In Layman's Terms...

Merry and Bright :)

2011-12-28T11:30:00.002-06:00

This little girl fills my world with light and love :). Taylor Addison Layman- you are the best thing that has ever happened to me!

2011 Reflection

2011-12-17T22:39:00.003-06:00

HappyHolidays!

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season sofar. This has been a busy year for us and life doesn’t seem to be slowing downany time soon! We are incredibly blessed and thankful for another happy yeartogether.

Taylor has grown SO much over the last year andwe fall deeper in love with her every day. It makes us wonder what we did withourselves before she came into our life! This year has brought so many changesfor her. She started walking in February and never looked back. She became awater baby at the end of May. We spent almost every day this Summer in a pool.She LOVES to swim and splash! We had so much fun together. She had her secondset of ear tubes put in and adenoids taken out on July 22. Since then, shehasn’t had any ear infections and, more recently, her speech has exploded! Sheloves to talk, read, and sing. And, when the Fresh Beat Band is on, she is adancing machine! She is so adventurous. She loves to be outside and is notafraid of much. She is a girly girl and loves purses, tutus, bows, hats,jewelry, painted nails… we have so much fun together! God gave us a happylittle girl with a smile and laugh that fills our heart with pure love!

Winston is still working two full time jobs. Hestays busy with work and sports. He plays on a flag football team and abasketball team in his little bit of spare time. We’re hoping that he can cutback and only work one job very soon. He’s a family man and doesn’t like beingaway from his two girls as much as he is. But, we embarked on the Dave Ramseyjourney this year and he doesn’t want to quit until we’ve reached our goal.

This year brought some major changes for me atwork. After teaching Pre-K for 7 years I decided it was time for a change. InAugust I started my journey as a 2^nd grade teacher. It definitelytook some getting used to but I think I’ve finally adjusted and I’m loving mydecision. Second graders are such a sweet age group to teach. I’ve noticed toothat I have a lot more energy left over at the end of the day for the littlelearner that I have at home. I love teaching but I think it might be time for achange. I’m not sure what I want to be “when I grow up.” I’m praying about itand know that God has good things in store for me.

I’m sure the next year will fly by just as fastas this one has. We are praying that God blesses us with another beautifulchild soon and we are hopeful for a successful, blessed, healthy, happy, andeventful 2012! Don’t forget to check our blog from time to time to stay up todate with our most recent happenings. www.winstonandbrandi.blogspot.com

MerryChristmas and Happy New Year!

Winston, Brandi, and Taylor Layman

Family Pictures

2011-12-03T21:34:00.001-06:00

We decided that we would have some family pictures taken at the same time that we took Taylor to have her 2 year pictures taken. Winston does not like being photographed and only agreed to this photo shoot because he wants Taylor to have family pictures to look back at one day. We all got ready and headed up to the JCPenny portrait studio. We chose JCPenney because I bought a groupon for $40 and it gave us $240 worth of pictures. Our appointment was at 4:20 and we sat there until after 5:00. By that time Taylor had had enough and Winston was getting grumpy. Finally, it was our turn! Taylor ran in the picture room jumping and smiling. I thought, "this is gonna be great." Then, the photographer talked to her. She was done. She wanted to leave. She would not sit anywhere she was asked to. She wouldn't smile. She wouldn't stay still long enough to pose. Somehow though, the photographer managed to get a handful of really good pictures. The quality of these portraits on the blog are not that great since I took a picture of a picture with my phone. I wanted to post the pictures tonight (because I'm pretty proud of my family, even if we are not that photogenic!)

Diva!

2011-11-30T21:59:00.001-06:00

Last night, Winston, Taylor, and I went to dinner with some friends who have a little girl the same age as Taylor. We enjoy getting together with these friends because our life stage is so similar and we always have good conversations. Anywho... as we were getting ready to leave our house Taylor HAD to put her tutu on. Actually, she HAD to put both of her tutu's on! And her mittens. And her boots!

This little girl cracks me up! She wears her rain boots almost everyday and loves to put hats on, carry purses, wear bracelets and necklaces and sunglasses She is also VERY interested in Momma's make-up. She most definitely has to be involved when I'm getting ready for work in the mornings.. As I looked thru the pictures on my phone I realized that I have quite the little diva on my hands who happens to have pretty eccentric taste!

As I picked her up from daycare today and she ran to me with her rain boots and two different bows in her hair I thought, hmmm, maybe I encourage it... I just don't see the point in having a power struggle over a pair of shoes or a tutu. There are bigger things to worry about in this world and if my (almost) two year old doesn't match but she's happy, I'm happy! I love this little Diva!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T20:13:00.001-06:00

Last week I school I gave my second graders a writing prompt. I truly enjoyed reading their responses to this prompt. To my surprise more than half of my second graders listed God as one of the things that they were thankful for Several of them listed it first in their list. Praise the Lord! God is alive and living in the hearts of these little angles!

We traveled to Lamesa for Thanksgiving. Lots of good food, football, and family. Happy Thanksgiving!

BYOP!!!

2011-10-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

We hosted a BYOP party at our house today... Bring Your Own PUMPKIN!!! We are lucky to have so many kids in our neighborhood around the same age as Taylor. We invited our awesome neighbors and some of our good friends to come over and join in the fun of carving and decorating pumpkins. We lucked out with the weather, it was a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree, October day. In addition to the regular pumpkin carving tools we also had corn syrup paint (corn syrup and food coloring), and decorations for the kids to decorate with. We had a great turnout and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves! The kids loved the snacks of course and us adults enjoyed the company of each other.

Kevin and Kendra brought their precious twin girls, Avery and Addison. They are the cutest, blue-eyed family. So lucky to have these folks as neighbors!

Jose and Charnese brought their sweet boy, Jaden, over to join in the fun. Jaden enjoyed carving the pumpkin and painting it. He was very proud of his finished product!

My neices, Kymbra and Kylar, joined in the fun today as well. Can you believe that neither one of them had never carved a pumpkin?! I couldn't either! Well, I'm happy to report that they have now had the experience! They both tooking carving their pumpkin seriously. They did a pretty darn good job, too!

Our neighbors Derek and Sarah brought their handsome baby boy, Cannon, down to join in the fun. Cannon is one of the most fun, most full of life, kids I've ever met! He had a blast today running all over the place and taking it all in. What a beautiful little family they have!

Taylor and Cannon enjoyed some yummy cookies. So cute!

Our good friend Paula brought her three kids, Haley, Lily, and Ian over but my hands must have been too busy, I didn't get any pictures of them or their sweet momma! Leah and her mom, Amanda, were here for a while. Taylor and Leah worked on a pumpkin together. Taylor loves to paint! She loved painting with the corn syrup. By the time she was finished, she was COVERED in a sticky mess. Thankfully for me, it was Daddy's bath night!! :)

Today was a great day! Below is a picture of the finished products, minus a few. BYOP may have to be a yearly thing around here. Happy Halloween yall!

Good moments!

2011-10-27T10:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was not one of my favorite days. But, instead of focusing on all things bad I decided to count my blessings and be thankful for the good things and the good moments. I'm so thankful that I have this little beauty to remind me just how lucky I am! I love her!

Pickin Pumpkins!

2011-10-22T23:58:00.020-05:00

We've been enjoying the fall weather lately. It's been such a nice break from the heat that we had this Summer! Winston and I have been so busy that Halloween almost snuck up on us without taking our little girl to the pumpkin patch. We made some time to take her today. She had so much fun! She wasn't too sure of the pumpkins at first and was completely content with having Daddy pull her in the wagon.

But, it didn't take long for her adventurous side to come out. She wanted to touch every pumpkin in the field! She didn't understand why we couldn't put every pumpkin she found into the wagon! The ghost pumpkins were her favorite this year. She managed to get 2 small ones in the wagon :). She also liked the little pumpkins. She would point to one, look at us, and ask, "Mine?"

She was so excited when she realized that Daddy was loading the pumpkins in the back of our Tahoe. She wanted to climb in there with them. She patted each one and said, "Daddy, thank you!"

When we got home we unloaded our goodies and put them on the front porch. Today was such a good day. I'm so thankful for my precious little family. I am incredibly blessed! Happy Fall yall!

Mess Maker!

2011-10-14T21:25:00.005-05:00

If there is one thing that Taylor is good at, it's making messes! Thankfully she loves to clean up too! This is what happen one Sunday morning while I was getting ready for church... at least she knows how to entertain herself :).

Growing!

2011-10-14T21:17:00.004-05:00

I can't wrap it around my brain that Taylor will 2 years old before too long! She is growing so fast, right in front of our eyes. Being a mommy is by far the most rewarding thing that I have ever done. Now if I could just figure out how to get someone to pay me to stay home with her! :) I thought I was living life before this little girl, I was wrong! She is so much fun. We are so lucky to have been blessed with such a happy baby! I love you, Taylor Addison Layman!!

Daddy's little girl

2011-10-14T21:07:00.005-05:00

Taylor is head over hills, completely in love with her Daddy! She loves to be with him. They have so much fun together. I love watching them play. I'm so thankful that Winston is such an involved Daddy. Hopefully he'll be able to quit his second job soon so he'll have more time at home with his girls. We sure do miss him when he's not home, and that is more often than not.

Sometimes Taylor will visit Daddy at the BBQ shop, she loves to carry pieces of wood to Winston and watch him put it on the fire. She is such a good helper!

Vegas: Adult Trip :)

2011-10-14T18:28:00.005-05:00

Last weekend Winston and I were able to escape the hustle of our busy lives and sneak off to Vegas. Actually, we've had this planned for a while, two of our friend chose Vegas as their destination for thier wedding. Taylor stayed with Nana and got lots of love whilc Winston and I enjoyed some time together. We needed it!We enjoyed time alone and with some of our best friends, so much fun!! Below are a couple of pictures from our weekend!

Summer 2011

2011-08-06T08:34:00.002-05:00

This Summer has been one of my most memorable Summers that I can remember. We didn't take any trips or do anything extravagent. We just hung out and enjoyed our little family. I'm so fortunate to have a job that gives me time off to spend with my little girl. Taylor and I spent a lot of time outside this Summer. We walked to the park almost every morning, we played in our front yard oasis often, we went to the big swimming pool several times, visited the library alot, we took lots of walk, and we had fun playing with sidewalk chalk. I would send Winston pictures of our daily adventures and he admitted to be just a little jealous of all the time Taylor and I were spending together. I can understand, I know I would be if I was stuck at work! I'm going to miss my little girl so much! She amazes us every day with her funny little personality. She's so sweet and of course, we think she is amazingly smart! She is really talking a lot and getting the potty figured out :). I go back to the real world on Monday so it may be a while before another post but I'll try my best! I'm starting a new venture this year, no more Pre-K... I will be teaching second grade math!! I hope you all enjoyed your Summer as much as we did! Blessings!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

2011-07-24T19:35:00.001-05:00

An apple a day, new ear tubes, no more adenoids, daily ear drops, and lots of prayers... let's hope it keeps the doctor away! Taylor is finally feeling all better today. We've played at the park, gone to the store, and been all over town. She has been full of energy and her normal rambuncious little self that we love :). So thankful for our baby girl!

Surgery #2

2011-07-22T17:06:00.001-05:00

Taylor had her second surgery today. Her doctor went in and took her old ear tubes out, put new tubes in, and took her adenoids out. Hopefully this will solve her problem of recurrent ear infections! We had to be at the surgery center really early this morning. I'm pretty sure Taylor knew something was going on. She was a happy girl before surgery (as long as the doctors or nurses didn't come close to her!). She was in surgery for about 20 minutes before we were able to go see her in recovery. She woke up in a horrible mood and threw a fit to have the IV taken out of her arm. Her Daddy walked her around outside which she loved and after about an hour we were able to take our baby home. Once we got home she got sick from the anestetic and vomitted at least 10 times. I called and they said this was normal as long as it stopped... It did, thankfully, and now she is feeling all better! Thanks to everyone who said a prayer for our little angel!

