The Bernat's

it's pumpkin time!

2010-11-04T13:19:00.006-05:00

Alright, this is the best picture I got of Kaleb in his Halloween costume with my camera. This was before school on the day of their fall festival. He wanted to be a cowboy and has talked about it all month. He's missing his "forsey", spurs, and "shooter" in this picture though!

Miss. B scooted all the way from the living room floor to the dishwasher so that she could help Mommy out! (This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago...she's crawling everywhere now!)

Adventures at the pumpkin patch with 4 kiddos...

The prettiest pumpkin...

The "cheeziest" pumpkin... (This was the smile I got after following him around for 30 minutes trying to get a descent picture! I'll take it!)

More pumpkin pictures!

Halloween festivities were a blast for Kaleb. After the Fall Festival at school, Festival at Papa's work, and trick-or-treating event in the neighborhood, Kaleb was loaded with candy. And that was all before actual Halloween. By Sunday, he was done with being a cowboy! I at least got him to wear his pumpkin shirt.

Some things about Miss. B lately...
~She is crawling everywhere!
~Babbling "dadadada" (11/2/10) - pretty sure she has him wrapped!

~Pulling herself up onto her knees (11/3/10) - I put her down for a nap yesterday and she wasn't having it! I went in to check on her and she was up on her knees holding onto the rails! Now everytime I go in there, she is up. Daddy just lowered her bed on Sunday, so we were just in time!

just some pictures of my kids...because they're cute!

2010-10-18T11:30:00.008-05:00

Random

2010-10-18T11:22:00.002-05:00

Poppy made a last minute business trip and stopped by for a visit!
On October 10th, Bella ate her first veggie...sweet potatoes!

Not so bad!

Eats some more...

YUCKY!

"What are you feeding me Mom?"

Seriously, she ate 3 or 4 bites happily before she started making those faces. She's done well since then though.

Look who's getting ready to crawl!

Sweet boy...

Happy half-birthday Bella!

2010-10-18T09:59:00.005-05:00

Our baby girl was six months old on October 7th, 2010! I can't believe how much she has grown and changed! We went outside for a little photo shoot, and although it was difficult since she's not quite sitting up independently, we got some good ones to share.

She has been a blessing!

Some things I want to remember about Bella at this point:

-definitely NOT sleeping through the night!

-eating rice cereal at least once/day

-rolls over both ways...all around the living room!

-loves watching whatever big brother is doing

-has not been sick yet!

-still not on much of a schedule, but were working on that one!

-never took a bottle

Claws and Antlers Everywhere!

2010-10-18T09:45:00.005-05:00

On Sunday, October 3rd, we went to cheer on the Texas Rangers. It was the last day of the season and fan appreciation day so many players and coaches were at the gates taking our tickets.
Family Picture!

The girls...

And the boys... "Hey! Look at our cool shirts!"

Pointing at the baseball players...

Tattoos!

HOMERUN!

My baby boy is growing up...

We all had fun, but Kaleb had a blast! He is all about the Rangers now! Let's hope they can pull through this series!

Feed Me!

2010-10-18T09:40:00.003-05:00

On September 13, 2010, Bella got to eat solids for the first time. Rice cereal...yum yum yum! Here she is all ready to go in her big girl chair.
Daddy's coming in with the first bite!

Mmmmmm!

She's got an audience!

"Give me more!"

It was a hit! She figured it out pretty fast and was excited to keep eating!

Back where it all began...

2010-10-10T16:15:00.018-05:00

September 3, 2005 was the first day of the rest of our lives.
Little did we know that in only five short years, our lives would change so much! On September 3, 2010, our five year wedding anniversary, we decided to load up and take a little family trip to back where it all began. It was planned last minute and we couldn't find a decent cheap hotel, so we even splurged and got to stay at the Hilton (where we had the reception). Once in town, we went up to the campus to reminice and take some pictures. First stop... "going to the chapel and we're gonna get married!"...or where we got married. All Faiths Chapel...
And we coincidentally ran into the only person we know on campus anymore, my cousin Matt, so we were able to get a picture together.
Because it was our anniversary, they let us onto Kyle Field to take some pictures of the kiddos! (Ha, just kidding...the gate was open, so we just walked right in! The security guard pulled up as we were walking out and locked it behind us.) Here is Miss. Bella sitting up for the first time, and it was on Kyle Field!

Our two kiddos!

We had dinner at Cheddar's, went swimming at the hotel, and ordered some chocolate cake and wine from room service to end the night. On Saturday, we spent the day on campus again. Touring, tailgating, and hanging out with friends!

It's amazing how this ring has become one of the hottest tourist spots on campus! Zaab and the foundry did some fine work!

What Kaleb looks forward to most when we visit is watching the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band and the corps march in. Here Kaleb is looking to the right to figure out why the Aggies stopped marching.

These ARE the Aggies according to Kaleb! Who needs the football team when you have the corps? He's so serious when he's watching them. I'll ask him, "What kind of Aggie are you going to be when you get big?" And his response.... "An Aggie that marches!"

Inside the Association of Former Students building, there are several exhibits upstairs. We had never looked around before, but found this one and it looks like we'll be visiting more often. It is an interactive video of the yell leaders teaching you how to lead a yell. Kaleb hopped right up there ready to take charge! This is our video of him practicing...

And the finished product...

http://www.aggienetwork.com/Exhibits/AggieVideo.aspx?QS=ILkW1IdEksdiPOx4Ul6vXpjlbkBabfoyAgyjwrpVzk0%3D

It was a great weekend, but more importantly it has been a wonderful five years. We've come a long way and I can't wait to see where we'll be in another five years. I love you Kevin!

"First's"

2010-10-10T16:11:00.001-05:00

Kaleb's FIRST day of school this year!
Walking into his classroom for the FIRST time!

Kaleb's FIRST picture with Mommy at his new school!

Bella's FIRST time in a highchair!

Grandma Wood's FIRST 90th Birthday! (OK, that one was a stretch, but I had to keep going with the theme.) But seriously, 90 years old! We had a wonderful dinner at Red Lobster, a polka dot cake, a matching balloon, and some presents. When she saw the cake she said, "Well nobody's ever made me a cake before!" Awww...glad that made her happy...even if it did come from Albertson's! If you know Kaleb at all, it's not a birthday without a cake so we had to stop. Now Kaleb keeps talking about his birthday and telling us he wants a cake with blue "coconuts" (polka dots) like Grandma!

The BIG move!

2010-10-10T16:07:00.006-05:00

Just to start this post off, I thought I'd share a cute picture of these two! I'm not sure how many of these I'll get in their lifetime!
So for the longest time, we have been trying to decide what we want to do with ourselves. (in a nutshell!) After graduating college, Kevin got a job in Houston, Brandy followed, we bought a house, had Kaleb, then got to thinking more long term. Where do we want to raise our family? We loved our house, neighborhood, and family close by, but something was missing. We needed to live somewhere we could raise a family. The elementary around the corner was wonderful, but the middle and high schools...not so much! Still not completely sure what we were doing, but knowing we had to do something... we put our house up for sale. The same day... 3 hours on the market...we got an offer for asking price. Done! We were completely shocked! Not wanting to make a spontaneous purchase and risk buyers remorse, we decided to rent for one year to give ourselves more time to figure things out. The year flew by... There were lots of factors to consider when deciding where we wanted to settle down. Jobs, schools, housing, etc. Long story short...we've always wanted to live on the water and love Lake Granbury when we visit. We decided to make the move in hopes of getting our waterfront property someday. So on August 20th, the kids and I loaded up my car and took off on a new adventure in our lives. Here's Miss. Bella helping me pack!

Mommy and Kaleb working hard... in our matching Dallas Cowboy's shirts!

Daddy came home to help us load up and see us off. So long Houston. :( Although it was a decision we thought long and hard over, we knew it would be hard.

In order to ease the transition and give us some time to get acquainted with the area better, the Bernat's offered to let us stay with them for a little while. So we took them up on the offer. Ready or not, here we come. For the first time in her life...at 4 months old, Bella has a crib of her own!

That same day she took a nap in her own bed for the first time!

Kaleb even gets his own room at Mimi and Papa's house. We moved him in, set him up, then he takes everything back out! Here he is playing with his cousin James who is excited to have him close by.

So here we are... we made the move! Kevin's working, but I have not had any luck finding a teaching job yet. Now we need to get a house of our own. Hopefully things will start falling into place soon. Whatever happens happens! Until then, we pray!

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Swim Lessons

2010-10-06T15:39:00.007-05:00

For two weeks in July, Kaleb took swim lessons at the Houston Swim Club. His teacher, Mr. Rudy, was fabulous! Patient, kind, patient, calm, and did I say patient...
The lessons focused on water safety, kicking, row-row arms, retrieving rings from the bottom and most importantly back-floating. Kaleb would get a little too excited and distracted at times, but overall did well. He excitedly threw a toy in the water, but it was too far to reach. Mr. Rudy picked it up and threw it across the pool! Ha! Lost that toy! That got his attention! Here he is practicing his kicking.

Here is a video of him practicing the survival back-float. The skill is taught as a life-saving measure to be used if the child were to ever fall into the water. He was taught to come to the surface, turn on his back, place his hands above his head, relax, chin up, and float until he reaches the side of the pool where he grabs the side and then turns over. This was the last day of class and he was floating with minimal assistance, but Mr. Rudy there to guide him to the wall.

Circus Time!

2010-10-06T15:37:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, July 15th, we took the kids to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus' Zing Zang Zoom show! Kaleb has never sat still that long in his life! He had a good time!

Bella is 3 months old!

2010-07-07T15:50:00.003-05:00

Bella Grace is 3 months old today! She has done so much in her three months of life! We've traveled across Texas from Orange to Granbury to Frio Country. She has been to Lake Granbury twice, the Frio River, both the Fort Worth and Houston Zoos, the Art Car Parade, a crawfish boil, and watched Fireworks for the Fourth of July, just to name a few! She has adjusted and adapted to our busy lifestyle pretty easily. Bella is already growing up so quickly! She loves to smile her gummy little smile... almost makes me cry every time still, it's so cute! She squeals when she gets really excited, we're just waiting on that laugh to come anyday. She has been a pretty easy baby so far compared to Kaleb. She wakes up happy in the morning, eats, plays, and naps....repeat throughout the day... then bedtime between 8 and 9. She's been sleeping until around 1, then until about 5, then wakes up when Kaleb wakes her up (between 7 and 8)! She has come soooo close to rolling over. I expect that to happen any day! We love our little girl to pieces! Here are a few pictures of her from today...

FRIO RIVER 2010!!!

