The Barretts

Graham's Elmo Birthday Party

2012-01-22T21:12:00.003-06:00

Today we had some of our friends and family over for Graham's 2nd birthday party. We were unable to have a 1st birthday party last year, so we decided to make it special this year by inviting Graham's favorite, ELMO to come to the party.

Okay, side note... I am FAR from crafty, but Pinterest has given me the courage to try. I have a looooong way to go, but some of these people make it look so easy.

Here's my attempt.

Elmo and Cookie Monster cupcakes

This turned out so cute! I saw this at a friend's birthday party a while back and gave it a shot.

Even Drake loved Elmo. He's giving him a "high 5"

Graham and his buddy, Drew

Graham giving Elmo a little goose... just to make sure he's paying attention.

The kids loved him! Chloe, Graham's friend is asking him some questions.... "Where do you live? Is it around here?"

Our sweet birthday boy and Elmo!

Dancing

Elmo doubled as "Moonbeam"; she made balloon animals!

It was a perfect party! Thanks to everyone for coming out to play with us today.

December - Merry Merry

2011-12-28T08:46:00.005-06:00

We had a very busy, wonderful December. This post is long and somewhat out of order, and all pictures are from my iphone, but hopefully, you will get the gist!

We went with Scott's mom, dad, sister and nephew to Palestine to ride the Polar Express. It was SO fun! It was a real train and they gave the children hot chocolate and cookies as the train took them to the "North Pole." It was really cute and we will definitely go again!

Here is Drake anxiously awaiting the train ride.

Here they all are on the train.

Scott and Graham (this is the best I had)

A few days before the Polar Express, we went to Corpus Christi. We had a good time and it was nice to have some company while there. (I'm usually there alone for work.)

In the hotel... always an adventure

We went to the Corpus Christi Aquarium

I love how Graham put his sweet little hand on Scott's leg...

Elmo, our Elf came with us!

Here the boys are with one of their presents. We are going on a Disney cruise next year, so Scott and I bought them their own suitcases as one of their presents. They were a hit!

Scott and I had a tacky christmas sweater party. It was SO much fun! Here is host Scotty B!

We have become big fans of "movie night." We put a bunch of blankets on the playroom floor, make popcorn and watch a movie. It started as a Friday night thing when Scott had games, but now we do it several times a week. Even crazy little Graham will sit still for a few minutes!

Our house with all of Clark, uh I mean Scott's decorations

On Christmas eve, my family came to our house to celebrate. We had a wonderful time with tons of delicious food. Then, Christmas day we all went to Bryan. It was almost a perfect Christmas! (Scott was very sick on Christmas day with some kind of bug, yuck.) I'm a little sad that I did not take ONE picture on Christmas eve nor on Christmas day. BOO!

Oh well, Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-28T08:35:00.004-06:00

We went to Bryan to have Thanksgiving with Scott's family. We all had a great time. Scott's mom watched Drake and Graham so Scott and I could go with his dad and sister to the last A&M/UT football game (at least last for a while). Good times! ALso, my brother was home for a visit from Afghanistan.

Here's a picture of him and me

And, Texas had a nice tribute to the A&M/UT rivalry during their band performance.

Drake and Mama Barrett

Graham cruisin' in his cousin's car...

Oh, and my new dining table! I'm so excited. I only bought 4 of the chairs, I'm hoping to complete the set in the next few months. :D

We have so much to be thankful for in this life!

Halloween

2011-11-05T19:17:00.007-05:00

Our House and our Halloween decorations.

Next year we are going to get spider webs!

Here is the Jack-o-lantern we carved.

Our new neighborhood is VERY popular on Halloween! Drake and Graham enjoyed passing out candy as much as they liked "trick-or-treating!"

Woody and Buzz were enjoying some candy after all of the excitement.

Never a dull moment

2011-10-26T19:51:00.004-05:00

On October 16, we had a scary night. Drake started having trouble breathing before bed. He wasn't really sick and had been playing normally all weekend. We put him in bed with us just to keep an eye on him. Well, about 3 am, he really starting having trouble. Long story short, I called the nurse line at his pediatrician's office and they suggested I take him to the ER. As soon as we arrived they gave him a steriod shot, breathing treatment, lung x-rays and watched him for an hour or so. He was breathing normally after all that. They told us to follow up with our pediatrician in a day or two. We saw her and she put Drake on breathing treatments daily and referred us to a specialist. She said she was probably being overly cautious, but since Scott has asthma and this episode seemed to be unprompted that we should go ahead and have him checked out. (That appt is tomorrow.) Yesterday, October 25, a little over a week later, we were back in the ER with Drake. By the way, Graham is our daredevil, so you'd think we be there with him??? I digress...

It started out like any other Tuesday. Boys were chillin' on my bed while I try to find something that fits. (My closet is shrinking my clothes!)

Graham drinks milk while Drake gets in a few more zzzzz's

I get them off to school and on to work. Fortunately, I had a several calls done before the day care called right before lunch. They said Drake had fallen on the playground and the cut was pretty bad. They suggested I come and "take a look at it and decide if he should go to the ER."

I tried to remain calm and drove there as fast as I could. I called the pediatrician's office and they said that if a child needs stitches in the face, they send them downtown to TX Children's hospital for a plastics dr. to do it to reduce scarring. She said if I think it needs stitches to go to hospital and not waste time going to their office. I looked at the wound and while it wasn't large, it was very deep. I didn't think it would need stitches, but I wanted someone to look at it. I wasn't sure what to do! UGH, I knew if we went to TCH ER that we would wait forever. Scott and I decided to take him to the ER out by our house. We got there and within one glance of the wound the ER dr said, "He definitely needs stitches." Good thing I'm not a doctor.

Here's tough guy getting the wound numb so they can doctor it up.

He screamed the entire time they did the stitches. I am sure it was traumatic. I was so upset because they had to cover his face to keep it sterile where the doctor was working. Drake Barrett was TICKED OFF!

But, Scott went back to work and he and I went home and watched Monsters, Inc, drank pink milk and ate oreos. He was happy Drake in no time!

Later that day, he worked on his photography with my Iphone. He took some pictures of his toys.

Here's Sif, she's friends with Thor.

SULLEY!

Whew, what a day.

Birthday parties, pumpkin patches and great weather, OH MY!

2011-10-24T21:33:00.006-05:00

Sweet Griffin Reed had his 3rd birthday party at Monkey Bizness (a jumpy house place) and Drake and Graham had a blast! Since we were out that way, we decided to go by one of our favorite pumpkin patches at Cypress Methodist church. They do such a great job and kids LOVE IT, especially mine. Griffin's party coincides perfectly with pumpkin patches. We've gone to this particular one for the past 4 years! I hope we can keep it a tradition.

Here they are waiting patiently for their cake (kind of patient)...

Scott and I both got quite the workout chasing Graham and Drake at the party. Unfortunately, the above picture is the only one I took.

"Graham don't look up, she is crazy with that camera. Let's just play!"

"Alright, fine...CHEESE"

They have different themes. Here the boys are enjoying Sesame Street. Graham couldn't believe it! He kept saying, "EHHH MOOOO" (That's Elmo in Graham-talk)

I tried to get us all to sit by the turkey....NOPE didn't happen.

"Mom, can I go in that barn?"

WOODY AND BUZZZ!

That's all she wrote. I'll post again soon with Halloween pictures! Oh, and I'm happy to report I'm going to actually pay someone this weekend to take family pictures. It would be nice to have 1 decent picture of the 4 of us!

Dewberry Farm!

2011-10-05T19:51:00.004-05:00

I have wanted to try out Dewberry Farm for a while now. Well, Groupon (my favorite app ever) offered 2 for 1. I promptly bought it and let Scott know we were going. Well, apparently everyone else in Houston had the same idea. It was jam-packed. It took us 30 minutes to park and get into the place! It was fun though and Drake and Graham had a good time picking out pumpkins. (No pumpkin pictures, oops!) It was a lot of fun, but I think it will be even more fun when our kiddos are a little older.

Here are a few pictures.

They had a build-your-own snowcone place.... SWEET!

Not great pictures, but it was tons of family fun!

RIP Hunter Barrett

2011-10-05T19:36:00.002-05:00

This is a few weeks, eh, months behind, but in early August we had to say goodbye to our sweet dog, Hunter. Scott got Hunter in 1997, so he's been Scott's buddy for a very long time. It was definitely time for him to go. He had really started having trouble moving around, falling, etc. We were prepared, but even with all the preparation in the world, it is never easy. He was such a good dog.

Here is our family before kids. (It's hard to imagine what in the world we did with our time!!!)

Scott & Hunny

Hunter resting in our dead grass at our 1st house. Scott had more trouble with that lawn! HA!

Sweet boy!

Hunter was always "Scott's dog", but when I was pregnant with Drake, he became so attached to me. He started following me around, sleeping on my side of the bed, coming to me to let him out, etc. It was really sweet. I loved him, even though he drove me crazy. I love anyone who loves my boys and Hunter LOVED Drake and Graham. He put up with a lot from our rambunctious boys, even as a cranky old man! :)

Misc. pictures!

2011-08-28T13:43:00.006-05:00

We are still working on getting settled in the new house. It is so nice and we are loving all the space we have! Here is a picture of Drake and Scott hanging speakers.

I've been on a mission for new sofas. Here is a picture of Drake at a mass furniture store. It's crazy! They had live monkeys, birds, free hotdogs & ice cream and a huge indoor playground. Needless to say, we didn't find much on this excursion. I ended up finding them one day during lunch! Why did I think I could really go shopping with a 3 year old? We had a good time though!

A few weekends ago, we went to Bryan for Scott's cousin's wedding. It was beautiful and the boys had fun dancing & dressing up. Drake was getting a little sleepy in this picture.

Handsome Barrett Boys!

Graham took Drake for a drive on a bus in this picture.

And, here they are playing in front of our new house.

This past weekend, My friend Kelly and her little girl Emmy came for a visit. Drake and Emmy really hit it off. It was such a fun-filled weekend!

In other news, Graham outgrew his car seat and we just picked up this one. He seems to like it...

My mom said I'm never in any pictures. It's because I'm always taking them, but on the off chance I'm not, this is what happens.... Drake is picking his nose and Graham is not interested in saying "CHEEESE!"

That's it for now. (All iphone pictures! I'm pathetic!)