Easter 2011 in pictures

2011-05-03T22:37:00.008-05:00

1.) Decorate Easter Eggs

2.) Go to church

3.) Eat lunch

4.) Egg Hunt

5.) Get help from Daddy

6.) and Mommy

7.) Confetti Eggs

= A VERY HAPPY EASTER!

Easter bags

2011-05-03T21:58:00.003-05:00

Taylor is such a talented little artist already. She has several canvases hanging in her room that she has painted. Her first one was at 7 months. This year for Easter I decided to get bags instead of baskets and let Taylor do the decorating. She did a fantastic job! By the time she was finished there was paint on her, mommy, the floor, and the Easter bags. SUCCESS!!!

Girly Girl!

2011-05-03T21:47:00.003-05:00

Taylor is such a girly girl sometimes! She loves necklaces, bracelets, and purses. Anything that she pick up and put on her arm is carried around like a purse. I decided to make her her very own purse since she was convinced that she needed one. As soon as I gave it to her she put her juice cup in it, walked to the door, and said "Let's go!" She is such a little character! She always keeps us smiling :-)!! Nana and Papa Georgie showed up on the bike one day and Taylor wouldn't put her purse down long enough to play on the bike. Diva!

Family Fun

2011-05-03T21:41:00.004-05:00

Recently my sister Toni moved to Lubbock. It has been so nice to have her and her kiddos close to us. I love it! Taylor really enjoys have her cousins and her Aunt ToTo around too :-).

Bath time Beauty!

2011-05-03T21:40:00.002-05:00

Christmas Fun!

2010-12-28T22:37:00.003-06:00

Winston and I love to drive around and look at Christmas lights. We knew that Taylor was probably still a little young to grasp the excitement of it all but we wanted to share the experience with her. She was crashed out in the back seat before we could even get out to Ransom Canyon! She has become so attached to her piglet. She takes him everywhere we go. She has to have it when she lays down and she has to have it when she leaves her crib. Taylor only gets a bottle at night time now since we are weaning her off of it. Look closely but you can see that she has piglet in one hand and the bottle in the other. She's out!
This sleepy little girl tried to make her new inch worm go but she's just not big enough yet. She sure looks cute trying though!

Taylor loves to spend time with her Nana. Below is a picture of Nana, Taylor, and her new cousin, Mason. It's amazing what a difference 10 months makes when they are this age! Taylor loves Mason! She tries to hug him and kiss him, it's so cute!

Little Ms. Claus wasn't too happy about wearing this little outfit. I can't blame her though, it was really hot!

I absolutely LOVE this picture! Taylor loves her trike and although she is still too small for it, she wouldn't let that stop her from trying. She is so adventurous and curious!

This is Taylor just before she got her shots at her 12 month well check-up. I won't share what the after looked like :(.Taylor is such a lucky little girl to have a daddy like Winston. He loves her so much and loves to share new experiences with her. The pictures below warm my heart! And yes, Winston does have shorts on in the middle of December... it's been a really warm Winter around here!

Happy First Birthday Taylor!!!

2010-12-28T21:43:00.008-06:00

Saturday, December 18 was our little angel's first birthday! Taylor has brought so much joy into our lives! It's hard to believe that she is a year old already! There are so many things that I have learned in her first year of life. Some of them are pretty interesting... I need to post a blog outlining some of the life lessons I've learned over the past year! For her birthday we invited over all of our family to join us in the celebrating. We had mashed potatoes and mac & cheese (2 of Taylor's favorite things) and I made cupcakes and a cake shaped as a number 1! She woke up in such a good mood and enjoyed a breakfast of blueberry waffles, another one of her favorites! She loves to push the button on the giraffe below and dance and dance. She is so much fun!

Taylor was beginning to get a little fussy by the time it was cupcake time. She skipped her afternoon nap and was tired. She was so funny when I put the cupcake on her tray. She picked it up and smashed it in her face! Her little fingers are even poked inside of the cupcake!

By the time she finished her cupcake she had icing in her hair and her ears and her nose! We wanted to pose for a few pictures with the messy birthday girl but she was DONE!!! I don't think she understood why everyone was standing around looking at her, and smiling, and clapping :).

It has been such a long time since we've had all of our family together. I can't remember the last time that we were all together, actually. Winston and I felt so honored that everyone took a little time out of their busy lives to spend the day with our baby! Taylor is really pretty special!

Nana and Papa Georgie

Grandma and Aunt Missy

Kylar, Kain, Aunt Toni, and Kymbra

Aunt Suzzette, a very tired Taylor, and Uncle Michael

Cousins! Chandler, Kain, Kylar, Taylor, Kaitlyn, and Kymbra!

Aunt Mandy, Kaitlyn, and Chandler

Ready for Christmas!

2010-12-02T22:46:00.001-06:00

I love my Nana!

2010-12-02T22:45:00.001-06:00

Adventurous Baby!

2010-12-02T22:42:00.001-06:00

Just a swingin'

2010-12-02T22:40:00.002-06:00

No more baby food for me!

2010-12-02T22:34:00.002-06:00

Fall Fun!!

2010-12-02T22:28:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I've had a chance to update the blog so I'm starting in October and posting lots of pictures. Enjoy! We took Taylor to the Pumpkin Trail before Halloween. She liked looking at the pumpkins but did not want to touch one at all!

Is this the cutest frog you've ever seen?

2010-09-26T16:41:00.003-05:00

Halloween is right around the corner. Winston and I agreed that we wanted to dress Taylor up as a frog or a kangaroo or a grasshopper. She jumps ALL the time. She jumps when she is in her exersaucer. She jumps in her walker. She jumps while she is standing. She jumps in her carseat. She jumps when you're holding her. She jumps when she gets excited... I found this cute little frog costume and had to get it for her. As soon as we got it on, she started jumping! We laughed so hard! I'm going to sew a big pink bow on it and maybe some pink trim to make it a little froglina costume. I don't want anyone to mistake her as a little boy :).

How long will it be?

2010-09-26T16:33:00.003-05:00

Taylor started pulling up last week. The first time she pulled up in her crib (at 5am) she started screaming because she didn't know how to sit down! She's got that figured out and she has also figured out how to walk back and forth while holding onto something. She cruises everywhere. She is getting really brave and is starting to hold on by only a few fingers. Winston and I are trying to get a pot going of who can guess the correct date of when our little 9 month old will start walking. It's amazing how fast babies figure things out! We have really had to baby proof our house in a hurry. This little girl is EVERYWHERE! She sticks her tongue out when she is really concentrating. She was staring at the couch and bending her legs and taking little steps but she wouldn't let go of the chair... It wont be long!

Tubes

2010-09-26T16:09:00.004-05:00

Taylor has been on six different antibiotics since June because of ear infections. She has had three double ear infections and three additional infections in her right ear. Her pediatrician, Dr. Landry, referred us to a specialist to have tubes put in her ears. Taylor's surgery was scheduled for Friday, September 24. Dr. Potocki reassured us that tubes is a really routine procedure and it would be no big deal. That's easy to say when it's not your child! We got to the surgery center at 6:20. I kept Taylor in her jammies so she could be as comfortable as possible. Here are a few pictures of her before surgery.

I was really dreading the moment when they took Taylor back to surgery and I couldn't go with her. She has a little bit of stranger anxiety and I just knew she was going to cry. Thankfully, we had an amazing nurse who took a little time to develop a connection with Taylor. Taylor willingly went with her and didn't cry at all. Winston, Mom, and I sat in the waiting area and in no time Dr. Potocki was there telling us that it went great. We followed him to the recovery area to see Taylor. We were warned several times that she would be very upest and confused as she came out of anesteia. She did cry some but I had a warm bottle waiting for her which comforted her and Daddy took her outside for a little walk which she loved. We were on our way home 30 minutes later! It really was pretty "routine!" We already see a change in Taylor! She seems so happy. She is sleeping MUCH better. And, she is not constantly pulling at her ears. She was so happy once we got home. Are we sure this baby just had surgery??

We will never forget.

2010-09-26T16:01:00.004-05:00

Every September 11 there is a huge display of flags at a local park. Winston and I always go walk around the flags and say a few prayers for those that were directly affected by this tragedy. We were excited to take Taylor to the flags this year. We knew she would probably be fascinated by all of the waving flags and we were excited to share it with her. She was so interested in the flags and really happy to be outside!

Sew fun!

2010-09-26T15:56:00.002-05:00

I got a sewing machine for my birthday. I've wanted one for a while and would love to get really, really good at it so I can make Taylor cute this dresses and stuff. I really with I knew how to embroider.. how fun would that be?! Anyway, my Mom is an awesome seamstress and is teaching me a few skills. I had a ton of school shirts from Stubbs and wanted to use them to make a blanket. I'm so proud of the outcome!

"Tutu" cute!

2010-09-26T15:52:00.002-05:00

I'm so happy that I have a little girl to dress up and doll out! Winston always jokes that the only reason I wanted a girl was so that I could play dress-up with her. It's hard not to play a little when she is this stinkin' cute!

BAD TO THE BONE!

2010-09-26T15:47:00.002-05:00

Taylor has her first experience on a Harley about 2 weeks ago. Papa Georgie brought his bike to Nana's house and let Taylor have a little fun. I'm sure it won't be long before she is begging for a ride around the block :-/. She loves her Papa Georgie! (and his bike!)

Happy as a Lark

2010-09-26T15:33:00.003-05:00

We have spent a lot of time outside since Taylor has gotten more active. She loves to be outside. She is so curious and adventurous! She loves to watch the dogs play in the backyard and she laughs when they get close to her. No fear! Did you notice that she can wear a bow without a headband now? Exciting moment! LOL! You might also notice the ouchie that she has on her nose... sometimes she is a little too adventurous!!

My Mom got Taylor this cute little car. She loves to ride in it! She's so funny, she'll put one hand on the wheel and lean back like she is really just cruising.
We go on a walk around our neighborhood almost every evening. Most of the time Taylor is wide awake and talks the whole time. We must have had a wild and crazy weekend because she crashed tonight ;).

My little ARTIST!

2010-09-26T15:17:00.002-05:00

I love painting with Taylor! I don't mind the mess it makes, I think its a great way to foster her creativity! And, I think she is a natural :). These two paintings are hanging in her room and they look great!

I love Daddy

2010-09-26T15:13:00.002-05:00

EIGHT months old!

2010-08-18T19:46:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it has already been 8 months! Where has the time gone? Taylor weighs 22 pounds and is 30 inches long. She is growing like crazy and is usually (when her ears aren't bothering her) a happy, silly baby!

She is crawling/scooting all over the place and really starting to get into things that were not made for her. I've got to get busy and baby proof this house pretty quick! She is trying to pull up on things but hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. She can stand for a short amount of time without anyone holding her for support.

She loves to look in the mirror and talk to herself. She gets tickled when you make silly sounds and will laugh and laugh and laugh! She cracks me up when she is playing in the mirror because she gets this confused look on her face when she can "get" the person looking back at her. It's so cute ;).

She's doing really good at her new daycare and her sitter Mrs. Jannie is a real sweetheart. She's eating all sorts of food including "real" foods like mashed potatoes, mashed bananas, and mac & cheese. She still enjoys being in the water and being outside. She really doesn't seem to be afraid of much, she is adventurous already! We invited our friends over on Sunday and put Leah and Taylor in the pool together. They had so much fun!

She really likes to play with her books, look at them, and eat them of course! I was so excited yesterday when I found bath books at the Dollar Tree! Now she has books for bath time too!

I love this little girl more than words can describe. I'm so blessed to be her Mommy! I look forward to watching her grow over the next couple of months. Time is going to start really flying by when school starts and our schedules get busier. I'll be planning her first birthday before I know it!

Enjoy the rest of your week and have a relaxing weekend!

Sick baby!

2010-08-18T19:39:00.002-05:00

Our poor little Taylor has been sick so much over the last five or six weeks. Her ears have been the main culprit of her pain. She gets over an ear infection just to get another one within days. We have an appointment with an ENT scheduled for September 9 and we are going to have to get tubes put in her ears. I know that the surgery is "routine" but it's still a little scary when it's your own baby! Last Tuesday we ended up in the ER because Taylor was throwing up every 10 minutes. She could not keep ANYTHING down. I felt so bad for her. Thankfully we didn't have to stay in the hospital and were able to go home to try and rest. Aunt Toni came and stayed with Taylor on Wednesday because that was my first day back to work and Winston couldn't get off. We all three ended up with the terrible virus that baby Taylor had. No fun at all! Hopefully all the sickness is behind us!