2010-06-22T19:14:00.010-05:00

On Saturday, June 12th we loaded up and headed out for our annual trip to the Frio River. Kaleb was just a little bit excited! Sunglasses upside down and all! He kept trying to look behind us to make sure the camper was there. (The camper and truck that a wonderful uncle let us borrow!)

Once we arrived and got set up, it was down to the river! Kaleb hopped right in without thinking twice! He doesn't seem to be scared of much of anything... (anything logical anyways!)

Family picture in the camper...

Bella's Dream Vacation! Here she is taking her first bottle. Well, not taking exactly! She screamed and fought until she couldn't fight anymore and took it while sleeping. She did that 2 or 3 days in a row and then pretty much refused to even take it in her sleep after that. She'd rather miss a meal than take it from that bottle!

Here's my silly boy...

Family picture at the dam... That is Garner right behind us.

My beautiful baby girl!

Toes in the water!

Posing pretty for Daddy!

The view from our spot on the river...

I love that smile!

Daddy, Kaleb, and Timmy rented a paddleboat and took a little ride.

This was Kaleb napping one afternoon. He woke up, decided he was still tired, and fell asleep on the couch. I'm not sure how he ended up in this position, but he was sound asleep!

S'MORES! (Look at that face...he's obviously not too fond! I actually think it's because he didn't like getting his hands sticky!)

I love that boy!

Just chillin' on the river eatin' some beef jerky like one of the big guys...

Coolin' off...

Here's a view of our campsite...

Bella "in her usual position" as Poppy would say! She loves the sling and slept many of her naps right there.

Here's Kaleb thinking about getting on the rope swing! (no, of course he didn't do it! i'm sure he will next year!)

Kaleb's got his shooter ready...who's it gonna be?

Takin' a swim with Mama...

Bella hanging out in the wagon...

Here we are on the way home. Kaleb being silly once again!

and Bella sleeping all the way!

It was a fabulous trip as usual! The weather was wonderful the entire week. We had a few showers, but they were actually pleasant. Bella hung in there, but was ready to be home by the end of the week. Kaleb had a blast and would still be there if we didn't make him come home with us. Kevin and Kaleb took one tube float down the river, but Kaleb wasn't much of a fan. He preferred to stay right where we were and swim around in the river. We can't wait to go back next summer!

Water Fun!

2010-06-21T14:05:00.002-05:00

On Memorial Day weekend, Kaleb caught his first fish! He was too cute reeling the "big fish" in!
Kevin did a little wakeboarding...

And we all did a little swimming! Kaleb was jumping off the dock before the day was over!

The lake was a little too much for Bella, but we took her to the neighorhood swimming pool for her first swim when we got home. She loved it!

And here's Miss. Bella at 2 months old! At her checkup she weighed 14 lbs 11 oz and was 23.5" long. Big Girl! She takes after her brother.

Other things about the kids...

Bella is really smiling now...especially when she sees Mom and Dad's faces!

Has slept through the night (9pm-6am) once! (after 2 month shots :( )

Normally has at least one 5-6 hour stretch of sleep at night, feeds, then sleeps for another 2-3 hours.

She's not on much of a schedule yet (other than bed time), but on a predictable routine... eat, play, sleep, repeat until bed time!

WON'T take a bottle! (We're working on this one right now!)

Kaleb has decided he doesn't need a nap anymore and will sit in his bed and talk for 3 hours instead...that's what he's doing right now!

He still loves to read books...it's amazing how well he listens and remembers! He can "read" most of his books to us.

Loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pancakes! That's all he'd eat if we'd let him!

Is potty trained! And it was amazingly easy!
At his 30 month checkup, Kaleb weighed 35.8 lbs and is exactly 3' tall...

Kaleb remembers EVERYTHING you say to him, near him, or across the house from him when you think there's absolutely no way he can hear you.

He's going through a testing phase right now with Mom and Dad! Does exactly what we tell him not to just to see what we will do about it! Then follows up with a quick... "I not need time out!"

The Little Gym Showtime!

2010-06-04T09:11:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday, May 25th, Kaleb had his last day of the semester at The Little Gym. He's had a great time and learned many new things the past few months from his fabulous teacher Ms. Erin. Here are some of the highlights of the day!
When walking into class, he loved to get the bells...for all of us!
Swinging from the bar was one of his favorite things to do!

Showing off some moves!

Group time today was playing with the parachute. Kaleb and Daddy were crusing right along.

Then Kaleb got to get on the parachute and go for a ride!

And group time was over, but Kaleb wasn't quite finished with the parachute! Here he is hanging on while Ms. Erin gives instructions to the rest of the class!

WOW! Kaleb's on the high bars!

At the end of every class the kids get bubbles! I think that's his favorite part!

And this day was a special one with an awards ceremony. Here is Kaleb receiving his award for participating throughout the semester. He doesn't look too sure right here, but he really was excited!

Our baby boy is getting soooo big!

Big Boy Haircut

2010-06-04T09:06:00.002-05:00

Sweet pea got all dressed up for a little photo shoot!
Miss. B...

Kaleb waiting for a haircut...

And after! He sat all by himself this time!

He's a handsome little boy!

sand, sun, and waves...

2010-05-25T22:22:00.005-05:00

On Friday, May 21st, we went down to Galveston to spend some time at the beach with Nana, Aunt Michelle, Aurora, and Joel. Here are some pictures from our visit...

Mama's Day...

2010-05-25T09:26:00.005-05:00

"Happy Mama's Day!" flowers... Kaleb told me, "It's your day Mama! I buyed you flowers!" So sweet!

Kaleb teaching Bella how to play with her jungle gym...

5 weeks old!

Since the weathers warmed up a little Kaleb loves to play outside with the "water pole!"

And Bella loves to watch!

Does he look like he's up to something?!?!

Bella's turn to enjoy the water... She prefers the comforts of warm water and her very own bathtub!

Kaleb was reading the "mail" one day and saw lunchables in an ad. He told me, "Mama, that's my favorite lunch." So here he is eating his "favorite lunch!"

So precise... looks like a work of art!

Bella wasn't up for much of a photo shoot, but here she is at six weeks old. She has grown so much and doesn't have the newborn feel anymore. She is becoming much more alert and awake at times. She loves to smile...especially at Daddy! She's not on much of a schedule yet, but getting more of a routine down. One night she slept six hours for me, but the next she was up every hour. Kaleb is just as protective and makes sure I take care of her when she starts crying. We've been busy just trying to enjoy life around here!

Art Car Parade 2010

2010-05-11T16:14:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, May 8th, we went to the annual Art Car parade nearby. This was one of my favorites!
And this too! Ha...This is the fake cry and fake "cheese" all wrapped into one face! I don't even know what he was upset about. It obviously didn't last long!

A green monster???

Kaleb hanging out with his best bud Buck...

Daddy and sweet Bella...

The kiddos!

Our favorite car! I wish we had a video to share of this one. All the fish and lobsters sang and danced to the beat. It was amazing!

and a flashback! This was Kaleb at the Art Car parade last year! It is amazing how much he has grown and changed over the past year!

Fort Worth Zoo!

2010-05-09T17:06:00.009-05:00

Bella is growing like a weed and changing every day. She has become so much more alert and aware of whats going on around her. Here she is trying out her play mat for the first time.

On Saturday, May 1st, lots of friends came to visit us and meet Miss. Bella. We had Emily, Buck, Stacy, Marli, Easton, Zach, Danny, and Jim (not pictured! thanks for taking the picture for us!)! We took lunch to the park, had a little picnic, played on the playground, and then played some basketball. We had a great time and it was wonderful to see so many friends we don't get to see very often! Thanks for visiting!

On Sunday, May 2nd, we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. It was Amazing! I love Kaleb's face in this picture!

Watching the monkey's with Mimi!

Looking at the Giraffe's...

He even got to hold a bird!

And shake the tree branch to watch them all fly away!

Our family picture at the Fort Worth Zoo! Bella is 3 1/2 weeks old!

After leaving the zoo, we headed over to ride the train...

Giving Mama kisses...

Daddy, Mommy, and Bella on her first train ride!

Slept the whole ride...

Kisses from big brother...

Our two beautiful kids!

And one more of Miss. Bella...

I'm going to try to post at least pictures more often. I can't promise a long story, but I'll try to at least get some new pictures weekly! Keep on top of me if you don't see anything for awhile!

The first two weeks...

2010-05-05T17:08:00.017-05:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here as you can imagine. Between feeding, diapering, playing, and cleaning two kiddos, there's not much time left over for much of anything else. I hope to make up for the lack of frequency posting, by posting lots and lots of pictures! This post alone has taken me a week to complete!

This was Bella on her first day at home. She slept all the time between feedings.

Here she is trying out her swing for the first time...

On Monday, April 12th, at 5 days old, we took Bella to her first doctor visit. The hospital had us bring her in so soon because of her bilirubin level being high. The doctor checked her out and didn't see the need to have the blood test done. She said she could definitely see the yellow in her face and abdomen, but it wasn't in her arms or legs which was a good sign. She weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and was 20 1/4" long. The doctor said the measurements were good, she just needed to be at her birth weight by her two week appointment.

On the way home from the doctor...

On Wednesday, April 14th, we took Bella to "play" at the park for the first time with big brother.

Kaleb brushing off his knees... such a boy!

He had a blast swinging with Daddy!

Bella napping on Daddy...

Mommy with both kiddos!

Kaleb got himself dressed this day...i loved it! He insisted on his Aggies shirt, Aggies pants, and cowboy boots!

Here's Bella swinging again. You can already see how she's grown!

Fishing is one of Kaleb's favorite things to do right now! We could sit on the porch all day long and cast that fishing pole over and over again and he'd be happy.

Bella's two week photo shoot... Kaleb insisted on joining!

On Thursday, April 22nd, we took Bella for her two week checkup. Due to her jaundice, we were to feed Bella as much as possible. We were nervous that she would not have gained enough weight by this appointment since she lost so much to begin with. Not only did she reach her birth weight....she surpassed it by far! She weighed in at 8 lbs 13 oz and 21 1/4" long! She must take after her brother! Everything else looked good as well, so nothing to worry about. She'll just be back for her 2 month checkup.

All in all it has been a busy, sleepless, but enjoyable couple of weeks! Kaleb loves being a big brother and showing her off to everyone we see. He's been very helpful (for the most part)!

Coming soon...the next few weeks!

