The Daxman's Blog

New Monitor

2010-02-28T15:05:00.002-06:00

We received our new video monitor that we're going to use for the boys' rooms. It has one camera for each room and I'll be able to switch back and forth to check on them both, without opening the door and disturbing them. Initially, I expect I'll use it more for Dax, since bedtime can be interesting and I'm dying to know what really goes on in that room before he falls asleep.

When the package with the monitor arrived here, Dax wanted us to open it right away. So, we did. Then, he wanted to know what it was. I explained that we'll use it to watch Baby Brother and make sure he's OK when he's sleeping. He said, "Oh." Then, "Please we put it on your belly and we see him now?" He was a little disappointed when we told him we had to wait until BB came OUT of Mommy's belly for it to work. Poor kid has seen so many ultrasounds, that he thought we could do our own at home. :)

Rings & Story Time

2010-02-24T18:27:00.004-06:00

This morning Dax asked me if he could have my wedding ring. I told him (as I have before) that this is a very special ring that Daddy gave to Mommy because he loves her. Dax replied, "I want Daddy give me ring." Then I told him that while Daddy loves him very much, boys give rings to the girls that they love and that someday, when HE grows up, he can give a ring to a girl that he loves. He melted my heart when he said, "I give YOU a ring when I grow up, cuz I love YOU!" That's my boy!

Later this morning we met Benjamin at the library for story time. I'm embarrassed to say that this is the first time I've taken him to the library. We had a great time. Dax sat front and center. They sang songs, read stories, and did an art project, all in 30 minutes. We'll definitely go back.

After the library, Benjamin and his baby sister, Bethany, came back to our house for a playdate and lunch. Once again, Dax was fascinated by Bethany. He would bring her toys and he even read her a story. He's so thoughful and I know he's going to be an awesome big brother.

Doing the art project at library with Benjamin

Reading to Baby Bethany

Snow! Real Snow!

2010-02-23T20:33:00.003-06:00

Well, we finally got REAL snow in Austin. Not just flurries...bona fide, large flakes, and over an inch of accumulation. Enough for us to make Dax's first snowman. We were all very excited. It ended up raining later in the day and melting most of snow, but the snowman hung in there.

Ready to play in the snow

Demonstrating proper snowman-building technique (you can see the snow still falling!)

Dax's first ever snowman

Who, tragically, was attacked by wild dogs who wanted to eat his apple smile and play fetch with his stick arms

Snowman Take 2 - sans the fruit face (not sure what the big stick in the head was for, but Dax was proud of it)

37 Weeks

2010-02-21T21:05:00.000-06:00

We've made it to 37 weeks in my pregnancy with Baby Brother. Dax was born at 37 weeks, 1 day, so we feel like we're definitely in the home-stretch. Here's the latest belly pic.

Going to Work

2010-01-13T15:30:00.000-06:00

Dax spent the night with Grandma while Mommy went to see The Color Purple broadway show at Bass Concert Hall (which was amazing). I picked him up this morning at Grandma's office. While he was there waiting for me, he was looking out the window at all the cars in rush-hour traffic on Mopac. He asked, "where are all those cars going, Gamma?" She told him, "to work". "Are they going to Tokyo?" Reasonable question, don't you think?

Going On A Trip

2010-01-09T19:29:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow Daddy leaves for Tokyo again. To celebrate our last day together, we enjoyed a family breakfast at Kirby Lane Cafe. Dax loves their pancakes. This afternoon we spent playing together inside. Dax has a new fireman kit that has a suitcase to store everything. At one point, Dax loaded it up, carried it one hand, with the other hand held Daddy's hand, and announced, "I go on trip with Daddy." It was so sweet.

Help and a "Fight"

2010-01-08T20:17:00.000-06:00

We decided to take our guest bedroom set to a consignment shop, since we need to get the room ready for Baby Brother. Uncle Travis came up to help Daddy load everything into the rented truck (Aunt Hollie, Payton, and Grandma came up to visit, too). They worked really hard, and then we enjoyed a nice, family dinner of crawfish ettouffe. We had brownies with whipped cream and sprinkles for dessert, which was a big hit with the kids. We are so grateful to have family that is so willing to help us out.

Dax and Payton had an interesting exchange at one point during the evening. They were playing with football gear and Payton decided to yell, "Texas Fight!" Without missing a beat, Dax yelled back, "Aggies Fight!" That's our boy!

Already Sharing with Baby Brother

2009-12-09T20:57:00.000-06:00

Tonight Dax wanted to feel BB kicking. When he couldn't feel anything, I told him that BB was sleeping. Dax said, "I go get him Keesh and Baby Brother hold her in his fingers." Such a sweet boy!

Dax's School Photo

2009-11-03T22:06:00.000-06:00

Dax's first school photo. The photographer only had to take one picture to get this. I can't believe how big he looks!

Dax's First School Program

2009-11-03T21:17:00.006-06:00

Dax's school put on a little program where the kids sang some fall-themed songs. Dax was so pleased to see us sitting in the front row with cameras blazing. We were really impressed with how much he participated. We know he loves an audience, but he IS 2, after all. He is really thriving at school.

Happy to see us sitting right up front

Dax's class: Noah, Jack, Daniel, Tyler, Dax & Lilah

Listening to Ms. Susie's instructions

"Come to the Fiesta!"

"Come to the Fiesta!"

Mommy's favorite song "Any Turkey Can Tango"

Halloween & Aggie Game

2009-10-31T21:18:00.002-05:00

For Halloween, Dax dressed up as an Aggie football player. Appropriate, as we went to the Texas A&M vs Iowa State game. Walking around campus, we lost count of how many people stopped us so they could take a picture of Dax in his Aggie costume. He really was pretty darn cute.

As usual, we got to the stadium early, but this time General Ashy made sure we got the full pre-game tour. He took us back to the Quad for Step Off, showed us some super-secret back ways to cut thru campus to watch the band march by, and then got us down on the first row of the stadium to watch the Corps march in. Dax was in heaven!

Aunt Kay, Chance, and Chance's friend, Mark were also able to come to the game. What a fun day!

Sadly, Dax skipped his nap and fell asleep in the car on the way home. He almost made it, but the last 15 minutes were too much and he crashed. Hard. We could not wake him up. So, trick-or-treating will have to wait till next year.

General Ashy introduced Dax to this Corpsman as, "Future Corps Member, Dax"

Just before Step Off

Saluting as the Corps marches by

On first row to check out the Corps as they march in

Doing the "Farmers Fight" yell

Sawin' Varsity's horns off with Chance, Mark & Aunt Kay

Fun time with Chance and Aunt Kay

Dax's half-time performance

It's a BOY!

2009-10-26T20:53:00.000-05:00

We had our 20 week ultrasound and discovered that we're having another boy! We were a little surprised, as the tech at the 12 week ultrasound said she thought the baby looked "a little girl-y". We knew it was too early then to really tell, but since I was feeling more tired than I had with Dax, we tended to believe her. (Also, the Chinese pregnancy calendar said this baby would be a girl--not that we believed it, but it had been right with Dax--hey, 50-50 shot, right?) The tech's "girl-y" comment, I'm sure, will be used again this poor baby many times during his life, but he is most definitely a "he".

It's a BOY!

Cute, little baby feet

Side view of legs (and feet and Dupa)

Profile

20 week belly pic

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-24T20:49:00.000-05:00

The neighbor kids were selling pumpkins to raise money for a school trip, so Dax picked one out and we carved it up. He was really into this project. He loved digging all the seeds out. He even helped season and roast the seeds. I carved the face while he napped, but he didn't seem to mind.

Carving his first pumpkin

It feels funny

Making sure he gets it all

He loves his pumpkin!

Seben!