Our little cutie!

2010-08-08T15:31:00.003-05:00

Taylor is so much fun these days! She is very social and "talks" a lot! She says da da, babababa, and I promise she says hi! She waves hi and bye and has the most beautiful smile! Her whole face lights up and she grins from ear to ear! She has mastered object permanence and loves to play the game of "I drop it, you pick it up" over and over again. She is working on her pincer grasp and picks up any little thing she can get her hands on. She studies whatever is in her hands for a few seconds and then it goes straight to her mouth!

She is ALMOST crawling. She'll get up on all fours and rock back and forth then she'll pull her self forward with her arms while kicking off with her feet. She loves scooting around the house in her walker and has figured out how to open the drawers in the kitchen. Yesterday she was scooting around while I was cooking and she opened a drawer and started pulling utensils out. I had a big mess to clean up when she was finished but she had so much fun! She has a really cute personality and sense of humor. When she starts laughing, we all start laughing!

She loves to be in water and loves to be outside. She weighs 21.10 pounds!!! She's in the 95th percentile in weight and the 97th percentile in height. Our doctor told us that if she kept growing the way that she has been she will be at least 5'10 when she gets older. No surprise there! I've had so much fun with her this Summer. I am not looking forward to dropping her off with the sitter tomorrow morning :(. I'm going to miss her like crazy!

Ruidoso

2010-08-08T14:10:00.005-05:00

We spent some time in beautiful Ruidoso, New Mexico and had a lot of fun with our family and relaxing. I had forgotten how beautiful Ruidoso is. We had amazing, breathtaking views from our cabin.

We had plans of staying Friday-Friday but things had to change a little when Taylor got sick. Winston, Toni, and Kymbra drove in Friday night and had to leave Sunday night. Winston had to get back to work on Monday morning and Kymbra started two-a-days Monday. Me, Taylor, Mom, Kaitlyn, Kylar, Chandler, and Kain stayed until Wednesday. While Winston was with us, he and the boys stayed busy hiking, exploring, and being adventurous. While they were hiking on Saturday, us girls loaded up and took a scenic tour of Ruidoso. We stopped and walked near the river and took advantage of the photo opts!

On Sunday we all went on a hike. Well, not all of us... Nana and Taylor stayed at the cabin for some quiet time. We saw all types of animals including deer, mule deer, skunks, wild turkeys, and fox. It was so nice to be in the great outdoors and get some much needed exercise! We all got a couple of scratches and battle wounds from our adventures that day but it was well worth it!On Monday we went and watched Despicable Me and then walked mid-town for some window shopping.

On Tuesday Kaitlyn stayed at the cabin with Taylor and we took the boys and Kylar to the water park in town. It has a huge slide that the boys enjoyed riding and they had a blast jumping off of the diving board too!

Taylor and Leah

2010-08-06T08:35:00.002-05:00

My friend Amanda welcomed a sweet baby girl into the world 10 weeks after I had Taylor. Amanda and her husband live really close to us so we get to see each other often. It's so much fun to watch the girls play together. I can't wait until they're older and really able to interact with each other. I'm sure we will be busy chasing after them!

House work :)

2010-08-06T08:25:00.002-05:00

Loads of fun!

Bath time!

2010-07-17T10:40:00.004-05:00

Our little chunckers loves to be in the water. It doesnt' matter if it's a swimming pool or a bath tub, if there's water she's going to have fun! She would much rather have a cup than her bath toys. It's so funny to watch her reaction when she pours water over her head. Love her!

Everyday happenings...

2010-07-17T10:24:00.004-05:00

Since I didn't blog for a month I have a lot of pictures to upload of our little angel. Enjoy!

While I taught Summer school at Wester my niece Kylar stayed at our house and watched Taylor for us. Taylor loves her KyKy!!!

Taylor also loves our dog Elli. Good thing Elli likes her too :~). Now if we could just figure out how to get Elli to stop jumping the fence, she'd be a pretty good dog!

A Father's Love

2010-07-09T22:47:00.005-05:00

"The love of a Father is central to what a child learns. The love of a father affects every relationship and interaction that follows. A Father’s love is vitally important and it is the starting point of our understanding of God’s love. How a father interacts and cares for his family and demonstrates love is but a taste of God’s love for us. The more purely that love can demonstrated, the greater the reflection and understanding of God’s love."While Winston and I were dating we talked about having children and our plans for the future. We both agreed that we wanted a large family with 3 or 4 children. Thankfully God had children in his plans for us too. I always knew that Winston would be a good daddy. I knew that he would love our baby and care for her and provide for her. Since Taylor has been born I've seen a whole new side of Winston that I didn't know existed before. He is not a good daddy. He is an AWESOME daddy! He is so hands on. He loves to watch Taylor, play with her, read to her, talk to her, snuggle with her. He changes dirty diapers with a smile on his face. He helps with bath time and feeds her whenever he gets a chance. He loves to show her off to his friends. His face lights up when he talks about her. The daycare that Taylor will go to in August had to be on his way to work because he wants to take her every morning. He wants to start his day with his little angel. I am thankful that God blessed me with such an awesome partner in the parenting game. And I'm so truly thankful that God gave Taylor such a loving Daddy. I wish everyone understood the importance a Daddy plays in the role of their children. I remember reading the passage above in a devotional years ago. When I finished reading it I thought, "I want my children to have a father who fits this mold." Guess what? I've got him and so does Taybaby!

6 months old

2010-07-09T22:31:00.003-05:00

Taylor turned 6 months old on June 18. I've been so busy that I haven't been able to make time for blogging and I've missed it. Below are a few pictures of our beautiful, bright-eyed baby on her 6 month birthday!

E*Trade Baby

2010-07-09T22:15:00.005-05:00

Dear E*Trade,

I would like to submit these photos to you for consideration in upcoming advertisement campaigns. I think the model pictured has the perfect personality for your commercials. She's already got the famous e*trade pose mastered as you can see in the photos below. In my opinion, she is exactly what you need to make your cute, attention getting commercials even cuter!

Yours truly,
Taylor's Mommy :~)

Funny baby!!!

2010-07-09T21:57:00.003-05:00

Taylor makes us laugh everyday. She amazes us with new things all the time. She is getting so big and strong! She is able to sit in carts at the store and high chairs in restaurants. I know it sounds silly but the day I realized that she was able to sit in a cart at Walmart I was kinda sad. I'm so thankful that is healthy and growing but she seems to be growing sooooo fast!

Taylor loves to put EVERYTHING in her mouth. I walked in the room just the other day and she had gotten her sandal off and into her mouth! Don't worry, they've never touched the ground so they're pretty germ free ;).

Nana bought this cute, little pacifier for Tay after we saw a baby in the airport with one like it. It's the neatest thing! The paci is sewn on to the perfect sized stuffed animal. It's actually designed to help the baby keep it in their mouth. It's completely machine washable too! Taylor is not a big paci baby. She'll take one every now and then but she loves her wubbanub! She has this little pony and a cute puppy one! Check out the website at www.wubbanub.com There are so many cute stuff animals! They'd be a perfect baby gift! :~).

Florida!

2010-07-08T23:03:00.009-05:00

Taylor, Mom, and I flew to Florida to visit Grandma and Pops from May 29-June 5. I was a little worried about how Taylor would do on an airplane and a little worried of how long it would take us to get through security with bottles and formula! Taylor did great! We made sure to have something in her mouth every time we went up and every time we came down. She slept most of the time we were on the plane. She is such an easy going, laid back baby!We enjoyed our time in Florida so much! I really wish we could go back before school starts again in August but I just don't think it's possible! We relaxed, spent time at the pool, soaked up the Florida sun, and took plenty of naps :). Grandma spoiled Taylor so much while we were there. I know that if Tay could talk she would tell me that she wants to take a nap in Grandma's arms again!

We went to the flea market on Monday and it was so HOT and humid! There were 9 million people there because it was memorial day but Mom and I had to look! The flea markets around here are not even comparable to the massive flea market in Florida. Unfortunately Pops had a case of the shingles while we were there so he didn't get to love on Taylor quite as much as he wanted to! Just another reason for us to go back... Taylor needs some of Pops lovin too!

As I mentioned earlier, we did plenty of relaxing while we were there. A lot of that relaxing was done in the pool under the Florida sun. Taylor loved the water. She is a water baby big time!

I miss you Grandma and Pops and I know Taylor does too! I can't wait until next Summer when we come out for another visit. I love you both very, very much!

The ending of an era...

2010-07-08T22:49:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Stubbs closed it's doors at the end of the school year. We have an end of the year party/luncheon and surprised our fearless leader with a blanket made out of old Stubbs shirts. It was a very emotional day. I have learned so much working for Kathy and I will miss her dearly.

Giggles and Grins

2010-05-24T22:22:00.004-05:00

Taylor is 5 months old now. She is so much fun! She is so active and "talks" to us all the time. She is always ready to greet us with a big smile in the morning. She laughs a lot and is really beginning to develop her sense of humor and personality. She is becoming more and more curious and coordinated. We love our bright eyed baby so much!

Country cruisin...

2010-05-24T22:12:00.004-05:00

Winston, Taylor, and I went on a country cruise last Friday evening. Taylor slept while Winston and I talked and enjoyed the beautiful views. We have a dream to one day own some land in the country, build a big beautiful house with a wrap around porch and balcony, and watch our babies play in the dirt. Who knows if we'll ever achieve this goal but it's a dream that we really enjoy planning and visualizing! We both love these wide open spaces that surround us. What a perfect evening :).

The ending of an era...

2010-05-24T21:57:00.003-05:00

I have taught at Stubbs for the last 6 years. My first year teaching was also Stubbs first year to re-open as an early childhood school. In the beginning there were only 5 teachers in the entire school. Today we have 18 teachers and a full staff. The school is really an amazing environment for little learners and I'm so thankful that I have had the opportunity to teach there over the last 6 years. Stubbs will officially close it's doors again on Friday. All of us that are currently teaching there will be split up amongst 16 elementary school in town. I will be with 3 of my best friends (and 3 of the most amazing teachers) next year at Bayless Elementary. It's a HUGE school with a HUGE population. I'm sure it will take some getting used to but all things happen for a reason and I believe we are meant to be there. I'm just so thankful to be making the move with my friends. I know that will make the move a little easier. Below are a couple of pictures of some of my students this year. I'm happy that Summer break is almost here. I am so excited to spend the days with my baby girl! But, I will miss the kids in my class so much. I always form a relationship with them and their families and it's hard to say good-bye!

Season of Change

2010-04-27T08:53:00.010-05:00

I blogged yesterday that our lives are full of changes right now and it is. Hopefully I'll remember all of the changes and get you up to date. I have a little bit of free time this morning because I took the day off from work. I have a doctors appointment this morning and Taylor has her 4 month well check and shots this afternoon. I think this is the first time I've been alone since December. I couldn't decide if I should do laundry or take a nap or mow the yard so... I decided to blog!

Change #1

Taylor has started to eat cereal. I gave it to her with a spoon one night and all the other times I've just put it in her night time bottle. She is sleeping through the night!! Hip, hip, hooray! She also has a pair of jammies that we consider her lucky pj's because she sleeps through the night every time she wears them.

Change #2
Winston has recently started a new job. THANK YOU JESUS! He is working for AT&T and handles small business customer service and sales for 5 states. This is a really good opportunity for him and he seems to enjoy it so far. He is still working at Big E's one night a week and on the weekends. He also works all the special events like concerts and bike rallies. We were young and dumb and got ourselves into debt so now we are busting butt to get out of it. I'm so thankful that he's willing to sacrifice like this to get us ahead. Here are a couple of picture of Daddy and Taylor at work last weekend. He worked the Blue Ribbon Rally, A Fight to Stop Child Abuse. He's just a little proud ;).

