The Stars @ Night Are Big & Bright...

... Deep in the Heart of Texas

Jarrod and I love our homestate with such a passion that it is probably safe to say it has become an idol of sorts!  We've gotten a lot better and no longer diss our current state of AR.  However, I have to say it: When I was in Texas over Memorial Day weekend, I felt like I could breathe.  It's the most wonderful place ever, and I hope the Lord provides a way for us to return someday.

We left last Thursday after work and traveled what is normally 6 hours to Jarrod's parents, but because of an accident in Little Rock and a fussy toddler, it took us more like 7 1/2 hours.  We hauled everything up to our room, put Collin to bed and passed out a little before 1:00am.  We all got up the next morning and ran some errands, a.k.a. did some SHOPPING!!  Then around 3:30pm we picked Jarrod's mom up from her school, and we headed to Brownwood to family land, known as Turkey Peak. 

Jarrod has wonderful childhood memories of Turkey Peak.  It's special for me because of the time we spent there while dating in college and during the early years of our marriage when we would hop in the car and travel a few hours to there from our home in Austin.  There is an actual lake on the property and some really great central Texas scenery.

I sat on the porch for a little while & read while Jarrod took Collin for a walk across the dam.  This is what I saw on their way back :)

                                          

This was Collin's second experience fishing, and he was adorable!  He enjoyed reeling the fish in, but he did not want them to be anywhere near him once out of the water. 

I saw entirely too many lizards and other creepy, crawly things for my liking, but I can get over it.  Jarrod told me that for a country girl I am all "city".  My response was that I love the country, just not the creepy, crawly things!

I picked this lovely wildflower bouquet.  I would take one of these over a store-bought bouquet any day!

And of course, the whole reason we went to Turkey Peak, we spent time with Jarrod's grandpa.  Collin gave Grandpa "five" on the hand and he would give him goodnight hugs, but we couldn't get him to sit on Grandpa's lap except for the last few minutes of our visit during this picture -





Jarrod in his "natural" habitat




The Baum men



He's obsessed with playing with rocks lately



An Update

Last Tuesday Collin's daycare had their "End of the Year" program, and I have to say I felt like a newborn baby at a rock concert.  I have never been so overstimulated in all my life.  Parents of young children are ruthless, and without inhibition.

The program took place at a local church's Family Life Center.  Think: carpeted gymnasium.  There was no stage.  There was a sort of riser-ish thing with a million chairs in front of it.  So imagine us sitting to the right of the platform thingy, 15 rows back and me unable to see my son when he came out to perform the one song his class was participating in that night.  Lucky for my husband, my inhibitions were still in place, because what I really wanted to do was stand up in my seat in the middle of 50 other people in our seating section so I could see my baby sing "He's Still Working on Me"!!  Why on earth would you take tiny people who are three feet tall and put them on a platform a foot off the ground and expect a room of 300-400 people to all be able to see?

It probably didn't help that my tiny person decided not to stand up on the riser-ish thingy and instead, according to Jarrod, sat down on the corner of it during the whole song! 

Collin was really excited to see his teachers and his friends outside of school.  He thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Collin with his good friend, Addie.  I don't know what he is doing with his tongue!

Fast forward to this past Saturday...  We have been talking for a while about transitioning Collin to a toddler bed.  His crib converts super easy, but I didn't want to spring a lot of changes on him.  Since he's doing so well potty training, we decided to just bite the bullet and Saturday morning his crib became a toddler bed.  I'm surprisingly unemotional about this transition...

My biggest fear was that Collin would have this sudden enlightenment and realize that he could come and go whenever he wanted to do so.  Also, I worried that he wouldn't go to sleep and would constantly be out of his bed trying to play with his toys.  Knock on wood, neither of these things has happened!  He goes to bed just like always and waits patiently in the mornings for us to come get him up.  Yesterday morning we found him in his bed with a small ball and a toy car.  So he did at least get up to get those items, but then he hopped right back in his bed and waited on us to come get him up for the day.  Then last night, I heard him rambling in the middle of the night.  I waited a little while before going to check on him, and I found him asleep on the floor next to his bed.  His puppy and blanket were with him, and he was sprawled out!  Cute boy!!  Jarrod told me not to risk waking him by picking him up, so I just left him (against my wishes, because come on, any excuse to pick up and hold my sweet, sleeping boy is a good one!).  This morning, when we went to get him up, he was back up in his bed.

Yesterday afternoon, we watched our friend, baby Canyon.  Canyon is 4 months old and already weighs half of what Collin weighs.  Collin seems to like holding Canyon, but on two different occasions now he has said to me (about 30 seconds into holding Canyon), "Mommy, he too hebby".  Then he usually puts on his best I'm being crushed by a car face, and we all roll with laughter.  Adorable.

Also, can we just talk about something for a moment?  I am always reminded of just how true it is that all children are different whenever I hold another kid.  I go to pick them up and expect it to feel familiar and sweet, but it usually feels awkward!  My niece is 8 days older than Collin, but everyone in my family will tell you that holding her feels completely different from holding Collin.  They aren't buiilt the same and they have different preferences on how they like to be held, etc.  So watching Canyon yesterday was a bit of a chore.  He didn't seem to like anything I did for him!   Insert frowning face here.  Incredibly, Jarrod had the magic touch.

Sleeping in the hammock



Confession Time

Yes, I have a confession.  I have an English degree and yet, somehow, I have never read The Great Gatsby.  Somehow, it was never required reading for me.  And somehow, when given the choice, I managed to push it aside for other titles.  So here I am in my late 20's and reading The Great Gatsby.  I already know what happens at the end, but I decided that no self-respecting English major can pretend to be super stoked about the movie premiering and still have not read the book.

In other news, we dedicated baby Collin last weekend.  He now officially belongs to the Lord even more so than before ;) 

That precious boy told me he had to go potty right before we were called up on stage.  I told him to hold it.  I'm sure that was the first of many times to come!

My in-laws came for the dedication.  We spent Saturday in Little Rock shopping and had yummy cupcakes for dessert that night.  Collin loves when his Nonne and Papa come to visit.  In fact, he woke up every day last week asking for them and each day I had to remind him that they were back home in Texas.

Also, Landry got a haircut and a new necklace.  She is one posh pup.  Yes, I just said that.

This weekend was, of course, Mother's Day weekend, and what a glorious time we had around here.  We were lazy, and we played outside - A. Lot.  My boy likes to catch bugs, and by catch, I mean he smacks them with his hand and then holds his hand up with a dead bug attached to it and says, "Yook!  I got it!!"



My Mother's Day present!

 

Getting kisses from this little boy!

Collin also discovered the magic of a Bubble Mower this weekend.  My mom gave it to him last year, but by the time he received it the weather never really cooperated, so I've kept it put up until now.  I'm kind of glad too, because Collin is all about "mowing the yard" right now.  It's all he wants to do.  He is so serious, and I think he really believes he's mowing the yard!  I hope he has the same attitude 10 years from now.


I cannot even stand how cute this kid is!!

He's really starting to enjoy playing outside now, and I feel comfortable letting him go out by his self for brief periods.  In the evenings, while I'm cooking dinner, he'll play in the patio or in the yard with Landry and I can see him from the kitchen window telling her what to do.  Saturday he helped me let Landry out to potty, but when I came back inside he decided he needed to stand in the doorway and make sure she did her business.  I could hear him yelling, "Doo-Doo, GO POOP!  Go potty!!!!  Doo-Dooooooooo!!!  GO POOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!  Now!" 

All I could think was, I'm not even embarrassed that my neighbors are probably all hearing this because it is hysterical!