2009-10-22T20:19:00.000-05:00

While Duane is in Tokyo, I've decided to get control of Dax's wake-up time. We have a new rule: he has to stay in bed until the clock says "7". The first day he woke up at his usual 5:45am; I went in, explained about the "7", and left. He cried for 40 minutes, but fell back asleep until 7:15. I showed him the "7" and told him how proud I was of him. The next day he woke up a little later and cried a little less and again fell back asleep until after 7:15. Same thing the following day: woke up later, cried less, slept until after 7:00. Eventually, he started staying asleep all the way through. It's been great. Now, when he wakes up, he looks at the clock, and yells out, "Mommy! Seben on my clock!" He has tried a couple times to claim that 6:47 means he can get up, so we're working on the difference between "first" and "last". But I have to give him credit for trying. ;)

Future Aggie

2009-10-19T20:37:00.000-05:00

Looks like we have another "future Aggie"! Here is Baby flashing a "Gig 'em!" We were really happy that the OB took this pic for us, as he is a Longhorn.

Pumpkin Patch at Sweetberry Farms

2009-10-19T20:07:00.002-05:00

We met up with Aunt Hollie and Payton and drove out to Sweetberry Farms in Marble Falls. We like to visit them in the Spring to pick strawberries, but this time of year they turn it in to a pumpkin patch. We let the kids explore and run around, then we enjoyed a picnic lunch and petting the goats. Next year we'll go a little earlier in the season, as the pumpkins were, shall we say, "ripe" and the flies were pretty gross. But, not enough to dampen our spirits.

This baby goat liked Dax

"Come on, Payton! Let's go check out those pumpkins!"

I got some!

He and Payton amassed quite a collection

Surveying their work

St. Elias Mediterranean Fest

2009-10-17T19:53:00.000-05:00

Every year St. Elias Eastern Orthodox Church puts on a Mediterranean Festival. It's the best place to get authentic Greek food. The weather was perfect and we had a lot of fun soaking up the festival atmosphere.

At the fest with Grandma

He tried (and loved!) all the food

Some of the yumminess

By the end, he was tired, but he could have watched the dancing all night

Snoozing

2009-10-15T19:46:00.000-05:00

This is how/where Dax took his nap today. Comfy, no?

18 Week Belly Pic

2009-10-11T19:44:00.001-05:00

Texas A&M vs Oklahoma State Football Game

2009-10-10T19:29:00.002-05:00

Watching the Corps march in before the game--one of Dax's favorite things to do

Reveille stopped right by us and Dax got to pet her

Good, old-fashioned, family fun

My boys!

"Whoop!" with General Ashy

Dax became fast friends with the girls a couple rows down

"Enchanted" Dancing

2009-10-06T19:21:00.000-05:00

Dax loves the movie, "Enchanted;" he calls it the "pretty princess dvd." Here is his version of one of his favorite dance numbers in the movie.

Trikes in the Park with Payton

2009-10-05T19:13:00.000-05:00

We met Aunt Hollie and Payton at Butler Park downtown so the kids could ride their trikes. They had a great time chasing each other around. Thanks, Aunt Hollie for the pics.

On Payton's trike

Ready to go!

Showing Payton his firetruck "tatoo" from Benjamin's party yesterday

Date Weekend

2009-10-04T22:12:00.003-05:00

The Aggies are starting a new series against Arkansas and they're playing the games at Cowboys' Stadium. Dax stayed with Grandma while we headed up to Dallas. Our dear friend, Kateri, was in Austin for ACL Music Fest, so she let us stay at her place near the SMU campus. We had such a nice date weekend--it really is great to spend uninterrupted, quality time with the person you love. We enjoyed eating at all the nearby restaurants: especially the upscale French bistro that reminded us of our honeymoon. We also liked walking thru the neighborhood to a cafe for breakfast. The stadium was amazing. The 65 yard-long jumbotron really was as impressive as everyone made it out to be. The Aggies had some good plays, but alas, ran out of time. It will be a good series, though, and Duane and I are looking forward to the yearly trips to Dallas.

At Cowboys' Stadium

The infamous Jumbotron

Dax and Grandma got to go to Benjamin's birthday party. There was a real firetruck at the party! Dax loved it! Until it was time to get OUT of the truck and get together for the group picture. Then, he got a little upset. But, the tears were short-lived and the good times continued.

NOT happy about having to get OUT of the firetruck for this picture

Dax and Benjamin working (conspiring?) together

Ear Infection

2009-09-28T22:05:00.002-05:00

Dax hardly slept at all Saturday night and was running a fever. We kept him medicated with Tylenol/Motrin and took him to Dr. Petropoulos first thing this morning. Double ear infection with a ruptured right ear drum. Poor little guy! He just never slows down to tell us anything is wrong, until it is major! Since he had an allergic reaction (rash) to the amoxicillan for his last ear infection, we're trying Omnicef this time. Seems to be working.

At the Dr's office, wearing a mask, until they could confirm it wasn't swine flu--I was impressed he kept it (mostly) on

Proud, or not

2009-09-27T21:40:00.002-05:00

We're spending the weekend with the Grays. Friday night we got to watch Chance's football game (he's a starter, and only a sophomore!). We even got to join the "Spirit Line" on the field to welcome the team. It sure brought back some memories! We're so proud of Chance--he's a great player with a great attitude.

When we're at Annette's, Dax usually sleeps in the upstairs game room, in a pop-up tent that he loves. Last night, Duane put Dax to bed. Dax did great, very cooperative for the whole process (he's been giving me trouble with this the past couple weeks while Duane was in Tokyo). Naturally, Duane took it as a sign of his superb parenting skills and self-admittedly was feeling pretty proud. After not hearing anything from Dax for 30 minutes after tucking him in (and assuming Dax was sound asleep), Duane decided to go back upstairs to our room to put something away. As he quietly walked passed the game room, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye thru the French doors. He turned to look and saw a completely nekkid Dax run across the room. When Duane called out to Dax, the boy obliged by coming right back to the door...and pressing his entire nekkid body up against said glass door, spread-eagle fashion. How Duane kept from laughing out loud I'll never know. But, he wasn't quite as proud as he had been before.

Another DeRouen

2009-09-21T21:44:00.005-05:00

Dax is going to be a big brother!

First "belly pic" at 12 weeks

Shucking Corn

2009-09-15T22:52:00.000-05:00

Dax helping shuck ears of corn we got at the farmer's market. I love how he's such a helper and that he's interested in cooking.

Fashion Statement

2009-09-14T21:26:00.000-05:00

Guess who dressed himself this morning? How can you go wrong with 2 plaids and black socks? Retirement home in Florida, here he comes!

Nickname

2009-09-10T21:21:00.000-05:00

Dax has already earned a nickname from the teachers at his school: Dance Machine. Apparently, while all the other kids in the school were sitting during sing-along time, Dax was up shakin' what his Momma gave him. That's my boy!

First Aggie Game of the Season

2009-09-05T12:05:00.001-05:00

Can you tell we're excited?

Are you ready for some football?

2009-09-03T20:51:00.000-05:00

Dax "suited up" for the first college football game of the season. I guess he's a fan of the University of The Village People.

Dax's First Day of Pre-School

2009-09-03T15:47:00.007-05:00

Today was a big day for Dax -- it was his first day of pre-school. He's been looking forward to it for a while now. He should, it's a pretty cool school: it is on several acres covered with huge oaks; has a giant playground; has a "farm" with horses, donkeys, goats, peacocks, and such; and is right along Bull Creek, so the older kids can go hunt for frogs. I mean, really - pretty cool kid stuff. I was a little concerned about the first day because every time we mentioned "school", he would say, "ride school bus". But, luckily he was fine riding to school in Mommy's car.

We got him all decked out with new clothes, a new backpack, and a new lunchbox. He took a peach to give to his teacher, because I was out of apples. When we got to the school, he wasn't overwhelmed at all, and there was a lot of activity going on. We walked back to his classroom and discovered that his teacher, Ms Susie, had a family emergency and that Ms Jeanette was his substitute for the day. (Side note: Jeanette was Duane's mom's name, so we took it as a little sign from above that she was with us today.) Dax went right up to her and introduced himself with, "Hi, my name is Dax." (We did tell him to do that part.) She was very sweet and took to Dax right away. After we got his backpack hung up and his lunchbox in his cubby, Ms Jeanette asked if he wanted to play with blocks, color, or play with play-dough. Without hesitation, he said, "play-dough" and sat right down at the table and proceeded to announce that he was going to make a snake. Great. Duane and I talked with the teacher about procedures, etc while Dax played. There was another little boy there, Tyler, and when we told Dax what to do, he went over to him and said, "Hi, Tyler. My name is Dax." He seemed pretty comfortable with everything. We told him we were leaving and he said, "OK, bye." We gave hugs and went to the front office to take care of the paperwork side of all this.