Change #3

I'm changing jobs too. Well, kinda! We were notified that our school as well as the other 3 early childhood schools in Lubbock are closing down. The district will save 4-5 million dollars a year by doing this. They are going to spread us out and put us on the elementary campuses around town. I'll still be teaching ESL Pre-K but it will be in a different place. I was bummed when I learned this because I will truly miss the girls that I work with. I've been at Stubbs for 6 years, it's like a second family for me. The thing that is driving me crazy now is that I have no idea where I will be teaching next year. Hopefully we will find out soon. I don't know how much longer I can wait!!

Dr. Garza, superintendent of LISD, dropped by our school yesterday to calm our fears. I had Taybaby with me because the meeting was after hours and Daddy was still at work. Dr. Garza couldn't help but love on Taylor! Can you blame her?

Change #4

In July 2009 we had a slab leak in our master bathroom. We ripped out the old bathroom, which was old and dingy, and SLOWLY started to remodel it. It's not completely done yet but it's getting there. I'm thrilled that I have a working toilet in our room again! Here's a picture of the work in progress. I'll post a pic when it's all the way done. It's going to look fabulous!

Change #5

My sister's kids are getting so big! Sometimes when I'm holding my little angel I think of how I would hold and love on Kymbra, Kylar, and Kain when they were Taylor's age. I can't believe how quickly life is flying by. Last weekend we visited Kylar at Tech to watch her compete in a robotics competition. On Sunday we met my Mom and the kids in Tahoka at a little diner on the side of the road for lunch. We had such a good time together. Hopefully we can start to do it more often. We'll have to do it on a Sunday that Toni is off and Winston is rested so we'll have the whole family together!

Change #6

I learned at a young age that life is short. Losing my Dad was so hard and completely changed my life and the way I thought about the world. I know that tomorrow is not a guarantee and life shouldn't be taken for granted. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the little stresses of everyday life and forget about how precious each moment with our loved ones is. Our next door neighbor Jim was killed in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago. Just like that his life was over. We'll miss seeing his friendly face and we are praying for his family and friends. It's strange leaving for work each morning because we would always leave around the same time and share a little wave. Now I look over there and it's just empty. A constant reminder of a hard life lesson. Every night when I pray with Taylor I ask God to give me a long lifetime to spend with her and Winston. I am so looking forward to watching her grow and expanding our little family together. Life aint always beautiful but it's a beautiful ride!

4 months old

2010-04-26T15:07:00.002-05:00

Taylor is 4 months old already! We are having so much fun with our sweet baby girl! There are A LOT of changes happening in our world right now. Hopefully I'll have time to blog about most of them very soon. Until then here is a picture of Taylor on her 4 month birthday!

Sweet Moments

2010-04-14T14:25:00.003-05:00

Our lives are so full of sweet moments now that Taylor is with us. Below are a few pictures of some of those moments from the last 2 weeks... Enjoy!

Happy girl!

2010-04-03T18:41:00.002-05:00

Taylor is going through a growth spurt! I think she has gained about 4 pounds this week alone! I had to go through her drawers and switch most of the 0-3 clothes out with 3-6 clothes. She's outgrown them because she is getting so long!! She is a happy, happy baby. She loves to be outside and seems to really enjoy it when we go on walks. She LOVES to eat her hands and has recently discovered the ceiling fan! The last picture is her laughing at the fan in our room. I love her so much :~}.

3 months old!

2010-03-18T16:32:00.002-05:00

Taylor is 3 months old today. Time flies when you're having fun!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-18T16:29:00.003-05:00

Happenings in our world..

2010-03-13T20:52:00.005-06:00

Taylor is growing so fast it's hard to believe! I didn't realize how much she had grown until we visited the hospital on Thursday to see a friend of ours who had just welcomed her baby into the world. Taylor looked like a giant compared to baby Leah! I wish I would've gotten a picture of them together. I might just have to do that! Taylor will be 3 months old next week. She is such a good baby. We are so very blessed! She wakes up happy each morning. She's starting to smile more and more. She only gets fussy when she's ready to eat. She gets that from her Daddy! She loves to lay under her mobiles and watch them. Yes, I typed mobiles... she has 2! No, she's not spoiled at all ;). She's getting so strong and is really trying to hold her head up when she's on her tummy. She'll be scooting around in no time! Her Aunt Toni bought her a Bumbo chair. These chairs are supposed to help babies develop their large muscles and provide good support for little sitters. Taylor sat in her chair all by herself today! She's not even 3 months old yet and she's sitting up. Well, kinda! She's still a little wobbly and still looks like a bobble-head sometimes but she's getting there.

She is on a really good routine. Actually, it's a GREAT routine! Daddy gets her up each morning around 6 while I'm in the shower. He gets her dressed and then feeds her. I take her to Mrs. Becky at 7 and she usually naps until about 9:30. Then, she eats again, plays, eats at 12:30, plays and sometimes naps, eats at 3:30. I pick her up and we go home and play. She's always excited to lay under her mobile and usually does for 20-30 minutes! Bath time is around 6:30 then she takes her night time bottle around 7. She crashes and usually sleeps until 2 or 3. She'll eat and then go right back to sleep! She's actually slept through the night 3 times. Hopefully that number will start to increase soon. I never thought I'd be the type of person to wake up at 6 am on my days off but I'm doing it so I can keep her on her routine! Even though that means that I'm usually in bed asleep before 9pm!! She gives me something to look forward to every morning. I love waking up next to her! She makes every morning a great morning!

Winston is such a good Daddy! I am so lucky to have him as a partner in the parenting game! Taylor has him wrapped around her little finger already! She loves to just stare at him and she follows him around the room anytime he's up and moving. It's so cute!

She is still sleeping in the bassinet right next to our bed. I've tried to put her in her crib but she refuses to sleep in there! She can be knocked out and if I put her in her crib she either wakes right up or wakes up within a matter of minutes. Help! I need some advice on how to help her make that transition. I'd let her sleep next to the bed forever but she's outgrowing the bassinet and will be too long for it very soon. I'm going to work on getting her used to it while I'm off this week for Spring Break. I'll let you know how it goes... I better get off of here and get to bed. It's 9:20 and totally past my bedtime! :) I'll leave you with one more picture of my Taybaby. Notice how red her hair looks in this picture!

Back to work!

2010-03-08T19:57:00.003-06:00

Last week was my first week back at work. It went really well. Much better than I expected, actually. I work with some of the best people in Lubbock and I really do enjoy my job. Taylor is staying with Becky and Troy. We are so lucky and blessed to have them watching our baby girl. I am so thankful! My Mom came to stay the night on Friday because I knew I'd be tired from the week. She offered to take the night and morning feedings so I could get some sleep. So sweet! Life is busy right now. I guess that's the life of a working family! I'm not complaining at all though, life is great!

We're alive!

2010-02-27T13:53:00.006-06:00

It's been nearly a month since my last post. My laptop had gotten a worm and a virus and the entire hard drive had to be replaced. We were without a computer for a month but now we're back online and I've got some updated pictures for you!

Happy Valentines Day!!! Pretty in pink :)

Taylor is ten weeks old now. She is all snuggled in her jammies and ready for bed.

Maybe I should say that I was ready for bed and Taylor was ready to talk! She's so much fun!Play time.

Sleeping on mommy.Another picture Mom? My Taybaby is so active and observant. She really enjoys looking at things. She'll follow us around the room and reaches for her mobile when she is under it.

Wide awake :)

2010-01-24T22:35:00.003-06:00

Just a swingin'

2010-01-24T22:32:00.002-06:00

Taylor is learning to like her new swing. Thanks Kathy! She looks so tiny in it!

Cuddling with Nana

2010-01-23T12:32:00.004-06:00

My Mom and Papa Georgie came up to visit last night. Nana and Taylor had some sweet snuggle time. There's nothing like lovin' from Nana. I love you Mom!

Bow head

2010-01-20T17:47:00.002-06:00

Yes Daddy, she will be a bow head! Get used to it :).

Bath Time

2010-01-20T17:36:00.003-06:00

Taylor was wide awake at 2 o'clock in the morning. So... what did we decide to do? Bath time!!

First dip...

She really likes bath time, I promise!!

Whoa! Catch me Daddy!

All done! I smell soooo good!! I've gotta work on getting a picture with her eyes open!!

4 weeks old!

2010-01-20T17:21:00.003-06:00

Taylor is four weeks old now. She's doing great! She's eating more and more and staying awake for longer periods of time. She has outgrown most of her newborn clothes because she is so long. She's still so skinny that they fit her body but her little feet are stuffed in the bottom of her nighties.
The picture above is Taylor at 2 weeks old. The picture below is Taylor at 4 weeks old. Can you see a difference? I can!!
We love you baby girl!

Top Model in the making :)

2010-01-19T22:02:00.003-06:00

Our friend Amanda is an amazing photographer here in town. She took our engagement pictures and shot our wedding. I was thrilled to have her take Taylor's newborn photos! Here are just a few pictures of my miniature model... She looks like an angel!

3 weeks old

2010-01-10T12:28:00.007-06:00

I know I keep saying this but I can't believe how fast the last few weeks have flown by! The picture above is Taylor at one day old. Taylor is 3 weeks and 2 days old today. My official due date was yesterday. I need to figure out how to take that ticker off of the top of my blog. It's been so long since I've added it that I forgot how I did it! Taylor is really doing great! She's eating with no problems and she is starting to be more awake and active.

She weighed 6.1 when we took her to the doctor last Tuesday. She's also gotten 2 inches longer! She is starting to fill out her newborn clothes. I'm thinking it will only be a few more days or maybe a week before we have to make the move to 0-3 months! She's still so tiny that she hardly fits in her little chair or swing but she's getting there. This little chair vibrates and when I turned it on she froze like this for a few seconds. I can only imagine what she was thinking and feeling. It was so funny! She also opened her eyes really wide but I didn't get that in the picture.

She doesn't look too comfortable in there so I only leave her in for a few minutes. We really need to get a full size swing. She loves to rock so I'm pretty sure that she'd love the feeling of a swing. I got her little play-yard out today and let her have some tummy time on it. She's so strong! She lifts her head up and looks around. If I lay her on her back she rolls to her side. She's the hardest little thing to put a diaper on. She keeps her legs straight up in the air, it's hilarious! The doctor said she does this because she was breech and it's just natural for her ;). She loves to be held (I wonder why?!). I put her in a sling when I'm doing housework and she loves it. I'm sure she feels like she's in the womb again. I know it makes me feel prego again! She was really fussy last night and didn't want any part of being put in her bassinet so I put her next to me on the bed. I really don't like doing this because I'm afraid of what may happen (falling off the bed, rolling over...) but I was so tired last night that I had to do something. We slept for almost 6 hours!! She might get to sleep next to me more often if we get that much sleep!! It felt amazing! I just love her sleepy little face!The picture below is a little dark but she's sleeping next to her first Christmas ornament that her Aunt Joni got her. Precious.

Sleeping with Daddy.

In other news...

We went to Lamesa last week before Grandma and Pops left. We didn't get to spend as much time with them as we wanted because of the winter weather and Taylor's jaundice so we were really glad to hang out with them for a little bit. We got some great pictures of the four generations together. Enjoy!

I love the next picture. I think her Nana is pretty proud, what do you think? :)

Meet Grandma and Pops

2009-12-30T11:40:00.003-06:00

My wonderful grandparents from Florida are here visiting during the holidays. We don't get to see Grandma and Pops as much as we'd like because of the distance between us. I'm so glad that Taylor arrived in time to meet them! They were expected to arrive before lunch on Christmas Eve but because of the winter wonderland on the South Plains they didn't arrive until after 8 pm on Christmas night. Taylor's first Christmas was a white Christmas!!Here are a couple of pictures of Grandma and Pops with Taylor.
I love this next picture of Grandma and Taylor. Grandma fed her and then they both took a little snooze on the couch. Doesn't it look like Taylor is smiling? She knows that is the best place to be right there!

More about my Taylor baby!

