SNOW Day!

On Friday we woke up to a blanket of snow! Being that this is Texas and nobody knows what to do when the temperature dips below freezing, the entire Brazos Valley shut down. It was so nice to spend the morning as a family, hanging out and playing outside! Bryson absolutely loved it and didn't want to come inside.

 This was what I found on our front porch. Oh the life of a mom of a little boy!

 Snow on our porch swing...

 Halle checking it all out...

 Jake was SO frisky! I have never seen him with so much energy.

We drank hot chocolate and lounged around the house. Jason practically paced a hole in our carpet, and drove me crazy! He said that he was sure I would never wish for a snow day again! Needless to say, he does not do well being cooped up in the house (and he had taken the day before off to stay home with Bryson!). All in all we had a great morning at home. Lots of laughing and quality family time.

I've got to say though, that I've had my snow fix.

Is it too early to be dreaming of summer?

Sick Day

Last week Erin's daughter got diagnosed with the flu (which Bryson already had a few weeks ago- hopefully it is the same strain so we don't get it again!). Bryson obviously couldn't go over there, so I got to stay home with him for a day full of playing with the dogs, reading books, eating snacks, dancing, and coloring. It was FREEZING outside, so we had Jake inside in his kennel. Bryson loves Jake. He is interested in where Jake is and what he is doing from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed. So, most of our morning was spent running back and forth to check on Jake.

 And of course, playing in the kennel...

I was actually not too happy about having to use a sick day when we were all well. It is amazing how valuable those sick days become. But, we had an amazing day! I have been feeling tired and a little bit over-worked (or at least I can say that I am working much more than I originally wanted to), and this was just what I needed-- a day full of playing with my sweet baby boy.

This day also happened to be one of special significance in my life. What a great reminder from God of his grace and amazing provision in my life.

*I also wanted to add that Erin's little girl is fully recovered and we are thankful that she is feeling better!*

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It is currently 29 degrees outside and feels like 19 degrees. Yesterday morning it was 19 degrees outside and felt like 4 (FOUR) degrees! I don't think I have ever experienced this kind of cold, and I've got to say- I don't care to ever experience it again. This is why I will {hopefully} always be a Texan.

In the meantime, as I watch the list of school and business closures flash across the bottom of the tv screen, I can't help but laugh. Not a single drop of any type of precipitation, but the mere threat of snow and this town is completely shutting down. My boss {who is from Nebraska} thinks that this is hilarious! I have to admit that it seems a little bit crazy to me as well.

However, at the mere possibility of getting a snow day, I will join in on the craziness.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

You know you're getting old when...

1.)  ...you suddenly realize that the girl who got you out of the waiting room at the dentist office, who commented on the fact that you have on the same pair of scrubs as you followed her bobbing ponytail down the hallway, who looks to be about twenty years old {at the most}, IS the dentist. How did this happen? I am usually on the other end of this. Just last Sunday when I got called out to see a patient, the patient's wife said "Well you sure don't look very old, how long have you been a nurse?" That question has always kind of annoyed me. I want to say "Long enough to know what I'm doing." Instead, I smile and answer politely. So, today, I went with it {after I realized what was going on}. Maybe I am senile! Jason assures me that she is surely up to date on the latest technology and techniques! We will see...

2.)  ...you are watching a Hallmark movie and they suddenly say in a Hallmarky voice "And here's a flashback to a classic commercial from thirty years ago." I didn't think a thing of it. UNTIL the commercial started to play, and I noticed in the bottom right hand corner that it said "A Classic from 1981."  1-9-8-1! I was born in 1982! Does this mean that I am now "a classic?" Woe- what is going on here?

I'm definitely not panicking about getting older. I am honestly enjoying my life more and more with each passing milestone. But, I sort of feel like I am entering a new era. Unknown territory. Not too sure how I feel about that yet. Only time will tell. I will definitely be applying a little bit of extra moisturizer tonight. :)

Wordless Wednesday

--Flashback--

Last time my mom came to visit she brought a box out of my room that she wanted me to go through. There were so many things in that box. Things from my childhood that I haven't thought about in probably twenty years! {I can't believe I'm old enough to write that.} Anyways, one of the things in the box was this old S&S Fertilizer cap. I knew right away that I wanted to get a cute picture of Bryson wearing it, and ran inside and grabbed my camera. This hat reminds me of so many things.

• the old office in Lockhart
• my first dog, a wiener dog named Max, that I taught to do tricks using sour cream and onion Lay's potato chips
• my PawPaw smoking cigars and driving his old red car
• big breakfasts that my Nan would cook every morning
• running into the coffee shop and asking PawPaw for money to buy Mighty Mouse popsicles
• riding in the bucket on the front-end loader
• cruising the property in my Dad's truck as a ten year old with friends in the passenger seat (what were my parents thinking?!?!?)
• the wooden staircase where the box of hats were stored
• the tv in the other room so that my mom could listen to All My Children every day
• how hard my parents worked to provide for us
• S&S gas checks
• the crazy man that used to walk by and knock on the window
• putting quarters on the train track and checking back after they had been flattened
• sweet tea from Railroad BBQ

So crazy how one little hat can bring back so many memories. Loving this trip down memory lane...

Little bit of this, little bit of that...

I have been so bad at blogging lately! We have been so busy and I have been doing more important things like spending time with my two favorite men.

No complaints about that here. :)

Last Friday I took the afternoon off. I knew that I was going to have to go into work for a little while on Saturday to provide some training for one of my employees, so I decided that it was time for an afternoon with my baby! I left right around lunch time and headed to pick him up. We played for a little while, and then I put him down for a nap. While he was napping, I worked on a little project.

I have never allowed Bryson to have ANYTHING in his crib. No bumper pads, no blankets, no stuffed animals, no pillows. No nothing. Period.

I have finally decided that he is old enough for a pillow. Not just any pillow though. It had to be a small pillow so that if it somehow ended up on top of his face, it wouldn't be big enough to stay on his face. I know- I'm super paranoid, but hey- better safe than sorry! So, I went and bought a small pillow and some fabric. During nap time I made a pillow case. I was pretty happy with the way it turned out, especially considering the fact that I totally made it up as I went.

He loved it!

This is how he has gone to bed every time since he got his new pillow (of course, he doesn't end up like this in the morning!).

 I ended up getting called out on Saturday and Sunday to see patients. To say that I was not thrilled would be an understatement. I was pleasantly surprised though, to remember how much I love being a nurse. I enjoy my job as a manager, but my true passion is nursing. It was really nice to mix things up a bit.
When I got home Sunday afternoon we headed to Lowe's to get the supplies for another project. Have I mentioned that I am loving Lowe's these days?

I ordered a vinyl ruler growth chart (thanks for the idea, Erin!) and have finished the board. All I've got to do is put the vinyl on the board now. I love this idea because we will be able to take this with us whenever we move. My parents' used to mark our heights on the back of a door, and when they moved they took the door with them! This will be much easier and will be a sweet reminder in the future of how little Bryson once was. I will post pictures of the finished product!

Sunday ended up being much more relaxing than I had planned, and my sweet hubs even surprised me with girl scout cookies. Need I say more?

{On another note: I have turned another corner----> Bryson now has a blanket in his crib! It is a crocheted afghan with LOTS of holes {thank you Beth!}, but it is still a blanket! This kid is in Heaven!}