One of my favorite times with Charlie is bedtime. I love snuggling up with him in his rocker, reading his favorite books, and then saying prayers and singing songs as we settle down for bed. He now says "Ayyyyy-men!" at the end of prayers, and then requests his favorite songs [as a side note, Charlie just loves singing (and has started humming short portions of his favorite songs). He's the only person who just loves for me to sing. Anytime I sing a few lines of anything, I immediately hear an enthusiastic little "again!" :)]. There is nothing better than seeing his happy little smile behind his paci (while we're putting him down; don't worry, paci doesn't come out of the crib :), and hearing his little giggles while we sing to him. I love this age!

Charlie was sweet enough to pose with his Mama and his Ahhh, two of his biggest fans. :)

Papa gave Charlie the "Big Truck" towel pictured below, and it has been a huge hit. He insists on wearing the towel with its matching belt (see below), and we always have trouble getting him to move on to pajamas. :)

Snuggles with one of his all-time favorite people...

This is one of my favorite recent pictures of Charlie. He was thrilled with his new winter hat, and showed his enthusiasm with his "cute" face. Unfortunately for Charlie, he didn't realize that the matching mittens were still attached to the hat. :)

Charlie's 18-month appointment went great, although his new-found fear of doctors (we haven't broken it to him that his dad is one) made it a pretty wild outing. But he rocked ages & stages and our pediatrician was very impressed with his crazy growth spurt (apparently most 18-month-old don't eat much. Charlie has not gotten this memo). His new stats are:

Weight: 25 lbs., 14 oz. (50%)

Height: 33.5 in. (80%)

Head: 19.5 in. (85%)

Love you SOOOO much Big Charlie!

So Much To Be Thankful For...

2011-11-26T19:43:00.001-08:00

I feel like I have so much to be thankful for this year...Exhibits A and B, above and below. :)

I am also thankful for Clint's mom (Mimi), who came to help out a few days before Thanksgiving. We all loved getting some special time with Mimi, and she made my life SO much easier. I feel very blessed to have such a sweet mother-in-law!

Charlie is very thankful for this tricycle (his "bike"). One of our neighbors passed this down to him after their kids grew out of it, and it has been such a hit. Charlie wanted to be on his bike (showing off a bit) when Pawpaw (Clint's dad) and Sarah (Clint's grandmother) arrived for our holiday celebration.

Evie also came outside to play and greet Pawpaw and Sarah. We tried to keep the little mouse warm!

We are all thankful for sweet Sarah, pictured here with her SIXTH great-grandchild! Sarah was so much fun to have around for Thanksgiving. She is so spunky and fun and full of life. Charlie quickly became quite attached to "Sawah," and Evie loved all the extra cuddles she got!

We are also very thankful for Pawpaw, who arrived with a truck full of beef for us (yum!), and spent tons of time playing with Charlie and Evie. Charlie could not wait to see Pawpaw every morning--he always greets him with a loud exclamation of "Big Truck!!" Who knows what goes through that head... :)

I am thankful for all the help I had in the kitchen! Thanks to Pawpaw, Mimi, and Sarah, we ate well this holiday. :)

Evie loved getting to visit and bond with her great-grandmother. She looks like she's telling her some big stories. :)

Pawpaw quickly jumped in and helped out with some little jobs we had around the house (another thing I am very thankful for). Dada and Pawpaw were lucky to get the assistance of another little helper. :)

Helping wrap/un-wrap presents...

Charlie especially likes any chore that involves an "up-down" (more commonly known as a ladder).

Charlie was desperate to wear his "boots" on Thanksgiving morning. After a trip outside with his still-too-big boots falling off, he came back inside grudgingly requesting his "shoes."

I am also very thankful that my brother, Sam, and sister-in-law, Audra, got to join us for Thanksgiving. They were great helpers, so much fun with the kids, and a great addition to our Burrus-family gathering. Audra's delicious apple pie was also a very welcome addition. :) [And I know I only have a picture of Sam here. The picture of Audra and I is terrible, and out of consideration for both of us, I'm not posting it. :)]

VERY thankful for my sweet husband, who ended up getting Thanksgiving day off at the last minute. [Also thankful for the upper-level resident who let him off!]

Very thankful that Clint's sister, Sally, and her family were able to drive down and spend a few days with us. They are so much fun and Charlie was ridiculously excited about his cousins. We are having to do a slow detox now that they're gone. Charlie quickly became used to VERY high levels of excitement. Since I don't have quite the stamina they do for running wildly around the house playing chase, we are both missing those kids terribly! :)

The Dohertys brought Charlie this alligator ("ah-goo"), which was a huge hit. He spent lots of time wresting the ah-goo to the ground and getting chased by it. At one point, Charlie stopped wrestling just long enough to tell me that he was "happy, happy, happy." :)

Meredith, Will, Sarah Beth, and their very spoiled, very happy little cousin.

Sweet Audra and Miss Evie, who dressed in her Thanksgiving best. :)

Such a sweet little turkey. :)

There were four generations of Field/Burrus women in the house over the holiday. Three pictured here. :)

High excitement! [Don't worry, I was aware that Evie was on the floor, and I was watching out for her. :)]

Evie managed to sleep through a lot of it (maybe a defense mechanism??).

On the day after Thanksgiving, we got up bright and early to get ready for more family time. Charlie was quite pleased with his camo pants and orange vest.

And Evie was quite pleased with the snuggles she got from her big cousins.