It wasn't until Duane and I were walking to the car that I started to choke up. I made it out of the parking lot and up the street, but then I just couldn't hold back the tears. Duane asked if I was crying because I was happy or sad and I had to say, "I don't know." But after sitting outside at the coffee shop, sipping a chai, reading, and then eating a relaxing lunch, I felt much better. I even managed to get a quick pedicure in, and then I REALLY felt better. :)

For pick-up, the school has you drive thru the circular driveway and they load the kids in the car for you. When I pulled up, Dax, another boy, and Ms Jeanette were sitting together on one of the outside benches waiting. Before he saw me, I saw him telling Ms Jeanette something and she started cracking up. What a special feeling to see my child make other people happy. When they saw me, they came over to the car. I asked how it went and Ms Jeanette said, "He did great! He is SUCH a good boy! And a very good helper, too." I was so proud of him!!! She also said that he ate almost all his lunch, followed by, "That was a lot of food for such a skinny boy!" I had to laugh.

Once we were in the car, the interrogation began:

Did you have fun at school today?

-yeah!

What did you do?

-eat snack (you can see what his priorities are! Like father, like son!)

OK, good. What else did you do?

[silence]

Did you read stories?

-yes

What else did you do?

[silence]

Did you go outside?

-no

Oh? Did you go on the playground?

-yes (not sure why he doesn't think the playground is "outside")

What did you do on the playground?

[silence]

Did you swing?

-yes

Ms Jeanette is nice, isn't she?

-yes

...and so it went.... Not a lot of freely-given information.

I thought he would go straight to sleep for his nap, but it actually took him an hour to fall asleep. I guess he was still fired up from all the new-ness. When he woke up, Duane was already home. Duane was much better about getting info from him. Dax volunteered that he played blocks, and that while they were on the playground they played a game called "see firetruck". Apparently, when you see a firetruck you're supposed to yell, "See Firetruck!" Sounds like a fun game.

It was a most successful day by all accounts!

All ready for the big day!

Mommy's big boy

Proud Pappa

Walking up to the school

Giving the peach to Ms Jeanette

He jumped right in with both feet!

Hugs "bye-bye" for Mommy

Hugs from Ms Jeanette at the end of the day

Maine

2009-08-16T20:40:00.001-05:00

While Duane is in Tokyo, Dax and Mommy decided to get out of the Texas heat and visit the Rioses in Maine. We had such a good time! Dax did really well on the plane rides (he kicked the back of the seat on the first flight, but we were able to finagle bulkheads for the other flights). Ron and Mikaela had to go to DC for a job interview, so I had all 3 kids for a couple of the days. I'm proud to say everyone survived. :) The Rioses were great tour guides and really showed us the best of Maine. But, the best part was just spending time with them. We love them like family and we're so blessed to be able to spend such quality time with them.

A warm welcome from the "cousins"

Flying kites with Katie

Hiding in wait to scare the pizza guy

Dax thought Nate was so funny!

Katie being sweet to Dax at the Children's Museum

Katie wasn't too sure about Dax's driving skills

Picking blueberries (Quality Assurance check)

Baking a blueberry pie

First time to the beach (the water was C-O-L-D!)

Roasting marshmallows for smores

Pals

Mommy also enjoyed the lobster rolls

New Job

2009-08-04T19:48:00.001-05:00

Daddy has started a new job. He is now an official employee of Dell and he's running a big project for the Business Automation group. The project is based in Japan, so he'll be traveling to Tokyo fairly frequetly. Luckily, we have webcams and we can skype each other every day. It will be a transition for all of us, but we're very excited for the opportunities this job brings.

Trips for Dax and Mommy

2009-08-03T19:55:00.000-05:00

Mommy helped plan a surprise baby shower for her long-time friend, Beth. Beth lives in North Carolina. So, Mommy took Dax to stay with Aunt Kay for a few days, while she and Amy flew to NC for the big surprise. It's not usually a good idea to completely surprise a pregnant gal, but we did it anyway; Beth's such a trooper. We had the best time catching up with Beth and her family and we can barely contain our excitement over her upcoming addition.

Dax did great at Aunt Kay's all by himself. This was the first time he'd spent multiple days away from Mommy and Daddy. We're so proud that he's so adaptable (and SO thankful that we have family that's willing to step in).

The 3 friends reunited (sitting in the cockpit of one of the Ospreys that Mark flies)

Beth and Karen at the beach (we were trying to keep Beth away from the house where her sisters-in law were decorating for the surprise shower)

Beth at the shower. We enjoyed decorating baby clothes for her baby and also guessing children's books.

The beach

Amy and Karen enjoying the beach to celebrate our successful shower

Saying "good-bye" to the Newmans

Lake with Aunt Kay and Chance

2009-07-26T21:21:00.002-05:00

Aunt Kay and Chance came for a quick visit, so we took them out on the boat. With all the boat ramps closed due to the low water, we pretty much had the lake to ourselves (plus we were there pretty early in the morning). Chance and Duane had fun wakeboarding. Dax had a fun time playing "copy cat" with Chance. Here are a few pics that Annette took:

Getting ready for the fun

Chance and Dax

Chance

That kid is really fun to watch!

Duane had fun, too

Ethan's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-07-26T20:57:00.002-05:00

Dax's friend, Ethan, celebrated his 2nd birthday today. (His birthday was actually a week ago, but he was sick, so the party was postponed.) The party was at Gymboree. Everyone had a fun time, and they actually had a place to burn off all the extra energy from the cupcakes!

Hugs for the birthday boy

With buddy, Benjamin

Jumping fun

Momentary sadness when he and Ethan bonked heads

We're working hard to earn those cupcakes!

Aquarena Springs with Katie and Baba

2009-07-22T22:11:00.003-05:00

Katie is visiting her grandma (Baba) in San Antonio, so we decided to meet them in San Marcos at Aquarena Springs. Back when I was a kid, they had a show with Ralph the Swimming Pig and an underwater ballet with "mermaids". It's since been taken over by Texas State University and is focused on conservation education. It's just as beautiful and you can still take the glass-bottom boat tours. Dax really enjoyed seeing the fish and the turtles. He was even able to see the "bubbles" from the underwater springs. The best part, though, was seeing Katie and Baba. he loves them so much. He was hanging on Katie, and taking her hat off and putting it on, and following her around like a shadow, and through it all, she was so patient with him. We're going to see her in Maine in a few more weeks, so this was a great preview of the fun we're going to have.

With Katie and Baba on the glass-bottom boat at Aquarena Springs

Checking out the aquariums

Burning off energy

Eating Mexican food with Katie

Dax loves Katie and Baba!

No Crying

2009-07-16T19:30:00.001-05:00

Dax set a record today: no crying for 36 hours! This included waking up, getting dressed, getting in the car seat, and the real kicker: brushing teeth and going to bed twice! He even slept in until 7:00am this morning (sure beats the usual 5:15!). Not sure what I did to deserve this, and I know that one day these won't be major news, but for now, I'm enjoying it!

Teddy Bear Picnic

2009-07-15T19:32:00.003-05:00

The Austin Symphony hosts Art in the Park on Wednesdays during the summer. We'd never been, but wanted to check it out, so we met our friends, Elisabeth and Mrs Kirsch there. Today the theme was Teddy Bear Picnic. There were stories and songs and the musicians showed off their instruments. A very fun morning!

Dax and his teddy bear, Tansy

Learning about a French horn from one of the symphony players

Dax shared his bear with Elisabeth

A fun morning with Elisabeth and Mrs Kirsch

Dane Visit

2009-07-12T21:08:00.001-05:00

Dane came for a visit for a few days. We loved having him and we're excited that he'll soon be going to school in San Antonio. Maybe we'll be able to have him visit more often, since he'll be so close.

Dane wakeboarding

Dax thought he'd try wakeboarding, too

Good times on Lake Travis

Dax is really getting brave with the swimming - he pushes away from us so he can swim "myself!"

He swam so far that Momma had to go get him

Chef Hat

2009-07-10T09:02:00.001-05:00

Dax thought the tortilla warmer made a good chef hat.