Bella Grace Bernat

2010-04-12T17:49:00.013-05:00

On the morning of Wednesday, April 7th, we made our way to St. Lukes Episcopal Hospital in the Medical Center. Miss. Bella had decided she liked where she was and she wasn't coming out unless we forced her. So that is what we did!
We arrived at the hospital to check-in and take care of pre-op at 7:30am. I got to get all dressed up in the hospital clothes, "party hat", and get my IV. Here I was... a little anxious about what was to come...

I went in to the operating room at 9:27am. The anesthesiologist was right there to get my spinal going. That, I think, was what I was most nervous about. I didn't want the epidural to begin with when I had Kaleb, but I ended up getting it when my induction was going nowhere, and then it didn't work for the c-section. I slept through his birth and I didn't want that to happen again. The anesthesiologist this time was great! It was not bad at all. A little shot in my back that stung a little, then the whole thing was all over within seconds it seemed. (The IV was worse!) My toes felt heavy right away. They helped me to lie down on the table and took care of all their prepping. The numbness slowly moved up my body as I laid there. It was a weird feeling. Not long after, Kevin came in to join me all dressed up in his scrubs. And they began. It took longer than I expected for them to get to her, but when they did, it was incredible. One of the nurses lowered the drape in front of us low enough for us to see her come out. She began crying immediately and didn't stop, which was a beautiful noise. She was taken to the warmer to be suctioned because of all the fluid in her lungs. (which is normal for a c-section baby) Here is one of her first pictures...she's still screaming!

They weighed her...8 pounds 1 ounce...and measured her...19 3/4" long!

Then tagged her...

Minutes later (seemed like an eternity) they brought her right to me to hold right on the operating table. It was amazing to finally see the little girl that had been living inside me for 9 months.

She stopped crying when they finally gave her to Mama!

I'm in love!

Right after surgery, they took us back to the recovery room for some family bonding. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

Kaleb was her first visitor! Doesn't he look proud! He surely is! He came in and we asked him "Who is that?" His response..."That's Bella! Hers come out your tummy Mama?" Yes hers did!

The family took turns getting a peek and quick visit in recovery before we were taken to our postpartum room. She had a quick checkup in our room and had to lay under the warmer for a little while, but took that time to relax! After warming up, she got her first little bath. Again, right in our room. That was what was so wonderful with the hospital. She was never taken out of the room away from us. Anything and everything they had to do for her was done right at my bedside.

Here's big brother holding Bella for the first time on her birthday!

He really is so proud of her! Still learning to be gentle, but very proud to show her off!

Beautiful Bella resting at 1 day old...

We had anticipated on going home Friday afternoon and had the go ahead from my doctor, but the pediatrician wanted to keep her another day due to some jaundice and weight loss issues. By Saturday, she was released with orders to see the doctor first thing Monday. They just told us to make her eat, eat, eat as much as we could! Here we are ready to go home!

One last picture in our home for the first three days of her life...

She's a tiny little thing!

So sweet...

Here we are in front of our house as we arrived...

and again just inside...

It has been an amazing journey! Still hard to believe she's real sometimes! She's been a very easy baby to take care of. She eats and sleeps! Sleeps through anything too which is a good thing since she's got a crazy big brother! We took her to the doctor Monday and everything looked good. She weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces which is 2 more ounces than when discharged from the hospital. She was 20 1/4" long...1/2" more than birth. The doctor said she still sees a little jaundice in her face and upper abdomen, but nothing to be concerned with. She didn't see the need for a blood test yet. We'll take her back at two weeks old and hopefully she'll be better by then. Until then, she's just supposed to eat, eat, eat!

More to come soon...

my "baby"...who won't be the baby much longer...

2010-03-30T20:21:00.003-05:00

The past few weeks, Kaleb and Mama have been spending a lot of time together. We went to Aunt Ellie's birthday party at Katy park a couple of weekends ago. Kaleb had a blast playing on the playground and golfing. Here's uncle Tim helping him off the slide...

eatin' some cheetoes... thats all he ate for lunch!

lovin' on Ellie!

Last Sunday we went to the church's Spring Loaded festival. Kaleb had a blast on the pony ("forsey") ride...

and in the petting zoo!

He was really excited about the Easter egg hunt. They said "go!" and he took off. You see all those eggs around him? About 5 seconds after this picture was taken they were all gone! He did get 3 eggs though and was very excited about his surprises inside.

We've spent a couple of days shopping, at the park, playing at the mall, going to the doctor with Mommy...just trying to get out of the house while we can!

Some other things about Kaleb to add to the previous list:

- he loves sports, all sports!, likes to play and watch t-ball, soccer, golf, basketball, football, or anything else you can think of!

- loves cartoons now and will actually sit down for 20 minutes to watch some of his favorites... Go, Diego, Go!, Dora, Blues Clues, The Wonder Pets to name a few

- does not like coloring, he always wants crayons when we go out to eat somewhere, opens the package and throws them down.

- loves to read books, we read 3 stories before nap time and bed time every day, his favorites right now are: any Diego book, The Three Bears, 10 Fat Turkeys, Little People Farm ("EO Farm"), The Potty Book, I Love Trains!, Baby Dinosaurs, Hands Are Not For Hitting (Mama's choice sometimes), and the list goes on!

- he does this swatting hand thing right now when he's mad and telling you no, I can't stand it!, hence the book, "Hands Are Not For Hitting", it actually has helped us out a lot!

- has just learned how to spit on us when we are brushing his teeth! Oh what fun! For now what works is bribing him with puzzles. If he lets us brush his teeth nicely, then we can do one puzzle before bed.

- loves food!

Favorites: pancakes, grapes, strawberries, oranges, apples, applesauce, yogurt, goldfish, raisins, chicken, corn, cereal, ice cream, tortillas, candy, McDonalds ("Donald's"), Chick-fil-a ("Chicken-lay"), Lupe Tortillas ("Tia's" or "play sand")

Dislikes: chocolate, cake, cookies, most veggies

Chubbyfoot

2010-03-29T10:00:00.012-05:00

We had some family/maternity (36 weeks)/Kaleb 2 year pictures taken on March 13th. Here are some of our favorites and a link to the Chubbyfoot blog where some others are posted.

http://chubbyfoot.squarespace.com/blog/2010/3/22/party-of-3-temporarily.html

Pregnancy Update...37 weeks!

2010-03-22T14:59:00.001-05:00

My hope for this pregnancy was that it would go perfectly and baby would come on her own on time without the doctors interventions. :) Yeah, in a perfect world! The c-section recovery was very hard and I was hoping to avoid that this time around since I would now have two kids to take care of instead of only one newborn. Luckily, we found out today, that may still be an option, but we'll just see what happens.

The story:

Due to some not so great test results from a couple of weeks ago, we had an ultrasound done on 2/23/10. Luckily, everything looked great! Baby was growing appropriately and was head down, fluid was good, and the placenta was found to be far away from my previous c-section scar (which was the concern). All good news, so we were relieved!

Three weeks later on 3/15/10, at my 36 week appointment, the nurse was having trouble finding the heart rate. We knew she was OK because she was moving all around making it even more difficult. After finally getting the heart rate, the doctor was trying to figure out how she was laying because I had asked what it was I felt on my upper right side. She had a hard time feeling her, so pulled in the ultrasound machine which confirmed that that was her head I was feeling. She had turned and was now transverse. We talked about options at that time which were trying to manually turn her (external cephalic version) or just schedule the c-section.

There were so many factors to consider for the ECV:
- risk of baby's heart rate varying
- risk of placenta abruption
- very uncomfortable/painful for me
- anterior placenta (on my left side on top) - this just means they would have a hard time getting ahold of her head or bottom under the placenta
- must be done in the hospital in the event an emergency c-section is needed
- an epidural/spinal would be placed before the procedure in the event an emergency c-section is needed
- baby's size (didn't know at the time)
- amount of amniotic fluid; too little, baby may not turn; too much, baby may turn easy, but then turn again after procedure (didn't know at the time)

To get us some more information, our doctor ordered an ultrasound for Friday 3/19/10. At that ultrasound, we saw once again that she is healthy and growing appropriately. She's in the 80th percentile at about 7lbs 5 oz. She had turned once again though and her head was now on my lower left side. She's gonna be a gymnast when she grows up with all those moves! After the ultrasound, and weighing all the pros and cons, we had pretty much decided against the ECV but had a few more questions for the doctor.

At my doctors appointment today 3/22/10, the nurse once again had a hard time finding the heart rate. Finally she found it on my mid left side which was where the head was on Friday. The doctor came in to check everything out and after feeling around once again, pulled in the ultrasound machine to confirm that baby has turned once again and is finally head down! That at least solved the problem of having to decide for or against the ECV. She's moved so much I wouldn't put it past her to turn the wrong way again, but for now, we're looking good.

All that being said, due to the previous c-section and her size, we have to put an end to this somewhere.
I am on the schedule at the hospital for April 7th, 2010.

I have a doctors appointment next week and then Monday, 4/5/10. At that appointment on the 5th we will make our decision whether it will be an induction or a c-section. This would not be the typical induction due to the prior c-section. In order to even consider the induction, I will have had to make a lot of progress, be somewhat dialated, my cervix thinnned, or my water break.

I feel better having an end in sight and I feel like we've made the right choice. I'd like to give her as much time as possible to come on her own, but the longer we wait after my due date, the bigger she gets and there's less of a chance of avoiding the c-section. More to come in the weeks ahead!

Rodeo Time!

2010-03-20T14:33:00.005-05:00

Kaleb's been talking about it for weeks so finally, on Thursday morning, we took Kaleb to the Houston Livestock Show! He had a blast!
We stopped by the petting zoo for awhile. The child was not afraid of anything. (which is odd because he is scared of most toy animals...) This was him saying, "Dada, I goin' that way!"

Mimi and Papa had taken Kaleb to the Fort Worth Livestock Show not too long ago and had him all the way to the front of the line to ride the pony, and he got scared. Ever since then, he's been talking about wanting to ride a "forsey". (I love the way he says it!) As soon as he saw the ponies, he took off to get in line. He jumped on that "forsey" like a pro and never looked back! Daddy stood by just in case, but Kaleb didn't seem to need any help!

Kaleb loves to drive anything! He has to hold both his hands up and pretend to be holding a steering wheel anytime he talks about driving. I think he pushed every single button on that tractor before he would get off.

We finally got him off so other kids could get on and he found another one. The door was locked, but he was happy to sit on the steps.

Here we are looking at the big animals. Again, he wasn't scared at all! I actually had to hold him back behind the red line.

We took a little trip through the market. He had done this in Fort Worth not too long ago, so again, he was a pro.

"Want my egg?"

At the end of the market, he sold all his good to get $1 and got to buy himself some treats. Orange juice and raisins...yum!

