Dayna's Place

Blue Jeans and Cowboy Clothes

2012-03-01T12:34:00.000-08:00

So, it's HLSR time. For those of you NOT in Houston and have never been involved with it, that's the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. I grew up going there every spring, great memories of staying in our silly little camper with NO generator in the parking lot in the shadow of the Astrodome, in the camping spots reserved for Committeemen, directors, exhibitors, etc. We would go to school, drive there after, and then sleep there, and drive to school the next morning! Let's just say it was a really great time! I believe just after I graduated from HS they stopped having the campsites in the parking lot due to the lot always filling up. They don't have to worry about that anymore as they use the old Astroworld site that is now just a big pasture with NOTHING on it as overflow. (That's a whole different story!)

Anyway, last summer I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and got paint all over my best good wrangler jeans. SOOOOO worth it, but now I needed a new pair. So, that's what I did over lunch today, got some new Wrangler Jeans. I was SHOCKED and AMAZED that in a store this size...

SOOOO much stuff! Notice all the pink hats...

There is only ONE jeans booth for, well lets just say "AVERAGE SIZED WOMEN" (just so you konw, the average size of jeans women wear is 14). Most of the ladies/juniors jeans were sizes like 1/2 or 29 x 34 (tall and skinny models need only apply), AND, some of those were priced over $100! Yes, they were really cute and OF COURSE I wish I could wear them, but HELLO? What about the larger mass of women (yes pun intended) that need bigger jeans? Just asking!

Oh, and also, to all my LUCKY friends who have LITTLE GIRLS, and this I mean with the upmost respect.... YOU SUCK! Out of that whole store above, there was a half a rack, yes only 1/2 a rack of little baby boy clothes...

Yes, this is it, 1/2 of this rack is baby boy, OOOOOOO!

Which of course My mother has already bought most of it for my son, so to make my husband happy I'm sure, there was nothing new for me to buy for my boy.

But, the staff there was great and they have EVERY style of boot you can think of there, which makes sence since it IS Cavender's Boot City. :) And, the Jeans I got do fit quite well! Wrangler Aura really really fit me well! No gap in the back, mid rise (thanks!!!), boot cut (duh!) and sliming. What more could a girl ask for? "Pair of jeans that fit just right!"

Anyway, I feel better now, and I'm ready for the Rodeo this weekend!

THE END

Valentine's Day - Sick!!!

2012-02-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

So, Jake decided that after his ear infection the first week of Feburary cleared up, he was going to get another one that was worse the following weekend! Yes, the weekend of my birthday AND before Valentine's day! Jake had a fever all weekend and well, that mean no daycare for him on Monday. He had one on Monday as well (and ironically, so did Dean!!), so he couldn't go on Tuesday, which was Valentine's Day!! BOO! I was so sad he had to miss his Valentine's party at Day care! But, the bonus was I got to spend V-day with my two dudes, as they were BOTH feeling better by then! :)

Anyway, his daycare had a Valentine's box decorating contest (per room) so, being the crafty person I am, took this on as a Challenge! I did an awesome and beautiful box for him, whacha think?

Now, I know that these kids (between 10 and 18 months roughly) will NOT be doing the boxes themselves, so I went ahead just did my thing. Then, I thought it would be fun to have Jake do some "accents" with the red paint to ya know, add his personal touch!

Yeah, it's AWESOME, you can say it!

Oh, and yes, we did win the contest in his room, well tied for first, but its still a WIN!

Hope you had a Great Valentine's Day!!

Scrapbooking - I LOVE IT!

2012-02-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Had a chance to go to a scrapbooking retreat with awesome friends and my mother a few weekends ago! SOOOO much fun! Total Nonstop Scrapbooking from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon! AWESOME!

And, I got to use my awesome new Cricut Expression 2!!! And, wow! Inever understood what the big deal was about Cricut Craft Room, but wow-wee! AWESOME! I will find it hard to not use it when I can't access the internet. (http://www.cricut.com/craftroom/default.html)

And, here are some layouts I finished...

I got 48 layouts finished at the retreat! It was Really Awesome!

2011 Blog Wrap Up - Part 2 - July to December

2012-01-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

July - Jake's First Independence Day!! And, 2nd BIGGEST EVENT EVER, second only to Jake's Birth! Jake is officially our baby! Adoption was made final end of July!

August - not much to tell here, we worked, played, had fun!

