The Padghams

Colorado 2011

2011-08-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Well another wonderfully beautiful trip to Colorado has come and gone for the Padghams. It's always so sad when our vacation there is over. Especially when we have to come back home to the worst heat wave our nation has seen in years. Temperatures in Dallas (as well as most of the rest of the south) are ranging from 105 to 111 for highs. It's miserable out there. So I keep looking at my Colorado pictures and daydreaming of the nice cool weather we had...
True happiness...
This sweet girl visited us a lot...
Cole really enjoyed helping with the fire wood and simply goofing off.
Topher was a little ham as usual. Uncle Jon got these great shots. This kid is just so photogenic...
Grandpa carved a cool boat out of a piece of fire wood. Topher loved playing with that thing in Squaw Creek...Topher just being silly...
...and very sweet. We told him he shouldn't pick the flowers, but he had trouble understanding that. This is one of my favorite shots. Last year we recreated a photo taken of Bryan and Jon as kids on what they nicknamed "horse rock". This year, we tried to recreate this old picture of Bryan when he was Topher's age fishing with his dad and grandpa. We went back to the exact same spot. Here's the result...
BEAR ATTACK!! Well, sort of. Our camp site got attacked at around 4am one morning. A bear had hit up another camp site down the road a few nights before ours. We heard him (or her) clanking our skillets and tossing things around. Couldn't see him though because it was too dark. But we saw the damage first thing the next morning. I didn't get many pictures, but for the most part, he tore up some water bottles, a plastic vodka bottle (I don't think he drank too much of it), a couple of old popcorn tins (one of which completely disappeared and we never found it), and even had a little fun with the bottle of lighter fluid. I did get a couple of pics, though...
Believe it or not, I actually got some exercise in on this vacation. My brother-in-law Jon and I did one of my boot camp workouts on Monday. Tuesday morning I got up and ran. It was such a beautiful trail to run. Here are a couple of pics of my route. The rest of the week was full of hiking and such, so I got a workout in 5 out of the 8 days I was there.
Bryan and I took an overnight backpacking trip up to the Continental Divide again this year. This year we took the Weminuche Trail. It's about 5.5 miles each way. It took us 3 hours to get there. Except for our heavy backpacks and the fact that it was quite a steep trail, overall it seemed to be a pretty easy hike. We got really lucky again this year in that it didn't start raining until after we got our camp site all set up. And it was a very soothing, soft rain so we welcomed it. It hailed on us for about 10 minutes, but nothing big. Just tiny pellet sized hail. It was actually really cool to watch. We got up the next morning and hiked another hour to a spot where we could see the "Window" and the "Rio Grande Pyramid". Very pretty site. I think the next time we do that hike, we'll make it at least a day longer so we can hike the entire way up to the Window. It would have taken us another 3 hours at least and we just didn't have the time this year. But at least we got to see it.
Heading out...
Hiking the Continental Divide

CampHail at our camp site
Sunrise on the Continental Divide
Close up of "The Window"
"The Window" and "The Rio Grande Pyramid"...
We took a day trip up to Brewster Park with Topher but didn't get much fishing done. Topher was way more interested in all the big puddles we got to drive through on the way there and couldn't wait to leave so we could do it all again. Bryan did manage to catch a really nice size fish, though.
Bryan's catch of the day
Snow on the mountain topThis is the view from Sawmill Canyon (where we go to get fire wood). Look at all the snow still on the mountain tops. With the horrible temperatures the country is dealing with right now, it's hard to believe there's snow left anywhere. But here's proof...
Just another beautiful view from Sawmill Canyon...
There is simply no way we'd ever go to Thirty Mile without stopping at Freemon's at least once for a fantastic cheeseburger and fries and some of their yummilicious ice cream. This is their SMALL ice cream cone. It's $3. For just $2 more, you can get double this. It's crazy. This is my favorite, Butter Pecan. Mmmmmmmm...
And finally, our family picture. Unfortunately, we forgot to get an all-Padgham Family photo, but we did get one of our little Padgham family...
Sure can't wait to get back out there next summer.

PARADE!!!!

2010-12-04T14:24:00.000-08:00

While Padg was away killing pheasants this weekend (his one and only hunting trip every year), the boys and I went to the Children's Christmas Parade with the Lines (Johnny, Shelly, Lydia, and James). We got there two and a half hours early to claim our spot and boy was it a good one. Front row not far from the beginning of the parade route and right by a park with a playground. We couldn't have PAID for a better spot. It was so worth getting up and getting there early. What a perfect day. Train ride to downtown, playground, parade, train ride back and then a play date with Luke and Marshall Garthoff. Oh and I almost forgot to mention a visit with Santa Claus in the Bishop Arts District. Cole went right up to him to give him a hug and Topher didn't hesitate one second to tell Santa he wanted a Mr. Potato Head for Christmas. I'll post the picture with Santa as soon as I get it. What a big day. The three of us are all going to sleep so well tonight. :)
Me with Cole, Topher, Johnny with Lydia and Yogi and Booboo.

Lydia let Topher borrow her hat. The wind was quite chilly.

They had quiet a hard time with all the big balloons due to the wind. It was actually kind of funny.

The big guy himself!
The train ride home put Cole right to sleep.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

We joined the Garthoffs in their neighborhood for Trick-or-Treating on Halloween. We had so much fun. Here are the memories from the evening...

Introductions: Luke Garthoff as Buzz Lightyear, Topher Padgham as Sheriff Woody, and Cole Padgham and Marshall Garthoff as the little aliens.

2010 Trip to Thirty Mile Campground in the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of the Rio Grand National Forest

2010-08-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ever seen an upside-down mountain…?

We’ll get to that part in a little bit. But first, let me take you through one of the best vacations ever. I must let you know that this will be quite a long post. So get yourself a snack and a little something to sip on ‘cause reading this could take a while.

A little side note here: We couldn’t help but notice all the dead trees in the forest. You’ll notice them as well in most of our pictures and videos. Come to find out, an infestation of tiny beetles the size of a grain of rice is destroying hundreds of thousands of acres of pine trees all over Colorado. It was heartbreaking to see and even more heartbreaking to know that this infestation could possibly close down this wonderful forest to campers in the near future. Some parks in Northern Colorado are already having to close their campsites due to the problem. The Padghams have been camping at Thirty Mile for decades. In fact, Bryan’s grandparents spent their honeymoon there. So we are hoping and praying that this Padgham tradition does not have to come to an end. But enough of this sad news. Let’s get to more fun memories.

We simply could not wait to get the heck out of Dallas. The heat was just horrible. And we knew the weather was going to be absolutely perfect in Colorado. We were also so excited to get to Colorado because Topher had already been there for an entire week with Grandma and Grandpa Padgham (and he was in Kansas with them for a week before that so we hadn’t seen him for 2 whole weeks). He was having such a great time. He helped Grandpa get all the tents set up, rode his bike around the campsite, and even got to play in the water a bit (that water is soooo cold, but apparently cold doesn’t affect him much).

Jon, Bryan, Cole and I arrived the evening of July 24^th after a very long day of travel (1 hour flight to Amarillo and then an 8 hour drive to the camp). And the next 8 days were just as we knew they would be…perfect! We hiked, we fished, we ate…and ate…and ate, we played with chipmunks, we played ladder ball, we relaxed in the hammock, and we hung around the campfire with good friends. Here's a video I made of our campsite and some pictures...

We told Topher he was in a cocoon and he called it a "raccoon". So cute!This chipmunk (I nicknamed him Scarface because he has a scar above his right eye) was so tame. We couldn't believe how friendly he was. As long as he was getting peanuts, he didn't care about anything else.

Shari and I took the boys to Creede on Tuesday to get some laundry and shopping done. Topher and Cole got to play on the old train for a few minutes. We were quite exhausted when we got back to camp that day. It sure ain’t easy doing laundry and shopping with a 3 year old and a 15-month-old. But the fudge we got at The Creede Trading Co. made it a bit easier. I highly recommend stopping in to get fudge if you’re ever in the area. My favorite is the chocolate amaretto. Best fudge EVER!!!

On Wednesday, Bryan, the boys and I had a bit of a family outing to see the Clear Creek Waterfall. It is just such a beautiful site. You can’t see it or hear it until you get right up to it. I saw it for the first time in 2004. It’s the first waterfall I’ve ever seen (and still the only one I’ve ever seen) and now it’s the first one my boys have seen. Topher was in awe. Perfectly understandable.