2009-12-30T06:39:00.003-06:00

Taylor is officially off of the jaundice light!!! She still has some jaundice in her system but her levels are low enough that now we just have to sit in front of a window a few times a day to allow her to get some natural sunlight. I'm so glad she's off the light! I held her pretty much all day just because I could :). No more nurses poking you each day baby girl!We went on our first outing together to Applebee's to eat lunch with my Mom, Grandma, and Pops. Look how tiny she looks in her car seat. Sweet baby girl. It felt so good to get out of the house for a little bit and Taylor did great!Now, we just have to work on getting some meat on her bones and I'm pretty sure we're on our way! We changed nipples yesterday and my little tater tot started eating like crazy. Poor baby, I've been making her work so hard for it for the last week. Before we were struggling to get her to eat half an ounce in an hour. Last night she ate 3 oz like it was nothing. I was worried that we may have fed her too much but she didn't spit up or lose any of it. She slept so good too, completely relaxed. Thank you Jesus! This is a little trick that Daddy taught Taylor... he's so proud that she can already "hold" her bottle :).
Things are getting easier, I think we might be starting to figure out a little routine. My body is still getting adjusted to working on minimal sleep though. This whole experience is so amazing. I'm overcome with emotion every time I look at my little girl. She is the most beautiful, perfect, and amazing little girl that I've ever seen. I'm so in love!

Jaundice :(

2009-12-27T19:56:00.002-06:00

Taylor is still fighting to get the jaundice out of her system. She has been on the light for 6 days and counting. It's so hard because I want to hold her and rock her and cuddle her but the only time that we can get her out is to feed her and change her. She weighs 5lbs 7oz. We are having to wake her up every 2 hours to feed her because she's not gaining weight. That means that mommy is not getting much sleep at all and I seem to be an emotional wreck. Please keep my baby girl in your prayers and me too. I wish I could close my eyes, snap my fingers, and get a good 8 hours of sleep!

Taylor Addison Layman

2009-12-24T07:29:00.007-06:00

It wasn't two minutes after I clicked publish post after my last blog on Friday that my phone rang. I knew it was a call from the hospital and I figured they were just calling to verify the c-section that we had scheduled on December 31. I answered the phone and much to my surprise it was my doctor, Dr. Phillips. She asked if I was having contractions. I said I had Thursday night but none on Friday morning. Actually, I woke up Friday thinking that I could go to work. I really wanted to tell my sweet students bye and give them a great big hug. I decided I better just sit on the couch as I was told. Dr. Phillips wanted me to come to the hospital to be monitored. She said she had worried about me all night and was really worried that I was going to go into labor and Taylor be in trouble. She said, "I'll see you when you get here. We might just have a baby today!" I hung up the phone, woke Winston up (who had only been asleep for 2 hours because he worked the night before), and jumped in the shower. I called my Mom and she headed this way. We got to the hospital around 10 and when Dr. Phillips did an examination she found that my bag was bulging (getting ready to bust). She also said that I had dilated a little more. She gave us two options. I was 36.6 weeks pregnant so she felt pretty confident that Taylor would be born healthy if we went ahead and delivered her. We could choose to do a c-section then or I would be admitted in the hospital for observation for a few days and then we would do the c-section. Winston and I decided that we'd go ahead and do the c-section on Friday since Dr. Phillips was confident that Taylor was strong enough. I didn't want to sit in the hospital longer than I had to anyway. She said, "Okay! We're gonna move you across the hall to labor and delivery and we'll have a baby in 30 minutes!" Holy cow!!!! 30 minutes!!!! Ready or not, here we go! We got to out L&D room and they were throwing forms at me to sign, starting an IV, in and out, in and out. It was a crazy couple of minutes for sure! We actually didn't end up going back for my surgery until about 4:30. Hurry up and wait!

To make a long story short, Taylor was born at 5:04 pm on Friday, December 18. She weighed 6 lbs 7 oz and was 18 inches long. Daddy got to watch the whole thing. She did great after delivery. She started breathing on her own and let out a short, strong cry.

She was wide awake for a few minutes trying to figure out what had just happened to her. Daddy and Taylor got to go back to the L&D room while they stitched me up. Our proud family was waiting in the hall and they all got to be in the room with Daddy and the nurses as they cleaned Taylor off. Daddy got to give her her first bath. I got back to the room and was able to see Winston wash her hair. She had to stay under the warming light for a while until she regulated her body temp. I finally got to hold her after about 2 hours. It was the most amazing feeling to hold her in my arms. She is the most perfect thing I've ever seen. Everyone says she looks like her daddy and I do have to agree with them!

We stayed in the hospital from Friday through Monday. Her daddy really likes holding her. We got to come home around lunch time on Monday. When we left the hospital she had jaundice but it wasn't too bad. I called Taylor's doctor and they wanted to see her on Tuesday to check her levels and weight. This is her all bundled up before we left the house. My baby is so tiny.She had lost a pound and was down to 5 lbs 7 oz. I have had to stop breastfeeding and start her on formula to fatten her up some. Her jaundice levels had more than doubled in 24 hours so we had to start a special treatment for her. Special nurses delivered a bed to our house that has a special light designed to drop her levels. She has to lay in the bed for 20 hours a day and the nurses come over everyday to check on her.

The only time we can hold her is to feed her and change her :(. It's been hard because I want to hold her and cuddle her. It's hard for her too because she still needs to be cuddled tight and feel our body warmth. It's hard to get her settled once we lay her down. This is how precious and peaceful she looks when she's resting. Now I'm sure you understand why I want her in my arms!Her levels dropped some yesterday so that is really good news. The nurse just called and she is on her way to check her weight and levels now. Hopefully they are down from yesterday and her weight up and she can get out of this bed within the next day or two. She is really doing well on the formula and she is starting to eat more and get a little stronger. I've actually been able to get some sleep the last couple of days too because now my Mom or Winston can help with feedings. My mom is going home today and I'm sad about that. She has helped so much since she's been here, I couldn't imagine where we would be without her.

This has been the fastest week of my life. I'm recovering from my c-section. I'm still sore but doing better. I have felt more emotions and been more exhausted than I ever thought possible. Every second of it is worth it though. I can't stop looking at my little miracle and I'm so thankful that she is here and healthy. It looks like our first Christmas together is going to be a beautiful, white Christmas. Please keep us all in your prayers as we figure out this whole new, beautiful life together.

Two weeks from today!

2009-12-17T15:01:00.003-06:00

TAYLOR ADDISON LAYMAN

We had a sonogram yesterday. We were very excited to see how much our precious angel had grown and our doctor wanted to determine if Taylor was head down. You can see her side profile in the picture above. She had her arm up in front of her face the whole time but she let us get a little peek at her. The lady who did our sonogram said, "Whoa! Look at those cheeks!!" We laughed so hard, we've said the whole time that Taylor was going to have some majorly chubby cheeks and we were right!

Everything looked good on the sonogram except for the fact that Taylor is BREECH. Her little head is right under my ribs and her feet are hanging down near the birth canal. Chances of her turning the right way are very, very slim. Not what I wanted to hear. I had a doctor's appointment today and we discussed many things including the risk associated with have a breech baby. I am already dilated to a full 3 cm and I've lost my mucus plug (gross, I'm sorry!) so she put me on official bed rest. I can't work anymore and she scheduled a c section for December 31. She said my next two weeks should consist of laying in bed or sitting on the couch watching TV. Doesn't that sound exciting?! If I go into labor before that time I have to be rushed to the hospital and will have to have an emergency c-section. Because Taylor is breech all types of things could go wrong if I go into labor. I read online about different exercises to do to get a breech baby to turn head down. I'll try some of these moves in my free time although, my doc seems to think it's a waste of time. I was really hoping to be able to deliver the other way but I've been so lucky and healthy this entire pregnancy, I'm not going to start complaining now. I'll keep the blog updated if there are any new developments. Until then I'll be at home, counting down the days!

It's getting CLOSE!

2009-12-07T18:56:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far. I love looking at Christmas lights and I would keep my Christmas tree up year round if my hubby would let me :). We've been so busy lately and life has definetly thrown it's fair share of curve balls our way but we are alive and well. We are getting closer and closer to the arrival of our little miracle and the nerves that we felt in the very beginning are starting to come back. I had a doctors appointment today and got some very surprising news... I am already dialated to 3 centimeters and 50% effaced. The doctor said my cervix is still firm but Taylor is getting ready to make her debut for sure! I have a sonogram scheduled for next Wednesday to get Taylor's exact measurements and make sure she is head down and in position. Then, I have an appointment on Thursday and every week until she is here. What an exciting time this is for us!!! Please keep us and Taylor in your prayers as we all prepare for this life changing experience. I'll keep you posted!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T19:56:00.002-06:00

We had an awesome day today. I can't believe I didn't take one picture! We went to Lamesa last night to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family. We ate entirely too much delicious food today and enjoyed some much needed time with each other. My living room is full of several boxes of Christmas decorations because my plan was to get it all put up when we got home. I'm pretty sure my night is going to be full of watching football in bed and relaxing. I'll get to the Christmas decorating tomorrow :). Taylor is doing great, she has the hiccups as I type. I'm sure the next 5 weeks will fly by and she'll be in my arms before we know it. I can't wait! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

8 more weeks!!

2009-11-06T21:23:00.004-06:00

I can't believe how quickly that last 8 months have flown by! In just about 8 more weeks Winston and I will be welcoming our baby girl into this world. Wow! My official due date is not until January 9 but my doc has moved that up about a week because of Taylor's size. She already weighs right around 4 pounds and is at least 18 inches long. She is an active little baby. She is already on some sort of schedule. I feel her moving in the morning, some during the day, and a lot every evening around 8pm. She packs a powerful punch/kick. My whole tummy moves when she gets going. She especially likes it when her Daddy talks. Anytime Winston starts talking or telling me something she starts moving all around. He really likes it. I'm pretty sure she already has him wrapped around her precious little finger :). She has started to get the hiccups more frequently. She had them twice today. It's such a funny feeling when it happens, I can't help but giggle. I'm beginning to feel the fatigue and exhaustion that I felt in early pregnancy again. It doesn't help that I'm anemic but I've started on medicine to help with that. Other than being tired, I can't complain at all. I know I've said this a thousand times but I'm so thankful for having such a positive pregnancy experience. Throwing up for four months straight wasn't so much fun but I'd do it again without any hesitation for the sake of my little angel. I'm pretty proud of myself too... throughout the pregnancy so far I've only gained 3 pounds! Yea me! We've got some exciting things coming up. On Sunday, Winston's best friend Cody is hosting a surprise "Diapers for Dad" party for Winston. Don't worry, he doesn't read the blog so he'll never know. All the guests are asked to bring a package of diapers and wipes and we're going to cook-out and hopefully watch the Dallas Cowboys win! It should be a lot of fun! I'm also looking forward to baby showers in Lamesa and Lubbock over the next couple of weeks. It's always so good to see people that I don't usually get to see. I've been working a little more in Taylor's room. I really haven't bought anything other than decorations because I've been told to wait until after the showers. I'm sure I'll have to re post pics of her room once it's full of necessities and goodies! Either way, here are a few of the pink room so far...

This is a picture of the changing table/ dresser that I stripped down and refinished. It looks much better in real life but I really like the way it turned out.

I'm sure this will soon be piled with things like diapers, desitin, wipes... It's still a work in progress :)

Here is her cross wall so far. I've really enjoyed hunting for colorful, and cute crosses for her room. The black cross with round stones is what inspired the colors in her room. I made that cross at The Mud Room right before I found out that I was pregnant and knew that I wanted it in the baby's room.

This is a view from the door. I love the curtains. When the sun is shining in the whole room glows pink. When I was younger my Nanny always had a "pink room" in every house that they lived in. This is my version of the "pink room." Nanny would be proud!

I love this picture because it really shows off some of the fun colors in the bedding. My Mom worked so hard on this. I think it turned out great! The little piglet in the corner is from Nana too. It matches pretty perfectly, I might have to get some more piglet stuff to accessorize!I found this rug on clearance at Target and think it matches pretty dang well to the rest of the stuff going on in her room. You gotta love Target!