September - again, not much. I figured that Aug and Sept will have more things once Jake gets older, school, and other activities. These two months have always been slow ones for us. We did get a chance to go to the Beach on Labor Day! It was WINDY but we had a great time!

October - FIRST HALLOWEEN!!! So, I figured since he takes his monthly photos with Yoda, he should BE Yoda for Halloween, turned out so cute!!!

November - Daddy's birthday and Jake's First Thanksgiving! We spent the weekend at home just the three of us, and I cooked the smallest thanksgiving turkey I could find, and it was 9lbs! We did finish it in left over sandwiches and turkey noodle soup. Jake at his first all table food meal on Thanksgiving too!

December - Jake is ONE YEAR OLD! What a blessed year we had! He is such a joy and I am so thankful he is in my life! And, Jake enjoyed his 2nd Christmas a little more than last year, he was only 9 days old last year! He loves the ribbon and boxes and paper! And, Elmo was a big hit! More on the big trip to South Texas later!

2011 Blog Wrap up - Part 1 - January to June

2012-01-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

Let's give a wrap up of One Full year with our Baby Boy and other happenings this year

January
Started off with a "Rockin NYE party!" Well, we went to sleep at 10, baby and all, then got up the next morning and had a lovely day all dressed in matching Blue Old Navy hoodies! We took Jake to his first ever TriStar show, and he got to meet some of the Oilers, including Bum Phillips! And, Dayna had to skip a retreat for the very first time, which was a bummer because Jaime gave out monogrammed snuggies!!! Not Fair!

February
Still on leave for Jake, getting used to a whole new life and schedule (just in time to have it change). We were able to go to the Cheesecake Factory for my Birthday, first evening away from Jake. Doug and Stacy and their kids watched him for us. Now Jake being two months old, he needed to start sleeping in his own room, which was a rather easy transfer since I got a HORRIBLE case of food poisoning and he couldn't sleep in our room for that!

March
HOUSTON RODEO! We didn't go to a rodeo in Reliant but did go to the livestock show and carnival. Jake did pretty good! He was able to sleep right thru the Carnival! Amazing! I had to start back to work mid march. Was very hard leaving the boy at daycare. Thank goodness for Web Cams! We also took Jake to the Zoo for the first time!

April
Jake's First Easter was nice! The whole family went to Nonnie and Papa's house after Church for dinner and egg hunt. We even got awesome pictures with Jake and the Easter Bunny at the mall! So much fun!

May
We are married 16 years! Memorial day was fun, we had burgers! And, Jake tried solid foods for the first time! Let's just say he never really liked rice cereal. Just like his Daddy, doesn't like rice in anything!

June
Our first AIM BBQ - and EVERYBODY had BABIES!!! YEY! And, I went on my first weekend trip away from my boy to the Summer Retreat, was really fun and got a ton of baby book pages finished!

Stay Tuned for part 2!

Jake is One Year Old!

2011-12-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

Last week, my little boy turned One! This year has gone by so fast! I cannot believe how blessed we are to have him in our lives! He is pure joy! Oh, and REALLY cute!

The last of the Monthly pictures with Yoda! Going forward, I hope to only do one each year.

We had a Star Wars Theme (duh!) so I had the following food:
Han Sandwiches
Obi-Wonion Dip
Jawa Chips
Boba Fett Fruits
Storm Trooper Veggies
Leia Cinnamon rolls
C3P0 Pieces (Reece's Pieces)
Droid Treats (rice crispy treats with cookie cream and blue sugar)
Wookie Cookies
Luke's Light Sabers (green candy coated pretzel rods)
Yoda Soda
Darth Vader-ade (Coke and diet coke)
Lando Limeade

And, the big finish, the CAKE!!!

That's a Yoda Action figure next to the Tree

Then, on to gifts! He loved the wrapping paper and ribbons the best!

And, Jake's cousin Travis helped him open his Wampa Rug (from ThinkGeek.com)

All said and done, it was a Star Wars Fantastic Party day!

Happy Birthday Jake!

My little boy

2011-12-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe my son turns 1 this week! He's such a joy and a blessing! I had to share this!

When we got him home on December 17, 2010, we went crazy with the pictures and passing around the baby. He was just TOO CUTE!

Almost ONE year later, he still fits in the box, but he's a bit bigger (and hard to get him sittng still)

Love this little guy!

Merry Christmas!

November Wrap Up

2011-12-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'm behind in my posting... So, here are a few pics...

Jake is a TOTAL Cute Little TURKEY! Thanksgiving week at Day care

Jake's First Thanksgiving - 2011- his last First Holiday!