Houstonians

2011-08-03T18:53:00.003-05:00

We survived the move...BARELY! We didn't really plan it that way, but we ended up moving on a day where there was no one to help us with the kiddos. My mom left for her trip she has been planning for 2 years on July 22, coincidentally, the day we moved. I ended up having to drive the kids around in the car while Scott directed the movers where to put the stuff. First step was to set up the play room and put the gates on the stairs. It's coming together slowly but surely. The boys LOVE the house! Drake keeps asking me, "When do we have to go home?" I've assured him that this is our new home (at least for now!).

They started their new school right in our neighborhood last week. I think they both like it, but Drake still cries when we drop him off. He tells us he likes it and thinks it is fun. I hate that he has been so upset, but I know him and he will love it and be adjusted in no time. Graham took about 4 minutes to adjust to the move. Drake on the other hand, is a little slower to adapt to new things. I'm 33 and I think new places can be scary too!

So long Wharton!

Amanda and Scott manning the new playroom

The neighborhood is great! It is classic suburbia.

Misc. Summer pictures

2011-07-14T21:06:00.007-05:00

Over July 4th weekend, we went to Austin to celebrate my good friend, Kelly's little girl, Emmy's 2nd birthday! She had her shindig at the Austin children's museum. Kelly is my friend that is ALWAYS together. Her hair is perfect, makeup is perfect, she is punctual, she sends cards, etc. You get the picture, 180 degrees from me! (But the best friend you could ask for!) Of course, Emmy's party was precious, just like her!

We somehow got a free upgrade to the "pimp-daddy" suite at the Omni.

*Side story, Graham doesn't do well in a pack-n-play now days if we are all in one room. I told Scott to not bother bringing ours that we would each sleep with a kid in a bed (thinking we would be in a tiny hotel room). Well, the suite was as big as our house, so my plan backfired big time. Graham kept us up ALL NIGHT LONG. Little Toast couldn't handle all that room and excitement! Sorry Scott, I'll listen next time and take it, "just in case!"

In our room...

That's our great state's capital in the background.

Em, Graham and Drake playing on the slide at the party!

Sweet birthday girl, waiting patiently for her cake!

Here are a few from Drake's party that Scott's dad took. This made me laugh because this sums up our life...

Scott is having fun, playing with Drake..

and I'm chasing Graham and keeping him from scaling walls.

Oh Graham, you are a handful, but I love you to pieces! I'll chase you all day.

Scott's parents stayed with us a few weeks ago and his mom helped us start packing up for our move in a few weeks.

The Barretts' love their gadgets! All their grandsons on Ipads!

Just a random picture of my guys. They are really playing well and so sweet with each other. I'm so happy because Drake pretended Graham wasn't here for about a year. Now he thinks "GAAAAM" is pretty fun.

Scott is off this summer, so he has been able to spend tons of time with them. Here is a picture he took one day when he took them to the zoo. How lucky are they to have such a great dad?? (I'm pretty lucky too!)

Well, the move is next week. I'll post some pictures of the new casa de los barretts!

Drake is 3!!

2011-07-10T09:44:00.005-05:00

< Today is Drake's 3rd birthday!

We had a great birthday party for him yesterday at the Houston Zoo. It was hot, even though it was at 9:30 am, but other than the heat, it was great!

We have arrived!

Scott and his big 3 year old!

"Whew, y'all I'm hot"

Thanks everyone who came and made it such a special day for him. I can't believe he is already 3. What a ride!

June recap!

2011-07-09T16:55:00.005-05:00

We need to recap the last few months here on the Barrett family blog! It's a long story and I like to keep the reading to a minimum, so here goes. (Side story, a crazy, but fun doctor that I call on told me that you should keep writing and presentations "like a woman's skirt; short enough to keep you interested, but long enough to cover the subject!" HA!)

Okay, in March we found out that Scott's contract was not going to be renewed due to the budget crisis here in Texas with education (and everything else). Because he had started at a new school, he was considered "1st year" and they let all first year teachers go. We took it in stride because we knew we had until July, when his current contract ends, to find a new gig. Well, April came with more and more districts doing cutbacks, layoffs etc. Then May came with even more cutbacks and PANIC set in. Fortunately, I have a great job and we knew no matter what we would be okay, but to put it frankly, it was a depressing, scary, unpredictable few months. Scott was persistent through the whole ordeal. He went on interview after interview. Well, FINALLY June came around and the offers started coming in. He got 5 offers in a matter of weeks! WAY TO GO, SCOTTY! He decided on Hargrave High School! We are moving....AGAIN! He'll be teaching history and coaching basketball with one of his best friends... It's a win-win. Oh, and we are moving closer to my mama! HIP HIP HOORAY~! We actually have friends within a 50 mile radius there. We had a contract on a fabulous house and we just found out last week that fell through. (Long story short- an agent who does bad business better-dealed us! Then had the audacity to ask us to increase our offer! I don't play that way. I told her to take the house and SHOVE IT!) So, like everything else in life, it all worked out. We found an even better house and we are moving JULY 22! YAHOO!

I'd love to post some Cousin camp 2011 photos, but our house was broken into a few weeks ago and the creeps stole my camera. We were home asleep when it happened too! Ugh- thieves stink. I will not bore you with all the emotions surrounding that ordeal, but, as you can imagine, July 22 can not come soon enough!

Port A!

2011-06-23T20:50:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we went to Port Aransass with the Richard's family. We had so much fun and the kids LOVED the beach. Minus half the crew catching a horrible stomach bug the last night, it was a fabulous trip!

On Father's day, we went to the Port A Brewing company for dinner. Here are the kiddos "belly-up" to the bar.

Scarlett, Graham, Drake and Chloe

Here Chloe and Drake were showing off their fun shirts. Graham and Scarlett had better things to do than pose for a picture.

Here is our attempt at a family photo this year. Not great, but an improvement over last year's photo. :D

This coming weekend is COUSIN CAMP 2011! Summer is so fun!!

Toast's 15 month check up

2011-05-04T22:34:00.006-05:00

Graham had his 15-month check up this week.

Here are the stats:

Weight: 30lbs >99% percentile This isn't a big surprise. For his 1st year, he had been pretty average in the weight department. Once we stopped baby food, he has just gone nuts. We watch in amazement all the food his little body can consume in a single sitting. The kid likes groceries! On a side note, Drake is going through a phase where he eats like a bird. He would be happy drinking milk only ALL DAY.

Ready for this....

Height: 30 inches 25%percentile WHAAAAAAT? I know he is only 15 months and these things change, but I'm kind of tall (for a girl) and Scott is 6'7"! It's a good thing Graham has a giant big brother to protect him. When I told Scott, he said, "So, basically we have the short, chubby kid?" Yep, we have a short, chubby, gap-toothed, smiley, happy, PERFECT little boy!

Mom of the year

2011-04-29T06:38:00.005-05:00

I can't decide which one of my latest stunts should win me the "mom of the year" award.

Was it last week when as I was driving the boys to school, Drake asks, "mama, are you going to put on my seatbelt?" Yep, looked back and he was just chillin' in his car seat! I promptly pulled over, got out of the car, buckled my precious child in his life-saving-law-abiding car seat and thanked him for letting me know. Sheesh, at least I closed the door to the car???

Or, was it when I took Graham to the ENT to get his ears checked and realized I didn't have 1 pacifier...not-a-one. Anyone that knows Graham, knows he L-O-V-E-S his pacifier. He sucks it like it has queso on it or something. It's crazy. Oh- and the appt was at 12:30, right in the heart of naptime. About half way to the office (of course, we were pressed for time), he started crying hysterically! I pulled over and frantically tore my car, purse, diaper bag apart until I found this...... (he passed the hearing test, by the way! YIPEEE)

It worked like a charm.

Graham's surgery

2011-04-04T22:07:00.006-05:00

Graham had his adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears on Friday, April 1. All I had heard was how easy the surgery is, but fortunately, I have a wonderful friend, Megan who "keeps it real." I called her the day before and she warned me that, while it's pretty routine, when they are coming out of anesthesia, it is pretty scary. THANK GOD she warned me because he was SO upset, trying to rip off his IV, crying, arching his back, etc. It was a scary few minutes, then he calmed down, had a little something to drink and fell asleep for a good 30 minutes. I rocked him in the recovery area and then we headed home. He slept the entire drive and woke up happy (and STARVING). Immediately, Friday afternoon I could tell he could hear better. He has babbled non-stop since then. Overall, it wasn't bad and I'm so glad we had it done.

Here is sweet Toast in recovery...

And this is about 1pm that day. He was finally getting to eat! Does he look happy or what??

Just to be safe, Scott kept Graham home on Saturday. Drake and I hit the town and went to a friend's birthday party. Here is a picture of our cool dude!

Graham walks!

2011-03-15T14:55:00.003-05:00

A video of Graham taking off! He's walked a few steps at a time for a few months now, but had always preferred crawling. The last few weeks he has decided he likes walking better!

Bad Blogger

2011-03-13T21:29:00.003-05:00

February has come and gone and now we are half way through March. Oops, Sorry for being a bad blogger. Two kids and a full-time job gets to be a bit time-consuming. Plus, I shut down about 9pm. I'm worthless and can't do anything except sleep. I'm working on staying up later. Anyway, back to what we have been up to....

My wonderful husband celebrated his 34th birthday on March 2. We got a sitter last Saturday night and went to our favorite restaurant. Happy Birthday, Scott!

The weather has been beautiful. I try to pick the boys up from school in the stroller when the weather cooperates. It gets a workout in for me & they love it. (two birds!)

My brother came home for a visit. His sons, William and Steven love Drake and Graham! From the looks of Graham's grin, I think he loves the attention he was getting. Drake was too busy to pose for a picture, of course!

Graham had his first oreo. He devoured it! He has been doing well and is getting his adenoids removed and tubes put in at the end of the month. We are hoping this keeps him ear infection free. He will definitely get oreos on surgery day. Poor baby!

Every once in a while, Drake stops running around, climbing on stuff, playing with cars and being rambunctious and he will crawl up in my lap and cuddle. Sometimes during these moments I think my heart may explode...

That's about it... I'll post more frequently, promise!

All about Drake

2011-01-30T21:41:00.004-06:00

What a fun little boy Drake Barrett is!

He is 2 1/2 years old and it seems like just yesterday they placed him in my arms and my life was forever changed. I had no idea how wonderful it would be. Sweet little Drake doesn't always make it easy, but he definitely makes every single second worth it!

