Memorial Day at the Ranch

We took our first vacation with my family for Memorial Day and headed out west to a dude ranch resort. Total Texas Move, right? We rented a house at a ranch in Bandera where they had a water park, golf, horseback riding, putt-putt and probably some other amenities I can't recall.

Connor went up a day early with my mom and stepdad so that he could go to the Memorial Day parade in Bandera. He loved it, and has toted around his red, white and blue beach ball they threw him like its a prized possession. On Saturday, we all arrived at the house, along with the crazy storms that hit Texas that day. We spend most of that day inside playing pool, sitting on the back porch and playing games.

On Sunday, we hit the water park! Connor loved the water slides and the bigger kids enjoyed either laying out or floating the lazy river. Alex (10) had the best time with Connor on the slides and swimming. She is so great with the littles! That evening, we had a round of family putt-putt which was fun. 

Parker spending some quality time with Daddy!

Leslie, Mom and Heidi bonding during the rainy day!

After the failed attempt to ride a pony. Remember how much he loved it at the rodeo? Apparently, he forgot.

My birthday cookie cake got a little squished!

We can't wait to go back next year!

Our Easter

Easter is probably my favorite holiday. I like it even more than Christmas. There, I said it. I've probably lost a few readers now. But to me, Christmas has become so rushed, commercialized and overbooked that it's just too much freaking work. For Easter, I don't have to decorate a tree, buy presents for everyone that interacts with me or my kids, and go to parties. My radio stations aren't hijacked for six weeks with holiday music, and I don't have to be politically correct when wishing folks a Happy Easter. And don't get me started about that Elf on the Shelf. Easter is simple, and on behalf of all the moms who don't live next door to Hobby Lobby -- let's keep it that way. 

Now, where was I? Oh yes, Easter. 

Connor had an egg hunt at school on Thursday. He is so methodical about egg hunting, and it cracks me up. He picks up an egg, opens it, surveys (or eats) the candy, hands me the egg and then moves on. In the time Connor hunted 4 eggs, the older kids had already collected their 12 allotted eggs and had moved on. 

Connor's class. E-tee (Ethan), Tess Mer Clr (Mary Claire) and their teacher, Ms. Chely

Pondering what he thinks about the jelly beans in the egg...

On Saturday, our neighborhood had an Easter Egg hunt that was a blast. We have 50 kids in our little neighborhood, many that are right around the ages of Connor and Parker. The dads went and hid all of the eggs at 8:30 and then at 9:00 the kids were free to hunt. The 0-3 year olds hunted eggs on the opposite side of the street than our house and this time, Connor got more in to it. We practiced picking up eggs, putting them in his basket and then opening all of them at the end. He caught on and would run to each egg and say, "Oh my egg!" So cute! After the egg hunt, there was an appearance by the Easter Bunny (one of the dads on the street was suckered in to wearing the costume). Connor wasn't sure at first, but then he finally wanted to take a picture with him and kept giving him high-fives!

That's Connor's cheese face!

After the neighborhood egg hunt, we spent the rest of our day out in Deer Park with Grammy and Paw Paw. My mom put together an over the top Easter basket for Connor. I wish I had a picture of it before Connor tore in to it. Mom puts a lot of effort in to the presentation of gifts and I love it. His basket was adorable and filled to the brim with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, books, Veggietales, and an ambulance and firetruck that both make noise (thanks, Mom!). He had a blast hunting for his eggs in their backyard and playing with his new bubble gun. Then while Parker napped, we took him to the park to play. It was fun for us to just do something with Connor and give him our undivided attention!

Hunting his eggs to put in his choo-choo basket!

He loved shooting Paw Paw with the bubble gun!

We had a blast with him at the park!

Parker was there, too! Parker Man...you'll get to run around with big brother and hunt eggs next year!

On Easter Sunday, we ended up at Urgent Care with Parker and missed church. This was heartbreaking for me, as this was my first Easter morning to not spend at church. There were tears. But, Parker was okay and that's all that matters. We had lunch with my family at Lupe Tortilla and then went to Tiki for a crawfish boil. Connor did his first crawfish races and went on a boat ride with Uncle Pete.

We had a great Easter weekend celebrating Jesus and celebrating our family. 

He is risen, indeed.

Mom Motivation

To me, this quote speaks volumes. It's hanging prominently in my craft room and is on repeat in my head daily. When I glance at it, I am reminded to make the most of these years with my babies. To listen to them; to get down on their level and look at them face to face; to play peek a boo for the 100th time; to try to figure out what the heck they are saying with their two year old vocabulary; to get up and shake it during the "Hot Dog Dance"; to celebrate even the smallest milestones with them; and most importantly, to just put aside my grown up agenda (and if I'm being honest, my iPhone) and play. That's what I want them to remember. That I was never too busy or too distracted to just be their mom. These days are numbered and I hope to make every one of them count.

So, here's to being the mom's we want them to remember!