We took a long walk to our favorite park ("Big Bop"), and burned off some energy there. SB was such a good sport about playing with Charlie there.

Our walk along the lake to the park was gorgeous--it was a perfect fall day!

Charlie carefully inspected the big slide before deciding to give it a go.

Races down the hill...

More excitement at home (somehow a shirt was lost in all the action...), and then Charlie went down for some much-needed rest.

We capped off Friday night with some delicious steaks from Pawpaw and Mimi's ranch (Clint's dad allowed us to eat turkey on Thanksgiving, with only a few cracks about the evils of poultry :). What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Charlie was so befuddled when his family left, and has been requesting their return already. I am so glad Evie's first holiday was so much fun, but the others have a lot of live up to now! :)

The Three-Ring Circus

2011-11-16T11:56:00.001-08:00

As I start parenting my two little munchkins on my own (during the day; Dada is very helpful in the evenings, of course :), I am starting to feel a bit like we are a three-ring circus. Baths last night were an interesting experience. Clint was working late, so I decided to go for it on my own. Charlie did a pretty good job of playing by himself in the tub while I nursed Evie (who did her part by nicely enjoying some tummy time between sides while I scrubbed Charlie). Then I decided to bath Evie, who hadn't had a bath in a few days, and was starting to smell like spit-up. This bath was a bit more hectic, as I had a naked Charlie quickly dismantling my bathroom while I scrubbed his little sister. Then, just as I got her wrapped up in a warm towel and was patting myself on the back for having two clean kids, Miss Evie spit up all over me, herself, and the clean towel. I got that cleaned up (while Charlie continued to tear around the bathroom), but before I could get a diaper on her, Evie pooped in the towel! So her bath was probably in vain, except for teaching me that I really need to move faster with the diaper. :)

Today's lunch was also wild, as both kids decided they were starving at the exact same time (I have been blessed with children who go from 0-60 in about 5 seconds, especially when they are hungry). Poor Evie had to scream for a few minutes while I rushed around getting Charlie's lunch ready. Then both kids got to eat at the same time, although both seemed slightly peeved that they weren't getting my full attention. :) [This scene was replayed again at dinner, so apparently I need to re-work my meal routine a bit!]

Breastfeeding is also interesting with an 18-month-old running around. Charlie doesn't seem to mind me feeding Evie (he keeps noting that I'm feeding her with my "belly button" (??)), but he likes to get into mischief while I do. So far, this has included hurling himself at us over and over. This would have been annoying, but he was giggling so hard that it was difficult to get mad at him. Charlie also likes to fill my lap and hands with his favorite trucks and tractors while I'm feeding her. Poor Evie spent the majority of her feedings today covered in construction vehicles. :(

It is such an interesting shift when you have your second child. I couldn't imagine seeing Charlie as anything other than a precious little baby before Evie was born, but ever since I arrived home from the hospital with her, I have seen large danger signs flashing over his head (for good reason, as we've had a couple of near-accidents). But as soon as I get discouraged about all the craziness, Charlie's sweet, hilarious little personality wins me over (and helps me overlook the danger :). Charlie's new thing is to say "I kiss, I kiss," which means that he wants to kiss Evie on the head. He does this many, many times a day and does it so sweetly every time. I have also been working with him on being "gentle" with Evie, and the praise-hound has really been enjoying this new concept. After I cheered him on for being gentle with Evie today, he was very gently touching other people/objects (my hand, Clint's hand, his trucks, the sofa, etc.), and then turning around for applause. It was pretty cute--and he does seem to have gotten the hang of it! Charlie is also getting in the helpful spirit. Today, I started feeding Evie in the chair without my Boppy pillow and Charlie ran over with it and wedged it under her. I was kind of wanting it, so it was really nice to have a helper!

Overall, my favorite thing about having two kids is watching Charlie smile and laugh at Evie. Below are three pictures we took while Charlie was holding Evie. She sneezed while he was holding her and it absolutely cracked him up. He was laughing so hard here--it was pretty cute.

Charlie also loves to entertain Evie during her tummy time. He was laying down with her today, making silly faces at her and giggling, and I swear she smiled back. I know it's too young for her to be smiling, but it really looked like she was grinning at him. Charlie thought so too, and it pleased him immensely. The only problem with having my "helper" during tummy time is that he has much more stamina for it than Evie does. He doesn't understand why she gets tired and wants to be picked up after a few minutes, and protests loudly when I retrieve her. Poor Evie got a little more tummy time than she wanted today, because Charlie's insistent "again! again! please! please!" was hard to say no to. :)

I love these two little people...and even when things are hectic around here, at least they are entertaining!

Evie's First Two Weeks

2011-11-15T20:01:00.001-08:00

We have had the most wonderful first two weeks with this precious baby girl. Evie could not be a sweeter little baby. So far, Evie is totally content and happy--except when she is hungry, when she turns very mad, very quickly (just like another small Burri). But hunger aside, Evie just goes with the flow--riding in the stroller, being carted around the house, park, mall, and store in my Baby K'tan carrier, sitting dangerously close to her big brother on my lap during story time, and fitting her feedings in during his naps, bathtime, etc. I feel so lucky to have this little girl in my life--it is amazing how much we love her already!

Sweet Evie already loves to pose for the camera. :)

These skinny little legs are starting to bulk up a bit...

Like her brother, Miss Mouse loves her paci! And Charlie likes for her to have it--he gets very nervous when it falls out and alerts me with a loud "Uh Oh! Baby Paci!"

Holding it in, just in case...