Bye Bye iPhone

2009-11-06T21:20:00.004-06:00

My iPhone met an untimely end of Monday when it came in contact with a large body of water :(. I'm planning on getting another one next month when we get paid but in the mean time I'd appreciate it if you would send me an email with your phone numbers. I lost everything. Boo!

I wish I could take it away.

2009-10-23T21:23:00.002-05:00

This past week has been a blur of craziness. Winston's dad passed away suddenly and unexpected last Thursday, October 15. He had some underlying health problems but no one ever expected that we would have to say good-bye so soon. Winston had to step up to the plate in a big way and handle all of the funeral arrangements and make all of the decisions. You can imagine how hard this has all been for him. Please keep Winston, his sister Missy, and their Mom in your prayers. This world is going to be a much different place without JR in it and we will all miss him more than words can express. Watching Winston, his sister, and his mom handle this tragedy has brought back some really uncomfortable memories and feelings for me. Losing a loved one is so hard and so unfair. I wish I could take all of the feelings of regret, sadness, confusion, anger, loneliness, and despair away from them. I wish I could take it away so they would never have to experience any of it. Life doesn't always make sense and no matter how hard we try to figure it all out, there will always be some things that we can't understand. I find comfort in believing that everything happens for a reason. God has a plan for each of us and he would never put something in front of us that we couldn't handle. I hope that Winston, Missy, and Heidi find comfort in that as well. Thank you in advance for keeping us uplifted in prayer.

Childbirth 101

2009-10-14T20:13:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted an update, life is so busy right now!! Winston and I started our childbirth classes at the hospital on Monday night. It's a 4 week course designed get us a little more comfortable with the whole labor/delivery process. We learned some new things and really enjoyed our first class. The nurses that teach it are really funny and we are in there with a lively group of couples. One of the activities of the night was to get the new daddies-to-be to wear a pregnancy belly that weighed about 30 pounds. It was so funny! Winston had to bend down and pick up keys and lay on the ground and get up. Now he has more of an idea of what it feels like to get up and down from the floor 400 times a day with 20 hyper 4 and 5 year olds! :) I'm feeling really good as I'm entering my last trimester. It really is starting to get harder getting up and down off of the floor over and over again though!! Below is a picture of Winston with a baby bump. His first response when the nurse put it on him? Hands straight to the boobs!!! This is a memory that I'll treasure for a long time!Mom (Nana) has been working hard to get Taylor's bedding and stuff ready and she did such a great job! I need a few more things for her room but it's pretty much ready. We have a comfy recliner in there and it has become my new favorite nap spot. I'm so excited to see our little miracle and hold her and love on her. I can't wait! I just pray that these last 12 weeks go by exactly like they're supposed to. We've been so blessed so far and we are so thankful. Taylor moves so much, especially at night when Mommy tries to relax. Now we can "watch" her move. We can see her kicks and punches and I can definitely feel them! Below are some pictures of her very cute room. Thanks Nana!!

Here she is..

2009-09-18T19:29:00.003-05:00

We had another sonogram today and I was able to get a couple of pictures uploaded to share with you. Taylor looks great and all of her organs and everything seem to be working perfectly. We had to go back for another sonogram because they weren't satisfied with the pictures they got of her heart last time. She is measuring about a week larger than our expected due date. She knows that Mommy and Daddy really want to have her in December so we can spend more money on her instead of paying another deductible :). She has gained one pound since our last sonogram 4 weeks ago. She is already weighing one pound and 9 ounces. We didn't get to see her beautiful little face because she had her arm in front of her face the whole time. We're just going to have to wait a few more months. Oh well, we got some awesome picture nonetheless... enjoy!

Here she is at 24 weeks. This is a view of head, shoulder, back... kinda hard to read.

This is her side profile when she was 19 weeks. It's so cute, I had to share!

It's a girl! You are looking at her bottom and part of her legs. Her "girl parts" are by the white dot in the center.

She's got her Daddy's big feet already!

Work in progress

2009-09-14T17:49:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've last posted, time seems to by passing so quickly nowadays! I just wanted to write a quick blog to let you know that we are still here. I'm also attaching some pictures of work that has been done in Taylor's little nursery. We are getting so excited! The farther along I get, the more real it becomes to us. She had the hiccups (for the first time that I've felt) yesterday. It was so cool, I can't help but smile when I think about it :).

This beautiful crib was a gift to Taylor from her Aunt Julie, Uncle Howard, Aunt Joni, Aunt Terri, Uncle David, Aunt Diane, Uncle Bill Grandma and Pops! Thank you so much!

This is a picture of the material that my Mom (Nana) is going to use to custom make Taylor's bedding. I'm so excited to see the finished product. And, I'm so thankful that my Mom is such a talented seamstress!

This will be used as Taylor's dresser and changing table. I refinished this old dresser and I am pretty darn proud of the way it turned out!!

It's a....

2009-08-21T19:29:00.002-05:00

We had our first sonogram today. At 20 weeks we got to see our little baby for the first time and it was an amazing experience! We saw all the little body parts, the heart, kidneys, brain... I had talked to our baker a while back and asked her if she would bake us a cake. The plan was to have the doctor call to tell the bakery whether we were having a boy or girl. If it was a girl the inside of the cake would be pink and if it was a boy the inside was to be blue. Instead of a phone call, they printed off the picture of our little baby's business and put it in a sealed envelope. We had already planned for this great reveal on Sunday and had invited our family to come up and experience it with us. When I went to the bakery, she apologized but said they were so busy this weekend and they wouldn't be able to have the cake to us until Monday. Because of school starting Monday and busy work schedules we had to scratch the cake plan :(. Winston and I decided to open the envelope together and then we shared the news... So, here's what you've been waiting for: IT'S A GIRL!!! Her name will be Taylor Addison Layman and we are counting down the days until we get to really meet our little miracle!

Our Tahoe... the celebrity!

2009-08-11T17:49:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday there was a big concert in town that featured Willie Nelson, John Cougar Mellancamp, and Bob Dylan. Winston has a friend who drives tour buses for a living and got the contract to drive Bob Dylan and his band around while they were in town for the concert. Steve only has car and Bob demanded to be cruised around in a SUV. So, Steve asked to borrow our Tahoe for the day. He called Winston to fill him in on the celebrity action. It ended up that he gave all three of them several rides around town and gave TTU head football coach, Mike Leach, a ride into the stadium as well. We thought it was pretty cool, too bad we didn't get to ride in the backseat of the Tahoe all day :). Below is a picture of our Tahoe on the field next to the stage taken by my friend Shannon that was at the concert. You can see it just to the right of the stage.

Possum Kingdom

2009-08-05T23:59:00.005-05:00

The beginning of the school year is right around the corner and although I don't have to report to duty until August 12 I've started working to get ahead of the game a little bit. One of the things that I needed to mark off of my list is working with our Positive Behavior Support/ Conscious Discipline team to prepare for the upcoming year. When I started contacting the girls on our team one of our team members, Christi Burden, offered to let us come to her lake house and "work." Unfortunately not all of the girls on our team were able to go but some of us were able to take advantage of the offer. We headed to the lake and after about 4 1/2 hours we were there. I had never been to Possum Kingdom before and didn't really know what to expect. I was impressed! This lake is HUGE!! Christi's lake house didn't disappoint either :) Below is a view from the deck of the lake house.

After unpacking and carrying in groceries we jumped in our swimming suits and headed down to the dock. We swam for a little bit and cooled off from the Texas heat.

The next morning we woke up early to get on the water and do some fishing. Good morning! I could wake up to this every morning... ahhhh!

Our tour guide/ lake expert drove us around the lake and pointed out all of the areas of interest. Christi is such a cool person, I swear she can do anything. Here is a picture of her driving the boat.

I've always heard of "Hells Gate" at Possum Kingdom and I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. Christi told us that the location got it's name before the man made lake was made. People in the old days would force animals and livestock into the area. The animals were trapped and then killed for food... hence the name Hells Gate. Below are some pictures from that very spot...

This is Hells Gate looking in.

This is the first house you see as you enter Hells Gate. This house belongs to famed Dallas Cowboy's quarterback Troy Aikman. Did you notice his helicopter on the landing pad? It must be a hard life for him... NOT!

Check it out, they're building my house!! They must have known I was coming :) Seriously there were some ridiculously HUGE houses at this lake. I would like to knock on their doors and ask them what they do for a living. I'm sure they would say "I'm a teacher." Ha!

After cruising the lake we did some fishing and the fish were definitely biting! At one point all 4 of us caught a fish at the same time, it was very exciting! Maggie was the luckiest of us all. I think she caught 4 or 5 fish.

That's Maggie fishing from the dock after a day on the boat. She caught another one!

That's my catch of the day...

We were able to keep 2 of the fish Maggie caught for dinner. I would say "yum" but I am not at all a seafood person. I tasted the fresh fish and got my fill of seafood for the next few years. This is a picture of the girls getting the fish ready to cook. Maggie was so proud!

We had so much fun while we were at the lake. Luckily it rained on Friday night so we got some work done. Actually we got a lot of work done! It's always nice to get out of town for a few days and I couldn't think of a better place to go than PK. I'm going to miss staying up late and sleeping in but I'm actually ready for school to start. I'm in need of a normal routine and I'm excited to meet my new students and their families. Plus, I know time will fly by once it all gets going and that means I'm closer to meeting my little one. Only about 22 more weeks until I'm holding my miracle in my arms :)

It's a.... Healthy Baby!

2009-07-23T18:41:00.002-05:00

I had a doctor's appointment this morning and got a great report. I had to drink that "yummy" stuff and take the glucose test. Thankfully, I passed it with flying colors! No gestational diabetes for this momma! I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again, I'll never get tired of that, and it was beating strong at 150 beats per minute :). I go back to the doctor on August 20 and have my ultrasound scheduled for August 21. Exciting! Thanks for all of your prayers and support! I'll keep you updated..

Don't worry... Be THANKFUL!

2009-07-18T23:56:00.002-05:00

It seems that the last couple of days I have really been down in the dumps... I've been really hard on Winston and I'm sure I haven't been the easiest person to be around. I have so many things on my mind and so much to prepare for. Nothing really bad, just a lot. I've been doubting myself and the people around me. My emotions are a wreck, I can go from being happy to sad or fighting mad in no time at all. I'm told that that is to be expected during pregnancy but I'm not accepting that. I need an attitude adjustment. I need to be thankful for all the wonderful things I have been blessed with. I need to persevere when I feel like giving up and I need to hold my tongue instead of saying useless, hurtful things. I feel like I'm getting some help from the "big man upstairs.." I've read some things that have really tugged on my heart strings. It's funny how "help" comes from the people around you when you need it the most. It's also funny that these same people probably don't even know how much their words, thoughts, or emails mean to another person. I'm going to share a couple of these "thoughts" with you. I hope they lift you up as much as they did me.

The following verse was posted on facebook by a friend. I read it on the day that I was feeling my worst, it really helped: So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Galatians 6:9

This was the verse I read tonight during my devotional time: The tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can catch a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It can set your whole life on fire so speak wisely. James 3: 5-6

The following is a forwarded email I got from my Aunt Joni. Normally I just automatically delete forwards without even looking at them but for some reason, I opened and read this one. I'm glad I did : I am thankful for the husband who is being a couch potato because he is home with me and not out at the bars.
I am thankful for the taxes I pay because it means I'm employed.
I am thankful for the messes I have to clean because it means I'm surrounded by friends and family.
I am thankful for the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat (and that my baby is growing!!)
I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing and windows that need cleaning because it means I have a home.
I am thankful for all the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech.
I am thankful for the parking space I find at the end of the parking lot because it mean I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.
I am thankful for my expensive heating bill because it means I am warm................

The email goes on but I'm not going to include all of it. Things are looking up and I am feeling much, much better. Thank you to everyone who has helped in my little "attitude adjustment!"