After the waterfall, we headed to the Continental Reservoir for a snack. It’s quite a breathtaking view. Then again, pretty much everywhere you look in this area there’s a breathtaking view.

On Thursday, Bryan and I headed out for my very first ever backpacking adventure. We left around 9:20am for an 8-mile hike up to Squaw Lake. The first couple of miles were quite tough. Pretty much a hard climb for most of it. But after that first bit, we had a few miles of hiking through mostly flat meadows. There were a few times when we just knew we would get rained on if not hailed on but luckily, the clouds seemed to steer clear of us throughout our entire hike. Someone was certainly watching out for us that day. We were so thankful to avoid hiking in the rain. And then the meadows ended and the hard part came. The last bit of the hike was zig-zagging straight up the mountain. It took us just under 2 hours to do that part and it was exhausting. My 20 pound backpack felt more like 100 pounds at this point. But it was all worth it. It took us 5 hours and 27 minutes to get to the most beautiful lake at the top of this mountain at 11,632 feet.

And our luck with the weather was still strong when we got there. We took about 30 minutes to take in the sites, get some pictures, soak our tired and sore feet in the lake, put up our tent, gather a bit of dry firewood, and get everything in the tent before it finally started raining. We hung out in the tent while it rained for about an hour. Then the rain stopped and we were able to get a campfire going (we forgot to bring a fire-starter and all we had were a few boxes of waterproof matches, but my husband the mountain man got a perfect campfire started). We spent the rest of the evening relaxing by the fire and enjoying the peace, the quiet, and the spectacular view. We were the only ones there for the night except for a lonely doe who hung out around our camp for a few hours. We were so surprised to see her come around as if we weren’t there at all. She seemed to not care about us humans one bit. She wasn’t skittish or nervous or anything. She just walked around the camp and grazed. She was beautiful and peaceful. Very lovely.

View at the very end of the zig-zag (switchbacks)...View of our tent from the wildflowers...Boy am I tired...The beautiful blue sky right after the rain...View of the lake from our campfire...
Our sweet deer...
The mountains on the other side of the lake is the Continental Divide. And in case you’re wondering, here’s what that is (from www.About.com)…

“The Continental Divide in the Americas is the line that divides the flow of water between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. Rain or snow that drains on the east side of the Continental Divide flows toward the Atlantic Ocean while precipitation on the west side drains and flows toward the Pacific Ocean. (However, some rivers empty into the desert and don't end up in the oceans.)

The continental divide runs from northwestern Canada along the crest of the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico. Then, it follows the crest of Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental. In South America, the Continental Divide lies along the Andes.

Every continent except for Antarctica has a continental divide.”

We thought about hiking up the last 1.25 miles to the top of the divide but we talked ourselves out of it because we were so tired and sore from the other 8 miles. I’m regretting it now. I think we’ll definitely have to do it next time we make this trek.

We woke up the next morning just before sunrise and I got this beautiful video of an upside-down mountain. Ok, it’s just the reflection of the Divide in the lake, but it looks so cool!

We got another fire started to cook our breakfast and then packed up everything to head back to Thirty Mile. We noticed that we had a little company sometime during the night. There were mountain lion tracks about 20 or so yards from our tent. Yikes! Thankfully, we didn’t see her at all and we made it safely back to camp after another 4 hour hike. We took a little time to do some fly-fishing along the way. Bryan caught 7 fish in about 20 minutes. I only caught 1. But I had fun anyway. My first backpacking adventure certainly will not be my last. I loved, loved, loved it. I can’t wait for the next trip.

Mountain lion print (you have to look closely)...

Finally getting back to camp...

One last wonderful memory to share. We got this picture of Topher and Cole on what Shari named "Horse Rock". She also has a picture of Bryan and Jon on this exact same rock when they were this age. So sweet. She's going to send that picture to me and as soon as I get it, I'll post it next to this one. I just love this...We spent the next day recovering and getting things ready to leave on Sunday. I’m always so sad when our trip comes to an end. Maybe next year we can spend an entire 2 weeks there. I would love that. It’s just so hard coming back to Dallas and 100+ temperatures every year. Our first day back to Dallas this year topped the thermometers at 106!! I’m ready to get back to Colorado where the highs are in the 70s. Now if I can just find a house to buy there and a job for Padg, all would be right with the world. ;)

Cole is on the run

2010-07-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

Well actually, he's just on the walk. He started trying to walk over the 4th of July holiday. Then he got sick for a week and gave up on the walking. But as of a few days ago, he has really started to take off.

He also had his 15-month check-up today. He got rave reviews. :) His stats are 22lbs 2oz (25th percentile) and 31" in length (50th percentile). Doc says to love him, feed him, and spoil him. I think we can manage that.

HOLA!!!!

2010-06-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

Buenos dias. Padg and I returned from Mexico this past Sunday. What a fantastic time (other than the traveling part). It's amazing how our stress completely melted away as soon as we stepped foot in our rental house. For 5 days we did a whole lot of nothing. Sitting on our front porch watching the waves, hanging out on our sun deck watching the waves, lounging in our hammocks or lounge chairs in the common area watching the waves, walking on the beach watching the waves, dining at ocean-front restaurants watching the waves, or getting into the ocean and playing in the waves. We did take a walk through the village a couple of times. I mean, we weren't completely lazy every day. Just most of each day.

The pelicans were also fun to watch. The way they soar over the waves and then swoop down and dive right in to catch fish. Bryan was especially fascinated by them. It's very relaxing to watch. We found a great little spot amongst the rocks on the edge of the water where we could sit and watch up close. Those are some big birds. Not too pretty, but fascinating nonetheless. Sad to say I didn't get any pictures of the birds. :(

The food was wonderful. We had a kitchen in our rental so we were able to cook most breakfasts and snacks and whatever. But we loved getting to go out to eat a few times, too. We had some Argentinian beef one night that was simply incredible. It literally melted in our mouths. We had a bit left over so I heated it up with our eggs the next morning for some breakfast tacos. YUMMY!! And then there was my fish dinner. I never thought I'd eat a fish that was placed on my plate whole, eyes and all, but I did. And I'm so glad I did. Fresh snapper sauteed in garlic and it was fan-freakin-tastic. I did get a picture of it before devouring it. See below.
I am also including some videos (bottom of page) of the rental house because it's just so darn awesome. We absolutely love this place.

In the meantime, Topher and Cole are having a blast in Kansas with Grandma and Grandpa. Fishing, tractor rides, baby kittens, and of course, Duke the dog have been keeping them quite busy. Not sure they miss mommy and daddy very much. Certainly not nearly as much as mommy and daddy miss them. Here are some pics of their fun...

Videos of La Puesta del Sol...

Our little model

2010-05-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Cole was a little pro at his first magazine photo shoot. Please contact his agent (aka, mommy) for any modeling gigs you need him for. :)

Happy Anniversary!!

2010-05-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

So when I was a little girl, I had this ring that my grandmother gave me. It was a James Avery "Paper Doll" ring. I LOVED that ring. I was absolutely heartbroken when I couldn't find it one day. It was discontinued so I couldn't get another one. I never forgot that ring. Imagine my surprise when Bryan slipped that ring on my finger last night. I had told him about it before. About how much I loved it and how much it meant to me. How sad I was when it was gone. And bless his heart, he found one on eBay and gave it to me for our 5 year anniversary. Oh...my...GOD!! I love my husband. Happy Anniversary, my perfect love.

It's a little small so I'm hoping I can take it to the James Avery store and get it sized for the ring finger on my right hand. Can't wait!!

Carnival Time

2010-04-30T08:07:00.001-07:00

Topher's school carnival was last weekend. We met up with Allison, Luke and Marshall for a few hours of F-U-N!!! Topher had a blast with the petting zoo, pony rides, train rides, bounce house, his first taste of cotton candy, and all sorts of other things. He even got a tattoo. Unfortunately, I neglected to get pictures of a lot of those things, but I did get these shots...

Train ride Petting Zoo

Pony Ride (I think Topher takes after his Grandma and his Uncle Jon with his riding abilities)Cole and Marshall had a pretty good time, too.

Cole's stats

2010-04-20T08:39:00.001-07:00

Cole had his 1 year check-up this week. He weighed in at 20lbs 14oz (25th Percentile) and his length is now 30 inches (50th Percentile). The doc expects him to have another growth spurt in the next couple of months.

