Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! This Father's Day was especially significant, not only because it was Justin's first, but it was on Father's Day last year that we found out we were pregnant with Felicity! I'm so thankful for my own dad who always made sure I knew that I was a huge priority in his life and loves me with everything he has no matter what. I tell Felicity all the time and think she is quickly learning, how lucky she is to have Justin as her daddy. He is already doing a wonderful job raising her and helps with everything from diapers and bath  time (although the spit-up fountains still freak him out). I can't wait to see how their relationship develops over the years and the wisdom that he will be able to share with her. Justin and Fe have already had their first baseball game, which consisted mainly of Justin throwing Felicity her baseball (which is soft and has Cinderella on it) and trying to make it land in her lap. She then promptly picked it up and chewed on it - she is a natural!

My two loves

Is this normal?!

The sheer amount of spit up Felicity produces is out of control. You would think she doesn't keep anything down, but I guess her rolls speak for themselves. This may be too gross to post, but I do not care. It is my daily existance...gotta love it!

Fe's first pool party!

We recently bought a $10 plastic pool at Target and Felicity enjoyed her very first swim in our backyard. She was so precious and loved every minute, even though the water was freezing. Here she is with Daddy modeling her latest little duckling swimwear.

And we're in!

Just relaxin'...

Bring out the shades and out comes the little diva (or an Elton John look-alike according to Justin).

The little duckling is dried off and snuggled up with Dad.

How does your garden grow?

Last spring my family brought my Grandma and Papa up to Dallas to see our new house and spend a day in Dallas. Papa and I had made big plans for him to help me plant a vegetable garden. We worked all day and planted lots of veggies, but I was most excited about my five tomato plants.

Justin, Papa, me, Ryan

I tended to my garden carefully and within a few weeks my tomatoes plants were growing like weeds!

I was just sure I was going to have bowls full of fresh, home-grown tomatoes that I would be giving away because I had so many. Well, after waiting and waiting, my hard work finally produced this bountiful harvest:

(scissors are to show the actual size)

After that disaster, I decided to take a different approach this year. I assessed the situation and determined that they did not get enough sun last year, so instead of planting five in the back corner of our yard, I planted one plant in a pot on a sunny corner of our patio. I've been watering it often, talking to it and feeding it tomato food. So far, this is what we've got:

(chapstick is to show the actual size)

An improvement from last year, yes, but overall, I'd still count this as a fairly failed crop. I still have my fingers crossed that more may come, but suffice it to say, it appears I did not inherit Papa's green thumb. I've had a lot of fun giving it a try, but I have to say, I think it would be a lot more fun if I was able to enjoy the fruits of my labor, literally. Not sure if I am going to give this another try next year or not...

Longview Sip & See...and more

We recently loaded up the bean and went to Longview for an action-packed weekend. On Friday night we hit up local hot spot, Carlito's. Saturday morning started off early when my brother, Ryan went to take the ACT and forgot his calculator, so I had to make an early morning run to give it to him. Later that morning, 17 (yes, 17-Longview throws big showers!) of my mom's friends hosted an absolutely lovely sip & see for Felicity. I was so grateful for the opportunity to introduce our little one to all of our friends in my hometown.

Grandma, me, Felicity, Mom

Lynda, Anna (Ryan's girlfriend), me, Felicity, Grandma, Suzanne, Mom

Cathy, Linda, Shelly, Felicity, me

After the sip & see, we were all pretty beat. We just lounged around the house eating popsicles that afternoon, while Moppy and Poppy got in some good lovin' with Fe.

Ryan and Mom

Poppy and Fe

Saturday night, Lyndsey and Chris had their couples shower at the Gordon's beautiful new lake house. I have so enjoyed getting to see my dear friends so often lately. They had a gift card shower, which was a genius idea - I wish we had had one of those when we got married!

Us and our boys

Andrew, Leah, Justin, me, Lyndsey, Chris, Brittany, Ryan

Sunday morning we didn't get to stick around long. Ryan was catching a flight in Dallas headed for Camp Kivu (formerly Kanakuk Colorado), so we left Longview around 6 a.m. to drive him back. All around it was a great weekend - fast and furious, but full of family and friends.

Old friends, new changes

I am one of those rare people who is still best friends with the girls I went to first grade with. I feel incredibly lucky to be have such a sweet history with these girls and to have friends that know, literally, everything about me. Even though we all live in different cities now and have for quite some time, we make it a point to get together at least once a year. Here's a picture of us from a few years back:

Me, Lyndsey Sage, Leah Gordon and Brittany (aka: Boates) Hooks

2010 is a big year for us: I had a baby in March; Lyndsey is getting married in August; Brittany is having a baby in August and Leah is getting married in December! And on top of that, we have our 10 year high school reunion this year, which Brittany and I are planning, but that is another story...

Last weekend we went down to College Station to throw Brittany a baby shower for little Jackson. Felicity joined us for her very first slumber party, and fit in perfectly as one of the girls. Saturday night we ordered pizza, played skip-bo and caught up on what's going on in each other's lives - pretty much what we do every time we're together. I love that it never changes and it is always so relaxed, comfortable and full of laughter. 

Leah plays a mean skip-bo game, you can tell.

On Sunday we kicked Brittany out of her house and Brittany's sisters-in-law, Jessica and Elizabeth came in town to help host the shower too. We went with a baseball theme, which I think turned out pretty cute. Thank you, Justin for lending us all your baseball gear!

As a fun treat, our four moms loaded up and took a mini road trip together down to the shower. It was great for me to have my mom there so she could help with Felicity.

The girls and our moms

The hostesses and the beautiful momma-to-be

Boates, I know you and Ryan will be wonderful parents. Jackson is a very lucky little boy and I cannot wait to meet him!

Back the other way!

Today Felicity rolled over from her back to her tummy for the very first time! That's all. I'm excited. :-)

3 months

Happy 3 month birthday, little one! I am so happy spending my days with you...

Fe's latest interests include:

• Nursing every 3 1/2 hours - eating is her favorite pastime
• working on getting better at napping during the day
• sleeping 10 1/2 hours at night (yay!!)
• chewing on her hands non-stop
• lots of smiles
• lots of baby talk
• rolling over from tummy to back

Her hair is still blonde with a reddish tint, but I'm still not convinced its going to stay that color...we'll see. From getting on our scales with her and then subtracting her weight (very accurate, I'm sure), I think she is about 15 1/2 pounds. She is wearing size 6-9 months in clothes and size 2 diapers. Our little chunky monkey is not slowing down in the growth department!

Cleveland's Sip & See

On May 30 the Cleveland's threw an open house - to showcase all their recent home renovations/sip & see to introduce Felicity to all of their friends. It was lots of fun and of course, Felicity was a big hit.

Felicity and Aunt Rachel

Felicity and Papa

Us