Thanksgiving - showign off his AWESOME Aggie wind suite

And, proving to be hard to sit still for the camera! :)

Our YUMMY Thanksgiving meal! LOVE Jake's plate!

He ate turkey with us, first time eating a dinner of ONLY Table Food!

He really REALLY loves the turkey!!! He even helped us finish the leftovers

didn't like the mashed potatoes, but LOVE the sweet potatoes! Of course they had

mini marshmallows and butter and brown sugar, but still, YUMMY!

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Wait, WHAT?

2011-11-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

What? It's November Already? My son is almost 11 months old? Wow, where does the time go!

Just wanted to wish everybody a Happy Veteran's Day

A Promise I made...

2011-10-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, in a land far away (Colorado, I am from and now live in Texas, but once lived in Colorado), I had a dear sweet friend. She and I had lots in common, and we did several things together. Most important, we both loved Halloween and we loved Scrapbooking. I'm bringing this up now because this dear friend of mine past away a little over a year ago, and since I moved away from Colorado, I've always missed her most around Halloween. So, on to the promise I made, well we both made. When we were scrapbooking together, we didn't have children, and she was single, and I'd already finished my wedding album, so at the time, that's about all there was for scrapbooking supplies, babies and weddings. We were getting frustrated and started looking around for scrpabook page ideas online and we came across a HORRIBLE scrapbook page, well, the title was bad. We both vowed we would NEVER do a scrapbook page entitled... "Pickin Punkies!!!" :) Google it, apparently its a common phrase! ARGH!!! Oh, btw, the other layout we promised to NEVER do is "Cute as a Button" with buttons all over the page. Seriously, I WILL NEVER DO THAT!

Okay, so guess what, we went "pickin punkies" for Halloween. It was a crazy afternoon. First of all, I picked Jake up from Day care and apparently, he had had only ONE nap all day, and it was only about an HOUR long. And, he had a dirty diaper AND I wanted to change his shirt, and for about 15 minutes he did nothing buy SCREAM because he didn't want his diaper OR his clothes changed. Very traumatic. Then, he fell asleep in the 10 minute drive to the little pumpkin patch in downtown Humble, and just would NOT wake up, until he saw where he was and there were people there, then he WOKE UP and smile cute for the camera!!!

This was the first pictures we took, look how happy he is!!

This one, he was banging on the pumpkin, such a cutie!!

LOVE this one! Just too cute!

In a little red wagon ready to buy a pumpkin. I did get a little one just for him.

I will get more pictures, of course, and upload after Halloween!

So, here's to you, dear Sweet Eriika! I will not now or ever use Pickin Punkies as a scrapbook layout title, OR even a blog title! Love you, miss you, and Happy Halloween!!!

And, here's what we did with those pumpkins!!!

This is the big one, yes, I really did that from that pumpkin!!

And, here's Jake's pumpkin! He had the guts everywhere! And had fun doing it

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

And, October makes 10

2011-10-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Jake turned 10 months years old (as his Daddy likes to say) this month. It's kinda nice he is the month number age in months! :) Anyway, now that he can crawl and roll and move around, it's like nailing Jell-O to the wall! Here's our attempt. Thanks, Linda for your help!

This was the 1st one, it's alright, but I thought we could do better. I was wrong...

There he goes....

Linda trying to help set him up, didn't work!

and, one more try!

And, then one last decent one. I guess the days when he sits still on the couch and doesn't try to nose dive off the side are now over. :) LOVE THIS LITTLE GUY!

Happy 10 months Jake! Can't wait to see what you do next!

Are you Ready for some FOOTBALL!

2011-09-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you and yours, but around here, Fall brings the best thing - FOOTBALL! You know that TV commercial running now with the lady complaining to her boyfriend that her friend's boyfriend thinks Sunday is for Football? Well, he's right by the way, Sunday + Football + two dudes in the house = AWESOME! Especially since Dean and Jake's fantasy football team (Jake and the Phat Man) is ROCKIN!!! They are 2 and 1, and the one they lost was 119 to 114 so HEY, not bad!!

Here's Jake getting his Quarterback in Training on! He had a Faux Hawk for a while, but with no "product" in his hair, it didn't stay. :) Mean mommy, I know!