We love Evie's big, curious eyes..

The mouse will sleep anywhere, anytime. :)

She is quickly getting STRONG--look at that stiff neck! :)

Evie is such a happy baby--she doesn't mind just hanging out--even when she's awake!

Aside from eating and sleeping, another of Evie's favorite activities is getting her hair washed. She loves luxuriating in the warm water!

Wrapping up in a warm towel post-bath is another favorite thing.

We passed another milestone this week--Evie lost her umbilical cord. As a result, we now get to have real baths. Evie thinks real baths are much better than sponge baths!

Evie had her two-week checkup yesterday. I combined Charlie's 18-month check-up with Evie's 2-week check-up, and it was a WILD experience. Trying to comfort Charlie after his shots and Evie after her heel stick was not easy. Luckily, both of the kids quieted and bounced back very quickly. Evie has done great at her first two check-ups. Her birth weight was 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and she weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces at 6 days old, and 7 pounds, 14 ounces at 2 weeks old. Our pediatrician was very pleased with her progress, and we are so proud of our good eater! Evie's stats today were:

Weight: 7 lbs., 14 oz. (50%)

Height: 20.75 in. (75%)

Head: 14.25 in. (75%)

And here is Miss Evie at her first weigh-in (not the most flattering photo, but seems like one of those things that must be documented :).

After an amazing two weeks up here in Dallas, Grandma Ali headed back to Seguin yesterday (post-appointment, luckily). We were all SO sad to see her go. It was unbelievable how much she did while she was here. Between cooking, laundry, taking care of Charlie, snuggling with Evie, and taking care of me, I don't know how she kept going. She was last to go to bed at night and first up in the morning. She says she is sad to leave, but I am guessing that a few days and nights of rest aren't looking too bad right now. :) I am a little panicked about being left alone with these two little ones, but hopefully Grandma Ali taught us enough in these first two weeks that we can get by until she comes back. We miss you Ahhh!

I love this picture of Evie looking up at my mom. Little Miss Evangeline was named in honor of my mom (Alice Evangeline), and she has a lot to live up to!

The Transition to a Family of 4

2011-11-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

It has been interesting transitioning to a family of four. Evie has made it so much easier than it otherwise could be with her sweet, calm disposition. She doesn't demand much at all, and is a wonderful, cozy little cuddler. Perfect for these cold fall days. :) Charlie has been doing really well as well, after a tough couple of days when we first arrived home. I think Charlie was overwhelmed with all the changes, with his parents being gone for three nights, with a new little person coming home with them, with his schedule being (slightly) disrupted, and especially with my physical restrictions following the c-section (no stairs, no picking up Charlie, etc.). The hardest thing for me is not being able to pick up Charlie--it makes me so sad when he cries and I can't sweep him up and make it better. There were several tantrums the first few days, but after the weekend, things settled down a bit, and Charlie quickly returned to his old, sweet, hilarious self. He seems to find Evie very amusing--he especially loves it when she opens her eyes and looks at him. He also likes to hold her, but he's quickly becoming pretty bored with her (which is awesome, as it means less risk of little hands getting to her :). AND, he's getting better and better at playing independently, which will be great going forward. I'm starting to really enjoy having two kids--especially when Evie makes Charlie giggle. [I am still terrified about my mom leaving me alone with these two munchkins. Trying not to think about that. :)]

Sweet big brother loves giving kisses.

He finds her funny faces endlessly amusing.

Charlie demanded the Boppy pillow for holding Evie tonight. He likes the extra support it provides. :)

Charlie finds Evie's tummy time pretty funny. When she's down there, he likes to lay down and look at her, and he says "Eeeeeeviiiieeee" in a loud voice. Then he gets bored and goes back to his tractor. :)

Evie's doing really well with her tummy time (she's been doing it in interesting places (tabletops, bathroom floors during Charlie's bath, etc.) in order to stay out of danger (and by danger, I mean Charlie)). She will stay on her mat for quite a while and even lifts her head and moves it back and forth. She is a strong little baby!

Clint has lots of little people to cuddle with when he gets home. So far, Charlie's been surprisingly nice about sharing.

All in all, the transition has gone much better than I expected. And we feel so, so lucky to have these two sweet babies!

Evie's Friends and Family

2011-11-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

Evie is a lucky little lady--she already has lots of friends and family who adore her. We have had lots of fun visitors so far (and LOVE visitors, so if you're in the area, stop by and say hi! :). Aside from the family mentioned in the earlier posts, Evie has met:

Uncle Sam and Aunt Audra (or "Nam" and "Auga," as Charlie has christened them). Evie already loves these two!

Dede and Addie spent a few days in Dallas while we were in the hospital. They were so fun, sweet, and generous while they were here. Having such sweet, fun company made the hospital stay so much nicer. And Evie loved being welcomed into the family by two of her favorite women. :)

Ivan, one of Clint's friends from medical school, is a resident at Baylor and came by to hang out while we were there. Evie liked getting the extra medical attention--he pronounced her quite healthy!

Despite a hectic work schedule, Bethany stopped by as well and brightened up our day.

And Evie loved meeting Ann (her boyfriend Colin's mom :). I somehow neglected to get a picture of Evie with Ann, so I'm using this one of her with Charlie. Hard to tell the difference, right? :)

Another of our friends, Jason, stopped by. Charlie is really, really thrilled with the monster truck Jason brought him.

Papa spent a lot of time at home with Charlie, but came up every evening for some snuggle time with Miss Evie. She loves him already!