Kaleb also got his first face painting! The lady asked him what he wanted on his face and he said, "Aggies!" That's our boy! She also painted his name on his arm. He did amazingly well!

We all had a great time, but were worn out by the time we left. My little cowboy finally got to see the "amals" at the rodeo and ride the "forsey"! I can't believe he's not going to be my baby much longer!

Update...back to blogging!

2010-03-20T09:27:00.004-05:00

Here we go again! Now that I am finished teaching for the year and we will be having this baby girl very soon, I'm going to try to post more regularly. I can't promise much for stories, but I'll try to at least get more pictures up. I'm going to go back to where we left off at Christmas and start from there. Honestly there's not much since I haven't been too good with the camera so far this year, but here's what we've got...
Kaleb had a blast playing at the Bounce USA at his friend Sarah's birthday party. Sarah's mommy, Jo, and I work together and Kaleb and Sarah go to school together.
Kaleb's friend Christian (another Carver mommy) was there as well and they had a blast!

They're turning into such big boys! Kaleb has a toy gun he got for Christmas so he runs around the house yelling "Where's my shooter?" and "Pow Pow"! I don't even know where he learned that, but boys will be boys!

We took Kaleb to his first motocross show and he loved it. He's been totally into motorcycles since the show. A motorcycle can be anything from a motorcycle to a bicycle, to a tricycle!

WLike I said, we have not been very good with taking regular pictures, but here is a belly shot of Mommy and Kaleb at 30 weeks...

My friend Jo hosted a baby shower for us at her house in February. It was fabulous! The cake was beautiful as you can see. And we had a great time all evening!

Kaleb and Christian had fun tearing up all the tissue paper! We came home with a full wardrobe and many other baby girl essentials!

A couple of weeks ago, Kaleb had western day at school. (Actually we forgot about it until we got to school and saw everyone else dressed up, so he dressed up the next day instead! OOPS!) I think it actually helped him seeing everyone else dressed up first because he was ready!

The boy has been fighting us at nap time lately too! Daddy put him down one day, he screamed a while, threw his fit, talked to himself for awhile, then passed out. Daddy went to check on him a little while later and found him asleep on top of his clothes hamper!

Now we have a new battle to fight and that is him climbing out of his crib! I was hoping that wouldn't happen yet (or ever) but hopefully we'll get it under control before baby girl joins us! That's all we have documented in pictures...

Other things about Kaleb:

-still loves to eat! learned how to open the pantry and refrigerator doors!

-is very strong-willed

-is going through a very tough "NO" stage, his answer to anything you ask is "NO!" whether he wants it or not

-talks and talks all day long

-loves visiting his grandparents! because they spoil him rotton!

-can count to 13 in english and spanish!

-loves to be outside

-seems very excited when he talks about his baby sister

-so many more things...I'll add more as I think of them!

days of the week...

2010-01-16T22:48:00.003-06:00

Kaleb's been learning lots at school and surprised us with this song the other day! I was lucky to get it on video since he doesn't do much of what we ask when we ask him to!

Merry Christmas in a lot of pictures...

2010-01-10T13:39:00.007-06:00

Happy Second Birthday Kaleb!

2009-12-20T08:12:00.009-06:00

On Saturday, December 12th, we celebrated Kaleb's second birthday with a party at home with some family and friends. We had talked and talked to Kaleb about his birthday and the party so he couldn't wait for it to start! He made us sing "To you!" to him all week long while he pretended to blow out the candles. He could name all the kids that were coming to the party. And he told everyone all week, "I two!" Here are some of the highlights of the party...

This was his cupcake train!

A present from Mom and Dad...

...a panoramic shot of the party room... (a little blurry, but you get the picture...a photo timeline train, some snacks and decorations on the back table, and his cupcake train on the bar)

Kaleb had a blast playing in the backyard with some old toys...

and some new!

This was Kaleb's cupcake!

And he blew out those candles like a pro!

He's not a big fan of cake, but he did like eating the M&M's off of the top! (He called them "eggs" all day long! I don't know why! We don't give the boy much candy I guess!)

Although he didn't eat much cake, he did enjoy a big bowl of ice cream! And then it was time to open presents...

Kaleb had a blast and has talked about his party ever since! Thanks to everyone for celebrating with us!

Snow Day!

2009-12-04T19:10:00.003-06:00

Today was a beautiful snowy day in Houston! Kaleb and I went to school this morning, but due to the inclement weather expected we got to go home early. It started snowing on us in Baytown about 8:30 am! All the kids at school were sooooo excited. It only took an hour or two before it started sticking to the ground. I picked Kaleb up from school around 11:30 and he kept telling me about the "snowman" falling outside. The weather was rainy most of the way home into Houston, but right as we got into our neighborhood the snow started pouring down and sticking to the ground. We took naps, then went to play outside. This was Kaleb's first time to play in the snow! At first he was not too sure about it...
It took a lot of convincing, but he finally figured it out! (We had to tell him it was ice...he loves to play with ice!)

Footprints in the snow...

Daddy and Kaleb...

Once Daddy showed him how, Kaleb loved to throw snowballs into the street!

It's been a lot of fun since we don't get to see this kind of weather much. I can still look out the back window and see a white yard! It is supposed to stay frozen all night! Stay warm!

It's a girl!!!!

2009-11-15T20:47:00.004-06:00

On Thursday, November 12th, we went for our anatomy ultrasound to see how things are coming along with our little one. Everything looked great and they were able to tell us it's going to be a little girl! We are so excited! Here is her profile...
and here's a picture of her little foot and five toes!

It was so amazing to see this little person that is growing inside of me! We can't wait to meet her in April!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-15T20:17:00.004-06:00

OK...yes, it is almost Thanksgiving and yes, I am just now posting halloween pictures! Better late than never! Our little man was an Aggie football player for halloween this year!
We had a great time at the church festival. Kaleb's cousins Aurora and Joel joined us for the fun. Here's Kaleb and Aurora running under the parachute...

More parachute fun with Joel...

Jumping on the bouncer...

Enjoying some halloween candy!

Enjoying more halloween when we got home! Way too late!

Our little Aggie passed out on the couch next to Mama. This is not like him at all! He had a blast and enjoyed a little too much candy.

E-I-E-I-O!

2009-10-18T13:17:00.004-05:00

Old MacDonald had a farm...E-I-E-I-O!
And on that farm he had some sheep...
Yesterday, we took Kaleb to visit Old MacDonald's Farm in Humble. There were lots of animals to see, pet, and feed as well as many other things to do.

Kaleb got to ride a pony...

feed some deer...

and play in the hay barn with Daddy!

We all had fun crawling through the tunnels...

and taking a ride on the train all around the park!

Before we left, we took a visit to the pumpkin patch so Kaleb could pick his very own pumpkin!

Mommy and Kaleb with our pumpkins...

We tried to get him to take a bigger one, but he only wanted the little bitty one he found all by himself! So that's what he got!

We had a great visit and I'm sure we'll go back another time!

DANCING!

2009-10-17T21:56:00.003-05:00

Aggie Football...again!

2009-10-17T21:47:00.004-05:00

We've spent a lot of time at Aggie football games this season... so here are some pictures of us in Aggieland again on October 10th. Here's Kaleb getting ready for the game!

All smiles...ready to go see the Aggies!He loves to watch the Corps march in. Sat on the curb through the whole thing...

The boys (Kevin and Buck) introducing Kaleb to Bottlecap Alley...

Playing near Kyle Field...

My husband and I... (We don't get many pictures together anymore!)

Kaleb took a picture of himself! One of my favorites!

Our tired little Aggie about 3 minutes after we got in the car!

And he was still wearing his "stickers"!

State Fair of Texas

2009-10-17T21:34:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, October 3rd, Kaleb and I both experienced the state fair for the first time. We only stayed a couple of hours, but had a great time. Kaleb's first ride was the carousel...
Family picture in front of the ferris wheel...

Kaleb and daddy took a ride in the teacups...

Here are Kaleb and James getting ready to go farming...

Kaleb riding the tractor in the farm...

Feeding the goats in the petting zoo...

And it wouldn't be a true state fair experience without cotton candy! He wasn't sure what to do with it...

After the fair, Mimi and PaPa kept Kaleb while Kevin and I went to the Aggie game at the new Cowboys Stadium.

The view from our seats!

Scoreboard while we were ahead... (we'll just leave it at that!)

It was a great day, but too short of a weekend!

Gig 'em Aggies...Whoop!

2009-10-05T18:25:00.007-05:00

On Saturday, September 26th, we headed up to College Station for the day to spend some time in Aggieland! Our first stop on campus was to see the Aggie ring that our friend Zaab helped make. It was an awesome sight. Kaleb and Daddy...

The whole family...

What is really neat is that before the ring was sealed, Zaab made this plaque that says "THE 7" dedicated to the seven guys from college that were always close, and he placed it inside...

On the back of the plaque, he wrote all of our names... (mine is spelled wrong, but it's me!)

This was a "CHEEEEZZZEEEY" smile I got!

Our little Aggie! Whoop!

Kaleb's First Hair Cut!

2009-09-27T15:22:00.006-05:00

We finally gave in and took Kaleb to get his first hair cut on September 13th. We took him to Cool Cuts 4 Kids hoping it would be very kid friendly and they would be patient with him which it was and they were! Here he is before his haircut playing with the trains and waiting for his turn.
He got to sit in a little fire truck! Here was the first cut!

He handled it all pretty well! Looked around quite a bit and pushed her away a couple of times, but all in all, did very well!

Smiling at Mama!

And the "after" shot... happy as can be...

Our digital camera was in the shop when we took him, so the pictures were taken with a disposable camera and aren't the best, but it did the job! We'll post more soon!

Introducing Baby Bernat #2!

2009-09-17T16:22:00.007-05:00

That's right...baby #2 is on the way! This was the first ultrasound done at 8 weeks. All you can see is a small white spot. That's our baby!

We had another ultrasound done at 10 weeks and here's our little baby! Looks more like a baby now! It was really neat to see all the body parts...head, arms, legs, hands, and feet! And especially the strong heartbeat! On the left side you see the head, and on the right there are two white dots...those are the knees. Along the bottom and under the head you see a white line and that's the arm. Relaxing already with their arms above the head!

Everything is going great! Mom and baby are doing wonderful. Much less morning sickness this time around! Daddy is excited! Kaleb has no idea what's going on, but will be a good big brother when the time comes! We expect our new addition sometime around April 10, 2010 (if they cooperate unlike big brother)!

back to school update...