He is very close to walking these days. I think he'll be walking within a couple of weeks. He gets very frustrated when he can't do it. But he loves to stand up by himself and gets so excited when he gets to walk holding onto mommy or daddy's hands. I'll try to get a video this week.

Cole's Birthday Bash

2010-04-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

What a fun birthday party (in spite of it taking place in the middle of our construction mess)!! I think Cole had a really great time. The rest of us did, too. Thanks to everyone that was able to make it over. We sure did miss Mimi and Papa who couldn't make it because they were both sick. Here's a few videos of the fun. And a few pictures as well...

Happy birthday, Cole. We love you so much!!!

Cole is ONE!!!!

2010-04-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

Today is our littlest angel's first birthday. I can not believe this day is already here. I look at his sweet little face and can easily remember seeing it for the very first time. My first words to him were "Oh my God, you're so beautiful!". And he is just so beautiful. You can read Cole's birth story here if you're interested (http://padghams.blogspot.com/2009/04/cole-michael-padgham.html). He's such a funny guy. He LOVES his big brother and his mommy. But when his daddy walks in the door from work, Cole goes crazy! He bounces and kicks and whines until daddy picks him up and then all is right with the world. It's just too cute.

We'll be celebrating this happy occasion on Saturday with lots of friends and family. I'll be sure to post pictures and videos from the party as soon as possible. But in the mean time, here are photos from his very first hair cut last week. He behaved perfectly. It was a little bittersweet for me, though. He no longer looks like a baby. Much more like a little man now. So handsome.

BEFORE
DURING
AFTER (he's drooling over how handsome he is)

How cute is this...?

2010-03-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Monkey see, monkey do...

He did it!!

2010-03-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Cole finally started crawling. Whew! I was beginning to think he might skip crawling all together and just start walking, but nope. He's all over the place now. Which makes me wonder why I was so anxious for him to become mobile in the first place. ;)

Topher has started having more fun with his little brother lately. He loves making Cole laugh. And I love it, too. It's so great to see them having fun together. Sure makes a mommy proud.

That's it for today. Cole turns 1 in about a week and a half. I'll be sure to make another post for his first birthday. I can't believe it's already been a year. Time is going by way too fast.

Topher's THREE!!

2010-02-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

It doesn't seem real. How is it possible? Our little booger butt is quickly turning into a little man. He's so sweet and polite...most of the time. It's definitely obvious that he's three, though. He's constantly pushing limits and seeing how much he can get away with. He's also super smart and so funny. And he never meets a stranger. He just loves everyone he meets. I love that about him. We're so proud of him. Happy birthday, Topher. We love you so much!

The specifics: Topher checked in at 29lbs (25th percentile) and 35 1/2" tall (10th percentile). He must take after me in height, poor guy. Although, the doc said that growth spurts don't usually occur until the warmer months (who knew?) so we should expect him to get a little taller this summer.

Topher's 3rd birthday party was held at Indoor Safari Park in Southlake. That place is a ZOO!! A little overwhelming for adults, but talk about a wonderland for kids. They do a little parade for the birthday boy, a train ride, robotic animal rides, a putt-putt course and then a private tiki hut for the celebration. What fun!! Topher wants to thank all his friends for coming to his party and for all the wonderful gifts. He had such a fantastic time. We hope everyone else did, too.

And THANK YOU to Beth for sending me this video...

One last little story about the birthday boy. This is just too cute. The other day while eating his dinner, I heard him saying what I thought was "Oh man!" and he would say it twice in a row. The next time I heard him say "Oh man!" we noticed he was holding his hands like he was praying. Then we heard him singing a little song before saying "Oh, man!" Turns out, Topher learned a very sweet little "before meals prayer" at school and "Oh, man" is actually "Amen". We are so impressed and so proud. I'll try to get it on video and post it really soon. It's just so sweet.

First taste of nature

2010-02-02T12:35:00.001-08:00

We took the boys over to the park the other day and Cole got his first taste of leaves. Very cute pics...I also took the opportunity to teach Topher how to properly roll down a hill. Boy was that a mistake. Took me a couple of hours and a nap to recover from the dizziness. I'm just not as young as I used to be. :(

Cutest thing EVER

2010-02-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

I think Topher is finally coming around to this "brother" thing and also to caring for another. He was in his room playing today and when I went in to check on him, he was standing in the middle of the room holding his baby Elmo and saying "Shhhhh...it's ok, don't cry". Then he went to put Elmo in Cole's crib. It was so cute, so I ran with it. I asked him if Elmo was sleepy and needed to go night night and he told me yes. So I helped him set up a bed just for Elmo with his own blanket and everything. So we put Elmo down for his nap and then came into the living room with Cole. Then Topher said he heard Elmo crying so he went in and got him, brought him into the living room and told me that Elmo was hungry. So I set Topher on the couch with the boppy in his lap and gave him one of Cole's bottles so he could feed him. He fed him and I showed him how to burp him. Then he said it was time for Elmo to play. So he took the boppy and put it on the floor and sat Elmo down in front of it (I do this for Cole so he doesn't hit his head when he falls over) and then gave him one of Cole's toys. Then it was time for Elmo to go night night again 'cause he started crying again. He repeated this entire cycle 3 times in a row. After the last cycle, he thought it was time for the real deal because he kept wanting to pick Cole up and help him with his toys and help him sit up and everything. It was just so cute! Here are some pics..

A fast 9 months

2010-01-20T11:45:00.001-08:00

Time seems to be going by faster with Cole than it did with Topher. I mean, he was just born a few weeks ago, right? Nope. Try 9 months ago. That's just crazy. He had his 9 month check-up last week and he's doing great. He weighed in at 19lbs 4.5oz and is in the 45th percentile for weight. He also measured 29 1/2" long and is in the 90th percentile for height. The doc thinks Cole is going to be bigger than his big brother. Uh oh.

I was a little concerned about the fact that he wasn't rolling over from his tummy to his back yet, but the doc said to just give it a little more time and he'd get it. And he did. Just two days later he started rolling over and over and over. He looked like he was having such a great time, too. Here's a video...

On another note, he's starting to use his walker a lot and it's so funny watching him. He seems to "waddle" along and it's just too cute. So I have to include another video for your enjoyment...

Oh, and even more exciting news. Cole finally got his first tooth. It was one of his Christmas presents. Isn't it cute?
And I can't end this post without one last video. Just look at how amazing my husband is. He's such a great dad. I'm the luckiest woman in the world...

Family Portraits

2009-12-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

We went all out and got professional portraits taken this year. I'm so happy with the results. Thank you to Sarah Dorn of Sara Bella Photography (www.sarabellaphotography.com) for doing such a beautiful job. Here are a few of my favorites...

Cole Pics

2009-12-06T08:06:00.001-08:00

Our littlest man is just growing and growing. And his little personality is really starting to shine. He's such a sweet guy. He's sitting up now, but still not quite good enough for me to leave his side when he does. He still topples over after a bit, but he's getting better and better every day. Here are some pictures...

And a video of him sitting up...

My Wildcat Men

2009-12-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, the Kansas State Wildcats had a banner year in football. With Coach Snider back at the helm, the Cats came really close to Big 12 North Championship after a really, really bad year last season. So we're pretty proud of the team in this house. Obviously...

Fun with Friends

2009-12-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple of months, Topher has had loads of fun with friends. Luke came over for a super fun play date one day and they laughed and played and danced and wore each other out. It was quite entertaining to watch them. Here's a video. Sorry it's kind of shaky in some places.

We've also had the pleasure of keeping Miss Lydia a couple times and she is just so much fun. Topher loves it when she comes over (or when he gets to go to her house to play. We've kind of got a babysitting swap going on with the Lines). Here's a video of a fun game they like to play called, "Fall down"...

Allison and I loaded up the boys (all 4 of them) and headed to McKinney to the Heard Museum to see the animatronic dinosaur attraction. That was so cool. I recommend checking it out if you can. The dinosaurs are there until the end of January. Here are the pictures from that day...

Cole is Six Months Old...revised

2009-11-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

Sorry everyone, but I had to delete and re-post this because some jerk posted a comment with spam for viagra. That's not really something I'd like to have on my blog and I couldn't find a way to just delete that comment. The original date for this post was 10/16/09.