Shortly after we got home on Friday, Meg and Graeme arrived from Austin to officially welcome Evie to the world. We had a wonderful weekend with them, and they made Evie's first weekend at home so special.

Evie thought Uncle Graeme made a great pillow. :)

Charlie was also thrilled by Meg and Graeme's visit. He LOVED having so much family in town last week/weekend. No one loves a party like Charlie!!

Mom, Meg, Audra, and I took Evie for her first walk on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and Evie loved strolling around the neighborhood. Big brother Charlie has also taken her for a couple walks, all of which have been big hits for both kids.

Evie loves all our sweet visitors--thank you all for taking the time to stop by!

Going Home

2011-11-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

On Friday, November 4, we headed home with little Miss Evie. It was an exciting, overwhelming, and wonderful day. Our morning in the hospital was busy, busy, with staple removal, a bath for Evie, discharge paperwork and instructions, a run to the gift shop for a warmer blanket, and all sorts of other little tasks. But we managed to fit in some time for a few final pics of the Mouse before she left the hospital for her first look at her house.

Our busy morning was exhausting!

Thanks to our sweet friends and family for the beautiful flowers. They made our hospital stay even brighter!

Around 11:00 a.m., our quiet hospital room got a lot busier when Charlie burst in to collect his sister. He got a little sick during the week, so he hadn't seen her since their first meeting on Tuesday. He was so excited to see "my bebe" again. Look at that happy face!

Lucky Evie got a vigorous little kiss. :)

Her wrinkly little feet are fascinating to him.

After a lot of waiting (and some anxiety from Big Bro as to whether I was joining him at home or not), we finally got our wheelchair and headed out.

Hard to tell here, but Charlie really liked being wheeled through the halls. Evie didn't mind either!

With the mouse all buckled in, we headed home to begin our life as a family of 4. Should be interesting... :)

Home sweet home!

Evie's Second and Third Days

2011-11-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Getting to know our baby girl has been an incredible experience. She is the sweetest, most delicate little person. So far, Evie is one of the most content little babies I've ever seen. Due to her tiny features, small squeaks, and delicate movements, we've taken to calling her "the mouse." The Mouse almost never cries--we only hear small squeaks when we change her diaper or unwrap her blankets. She eats well, but isn't quite as insistent about it as her brother was. Charlie could never relax until he'd eaten as much as possible from both sides. Evie, on the other hand, is happy to relax, cuddle, look around, and enjoy her world a bit before she eats the second half of her meal. We really could not love this girl any more. And because I am so enjoying this sweet little face, I thought I'd share some of my favorite early pics of Evie with you. Here she is on Days 2 & 3 of life!

We love you little mouse!

Evangeline Kate

2011-11-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, November 1, 2011, the Big Day finally arrived--we were going to meet Miss Evie! The day before we had gone to my OB appointment and decided, based on Evie's position and progress, to go ahead with a repeat c-section rather than wait and try for a VBAC. So after a fun Halloween evening and a sleepless night full of anxiety, excitement, and anticipation, we had breakfast (mine was food/liquid-free, of course :) with Charlie and headed to the hospital to meet our baby girl.

It was hard to leave Charlie behind, but very nice to know that he would be getting terribly spoiled by his Papa and Ali throughout our hospital stay.

Our last photo as a family of 3...what a wonderful 18 months it has been!

Here I am ready for surgery. I was so excited here--and able to relax a bit because they had already placed the IV (due to my ridiculous fear of needles, that is the worst part for me :).

And at 12:24 p.m., we met our beautiful baby girl! Evie was 7 lbs., 9 oz., and 19.75 in. Despite looking a bit mad in this picture, she was really pretty amazing in the delivery room. She definitely tested her lungs a bit, but she was not the crier that Charlie was. She settled down pretty quickly and was so sweet!

First family photo (sans Charlie). I think the hardest thing about a c-section is not being able to hold your baby until the surgery is completed. I was so anxious to cuddle her!

Our amazing families made the recovery room so much fun. Clint and I got some alone time with Evie, and then we were joined by my parents, Dede, and Addie. We had so much fun bonding with Evie. Clint's mom came in for a few minutes as well, so Evie was able to get to know a lot of the important people in her life before we even got to our room!

I could not believe Evie's wide open eyes. The first time I held her, she opened her eyes right up and stared up at me for the longest time. It was so special, and I have been completely wrapped around her finger since (I think she had the same effect on Clint, who is just ridiculous about her :).

Here's our little mouse "recovering" with me.

After we got up to our room, Evie finally got to meet her big brother, Charlie. Their first meeting went even better than I could have imagined. Charlie was so sweet and gentle with Evie. He petted her head, was thrilled by her hat (we were told countless times that the "bebe" was wearing a hat), and quickly identified her eyes, nose, and mouth (very helpful :). He was pretty adorable about her--he wanted me to hold Evie and then he wanted to get up on the bed and sit with us. I was so proud of both of them!

Our first photo as a family of FOUR!

Evie brought Charlie a tractor and trailer for her birthday. She might be a tiny little girl, but she sure knows how to pick a good tractor--Charlie was thrilled!

Charlie even let PawPaw hold his baby, but he insisted on being held at the same time. :)

After all her visitors left for the evening, Evie got her first bath. Again, she was so good during the process. She especially loved having her hair washed and combed.

Little Miss Evie was wide awake after her bath, and loved getting all warm and cozy in her fresh blankets.

She cuddled with Daddy...

...and then headed to bed!