2009-08-29T15:59:00.007-05:00

Kaleb has had a great couple of weeks back at school. I think he actually likes going to school more than he did staying home all summer. He's got kids to play with and keep him entertained. I was a little worried about the nap situation, but it didn't even seem to phase him. He naps on a cot with his pillow and blanket (no blankie!) without a problem. They also give him his milk at lunch instead of just before nap and he took that change just as easy which makes it much easier for Mom and Dad. Ms. Maria says after they all lay down, Kaleb will always get up and come give her a hug and kiss and go lay right back down. If he wakes up before the others, she said he does really well just laying in his bed until time to get up. So that's good to hear.

Every evening we talk to Kaleb about school and ask him how it went and what he did, just to see him think about it. He'll usually say "eat", "Christian", or "Fanny". Well, on Monday he had to think about it really hard when we asked and all the sudden he said "Apple!" He was really excited about it, but followed that with something about "eat" of course, so we had no idea what he was talking about. Then on Friday, his teachers sent home his work for the week and he had made an apple at school! I showed him the work and he said "Red!" And it was...all of this week, they had worked on the color red!

Another story about this kids incredible memory...(or maybe we just really traumatized him) Last night we went to eat, ran to Babies R Us, and then had to make one last stop at Best Buy. Kaleb was getting fussy by this point, so I decided to stay with him in the car while Kevin ran in the store. The whole time Kevin was gone, Kaleb kept telling me "mama"... "crabs"... "git you"! He kept pointing out his window, but there was a car parked next to us, so I couldn't figure out what he was pointing at. This went on for a good five minutes over and over again. When Kevin got back to the car and started pulling out, I was telling him about Kaleb talking about the crabs. Right then, in the same parking lot was Red Lobster! The same restaurant where he freaked out about the crab on Kevin's plate. And from where we were parked at Best Buy, he could only see the back of the restaurant. We have only been there once, so I have no idea how he knew, but he definitely knew.

And one more story...what can i say...I'm proud of the boy! We went to clean out our storage building this morning and get the last of our things. Kaleb was playing in the garage while Kevin and I were unloading. From the car I heard him count....1....2.....3...4......5! Yea!

We just can't believe all the things he's learning! We're very proud and excited for him and can't wait to see what the future brings!

Back to School!

2009-08-17T20:46:00.003-05:00

So today was our first day back to school after a short, but wonderful summer vacation. I took Kaleb to his school on Friday to meet his teachers and see his new classroom and have been talking about it with him all weekend. He has three teachers this year... Ms. Maria, Ms. Veronica, and Ms. Fanny. Since there is only one infant this year, Ms. Fanny is joining the toddler class with her one baby, so Kaleb is lucky to have her again. Ms. Laura has moved on to work with the school district, but Kaleb keeps asking for her too! Here we were about 6:30 this morning getting ready to walk out the door... He doesn't look too sure about this whole thing!

THEN...Mama made him sit down for a picture! This was a total fake cry!

See what I mean! No tears at all! All I said was, "Say cheese and I'll show you the camera!"

We got to school and Kaleb sat down to eat his breakfast...

Goofy boy! He held onto that chair next to him telling everyone that walked in it was for Christian! Christian was the last one there, and Kaleb still had that seat saved for him!

And one last picture with Mama before we part ways...

I think he did alright for the first day. Took an hour long nap (usually three hours), bit another kid (who touched his toy! how dare them!), and was in the playroom crying along with all the other babies when I came to pick him up, but he survived! And I can imagine it will only get better!

First Steps (round two)!

2009-08-06T13:57:00.004-05:00

Last Wednesday Kaleb and I went to the beach with Nana, Aurora, and Joel. This is the only picture I have of the cousins and Kaleb's got his hand over his eye!
The kids had a great time digging in the sand, splashing in the water, and jumping over the waves.

After wearing ourselves out at the beach, we went to eat lunch... (ketchup...a new favorite... yummy!)

On Thursday I took Kaleb on his first visit to the dentist. We found a great pediatric dentist who worked very well with him. But the most exciting thing that happened there were Kaleb's first steps (round two)! We were in the waiting room and he was holding onto the chair I was sitting on, then he let go and took about five steps toward the toys! He started laughing and giggleing and screaming "Walk! Mama! Walk!" He was sooo proud of himself! Here is a video of the second time he took some steps there at the dentist...

CHEEEEZZZEEE!

Who me?

painting at the children's museum...

Toddler Fracture

2009-07-30T07:58:00.005-05:00

I don't know why it took a whole week, three doctors, two x-ray sessions, and a visit to the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon, but we finally have a diagnosis! Kaleb has what they call a toddler fracture in his leg. Basically how the Orthopedic doctor explained it to me was that toddler's bones are like clay in a sense. Instead of breaking or splitting, they just bend and deform, and that's what happened. He said the most common type of injury for this age group happens on the slide. He also explained to me why toddlers don't get sprains (very rarely it does happen, but not in our case). Apparently the muscles and ligaments are stronger than the bones at this age, so the bone will bend before a muscle will pull or tear. Soooo.... with the diagnosis comes the treatment, right? Nope, doctor said it would heal itself and we didn't need to do anything. His exact words were, "The leg will heal the same whether I put a cast on it or a band-aid on it!" The only reason he puts casts on any kids with this same injury is when the day-cares won't allow them back in school without protection. Kaleb will start school in two and a half weeks, but he should at least be walking by then. Doc said that typically, he should start walking 7-10 days after the injury, limp for a couple of days to a couple of weeks, and then be back to normal at 3-4 weeks out. We are now at 7 days out and Kaleb can stand up on his own and yesterday even limped a couple of steps while holding on to the wagon and ottomon. He's a tough and very strong-willed little boy, so even though you can tell it's still sore, but we're hopeful for a quick and full recovery very soon!

Kaleb's Foot/Leg Injury

2009-07-28T20:25:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday morning while up in Granbury to visit baby Jaxon, we took Kaleb to the park in DeCordova to play on the playground. Everything was going great and Kaleb was having a blast, until.... Kaleb wanted to go down the slide on Mama's lap. We started to slide and Kaleb's left foot got caught between my leg and the slide and twisted back somehow. He started screaming! We held him and check him out for a couple of minutes and he wouldn't calm down. We took him back to the house to ice it down and figure out what we were going to do. He wouldn't bear any weight on it at all. After he sat on my lap for an hour, we decided that was not Kaleb at all and we needed to get him to a doctor. So we loaded up in the car to head to the urgent care clinic...
the foot... We went to an urgent care clinic and started signing in when the receptionist saw we had insurance and suggested we go next door to Dr. Lee who would take our insurance. It was a good move! Dr. Lee and his nurses loved Kaleb! Here he is in the room waiting to see the doctor...

It's crazy that at his age already, Kaleb can tell you how he got hurt!

So we saw the doctor, he examined Kaleb's foot, and he told us it was very unlikely a broken bone because there was no swelling or bruising. But just to be safe, we got some x-rays done. Here's Kaleb eating his lollipop from Dr. Lee while waiting to get the x-rays done.

and here it is... Nothing was found to be broken based on the films we had done.

So we got some lunch and headed home with a very grumpy, tired baby...

After his nap, Kaleb still would not bear any weight on his foot, so we had to find other ways to occupy his time...

Look at these two fishes! They had a blast! (Kaleb stayed off the slide)

So, figuring we were in the clear and Kaleb just had a sprain to recover from, Kevin and I went ahead on our trip to New Braunfels for the weekend. We figured it may be easier for Mimi to take care of Kaleb since she wouldn't have to chase him around everywhere! Well, Mr. Kaleb became very bossy! He will scream for you to pick him and just point in a direction he likes and yell "That way!" That's all day long. So although Mimi didn't have to chase him, she had to follow his orders and carry around this 30 pounder all day! Thanks Mimi for the weekend! So I headed back up to Granbury on Sunday night and we went out to eat at Babe's. Here he is (still not walking)...

Then Sunday night we took him to feed the ducks...

Dr. Lee had told us that if we didn't see improvement by Monday to follow up with our Pediatrician, Dr. M, so that's what we did. I called Monday morning to get some information and the Doctor said that she wanted to see him. We went in Monday afternoon and Dr. M was definitely concerned and said that not bearing weight on one leg for four days was very unusual. She suggested we get x-rays further up the leg to see if there was something we didn't catch on the first ones. So, we left there and went to get more x-rays! We're becoming pros at this already! Here's the leg... everything looks fine!

But everything is not fine. Kaleb has not walked in six days and if you know Kaleb at all, there's no way he could fake it this long! Every once in a while he will attempt to put some weight on it and you can just hear the pain in his cry. Dr. M finally called this evening and referred us to a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon who we are going to see at 8am. We're relieved to see a specialist, scared not knowing what is going on, and upset about all the pain and frustration he's experiencing! I've googled and searched everywhere to see what others say, and a lot of what I read say that toddler fractures aren't often caught in x-rays until a couple of weeks later. Hopefully we will get some solid answers or at least some way to help him tomorrow!

Welcome Jaxon Kale Bernat!

2009-07-28T14:58:00.003-05:00

Uncle Kasey and Aunt Katie are now the proud parents of little Jaxon who was born on Monday, July 20, 2009 at 12:33pm. He weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long.

You can see more pictures at http://kaseyandkatie.blogspot.com/ .

a little crabby...

2009-07-17T21:14:00.003-05:00

This story actually begins a couple of weeks ago when we took Kaleb on his first crabbing trip down in Orange. I kept telling him about the crabs and that they pinch and showing him how the crabs pinch. He was scared to death of the first real crab he saw. Would have nothing to do with them. It actually surprised us since he's not scared of much at all. So, tonight we went out to eat at Red Lobster. Kevin got a seafood platter with lobster and crab. Kaleb wasn't paying much attention until I showed him the crab claw on Kevins plate. He freaked out!

the past few weeks...

2009-07-09T15:49:00.003-05:00

We've been pretty busy over the past few weeks around here. At the end of June we spent some time working around the house a little to get it ready to sell. Here's Kaleb helping out with the mulch... He put those gloves on all by himself!
Our realtor came to take pictures on Friday, June 26th, and we decided to go ahead and put it on the market that day. We figured we'd show the house for a couple of months and just see what would happen. Little did we know, we would get an offer on it three hours later for full asking price! We've signed a contract, but the buyer is still in her option period, so nothing is done until it's done. (but it's pretty much done!)