Drake is a chatter box lately! It is so much fun watching his vocabulary expand. He comes up with some of the funniest things!

Here are some of our favorite Drake-isms:

"Pink milk, pwease" (that's strawberry milk and he is an addict)
"eleventeen"
"horndogs" (CORNdogs)
"tay ta bos" (Potatoes)
"no want it"
"red sofa" or "grey sofa" he ALWAYS lets us know which one he wants!
We ask who is his best friend and his reply is, "MAMA, DADDY, GAAAAM (graham), G-daddy, Babu, Granny, Hunter, Stacy, Katy!"
When we say our prayers at night, he puts his sweet little hands together & says, "dear god, amen" He likes it short and sweet!
Now that Graham is mobile, we are constantly having to reinforce how important it is to share with his brother, etc. The other day, Drake started crying and he said, "no mama, no wanna share with Gaaaaam, he eat the toys!" I look over, sure enough Graham is gnawing on a Lightning McQueen car. The kid has a point!
One morning last week I was rushing and trying to get him ready for school. He said, "NO WANT IT! No wanna go to school. Red sofa! Cartoons! Pink milk! Park!!" He knows what he wants.

Drake's likes:

Pink milk

Animals (Zoo is his favorite place)

Toy Story

Cars

Corndogs

Bananas

Rice

Cherries

Blackberries

HAM

Car rides

Playing outside

Singing

Books, books, books

Drake's dislikes:

Getting his hair cut (I mean, he HATES this for some reason??)

Graham getting into his toys

Getting his nails trimmed

Wearing clothes that do not have a Buzz Lightyear or Wiggle on them

Picking up his toys

Not getting to wake up on his own

When mama tries to rush him in the mornings

Potty-training

Here is our little guy!

Happy Birthday Graham!

2011-01-26T19:17:00.006-06:00

One year ago today, sweet Graham entered the scene. He has brought us more joy than we could have ever imagined. He is a bright, happy, affectionate, adorable child. I am beyond blessed to be his mama!

Retiring the bottle! YAHOO for sippy cups!

He devoured his cupcake. Willie G loves his sweets!

Here is Graham waiting for his 1 year check up at the pediatrician's office.

He wasn't quite as irritated as me at our ridiculous wait time! :) I was able to keep him occupied with bracelets.

What a little angel-faced baby!

Unlike Drake, Graham hasn't put on much weight since 6 months! He is only 25 lbs, which is still 90th percentile. The Dr. wasn't concerned and even joked that despite the lack of weight gain he is still nice and plump. His height is 30 inches which puts him right at 50th percentile. During his exam, the doctor said his ears looked really infected and inflamed, so he put us on another antibiotic. He has not shown any signs of being sick, so it was sad to think he is just used to the pain! He failed his hearing test too, which is kind of scary. I spoke to Scott's mom today and she assured me Scott had similar problems and a set of tubes fixed him right up! He's on an allergy medication and we go to the ENT in a few weeks to get it all checked out. Fingers crossed!

San Antonio!

2011-01-23T16:34:00.008-06:00

We decided to take a mini-vacation to San Antonio rather than have a party for Graham's birthday. We figured this would be more fun and less stressful. Next year, hopefully, we will be living in a house that will accommodate his 2nd birthday party celebration!

We had a great time! I was able to get a free room thanks to my hotel points for work! We stayed at the La Mansion on the Riverwalk. It was a perfect location and a great hotel.

Here are my boys!

My friend/co-worker that lives in San Antonio told us about Kiddiepark, so we went on Saturday to check it out. It was AWESOME! My wheels are turning on how to open one up in Houston! Drake had so much fun. I was surprised he rode the rides all by himself. What a big, brave boy!

Here he requested the pink airplane.

We had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe (Drake's favorite) and then headed back to the hotel. They boys had so much fun.

In this picture Scott was "hiding" them in the curtains. They thought it was sooooo funny!

Oops, Kiddiepark out of order. :)

On Sunday, we went to the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch drive through safari. The lady that helped us when we arrived told us Sunday mornings are perfect because there aren't a lot of cars and since the weather was nice, all the animals were out. Plus, they are hungry early! (You feed them as part of the adventure.) Drake thought it was really neat. We heard a lot of "oh wow!"'s

Drake likes to know the gender and name of everyone and everything. We named this one "Mater". This was also a good impromtu lesson on the importance of dental hygiene.

My 11 month old little boy!

2010-12-27T12:02:00.006-06:00

Yesterday Graham turned 11 months! How is he almost 1 year old? I stopped making the monthly signs, but I posted some pictures from this past month.

Graham is here with two of his favorite things, Daddy and his pacifier!

His top two teeth broke through, can you see his adorable gap? Here he is playing with the cow my mom got him for Christmas. It shakes and moos and he giggles so hard every time it goes off.

Here he is doing a little last minute Christmas shopping with me. I forget how easy it is to go somewhere with just one kiddo! (Shout out to the horned frogs!)

The little guy can throw a fit, but good grief, he really has the best smile ever!

Sorry for the grainy pictures. If I didn't have an iphone, I don't think I'd have any pictures of my precious children!

Best Christmas EVER!

2010-12-27T11:34:00.004-06:00

What a great holiday! We had so much fun celebrating with our families this year. Here are a few pictures of the festivities!

Here is a family photo from the church Christmas party. Santa was there, which was fun for most of the children, but not mine. I'm not into torturing them for a cute picture, so unfortunately, we do not have Santa pictures again this year. Even giggly, smiley Graham cried??? SHeesh! With Granny Sheryl and Babu, my kids think Santa is a little bit of a let down anyway. :)

We had an inflatable Christmas party in our front yard this year. Drake was IN LOVE with them. We hugged them each day and he constantly asked us to "wake up" the snowman, penguin and Santa.

We went to my mom's on Christmas eve, spent the night at our house Christmas eve night and went to Scott's parents' house on Christmas morning. We all had so much fun!

Drake napped on the way to Babu and G-daddy's.

Graham loved Babu's tree. It was sooooo pretty!

Drake is still on a high from all of the excitement!

This was Graham christmas morning. He was waiting for Drakey to WAKE UP!

This was taken at my mom's on Christmas eve. My brother is in Afghanistan, so we made this sign and emailed the picture to him. Here are his sweet kiddos, Steven, William and Alex!

Corpus Christi

2010-12-27T11:27:00.002-06:00

Since Scott was off the week before Christmas, we decided to make my Corpus Christi work trip a mini-vacation. It worked out surprisingly well! We went to the Aquarium and out to dinner. Drake thought staying in hotel was pretty cool, too!

We do not go out to eat much. 1)Because Wharton isn't exactly booming with restaurants and 2)It's no joke taking a fidgety toddler and an 11 month old out to eat! Here we are at Outback and they both had fun & loved the food. Graham LOVES bread.

We took Drake out to see the beach. He was fascinated! I love this picture of my sweet boys.

The fish is giving Drakey a smooch!

November wrap-up

2010-11-30T21:30:00.006-06:00

November flew by. It was busy with Scott starting basketball season, I went on a girls' trip, Aggie games, and of course, my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! I love Turkey day because I love the food, it's a guaranteed 4-day weekend for me and you don't have to stress about presents. It's great!

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the month...

Lana and me at Lavo in LV for dinner. She did some kind of fancy editing on her phone. I need to figure out how to do this.... (and, why does my arm look enormous?)

Here is a picture of Drake and me at one of Scott's games. They enjoy going to the games and so far, it has gone surprisingly well. I have a little help from one of the other coach's girlfriends. She loves kids, so I'm in luck!

Scott and Drake at the Nebraska game. I love this picture!

(Out of order, sorry) Scott and Graham at a Tidehaven game!

Look who can stand up all my himself!!! He is so proud every time he does it.

I don't have any pictures from Thanksgiving, but I posted a video I took of Graham on the way to my mom's house. He is so stinking sweet! (Sidenote, the iphone 4 takes great videos! I like it as much as my Flip!) We ate lunch with my family, then headed to Bryan for dinner and spent the night with Scott's parents. We woke up and went shopping while Babu kept the munchkins. Friday night we headed back to Wharton and really didn't sleep at all because Graham was up all night. I could tell he was in pain and suspected an ear infection. He pulls on his ear, which Drake never did, so it's easier to detect with the WGB. I took him to an urgent care clinic on Saturday morning and sure enough, ear infection it was. They irrigated his ear (which I didn't know people did) and put him on antibiotics. He seemed better later that day! Scott and I got a sitter for Saturday night & decided to hit the town. We had a good, greasy dinner and then met up with some people from Wharton at a really neat place called, Greek Bros in El Campo. Unfortunately, we didn't realize how tired we were from the previous night and after a few drinks decided we couldn't hang and called it an early night. It was a jam-packed weekend, but overall a great holiday. Scott and I are truly thankful for this little family of ours!

9 month old Graham!

2010-11-01T20:40:00.005-05:00

Today I took Graham to his 9 month check up. Turns out he isn't cranky from teething... Poor baby has ear infections! No wonder he has been so upset. He hasn't really been eating well over the last few days and on Saturday he was running a fever. I HATE when my babies are sick, it is just heart-wrenching. I even did the midnight drive last night he was so inconsolable! It worked like a charm, by the way. Fortunately, he is on antibiotics now and is on the mend! This evening he already seemed much better!

This was our first visit with Graham to the new pediatrician. I am learning that it is hard to switch doctors during such important years. Every doctor has a different bedside manner, different philosophies, etc. Our current and our former are VERY different. Anyway, we will adjust...

Graham is 25 lbs and 28.5 inches! I hate to be "that mom", but I think he is taller. I watched them measure and I'm not sure that is accurate. We will see at 1 year if he sprouted several inches. Just for giggles, I looked back at Drake's stats. At 9 months he weighed 30lbs and was 31.5 inches. Drake was and is so big, it's almost funny!! Anyway, It will be fun to watch Graham and see if he catches up with his big brother.

Graham LOVES the pacifier, even after much discouraging on my part.

Taken today at the doctor's office

Halloween

2010-11-01T20:28:00.005-05:00

We had a pretty uneventful Halloween. Graham had been extremely cranky this weekend. We assumed it was teething because that's what you do when your baby is upset.... you blame teething! On Sunday (Halloween), Scott stayed in with C.G. (Cranky Graham) and Drake and I went to the Baptist church for their fall festival. It was awesome! They had horse rides, bouncy houses, games, candy, etc. Whew, the Wharton Baptists can throw a party! :) Drake didn't want to wear his costume and I didn't feel like making an issue out of it. I get weak when I'm tired!He talked about the horses and all the costumes he saw all night. We opted out of Trick-or-treating since we weren't dressed up and we really do not need the candy.

