Wow...what a weekend!!

By the grace of God, this beautiful baby boy became mine and Bryan's nephew. Yes, we became an aunt and uncle for the first time on Saturday. Brooks is very proud to also have his very first cousin, and can already say his name.

Is there anything sweeter than a newborn baby sleeping peacefully?

The proud parents, Linsey(Bryan's sister) and Davy..they are surviving on 1hr 45min of sleep.

Brand new dad

Proud aunt and uncle..we even color coordinated for the picture!! Didn't realize we matched until I uploaded the pics.

Oh my goodness, is he not the cutest? I could just eat him up..I held him in the hospital for over an hour and didn't want to put him down.

OK...now let me tell you the amazing story of this precious little one. Linsey and Davy have struggled with infertility for several years and made the decision last November to start the adoption process. We have prayed that when the time was right this wonderful couple would become parents. Well, on Saturday, Sept. 4th, God decided it was time. Our soon to be nephew was born in the Dallas area at his birth mother's friends apartment before the paramedics could get there. He was then taken with his mother to the hospital where she admitted him to the hospital, signed papers and walked away. I am tearing up just typing those words..can you imagine? The mother is 23, has had several children, and a very hard life. He had no prenatal care, weighed 6lbs 12 oz, 19 in long, and is healthy. Saturday at around 2:30 in the afternoon, L & D get the call that would soon change their life. They get in the car, drive to Dallas, are admitted to the hospital, and at 10:00pm Corbin Riley became their son. Nine months after filling out the paperwork with the adoption agency, they have become parents. To think about the life that this blessed sweet baby has been given is just indescribable.

Our summer in pictures...

I wanted to post several random pic of Brooks detailing things we've done his first summer to live in Texas. It really is hard for me to believe I gave birth to our first child in Seattle, WA. Actually, it will be pretty cool for him to tell that to people as he gets older.

All dressed up, posing for mommy before we head to church...doesn't he look so cute? Too bad he hasn't worn that shirt again because I'm lazy & won't iron it.

Excited about going to Sunday school

Finally brave enough to ride Poppa's four wheeler and now you can't get him off of it.

Holding BaBa's hand at the zoo

Enjoying the chocolate fountain at a party we attended
Oh my goodness, I love this little guy so much..even if his favorite words right now are, "no mommy". He loves to mess up the pillows on the bed and jump his little heart out.
Wearing mommy's running shoes
"cutting" his toenails
perfect hiding spot...

This little guy finally got to take his cone off and his leg healed nicely.
Here's where we've been every evening this summer, in the backyard playing.
Driving the cozy coupe all over the house & yard. He puts all of his zoo animal figurines in the back compartment and says, "animals let's go for a ride."
PLAYING BALL
B & I definitely have a future athlete on our hands.
We've also been working on his ABC's & 123's and he's getting pretty good at reciting them with just a few mix-up's.
Have you had a fun summer with your kiddos? Are you as ready for cool weather to set in and I am?

Going green

Have you jumped on the recycling bandwagon? If not, I'm going to suggest a few small & simple changes that we've made and would urge you to start thinking about it.

Goodbye soapy, sudsy, scented bath gel and colorful sponges...

Hello boring bar soap and wash cloth. Most of the fun scented bath gels from T & WM contain a substance, sodium lauryl sulfate, which is an inexpensive foaming agent. What they don't tell you is that it's also used in garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers. One study shows a single drop stays in your body for several days. It can cause improper eye development in children, skin irritation in adults, and the list goes on. Makes me sick to think I used this the entire time I was prego with Brooks. Not going to make that same mistake twice!! The same thing we are using to bathe with everyday in our homes, mechanic shops are using to conduct business???

*Actually, bar soap doesn't have to boring, the one I purchased from T smells quite yummy!!

Goodbye plastic bags...

You've seen the emails & commercials about how horrible these are for the environment.

Hello fun & colorful recycle bags from T...I keep these in my car and use them at the grocery store, Target, and the mall. I have a fun monogrammed bag that I've also taken to the mall. I take all 5 bags to the grocery store and tell the checker before she starts scanning that I'll be using my bags instead of the plastic ones. They will each hold a lot of groceries and are much more easy to handle.

A few more changes we've made:

• Switched to the energy smart light bulbs...they are a little more expensive, but last a long time
• Signed up for weekly recycling through our trash company...it's $2.50 more a month, but so worth it. They provide a rolling recycle cart like our trash cart and pick it up every two weeks. We have a regular trash can in the kitchen and a "recycle" trash can in the garage.
• www.catalogchoice.org is a website that allows you to sign up to stop receiving all the junk magazines that we all get and immediately throw in the trash.

Do you have any other suggestions or tips? I'd love to hear what your family is doing to save the environment.

Guess who's turning 31 today....

me..me..me..me..me!!!

This picture was taken in Maui 3 summer's ago and I want to be there right now...

Now back to reality, my parents are on their way to our house for the night to keep Brooks while B & I go to dinner and a movie. Fun date night with my hubby, what more can I ask for since Maui isn't an option!!

How cool is this...

My fancy new camera came with an editing program that allows you to insert text onto your pics. I will be doing this all the time. I'm not the most technologically savvy gal, but when I figure something out on my own it sure makes me want to pat myself on the back!!

Mom's Birthday

Last Tuesday, July 29th, we celebrated my mom's birthday with dinner at Mimi and Papa's. We had sausage and rice casserole, fresh, boiled squash, a yummy salad with all fresh veggies, purple hull peas, and garlic cheddar biscuits. I was truly blessed with a mother and grandmother who are fabulous cooks. Thanks Mimi for a yummy feast. We had caramel pie (mom's fav) and snicker brownies for dessert. It was so nice to be able to drive over to my grandparents house for dinner and then drive back home. I love my family so much and cherish every moment spent together.

Doesn't she look young to have just turned 57?
My cutie pie mom/BaBa
Brooks is opening his present with Poppa
A new helmet...he is fascinated with motorcycles and needed a helmet to wear while he's riding his "mo-mo" around the house. It's not really a motorcycle, just a riding toy that he designated it to be!! I love his creative/imaginative little mind!!
Reading a new Diego book with BaBa
Couldn't pass up another family photo opp...

I thought this was a funny pic b/c B wanted to stand by "myselt" for the photo and then was distracted by the flowers. Typical 2 year old stuff...

Hot Air Balloon Race

A few weeks ago, we went to a hot air balloon race with the Hanson family. It was so much fun and Brooks had a blast. We went out for burgers and then headed over for the festivities. I had never seen one up close and they are huge. People came from all over the US and Canada to participate.

The fam on our way to see the balloons

Ame and I
Blake and Brooks looking for planes in the sky
We were able to watch the small stunt planes take off
Brooks was a little frightened while the planes were taking off..they were really noisy! Perfect view of all the action in the sky above...
A person skydiving while waving the TX flag
I love that sweet little face

The crew waiting for the balloons to light up

They turned their flames on at the same time..very cool & very toasty!!

Not sure if you can see the two women standing next to the balloon. Each balloon had a small crew (7-8 people) working to get them up.
Isn't that just beautiful???