You can check out the listing here...
http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=69570316&backButton=Y&Address=1347%20Gardenia%20Dr

After getting that shocking news, we decided to take a little family trip down to Orange, TX. I took both of my boys crabbing for the first time! No pictures either! :( We were just too busy pulling in those crabs. After crabbing, Kaleb decided to help Grandpa David mow the yard! He did not want to get off. When Grandpa David came in the house later to get some lunch, Kaleb grabbed his hand, pulled on him, and told him "go!" He was ready to go again!
Fourth of July weekend, we headed up to Lake Granbury! On the way up there, Kaleb was introduced to headphones! Mama's heard "wheels" (Wheels on the Bus) a few too many times.

Here's Kaleb and Dada at the lake house playing "ashes" (Ring around the Rosie) in the swimming pool...

then taking a ride on the jet ski...

Kevin and I took a little ride on the boat as well...

Kevin wakeboarding...

Brandy kneeboarding...

Saturday night, we went into downtown Granbury to watch the fireworks. Here's Kaleb playing in the truck waiting for the show...

We headed home Sunday and have had a busy week once again with swim lessons and The Little Gym. Kaleb has loved his swim lessons and has been the showoff in his class. Takes after his Mommy I guess! Loves to jump in, go under, kick his feet, and reach, reach, reach! We don't have much planned the next few weeks. Besides moving if this sale goes through!

Thank you!

2009-06-23T21:52:00.002-05:00

Ok, we've been working on this for awhile and finally got a video of Kaleb saying "thank you". He will sometimes even say it on his own! It's so cute, we laugh every time he says it!

Thank You!

Swimming in the Backyard...

2009-06-23T21:43:00.002-05:00

Love the rolls...
and the belly...

Angel face...

Showing off his bandaid... (18 month checkup and shot that day)

Such an innocent, sweet looking face!

We're having lots of summer fun!

Asleep at the wheel...

2009-06-22T21:21:00.004-05:00

The other day we were coming back from Church and lunch, our poor baby couldn't keep his eyes open even though he tried.

Bedtime!

2009-06-22T21:13:00.002-05:00

When this boy is ready for bed, he's ready for bed! Now! Not 5 minutes from now; not 5 seconds from now! He means right now! So this was the sudden pitiful face and cry for "milk"...
I said hold on and he got a little more upset...

then the unhappiness turns into anger as he stomps his feet and his face turns red...

and then were back to the pitiful, pleading for milk, face...

Give the boy a glass of milk and his blankie ("gankie") and he's done for! He will let us hold him until he's through with his milk, maybe read a book or two, then just tell us "bed". Thats it for Kaleb! He's down for the night!

Hope it is this easy forever!

100th Post! Frio River Vacation!

2009-06-16T21:30:00.013-05:00

UPDATED with a couple of new pictures!

Welcome to my 100th post! Warning! This could be very long and contain a lot of pictures!

On Saturday, June 6th, we loaded up the truck with all you can imagine and more, and headed out to Concan, TX to vacation on the Frio River. On the drive over, we stopped at Bucky's and picked up some beef jerky. Kaleb loved his first taste of beef jerky. Of course he will eat anything that is considered meat.
When we arrived at our campsite, Kaleb helped Dada set up the canopy.

And after all that work, who wouldn't need a break!

Once we settled in, we took Kaleb down to check out the river.

He was very curious and couldn't figure out where we were or what we were doing!

We went shopping that night and got settled into the RV. Here's Kaleb eatin his nana for breakfast the next morning preparing for a long day on the river.

His first dip into the Frio River!

It actually wasn't that cold this year. The water was very low, so we were lucky to be staying near the dam which is more like a swimming hole, even when the river's barely running. Here's Kaleb sitting on the dam.

a happy baby!

After taking his nap, Kaleb put his life jacket on and told us it was time for some more swimming!

Kaleb and Ellie riding in his boat! Ellie became his best friend this week!

Lounging with Mama down by the river.

On Wednesday we took Kaleb on a tube trip down the river to Happy Hollow! Here he is at the beginning of his first float down the river!

Rest stop...hanging out with Poppy!
Family picture near some rapids...
Kaleb floating all by himself like a big boy! This didn't happen much at all. He spent most of the trip right on top of Mama! Had a blast, but didn't want to let go just in case!
During the heat of the day we tried to keep Kaleb out of the sun as much as possible. Here he is watching a "moogie" (movie)! "Wheels" (Wheels on the Bus) is his favorite!

And what could be better than ice cream on a hot summer day! He was a mess when it was all over!

This is a video of the reaction Ellie got from Kaleb every time she came around!

Our little Aggie boy! He loves this hat now and puts it on himself when we go out to play!

I love this picture of Kaleb and Kevin and the beautiful scenery we are gonna miss!

Unsure face here and I'm not sure why but it's cute!

Much happier...splashing water over the dam!

Sitting in the rapids just below the dam...

This was Kaleb's favorite thing to do the whole time we were in the water! Kaleb says thanks to Timmy and Scotty for providing all his rocks when he was in the boat or couldn't reach them himself!

Kaleb sitting with Aunt Mallory...

After the birthday dinner on Thursday night, we took Kaleb out to the dance at Garner State Park. He LOVED it! You'd never know it was 10:00 with the way this boy was running around. Here he is dancing with Aunt Ellie!

Then it was Mommy's turn!

We had to pack up and head out on Saturday morning. Although it was a blast, we were exhausted! Kaleb is proof!

We can't wait to do it all over again next summer!

Kaleb's first...last day of school!

2009-06-05T22:25:00.003-05:00

Monday, August 18, 2008 - Kaleb's first day of school with Mrs. Laura!

Friday, June 5, 2009 - Kaleb's last day of school with Mrs. Laura!

...and with Mrs. Fanny!

We love these ladies for taking such good care of Kaleb this year. He has suprised me with many wonderful things they have taught him at school. They have loved and cared for him like he was their own. That's all we can ask for! Thank you Mrs. Laura and Mrs. Fanny for everything!

Granbury once again...

2009-06-05T22:18:00.002-05:00

We headed back up to Granbury last weekend for Uncle Kasey and Katie's baby shower. Kaleb started out the weekend teaching Grandpa a thing or two about golfing...

Kaleb helped open all the presents!

Saturday night hanging out by the pool...

Then checking out the new playground at the clubhouse...

Kaleb had a blast! More to come soon!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-27T20:37:00.004-05:00

For Memorial Day weekend, we packed up and headed up to Lake Granbury for a weekend full of fun! Here is Kaleb talking to Mimi on the phone making last minute preparations for the trip. Goofy boy!
Here's Kevin and I on Saturday Night at my friend Laura and Jeremy's wedding.

"The 7" guys...

Kaleb hanging out with Uncle Kasey...

Mama and Kaleb on the boat! Every time the boat would start, he would immediately lay down on my chest. When we would stop, he'd pop right back up. He did this the entire time he was on the boat.

After the boat ride, Buck took Kaleb for a swim... He loved it!

happy to be out!

Kaleb on his first tube ride...

family picture...

He really did like the water once he got in and realized he could stand up!

We had a great time and can't wait to get back up there very soon! I kept forgetting that we still had two more weeks of school. We're now at 6 days and can't wait to go to the Frio River!

"made a mess!"

2009-05-18T19:50:00.003-05:00

We had thought we had heard Kaleb put 2 or 3 words together a couple of times, but were never quite sure. This evening though we were at dinner and any time any one of us would spill anything on the table, Kaleb would tell us "made a mess"! When we got home I had to get it on video, so here it is...

"made a mess!"

Art Car Parade 2009 (in pictures)

2009-05-18T19:46:00.002-05:00

Happy Mommy's Day!

2009-05-10T21:36:00.003-05:00

Here are a few photo highlights from the week...
Kaleb running around the house wearing Daddy's shirt...
On Saturday it was hot enough to get the water toys out. We bought a water table Friday night so Kaleb got to try it out for the first time. He had a blast!

We also set up his little swimming pool. He had a good time investigating it for awhile before he ever got in.

Kaleb's new trick.... Show me your muscles! It's hilarious! He sticks his arms straight out, grunts, and makes this face.

The video says it all...

More to come soon about our trip to the Art Car Parade!

20 more days!

2009-05-06T20:12:00.003-05:00

So the countdown has begun....Sorry it has been so long for an update, but I've got no time left over between work and my family lately. The end of the school year is quickly approaching and there's still a lot to get done! But anyway...about Kaleb...that's why you're reading this, right?
Kaleb is feeling much better since the last post. We did talk to his pediatritian who referred us to an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) Specialist. We went to the ENT and had Kaleb's hearing tested. He did very well and is hearing normally which was actually very surprising to the doctor since there was still fluid in Kaleb's ears left over from the previous infections. Basically he said that Kaleb is definitely a candidate for ear tubes considering his history of ear infections (5 since December), but since his hearing isn't being affected, it's not really necessary at this point. There are also some other factors we looked at....he's only got 4 more weeks in day care before he's out for the summer... the big winter, spring time sick/allergy season is coming to an end... and he's getting older and should hopefully outgrow this soon. So, we've decided to wait it out and see if we can get over this without the surgery.
Here's what we've been up to lately... Mimi and Mama took Kaleb to the park to play last weekend. Here he is chasing a squirrel...
runnin' around the park...

Mimi babysat Kaleb so Mama and Dada could go to the Dave Matthews Band concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion. We very rarely get pictures together anymore...

Mimi and Kaleb before she left us... He can definitely say her name now...

Thanks Mimi for babysitting!

Kaleb and Dada walking to church... The picture's a little blurry, but he was so cute that day.

2009-04-19T19:16:00.007-05:00

On Thursday afternoon, Kaleb went to stay with Nana who is on vacation. Our weekend started early Friday afternoon when Nana calls me at work to tell me Kaleb is running a fever and is not acting like himself. Although she was planned on keeping him another night I couldn't help but go see my poor baby. When I got to the house, he had just had some Motrin and was doing just fine. He was running around and playing with all of Nana's toys. After an hour went by he got more and more fussy until I could tell he was running a fever again. I stole my baby from Nana since I couldn't bear to leave him sick and headed home. He was in and out of sleep all the way home. His left eye was beginning to swell up too. Here he is on the drive...
When we got home, he just held onto my neck and wouldn't let go. I sat on the couch hugging him for awhile and he still would not move. Finally I got the thermometer and took his temperature....105! All I could think of to do was get him in the bath, so that's what we did. He didn't like it, but he was so weak, he couldn't fight me about it. Dada came home, got him out of the bath, and cuddled with him on the couch some more. After the bath and some more Tylenol, the fever was down to 102.