Their school had a little festival on Friday. Here is our sweet lion. Our tiger didn't want to wear his costume and in his defense, it was a little small. A 4T, by the way.

This picture is from Halloween night

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-23T20:07:00.004-05:00

Today we went to Griffin's Birthday party out in Cy-fair (where we used to live). It worked out perfectly because we were able to go by the same pumpkin patch we have visited the last 2 years. The church that puts it on does an incredible job! We didn't really get any great pictures, but we had a good time.

Drake says, "I'm bored now, I thought you said we were going to a birthday party!"

Now this is more his speed...

Random thoughts and photos

2010-10-17T20:38:00.005-05:00

At what point does the muffin top go from simply adorable to a problem area?

Here are a few of my favorite Chubbyfoot pictures.

This pretty much sums up what Drake thinks of photo shoots.

I love this picture of Drake. I think it perfectly captures his cautious, lovable, sweet adorable self.

How in the world did I get this precious blue-eyed baby? Well, I know HOW it happened, I just can't believe it did! Graham's dad & G-daddy (Scott's dad) both have killer blue eyes. Thanks guys!

Happy Fall Y'all!

2010-10-11T20:06:00.005-05:00

Drake loves all things animal, so we are living in a dreamland for the little guy! He points to the car and says, "Donkeys, cows, outside..." And, off we go! We drive around Wharton & stalk people's animals. One place (pictured below) has a nice assortment of cows, donkeys, horses, dogs, etc. It's fun and hopefully, they don't mind us stopping in front of their land, rolling down our windows and letting Drakey say "Hi donkey, hi cow, hi horse!"

Oh, how we love the country! (Who would have thought???)

Last weekend we went to Bryan to visit Scott's family. We had a great time (except, my kids do not sleep well when we are not at home! UGH)! We took the boys over to see Scott's grandmother. Drake thought it was cool to "ride" her porcelain chicken. She didn't seem to mind, but I was cringing. I'm not sure what it's made of or where it's from, but I'm almost certain it isn't fisher-price like everything in our house!

They had so much fun with G-daddy and Babu (and kept us up part of the night) that they couldn't keep their sweet little eyes open on the drive home. Why are sleeping babies so darn cute???

On a side note, Drake is talking up a storm!! He is starting to put several words together and come up with mini-sentences all on his own. Scott and I always stop what we are doing and stare at each other in amazement each time he says something new. We act like he is coming up with the cure for cancer and speaking it. Usually, it is something more like, "mama, apples YUMMY!"

Being proud parents is so fun!

And, lastly, here is a picture of my favorite 8 month old drinking out of his sippy cup. He is such a big boy!

Chubbyfoot pictures

2010-10-04T21:28:00.003-05:00

Last week, I took the boys to get their pictures taken with Mackenzie at Chubbyfoot. She is amazing! We took Drake to her last November, but last week she had "mini-sessions" which were half-priced! It worked out perfectly because she was shooting right by the medical center & it was the day Drake & Graham had appointments with the ophthalmologist. We had pictures in the morning, lunch at chick-fil-a and eye dr. appt in the afternoon. We had a busy, fun day! Oh- Drake's eyes are looking great & working together. He just needs to grow into his head. :) We had Graham's eyes looked at for giggles & she said they were perfect too! HOORAY!

Here is a snapshot of some of the pictures!

8 month celebration!

2010-09-28T07:42:00.004-05:00

Graham was 8 months on September 26, 2010. This picture doesn't have the sign, but it was taken on his 8 month birthday.

He has 2 teeth! When he isn't hungry, sleepy or teething, he is the happiest, giggliest baby EVER! At his school, they call him "mr. smiley!"

Graham laughing

2010-09-23T19:33:00.004-05:00

Is there anything better than a laughing baby?

You'll notice at the end of the video, all of Drake's chairs are on the top of the counter. Learning time-out is difficult when you also have a baby. I've been told that you just have to stay there with them until they "get it" and that's just not always possible. For example, we are having dinner and Drake is standing on the chair. I politely ask him to sit down, he usually does, then stands right back up again. I warn him & then he goes to time-out. I put him in time out & he keeps trying to leave, so then I'm ignoring Graham & he starts crying. Then I am in dire need of a glass of wine & I have two crying children. So, now I just take chairs away when he stands on them. Or, I take dinner away if he isn't sitting down eating. I also take toys away when he throws them (one of his favorite pastimes). It is actually working a lot better than time-out. GOOD TIMES!

P.S. I think the key is to wait to have the 2nd one until you have time-out down. OOPS!

By the way....I'm all ears if someone has some ideas/suggestions/recommendations/strategies or just some good, inexpensive wine they recommend.

2010-09-15T21:20:00.011-05:00

Here is a picture of sweet Graham with his toy in his mouth. That's what he does lately. Little man has 2 teeth! We are hoping he'll start sleeping again now that the teeth broke through. But, even at 3 am, how could you resist this face??

Drake has this Little People zoo animal toy. He is OBSESSED with it. It is really cute. It has one animal for every letter. Alligator, Bear, Camel, Dolphin, you get the idea. He picks a few animals to sleep with each night. He takes a few animals to school each day, he takes them when we go on walks, to the store, you name it. Sweet baby Drake, who didn't really talk at all until a few months ago, knows ALL of the animals! He is so cute. I'm going to try to get a video of him naming them.

I read several blogs religiously. On one of them, the mom of The Stones wrote about "grace moments." Since then, I've started to look for them in my life. I've recently experienced a few awesome ones of my own and I would like to share!

A few months ago, Scott comes home from the interview at Tidehaven and says if they offer it, he wants to maybe find a way to make it work. My first thought was, "Well, it's in my territory for work, maybe we can??" (Random school IN my territory of all the places in Texas? GRACE MOMENT!) We started looking at a map & figuring out distances between my accounts, his job, major highways, etc. That's when we thought that Wharton was pretty central to where we needed to be. One small problem...neither of us knew a thing about or one person in Wharton. I call on one account here, so I asked that physician if she had any advice on anything, places to live, childcare, etc. I didn't even know if she lived here because she works in another city too. It turns out she lives here and she is on the board at the local Methodist church. Guess what? The church just started a day care/preschool named, Small Blessings (BAM-grace moment). While Scott and I are touring the precious school, we met the nicest lady ever! She didn't work there, but she was spending her summer helping get the school up and running. Scott was wearing an A&M shirt (WHOOP) and she asked if he went there. He explained he grew up there, is a fan, but didn't go there. He tells her that I went there. She says she has a daughter around my age that went to A&M and her daughter lives in Wharton now with her family. She said she was going to give her daughter, Kate my number and that Kate would call and help us get in touch with some people. Well, that night Kate calls me! It turns out we have several mutual friends from A&M. She has helped us with everything! She helped us find a realtor, potential rental houses, she took me on a tour of town, hair stylist, pediatrician, you name it! Now, if that isn't God's work, I don't know what is. Oh, it gets better... Kate has 2 young sons and tons of friends here. She has made us feel so welcome. We've already been to a birthday party here! We are even renting a house from Kate's parents' friends! They own the house next door & have spent the last few years renovating this house as a project. They heard we were looking and.... here we are. It's amazing how everything fell into place. On a side note....Kate is a runner and I'm going to attempt to join her running group later this week. Please wish me luck! I will need it. I'm more of a walk-behind-a-stroller kind of gal than an actual runner.

Drake's 2 year and Graham's 6 month check-ups

2010-09-15T20:52:00.004-05:00

This was probably taken right around the time of Graham's 6 month birthday. Little sweet smileyface!

Here is a picture of Drake and his dad taking down his room, getting ready for the move!

At the end of July I took Drake & Graham for their check-ups (BY MYSELF, thank you, thank you). It was kind of sad because I knew it would be the last visit with our pediatrician. I absolutely LOVE her and 100% trust her. I hate that we will no longer be able to see her and her fantastic staff. We have already found a great one here, thanks to my "Wharton" friend, Kate. (I'll tell y'all about her later! She is great!) I was so caught up in moving that I forgot to post their latest stats. Here they are! (From the end of July)

Drake Barrett -Animal lover, chatterbox
2 years!
Weight: 41 lbs
Height: 37 inches
FYI- at 2, they stop measuring the head circumference and start giving you BMI. We choose not to discuss BMI around here.. :)

Graham Barrett - Smiley-face, angel-baby
6 months (He's almost 8 months now)
Weight: 22 lbs
Height: 26 3/4 inches
Head: 44.8 cm

I received a few tacky comments in a row about having a blog and the motives behind having one. It kind of made me do a little soul-searching about why I do it. I realized i was letting some yahoos "get in my dome" and I try VERY hard not to let that happen! Basically, I update the blog so my friends & family can receive quick updates on our family. That's it!! No deep meaning behind it. One of my friend's with a blog told me about blog2print.com. IT IS GREAT! It takes your blog & makes it into a book. I created one a few months ago of Drake's life 0-18 months. He loves reading it, of course since it is all about him! It worked out where it was through 2009, so now I can get one every year. Plus, I am horrible at scrapbooking or writing in baby books, so this is my "log" of what happens. Now, I'm going to try to post about anything I'd want to put in their book!

The Wiggles!

2010-08-23T21:01:00.005-05:00

For Drake's birthday, Scott and I got him tickets to go see the Wiggles. He dances and gets excited when they are on TV, but at the concert he just sat there mesmerized. He LOVED it! Our seats were great & Scott and I found ourselves singing along too. Good times! Oh- we went the Sunday after the Saturday that we moved...EEK. We bought the tickets before we knew we were moving. Scott's mom stayed with Graham and we trekked into Houston to see the show. It was a nice break from all the boxes!

"Shimmy-shimmy-shimmy"

Wharton, Texas!

2010-08-21T21:52:00.005-05:00

I haven't blogged in a few weeks, but I have a good excuse. Uh...We moved!

Yep...packed up & moved out!