We had an absolutely wonderful first day with this perfect little girl, and feel so lucky to have this special time with her in the hospital. She really is just as sweet as can be. You are very loved, little Evie!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

Our second Halloween was a smashing success--and so much fun with a very excited little racecar driver (who took the opportunity to tell everyone in the neighborhood that he was wearing a hat...they were very impressed :). Charlie learned to say "Happy Halloween" (sounds a lot like "Happy Happy"), says a great "Boo!", and made a good effort at "Trick or Treat." Tonight was extra-special because we learned today that our little girl is going to be born (via c-section) tomorrow at noon, so this was our last night as a family of 3. Halloween was SUCH a fun way to celebrate this occasion, and we definitely made the most of it. Charlie loved trick or treating--especially at the houses with dogs. And Clint and I loved getting to see/meet all of our neighbors. We love, love, love our new neighborhood and this was no exception--there were kids out everywhere, which made the night so fun. Despite feeling very nostalgic about Charlie's last night as an only child, I am really excited about tomorrow. :)

Ready to get some candy!

Since we haven't really explored the wonders of sweets with Charlie yet, the sticks were much more enticing than the candy. Charlie LOVES finding sticks. When he finds a good one, he dubs it a "BIG stick" and waves it around proudly. :)

Charlie and his Dada.

Charlie and his very pregnant Mama.

Charlie and his sweet grandma Ali (Ahhh), who drove up from Seguin as soon as she learned that baby girl is coming tomorrow. We are SO glad to have her here!!

Charlie and his entourage.

Happy, Happy, Happy!

Yesterday was full of Halloween festivities as well. We first went to a neighborhood party, where Charlie learned the real benefit to his costume--the silky fabric sends him shooting down slides!

Then we headed to our church fall festival, where we met up with Ann, Brad, and baby Colin ("Ca"). He was the cutest little bee I've ever seen!

The jumping castle was the big hit of the evening.

But the little trick-or-treating village was pretty fun too. :)

Hope everyone had wonderful Halloweens. Can't wait to meet our baby girl tomorrow!!

Ready to Pop!

2011-10-30T06:15:00.000-07:00

I am officially ready to pop--and SO ready to meet this baby! I have been having cramps, lower back pain, and contractions the past few days, but it still hasn't turned into anything regular, so I'm not getting my hopes up too much. I know baby girl will come when she's ready, but waiting sure is hard. Luckily, we've had a lot to keep us busy this week/weekend, with lots of Halloween parties and carnivals, a Choo-Choo train birthday party, a petting-zoo birthday party, a couple of dinner parties, and, of course, Halloween itself. I feel so lucky to have such a fun little boy to celebrate the holiday with. If his little sister doesn't make it out for this Halloween, we'll just celebrate a little extra with her next year! :)

Here I am at 38 weeks, 4 days. Figured I better get one belly shot before baby girl makes her debut!

Baby Girl's Nursery

2011-10-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

I am definitely in "nesting" mode, and finally got my act together and put together baby girl's nursery. I was nervous about getting it done and ready for her arrival, but it is just about there now and I love it! It is still a little sparse, but I feel like she will accumulate enough stuff over time, so it's probably better to start her off with less rather than more. :)

Charlie has been quite a big helper in the baby's ("bebe's") room. He loves running around in there and "helping" with all of our little projects (putting together crib and dresser, putting up wall shelves, hanging pictures, etc.). Charlie now likes climbing in her crib, but it made him very nervous when it first arrived (hence the paci he needed to calm himself down in the pic below :). I think he just did not like idea that we might need another crib in the house--to Charlie, we're getting by just fine with one, so why mess with that? Since we've gotten the crib put together, however, we've had a few friends' babies over to sleep in the nursery, so now Charlie's much more comfortable with it. I think he now views it as just a baby guest room for his friends...we'll see if things change once its little occupant is home to stay... :)

Picking Out Our Pumpkins

2011-10-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Clint, Charlie and I headed to the Arboretum last week to pick out our pumpkins for Halloween. As always, Charlie had a blast at the pumpkin patch, and loved having his Dada there to chase him around and up the excitement level a bit. We each picked a pumpkin, although I must say, I am a bit more picky than my two boys. :)

Here's Charlie, with his chosen pumpkin. He looks very bossy here. :)

The boys spent quite a bit of time chasing squirrels. They never caught one, but they tried hard!

After we retrieved our pumpkins, Charlie led us on a walk/jog around the rest of the Arboretum.

We made sure to stop and smell the flowers once or twice...

And even got to play in a covered wagon. What fun! :)

Now that we have our pumpkins, we just need to carve them!

Playgroup Halloween Party

2011-10-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

We had our playgroup Halloween party this week and it was so much fun to see the kids dressed up in their cute costumes. I didn't get pictures of everyone, but I did get a few cute ones. As we all know, Charlie is obsessed with driving right now. So, naturally, he is a race car driver for Halloween (the other top contender was a truck driver, but the costume just wasn't as cute :). Charlie LOVES his costume--it satisfies his obsessions with driving and with hats and he thinks the silky fabric is just wonderful. I love watching him strut around in his new outfit. I'm guessing we'll get quite a bit of wear out of this. :)

Charlie with Kendall, the sweet little ballerina.

The race car driver is hot stuff, but he still finds time for mundane things like chewing on baseballs. Notice Woody (Bo) behind Charlie. I wish I'd gotten a better pic of his cute costume!