The Boys: 3 Months and 2 Years

I think we are finally getting used to being parents of two. It's been such an adjustment going from one to two. The freedom we were used to with Connor (being more on the go, able to easily get out the door, etc.) is long gone for the moment. Don't get me wrong, we are on the go quite a bit, but it just takes longer and requires more planning with Parker in tow.

Connor is at my favorite age -- but surely I've thought this about every age he's been at! He talks in little sentences, can sing his ABC's and other songs, knows numbers and shapes and is so observant! Right now, he loves to sing Wheels on the Bus, Humpty Dumpty, Jesus Loves Me, No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Muffin Man, Thumpkin and Hey Fightin' Tigers (of course!). It's the cutest thing listening to him sing! We've also been doing "big hugs" and saying "Can I have 4 kisses...and he will give me 4 kisses" (or however many I ask for). Gah! Just when I think I can't get enough of Connor, the next day he does something else adorable and I fall more in love with him. Little people are just the cutest!

Parker is adorable, of course. All of his coo's and grins melt my heart. He loves to move his legs like crazy, smile with his adorable dimples, and chew on his hands! He sleeps through the night most of the time, which is lovely! We haven't gotten a lot of great pics of him...he's not hamming it up for the camera yet! My favorite thing is to kiss his cheeks. Connor had these meaty cheeks, and while Parker's are not small by any means, they are more dense and you can really get good kisses!

First smile to finally catch on camera! Love my Parker Man!

Those legs and that belly...can you even stand it?

First time to get the kiddie cart at Kroger - he was so excited about the flag and he was a great grocery helper!

He loves taking a bubble bath and blowing the bubbles! He says "my bow" and "mama bow" (blow)

Much to my surprise, I love being a boy mom! But I also realize we aren't to the stinky, dirty, icky stages just yet...and that's okay with me!

My 2014

My highlight of 2014 was this:

Meet Parker Henry Ford. Born on Wednesday, November 5th at 5:47 p.m. This little nugget weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces and he was 21 1/4th inches long. He came out kicking, crying and peeing!

We found out we were expecting Parker in March. This was a huge HUGE surprise to us. I feel like life just kind of happens to Jeremy and me. We don't really make a lot of big plans (besides a weekly dinner menu, if that). We go about our day to day routines and big things happen along the way -- a trip, new house, new car, babies. This is probably why we are so good together. We just take things as they come our way.

Here are some of my favorite memories from 2014:

This kid. He makes everyday fun. In the car, he loves for us to play "round and round and round and round" also known as "Wheels on the Bus." He does the motions to "Itsy, Bitsy Spider," "Happy and You Know It" (and taps his chin for "and your face will surely show it"...hilarious) and "Skinny Marinky." Never a dull moment in the car!

He was an LSU football player for Halloween (you aren't surprised). We had trunk or treat with our Sunday School class and our trunk tied for first place for the decorations. It was a fun tradition we started with our littles as they went from car to car getting candy and goodies!

Stop it. He's saying "cheese" and he's dressed like an Indian. Can't even handle this cuteness.

Connor and his baby Par-ka on Christmas Day. What a special Christmas we had in Baton Rouge with these two sweet ones.

This summer we took a trip to Hunt, TX, with friends and spent a long relaxing weekend on the Guadalupe. It was a fun vacation and we enjoyed playing outside, the Crider's rodeo and late night games! 

Love doing life with these people. This is our Sunday School class...and they have so richly blessed our lives.

Parker man at just 3 weeks old! Filling out his 3 month clothes already. I sure loved being home with him every day during maternity leave. 

LSU didn't have a remarkable season, but Connor loved tailgating and going to a game. His favorite part? The band performance at halftime! "More band" he kept saying!

Before pregnancy really kicked in (and the summer heat) I spent three mornings a week running with these girls. They were worth waking up at 5 a.m. for. We ran several 5K's and enjoyed pushing each other and staying in shape together. Hopefully I can get back in the running game again in 2015!

We moved! We have a bigger home in a darling neighborhood that is perfect for our growing family. We've really enjoyed making our new house into our home and settling in. We are enjoying the extra space and the YARD!

Connor turned 2 by doing his most favorite thing - riding the choo-choo! This year, he fell in love with choo-choo's! There's nothing sweeter than seeing your child get so excited for something! He had the best time at his birthday party riding the train at Hermann Park. He would move his arm up and down and say "choo-choo!" and say "Mama ride choo-choo; Dada ride choo-choo; I ride choo-choo!" 

This was definitely an unforgettable year! Here's to 2015!

15 months!

Little man is 15 months old. At his checkup this week, he weighed 30.5 pounds and was 33 1/2 inches long. He wears 24 months/2T clothes and he still only has 6 teeth. He's growing so quickly, and time is passing by too fast! Since I'm not updating the baby book monthly anymore (and I'm a little thankful for that, let's be honest) I need to still keep up with documenting what Connor is up to these days! His favorite thing to do is walk around, no matter where we are (parking lot, restaurant, etc.)! He is so busy! He walks and shrieks and screams happy sounds. So fun!