2-Year Check Up and Tomatoes

2009-07-08T20:46:00.003-05:00

Dax went for his 2-yr well check with Dr. Petropoulos. She said he looked "great!" She was also pleased with his speech. She reminded us that at 18 months, he only spoke 10 words. Wow! Now, it's too many to count! He was great about doing whatever she asked: lay down, open your mouth, whatever. He definitely listened well--if only he did that with us all the time! :) He wasn't a fan of the shots, but he, as usual, recovered quickly and took a great nap afterwards.

Here are his stats:
Height: 34.5 in (50th %) [this was the first time to measure him standing up]
Weight: 23.75 lb (6th %) [an improvement from 1st %!!]
Head Circumference: 48.4 cm
BMI: 14.8 (6th %)

After the doctor appointment, we stopped at the farm stand up the street from us. Today Dax picked out some tiny orange tomatoes. So, for snack he got to try them. He dipped some in ranch, but some he just popped like candy. I'm so glad he enjoys healthy food!

Dipping is serious business

Tomatoes are yummy!

Happy

2009-07-06T18:57:00.000-05:00

Today at dinner, completely out of the blue, Dax said, "I'm happy." It was so sweet. And it made mommy so happy that she almost cried.

Happy Birthday, America!

2009-07-04T20:00:00.002-05:00

For the 4th, we joined the neighborhood parade. At the end of the parade, there was a fire truck for the kiddos to climb on. Dax waited his turn pretty patiently, and he was pretty fired up about it. After the parade, we had Ethan and his parents, plus Grandma, over for some bbq chicken sandwiches (made in the crockpot, so no one had to get any hotter by cooking), and blueberry pie for dessert. An All-American Day!

Ready for the parade!

Waving to the Sherriff who kicked off the parade

Bringing up the rear (even the blue-hairs are ahead of us!)

Checking out the fire truck

I'm TWO!

Mobile Loaves & Fishes - Part II

2009-07-01T16:09:00.000-05:00

This was our second week to do the Mobile Loaves and Fishes volunteering. We had a smaller work-force, but we still finished in record time, thanks to our little helpers.

The "experienced" crew: Cindy, Jennifer, Karen & Elise (with Elisabeth & Dax, of course)

Elisabeth and Dax set up an assembly line for packing the applesauce containers. They were a good team.

First Time to "Cook"

2009-06-30T15:14:00.003-05:00

With all the blueberries and blackberries Mommy brought back from her trip, we had to start cooking. This was Dax's first time to help "cook". He loved it. Now, he wants to cook all the time. Maybe because he thinks everything he cooks will turn out like the blueberry cream cheese coffee cake. It was pretty darn amazing. We also made a blueberry freezer pie, a blueberry pie, and a blackberry pie. It's a happy, blueberry world! :)

Stirring in the sugar and flour

Whoa! That is cool!
\

Using a sifter for a first baking experience? Pretty impressive.

Blueberry cream cheese coffee cake

Dax enjoying the coffeecake and eggs from the farm

Blueberry freezer pie

The blueberry and blackberry pies were De-Lish!

Mommy's Girls' Weekend

2009-06-28T20:45:00.002-05:00

Mommy's friend, Kateri, planned a girls' weekend at a farm up close to Texarkana. We picked blueberries and blackberries, we relaxed, we talked (shocker!), and we ate (a lot). It was a wonderful break for Mommy and some fun bonding time for Dax and Daddy.

Our cabin on the lake at Greer Farm

Mrs. Greer's warm, homemade bread, waiting for us at check-in

Kateri, Jaelyn, Karen, & Robin enjoying the blueberries

In total, left with 6 pounds of blueberries. Yumm!

Actually relaxing and reading

Robin's homemade focaccia with homegrown tomatoes and basil

Eggs straight from the chickens

Does it get any better?

A perfect morning (view from my cabin)

When it's 97 degrees at 10:00am...

2009-06-25T14:32:00.000-05:00

...only a snow cone can save the day

Mobile Loaves & Fishes

2009-06-24T14:31:00.000-05:00

My Mom's group from church volunteered to help out at the Mobile Loaves & Fishes ministry. Normally, they deliver meals to the homeless around Austin. But during the summer they also deliver sack lunches to kids that normally get free lunch at school. We moms felt that feeding hungry kids was something we could get behind, so we pitched in. Most of us made the lunches and loaded up the truck, while a couple others corralled all the kiddos. Dax enjoys any project, and this was no exception. We're hoping that by doing projects like this, he'll learn the value of helping those less fortunate.

Dax helping load milk and juice cartons

Loading up the truck

Some of the moms: Cindy, Jennifer, Julie, Karen

The whole crew

Myself!

2009-06-24T14:22:00.000-05:00

Dax is very much into doing things "myself". A common expression is, "No! Dax do it!" We love his growing independence. It was just budgeting the right amount of time for projects that took some adjustment. Here's one of his latest "successes". Pretty good for a first time.

First time to put shoes on "myself". They don't feel the same as when Momma does it, but "I did it!"

Beating the Heat

2009-06-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

Trying to beat the heat with some juicy watermelon and as few clothes as possible. It's almost working.

Dax's 2nd Birthday Party with Friends

2009-06-22T20:27:00.002-05:00

Dax's actual birthday is today, Monday, which is our usual "playdate" day. So, to keep things simple, we hosted playdate and provided cupcakes. We played with bubbles and ran in the sprinkler. We were very excited to have such good friends join us for Dax's day.

He got this candle on the first try

Payton and Hollie enjoying a cupcake

Even Avery joined us!

Benjamin with his Grandma (Mommy was at the hospital getting ready to deliver his baby sister)

Kaylee is a water baby!

Miles and Payton checking out the sprinkler

Ethan is more of a golf man

Payton getting in to the bubbles!

Payton, Miles, & Ethan

Dax liked this skeleton at the doctor's office. He's sharing his cracker with it.

Big Boy Bed - Part 2

2009-06-21T21:24:00.000-05:00

So bedtime tonight took over 2 hours before Dax fell asleep. He again pulled his many stunts to show us that he can indeed get out of his big boy bed. My absolute favorite was when he came out in to the hall, made loud fake snoring sounds, then ran back to his room. It was so hard not to laugh! I'm sure he was convinced that we "bought it" and thought that he really was asleep. What a funny kid.

Duane's favorite moment was actually pretty sweet: Duane was rocking Dax in the chair, and a very sleepy 2-year old, looked up and said, "sorry, Dadda". I guess he knew he was supposed to stay in bed, but he just couldn't control himself, and he was sorry.

Maybe there's hope the next few nights will get better. Luckily, Duane and I are keeping our patience, and our senses of humor. For now. ;)

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T19:08:00.005-05:00

To celebrate Father's Day, we all went to breakfast at the 1886 Cafe (the cafe at the Driskill Hotel). Duane and Karen stayed at the Driskill after the wedding and had breakfast at the cafe the next morning. So, it's a special place for us. And the food is amazing! Today,Dax was very well behaved and helped make Dadda feel extra special by sharing his fruit with him.

We then walked around the Capitol building. It was Dax's first time. He enjoyed running in circles in the rotunda. And he would wave at the security guard every time he ran by. Luckily, the officer thought it was amuzing.

At church, Dax colored a necktie for Dadda. The rest of the day, we relaxed as a family. Duane is such a caring and loving husband and father; we are truely blessed to have him in our lives.

It's tradition to lay on the floor of the Capitol rotunda and look up

Ready..Set..Run around in circles!