George didn't want to wear his adorable panda costume, but he did indulge in the Halloween cookies. :)

Reese was the cutest strawberry ever.

And James made a pretty adorable pirate.

Cute family!

Harper didn't want to wear her costume, so she settled on pajamas instead. Costume or not, this girl knows how to strike a pose!

A few of the moms...

Charlie spent a large portion of the party mowing. Glad I brought such a good helper along!

We were so lucky to have the Grays stay with us for a couple of nights. The playgroup girls threw a little dinner party honoring me, Abbey, and our baby girls after the playgroup on Monday night and it was such a nice evening. We felt so special and I loved getting to focus on baby girl a bit--those times are so much more rare with the second pregnancy. And Charlie, Clint and I loved having the Grays stay over. Charlie and George had a blast--they played together, made each other giggle, shared food, and loved getting to take baths and read stories together. I think Charlie is going to want more sleepovers! :)

Charlie's Trip to Seguin & the Guadalupe County State Fair

2011-10-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

While Clint and I spent two nights in Austin for my college roommate's (Sarah's) wedding, Charlie went down to Seguin to spend some quality time with Papa and Ahhh (Ali). It was the weekend for the Guadalupe County Fair and Rodeo, so it was a great time to be there. Charlie loved seeing his cousins, hanging out at the fair grounds, driving tractors, riding rides, and watching the rodeo. I feel so lucky that Charlie has such fun grandparents--and enjoys his time away from us so much!

Here is the little man with his all-time favorite, Papa, at the fair.

He was giddy to find that Addie, Bryan, Jack, Julia and Katie were in town. Charlie LOVES his extended family, and it's so fun now that he's developing his own little relationships with them. On the drive back to Dallas, Clint and I heard lots of "Dede. Addie. Jack! Juju. Katie." from the backseat. It was too cute.

On Saturday, Clint and I joined Charlie in Seguin and met up with my cousin Amy, her husband Jack, and their three cuties at the fair. Charlie was really, really excited (see below :) to see Samuel and Jane Ann. They are so sweet to him!

He loved getting in the petting zoo with Aunt Meg.

And all 3 of us had fun riding rides. Not surprisingly, however, the "baby" rides weren't exciting enough for our little daredevil (notice the bored expression on his face :).

Now this is more like it! I was terrified the first time Clint took Charlie down this slide, but they both loved it. Charlie had the biggest smile I've ever seen when he arrived at the bottom, and every time they'd get down, he'd say "Again! Again! Yes! Yes! Pwease! Pwease!" So we ended up doing the giant slide many times. :)

The carousel was very cute, but again, Charlie thought it was a little beneath him.

Samuel and Meg rode with him, and made the ride much more fun. :)

The rocking boat was a huge hit. Again, it looked a little rough to me, but Charlie was in heaven!

After the fair, we met up with the Skaggs and Megan and Elec at my parents' house. It was so fun to see little Elec again. He is growing up so fast and I love for him and Charlie to get some playtime together. Charlie, Elec, and Charlotte are funniest little threesome--Charlotte is the youngest and smallest, but she totally holds her own with the two boys!

We tried to get an artsy shot by the old shed, but Charlie didn't exactly cooperate.

Playing with Amy's portrait lens here, and love it (even though it isn't a great photo). Notice Uncle Graeme in the background--Charlie was a bit obsessed with him and wouldn't leave his side after he arrived. :)

So good to see everyone! Can't wait for the next family gathering--hopefully with baby girl!

Hat

2011-10-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

One of Charlie's other recent obsessions is hats--he loves pointing them out on other people and wearing them himself. He often insists on Dada wearing one and sometimes makes me wear a hat as well. Lately, Charlie doesn't seem to feel fully dressed without his hat, and makes sure I put it on him before we leave his room in the morning (he hasn't figured out how to get it on yet, so he presents it to me with a very emphatic "hat!" every time it falls off :). He is often proud to tell random people we see out and about that they are wearing hats. They don't quite seem to understand what all of the excitement is about. :)

Charlie thought he looked pretty impressive in this cowboy hat...

...but the ISU hat that my dad gave him is the reigning favorite. I LOVE his pleased face when he sees himself in the mirror wearing a hat. :)

Rife!

2011-10-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Charlie has developed a ridiculous obsession with driving (or "rife!", as he says every time we walk past a motorized vehicle). He "drives" the car out of and into the garage with Dada, sits in the car in the driveway and wildly spins the wheel, pushes buttons, turns knobs, and wiggles levers, and generally sits in any other vehicle he can find and "drives" for as long as we will let him. Clint's parents came to visit recently and made the mistake of bringing a "truck" with them (it was actually a large SUV, but to Charlie, it was a truck). He could not focus on anything other than driving--every time he woke up, he immediately said "Papa. Truck! Rife!" Clint's poor dad spent many hours in the driveway with Charlie, who truly appreciated all the attention. I have to let him drive several times a day, and he got another driving fix when he went to visit my parents recently. He drove tractors at the county fair, and even got to drive my dad's truck out at our ranch. His visit did nothing to quash the driving obsession, but he certainly enjoyed himself!

Charlie convinced Papa and Ali to take him out to Hickory Hills Ranch and let him "rife" while he was staying in Seguin with them for a few days. Poor Papa did not know what he was getting into--Charlie is a bit territorial about his driving, and did NOT want Papa to help. You can hear him fussing about Papa's hands on the steering wheel in the video (this is apparently when he had calmed down a bit and was on relatively good behavior :).

Whoa Baby!