Second Trimester

2009-07-16T18:15:00.003-05:00

It's official... I have entered my second trimester of pregnancy! I am so thankful that everything has gone well so far and I pray that the remaining 25 weeks go by just as smoothly. I know I have a long way to go but I am so ready to hold my little baby in my arms! Winston and I have narrowed our name list down and are trying to make the final decision. We have two names picked out that we really like for a boy and are trying to figure out a middle name to go with the first name we have picked out for a little girl. We had originally said that we were not going to find out what we are having but we have changed our minds. We are both anxious to find out and have everything ready for our little miracle. Hopefully we'll find out within the next few weeks or so. We have a plan to make finding out extra special too. Please keep all three of us in your prayers as we enter this new phase of life, we definitely can't do it alone."Your little boy or girl has fully developed sex organs by this week, although they're still difficult to see through ultrasound. Now that the major systems are in place, the fetus will start to grow at an amazing rate. The body is now growing faster than the head, balancing out that brain-heavy look and making the fetus appear more baby-like. The skin is covered with lanugo, an ultrafine hair that protects it until birth. There's also hair on the baby's head, and the beginnings of tiny eyebrows. Your little one is now about 4 inches long and weighs just under 2 ounces."

Washington DC part 3

2009-07-15T21:40:00.005-05:00

Saturday, July 4th, was a fun day for me and Winston. We had been warned that riding the metro to go see the fireworks might not be worth it. There were going to be millions of people where we were going and getting back to our hotel, via the metro, would be a nightmare. It didn't take us long to decide that we wanted the experience, even if it meant waiting for hours for our turn on the metro. We got to the national mall and found a great spot to watch the fireworks by the Washington Monument. There were so many people there. I don't think I've ever seen that many people in one place, at one time. We had fun watching people for a few hours and we waited for it to get dark. There were people for miles and miles.

The fireworks show was AMAZING! Our "finale" might equal one blast during their show. I'm so glad that Winston and I were able to experience this together, it's something that I'll never forget. It was such a sight to see that I teared up!

After the show was over we walked around for a while thinking that we would waste some time and let the crowds at the metro die down... Well, it was a good thought right? There were 2-3 million people waiting to ride the metro so we would've had to wait until the next morning for the crowds to die down!! We decided to get in line and make our way through the crowd. It's all part of the experience and we actually kinda enjoyed it :) I, of course, needed to potty but refused to use the port-a-potties that were available so I was hoping that we would somehow get through quickly. Luckily there was a family behind us that pushed us through the crowd and we only ended up having to wait about 1 1/2 hours to get on the metro. It took some of my other family about 4 hours to get back! It was all worth it. I am very thankful that I don't have to do that on a daily basis though!

Sunday we spent our day walking around the Smithsonian Museums and taking in some more of the sights. We started at the Air and Space Museum. Here are some pictures from our time there...

This is Amelia Earhart's plane! How cool is that!?

At the end of the Air and Space Museum was a HUGE McDonald's. We decided to go ahead and grab a bite to eat before we headed to the Museum of Natural History. We both got a regular sized value meal and it was more than $20!!! The same meals would cost us about half of that back home. Things were much more expensive there, that's for sure! After our meal we walked along the mall towards another museum. Here are just a few of the pictures we took along the way.

This is the front of the National Archives. We didn't make it in there this time, it's on our list for next time though.

If you know me at all, you know that I am terrified of spiders. I hate them! How ironic that we ran into a giant spider sculpture. Little did I know that this would be the first of many spiders that we would see today. UGH!

We walked through this butterfly habitat but didn't see any butterflies... only bumblebees.

Next, we went to the Museum of Natural History. We could have easily spent all day in this one place but instead we only spent a few hours in there. Winston really enjoyed the Orkin bug room upstairs and we spent a lot of time exploring that space. I'm not a big fan of bugs so I didn't take many pictures. It really was pretty interesting and there were some cool things to look at and read about. I tried to walk right passed the spider displays. I tried to tell Winston that my life would be better without the images of all those creepy crawlers in my head but he insisted that I check out this "one" spider. OMG! It was a "bird spider." I'm so sorry I looked! That darn thing was huge and I promise I'm not exaggerating. The body was probably as big as my foot if not bigger. Yes, I had nightmares that night... thanks Win! We spent hours checking out the other displays. Below are just a few of the pictures I took while we were there...

We really enjoyed our time in DC. It went by so quickly because we were busy the whole time we were there. We headed home on Monday, July 6th. We both want to go back someday... there's so much more to see and do that we didn't experience during this trip! Thanks to Heather and Steven for inviting us out for your wedding, we built so many great memories that we'll never forget!

Washington DC part 2

2009-07-15T20:47:00.008-05:00

Friday morning we woke up and headed to the Arlington Cemetery. We walked around for a few hours and didn't even see half of the cemetery. It was a very interesting place to explore. It's the kind of place that leaves you speechless and gives you chill bumps as you walk through. Below are some pictures from the morning.

This is what you see as you walk towards the cemetery. This is the Women's Memorial.

These rows of headstones seemed to never end. There were so many of them. Unreal.

Which way should we go?

We were able to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There were so many people watching this but you could hear a pin drop. No one made a sound!We were trying to capture a view of the pentagon behind us but we didn't get it :)

This is JFK's head stone.

Here is a side view of the JFK memorial. You can see the eternal flame burning in the center.

After a few hours we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up and ready for Heather and Steven's wedding. The church that they got married in was a beautiful, old Catholic Church. Below are a couple of pictures from the wedding. I took more but can't get them uploaded right now. Heather was absolutely beautiful and the wedding ceremony was precious. I wish I would've taken a picture of Steven as he watched Heather walk down the aisle. He was smiling from ear to ear. They are the cutest couple!

Reception time! Ready to party in dress #2!

That's my Grandma and Pops out there getting the party started. They can dance anyone under the table, I promise!!

Heather and Steven's first dance was very impressive. They started out with a traditional song and then mixed it up. It was very entertaining and memorable for sure!!

Washington DC part 1

2009-07-08T22:44:00.021-05:00

We had such a wonderful time in Washington DC. We did so much, saw so much, experienced so much that I'm sure I'll leave something out. In fact, I've waited a few days to do this post because I have so much to write about! In fact, I'm going to have to do more than one DC post. Our trip started on Wednesday July 1 when we arrived to the airport before 4 am. I didn't sleep much the night before because I was so excited to get going. In fact I probably only got about 2 hours of sleep, at the most. Our plane left Lubbock at 5 am and my Mom's plane left at 6 am. Winston made fun of me once we were on the plane because I was a little star struck... we sat right behind NewsChannel 11's Steve Divine! Ha! It's the little things in life that get me going :) We got to Houston shortly after 6, changed planes, and began our journey to Baltimore.

Here is a picture of Winston and George Bush at the Houston airport.

Although I should've, I didn't sleep at all on the plane. We arrived in Baltimore a little after noon, got our luggage, and waited for Mom. Her plane arrived 30 minutes after ours. Once we were all together we were on a mission to find the correct bus to take us to the metroline. The metro is a public transportation system in DC and surrounding areas... it's basically a subway system. Once we got to the metro, we had no idea how to buy tickets or what to do! Ha, I'm sure we were a sight to see! Thankfully a very nice stranger helped us figure out the machine and get on our way.

Winston and Mom waiting for the metro.

Me and Winston riding the metro, trying not to fall asleep!

We got to our metro stop and into our hotel room shortly after 3. We were all exhausted and starving. We decided to go say hello to some of my family who had already arrived for the big event. They suggested that we walk to get something to eat and that it was really close... We learned really quickly that "really close" in Lubbock/ Lamesa means the exact opposite than "really close" in DC!! It really wasn't that far but when you are exhausted and hungry 3 city blocks does not seem close at all!! I didn't do much for the rest of the evening... I crawled in the most comfortable bed I've ever been in and called it a night! I mean it, Marriott has the BEST beds! After a short nap Winston went to Steven and Heather's house and played cards with everyone. I'm really sorry I missed out on that, Winston really enjoyed his time there... but dang, I was tired! Blame it on the pregnancy, ha!

This is my Grandma, Pops, and Mom waiting for the metro before heading to see the sights.

Thursday morning we woke up early and met my Grandma and Pops and Mom for breakfast then we headed to the metro for a day full of sight-seeing. We had a tour of the US Capitol scheduled but were unable to make it there on time. We also had a tour of the Washington Monument scheduled so we headed that way.

The Washington Monument.

It was an amazing sight to see. We could stand next to the Washington Monument and see the US Capitol, the White House, the reflecting pool, and the Lincoln memorial off in the distance. That was enough for this small town girl, I was in awe!!

While we were waiting to enter the Washington Monument. Winston, me and Mom walked down towards the white house. Mom and I stood in front of the White House and sang Kylar "Happy Birthday" over the phone. We wished you were there with us KyBear!

Here is Winston and I posing in front of the monument.

We met up with my cousin Jen and her husband Lars and they were able to join us for the Monument tour. We rode in an elevator to the top of the Washington Monument and looked out, again, amazing!

This is a view of the reflecting pool and the Lincoln Memorial from the top.

We were hoping to be able to take the stairs down to see all the memorial stones inside of the monument but the stairs were under construction so we couldn't... it's on our list for next time, hopefully the stairs will be fixed by then!

This is a picture of my family from inside and up top... Winston, Mom, Grandma, Jennifer, Pops, and Lars.

After the tour we walked around to see more of the sights. First was the World War II Memorial. Everything we saw was so amazing and spectacular!

There was a line of Texas people waiting to get their turn at this spot. Of course we enjoyed a few minutes of friendly chatter with them. I love Texas people :)

Next was the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. Winston's Dad fought in the Vietnam War so we tried to take some good pictures for him.

This is a huge wall with all of the slain soldiers from the Vietnam War inscribed on it. They had paper and pencils so you could rub over the name of someone you might know. That's what some of these people were doing. I'm really glad Winston's Dads name is not on this wall.

These are bronze sculptures at the entrance of the Vietnam War Memorial.

Here is a view of the reflecting pond from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This brought back some Forrest Gump memories for us!!! Jenny!!!

The Lincoln Memorial was, by far, my favorite thing that we saw while we were in DC. I know I've said this word a lot but... it was AMAZING! Breath taking really!This is a massive memorial. I could stare at it all day.

Maybe a little too close for comfort! Haha!

Next we walked to the Korean War Memorial. The Korean War was fought from 1950-1953. Both of my grandfathers, Papa and Pops, fought in the Korean war. This was an interesting sight to see. It's unbelievable how many soldiers have lost their lives for our freedom. Just a reminder that freedom really isn't free.

I bet you love seeing my reflection, huh!!

While we were in DC we noticed that every animal we saw was absolutely not afraid of humans. We had all kinds of birds come right up to our feet. We even had a squirrel come up to us while walking along the national mall. Here is a picture of some un-shy ducks. There are people everywhere, it's probably a good thing that they're used to it!

We saw many other sights on Thursday and were ready for a rest once we got back to our hotel room. I bet we easily walked 6 or 7 miles that day if not more! After a nap we headed the the "sky dome" to meet up with Heather and Steven and everyone for a night of karaoke and drinks. The views from the skydome were awesome. We could see the pentagon along with all the other sights mentioned above. Here are a couple of pictures from the evening.

This is a picture of Heather (bride-to-be) and her sister Jennifer singing karaoke... any man of mine!!!

This worker looked an awful lot like Albert Einstein and Winston was determined to get a picture taken with him. The guy said he gets it a lot and when I asked him if we could take a picture with him he said, "You give tip, I take picture!" HAHA! I think that's how a lot of things work in DC! Wow, this is an extremely long post and it only covers 2 days... I hope you enjoy reading this, we sure enjoyed our time there! I'll post the rest later... gotta get some sleep!

I love Summer!

2009-06-27T14:24:00.002-05:00

This week was a very enjoyable week. The Summer seems to be flying by like it always does but I'm so thankful for having several weeks off to relax and slow down a little. Despite what some people think, teachers work REALLY HARD during the school year and we very rarely slow down. It's so nice to be able to take a little time for ourselves and our families. So all you teachers out there, give yourself a pat on the back and take a nice, deep breath- YOU DESERVE IT!!
This week seemed to go by especially quickly because I had something to do everyday.