Dax and Momma

Kisses for World's Greatest Dadda

First Night with Big Boy Bed

2009-06-20T21:19:00.000-05:00

After Dax's birthday party, we hoped that he was so tired that he'd go "right to sleep" in his new big boy bed. Boy were we wrong. He was so fired up about it. Here's the play-by-play:
7:15pm - finish stories and prayers, explain that big boys stay in bed, kisses night night, close door
1- Dax climbs out of bed over the end (where he used to climb out of the crib), racks himself. Dry tears. "Stay in bed."
2- Dax gets up, opens, then closes door, runs back to bed. We explain he needs to "stay in bed"
3- Dax climbs out of bed over the end again, this time falls down between wall and bed. Dry tears. "stay in bed"
4- Dax claims he needs to go potty. Take him to potty. He actually does have a wet diaper. Put on dry diaper. "Stay in bed."
5- Dax claims he needs to go poop. Tell him "too bad. stay in bed."
6- Dax again claims he needs to go poop. When I go in, he asks for yellow blanket to cover him (and the lamb and the baby)
7- Hear noises, Dax is on floor and has emptied 1/2 of a large bottle of hand sanitizer all over the floor, his lamb, his baby, his blanket, and himself
***note: by this time we aren't talking to him***
8- Dax yells for yellow blanket to be rearranged. Wants to hold momma's hand
9- Hear noises, Dax has pulled every single wipe out of the wipes container and spread all over the floor.
10- More calls for yellow blanket arranging
11- Now he wants the white blanket; had pulled one of the wipes out the trash and is using it as a blanket for the lamb
12- Dax comes out, stands in hall with "sheepish" smirk (mom almost loses it), he runs back in, yelling for the blue blanket. tell him thru the door to "stay in bed"
***quiet for 5 minutes, check and he's awake, reading a book in bed
13- comes out again, wants momma to read the book. no.
14- hear noises, thru the door say "lie down and stay in bed."
***quiet for 5 minutes, check and he's in bed awake, cuddling with the lamb
8:40pm - an hour and a half later, he's alseep. mom and dad are exhausted.

Textbook, right? :)

Family Birthday Party

2009-06-20T19:30:00.003-05:00

Dax's birthday is on Monday, and Father's Day is on Sunday, so we decided to celebrate Dax's birthday with the family on Saturday. We had Aunt Kay and Jenna come in from Houston (the boys are at camp), plus all the Rouses: Grandma, Uncle Travis, Aunt Hollie, Payton, and Uncle Craig. We relaxed, opened some presents, ate some bbq, and generally enjoyed each others' company.

The cake had a train on it, because he gets pretty fired up about trains. BTW - my little soap box here - but, WHY is it SO HARD to find a regular, old train that is NOT a "Thomas" train? Does everything have to be licenced? Sheesh! Anyway, the cake had a regular train on it (from the same bakery that did the Brown Bear cake for us last year). It took Dax a few tries, but he eventually blew out the candle.

He's been practicing holding up two fingers and he's really good at it now.

We are truly blessed to have such a special, loving, fun, (I could go on and on) son. And we are so happy to have extended family that loves him as much as we do.

Making monkey faces with Jenna

New Trike!

Singing "Happy Birthday"

He worked really hard to blow out that candle, but he did it!

I'm TWO!

Big Boy Bed

2009-06-20T14:54:00.004-05:00

Well, I couldn't find any crib tents (Babies R Us doesn't sell them anymore), so we decided to bite the bullet and convert Dax's crib into a "toddler bed". We know this won't help with the "getting out" of bed part, but, hopefully it'll help with the injury potential, and maybe we'll be able to convince him that big boys stay in big boy beds. I can dream, right?

The first time Dax slept in the big boy bed, he didn't even know it, because he fell asleep in the car before his nap. So, we moved him in and he slept great. When he woke up, he was a little surprised, but he really liked the bed. He's been talking about "Momma Dadda Bed" for a while, and he loves to get in to our bed. So, we figured he'd like it. The real test will be tonight.

First time in his "big boy bed"

Checking out the new bed

Things That Go "Bump" In The Night

2009-06-19T21:05:00.002-05:00

Dax has a new trick. He's climbing out of his crib. A LOT. He used to be pretty good about laying down and going to sleep once we put him in his crib. Lately, though, he's been climbing out and then running out into the hallway shrieking with laughter. So, we put him back in, explain that it's time to go "night night" and to stay in bed, etc, and that works OK (not great, but OK).

The other night I heard him making noise in his room about 30 minutes after I put him to bed, so I went to check on him. As I was walking down the hallway, I saw 5 little fingers sticking out from under the bedroom door. I flipped on the hall light and he froze. About 10 seconds later they s.l.o.w.l.y. disappeared behind the door again. It was all I could do not to laugh.

He's pretty adept at getting out (he's quiet about it, too), but he has fallen a couple times. A few nights ago he fell out and when we ran to his room, we threw open the door and accidentally smacked him with the door. Talk about insult to injury!

Last night though, we woke up at 4:30am to the sound of a door being shut. We opened our bedroom door to find the dog sitting there, which was a little confusing, especially thru the sleep-fog, but a second later, around the corner comes Dax saying, "Hi, Dadda!" Apparently, Dax had decided it was not only time to get up, but also to let Badger out the bathroom (where she sleeps). Grrr. We did manage to get him back in bed, but we decided we're going to have to take some drastic steps to get this under control.

Chance and Aunt Kay Visit

2009-06-14T20:49:00.000-05:00

Chance is attending a basketball camp at UT, so we went to watch him play some games. He got to stay in the Jester dorm, but Aunt Kay stayed with us. She even joined us for an outing to play on the cows at the Arboretum. A fun weekend, for sure.

Does my smile look "natural"?

Ready to roll

Look! I can ride a cow with no hands!

Is the heat starting to wear him out?

What? Did you say "ice cream"? I'm full of energy again!

At the Lake with Grandma

2009-06-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

Uncle Travis, Aunt Hollie, and Payton joined us on the boat for a morning of fun. We always have fun with them, but this time was even more fun because, for the first time ever, Grandma came too! Uncle Travis and Daddy did some wakeboarding, while the kids and ladies enjoyed the ride. When it got hot, we just jumped in the water to cool off. Dax is completely fearless and will jump off the back of the boat whether you're ready to catch him or not. Unfortunately, the adults learned the hard way that "waterproof" sunscreen, isn't really waterproof. :( Luckily, the kids didn't get burned, though. Grandma said she enjoyed being on the boat with us and that she actually hopes we invite her again. A definite success of a trip!

Ready to ride: Grandma, Dax, and Payton

Dax and Daddy having some laughs in the water

Fun with noodles

Payton got her first driving lesson

Ava's Birthday

2009-06-10T23:45:00.000-05:00

Our dear friends, the Hilliards, were in San Antonio visiting family, and we crashed Ava's 2nd birthday party. Since Dax and Ava are so close in age, it's been fun watching them grow up together. They get along great; in fact, Dax gave Ava her first kiss when they were only 6 months old (she cried). But, these days she'll hug and kiss him back. Spending the day with friends (who treat us like family) was such wonderful food for our souls. We hope they get back to SA again soon.

Dax hugging on Ava

I love the way they're looking at each other

Lots of fun running in the sprinkler

Ava's grandpa (affectionately known as Dzedo) taught Dax how to play the harmonica

Ferrell's Baby Shower and Visit with Aunt Kay

2009-06-08T00:41:00.000-05:00

Duane's friend, Russell, and his wife, are expecting a baby, so we went to their baby shower in Humble (outside Houston). The Ferrells' are some of our favorite people in the whole world and we had a wonderful time helping them celebrate. Dax made his entrance with the ladies, but then hung out with the men for the rest of the afternoon. Apparently they ate, talked, watched some baseball, and threw the ball for Dax. We ladies just ate and talked. Oh, and opened presents. We always leave the Ferrells feeling happy and loved. What a wonderful family - we can't wait to meet the new addition!

Because we were in Houston, we stayed with Annette. We brought our dogs along, so they could play with Shiloh (Badger's daughter) and Gracie. Jenna stopped by with her dog, Lou, so we had 5 labs in the pool with us! It was a little out-of-control, but Dax thought it was great. Especially since he had Chance playing waterbasketball with him nonstop. Everyone was worn-out (and happy) by the end of the weekend.

With the crazy dogs in the pool

Basketball with Chance

That boy loves the water! (Check out the bandage on his cut thumb)

Some train time

Boat Day

2009-06-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, Daddy gets to leave work early on Fridays. So, this week, we took advantage and hit the lake. Dax practiced floating and kicking in the water. He loved it!