2011-10-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

I had my 36-week appointment and last sonogram today and this baby girl is quickly becoming one BIG baby! She is already estimated to be over 7 pounds, so if we go full term, she'll be over 9 pounds! Wow! I am still hoping for a VBAC, so I'm hoping she eats light and gets lots of exercise in the next four weeks. :)

Overall, the appointment went great. Baby girl is healthy and happy, is positioned head down, and has plenty of amniotic fluid. She hasn't dropped at all, but hopefully she will start moving down soon. If she doesn't make an appearance earlier, we are going to have a c-section on November 7. Glad to have an end date in sight--I am getting so excited to meet this precious little (big??) lady!

Pumpkins!

2011-09-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Charlie and I had our first (hopefully just one of many!) trip to the pumpkin patch this year. Although the little guy was more clingy than usual for a while, he warmed up once he got used to all the big orange pumpkins (which he insisted were "apples"??) scattered around.

My little fall fellow...

I can't get over how big he looks!

We met up with some of Charlie's friends at the pumpkin patch. Lincoln and Chloe were happy to pose for a photo, but Charlie had not quite gotten out of his clingy phase yet. I know it's bad, but I had to snap a pic of that adorable little mad face before I rescued him. :)

Charlie recovered once I introduced him to the pumpkin houses. He loved sitting in the little kid-sized chairs and examining the small pumpkins.

Those pumpkins looked too yummy...Charlie just had to have a taste. :)

Our trip to the pumpkin patch brought back memories of how little Charlie was at this time last year. I remember taking him to see pumpkins and having to prop him up with pumpkins in order to get a good sitting pic. He looks so little to me here!!

Speaking of little, Baby Colin (or "Ca," as Charlie calls him) joined us at the pumpkin patch as well. Isn't he a cutie?? He behaved beautifully the entire time!

Snazzy New 'Do

2011-09-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Charlie had his third haircut (first paci-free haircut!) recently and did so well! He looked very nervous the entire time, but sat perfectly still and did not cry. I have not figured out a way to get him to EVER sit still, so I was very impressed with his behavior. As a result, he has a snazzy new haircut that is pretty cute--but makes him look so much older! I know a post about the third haircut is a bit of a yawn, but I just never get tired of these sweet little haircut pictures. :)

The Big Move

2011-09-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our growing family, need for a yard, and desire to be closer to the lake, we decided to move a few miles east to Lakewood (still in Dallas, for those of you non-Dallasites). Since we sold our first house without having found a new one to move into, we spent 2 1/2 months in an apartment before The Big Move into our new place. Two moves was not fun, although I didn't really realize what we were getting into. The first move lulled me into a false sense of security, and I somehow forgot how much stuff we moved into storage at the beginning of the summer. When box after box of stuff (that we had clearly survived just fine without for 2 1/2 months) kept coming off the moving truck, I felt a bit faint. But thanks to my tireless, sweet husband, amazing (and also tireless) parents, and cheery little boy (ok, not really thanks to him, but he did make it all fun), we got completely moved in and unpacked over Labor Day weekend. I still cannot believe how much we got done--we even got the house child-proofed, hung paintings and photos, and installed cool little organizational things like lazy susans, a pot rack, extra pantry shelves, and a pull-out pot lid shelf. :) My parents really were incredible--I woke up one morning to find that my mom had stayed up until 3:00 a.m. getting my kitchen completely organized! I am LOVING our new house, new yard, and new neighborhood. If you ask me, the move was worth it...just don't ask my parents... :)

The apartment on the night before The Big Move. I was not in a good place when I took this. :)

Poor Charlie was a trooper for the week leading up to the move. There was LOTS of time spent packing and running between the apartment and the house to meet repair people, a handyman, painters, etc. Charlie liked observing (and assisting with) all the work, but was exhausted by our busy schedule. He hasn't fallen asleep in his car seat since he was about 3 months old, but I found him like this 3 times during our move week. :)

We made it to the house bright and early on Friday morning...

Charlie's favorite part of the move was the truck. He LOVES trucks right now and was so excited to have one at our house that he could not relax unless he was outside exploring the moving truck (it didn't help that you could see it from the windows inside). We were so happy when Uncle Sam came over. The two boys share a love of trucks, and so Sam patiently stayed outside with Charlie until he had gotten his fill.

There was also some fun with bubbles in the backyard. LOVE having Uncle Sam around! :)

Once Sam left, the fun was over. We put Charlie to work!

Here's Charlie "fixing" the microwave. He developed a love of stepladders during the move, and has fully mastered the concepts "up" and "down." He spent a lot of time on that stepladder during the move--especially when he was "helping" Papa fix and install things. Poor Papa somehow managed to complete a huge number of tasks despite all the "help" he was getting. :) Charlie hasn't yet let me put the stepladder away--it is a favorite new toy.

I will post more pics of the new house when we are fully settled, but here's a sneak peak. Can you find Charlie? :)

Baby Girl: 30 Weeks (and Counting)

2011-09-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that I am already 31.5 weeks pregnant. This pregnancy is truly flying by. Second pregnancies are different from the first in so many ways, but the speed at which they move is the most shocking! I had my last checkup, with a sonogram (!), at 30 weeks and everything was just perfect. The baby girl was so adorable on the sonogram and was just as active and wild as her brother (the sonogram tech said that at least she comes by it honestly). She is BIG--at 30 weeks, she is estimated at 3 lbs., 12 oz. (average is 3 lbs.). She has a big noggin', long legs, and a (relatively) small belly. I am eager to see this oddly proportioned kid. :) And although she appears to be as busy as Charlie, she is a much more cooperative fetus. She was perfectly positioned (head down). We are relieved to not have another stubbornly breech baby (I am hoping for a VBAC with this one). She also had plenty of amniotic fluid, so everything seems to be proceeding perfectly. The sonogram made me so excited to meet this little girl. Now I just need to get started on her nursery--eeeek!