His favorite toys:

Balls

The Fisher Price dog that he can pull

Wooden knob puzzles (really just so he can bang the pieces together)

Toilet paper

Wooden spoons

The sprinkle shakers from Connor's own shelf in the pantry

His words:

Dada (first word)

Mama (my favorite word!)

Ball

Dog

Bye-Bye (with a wave toward himself)

Up (he usually says this while he's laying on the ground and he puts his legs up in the air!)

Nana (as in banana)

Out-ide (outside...his favorite place to be)

No (he usually says it when we are reading the Find Spot books)
All done (and he puts his arms out to the side like he's motioning "I don't know"
Hello (and pretends he's talking on the phone by putting whatever object he's holding up to his ear)

Connor is a busy little man, and he keeps us on our toes! Not many quiet moments around our house anymore. But, we wouldn't have it any other way. I'm amazed at how smart he is and how much he understands. What a blessing to watch him grow up and discover his world!

Here are a few recent pics from the past couple of months!

Sliding at the park...I think we did this 20 times that day!

Celebrating our friend Preston's birthday! Blurry picture because he was SO busy walking all over the place!

During the first Houston "snow" day we went to Wonderwild to get some energy out!

Think he has enough bath toys?

First trip to the Zoo in January. He loved the petting zoo!

What a fun age! We are having a blast!
B

Our Merry Christmas!

Whew - I need a vacation to recover from our Christmas. Or a spa day. Hubs, are you listening? Our little man is wild, let me tell you! But these are some pretty fun times, I must admit. Connor starting walking just after Thanksgiving and he hasn't slowed down. When he walks, he still kind of waddles like a penguin. He also squeals and screams and shrieks as he walks, and it's so cute. And so loud - we're going to be deaf here pretty soon! I need to get a video of this, but I swear he's camera shy. Every time I press record, he freezes up. We're going to have to work on that.

I digress. Christmas was fun and filled with lots of family and friends. We headed to North Louisiana to see my dad's side of the family, and then back home, and then off to BR to see the Fords'. Connor got more than we could have ever asked for or imagined. This is one spoiled rotten boy. The third carload of gifts are coming back to Houston from BR this weekend. And I'm not kidding.

So, here is an overload of pictures from Christmas.

A picture from his Christmas card.

Throwing his annual Christmas tantrum after the Christmas Eve service at church.  

Adams cousins in matching shirts! Beck (1), Elizabeth (1.5) and Connor.

Checking out his new chair from Santa on Christmas morning!

Look at all of his presents from Grammy and Paw Paw. Like I said - spoiled rotten. He was mildly interested in tearing the paper off of the gifts, and VERY interested in putting the paper in his mouth. 

The theme of Christmas for my family was tacky sweater!

The Ford cousins. Look at C's expression! So funny!

My favorite picture! Big boy is riding on his new Buzz Lightyear car! Thank you Nana & Pops!

Hope you all had a blessed Christmas!
Brittney

A Christmas Tradition: Texas Trash

As long as I can remember, my family has made Texas Trash for us to snack on at every Christmas gathering. It's a Gibson family tradition, and one that I want to continue with my own family. Every time I eat it, I'm taken back to Christmases spent with my grandparents and extended family sitting around a Wahoo board. I can just hear the sound of the dice being slung across the room when it didn't roll the number my mom wanted it to. But no one sat down to play Wahoo without a bowl of Texas Trash next to their 10 lucky dice!

Ingredients
1/2 cup of butter, melted
2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
2 cups chex cereal
2 cups cheerios
2 cups of pretzel sticks
1 cup of mixed nuts
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine the butter and worcestershire sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Add in the cereals, pretzels and nuts and mix well so that the sauce mixes in. Sprinkle the salt and garlic powder on top. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Connor's First Halloween

Connor dressed as a puppy dog for his first Halloween! We had a fun time celebrating with him, and he didn't seem to mind his costume too much. It was nearly impossible to draw a nose and freckles on him - of course! He doesn't stay still for much of anything these days!

The day before Halloween we joined our sweet Sunday School friends to trick-or-treat in a nearby neighborhood. Connor and Kate (his future bride) enjoyed riding around in the wagon while the bigger kids actually got to trick-or-treat! J took Connor up to one house so we can say he has officially trick-or-treated!

Connor and Kate!

So precious!

On Halloween day, he went to school wearing his cute new shirt from his Nana! He has so much fun playing at school!

He still loves clapping!

He's "talking" to me!

After school, we hurried home to get in costume! Grammy and PawPaw came over to see our cute little puppy dog. He had fun playing throw and catch with his grandparents!

So happy!

Looking at his PawPaw!

Love my boy!

This was Connor's last first holiday....sniff, sniff.
Happy Halloween to all!
Brittney