The feeling of floating made him laugh

Practicing his kicking

Making an "Impact" at Central Market

2009-06-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

Today we met Avery and her mommy at the playground by Central Market. We had a great time playing on the playscape. The kiddos even got balloons from the store and got them stuck in the same tree. Good times. Luckily, no tears on that one. However, we had plenty of tears a bit later, inside the store. I went in to buy some lunch; Dax followed me to the deli case and then started to follow me up to the register. I was about 10 yards away when I noticed that he'd gotten distracted, stopped, and had picked up a glass bottle of soda. Before I could open my mouth, I watched the bottle slide from his hands onto the floor. It made a "thunk" sound, but only cracked. Then a second later, after the carbonation got to be too much, the whole bottle, literally, exploded. Glass went flying everywhere, a couple people screamed, I booked it over to him, and he just stood there in shock, not knowing if he was hurt or scared or in trouble. I didn't see any cuts near his face, so I thought we were going to be OK, but then Dax looked at me with a bit of panic in his eyes and I noticed the blood on his hands. I scooped him up and ran to the bathroom, which was thankfully very close. After a close inspection, it was just one cut on his left thumb. But it bled A LOT. After 10 minutes, if I let off the pressure, it would still bleed full-force. So, we called the pediatrician (she's on speed dial). She said keep up the pressure for 10 more minutes to see if it improved. And, sure enough, it did. We were able to stop the bleeding, put on a band-aid, and go eat. We were so happy to have Avery and her mommy there to help us thru it all! Another day in the life of a toddler.

Eating lunch with Avery, just 30 minutes after cutting his thumb

Popsicle

2009-06-01T23:04:00.000-05:00

Here's Dax enjoying his popsicle on a warm, summer day.

Yumm!

Ahh, the simple pleasure of popsicle juice running down your chin

Dane Graduates!

2009-06-01T00:48:00.000-05:00

Our nephew, Dane, graduated from high school today. We're so proud of him. It's been a pleasure watching him grow and mature. We're very excited that he'll be going to college in San Antonio, only an hour or so away. Hopefully, he'll be able to take some time from his studies to visit us.

The man of the hour

Receiving his diploma

The proud graduate and family

Afterwards, Dax helped Dane celebrate by playing in the pool

Mommy's Birthday

2009-05-31T00:38:00.000-05:00

Mommy got to spend her birthday on a retreat with some moms from church. We had day passes to The Crossings Spa and Retreat Center. We got to go on an early morning hike, take a yoga class, spend a couple hours talking and learning with a Sister, enjoy a yummy lunch, take a Latin-inspired dance class, hang out at the lovely pool, and enjoy the company of Godly women. It was a wonderful, relaxing way to spend the day!

After the retreat, the family drove to Tomball to help Dane celebrate HIS birthday and his graduation from high school.

The peaceful Crossings

Happy Birthday to us!

The Birthday Girl and Boy (yes, I still consider myself a "girl")

Tomorrow is the big day!

Reading

2009-05-29T12:30:00.000-05:00

Dax loves to "eed" (read). He frequently pulls this book off the shelf. It's a full-on novel, but we think he likes the picture on the cover.

He's a fast reader

He especially likes this book of Daddy's

Lunch with Madison and Mrs Wolf

2009-05-26T20:49:00.000-05:00

We met Mrs. Wolf and Madison for lunch at The Steeping Room at The Domain. They serve yummy teas and girly lunches. Dax likes their fruit salad (though his raspberries "accidentally" fell on to Mommy's plate - oops!). Madison is almost exactly a year younger than Dax; it's a lot of fun to see her and remember what Dax was doing this time last year. And, Madison is such a sweetie that we always have a good time with them.

Fun with Madison

Memorial Day/Mommy's Birthday

2009-05-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

Even though Memorial Day was on May 25th this year, we had a little picnic to celebrate Mommy's birthday (her birthday is the 30th - the REAL Memorial Day!). It was fun to have the family over and to just relax on the back patio and talk. Sorry, no pics of the b-day girl -- better luck next year. :)

We thank all our veterans and current military families for their sacrifices for our freedoms!

Dax eagerly helping with the groceries

Payton and Dax enjoying the chow

Relaxing (is Dax waving to his fans?)

Mommy's Trip to Dallas

2009-05-23T20:39:00.000-05:00

Mommy got to take a short trip to Dallas to see her friend, Kateri. We hung out, caught up, ate our weight in sushi (yum!), saw Fiddler on The Roof with Topol (the guy from the movie - it was AMAZING!), slept in, had girly brunch, got a massage AND a facial, and relaxed some more. All in 24 hours! It was exactly what Mommy needed.

Here's to friends!

Water Spouts & Flip Happy

2009-05-20T21:26:00.000-05:00

We met Payton and some other friends at the water spouts. We had a great time! Afterwards, Elise and Maly ate lunch with us at Flip Happy Crepes (a food trailer by the park). Dax showed his French roots, because he devoured his crepe, even after eating a PB&J. I'm sure running around the spouts for 2 hours had SOMEthing to do with it. He took a 3 hour nap this afternoon. Needless to say, we'll be spending more time at the water spouts! :)

Showin' off the beach bod

Water yoga?

Hat silliness

Sweet Payton (I love this pic!)

Crepes - Yum!

Sacked!

First Corn On The Cob

2009-05-19T21:13:00.000-05:00

Summer is here and so is the sweet corn.

Downtime

2009-05-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

While Momma took some downtime, Dax helped out around the house and visited with the neighbors. After his visit with Mrs. Elisa, she noted, "that boy LOVES football!" :) Apparently, he had a great time with her -- he's been yelling "Eesa!" everytime we pass her house since then.

Dax loves the vacuum

At Mrs. Elisa's house

Jumping Rope

2009-05-13T20:54:00.000-05:00

Dax loves to do anything his Daddy does. Here is his attempt at jumping rope.

Fun with Friends

2009-05-12T20:41:00.000-05:00

Here's Dax having a good time with Payton and Ethan.

Today's snack is brought to you by the letter "U"

Dance Party!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:53:00.000-05:00

We had a lovely Mother's Day. At the church nursery, Dax gave big hugs good-bye, then went off to play, so he's definitely doing great there. For lunch we all met at Grandma's. We just picked up some bbq so no one had to cook. It was such a joy to spend time with Hollie (a great mom) and Grandma (who, we all know, is a great mom - and grandma!), as well as everyone else. I love being a mom to Dax. He is such a blessing to us and we love to see how much joy he brings to others. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of appreciating my time with him, but, as "they" say, it goes so fast! That's why I love this blog - it helps me remember all the little things that are so precious. I'm looking forward to my next year of motherhood!

UT vs A&M baseball game

2009-05-09T13:31:00.000-05:00

Dax enjoyed his first Aggie baseball game. It was hot, but worth the heat to see a home-run right in front of us, and to watch the Aggies shut out the Longhorns. Dax was inspired by the players apparently, because he kept practicing his own baseball swing (with a tube he found). Future baseball player?

After the game we cooled off by playing in the sprinkler in the backyard. One of the great joys of childhood.

Good times at the baseball game

Working on his "form"

Cooling off in the sprinkler

Caterpillar

2009-05-08T21:16:00.000-05:00

The other morning Dax found a caterpillar in the backyard. He sat and watched it for at least 15 minutes - he was fascinated!

Baby birds

2009-05-07T13:40:00.000-05:00

I guess I haven't been using my watering can enough, because a momma bird built a nest in it. Now, we have 2, possibly 3, baby birds living in the nest in the watering can. They cry really loudly when we're near. It was a challenge to keep Dax and Trinity to leave them alone at first, but they seem to have forgotten about them. I don't know how long till they "fly the coop", er, "can", but I'm sure it will be interesting.

Here's one hungry mouth

Baby Marin

2009-05-04T13:14:00.000-05:00

Play date today was at Devin's house. Devin (and his brother, Rowan) have a brand new baby sister, Marin. Dax is in love.

Marin seems to be saying, "wait...another boy?"

Dax wanted to be RIGHT next to her

Playdate with Ava at Zilker Park

2009-05-02T21:24:00.000-05:00

We met with Dax's friend, Ava, at Zilker Park. We met her parents, Roman and Jenny, at our childbirth class two years ago. Ava and Dax actually ended up being born on the same day and just two doors down at the hospital. We had a fun time on the swings and the giant fire truck, but the ride on the Zilker Zephyr (the little train) was the highlight of the day.