Cole is now the big 6 months. Can't believe it. He's becoming so verbal and is such a happy little guy. He weighed in at 16lbs 9oz and is 27" tall. He's such a cute little red-headed booger. And he loves his big brother so much. He loves to watch Topher play and he always gives the biggest smiles to his brother. Unfortunately, Topher still isn't all that interested in Cole. We're hoping that'll change once Cole is big enough to play with him. :)

Houston Trip

2009-10-26T17:54:00.001-07:00

The boys and I drove down to Houston to get out of the way of the demolition. We had a great time...

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

2009-10-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

It has begun. Demolition is complete and we're ready to start on everything else. Bryan and Bruce worked their tails off last week to get the demo done. Bruce even worked all week while Bryan was at the office. We are so happy and thankful for Bruce. We could not have gotten so much done so fast without him. Sure am sorry his truck got stolen while he was here. Hope that doesn't deter him from coming back 'cause we sure could use his help again.

Here are some demo pictures. We're moving the kitchen into the dining room/living room to make one big great room, moving the living room into the current master bedroom, and moving the master bedroom into the current kitchen. Wish us luck. We're gonna need it.

Kansas trip

2009-09-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Went to Kansas to get Topher after a fun-filled week with Grandma and Grandpa. Bryan and I also made it to the KSU vs. UMass game. It was a very fun weekend and was great to see family and friends. Here are some pics...

Decisions, decisions...

2009-08-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

Just some pics...

2009-08-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Well it's been another whole month since I've posted. Sorry about that. It's been kind of busy in the Padgham household. There's not really a lot to post so I'm just going to put up some pictures of the boys. Enjoy...

Topher is getting so big and becoming such a good big brother...

Cole is still growing like a weed at 14lbs 6oz and 25 inches long...

FINALLY!!!

2009-07-18T16:26:00.001-07:00

Man, have I been slackin' on my posts or what? Sorry about that. I'll try not to go so long between posts next time. Anyway, here's what's been happening at the Padgham household lately...

Topher has been on two vacations in the past few weeks. We headed up to Oklahoma for the Padgham family reunion in June and ended up sending Topher back to Kansas with Grandpa and Grandma Padgham for a week. Boy did he have a fantastic time. And I'm pretty sure Grandma and Grandpa had a pretty fantastic time as well...

Then, we packed up the family again and headed down to Houston to visit my family for the 4th of July weekend. We had such a great time. Us Morris' sure do love cooking and eating especially when we can all get together for it. Bryan, Cole and I left that Sunday, but Topher stayed in Houston that week with his Aunt Teri and Uncle Robbie and also stayed with his Mimi and Papa some. He had so much fun I wondered if he would be willing to come home with me when I went to pick him up.

Things are getting back to normal now. Bryan took Topher to see the new Ice Age movie this afternoon and he loved it. He did have a bit of an accident this morning, though. Got tripped up by a dog at a friends house and really thumped his noggin hard on the concrete driveway. He's got quite the bobo on his forehead, but he really handled it well. All the tears went away pretty fast after he got himself a popsicle. Then all was right with the world. Here's a pic of his ouchie...

Now, on to Cole. My goodness this boy is getting big. He is such an easy baby...most days. He's doing quite well on his sleep schedule. And he's sleeping through the night consistantly now. He sleeps from about 7:30pm until 6:30 or 7:30am. He's smiling all the time and has even started laughing some. And he looks more and more like Bryan every day.

And that's about it. Hope you enjoyed the pictures and videos. Love to all.

So much to talk about...

2009-06-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

Let's start off with Topher. He is now officially a "Big Boy!!!" I am so proud to announce that Topher is potty trained (mostly). We started last Friday and boy was it a stressful weekend, but it has finally paid off. He still has little accidents, but that's to be expected for a little bit. Most of his accidents occur when Daddy is home, but that's just because he loves playing with Bryan so much that he refuses to take time out of playing with him to go potty. I'm sure that will get better soon. I'm also thrilled that at his first day back to school today, he only had one accident! I was so nervous about school today that I packed 5 extra pairs of undies and pants just in case. ;) So here are some pictures of our big boy, Topher in his cute little big boy undies. Congratuations, Topher. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!!
Now let's talk about Cole. He's now 2 months old and that alone is just crazy. I can't believe it's been two months already! He had his check-up today and weighed in at 12lbs 8 oz and measured 23 1/8" in length. He's in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. He's actually already wearing size 3-6 months clothes (the shorts he's in below didn't fit Topher until he was 9 months old). On a sad note, he got 3 vaccinations today and HATED every second of it. Poor little guy. They've really gotta figure out a better way to give vaccines to children. Shots are just so cruel. :( Here are some current pictures of this little sweetie...
And FINALLY!! After many, many tries I was able to get Topher to hold Cole long enough to get some pictures. He actually asked to hold him this time. I guess he's warming up to the idea of being a big brother. Even more to be proud of...

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Padgham's came to visit over the holiday weekend. It was a great visit. Bryan and I even got to go out on a date for our anniversary! It was our first date night since Cole was born. We went out for appetizers and cocktails and then went to see Star Trek. Awesome movie by the way. Thank you to Bruce, Shari and Jon for babysitting for us. We had a great time. Here are some pictures from the weekend. Oh, and congratulations to Grandma Shari on her retirement!!!

Date night...

Chillin'......and grillin'Topher "helping" daddy with a project...
...and concentrating very hard...Grandpa with Cole.Topher loving his ice cream.Cole wanting to be naked.Time for Grandma and Grandpa to go home. :(

SMILES!!

2009-05-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

Cole started smiling this week. He's got such a great smile. I love it.
Ok, so this one isn't a smile picture, but it was so hilarious I just had to include it. I think he was getting sick of "smile posing". :)

Fun with the water hose

2009-05-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! Topher absolutely LOVES playing outside and the only thing he loves more than that is playing outside with WATER! Give this kid a water hose and he's in for hours of good clean fun. Well actually, it's not so clean afterall...see all the mud? But that's ok. He's a boy and boys are meant to get dirty...really dirty...disgustingly dirty sometimes. :)

One Month Stats

2009-05-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, Cole has gained 2 pounds 2 ounces since his 2-week check-up (3 weeks ago)! He is currently weighing in at 10lbs 8.5oz, meaning he has gained 3lbs 4.5oz since birth. He has also grown 1/2". I told you he was a chunk! The doctor also noticed that he's starting to focus on his hands and is trying to coo. He should be smiling and cooing before we know it. Can't wait!

Update to yesterday's post...

2009-05-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

Well speak of the devil! Cole only woke up for one middle-of-the-night feeding last night. I knew it would be soon. Hopefully it wasn't just a fluke and it will be the new norm. Fingers crossed.

Four weeks already

2009-05-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

I can not believe it's been FOUR WEEKS since Cole was born. He's becoming so much more alert these days. He's really starting to stick to his feeding schedule, which is great. He still eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I'm waiting with bated breath for the night when he finally only wakes up for 1 middle-of-the-night feeding instead of two. Should be any time now. I actually have been getting really good sleep lately. Eight non-continuous hours each night for the past few nights. It's been awesome. His 1-month check up is scheduled for May 13th, so I'll update then with his weight and such. I'm guessing he's gained at least a pound since his 2-week visit. This kid is a chunk. A sweet, adorable, cuddly chunk. :) Here are some pictures (and in case you're wondering, I'm trying my hardest to get pictures of both boys together, but Topher is not wanting to cooperate). :(
And here are some recent pics of sweet big brother...

2 Week Post...A few days late (a long post)

2009-04-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well I'm a few days late getting Cole's 2-week post out. It's been kind of a hectic week. Cole is doing really well with his eating and sleeping schedule, though we have had some off days. He eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. He's beginning to have more and more "wake times" each day so that's been great. My main goal at this point is to keep him from "snacking" so I do all I can to make sure he gets a full feeding each time I nurse. Getting into this habit is the first step in getting him to sleep through the night. Topher started sleeping through the night at 12 weeks. My goal with Cole is to have him sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. Wish me luck!

Cole had his 2-week check up on Wednesday. He weighed in at 8lbs 6.5oz and is still 22" long. We can definitely tell that he's filling out. He's getting quite chubby. On another note about weight, I have to brag on myself again...as of Wednesday, I've lost all the weight I gained during the pregnancy plus one pound. And I weighed again on Friday just for grins and giggles and I had lost another 2 pounds. So all in all I have lost 19 pounds since giving birth to Cole. I couldn't be more thrilled!!!