I am the proud wife of Tidehaven high school's new head basketball coach. Where is Tidehaven, you ask? Well, it is near the coast, somewhere between Corpus Christi and Houston. Scott got offered the job right before July 4th weekend. We gave it a lot of thought & decided..."why the heck not!" It's a great step for Scott, we both love small towns and coincidentally, my territory for my job is Houston to Corpus. We figured we could pull it off. So, we put our house on the market, packed up our entire lives and the first weekend in August we moved and settled right here in Wharton. Wharton is a super-cute small town, south of Sugar Land (suburb of Houston). Scott has about a 30 minute commute (traffic-free) and I'm right off 59, so I can head north to Houston or south to Corpus Christi lickety-split! We are still a little unsettled as far as boxes, etc, but so far it seems to be working. Surprisingly, I think I am in a better place for my job than I was before. 290 is the most congested highway in Houston, so I sat in traffic a lot! Scott is coaching football (he's been spoiled the last few years only having to coach Basketball), so he has been really busy and working a ton. (But, he loves it!)

Scott's mom stayed with us for a week and helped us pack, move, everything! She was a godsend!! Moving with two small children is a little tricky!

Drake was doing really well at the school where he started in June, so we hated to move him and really agonized over it. Ultimately, we realized that he is 2 and probably doesn't care nearly as much as we do, if at all. He and Graham are going to a school together here and we had a rough first week, but week #2 was so much better. I think this is going to be great for all of us! YEAH!

Here are my sweet boys in a moving box!

Moving day... August 7, 2010

On one of our last few days at our old house we took some pictures of D&G that I posted below. Scott and I were both more sad to leave our house than we thought we would be! It was our first house and we brought home both of our babies there. We had so many great memories in that house!

July fun!

2010-07-26T21:54:00.005-05:00

Graham is 6 months old! What a sweet little man! The flash is on way too high, but this picture cracked me up!

"YEAH, I'm 6 months & I can sit up all by myself!"

Brothers wrestling outside....

And silly little Drake!

We have had a great, busy month. We went to Port Aransas last weekend with the Richards' family. It was so nice to get away & relax (well, as much as you can relax with 2 little boys)!

The crew...

Chloe ("KLEEE") and Drake

Drake LOVED the beach!

Graham got to ride in the wagon for the first time!

It is almost funny that we can NOT get a good family picture...

oh lordy...

Is Graham crying or smiling?

2nd Birthday Celebration!

2010-07-10T21:16:00.005-05:00

Well, today is Drake's 2nd birthday. It is really hard to believe he is already 2. What a hoot this kid is! He definitely keeps us on our toes, but we are loving every second of it. Today we had a party at The Little Gym. I think Drake had a great time. Here are a few pictures.

Hanging out with Babu and Mama B

Drake wouldn't put this book down. He has a "book-of-the-day" and we read it to him 100 times a day & he will carry it every where. It is usually Brown Bear, Brown Bear, but today for some reason he was loving this animal book! Here he is reading to Granny Sheryl.

Showing Kenadie what an elephant does...

G-Daddy & Chris enjoying the fun

Graham meeting his friend, Emmy.

Graham was tuckered out...

The pirate cake that didn't quite make the car ride....

And our big, birthday boy, Drake!

What a fun day, Drake! We love you so much. Happy Birthday!

Sweet baby Graham is 5 months

2010-06-27T20:44:00.005-05:00

My how time flies when you have a sweet, smiley baby and a toddler running around the house.

As you can see from the picture, we were a day late. On the 26th, we were at Cousin Camp 2010! Drake and Graham had a blast at their Babu & G-Daddy's (Scott's parents) house. Graham LOVED the water. We had been reluctant to take him in the pool, but he couldn't get enough. Drake had so much fun and was able to participate. Unfortunately, I didn't take 1 single picture. If anyone sends me pictures, I'll post one.

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-27T20:38:00.003-05:00

We had a great father's day this year. Drake, Graham & I are incredibly lucky to have good ole' Scotty B around here! He keeps us laughing every single day. As his wife, I have absolutely loved watching him as a father. I have never been around a more proud, hands-on, devoted dad in all of my life. I am beyond blessed to have him! (Before I have his head swell too much, I'll let y'all know..... he's messy. I'm constantly having to pick up after him. But, as Mama always says "you can't have it all!")

Happy Father's Day, my sweet husband!

What we have been up to...

2010-06-12T20:53:00.004-05:00

We have had a busy few weeks around here. My aunt Tina & cousins were in town from OKC over Memorial day weekend for graduation . My cousins graduated from HS, so we took the kids out to their graduation party. Drake had fun running around there. Then the next weekend (last weekend), we went to Drake's friend, Nate's birthday party on Saturday and my mom's on Sunday for her birthday. My brother is in town, so Drake had a blast chasing his cousins around all day. He was exhausted and passed out the second we got into the car to drive home! I didn't take one picture...DRATS!

Scott is out of school for the summer...YIPPEE! They had a basketball camp the first week, but it's better than the classroom. He has already started building stuff. He makes patio coolers, wine racks and his latest masterpiece is a rack for the firewood. He is quite handy. He is for hire if anyone needs anything.... Patio cooler, anyone??

In other news, Drake started a new school! Last year he went to a mother's day out program that was one day a week. I loved the church, the school, the teachers, etc., but the hours would be too difficult to swing with my job. I let the nanny drive him when I wasn't able to get him, but I just do not feel comfortable letting her drive with Graham. She drove Drake after he was 1 and faced forward in the car seat, but until then it just makes me nervous. His new school is right in our neighborhood and the hours are more conducive to my work schedule. The first few days this week were pretty rough. He was so upset! UGH- it was awful, but Scott and I really think this will be better for him & once he gets adjusted that he will love it. At least, that is what we PRAY happens! We will keep you posted!

The other day we were coloring and Drake was bored with sitting at a table and being all "structured." He decided to put the crayons into his dump truck and push that around the house. Much more his speed... :) (Maybe this is only cute to me because I'm his momma??)

Here is our sweet boy today. Scott put up a tent in the backyard and Drake had a blast climbing in and out of it. We also blew up his baby pool. It was a kid's paradise in our backyard today.

I'm finally learning to use our camera. I took a class and here is one of my practice shots...

I try to practice on Drake and Graham, but toys are much easier.

And here is butterball sucking his thumb. One of his favorite pastimes.

Drake giving everyone a kiss...

Oh, and poor baby has a stye! I read on the internet to help heal a stye, you simply hold a warm compress on the eye for 10 minutes. Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrright! He doesn't seem bothered by it, so I'm thinking it must look worse than it feels.

Graham's 4 month check up

2010-05-30T19:37:00.004-05:00

Graham had his 4 month check up on Friday afternoon. He is doing really well & growing like a weed! Our pediatrician told us once they are drinking over 40 ounces of formula, to go ahead and start cereal. We did that right around 3 months. He is already up to 2 meals of cereal with fruits or veggies every day. He has had peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, apples, pears and prunes. (All while still pounding 5 bottles of 8 ounces!) I've tried to stretch the bottles out to 4 hours, but Graham is not having any part of that!

Here are the stats:

Weight: 18.3 lb (>97th percentile)

Height: 25 1/4 (75th percentile)

Head cir: 42.5 (75th percentile)

He is sleeping really well. He usually goes to bed around 7:00pm and wakes up any where from 6:00am-7:00am. It is wonderful!! Of course, we have had the stomach bug go around our house TWICE a month or so ago. That was no fun & there wasn't much sleep happening here at all!

Our pediatrician told us at his 2 week check-up that he has an umbilical hernia, but they are no big deal and most go away by the time the baby is 1. Well, when Graham had the stomach bug last month, we took him to the after hours clinic & saw a different doctor. That doctor told us to make an appt. to see our regular doctor and have her check out the hernia because it didn't look right to her and it was more on his stomach rather than his button. Apparently, if it isn't right on the belly button, it can be a problem and needs to be checked out. So, we went to our dr. the next week & she said she wasn't "in love" with its location, but it could have just expanded because of all the straining he did when he was sick. She said she was just going to keep an eye on it & worst case scenario, we would go see a surgeon when he is 6 months. On Friday, she said it is still off to the side, but she is thinking it is getting smaller now & could be a true umbilical hernia that will go away. He is gaining weight well and thriving, so she isn't concerned. YEAH!

You know you are good & chubby when the pediatrician had to prescribe a medicated powder for his deep fat rolls!! He has an adorable personality and smiles and laughs constantly. The baby wakes up happy! (What a change from 3 months ago!!! I wasn't sure we were going to make it.)

He loves standing up! Here is a video....

That's all folks! Happy Memorial day...remember why you're off today!

May 26, 2010

2010-05-26T19:27:00.005-05:00

I'm 4 months old today, y'all!

What I love about Sunday....

2010-05-23T12:38:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures of my sweet boys.

I hate to brag on my kids, but Drake has the best cheeks ever! People have told me since he was a newborn, "Enjoy the chubbiness now, because they'll lose the baby fat soon." Well, almost 2 years later, this baby still has delicious jowls! By the way, I can't believe he is almost 2! My how times flies when you are having fun!

This morning I tried to put this very cute outfit on Graham to wear to church and it was too small! It never fit Drake either. I guess I should have tried a few months ago. He seemed to think it was funny as you can see. We have now wasted this precious get-up twice! Hopefully, it will fit our 3rd boy. I kid, I kid....

Graham goes for his 4 month appointment this coming week. I'm so curious to see what he weighs. I definitely think we are about to have to give up on the infant carrier. He seems like he is so uncomfortable in there. I remember this being a challenge with Drake at this age. They are too big for the carrier, but not quite sturdy enough for high chairs, shopping carts, etc. This means we hold him everywhere we go. Fortunately, Graham LOVES to be held, so it will all work out.

Please keep our friends, The Stones (we know them through Scott's good friends, The Jacks) in your prayers. Their little boy, Isaiah passed away this past week. It has really heartbroken Scott and me. While we do not know them very well, we know them well enough to know they are an amazing couple with an enormous amount of love for each other and for God. We pray that they somehow find peace in this awful tragedy. I can't imagine the burden on their hearts right now. It certainly has made me want to cherish every single second I have with these beautiful little boys of mine.

I hope everyone has a great week. I'll post after Graham's appointment.

COME ON SUMMER!!!

Mother's Day and..... The Rodeo

2010-05-09T16:37:00.003-05:00

It has been a perfect Mother's day! Scott made sure I felt extra special and loved today. I am so blessed with my fantastic family!!