Waving to the train

Our turn! With Ava and her parents

Waving to our fans :)

Sweet Ava and her mommy

Checking out the scenery

Making new friends

Good Times on the Boat

2009-05-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

There was a rumor that it might rain this weekend, so we took off Friday afternoon for the lake. Dax was totally chillin', just laying on me and watching the water. Until Daddy said he could drive. Then he was ready to go!

Chilaxin'

Having the time of his life!

Peeing in the Toilet!

2009-04-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Lately, before Dax gets in the bathtub, he's been asking to sit on the toilet. So, we put him on it and he sits there for a minute and smiles. Then he asks to get down and we put him in the bathwater, where he proceeds to, about half the time, pee. Nice.

Well, yesterday, when he sat on the toilet, he actually peed! In the toilet! Well, "sort of" in the toilet...he actually shot between the seat and the bowl and peed on the floor and my shoe, but that's just a technicality. He was so proud of himself!

Tonight, we went through the routine as usual, and he did the "pee in the tub" bit. But, he asked to get out of the tub and to sit on the toilet again. He made a straining face, like he was really *trying* to pee in the toilet. Nothing happened, but I appreciated the effort.

I'm really surprised by his interest in the toilet. I know yesterday was a fluke, so we're not going to start pushing potty training on a kid who isn't even 2 yet. But, he enjoys doing what we do, so we'll make a game of it, and keep it in our routine. Maybe I won't have to change the tub water so often. :)

4 Year Anniversary

2009-04-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

Four Years Ago, Duane and Karen got married. Wow. Has a lot changed. It really seems longer than four years. In a good way!

To celebrate the day, we took Dax to Grandma's. He had a wonderful time and even spent the night. Incidentally, the next morning he slept in until 8:00am. 8:00AM!!! He has NEVER done that. Ever. But, he does it for Grandma. I'm not bitter. Really.

Duane and I actually had an amazing day together. We had a fancy steak lunch at Sullivan's. They brought out our dessert with 4th of July sparklers. We didn't know what to do with them, so we just doused them in our drinks. Not very classy, but practical.

After lunch, we drove by the Vista on Seward Hill (the place we got married). The owners were so sweet and showed us all around the property and even their private home. They've made a lot of changes; most notable being an Old World-style wall behind the ceremony spot. It strategically hides a new office building, but it looks great! It was so nice to see the place (and the people) that helped us have such wonderful memories of that day.

Later, we checked out an artsy French movie (with subtitles) and had a romantic dinner at home. It was a perfect day!

Ahh, we were so young then....

Dax in Bluebonnets

2009-04-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

Aunt Hollie took some pictures of Dax in the bluebonnets for us. The last one cracks me up.

Easter

2009-04-13T20:16:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter with Annette and the boys. They just got a new puppy, Gracie, and she and Dax were fast friends. Gracie put up with a lot (think Dax trying to pick her up by the neck), but she got him back by using those puppy teeth on hands that were JUST at mouth level. Dax is still talking about "Geecie". We enjoyed her, not only for her sweet puppy breath and soft fur, but because she reminded us so much of Badger's puppies (way back in '06).

We also got together with Duane's childhood neighbors, the Ferrells. Mr. Ferrell was Duane's coach in high school, as well. As always, they left us smiling and feeling blessed to have them in our lives.

We had an Easter egg hunt for Dax in the backyard. Dane (Dax says "Neen!")and I hid the eggs and Dax had a blast hunting for them. When he later figured out there were things INSIDE the eggs, he was even more excited. I've finally forgiven Annette for putting chocolate in some of them. :) We also attempted dyeing some hard-boiled eggs. Dax loved it and I was amazed at how proficient he was with that little wire egg holder/dipper. Of course, I was a nervous wreck that he was going to spill dye all over Annette's kitchen, but my fears were not realized. Dax didn't like waiting for the eggs to dry, because he really wanted to get to the sticker-decorating part, so we had to improvise and we found that a hair dryer can dry an egg in just a minute or two (quick enough for a 2-yr old to think it's still amusing).

Annette always hosts the family Easter dinner and it was a lot of fun to see everyone from Duane's side of the family. We got to spend extra time with Aunt Fay because she came in the night before and spent the night. However, she pulled a fast one the next morning. When she was supposed to be going to church, she decided to go all the way home to pick up something she forgot. When she finally got back, and we were scolding her, she asked why we didn't call. Which, of course, we had. Then she remembered, "oh, well, I don't hear it ring anyway." Good thing she's so sweet and we love her so much! We also enjoyed seeing 4 month old Baby Lillie (or, "beebee Yeylyee", if you're Dax). Dax was very sweet to her and kept trying to hug and kiss her. It was great to catch up with all the cousins over the yummy food and relaxing afternoon.

Finally, we took advantage of the nice weather and got Dax in the pool. It was his first time this year. He loves his baths so much and he took to the pool like a duck. He loved being "thrown" from one person to the other, and especially jumping off the side and in to the water (with us there to catch him, of course). We had to stop him, though, when he wanted to jump off the wall in to the deep end (after Chance had just done a flip from there). We hope to spend a lot time with Annette and the boys this summer.

All the activity from the weekend really wore Dax out. On the drive home, we wanted to stop in Brenham to get some pictures of Dax in the bluebonnets (they're gorgeous this year!), but, Dax was too sacked. So, I did the best I could.

Duane with the newest family member, Gracie

We had a lovely time with Mr. & Mrs. Ferrell

Dax loved hunting for Easter eggs

Aunt Fay helping Dax put stickers on the eggs we colored

Hanging with his peeps: Jenna, Dane & Chance

Lots of love for Baby Lillie

Having a blast in the pool

Closest I could get of "Dax and bluebonnets"

Lake and Crawfish

2009-04-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful spring morning, so we loaded up and hit the lake. It's amazing how a little fresh air can make you feel so good! We all enjoyed our picnic lunch (complete with lots of strawberries from our visit to Sweet Berry Farm) and had fun feeding the ducks.

After Dax's super long, 3-hour nap (the lake always makes you hungry and tired, doesn't it?), we went over to Kaylee's house for her family's annual crawfish boil. A lot of the people there were folks Duane and I had worked with at Pervasive, so it was a lot of fun to catch up. The crawfish (and the potatoes and corn) were all too spicy for Dax, but he showed his Cajun roots by liking the boudin. Hopefully, the Louisiana relatives will be proud.

More pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/karen.derouen/April2009#

Driving the boat (as usual)

Fresh strawberry juice running down your chin while having a picnic at the lake--does it get any better?

I got some crawfish!

You're supposed to suck on them? I don't get it.

Thanks, Kaylee, for the ice to cool my "hot mouth"

Strawberry Picking

2009-04-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

We met up with some friends and headed out to pick strawberries at Sweet Berry Farm in Marble Falls. The weather was perfect and we all had a lot of fun. There were tons of beautiful berries and the kids really got into picking. All I had to do was tell Dax to find "big, red ones and put them in the box". He was on a mission. After picking, we visited the farm's horse and minature donkeys. We enjoyed a picnic lunch, complete with yummy, homemade strawberry ice cream. When we got to the car to leave, we discovered a dead battery, but one of the farm hands was nice enough to give us a jump, so all was well. We were at the farm for 2 hours and then Dax slept for 3 hours. I like that math!

Dax ate about a pint of strawberries for his snack. Then for dessert tonight we had strawberry shortcake. And, he was still asking for more. We'll have to go back again soon.

Lots more pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/karen.derouen/April2009#

Dax, Erika, and Elisabeth getting ready for picking

So many berries...

Our haul

Not even a dead battery could dampen our spirits

Strawberry shortcake - Yum!

Visit with the Bogarts

2009-03-28T20:43:00.000-05:00

Grandma's friends from Pennsylvania, the Bogarts, stopped by for a visit. They are snowbirds and every year they stay in nearby Fredricksburg for the month of March. So, each year we get to spend some time with them before they head back North. Last year, Dax and Mr. Bogart really hit it off and they picked right up where they left off. As you can see from the pictures below, Dax wasted no time in "working his connections" to get some extra bites of ice cream. Mrs. Bogart is quite the accomplished knitter and she made Dax and Payton each a GORGEOUS nordic-style sweater. We always enjoy our time with them and we're already looking forward to when we can see them again.