Finally we decided to just put him in bed even though it was only 6:30. He laid down willingly, but tossed and turned all night long. He would cry and whimper, but did not want to be held. When we would pick him up, he would cry and tell us "ni ni" and lean back toward his bed. I made a call to the Texas Children's on call nurse who definitely thought he needed to be seen, but suggested if at all possible to wait until morning since the weather was so bad. So we kept him medicated every couple of hours throughout the night as he would wake up just to try to keep him comfortable. He didn't get out of bed until 8am, still crying, fever of 102, and a really swolen left eye. We had hoped to get an appointment with our on call doctor early Saturday morning, but no such luck. For some reason, the answering service never started answering calls for our doctor. So after talking with the Texas Children's nurse once again, she advised we bring him in and said she'd get things ready for him. I had a job fair to go to, so Kevin loaded him up and headed down to the hospital. After I left the job fair, I met up with them in his room. An hour and a half with a 16 month old locked in a room and nothing to do was not fun for Dada. Here they were playing with the light when I walked in the room.

The doctor said he has ear infections and the eye was due to allergies (conjunctivitis). I was only there for about five minutes when the nurse came in with the discharge papers and prescription, so off we went. The weather was horrible and had been all of the night, so it was a slow drive home. When we got close to our neighborhood, there was a police car blocking the main street in, so I had to go the back way. I sat and watched a lot of cars look at the street and turn around, but after I saw a couple of trucks and SUV's go through it, I decided to follow. I made it all the way down Oak Forest and got stuck behind a couple of cars who had stalled. I sat there for a few minutes waiting for them to move when a fire truck started coming up behind me with its siren on. I pulled into the driveway next to me to get out of the way and luckily a nice lady lived there! There was no way I would have been able to turn onto Gardenia, so the lady told me I could leave my car there until it cleared up. So I grabbed the umbrella and Kaleb and we walked home! (luckily it was only about three houses away!) Kevin had gone to get Kaleb's medicine and was coming from the other way, but wasn't sure he could make it either. He parked and walked to our corner and decided to take his chances and he made it! This was the front of our house..

The couple across the street walking home after their car flooded out. (It was bobbing up and down as other trucks drove by!)

All in all, it was a wild weekend and at this point it was only early Saturday afternoon! Kaleb got to feeling better and played chase with Dada for a little while. You can tell at the end of the video how tired and groggy he really is...

Worn out...

After playing chase and getting a bath, Kaleb decided to help Mama with the dishes! Gotta teach them early!

Today Kaleb was feeling a little better. We got out to do a little shopping and take a bike ride. Here are Kaleb and Dada brushing their teeth before bed...

Still smiling at 7:00!

Reading with Dada...

Hopefully the week goes smoother than this weekend!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-18T15:29:00.007-05:00

Easter weekend we traveled up to Granbury, TX to visit with Mimi, PawPaw, and the rest of the family and friends. It was a busy weekend, but we had a lot of fun. Here are some highlights from the weekend....

Kaleb rode the train at the Fort Worth Zoo and loved it! Choo Choo!

Jumping in the bounce house...

On Saturday, we made it up to see Mindy, Matt, and Avery who turned 1! Here's Kaleb trying to figure out how he can sneak some of her cake without anyone noticing!

That night, we met Mimi, PawPaw, Kasey, Katie, James, Donna, and Clayton for dinner at Babe's Chicken. Here's the boys after they ate acting silly!

Easter morning! Kaleb was following the trail of Easter eggs leading to his Easter basket.

Here he is showing off his new transformer!

After napping, we went up to the Country Club to have lunch. The two couples...

After lunch guess who came to visit!

Ready to hunt eggs!

a little too ready! He didn't understand why he had to wait for everyone else.

still waiting... look what Kaleb drew!

and we're off!

He found about eight eggs and that was all he wanted. He sat himself down on the ground and emptied them all out in front of us to figure out what was inside.

Easter blessings to all! (even if I'm a little late!)

Bicycle Adventures...

2009-04-05T21:17:00.006-05:00

We had an adventurous weekend with our new bicycles! Here we are on Friday night testing out Kaleb's new bike trailer...
He loved his new ride and cried when Daddy came back home!

We loaded up our bikes on Saturday and headed down to Galveston to ride along the sea wall and enjoy the fresh air. We stopped for awhile to let Kaleb play in the sand and water.

He loved feeling the sand, but didn't like getting his hands dirty.

Our sweet little man...

riding the waves...

Then it was back to the bikes for another ride.

He just loved watching everything we passed by...

Playing in the sand again...

and learning how to throw a frisbee...

The family picture...

And one tired baby!

Today we attempted to take some pictures of Kaleb in the Bluebonnets. Here are the best of what we got.

After dinner we rode our bikes to the park to play...

We had a good weekend and look forward to many more bike riding adventures!

LOVE IT....

2009-04-04T13:15:00.001-05:00

2009-03-29T21:16:00.007-05:00

It seems like Kaleb has a new word everyday! The boy never stops talking! I've been making a list of all the words he knows and uses. I've listed some of these before, but here's what I've got:
mama
dada
ball
car
bye-bye
paw-paw
nana
bath
night-night
hi
shoes
dog
no
down
go
outside
puffs
cheese
banana
cookie
choo-choo
quack-quack
eyes
mouth
uh-oh
owww
trash
mawmaw
cheerios
tree
gone
socks
yeah
block
Laura
bubbles
hot

On Saturday, we went to watch Aunt Ellie play soccer. We watched her score a couple of times to win the game!

Here's Kaleb's new trick. This used to be my hiding spot from him. I could put all the bags around the posts on the bench and he couldn't get into them. Not anymore!

Spring Break Day 9 - The End

2009-03-22T20:02:00.005-05:00

Well today was the final day of our spring break adventures! It was another relaxed day with nothing special planned, but that was what we needed to end this week! We woke up this morning (well, I got to sleep in!) and played around the house with Mimi. We tried to get Kaleb back onto his school schedule, so we gave him his morning nap on time. After napping we went to lunch at Souper Salad with Mimi before she left to go home. Here's Kaleb enjoying his buffet...
This evening we decided to hang out at home and grill some steaks. Daddy and Kaleb were playing in the backyard while the food was cooking. Go, go, go...

After dinner we went for a walk around the block. Kaleb pointed to everything he saw along the way!

Here's Kaleb hugging Mommy as it gets close to bedtime. We've become really attached having this week off together. Hopefully the transition back to school tomorrow goes smoothly!

Kaleb loves his tool bag Maw Maw gave him! Here he is putting his socks inside!

The week has gone by too fast! We have had a lot of fun and dread going back to school, but there are only eleven more weeks to go until summer vacation. I hope you've enjoyed reading about our week, but don't expect this to continue! I'll try to post again next weekend!

Spring Break Day 8 - Shopping and Lupe Tortillas

2009-03-21T19:55:00.003-05:00

The spring break countdown is almost over, so today we just tried not to think about going back to school! We didn't do much of anything this morning except play and nap. When Kaleb (and Mommy!) woke up from napping we decided to go shopping at the outlet mall. We got home this afternoon and Kaleb tried on all his new clothes. Here he is in his new swimsuit! Ready for the river!
Cousin Tracy and Clint came over for a visit and Kaleb just jumped right into her arms!

Kaleb was such a show off for them. He read Tracy his book...

showed off his tool set and how he can "fix" everything in the house... (He kept giving that goofy grin too!)

Then we went to dinner at Lupe Tortillas, Mimi's traditional stop when she comes to visit. As always, Kaleb's favorite spot was the sand box. He was really trying to figure out how to climb this rock wall. It was more of his size than the one we saw at the park earlier in the week.

Mommy was teaching Kaleb how to ride the see-saw...

We've got one more day off (sort of...lesson plans to do, bags to pack, meals to plan, etc.). I'm not ready for this to end!

Spring Break Day 7 - The Children's Museum

2009-03-21T16:21:00.005-05:00

Today was another fun filled spring break day! We went first thing in the morning to the newly remodeled Children's Museum. It was really neat! The new tot spot was where we spent most of our time, but we bought a membership so we can go back whenever we want! Kaleb loved the ball pit!
Kaleb was on a platform above me and I was looking up at him. He thought it was so funny. He would look at me through the window...

then he would go to the side and look at me from there... back and forth!

This picture is for the dads... (They didn't like the kissing picture, so here's a more manly picture of the boys driving a truck! Move out of the way!)

Then we went to the outside terrace and enjoyed all the ball poppers...

and tricycles...

When we left the museum, Kaleb was completely worn out and slept all the way home. I had to wake him up when we got home so he could eat lunch and take a long nap.

After a good nap, Kaleb woke up just in time to see Mimi pull up in the driveway. We went out to dinner and Kaleb had his first french fries!

After dinner, Mimi babysat so we could go out on another date! We have been on three dates in the past two weeks thanks to all the grandparents! Thank you everyone! This is the only picture we have together on all our dates!

We enjoyed the rodeo, Taylor Swift, carnival games, and funnel cakes before calling it a night!

Spring Break Day 6 - Orange, TX

2009-03-19T21:10:00.003-05:00

Today Kaleb and I headed to Orange to see some great-grandparents. We first went to see his Maw Maw and had a lot of fun playing with all the cousins toys while they were at school! We went out to lunch and then stopped by the park on the way back. Here's Kaleb riding the police car at the park...
He finally realized he's not quite ready for rock climbing...

We went back to Maw Maws house and played outside. Maw Maw was teaching Kaleb how to put his feet on the pedals to ride the bike.

When we left Maw Maws house, we went to see Grandma Linn and Grandpa David. Kaleb mopped the patio while Grandma Linn cooked us hamburgers!

Kaleb even decided to help Grandpa David clean the headlights on the car...

Kaleb had a good time and was exhausted just in time for the ride home. He was asleep not even five minutes down the road! We have three more days to enjoy before it's back to the real world!

Spring Break Day 5 - Houston Zoo

2009-03-18T19:32:00.004-05:00

This morning, Kaleb and I headed to the Houston Zoo to see some animals. Here we are about to go in...
Here's Kaleb with the giraffe in the background!

Kaleb and his buddy Christian enjoyed riding in the wagon!

Two tired boys surrounded by monkeys yet playing with leaves.

Christian was showing Kaleb his tummy and Kaleb was tickling him!

Best Friends!

We were able to get up close and personal with the monkeys too!

After a long day at the zoo, Kaleb decided not to take an afternoon nap! So he played while Mama cooked spaghetti. He loves spaghetti... especially putting it on his head!