Just Relaxing...

2011-08-25T15:40:00.001-07:00

While I closed on our new house today, Charlie relaxed at home. When I returned to the apartment, he was thrilled to hear that we are officially homeowners again! We have a week of work to do at the house, and then we are moving in over Labor Day weekend. So excited!

Here's Charlie, trying not to wear himself out before the big move... :)

We Love Auga!

2011-08-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE having my brother and sister-in-law in Dallas? They moved here in June and we have had so much fun with them since. Clint and Sam are residents at the same hospital, which has been fun, and Charlie has become incredibly attached to them in the short time they've been here. We randomly met up for dinner the other night, and Charlie was so excited--he said "Auga" (his word for both Sam & Audra) the whole way into the restaurant, dove for Audra as soon as we walked in, and then quickly settled himself onto Sam's lap. He nicely sat in his highchair for dinner, but as soon as we were finished eating, he insisted on being back in Sam's lap (and luckily, Uncle Sam is a very good sport :). He had lots of hugs for "Auga" before we left, and we all enjoyed our fun evening out!

Random dinners with a Buda statute are so fun...

Even though his meal was vegetarian, Charlie's stomach looks more like he ate a steak dinner!

A Wild Week

2011-08-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

I had two reasons to head to Austin this week--my cousin Megan and her family was in town visiting from LA, and I had a bachelorette party there over the weekend--so Charlie and I decided to make a week out of it and headed down south on Tuesday to see the Californians before they headed back to cooler temps.

My cousin Amy hosted a pool party at her house on Tuesday and it was so much fun. Charlie didn't nap in the car on the way down, but had so much fun with his cousins that the lack of nap didn't seem to phase him a bit--we played hard and he was furious when we had to leave. I LOVED getting to see little Elec. I hadn't seen him since Christmas, and he had changed so much in the interim. He and Charlie are only 3 months apart, and they are so similar--both very boy. :) I can't wait for them to get more playtime this Christmas!

Here's Megan, Elec, and Chris. We miss you guys already!

Our sweet hostess, Amy, and her two lovely girls. Jane Ann is becoming quite the little swimmer!

Abbey and George came over as well and it was such a treat to get to see them. I hate not having them in Dallas anymore, but love seeing them in Austin!

Charlotte and KK enjoyed some Cheetos. Charlie found the discarded Cheetos later and thought he had hit the jackpot. He also found a discarded Lunchable and very quietly dug into it. I caught him with the soggy food, took it away, and got a very angry "my cracker!" in response. :)

Baby Katie wasn't sure she wanted Charlie invading the sandbox with her. Smart woman! :)

She later decided he wasn't all that bad, and the two of them played very sweetly in the pool.

Charlie and I headed to Seguin after the Austin festivities and spent a few days with my parents, Uncle Robie, Aunt Dede, and the Reeds. On Wednesday, my mom, Dede, Addie and I took all four kids to the Children's Museum in New Braunfels. We had a blast. Charlie was obsessed with the ambulance. I think we spent 90% of our time fiddling the steering wheel and turning on the lights.

His second favorite thing was the train table. He hasn't quite figured out how to keep his trains on the track, but he tried hard. When all else failed, he swiped a couple trains and carried them around the museum with us. :)

Jack and Julia knew just what to do. They headed straight to the "bank," got some quick cash, and started shopping!

Katie nicely cooked up some lunch for us.

We also got to see a reptile show. Our favorites were the baby crocodile and baby alligator.

Someone almost got up the courage to touch them...

On Friday, I headed to Austin for my bachelorette weekend, but Charlie didn't let my absence stop him. He had plenty of plans for his weekend in Seguin. On Friday night, he took my parents with him to Katie's 2nd birthday party. I HATED missing the sweet girl's birthday, but I was glad Charlie didn't have to miss out on the fun.

As usual, Charlie loved the slide (both the climb up and the slide down).

I love this picture of Katie and Charlie at the top of the slide. I think Jack and Julia are trying to coax them down.

Looks like Jules had to go up, but Charlie is headed down!

Charlie loved getting in on the Reed Family baseball game. He loves baseball bats right now, but if you're in the vicinity when he has one, beware!

Charlie loved getting to swing with his Aunt Addie. The little birthday girl looks a little unsure of why HE'S getting to have all the fun. :)

Sweet Katie and her fish cake.

Isn't this cute??

Looks like someone got lots of help opening presents... :)

Charlie's favorite words right now are "tractor," "truck," and "digger," and he is obsessed with all of these. As a special treat, Papa took Charlie out to La Vernia on Saturday to check out both a digger AND a tractor. Charlie was thrilled, and apparently quite stirred up while they were out there. There was a lot of "tractor" talk on the way home... :)

I had a wonderful time during my weekend away, but it was SO good to see Charlie on Sunday. I was missing him terribly, and we were both really excited to get home to Clint. Thank you so much Papa and Ali for making our week away so fun and easy!

Too Cool for School

2011-08-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know he'd be even cooler without a price tag hanging in front of his nose, but I didn't actually want to buy these... :)