I grabbed my small camera today as we headed out to have lunch with my mom for Mother's day. (Which was a great time, Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!) I turned it on and found some pictures from March when Scott and I took Graham and Drake to the Houston livestock show & rodeo. It was fun, but I think they are a little too young. I thought Drake would like the petting zoo, but he screamed the entire time. Scott says, "I don't like animals that are bigger than me." I guess Drake feels the same way. We still had a good time and it was a gorgeous day! Here are a few photos from back then. You can't really see, but they have precious cowboy shirts on! Too bad they no longer fit either of them!

Today at lunch with my mom!

Conversations between Graham & Drake

2010-05-06T18:40:00.003-05:00

Okay, I know Graham doesn't talk yet and Drake speaks a jibberish/Spanish/Chinese/English combo that we haven't quite been able to translate, but I'm pretty sure they have this conversation...

Graham: Yo, brother...who's up tonight?

Drake: You're up and honestly you need to step up your game.

Graham: What does that mean?

Drake: You don't even get them both out of bed. It's usually just one & they are able to go back to sleep right away.

Graham: That's true. The other night, you really got them! HA- they were changing sheets, doing laundry. I even heard mom dry-heaving. That was awesome!

Drake: Yeah, overdosing on fruit snacks will do that.

Graham: They only give me formula and a little cereal, so I can't really do that. I could just start crying every few hours like I used to do.

Drake: Please do that because I've kept them up the last several nights & I'm exhausted, I'd like to get a full night's rest.

Graham: You got it! Whatever we do...we can NOT let them sleep. Ohh, maybe I'll start teething soon!

Drake: Oh yes, that would be perfect!

Graham is 3 months!

2010-04-26T19:04:00.003-05:00

All about Graham....

Today, April 26, 2010 marks Graham's 3 month birthday. The three months have just flown by. He has been a perfect addition to our family! Here's a little bit about him...

After almost 2 full months of straight crying, he has turned into the sweetest baby! He has such a happy disposition and is always smiling!
He loves for anyone to talk to him.
He loves to be cuddled and does not like being cold! Hence his new nickname, "Toasty!" (You do crazy things when you are sleepy & trying to soothe a baby!) We still swaddle him every night. I'm not sure when you are supposed to stop, but he still loves it.
His eyes are a beautiful shade of blue! Drake's were blue too and turned brown after about 6 months.
His favorite song is "Your Song" by Elton John. He likes Elton's rendition AND mine (although, mine is off key).
He LOVES his big brother. He constantly stares at Drake and watches his every move. Maybe one day Drake will start to pay attention to him too. :)

New Ride

2010-04-25T20:58:00.004-05:00

We are cool enough to pull this off, right? Right????

It was gorgeous outside today! Spring has sprung!

pictures!

2010-04-21T20:36:00.004-05:00

Here are some recent pictures of Drake & Graham. I always have my phone with me and the camera is usually put away & uncharged when I have a moment I want to capture. I need to do a better job of keeping it charged. We are making an exciting purchase this weekend (I'll blog about it!), so I'll go charge it now so it's good & ready!

Here is precious baby Graham. I think he is past his "fussy" stage. He is all smiles lately & has been sleeping for us. HOOOOOORAY! I know I'm his mama & biased, but is this the cutest kid ever or what???

Drake is ALL personality lately. Our little batman was playing on our bed while I attempted to get ready for work. Looks like he found my new shades. Sunglasses and hats are two of his favorite accessories!

This picture here is one of my favorites! Most of the time, Drake acts like he doesn't even notice Graham. I suppose that is better than him being mean to him???

I'll post again in a few days for Graham's 3-month picture. As Drake Barrett would say, "Nigh Nigh!!" (That's "night night" for all of you who do not know baby talk.)

XOXO,

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T18:55:00.009-05:00

We had a great Easter weekend!

I've posted two videos; one of Drake & one of Graham. Drake has learned all of his animal sounds. We ask him, "Drake, what does a dog say?" He replies, "woof, woof". Then we ask about cat, cow, etc. We asked him what a baby does & he does a loud crying sound. It is hilarious! Poor Graham, we are already picking on him!

Here is a picture after church. It's so bad, it's good...

Just to clarify...

Scott is not pregnant. It is just a bad, hilarious angle.
Drake's Easter outfit was too snug in the belly area, so we had to improvise on his outfit.
Yes, I do wash & brush my hair occasionally, even though it doesn't look like it in this picture.
Graham is red-faced & crying quite a bit, so the picture of him is pretty accurate.

Graham's two month check-up!

2010-03-28T10:17:00.001-05:00

Graham had his two month check up on Friday. He handled the vaccines like a champ! He barely cried.

He weighs 13.6 lbs (85% percentile) and measured at 22.5 inches (40% percentile). His head circumference is 40 (50% percentile). He is growing so much & seems to be right on track. He has even started sleeping a little bit longer...HOOORAY! Last night he slept 7 hours. (He doesn't do that every night, but last night was a record, so we are rejoicing!) I looked back at Drake's sleep patterns and they seem to be about the same at this age, so we are still holding out hope that Graham will like to sleep as much as his big brother. Time will tell...

Here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

and of course, the very proud big brother....

Trying to get a picture...

2010-03-13T10:41:00.000-06:00

Graham is about to outgrow his "little brother" t-shirt, so I thought I'd snap a quick picture this morning of the fellas wearing their matching shirts. Who knew getting a 20-month old and a 6-week old to pose would be so difficult!!! It may have helped if the swing was not right by the window. Oh well, I've still decided to share my failed attempt.
Enjoy!

ER Visit

2010-03-11T13:41:00.000-06:00

On February 27, we had our first visit to the ER. The previous Wednesday,Drake went to the Dr. because he was pulling on his ears. She said they were infected & put him on an antibiotic. We thought he was doing great & feeling better and then suddenly on Saturday, Drake had a horrible temperature. We called the pediatrician's office several times & talked to the nurses about various things to try. We tried motrin/tylenol cocktail, cold bath, washcloths on the head, etc and nothing seemed to work, so they finally told us we probably needed to go to the ER. Scott went first with Drake & I waited for my mom to get to our house to watch Graham. Poor Scott was so flustered, he actually called me from ER to get Drake's DOB. It is funny now, but at the time, I really thought he was losing his mind. Scott did not like seeing Drake so sick. Fortunately, it turned out to be a weird virus combined with his ear infections. They gave him a shot, up'd our antibiotic and we were on our way. Drake is fine now. It seemed like two days later he was hyper, happy Drake again! They bounce back so quickly!

Graham is doing great too! He is sleeping for longer periods at a time. I am definitely enjoying that! He goes to his 2 month appointment at the end of the month. I'll post again then!

The pictures are of Drake at the ER. He was so sad!! The one of Graham is from last week.

Graham is 1 month!

2010-02-27T14:04:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that an entire month ago this precious angel joined our family....

Drake's great grandmother gave him this bouncy house for his 1st birthday last summer. It's been camping out in the garage, but now that the weather is cooperating, he can play on it more often. HOORAY!

The Barrett Boys

2010-02-17T12:56:00.000-06:00

My cup runneth over...

2010-02-10T15:26:00.000-06:00

We have made it two weeks! Graham went to his 2 week check up yesterday. Our pediatrician switched his formula and we are hoping this helps with some of his tummy issues. So far, it seems to be working. Please say a quick prayer for all of us that this pans out!

Here Drake is checking on his baby brother. He is SO sweet with him!

Drake & Graham in their matching pajamas!

Obviously, my free time is non-existent, but I'll try to get better with the blog updates!

Graham is here!

2010-02-01T20:01:00.000-06:00

William Graham Barrett arrived at 7:40am on January 26, 2010.
He weighed 8 lbs 14 oz and was 20.5 inches in length.
He is happy & healthy & Scott and I are (again) overwhelmed with joy!

Here is one of his first pictures..

Here is one of our first family of 4 photos. (I'm looking grrrrrrreat!)

Scott's mom sent us this picture of Drake while we were in the hospital. Drake loved having his Babu there to take care of him while his folks were gone. He has adjusted way better than we expected. I realize it hasn't even been a week, but he doesn't seem to be bothered by his baby brother at all!

Here he is enjoying himself...

Today we took Graham to his first check up at the pediatrician. He seems to be doing just fine & dandy! He has gas, but I will spare you the details & just say it involves a lot of diaper changes, little sleep and quite a bit of crying (mostly by Graham and a little from Scott and me). :) This too shall pass, right???

Scott and I are so lucky that our sweet moms have helped us so much over the past week! LOVE Y'ALL! Here is a picture from today...

18 month check-up

2010-01-15T18:55:00.000-06:00

Still a whopper!

Drake's stats...

Height - a little over 36 inches

Weight - a little over 38 lbs

So, as his doctor put it, he is perfect size....FOR A 3 YEAR OLD! Scott's mom said Scott was the same way & around 3 he started to look more like kids his age. :)

Our second little boy will be here January 26th if all goes according to plan! We are so excited (but still do not have a name! EEK)! I had an ultrasound just after Christmas and they claim this baby is much smaller than Drake was. They are estimating between 7-8 lbs. We shall see!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T19:54:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! It definitely made up for our bummer of a Thanksgiving when Drake was sick.

A few weeks before Christmas, Santa stopped by my mom's work, so I thought I would take Drake to see him....it didn't go exactly as planned.

This was taken first thing on Christmas morning! (Oh, he is in his new room! We are in the process of making the nursery for #2 and Drake a "big boy" room. Pictures to come...)

After the three of us opened presents, my brother, his family & my mom & Mike came over for breakfast. We had breakfast casserole, coffee and monkey bread..YUMMY! Unfortunately, I was too busy eating, opening presents and enjoying myself that I didn't take any pictures. OOPS!

Later Christmas day, we loaded up & headed to Bryan. Here we caught Drake giving Hunny some treats. BUSTED DRAKE BARRETT!!!

We attempted a family photo....

Again, I was too busy eating, opening presents and playing that I didn't take any pictures or action shots. We spent Christmas night with Scott's parents and had a great time.

Here is sweet Drake the next morning playing in his cousin's castle (or is it a spaceship??).