Mimi and Papa Morris were here to help out this week and it was great having them here. They were a huge help. They left today so now we are officially on our own. It's good, though. Bryan and I have to figure this whole "parenting a toddler and newborn" thing out for ourselves at some point, so here goes. Wish us luck. Oh and Topher woke up with a stomach bug this morning. He is having trouble keeping anything down so we're in for a true test. You might wanna say a few prayers for us while your wishing us luck. ;)

Here are some new pictures of Cole and a few of his proud grandparents as well. By the way, Cole is their TWENTIETH grandchild!! Wow!!!

And here are some pictures with his big brother. Topher is still in the "I'm not sure about this" stage, but I'm sure he'll come around soon.

One week old

2009-04-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Cole is one week old today and he's growing like a weed. He had his 1-week check up with the doctor and he has gained NINE AND A HALF OUNCES in 6 days!! He's also already grown 1/4 of an inch and is in the 97th percentile for height. I shouldn't be surprised. This kid is a pro at nursing.
On another note, Topher is becoming a fantastic big brother. He makes sure to keep Cole's swing moving and likes to give him his teddy bear. He also blows him lots of kisses. He really seems to be adapting quite well to the new addition which is a huge relief to mommy and daddy. I am going to try to take some pictures of the both of them today or tomorrow. I'll post them as soon as I can. In the meantime, here are some pictures of Cole with Grandma and Grandpa Padgham and Uncle Jon. They came in last Friday and have been a huge help. Grandpa had to leave on Monday so he could work this week, but Grandma is staying until Saturday. And then Mimi and Papa Morris will come to help out for a week. We're really looking forward to their visit and will post pictures as soon as possible.

More pictures

2009-04-12T14:42:00.001-07:00

Cole Michael Padgham

2009-04-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, April 8th, we were blessed with our second beautiful baby boy. Cole Michael was born at 12:19pm weighing in at 7lbs and 4oz and was 21 3/4" in length.

About the birth: I started having pre-labor contractions at about 2am but that only lasted about an hour. I was able to sleep from 3am-4:45am, but then the contractions started becoming a little more intense. At that point, I knew that I was going to have a baby that day. I woke Bryan up around 5:30am to let him know things were happening. He needed to go into the office to get some things taken care of since he was taking time off after the birth so he went ahead and got up and went to work. I got up and got some things ready...between contractions that is. I got Topher up at about 7am and got him dressed, fed and ready for school...between contractions. Then I got myself ready. I even put make-up on for some reason...between contractions. ;) The contractions were not regular at this point (they were anywhere from 4 minutes to 12 minutes apart), so I knew there was plenty of time to get things done and then get to the birthing center to get checked. So I drove Topher to school (during 3 contractions) and then called the birthing center and told the midwife what was happening and that I was on my way. I got there a little before 9am and at this point the contractions were becoming regular at about 4-5 minutes apart. She checked me and verified that I was actually in labor at 4 centimeters and 90% effaced. So I called Bryan and told him to come on over to the center because we were about to meet our baby.

Ten minutes later, Bryan and I were outside at a beautiful park next to the center walking around trying to progress labor. We walked for a good hour and a half before I got really tired and just wanted to sit down. I have to say that being able to walk through the labor felt great. I stopped for each contraction, but as soon as a contraction ended, it was as if nothing was going on. I felt great between each one. And the contractions themselves didn't seem all that painful either. Very uncomfortable, yes, but also very manageable.

At about 10:45 or so, we went in and the midwife suggested I go ahead and get into the whirlpool so did. I labored in the whirlpool with Topher, too, and it was just as fantastic this time. I don't know why every pregnant person doesn't do this. It is the most relaxing, greatest feeling a pregnant women can experience during labor, in my opinion. So as I'm relaxing in the water, Bryan and I get to visit and talk and joke with eachother...between contractions, of course...which were beginning to get more intense and closer together. At about 11:30, the midwife checked me again and that's when my water broke. She said it wouldn't be long now and she was right. My contractions became the most intense at this point. I could no longer do anything during a contraction except concentrate on breathing through it. This was what they call "active labor". I felt the first urge to push a little after 12pm. After two huge pushes, the head was out, but there was a problem. The shoulders were stuck or "tight" as the midwife put it. There was a mad rush to get the baby out. After the head comes out, there's a very short period of time to get the rest of the baby out before major complications can occur. So they pretty much had my legs behind my head (I never knew this was even possible for me??) and told me to push the baby out NOW so I gave it all I had and thankfully it worked. I swear it felt as if he were being ripped from my loins (which will be the way I'll always describe it...especially when the day comes that I need to put a big guilt trip on Cole). But he was out and immediately on my chest and he felt so great and looked so perfect. I didn't get to keep him long, though. It was a very traumatic birth for him so they took him to make sure everything was ok. Which, as it turns out, everything was perfect. He came back to me about 20 minutes later and I was amazed that he immediately started nursing with absolutely no problems whatsoever. He nursed for a good hour at least and then fell right to sleep.

It was such a perfect day. The weather was gorgeous and so was our new baby. Bryan went to pick Topher up at school at about 4:30 and brought him back to meet Cole. When we asked him if he wanted to meet his little brother, he said "No. No druther." He just needed a little bit of time to warm up to the idea, I guess.

We left the birthing center at 6pm that evening. Everything is going really well. He's eating and sleeping like a champ, which is all I can ask for at this point. So that's Cole's birth story. You can read Topher's birth story as well here: IT'S A BOY!!! Thanks so much for reading. More pictures and updates will be coming in the next few days I'm sure, so check back when you can.

Love to all.

Blooms

2009-04-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

So many of our new plants are already blooming. They are so pretty. We covered everything up last night because of the impending freeze, and thankfully, everything seems to have survived just fine. I hope I labeled all of the pictures correctly...

two...more...weeks...

2009-04-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Ugh! No changes since last week. And I'm showing no signs whatsoever of delivering this baby early. That makes me sad. I'm just really ready to meet the little guy. And I'm getting a little tired of being pregnant. But that's ok, I guess. Cole is welcome to stay in his comfy home for as long as he needs to. The midwife says he's probably right at 7 pounds now and thinks that if I go the full two weeks, he'll be an 8 pound baby.

I'm still feeling good other than my tummy being really heavy these days...and all the potty breaks I have to take. Allison and I are still trying to walk as often as possible. We don't get to do it every day anymore, but that's ok.

Anyway, that's that. I just wanted to update you all. I'm gonna go waddle to bed for a little nap now. I guess I should be thankful that I'll still have two weeks to get good naps in. :)

Trinity Audubon Center

2009-03-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

Allison and I took Luke and Topher to the Trinity Audubon Center (http://www.trinityriveraudubon.org) this morning for a class on nature. We walked along the nature trail and saw birds and flowers, and of course mud puddles, which were way more fun than anything else. They also got to plant flowers, play with turtles and a lizard, and see some pretty big fish. It was a very interesting morning. I think the boys had a good time.

3 more weeks...maybe

2009-03-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Saw the midwife this afternoon. I've already started dilating (meaning my cervix has started to open...sorry if that's TMI) at 1cm and am 40% effaced. Now, I have a friend who had dilated to 2cm and still took almost a month to go into labor and they even had to induce her a week early and she ended up giving birth to a 10.5 pound baby boy the au natural way (Kristy, you are my hero)!!! So, all that said, there's just no way to tell when Cole will make his appearance. It could take the full 3 weeks or it could happen tomorrow. The midwife told me not to get my hopes up for it to happen that soon, but she also thinks I won't make it the full 40 weeks. YEA!

So anyway. Just wanted to update you all on the situation. I'll let you all know when and if anything changes.

Spring Break Work

2009-03-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Padgham's came down to visit during Spring Break and helped us get all kinds of work done inside and out. We can't thank them enough for everything they've done. The two biggest projects were finishing up the irrigation and putting most of the plants in (still a few more to come). Here are some pictures. I can't wait to see the landscape in a few months after it fills in some. It's going to be so pretty.

I can grow people. What's your super power?