On Monday I met my friend Dea for lunch at McAllister's Deli. It was nice to sit and catch up with each other. Life has changed for both of us in recent years so we don't see each other as much as we used to but she's still so special to me. After lunch we went to My Cup of Tea. A totally cute and chic baby boutique. Too bad it was closed so we didn't get to go in but we tried! I spent the rest of the day running errands around town. In the evening I tried to help Winston with some of the bathroom demolition but he won't let me do much. He's being very protective (very sweet) and he's afraid that the mold and other things might hurt the baby. Big smile.

On Tuesday I met with my friend Maggie to run around town for a short time. I cleaned the floors in our house and tried to organize some things but I've come to learn that cleaning while your house is in a re-model state is just not worth it. Most of the things from our bedroom are in the dining room because we will soon be ripping carpet out and painting the walls and such. So, if you come to my house during the month of July I'm really, really sorry. I promise it's not usually this chaotic! Tuesday night we went to the movies with Maggie, Cody, and Terrie to watch the second Transformers. It was AWESOME! Yes, I know that makes me sounds like a big dork but we loved it! I thought it was better than the first one but many people will argue with me on that one. The movie didn't get out until almost 3 am! I had to set my alarm to get out of bed by 10:30 the next day but it was totally worth it!

On Wednesday I met several friends that I teach with at Ana's Mexican Food Restaurant for "lunch bunch." During my pregnancy I've started a list that includes food that I can no longer eat. I'm sure you can figure out what happens if I do eat them ;) Before I got pregnant I could eat mexican food everyday. I made homemade salsa often and could practically drink the stuff! I loved bell peppers, any peppers actually, and enjoyed cooking mexican food. Well, things have changed! I can't stand the smell of mexican food, the thought of bell peppers gross me out, and I'm kinda afraid of salsa now. The sickness part of my pregnancy seems to be getting much better, thank goodness! I figured as long as I didn't get anything too spicy at lunch I'd be okay. I was wrong! I sure hope that changes after the baby comes!! After lunch we went to the movies and watched The Proposal with Sandra Bullock. It was very, very cute!

Thursday was a very exciting day for us. We had a doctors appointment at 2 and we were both hoping to be able to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time. The doctor applied the Doppler to my abdomen and tried to find a heartbeat for several minutes but couldn't find anything. I was beginning to get a little worried when she said that the doppler she was using was really old, she was going to find a new one. She brought in a new machine and there it was! The most reassuring, amazing sound I've ever heard. Something really is in there! Ha! I wanted to listen to it all day but we only heard it for about 7 seconds then the sound disappeared. That's when Lana said, "Well, your baby just went swimmin Momma!" What a perfect moment! I'm 12 weeks pregnant today and I'm so thankful that all seems to be going well so far. Only 2 more weeks until I'm technically out of my first trimester and I can't wait! I go back to the doctor on July 23 to meet with Dr. Phillips and take the glucose test. I have to drink a cup full of glucose (GROSS!) and then wait an hour to have my blood drawn to check for gestational diabetes. I know that is still several weeks away but please keep me in your prayers that my body handles this test better than expected! Gestational diabetes is such a terrible thing...

On Friday I met several of the girls I teach with at Louie Louie's Piano Bar to wish Andrea farewell before she leaves for the east coast. It was so much fun! There were two guys playing piano and singing familiar songs and the crowd gets really involved, especially after the level of drunkenness goes up!!! It was hilarious! If you've never been and you're in the Lubbock area, you should plan on going. You have to get there early though because it gets crowded very quickly but it's definitely worth it!

I have a ton of things I should be doing today. My to do list has been neglected this week for sure! We are leaving early Wednesday morning to fly to Washington DC for my cousin Heather's wedding. We'll be in the big city from Wednesday, July 1 to Monday, July 6. Heather and Steven are getting married on July 3 and we have several other things planned as well. I'm sure the trip is going to fly by but we're both very excited. We don't get to see all of the members of my family as much as we'd like because we're spread all over the US so this trip will be extra special. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to share with you when we get home. Heather is going to be a BEAUTIFUL bride and I'm sure 4th of July in the nation's capitol won't disappoint either. You would think that I would get busy tackling my to do list before next week... nah! Winston and I are heading to Lamesa to pick up Kymbra, Kylar, and Kain for a few days. Life is much more interesting and fun when they're around. Maybe I can get them to help me tackle my to do list!!! Yea right!

It's demolition time!

2009-06-23T17:25:00.002-05:00

We started tearing the tile off of the walls in the bathroom today. It's been really messy and fun so far. We'll see how we feel about it in a few days :) I have a feeling that it's going to be a little more work than we had originally thought. We're both kinda excited about doing this project ourselves. We have a perfect little picture in our mind of what the bathroom is going to look like once we're finished, I sure hope it all works out the way we have planned. I've taken before pictures but I'm not going to post them until I have the "after" pictures to go with them. We're also going to rip out the yucky carpet in our room and put laminate hard woods down. Yea!! Carpet and dogs do not mix. I'll keep you updated as the bathroom progresses. Oh, we go back to the doctor on Thursday and we'll get to hear the baby's heartbeat. Please keep us all in your prayers.

Free to a good home

2009-06-17T22:47:00.003-05:00

This is Chase. We've had Chase since last Summer when Winston found him abandoned at only 4 weeks old. He brought him home, we nurtured him back to health, and somehow he became part of our family. He is a sweet, although hyper, dog. He has been fixed and has all of his current shots. He is house-broken and crate trained. We're thinking that he is mostly lab with some pit bull in him maybe. The problem is that recently Chase and our other two dogs have been ferociously attacking one another. The fights are so bad that we have to keep Elli in the house most of the time because she seems to be the target of the attacks. We are really torn about what we should do with him. The no kill animal shelter is not accepting any new animals so it seems that our other options are to have him put to sleep or take him to the pound if we can't find him a home. This makes us both so sick to our stomach and we've suffered many sleepless nights lately worrying about what we are going to do. Bottom line: we can not keep him. So please, if you want him, or you know anyone who might want him, please, please get in touch with me. Or, if you know of other options that we haven't considered, please share them with me. Thanks!

Our First Doctors Appointment

2009-06-12T13:40:00.003-05:00

This morning was our first doctor's appointment. After I talked to the receptionist on Wednesday I was feeling kinda frustrated about possibly having to wait so long to see the doctor. I knew things might be a little different at my appointment and I was looking forward to going this morning. Well, it went great! I was able to meet with Rachel, one of Dr. Phillips sweet nurses, and she took her time to explain everything to us and answer all of our questions. She gave me a couple of different brands of pre-natal vitamins to try and ordered blood work to be done. Poor Winston had to work last night so he was running on empty while we were there. I'm very thankful that he wanted to go and is being so involved with everything. I'm pretty sure he was thankful that he got to play on the iPhone while we were waiting or he probably would've crashed. We also had to meet with the billing lady while we were there and arrange how we were going to pay. WOW! Having a baby is expensive!!! Even with our insurance we are still having to pay a HUGE chunk of change out of our pockets. My next appointment is on June 25th at 2:00 in the afternoon (Winston was happy about that!). We will meet with the nurse practitioner at that time and we'll get to hear the baby's heartbeat. My official due date is January 9th so that means that I am 10 weeks pregnant tomorrow, only 30 more to go :)

Fun with the kids and other things

2009-06-10T19:04:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we spent the day at Buffalo Springs Lake. Winston and I were kinda hesitant about going to the lake but we thought we'd give it a try and do something new. It ended up being a great decision! We hiked, explored, swam for hours, buried Kymbra in the sand, and really enjoyed our time out there. It cost us $21 to get in and it was definitely worth it. If you're looking for something to do, give Buffalo Springs a try. We got really lucky and had the entire beach and swimming area to ourselves. It was overcast and cloudy so I guess it scared some people off which was fine with us!! Below are some pictures from our day of fun...

Our hiking trail and one of the caves we found.

The "beach" at the lake.

Hello from the water!

Winston and Kain wrestling in the water.

Kylar body surfing with Winston as the surf board!

Kymbra getting kisses while she's stuck in the sand!

Kymbra and Kylar at sunset.

In other news, I contacted my Doctor's office today just to verify my appointment time on Friday. When I spoke to the receptionist she informed me that I would not be seeing the doctor Friday. This appointment is just to fill out paper work and make financial arrangements. Boo! I asked when I would be able to meet with the doctor and she said probably not until I'm 20 weeks or so. That really bummed me out! I really want the assurance from the doctor that all is going well and we were really hoping to hear the baby's heart beat at least. I'll go to the appointment Friday and get the paper work part of it all out of the way. I sure hope I get to see the doctor before August or I seriously might have to hunt for a new doctor. I don't think I can wait that long! Is this normal? Hmmm...

Summer 09 (so far)

2009-06-06T00:42:00.011-05:00

I (Brandi) decided I would start a blog. I'm not sure if anyone is going to read this or not, I don't really think that our life is that interesting or significant but there are a few changes coming in the next few months that I'm sure will spark some interest :)

As most of you know by now Winston and I are expecting our first child at the end of December/ first of January. The picture above is a representation of what our baby looks like right about now. My first doctor's appointment is on Friday, June 12. I'm so anxious, I just want to go and have the doctor tell me that everything is going okay. Being in the early stages of pregnancy is kinda surreal. I mean, I've taken several tests which have all been positive. I've had blood work done and the nurse said, "You are so very pregnant!" And, I throw up all the time (some days are better than others.) I know I'm pregnant it's just not "real" yet I guess. I'm sure that doesn't make any sense and I'm sorry... just so many emotions right now!! Please keep us in your prayers that everything goes according to God's plan and say a special prayer of protection for this little "tater tot" inside of me. I'll keep everyone posted and be sure to let you know what the doctor says next week.

In other news, we called a plumber to our house Thursday because the tub in our master bathroom was completely stopped up. I mean standing water that wasn't going anywhere. Winston tried several things to fix it and after running a snake down the drain didn't work we decided we needed to seek professional help. The plumber came to our house, worked for about 20 minutes and finally was able to get the drain unclogged. The plumber (for a reason unknown to me) let the tub fill up all the way before he unclogged it so there was a lot of water that had to go somewhere. That's when the problem started or I guess was uncovered... All the water that was in the tub came gushing out from underneath the tub all over the floor and into our bedroom. The plumber used a bunch of expensive, technical terms but basically, we have a slab leak! Come to find out, this has been happening for a while. We've had plumbers out before because I swore the bathtub was leaking but each time they told me that our bathtub just needed to be caulked again. They were wrong! Because our bathtub backs up against an outside wall of our house we have two choices: we can bust out a large section of brick so the plumbers can expose the pipes or we can bust out our bathtub and let them get to it that way. We are going to choose the latter. Winston will be able to do most of the demolition work, busting out the tub and tile so that will save us some money. Once it's all fixed Winston and our good friend Mark are going to put a new shower and tile surround in it's place. We have to wait until our home owner's insurance can come assess the damage before we do anything and they don't get in a hurry for anything. They are not coming until some time on Monday. So for now me and Winston will be sharing a bathroom with Kymbra, Kylar, and Kain. Thank goodness we have a second bathroom! Although this could not have come at a worse time financially, I'm kinda looking forward to getting rid of the old, dingy tub that we currently have and replacing it with something a little nicer. Oh, did I mention that we are accepting donations?!! I'll be sure to post before and after pictures once we get the process started.

Finally, as I mentioned above our nieces Kymbra and Kylar and our nephew, Kain are staying with us for a week or so. My sister Toni is starting a new shift as a correctional officer at the prison in Lamesa. This is a BIG step for her and we are all very proud of her for working so hard to turn her situation around. Since she'll be working at night we are keeping the kids entertained for the next few days to give her a little bit of time to adjust to her new schedule. Please send a few extra prayers her way. We don't have a whole lot planned but we usually have a lot of fun together, just being us. I'm planning on recruiting them to help me kilz and paint our bedroom and I'm sure they'll have some fun helping to demolish our bathroom (if we can ever get started!) We have lots of walks to the park to play some basketball and volleyball in our near future too I'm sure. That's all I can think of for my first post. I think I'm gonna like this blogging thing, it's kinda therapeutic!