It was, by far, our best Christmas yet. It is hard to believe this time next year we will have TWO little boys running around! Thank you to all of our family for everything!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T05:25:00.000-06:00

We didn't have much of a Thanksgiving this year. Drake was sick and the pediatrician advised us to stay put since he was contagious. We had planned on going to my mom's for lunch, Scott's parents' for dinner then the A&M/ut game. We were pretty bummed (Scott about the game, me about all of the great home-cooked food, and Drake about not getting to see his grandparents), but we survived. It was actually kind of nice to have a few days off and just hang out at the house. Drake felt better after a few doses of the antibiotic, so all in all, it was a pretty good weekend.

First Haircut

2009-11-06T18:22:00.001-06:00

I could not believe how cute this kid's haircut place was!

Drake loved it! He played in the little car & got to watch the WIGGLES while they cut his hair. What will they think of next????

15 month check up

2009-10-29T04:12:00.000-05:00

Drake went to his 15 month appointment yesterday. He is growing like a weed and appears to be right on track. I was happy to learn that throwing tantrums is a developmental milestone and he is simply learning to express himself, which the doctor says is actually a good thing. Grrrrrrreat! He handled the shots better this time, but he can reach door knobs now, so he got his finger jammed in the exam room door...OUCH! Poor baby!

He is 35 inches tall, weighs 36 lbs and his head is approximately 52 cm. He's a big boy, but still so stinking sweet!!!

Here is a picture of Drake after watching football with dad all day. Our little horned frog was pooped!!

Drake has a new love.... The Wiggles! Hunter waits patiently for him to drop something.

Here he is waiting on the doctor (pre-shots and pre-finger slamming incident).

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-20T05:44:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from this past weekend. We went to the same pumpkin patch we visited last year. Getting him to sit still & pose with the pumpkins created a little bit of a challenge. We didn't realize how easy we had it this time last year before he started moving! He had so much fun!

Here is October 2009

and October 2008

We went to Griffin's birthday party this past weekend too. Here is a sneak peek of Drake's Halloween costume. You know I hate to brag, BUT.... he received the highly sought after "best costume" award. He won a basket of chocolate (that I ate, of course) and a ribbon that is proudly displayed on our fridge!

Big talker & raw talent

2009-10-11T16:39:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!!

2009-10-04T14:20:00.001-05:00

Here is a picture of our sweet little man first thing this morning....

Aggie Game!

2009-09-22T19:15:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we took Drake to the Aggie football game. He really enjoyed himself!! We may have a college football fan on our hands!! Drake & I left at halftime since it was past our 8:00 pm bed time. :)

I forgot my camera, so these are taken with my phone and the quality isn't great.

Drake doing a little tailgating!

In other news, I was in NJ last week for work...blah. We actually got to escape the hotel one evening. Some of my co-workers & I went out in Hoboken for some "pie", which we call "pizza" in Texas!!

I love food, but I love it even more when I'm pregnant.

Baby # 2 is a....

2009-09-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

BOY!

We could not be more excited!

In case you are wondering, Yes, I am the world's worst baby gender predictor! I am always wrong, so if you want to know what you're having, ask me & it is opposite of what I say.

Here's a picture of our handsome little man.

First Day of School!

2009-08-31T21:51:00.000-05:00

Drake started his school today. Scott and I thought it would be a good idea to get him around other children his age, so he is going on Mondays to a little Mother's Day out program at a church. It is actually called "Children's Day In." How clever, eh?

Other kids were crying & holding on to their mom's legs, but not Drake. He didn't even seem to care whether I was there or not?? I had mixed emotions, but decided it was best that he was happy. This afternoon when I picked him up, his teachers said that it took a few minutes, but once he realized I was gone, he started crying a little. I was also a little nervous about him sleeping on a mat, but he actually slept (not for very long). I'm shocked! Overall, it was great & I think he is really going to like it.

Here are some pictures...

At breakfast today, I was explaining what was going to happen.

"Wait a minute Mama, you are just going to drop me off with a bunch of strangers?"

When we arrived, he immediately checked out all of the toys.

This evening he just couldn't stay awake during our walk. He passed out! He hasn't slept on a walk in a very long time!

Eventful, busy weekend

2009-08-31T20:03:00.000-05:00

The weekend started off with our smoke alarms going off on Friday evening. All 3 were going off & yelling "Fire, fire, fire" which confused us because there was no smoke & no fire. To err on the cautious side, I took Drake outside & Scott looked everywhere in the house, attic, etc. He found NOTHING. A few minutes later, the alarms started saying "carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide!" At this point, I called the fire dept & let them know what was going on. They were really nice & said they'd send someone out to see if maybe our alarms were just faulty. I was expecting one guy in a suburban or something....NOPE! The big ole truck & about 6 guys came out. They checked out everything & thankfully, our house was not on fire, nor was there any carbon monoxide leaking. Apparently, our alarms were just "acting up???" We felt pretty silly, but they said it happens ALL of the time and that they get more false alarms than actual real fires. Thank you to the nice firemen.

Then on Saturday, it was The Little Gym! Drake loves it!

Sunday, Drake & Scott hung out together & I went to visit my good friend, Kelly & her family. She & her husband just adopted the sweetest baby girl ever!

Look at all of that pretty hair!!

Here's one of little Emmy & me! She is so tiny & dainty... love her!

Sweet face

2009-08-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love this sweet face???

August updates!

2009-08-10T18:00:00.001-05:00

The pregnancy is coming along & we find out the gender on September 8. I am predicting a girl. Physically, I actually feel pretty much the same, but emotionally....WHEW! There are some major hormones cranking. Scott is a champ as always, and just goes with it. Love that guy....
We put a swing up on our back patio & Drake LOVES it.
Drake likes to pretend to play with his dad. Too cute!

Destin 2009

2009-07-27T20:28:00.001-05:00

2 weeks ago, we went to Destin with the Richards' family. We had a great time & Drake loved playing in the sand & at the pool. He was a little unsure about the ocean... maybe next year?

Ooh, this is so much fun!

The three of us. I can't believe there will be 4 of us next year...EEK!

Drake & Chloe

I think this is the sweetest picture, ever!

"Okay mama, that's enough...."

Drake showing his tongue.

I've been a blogging fool lately!! Enjoy!

More Big News!

2009-07-27T20:10:00.000-05:00

We have a walker on our hands...enjoy! Yes, that is a cool whip container he is carrying. We do not understand it either. Also, be careful because you may get a little dizzy watching this.

Pardon my singing, I know it is bad, but Drake doesn't seem to mind. He is learning the signs to his favorite song.

Big news!

2009-07-26T11:23:00.000-05:00

1 year stats...

2009-07-20T20:48:00.000-05:00

We took Drake to his 1 year check up today. He seems to be doing really well, although still not a big fan of shots. :)

The boy is a giant...there is no other way to put it!

Weight: 32.8 lbs (slowing down a little, but still "off the charts")

Height: 33.5 inches (off charts)

Head: It's huge, "it's like an orange on a toothpick"

Here is a picture BEFORE the exam.

Getting weighed...he's starting to get a bit uneasy. He didn't come completely unglued until the shots, but we all survived! Thank goodness Scott was able to go with me.

XOXO

Drake's Birthday Party!

2009-07-20T20:08:00.001-05:00

We had a great first birthday party for Drake last weekend! He had all of his cousins, some family and a few friends here to help us celebrate.

Riding the "choo-choo" train...

Drake was a big fan of birthday cake!

After the party, Drake went for a ride in his new red wagon his Granny Sheryl bought him for his birthday. He thinks he is such a big boy (and sort of looks like one too)!

...

Happy Birthday Drake!

2009-07-10T15:58:00.000-05:00

Here is Drake this morning at his birthday breakfast!

Drake and his nanny, Angelica. She is wonderful (and truly loves our baby)!!!

Drake's party is tomorrow, so we will post more pictures later this weekend.

Maui Wow-y

2009-06-23T20:29:00.000-05:00

We just returned on Sunday from a fabulous trip to Maui. We went with all of Scott's family & had a really great time. It was Drake's first time on a plane. It was definitely an adventure. We are currently in the process of getting him back on "central time" and it is no easy task, my friends! Wish us luck... Here are a few shots from the week.

Surprisingly, the hula skirt was Scott's idea. He throws a fit when I put Drake in smocked clothing, but thinks it is adorable when he is wearing a hula skirt. It doesn't make sense to me either! :)

I know, I know...

2009-06-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

I am a bad blogger! I will openly admit my defeat.... The problem is I'm sleepy. On my last post, I bragged about Drake's sleeping (which I was told you should NEVER, EVER do) and next thing I know, he is not sleeping as well. I'll never brag again, promise!

Here is a picture of Drake on the way to his buddy Nate's first birthday party! He is decked out in his hawaiian shirt since the party was a "luau." Drake tells us he is a sucker for a theme party. Who isn't???

Yes, we turned the car seat around 1 month early. We like to live on the edge.

(NO JUDGMENT, AMANDA RICHARDS)

Can you believe this little butterball is 10 months old?

2009-05-17T14:57:00.000-05:00

Drake turned 10 months old on Mother's Day, May 10. It was pretty uneventful since Scott returned from being out of town for work just as I headed out of town. We did a quick "high-five" and he & Drake gave me a gift card for a Spa day! WAY TO GO SCOTT*!!! Despite our busy work schedules, we are soaking up and enjoying every minute of our little baby boy. *Okay, I told him exactly what to get me... this just works better for us. :)

Here are a few pictures of Drake I took a few weeks ago. He is growing up so much!

This is his favorite expression. He raises up that one eyebrow. It is simply adorable. What is even funnier, is Scott's Grandmother "Mama B" does the exact same thing!

Here is what our 10 month old baby is up to lately....

Drake is incredibly mobile!! He is cruisin' all around the furniture and crawling all over the house!
He babbles constantly. We say that he is already talking; we just do not know what he is saying.
He is a "starer." Is that a word, Kelly? He stares a lot!! Most people do not mind since he is so cute!
Drake loves bathtime! He especially likes his mother's rendition of "rubber ducky."
This is pretty obvious, but he loves to eat. We have not come across a food that he refuses.
Drake has 8 teeth and the cutest toothy grin I've ever seen! The 8 teeth can not be confirmed... there could be more, but anytime I try to feel around on his gums to check, I get my finger bitten!! OUCH!
Drake loves to sleep. If there isn't teething or sickness, we can expect him to sleep about 12 hours a night & 2 healthy naps a day!
Drake is a laid back baby. THANK YOU, SCOTT! He is really easy-going & (for the most part) just goes with the flow.
We couldn't ask for a sweeter baby!!!