2009-03-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

I remember going through this towards the end of my pregnancy with Topher. But this time I'm having even more trouble dealing with it because I know this will be my last pregnancy. I am so blessed that both of my pregnancies have been so super easy. I have loved being pregnant...both times. What I love the most is feeling that little miracle moving around in my tummy. Knowing that I'm growing a human being right there inside of me. Knowing that a little part of me and Bryan will go on forever. I just don't think it gets any better than that. ;)

Ok, so obviously I'm a little hormonal these days. I'll stop this post now before I get too emotional and I'll end with a belly pic so everyone can see how big I am. I AM HUUUUUUGE! But I am loving it.

Six weeks to go

2009-03-05T09:14:00.001-08:00

As ready as I am to meet our new baby, I have to admit I am getting really nervous. I keep remembering the things I said right after I gave birth to Topher without pain meds, "I will NEVER do this again!" Now sometimes I wonder why I've changed my mind. But I guess I know why. As bad as the pain was, and oh...my...God was it bad, it was everything that happened right after giving birth that made it all worth it. So these days, I'm trying to focus all my thoughts on those memories. How it felt when they placed Topher on my belly immediately after he came out. Being totally awake and aware of everything that was happening the entire time. Being able to go home 5 hours after he was born. And recovering from the entire ordeal in no time at all. But even with all that in mind, I think a little freaking out on my part should be expected over the next few weeks.

Anyway. A little update. I went to see the midwife last Thursday. I was at 33 weeks gestation and the baby was still measuring 2 weeks ahead at 35 weeks. So I was told to lay off all sweets and cut way down on carbs so that the baby wouldn't get too big. My weight gain is still going great. Total amount is 15 pounds so far, however, I lost 2 pounds this week after getting a mild version of Topher's stomach bug he had last week. So I'm back to 13 pounds total.

Other than all that, I think I'm entering the first stages of "nesting". I'm getting all my lists together and am planning to get things cleaned and organized over this weekend. I'm actually looking forward to this so it must be nesting because everyone knows how much I hate to clean.

I have another midwife appointment next Thursday (3/13) and then I'll go every week after that since I'll be in my last month. I'll keep you all posted.

My Perfect Valentine's

2009-02-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I love my husband. He is such the perfect husband and perfect father. I got the greatest gift of all from Bryan and Topher yesterday and I will always cherish it...

Welcome to the world, Jack

2009-02-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

Our newest nephew, Jack Charles Morris was born today. Proud parents Chuck and Michelle and big sister Averie couldn't be happier. He is just perfect and I can't wait to meet him. Bryan, Topher and I will be making the trip to Houston next weekend. Here's a picture of the sweet angel. And a video message to him from Topher...

Birthday Celebrations

2009-02-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

We had a play date at the park for Topher's birthday last Friday. Topher's friends, Lydia, Pete, and Luke all came to play and then we had a picnic. We had a great time...until the boys found the mud and got filthy...

Then that evening, we had a nice quiet dinner at home to celebrate his birthday. I made his favorite dinner; hot dogs & mac & cheese (mommy and daddy had chili-cheese dogs...YUMMY!). Then we topped it all off with cupcakes. What a great day.

The end of this video is so cute. Listen to what he says after the candle finally gets blown out...

Happy Birthday, Topher!!!

2009-02-06T07:03:00.001-08:00

Friends and Family, we welcome you to post a birthday message to Topher for him to read some day. Thanks so much!

Dear Topher,

I can not believe it's been two years already. Time is going by way too fast. Before we know it, you'll be all grown up. And as I can't wait to see the wonderful man I'm sure you'll grow into, it makes me sad in so many ways. But I know there are so many special occasions and wonderful memories still to come. Your daddy and I look forward to each and every one of them. You are the most special thing in our lives and it would be impossible to tell you how much we love you, so we'll just have to keep showing you every day.

You're going to be a big brother soon and I know you're going to be the greatest. Your little brother is going to love you so much and he will look up to you in so many ways. I know he's going to learn great things from you.

I just wanted you to be able to read this one day and know how wonderful we think you are. Your personality is shining so brightly already. You have an infectious laugh and smile, a super sweet disposition, and you give the best hugs ever.

Happy Birthday, my angel. I love you so very much.
Mommy

2 years old, and already you're teaching me things I never knew. Humans can drink dog water on all fours. Farts are hilarious (actually I already knew that one). Ink will sometimes wash out of a sofa cushion. The only thing better than being happy is being happy outdoors. Hot dogs are better than all other foods put together. Dogs will play with anyone given the right initiative. Falling a distance equal to your height doesn't hurt if nobody saw it. And pretending to be a flying space ranger is truly one of life's little gifts.

Happy birthday son! You're getting way too big way too fast. You never cease to amaze me with your unconditional love for everyone you meet. I hope that is a trait that never leaves you. Your world is about to be turned upside down, but you should never ever doubt how much your mother and I love you. Now stop feeding your little brother cat food.

Love,

Dad

Braggin' on myself

2009-02-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

Had another midwife appointment today. I'm 30 weeks along and I am super proud to say that I've kept my weight gain down to only 13 pounds so far. By the 30th week with Topher, I had already gained 21 pounds. YIKES!!! I owe it all to the walking. With any luck, I'll weigh less than I did when I got pregnant after this little fella comes out. And I'll be completely ready to start training for the half marathon in November. Fingers crossed. Speaking of the little fella, he's measuring a little big. I'm at 30 weeks gestation, but he's measuring at 32 weeks, so I'm thinking he might be bigger than Topher was when he was born...in other words "OUCH!!".

13 weeks to go

2009-01-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm 27 weeks along. That means I'll start my 3rd trimester next week. I'm feeling really great. With my last pregnancy, all the swelling started in my 7th month, so I'm hoping that won't happen this time. I've gotten used to having my ankles back and would hate to lose them again. The really great news from my midwife appointment today is that I've only gained 12 pounds total so far. I am thrilled about that. My goal is to make it through these next 13 weeks with gaining only 8 more pounds (or less). We'll see how that goes. :)

All is well with baby, too. He's growing perfectly. I sure can't wait to meet him. Won't be long now.

Oh and one more thing to mention. Topher went with me to the midwife this time. He behaved so well and everyone just had a fit over him. Then when it was time to go, he went up to each of the ladies that worked there to give them a kiss and say "dye-dye", which in Topher talk means "bye-bye". He is the biggest flirt ever!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-04T11:53:00.001-08:00

We spent Christmas at home this year. The Padgham's made the trip down to Dallas to spend it with us. It was a very fun and busy holiday vacation. Started off with a wonderful Christmas Day full of presents, cooking and eating. Then over the next several days, Bryan, Bruce and Jon (with a little help from Topher, of course) built a couple of really beautiful cedar fence's and a gate in our backyard (fence/gate designed by Padg himself...he's so talented). Shari and I did most of the staining. Ain't it pretty? ;) They also laid a brick patio outside the shop. And in addition to all that, Bruce and Shari still found time to do some work on our kitchen floors. We stripped the old linoleum off a couple of months ago and needed to get the old glue off to get it ready to be sanded and stained, so they spent a lot of time doing that for us. We sure do appreciate all their help.

An Early Christmas in Houston

2009-01-04T11:39:00.000-08:00

We headed down to Houston to spend the weekend before Christmas with my family. We had such a great time. I just wish we could have stayed a little longer. I also wish I had gotten a few more pictures, but I was just too busy eating the Mexican Fiesta we all cooked instead of the traditional Christmas dinner. :)

Cheap entertainment

2008-12-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

It's all fun and games until somebody tips the baby out of the laundry basket. Note: No children were injured in the making of this video.

Topher's little brother...

2008-11-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here he is. Our beautiful baby boy. I had my sonogram yesterday (11/19) and all is going wonderfully with the little man. He was moving around quite a bit. At one point, it looked like he was playing peek-a-boo with us. Very cute. We are so thrilled that Topher will have a brother to play with (and boss around). Anyway, just wanted to share the photos. I'll try to explain what you're looking at for each pic...

Picture him on his back with his butt in the air doing the bicycle exercise...
This one is simple enough. He's on his back looking up...He's got his hands on either side of his face as if he's playing the "boo" part of peek-a-boo...And the money shot. Took him forever to show us the stuff, but he finally did. You're looking from the bottom part of him.

