I know its the moment you have all been waiting for....we finally got new family pictures! It's only been 2.5 years since the last one. My very talented friend Jenn took them and she did a fantastic job.
I love my boys!
Us...
Mr Warren...
The Benjamin...
Did I say I LOVE my boys?!
Sir Oliver....
"Me and my daddy's cheeks"
Oliver kept acting Coy after each grin, which if funny because he is anything but shy!
This boy is pure JOY!
Chillin in the box.
Love. Love. Love.
Of course the final family shot after EVERYONE is melting down. Classic.
I am going to be ordering prints soon. Please get your wish list to me within the next week if you want one! Pictures and sizes. :) We love you!
In November the boys and I decided to tag-a-long on a short business trip with Weston. He goes to court in Corpus Christi often and since I had never seen the "best beaches" this side of Texas, we decided to check it out. We had a fun little weekend. We hung out in the hotel and had so much fun relaxing on the beach. The boys ran races, found seashells, jelly-fish, a dead eel, a bunch of dead fish that looked like pirana (we google searched and found they are some time of snapper referred to as "pirana of the gulf") and lots of abandoned logs from beach fires. We also went on a long walk down the beach. The beaches and water were prettier than Galveston and the weather was perfect! We even saw several dolphins on the ferry ride on the way back home. We had such a fun time. We are excited to plan a longer trip there this year. Here are some pics for your enjoyment!
Weston's mom and sister came to visit us the second week of October for about 4.5 days. It's always nice to have visitors and we were happy that Lacey finally decided to come visit us for the first time since we moved from Utah almost 9 years ago! We know she really came for Misty but its ok, we still love her anyway. ;)
She brought along her little girl Astoria. It was our first time meeting her and she sure is a sweetheart. It was fun for me to see little girl things spread about the house while they were here. We were so happy to get to spend time with them all. As you can see we took them to our favorite place - The Beach!
"spear fishing"
Sand Castles
The weather was perfect.
I was still recovering from surgery so I just relaxed with Oliver all day.
It was a really nice break for us all.
This was Oliver's first time at the beach. He loved it.
Getting to know Ya Ya.
Can you tell Astoria know's exactly what a camera is? She's a diva alright!
She was so cute in her little ruffle suit and sun hat. :)
The last day they were here I talked Lacey into going on a walk with me. Jan & Weston went on a gas station run for drinks. Weston was dying from thirst and claimed he could not walk without a Diet Dr Pepper. They came and found us and offered us treats and beverages. Jan got out and walked with us from there and Weston joined us by driving along side us at 2 mph.
Yes, Jan was mooning the camera but lacked the courage to drop her drawers in day light. The next day we took them to see the Houston Temple but we had to bribe Jan with candy bars to keep her lady like manners in check. ;) Thanks for coming out Jan & Lacey! We sure enjoyed your visit!
A few days before my surgery, Weston's car was in the shop being repaired and
I took the boys for a fun cruise in our rental.
I wanted to squeeze in a date with them before the big day.
We had a blast!
Warren has always been a pretty serious kid but the older he gets the more his sense of humor and playfulness shines brighter. This was one of those moments I accidentally caught on video.
He makes me smile.
(Video only available on the blog)
We drove around for over and hour and a half rocking out. Then,
went through the drive through at Chik-Fil-A for ice cream. :)
Just before my surgery Weston snapped this picture just in case I died.
Nice, huh?
Even though I passed my stress test prior to surgery we were both pretty nervous to say the least.
I am smiling only because he was being a goof and told me he thought
I looked hot in this hospital gown.
I am so grateful for all his support through everything!
Speaking of cheerleaders? This 3 month old little boy has been an ANGEL sent from heaven!
I think I gave him about 1 million kisses this day. :)
Getting surgery is a funny thing. I have had three c-sections but was always awake during each. I had never been put all the way out before. I was way nervous of course because of all my heart stuff but man once the anesthesia set in..... life was AWESOME!! The anesthesiologist said he was going to give me a little martini and then they'd roll me into surgery. Well, that is the last thing I remember! They claimed that I was talking and moved myself onto the surgical table and all...but I don't remember any of it! I just remember waking up in recovery with the most peaceful feeling EVER. It was fantastic!
I have actually dreamed about that moment, since. Is that bad? ha ha
Well Dr Quast, my 79 year old surgeon, said the surgery went well although it did end up taking about an hour longer than he had expected. He said that my gallbladder had many adhesions from having MANY gallbladder attacks therefore he had to do a lot more cutting to get the darn thing out! Well, all I can say is I think that thing was acting up for a long time and it was sucking the life out of me! I also didn't have any bradycardia (heart rate dropping) issues during the surgery which is a HUGE relief! All I can say is I feel SO much better since having that darn thing out! My back pain is gone and my energy has quadrupled! I am so grateful for a healthy body!
This is where it gets ridiculous. You know how they say trouble comes in threes? Well, the day after my surgery Warren ended up at the ER getting stitches from cutting the bread that we asked him not to cut. This was the picture Weston texted me as I was trying to figure out how I would pick up Benjamin who had just cried "mommy I'm not feeling very good"....
This was him for the next two days. I have never seen him so sick.
I guess it was a blessing? Despite the continual fever and vomit, he was more subdued than usual those days. Weston was back at work and I just sort of hobbled back and forth with the bucket.
We were a pathetic site! lol I am so grateful this is all over!
Speaking of gratitude, over the last 4 months my life has been filled with blessings and many angels around us to help us through a physically and emotionally exhausting time. My husband to name the first, a few family members and lots of wonderful friends.
The Lord has taken care of us. I worried before I had the baby about having the help I needed, when I needed it. As people have visited, baby sat, brought delicious and creative meals, smiles, hugs, a listening ear, baby gifts, flowers, encouragement, yummy bread & elbows ready to clean....I have been absolutely filled with gratitude. Each time I have a baby I keep a "Thank You" list so I don't forget to send off a note to each person. It is humbling to look at the list as it grew...day by day. I had a large box of Thank You's and ran out of cards! I am so grateful for the wonderful examples of integrity, unconditional love and support around us. It is these Christlike examples I want to follow and pay forward throughout my life. We are blessed. :)