Dax and Payton in their new sweaters

Snarking ice cream from Mrs. Bogart

Payton followed suit and worked on Mr. Bogart

Big "thank you" huggies for his beautiful sweater

Best Buds

Say "Hi"

2009-03-27T20:36:00.000-05:00

We brought Badger with us on our walk today. When we got to the neighbor's house, we stopped to say "hello" to their dog, Scout. Scout is another white lab and since she has an iron fence, she enjoys hanging out in the backyard and greeting all the passers-by. Dax went up to the fence and was petting Scout when I asked, "Badger, do you want to say 'hi' to Scout?" At that, Dax got up, came over to Badger and started grabbing her leg. She didn't know what he was doing, but eventually he got her paw and raised it up and down several times. Like a wave. He showed Badger how to wave 'hello'. It was so cute.

Speaking of words, Dax is really starting to talk more. In just the past few days he's been repeating new words and really trying to get them right. He also puts two words together regularly, like "yellow ball", "Dax water", "more cheese", etc. Last night he learned "bath" and tonight he said "bath water". Yesterday, he even put three words together, "more outside Dax". It's so much fun to see him learning and how pleased he gets when we get excited about his words.

Livestock Show

2009-03-27T15:10:00.000-05:00

After waiting out a torrential downpour, we headed out to the livestock show with Ethan and his mommy. The boys had a blast. We checked out the show animals first. Today the juniors were being judged on their heifers. There was a lot of washing and blow drying, etc going on. The cows all looked so clean and fluffy. We headed over to the kids area after having enough of dodging landmines. The boys ate their lunch while we waited until the 723 elementary kids on a field trip left the area. We then had the petting zoo to ourselves. The boys loved it! We couldn't believe how mellow and gentle the animals were. Dax was really gentle, too. Only a couple times did he try to run after them, but he went slow as soon as I reminded him. The baby llama, Patches, was a favorite. Ethan fell asleep in the car before I even pulled out of the parking space and Dax was just a minute behind him. A most successful outing!

Dax liked the big ears on this Brahma

Lunch time - with milk, of course

Petting zoo was so much fun!

Dax really got into it

Dax and Ethan liked the little goats

Dax scaled that fence before I knew it

Patches the llama was his favorite (mine, too)

But there was no lack of love for the goats

Happy, happy boy

Feeling Better

2009-03-26T17:28:00.000-05:00

Dax had a rough night (he had me up every hour), but this morning he was cool as a cucumber and in a good mood. We still laid low all day, but he was back to his silly, outgoing self. Yay!

Sick and Crazy Hail

2009-03-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

Well, after Kaylee's birthday party, Dax woke up with a slight fever, but in a great mood. As time wore on, however, he started obviously not feeling well and threw up (just as poor Duane came in the door to all the kaos that insues). I gave Dax some Tylenol and he took another nap for an hour (after he'd already slept 2 1/2 hours!). He woke up fine and ate a great dinner. We thought it was just a "48 minute" bug. But, come bedtime he was feverish and cranky again and wouldn't go to sleep. I had some leftover Tylenol with codine (from when Dax split his tongue) that I finally gave him at 11pm. He slept fairly well thru the night, but was still running fever. So, off to the pediatrician we went, suspecting another ear infection. But, his ears looked great. His throat on the other hand, had white, pussy ulcers on it (tmi? sorry.). The quick strep test came back negative, so it is "just" a virus that we have to ride out. Poor thing.

The other news of the day was the crazy hail storm we got. Huge hail between golfball-size and tennisball-size pelted the house and yard. When it hit the roof, the noise was so loud! I have never heard anything like it. It freaked out poor Dax. But when I showed him the "balls" coming down into the back yard, he wanted to go out and get them. After the storm passed, we did go get some and took a couple pics. Apparently people all around our area got hit really bad (some stones were as big as 3" across!); there were tons of windshields busted out - even while people were driving. Crazy!

Our backyard

Our front yard

Most hailstones were a little bigger than a golf ball

Kaylee's Birthday Party

2009-03-23T19:47:00.000-05:00

Dax's friend, Kaylee, turned 2 years old. Horray! So, for playgroup, we had a fun party at her house. She has a new puppy, Lily, that was a HUGE hit with the boys. With all the playing, running, swinging, and laughing, I think the party was a big hit. The best part is that, even though Dax ate a chocolate cupcake with neon blue icing, he took a 2 1/2 hour nap afterwards!

My personal victory with the party is that I managed two almost-2-year olds. Ethan's mommy couldn't come to the party, but we didn't want Ethan to miss out, so I loaded him in my car and took both boys. They were cracking up about having a friend in the back seat. Trying to get them both out of the car and into the house was a little daunting. But there was only 1 "break for it", and I contained it quickly. Then I got both boys holding hands, and holding my hand and we all walked like a train to the front door of Kaylee's house. Whew! I made it 50 feet with 2 toddlers! Good thing I don't have twins! :)

Dax & Ethan in the car

Good times at Kaylee's party

Ethan, Dax, Kaylee, & Payton

Cupcakes!

It took a few scrubbings to get all the blue icing off

First Painting

2009-03-22T20:08:00.000-05:00

While Dax was in Sunday School with Grandma, he got to hang out with the slightly older children. They had an art project, so he joined in. This is the first painting by Dax DeRouen. This piece is for display only - not for sale. :)

Rodeo

2009-03-22T01:32:00.000-05:00

Dax spent the night with Grandma, while Duane and I went to the rodeo with Kateri and her friend, Robert. We had a really fun time. We decided that I need to bring Dax at some point to check out all the animals at the livestock show. Through Duane's work, we got free passes into the Founders Club. We thought it would be great, until we realized 1)you can't take drinks out of the club, not even water, 2)the drinks cost more than they do outside the club (learned that a little too late) and 3)all the action was taking place across the arena, in front of our seats! So, we chugged our (expensive) waters and made it down to our 2nd row seats. We were right next the the chute where the calves come out (for the roping events). We enjoyed the bronco busting and the bull riding, but my favorite was the "mutton bustin". That is the event where 6- and 7-year old kids don a helmet and a protective vest, then climb on the back of a sheep in the chute. When they open the chute the kid holds on for dear life while the sheep runs like a bat outta you-know-where. It was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time - those sheep are FAST!

All packed and ready to go to Grandma's

Largest steer I've ever seen!

Sweet baby calf

BFF - Kateri

On the balcony of the club

Robert took this cool pic from the balcony of the rodeo prep below

View from our seats of cowboys getting ready

Trying to push an uncooperative calf into the chute

Robert's pic of barrel racing

Newspaper pic of mutton bustin

Playing in Backyard with Grandma and Payton

2009-03-20T23:00:00.000-05:00

Aunt Hollie and Payton met us at Grandma's house for a little play time. Aunt Hollie brought her camera and got some great pics of the kiddos. To see more pics, check out the Picasa page: http://picasaweb.google.com/karen.derouen/March2009#

My favorite

"If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it..."

Spamalot

2009-03-15T20:02:00.000-05:00

The Broadway musical, Spamalot is in town. It is based on Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail. Duane and I have seen it before and loved it. My regular seats are on the first row of the first balcony. However, a gal in the neighborhood needed to trade days, so I traded tickets with her. Her seats are 4th row orchestra, center. Talk about WOW. We could see Sir Gallahad's spit when he sang! The cast really seemed to be enjoying themselves. One actor messed up a dance move and just walked off stage disgusted, and it was so funny that the Lady of the Lake started laughing. She had to stop singing to compose herself. She even got King Arthur laughing. Later, the Knights Who Say Nee gave the Hook 'Em Horns sign and sang The Eyes of Texas. But the best part was that King Arthur was played by Richard Chamberlain. I remember him as the hunky priest in The Thorn Birds, but my mom remembers him as Dr. Kildair. Anyway, I snuck a couple pictures for my mom (and to remember how amazing our seats were).

Richard Chamberlain - still hunky! (with audience member they pulled on stage)

The Knights Who Say Nee, also sing The Eyes of Texas