18 Weeks

2008-11-15T07:07:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm 18 weeks pregnant now. Feeling bigger than ever. I had a midwife visit on Wednesday and all is going well. Shockingly, I've only gained TWO pounds. I don't know how that's possible because I look like I have a small pig in my belly. I had Bryan take a picture so I could compare it to the last pregnancy. Turns out, I'm as big at 18 weeks as I was with Topher at 24 weeks (maybe even a little bigger). I've posted both pics so you can see for yourself...

18 Weeks w/baby #2...
24 Weeks with Topher...

A Spooktackular Halloween

2008-11-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

What a fun-filled week we had. We started off with a Halloween party at Topher's school on Wednesday...

Then on Halloween Day, we went to Luke's 2nd Annual Halloween Party...

And of course, we had to do some Trick-or-Treating Friday night. After that, we headed over to the Line's home for a little more festivities...

I love these pics...

Another visit to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

Got to go to the Arboretum's Pumpkin Patch yesterday with my friends Luke, Ethan, and Peyton. Had a great time...

Take me out to the ballgame...

2008-10-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to posting them. Bryan and I got free tickets to a Ranger baseball game and got to take Topher. I think he had a pretty good time. And so did we. We don't get to hang out with these friends often enough, so it was great to spend some time with them.

Big boy bed

2008-10-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Well we finally got up the nerve to try Topher out in his big boy bed for nap time today and I am so happy to report that as I type these words, he is sleeping like a...well, a baby. It took a little while to get him to actually lie down. He kept wanting to get up and play with all his toys. But finally, after about 30 minutes or so, we noticed he wasn't making any noise and we knew that he had fallen asleep. So I crept in to get a picture and noticed that he brought a few of his toys into bed with him. He's just too cute...

13 Weeks

2008-10-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally out of my first trimester and still feeling pretty well. I had my first midwife appointment last Wednesday and got to hear the beautiful heartbeat. That kind of made it all "real". My tummy is already getting bigger and let's face it, it was pretty big to start with so at only 13 weeks, I already look as though I'm 6 month's preggo. ;) I'm scared to see what I'll look like when I actually am 6 months along, not to mention 9 months! YIKES!! But my friend Allison and I have been walking 3 miles most days of the week so that's helping a lot. I'm hoping to keep the weight gain down to a respectable amount. My midwife said I should only gain 15-20 pounds and I think I insulted her when I laughed in her face. But we'll see. I'll do my darndest. If only those stupid cakes, pies, chocolates, candies, etc. would stop calling my name. :)

Bryan and I have decided that we'd find out the baby's gender this time around. We loved the anticipation and surprise of not knowing with Topher, but since we've already gone that route, we thought we'd give the other way a try. It'll be fun to know what to expect this time so we can plan accordingly. I'll have a sonogram in 6 to 8 weeks to find out if it has a wee-wee or a hoo-hoo. I'll be sure to post the results as soon as I have them...hopefully with a few sono pics as well.

Hippie boy no more

2008-09-18T13:23:00.001-07:00

Topher got his hair cut today and boy did he ever need it. Here's a before and after picture. He looks like such a little man now, instead of a hippie. ;)

Where has the time gone?

2008-09-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Wow. I got on the blog today to do a quick update and started looking at all the old posts. I am sitting here in complete amazement at how fast time has gone by and how big our baby boy is getting. He's growing up so fast and is changing so much all the time. I'm finding myself missing him as a baby, but also beaming with pride at what a wonderful person he is becoming. He's such a happy guy (most of the time). :) My favorite part of the day is when Padg and I wake up and hear Topher in his crib singing to himself. It cracks us up. Then we'll go in to get him and he'll put on a little song-and-dance show for us. He is quite the morning person. Padg asked me the other day as we were watching him play if I ever thought I'd love anything so much. Actually, I never knew that so much love even existed. I guess I know how God feels now. :)

I'll get back to the original reason for this new post now. I am so very excited to announce that our beautiful little boy is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!! April 15th is the date and we are thrilled. I can't wait to go through all the joys (and pains!) of a tiny baby again and also be able to experience all the wonderfullness that I'm sure Topher will be as a brother.

Colorado Camping Trip

2008-07-28T09:28:00.001-07:00

Oh boy! What a warm welcome home...literally. You just don't realize how hot and humid Dallas really is until you get away from it for a week. But I guess it's good to be home regardless. Though I sort of wish I were still at the camp site where it barely reached the mid-70's while we were there. At any rate, here's a short summary of our trip (I've divided the pictures into 3 sets so it won't take forever to view them all. There's also a video at the end.)...

We arrived around 5:30pm or so on Saturday, the 19th. Topher went straight for the shovel and dirt and hardly stopped playing in it until we left over a week later. He had the best time. I've never seen him more happy. He was definitely in his element. He's a true outdoorsman, that's for sure. Besides playing in the dirt, he enjoyed running around the camp site, going for walks around the campgrounds, feeding the chipmonks and squirrels with Grandpa, and playing with his toys in the camper with Grandma. Following are all the "Topher pics" from the trip...

As for the rest of us, I think we had just as much fun as Topher did. We got to do some hiking and fishing and general sight-seeing. Bruce, Jon, Padg and I hiked the Weminuche (Wem-in-ooch) Trail on Wednesday (http://www.coloradowilderness.com/wildpages/weminuche.html). It's about a 6-mile hike and a really good part of it is uphill. But once you get to "the meadows" (see pics) there's great fishing. I'm getting better and better at fly fishing. I caught about 8 fish that day. None were very big, but that's ok. Jon caught about 35 and Padg caught about 15 so it was a pretty good day. The guys also hiked up the "Ute Creek Trail" (sorry, I didn't go so there are no pictures). Padg caught a bunch of fish but also slid pretty far down a steep slope. He escaped mostly uninjured though, thank goodness. I rode up to "Sawmill Canyon" with the guys to watch them gather firewood. It's beautiful up there. And it was fun watching the strong men in action. ;) Jon, Padg and I left one morning and went in search of a new river to fish up high on Sawmill Canyon, but when we finally found it, it was only about a foot wide, so it turned out to be a bust. But it wasn't a complete loss. It was a fun and sometimes scary 4-wheel drive ride up there. And we ended up following a suggested trail high up on the mountain that overlooks our campground (called 30-mile campground). So that was pretty cool, too. Some of the other fun we had included going into town (Creede, Co. www.creede.com) for some shopping (after doing the laundry). There's a store there that has the best fudge you've ever eaten. YUMMY! Creede is about a 45-minute to an hours drive from the campsite. And of course we had to stop at Freeman's General Store for some of the tastiest cheeseburgers and home made ice cream in the world.

Finally, I've got a great video for ya. And there's a story behind it so here goes. One day while eating at the table, Topher leaned over and...well...let's just say he passed gas. We all thought it was pretty funny that he leaned over to do it and so we laughed. Well, he figured out that we were laughing at what he did, so he leaned over and tried to pass more gas. It was priceless. Well a couple of days later he did the same thing while eating with Grandma and Grandpa while Jon, Padg and I were out and about. So Grandpa decided to teach him how to lean over and make a "gass-passing" noise with his mouth. So here's Topher doing his "Grandpa trick"...

And that's about it. The weather was perfect aside from a little rain with slight hail most afternoons around 2pm. A couple of days the rain lasted into the night. But we didn't mind much. It's pretty cool sleeping in a tent and listening to the rain and the fast-flowing creek behind us. It just doesn't get much better.

Swimming pool fun

2008-06-23T11:12:00.001-07:00

We went to a pool-side baby shower a couple of weeks ago. Sure was fun.

Padg's birthday weekend...

2008-06-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Padg turned 33 on Saturday. Happy Birthday!!!

Can't get enough

2008-06-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

Topher just loves the spray park so much. We had to go again today. We met Allison and Luke there and just had all kinds of fun. Just wanted to share the memories...

Backyard Fun

2008-06-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we wasted a little water while playing in the backyard, but it was sooooooo hot and we just needed to cool off. Topher loved playing in the pool and with the water hose. He also loves helping his daddy with our garden (or mini-garden if you will). We just have a couple of tomato plants, a bell pepper plant, and a jalapeño plant.

Mother's Day Out

2008-06-09T08:45:00.001-07:00

I enrolled Topher in a Mother's Day Out program for the summer. He goes to this "day care" every Wednesday from 9am to 3pm. Last Wednesday, June 4th was his first day. I was a little nervous how he would react when I dropped him off, but it turns out there was no need to be. He was such a brave little guy. There were 3 kids who had just been dropped off and they were screaming bloody murder for their mommy's but Topher went in and headed straight for the toys and didn't even look back. I have to say I was the slightest bit hurt that he didn't cry when I left, but I was mostly proud. I've been told that it means he's very secure with himself.