Mini Ike hits Houston

2009-04-28T07:13:00.001-05:00

There was a pretty bad thunderstorm last night! Scott's school is canceled today & I am "delayed" since the entrance to our neighborhood is flooded.

Since I have some time on my hands, I thought I'd create a new post! This past weekend, we went over to Amanda & Chris' and sold some stuff in their community garage sale. It was fun & we made a little spending money for our upcoming trip in June!

We took Chloe and Drake to the park. Drake loved the wagon & felt like such a big boy!

YEAH!

2009-04-22T19:56:00.000-05:00

My friend made a new blog header for us! I love it!

Rebecca is so talented with this kind of stuff. She does precious invitations, cards, etc. Check out her website here! You can also "Read" all about her precious family. They are on my blog roll.... The Read Family

Thanks so much, Rebecca!

Easter, 9 month check-up and more!

2009-04-12T20:12:00.000-05:00

Let's start by talking about the new blog design. Is it fancy or what?? I'm kidding and I am embarrassed to tell how long it took me to figure out how to do what I did! I just wanted to jazz it up a bit. On to the good stuff....

Well, we started the morning with a very challenging Easter Egg hunt. We dumped the eggs on the living room floor & let Drake pick them up. He was pretty proud of himself, as you can tell by this picture. Oh, and he is wearing Transformer Underoos. Scott was awfully excited about them! HA

Then we went to Scott's sister's house for an Easter lunch.....

Then we went to meet my mom & brother for dinner.
After all that, Drake was pooped, but took some time to enjoy all of his Easter loot. Thank you to.... The Easter bunny, his grandparents and of course, his mom & dad!

Overall, it was a great day!

Friday we went for his 9 month check-up. He is doing really well. Here are his stats...
Height 31.5 inches! He has grown 10 inches since birth. That is just C-R-A-Z-Y to me!
Weight 30 lbs....chunky mcchunkerson!
Head circumference (for anyone who cares) 49.1cm.... which apparently, is pretty big. The pediatrician wasn't too alarmed since the rest of him is pretty big too!

Hope everyone has a great week! Happy Easter!

Houston Rockets Sparkletts Baby Races!!!

2009-04-06T20:30:00.001-05:00

Sunday night was Drake's big NBA debut. Unfortunately, he didn't win the baby race. He was beat by a girl! She was pretty solid. It was so much fun and hilarious to watch. Drake was in awe of all of the people and lights. We couldn't even get him to look at us...so crawling to us was out of the question! It was definitely a fun experience and we are so happy we were able to participate.

This was when we first got to the Toyota Center. Scott was giving Drake his pep talk!

Here is Drake with mini-Clutch. Mini-clutch is a "little person" (in case you were worried a little kid was holding our big ole baby). :)

Pre-game warm-up. He was so ready!! Maybe we were overly confident???

He LOVES pretty girls! He is loving our friend Elena. She works for the Rockets and got us in the baby race. She also periodically scores us tickets. THANKS SO MUCH, ELENA!!

UPDATE**** New Pictures

Drake's first trip to the zoo!

2009-04-06T20:18:00.000-05:00

On Saturday morning, we went with the Richards to the Houston Zoo. Drake loves cruisin' in his stroller, so even though he didn't really pay attention to the animals, he enjoyed walking around on the pretty day. Here are a few pictures ...

My personal favorite, the giraffe

The 3 of us

Chloe and Drake (trying to escape)

Sweet little angel baby!!

Chris, Chloe, Scott and Drake

Just a few photos...

2009-04-02T20:26:00.000-05:00

Scott took these 2 pictures with his phone, so the quality isn't great. He said they were taken about 15 seconds apart.....

Can this kid pout or what???

We took a blanket outside last weekend and played in the yard. The weather was perfect!!

Drake's friend, Chloe got him this muscle shirt.

Here he is showing y'all the "gun show!"

Drake makes his NBA debut this weekend at the Rockets' game. He is part of the Sparkletts Water baby races. We go on the floor at half-time & have a crawling contest with a few other babies. I'm pretty sure we have this one in the bag. Scott and Drake have been running drills in the living room all week. HA! I'll definitely post some pictures from the event. Oh- and this will all be taking place well after Drake's bedtime. Should be interesting.......

"Mama, I think I need a bigger chair!"

2009-03-27T21:23:00.000-05:00

Sometimes Drake acts so shy! It is so cute. He definitely got that from Scott and not me!

Here he is showing off that beautiful body of his....

Mom & Dad get away!!

2009-03-24T21:09:00.000-05:00

Scott & I went to Playa del Carmen last week for our first trip away from baby boy. We have both had to leave for work, but never both of us at the same time. Drake's doting grandmothers took turns taking care of him for us. He had a great time with Babu and Granny Sheryl. We missed him, of course, but it was good for us to take a few days off work and spend some time together. It was beautiful & we had a blast!

Paradise!

Trying out the timer on the camera. I wasn't quite fast enough.

Drake had breakfast with us!

Enjoying a nice dinner!

It wouldn't be an appropriate post without a picture of Drake, right?? While on the trip, Scott and I talked about how the past (almost) 9 months have flown by and we can't believe how much he has grown. When we got home, I went through some old pictures. This one was taken when Drake was 3 weeks. I can't believe how tiny he was!!

Scott is being silly in this picture.

Happy Birthday Scott!

2009-03-13T20:17:00.000-05:00

We have had a busy couple of weeks! Scott turned 3_ on March 2.
Happy Birthday Scott!

Basketball season has finally (almost) come to an end. Scott is at the State tournament this weekend in Austin, then it is over for this year!

Little Drake is keeping us on our toes. He is all over the place & tries to pull himself up on EVERYTHING. He usually falls, which ends in tears and screaming (for about 14 seconds), then back to getting into something else. He is non-stop! It is definitely more fun now that he is moving around & interactive, but I thought you people said it gets easier as they get older???

Here is our little butterball fresh out of the bathtub! He is brushing his 5 (FIVE!!) teeth.

Dinner with Louis & the Richards for Scott's big day.

Chris, Drake, Amanda and Chloe Jane

Happy birthday Scott!

Here is Drake sporting more of his Aggie gear. Blake got onto me for not showing my school spirit..... WHOOP!

This child has a house FULL of toys, but for some reason, he prefers phones, remote controls and..... measuring cups??

This week, Drake and I attended a play date at my friend Katrina's house. We had such a good time! It was so cute to see Drake around other babies. There were 8 between 6 months and 11 months. Too much fun....

"I LOVE PLAY DATES!!!"

The lovely hostess, Kate

This is Drake and his buddy Nate.

We were jealous of Nate's delicious arm rolls and silky, thick hair! How cute are they??? I just love it!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Drake crawling

2009-02-28T19:26:00.000-06:00

Blake - this picture is for you :)

Crawling???

2009-02-26T19:40:00.000-06:00

Drake is officially a crawler! YAHOOO....
His proud mama is crazy busy with work and will post a video of him in action ASAP!

Some recent pictures

2009-02-22T21:30:00.001-06:00

Relaxing with G-Daddy at cousin Cade's Birthday party at the train museum!

Trying to pose.... How cute is Winston?????

Enjoying a pretty day at the park.

Drake loves bathtime!

Keepin' it real

2009-02-15T09:12:00.000-06:00

Just some sweet pictures of our "little" baby....He is weighing in at over 27lbs!
Okay, so he isn't really "organic" but it is a cute shirt!

He loves getting his teeth brushed & trying to do it himself. I'm hoping this keeps up....yeah right!

Since we always put precious pictures of Drake smiling & happy, we thought maybe we should post the following video. We are just "Keepin' it real!"
Enjoy...

Jill's pictures!

2009-02-08T16:04:00.000-06:00

My friend, Jill just took some pictures of Drake. She did SUCH a great job. She sent me this one as a preview... I can't wait to see the rest!

Jill is Kim Reed's sister...see http://www.rollingwiththereeds.blogspot.com/ on my blog list. She has taken fantastic pictures of Kim's lil' precious baby, Griffin. We are actually headed over there tonight for Griffin & Drake to finally meet!

It was my birthday on Monday. Happy Birthday to me! Scott & Drake made it a great one. Silly Scott forgot I'm redoing 30 this year & accidentally bought a "1!" :) I'll post more later! Have a great week.

Somebody is feeling better.......

2009-01-22T20:12:00.000-06:00

January 20, 2009

2009-01-20T20:46:00.000-06:00

Drake watching this "historic day" unfold....

Drake's 6 month check-up!

2009-01-12T21:50:00.001-06:00

I can't believe we have a 6 month old baby. What an indescribable experience this whole "parenting" gig is!! I'm not much of a writer, but one day I may try to put into words just how much I love this child (and my husband, being a parent, etc.)!

Drake weighs a whopping 25 lbs and 13 oz. His pediatrician said she isn't sure what percentile to even call this. It was WAY above the arc. The boy is a chunk...
His head circumference is over 97% too, but not by much and his height is in the 97% at approximately 28.5 inches.

He's growing like a weed & learning new things. He is really trying to figure out how to crawl. He hasn't quite mastered it yet, but stay tuned and I'll post a video as soon as he gets it!

We have all been sick, ugh. First Scott, then me, then Drake, then ME AGAIN! Drake had ear infections & had started wheezing. We had to do breathing treatments for a few days which Drake HATED. Today at the Dr. she said his lungs sound great & it looks like we are all clearing up from our colds, infections, etc. I blame the Houston weather for most of this. It is 75 degrees one day & 35 the next morning. It is craaaazy. Having a sick baby is no fun, but we have all survived & are looking forward to getting out of cold/flu season. COME ON SPRING & SUMMER!!!

Here's a picture from this morning before the appointment.

and... on the way home (vaccines make him sleepy)

This is how Drake sleeps now....on his chest/knees with his bottom in the air. I mean, really, have you ever seen anything this cute?? My mom convinced me to snap a picture, I'm so glad I did. Thanks momma!

Laughing Drake...
This yellow blanket was Scott's when he was a little boy. Scott's mom (Babu) is so good at hanging on to great keepsakes. Drake has several things that were his dad's.

Drake's 1st Christmas

2008-12-28T17:15:00.000-06:00

Check out this video of Drake sitting up.

Breakfast on Drake's first Christmas

Getting Christmas Eve hugs from Granny!

Drake thinks Elmo is HILARIOUS!

Scott made a collage of presents....

Drake and Babu on Christmas night!