Spring Break Day 4 - Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-18T07:22:00.004-05:00

Tuesday morning was Kaleb's 15 month check-up at the doctor. Every time we go he is into everything. And everytime the doctor sees me trying to keep him out of this cabinet she tells me that's why they keep it empty...for the kids to explore. So I let him!
Everything looked great which was really exciting news for me! Kaleb's had five ear infections this year and if he gets one more before September he will have to go see a specialist and have tubes put in. At our ear check-up two weeks ago, his ear infections were gone, but there was a lot of fluid built up in his ears. She put us on Zrytek, then Benadryl to help dry up that fluid so it didn't cause more ear infections. Ears were dry and no infection! We're going to continue this Benadryl as needed for awhile to make sure everything stays that way! At the end of the visit Kaleb got two shots. Here he is at home checking out his battle scars!

And this one's for Grandpa Frank!

After a good nap and a little shoe shopping (Yes, my boy LOVES shoe shopping...screamed when it was time to leave), Kaleb went to stay with Grandma, Grandpa, and his aunts and uncle for the night so Mom and Dad could go on a date! We went to dinner at Pappadeaux's and then headed over to the rodeo to see Keith Urban. It was a great concert and a wonderful night. Thanks to our babysitters!

Spring Break Day 3 - The Park

2009-03-16T21:22:00.004-05:00

We had another relaxing/productive day today. After playing, napping, meeting Daddy for lunch, and shopping at Target, Kaleb and I headed to the park. I kept telling him we were going to the park and he's really getting to where he understands now, so he kept looking. When we pulled up and parked he was soooo excited, kicking his legs, yelling (happy yells), trying to get out of the carseat himself! As soon as I put him down it was off to the races. Here he is as we arrived...
Playing in the "choo choo"...

He LOVED the swing today!

After the park, we came home and opened the toy we bought at Target. A bubble maker! Kaleb kept trying to blow back into the machine and would get mad when the bubbles would blow in his face. He was excited though to show it to his friend next door. He pulled her over and kept pointing to it.

This was my happy baby after his afternoon nap! I haven't seen a better smile than that in ages!

I just thought this was funny. Kaleb found his beanie and made me help him put it on. Then he ran to his room and came back with this set of keys he got from Nana. It's kind of like a mini boom box and plays nursury rhymes that sound more like rap songs. Sooooo....introducing my little rapper....Baby K!

Stay tuned for St. Pattys Day, doctor visit, and date night at the rodeo...

Spring Break Day 2 - Relaxing

2009-03-15T20:18:00.005-05:00

Our day today was pretty laid back. I guess I can blame it on the weather. This cold, wet weather is no fun to be out in. We woke up early as usual (6:30am), played, ate breakfast, napped, went to church, went to lunch, came home, played, napped... Kaleb woke up from his nap crying and Kevin got him up and brought him to me on the couch. He laid down on top of me and fell back asleep! For anyone who does not know, Kaleb NEVER does this. It's always sweet to hold a sleeping baby!
then he woke up in a much better mood... (for a little while anyway) So we played for a little while...

Then we read the paper!

What? You think I made this mess!

After we cleaned up this mess we played a little, ate dinner, played some more (you get the idea), then went to bed. It was a good day but poor Kaleb has still got that runny nose and cough and we think he must have a few teeth about to break through, because he was definitely on edge this evening! We've got his 15 month checkup on Tuesday so we'll make sure everything's alright then!

Spring Break Day 1 - Rodeo Houston!

2009-03-14T17:00:00.007-05:00

I'm glad we enjoyed the warm weather while we could, because winter is back in full force! We braved the cold, wind, and rain today to take Kaleb to the rodeo! We bundled up in sweaters, jackets, hats, packed the stroller with everything we might need for a week, and with two huge umbrellas we made it to Reliant Center to see the exhibitions. I thought we'd be the only crazy people to go out to the rodeo in this weather, but I was way wrong! Kaleb had a good time. He was very curious as to what was going on. Here's our 15 month old little boy in the barrel...
I love Kaleb's arm around Daddy's neck...

Looking at the rabbits...

This was in the petting zoo. I was afraid Kaleb would be too scared of the animals, but again I was way wrong. He loved it! Some of the bigger animals who were searching for food were kind of rough, but he didn't care at all. Here he is petting his first deer!

After all the excitement, we rode the choo choo (tram) back to our car. I love this little guy!

We hope to go back another day when the weather cooperates and enjoy all of the outside festivities. It is finally spring break and we don't have any big plans except relaxing, recovering, and preparing for the long stretch until summer break. I'll keep you updated this week!

A Sunny Saturday in the Park!

2009-03-14T16:44:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday we had a beautiful summer day here in Houston. We tried to enjoy the weather as much as we could! Of course we had to start the day with a nap. I have been going through Kaleb's clothes and pulling out everything he's outgrown. I had it stacked on a diaper box next to his crib without thinking about it. After I laid him down you can see how it went...
After his nap, we made our way to Discovery Green Park in Downtown Houston. We've heard all about it and have wanted to check it out for awhile. Here's Kaleb playing with the leaves in the fountain.

He loved the playground, but especially the big xylophone! He would not share the mallet with anyone and ended up with a big red bump on his forehead when someone tried to take it from him and he fought back and lost.

Even though it's early March, the weather was warm enough to enjoy the water sprinklers. We didn't come prepared with his swimsuit, but he dove in anyway! Look how excited he looks!

Then the water hits him! Look at that face!

But it didn't take him long to recover and figure everything out. He had a blast and didn't want to leave.

We went home, took an early bath and pulled out his short sleeve pj's to wear in the warm weather. I couldn't help but take a picture of that belly hanging out! The pj's are a little too small or that belly's a little too big! Either way it's cute!

And I love this face!

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!

2009-03-11T20:08:00.002-05:00

Here's something to hold you over until spring break when I'll have the time and energy to get a better update!

11 more school days until spring break!

2009-02-24T20:27:00.009-06:00

Alright, the title has nothing to do with the blog, but it is really good news! Anyway, back to the star of this show...Kaleb! Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks!

Valentines day weekend we went up to Granbury to visit Mimi and Grandpa. It was Mimi and Uncle Kasey's birthdays on the 13th and look what Kaleb got (to play with at Mimi's)! He loves anybody's birthday as long as he gets the presents! Watch him dance!

On Sunday we went down to the lake to "feed" the ducks. I think Kaleb ate more bread than he gave to the ducks!

We drove home on Monday (President's Day Holiday!) and stopped in College Station for lunch at Gattiland. Kaleb loved all the balls! He would throw them up the ramp just like Daddy.
Last Thursday after school, Mommy and Kaleb went to Bounce USA to play with kids of Mommy's co-workers. Kaleb wasn't too sure about jumping around. He had a hard time walking and couldn't figure out why. Here he is trying to get on his feet.
I think his favorite part of all (and mine too!) was the big slide. I don't know if it shows very vell in the picture, but he had a HUGE smile on his face everytime we went down. As soon as we landed, he was ready to climb back up again.

Sunday afternoon, Mommy and Daddy took Kaleb to the park at the YMCA. We were the only ones there, so it was nice to have everything to ourselves. There is a deck built up there for group gatherings and this is the ramp to walk up onto it. Kaleb thought it was another slide and drug himself down on his belly. He always wants to go down slides head first on his belly!

Sweet Boy!
My two loves...

Here's that fake laugh again...
Kaleb loves to read books in his rocking chair. I finally caught a picture of him sitting there reading his book.

Here's a video of Kaleb getting ready for bed tonight. He picked out a book for Mommy to read to him, but got distracted! I love the hands when you ask him where something is...

At the end of the video he was on his way to the kitchen to get his milk! When he's ready for "nite nite" there's no stopping him. You better not mention "milk", "blankie", or "nite nite" unless you are ready to put him to bed.

Well, we've stayed busy as usual, but we can't wait for Spring Break! There's not much planned except enjoying my baby boy, but it will be a nice, much needed break from school! We'll get back to you soon!

14 month old tantrums!

2009-02-10T21:52:00.005-06:00

I need more comments on this blog so that I know someones still reading it!

Check out all these teeth! Here are the top four...

And here are the bottom 6! Those back two just came in a couple of weeks ago and I finally got a good picture of them!

Anytime you ask Kaleb, "Where's your belly?", he grabs/slaps his belly and laughs! Sometimes he'll grab it and shake it up and down.
This is Kaleb's fake laugh! I love it. There are times Kevin and I will be having a conversation and start laughing together, then out of nowhere you hear this little laugh in the background while he's looking at us.

And now for the good stuff! Kaleb is just now 14 months old and has a mind of his own. When he wants something, he wants it now! He definitely understands the word "no", but doesn't like it! If we leave the bathroom door open he'll shake his finger, tell us "no no", and run in there. This goes for anything he's not supposed to do, anywhere he's not supposed to go, and anything he's not supposed to touch! Tells us "no" and does it anyway!

He has always loved pushing our speakers backward into the wall. Tonight, he would not accept "No" for an answer. He pitched the biggest fit over touching this speaker. The video says it all...

If this is what we get at 14 months, I'm not sure how we're going to make it through the "terrible twos"!

14 month update!

2009-02-08T15:09:00.006-06:00

Sorry it's been so long since an update, but we've just been very busy with work. Any free time we have, we spend with this precious baby boy. Kaleb is growing and changing so much every day. He's got two new teeth. He also has some new words: cheerios ("cheeosh"), go, puff (it's a Gerber snack food for those who don't know!), cheese ("chee"), down ("dow"). He loves to climb things which is how he knows "dow". He climbs on top of all his "cars", likes to stand up and try to balance! We were always telling him to "get down Kaleb"! Now he climbs up and tells us "dow"!
Here's Kaleb lookin' cool with his sunglasses. Look at that grin...he knows he's cute!
Playing with cousin Aurora...
One of his new favorite places...Lupe Tortilla's. And Mommy and Daddy love it too! There are always sooo many kids running around the sand box that I'm scared he'll get knocked down, but he's not worried at all. He loves all the kids and commotion and stands up for himself pretty well!
Watching some other kids...

Smilin' for the camera...
Kaleb loves to make us laugh. This was on the way home when he was just giggling and showing off. He found his tongue and will show it to you if you ask!
What kind of pose it this?

Kaleb also loves to read books! It does not matter what he's doing, if you ask him if he wants to read a book, he will run to his room, get a book, and come sit in your lap. His favorites right now are the "Dog" book and "Swing!".
Here's my sweetie sleeping on the way to school in the morning. I guess it was a long night because he usually doesn't do this.

This morning we went to church and then to Souper Salad. Kaleb loves the All You Can Eat Buffet! Ham, cheese, pasta, strawberry shortcake! What more could you ask for! Here he is after lunch on the way to Babies R Us to stock up on diapers.

I'll get a video posted soon of his other new "things"! Thanks for reading our blog!