I had a great day off. I went shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding and then I had lunch with a friend and just enjoyed having a few hours to myself to do what I wanted to do. This Wednesday I'm thinking of painting our dining room, or maybe rearranging the nursery to make room for his big boy bed. Or maybe I'll just relax and take it easy that day. Nah. :)

Here's a pic of him in the back of the day care room playing with the toys right before I left.

Memorial Day Weekend in Kansas

2008-06-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

We made another trip up to Kansas for the Memorial Day weekend and had loads of fun, as usual. Grandpa introduced Topher to the joys of mud puddles, wheel barrow rides, tractor rides. He also got to see some cows up close. He went to church with us on Sunday and I was so proud of him. He sat through the entire service without making a peep (mostly due to Grandpa's pocket full of Cheerios). ;) And thanks to Grandma, he was kept busy all weekend with tons of fun toys. Grandma kept all of his daddy's and uncle Jon's toys from when they were little so he got to play with those. It was a really great weekend. We started to head back to Dallas on Monday (Memorial Day) but had to turn around and go back because we were experiencing car troubles. Thank God for small towns because Grandpa called his mechanic and it was no problem for him to fix the problem that day. It only took him 2 hours to get it all fixed (on a holiday at that!). So we could've gone ahead and come back that day, but we decided to go ahead and stay another night instead.

So thanks Grandma and Grandpa for such a fun holiday weekend.

Fun, fun, fun!!!

2008-05-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to come up with different activities for Topher since he's constantly on the move these days. We've had some really fun times in the past few weeks. Our friends Beth and Lil' Pete met us at the Galleria Mall's "PlayPlace" a few Friday's ago and that was a blast. It's an awesome and safe place to let kids just run and play and be kids (and wear themselves OUT!). Then last Friday, we went to the Dallas Zoo with Allison and Luke. That was a very interesting outing. Topher seemed to enjoy the brass statues more than the real animals but that's probably just because he couldn't get close enough to the real ones to give them kisses. I think his favorite part was the little pool that we found towards the end of the zoo trip. He just loves water play. Which brings us to our new favorite thing to do...SPRAYPARKS!!! Bryan and I took him to a local spraypark and he absolutely loved it. It was so fun to watch him run in and out of the water. We can't wait to do that again really, really soon. So I wanted to share pictures from all our recent adventures. Good times. ;)

The Galleria's "PlayPlace"

Our Zoo trip...

The Lake Highlands SprayPark

Mother's Day Weekend

2008-05-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

It was such a wonderful weekend. Padg and Topher did such a great job of making it extra special for me. I wanted to share the memories with you all. I hope your Mother's Day was just as special as mine...

The kid loves his fruit...

2008-04-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

We spent the afternoon with our friends Johnny and Shelly this past Sunday and had a great time. Topher went to town on some watermelon and a banana. These pictures, courtesy of Shelly, are priceless. Thanks, Shel. Please note the filthiness of his shirt. He's such a boy...

Such a little man

2008-04-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

Topher got his hair cut again today. It was his second cut and he was so great. Not one tear shed. He's such a sweet little guy. Here's the before and after...

Before
After

Topher's new 'do...

2008-04-06T18:29:00.001-07:00

This kid has got some great hair. Must have gotten that from his mommy. ;)

I've learned...

2008-04-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

...that getting a toddler to sit still and pose for an Easter photo is pretty impossible. Oh well. It was fun trying.

My new playground

2008-02-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

I've got my very own playground now! The park that's across the street from my house just got a fantastic, age-specific playground. I'm so excited. All we have to do is walk over to the other side of the park to get there. It's awesome! My friend, Luke, came over on Tuesday and we took our mommies over there to play.

Quality Time

2008-02-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

Topher and I spent some quality time together at the lake on Valentine's Day. The temperature was in the 70s and it was awesome...

Topher is ONE!!!

2008-02-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

I can not believe my sweet little angel boy is already a year old. How did that happen so fast? It seems that I was just cradling him in my arms yesterday and now he's walking! He's becoming quite the little man. We are so proud.

We threw a really fun birthday party on Saturday, February 2nd. And since it was the day before the Super Bowl, we made it a Super Bowl theme with a football cake and decorations. Here are some pictures of his big day and a video of him devouring his first cake. Pretty funny.

Ring around the sofa...

2008-01-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

Topher's new favorite game since he started walking is being chased around the sofa. He absolutely loves it. I can't tell who loves it more though, him or Padg. :)

He's gettin' good!!

2008-01-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

Didn't take him long to get comfortable with walking. He's getting really good and is moving faster now. He just looks so darn cute... ;)

Topher's first Christmas

2008-01-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

We had some great times over the Christmas holidays this year. We spent the weekend before Christmas in Houston with my family and headed back home on Christmas Eve to meet the Padgham's who spent the rest of the holidays with us. Of course, we just can't have the Padgham's visit us without giving them a project and wouldn't you know it, the week before Christmas our bathroom decided (all on it's own) that it needed a complete renovation! We were planning on doing that renovation at some point in the future but not this soon. But as luck would have it, the floor finally gave in causing the toilet to leak and, well...just see pictures below for further information. We'll start with Christmas pictures, though...

Houston pics (unfortunately, we hardly got any Houston pics) :(...

Pics at home in Dallas...

And the bathroom demolition and construction. Since this is our one and only bathroom, we had to rent a port-o-potty (kept in the backyard) and a hotel room for showers. Padg and Bruce got a ton of stuff done over the holidays, but now Padg is back to work so we'll have to finish the rest during the weekends. We've still got electrical, a window installation, floor tile, bath tile, drywall, wainscotting, and medicine cabinets to do. We'll be lucky if we get done by this summer. ;)

And he's off...!

2008-01-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

Topher started walking on January 1st! He's still in that "drunk-walking" phase, but he's getting stronger and better balance every day. It's so fun to watch him...

Thanksgiving in Kansas

2007-12-11T13:49:00.001-08:00

We loaded up and headed north to Kansas for Topher's first Thanksgiving and ended up experiencing Topher's first snow as well. It was beautiful and we had a great time playing in it. It didn't last long, though. It was pretty much all melted by the end of the day. Kind of like it does when it snows in Dallas. ;)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2007-10-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

Topher's first Halloween was so much fun. We went to a party at Luke's house and got to see all our friends. Thanks, Allison and Luke, for inviting us to such a great party. :)

2007-10-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

It takes so little to amuse our little guy. He's gonna be pretty ticked off at me when he's a teen because he's naked in this video, but I think the room is dark enough to hide private items. I just had to share this. It's greatness...

Priceless

2007-10-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

More of Padg's handiwork...

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch at the Dallas Arboretum last week with my friend Allison and Topher's friend Luke. We had a great time...

Busy weekend...

2007-10-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Topher learned 3 new things this weekend and all are pretty big milestones. We're so proud of him...

1) On Thursday, the 27th, he learned to sit himself up all by himself...

2) On Saturday, the 29th, he learned to pull himself up to a standing position (only have pic, no video)...3) And we knew he would be doing this very soon and we were right. He crawled for the first time this morning. YEA!!...

Way to go Topher! Daddy and I are so proud...and a little scared that you're mobile now. ;)

TBG Family Picnic in Austin

2007-09-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

Geez mom...

2007-09-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

...do you have to kiss me a million times a day?

Seven months old

2007-09-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

Gettin' places...

2007-09-09T11:30:00.001-07:00

Well he's mobile. Not quite crawling, yet, but scootin' all over the place. I'm guessing it won't be long now. :)

Labor Day Weekend with Grandma & Grandpa

2007-09-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

Daddy's fired!

2007-08-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

Padg's first time to feed Topher solids was a real treat. I think daddy might need a little more training. Sure made for some funny video, though. Sorry about the shaky camera action, but I just couldn't stop laughing. :) Aftermath photos follow the video.

Another Houston trip

2007-08-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

Took another trip to Houston last weekend for my niece's "Off to College" party. Had a great time visiting with family. Here's some pics...

SIX MONTHS TODAY!!

2007-08-06T06:47:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how fast these past 6 months have flown by...