And, Mean Ole Daddy was picking on his friend who is an avid Eagle's fan who generously bought Jake a full ensemble Eagle's outfit! It's really cute on him, we need to get him a Texans one. So, this is Jake doing his best "Vick Impersonation". I had NO part in this! I PROMISE! All I did was dress him up and take the picture. I PROMISE!! This was ALL Dad's Idea!!! AND, for the record, Jake didn't cry at all when I took the tape off his head. Tough Guy!

GO TEXANS!! Beat the Steelers!!!

9 months - wow

2011-09-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

You would think all I have going on in my life is my son, well, its almost true! :) I have little time to scrapbook these days, I remember the care free weekends spent in the craft room just scrappin away! I miss the scrappin, but I'd rather spend that scrappy time with the people I scrapbook about!

Anyhoo, here's Jake at NINE (9) Months! Getting so big!

Will post more stuff soon!

Eight months - Cute Kid!

2011-08-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

After our adoption was final, we wanted to have official family pictures taken. We scheduled an appointment for an afternoon I had to take off work for a doctor's appointment, and everything was set.

Let me paint the picture of the afternoon, and you too will be AMAZED the boy still had smiles in him!

Monday, Aug 15 started out a normal busy morning, Jake to the day care and me to work. Then, Jake had a doctor's appointment at 1:30 (just 30 minutes before a bottle, not a good idea). This was a follow up from an ear infection, and as soon as we sat down on the doctor table, Jake turned into Mr. Grumpy Gills, and cried and cried and cried! After a clean bill of health, we sat in the waiting room having his bottle. YUM! He was fine then.

We then went to the grocery store, mind you it's about 111 outside, so it's HOT, and we shop for about an hour and wait in line for about a hour (no not kidding) and then RUSH home and bring all the food in, unpack all the cold stuff, leave all the not cold stuff out because now we have 10 minutes to get ready for a photo shoot!

We get there and have to change the boy's clothes and his diaper, and then, we put him down on the big white sheet for the photographer and this is what happened.

BEST PHOTO SHOOT EVER!!!

The one above is entered in their Cute Kid contest.

I told them if we enter it will be No Contest, but they allowed it anyway. :)

Arches Afghan!!!

2011-08-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

Another lovely crocheter sent me a picture of a completed afghan made from one of my free crochet patterns! Look how AWESOME this turned out!!

Thank you Abi V. for sending me this picture! IT IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! I think I'm going to pick up crochet again for this winter when it comes. OKAY, yeah, it's Texas and 100+ degree weather all week, so lets' just say winter Months!

For the pattern, click here!

This IS the nail polish I've been lookin for!

2011-08-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

The other day I was reading Club Jade and this AWESOME fan girl product came up! Revlon has a new color for a limited time only - Carbonite!!! see post here Well, I had to find it!

So, on Aug 12, I went to Ulta to see if they had it...

No, they didn't have it.

not happy

So, today, I remembered my quest to find awesome nail polish

I went to Walgreens

AND, no luck

very sad indeed

But, then I rememberd on Kingwood Drive here in Kingwood, there is a CVS right down the street from the Walgreens, so I had a little time and decided to see if they had it

(bad pic, I know, didn't want any funny looks)

GUESS WHAT!!! The HAD IT!!!

I'm a Happy Fan girl!

it's a bit dramatic for my fingers, so I'm hoping it will be fine for my toes.

However, come Halloween, I'm all about the Carbonite nail polish!

Adoption is Granted!

2011-08-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

July 22, 2011 at approximately 9:45am, the adoption of our son was FINALIZED!!! We got up early, drove the family across town to the new and beautiful Fort Bend County Court House, and patiently waited for our court session to begin. And, it was over so fast we hardly had time to think about it!

It was such a nice day and a great experience! The judge told us we were some of the first adoptions in the new court house, and July 2011 had five Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, something that would not happen in another 800 or so years!

The judge called another case before ours so luckily we got to see how the proceedings went before we were called, which was second. The judge really enjoys Adoption Day, it's a happy day in a court room!

Here we are waiting outside the court room

AND, Daddy making Jake laugh just after they told us to take any loud and disruptive children out of the court room :)

Raise your right hand and repeat after me...

Adoption is GRANTED and Jake, here's a teddy bear from the judge!

The newly officially formed Family! Happy Family Day!

Here we are with our Lawyer, Nice and Happy Day!

If you are thinking about adoption, and you live in the Houston Area (or Texas for that matter) I would suggest you check out AIM Adoptions. AIM Adoptions Web Site We were not featured on the site as waiting parents simply because we were not waiting long enough!!! It was such a fast and successful experience! Check it out!

Crochet anybody?

2011-07-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

I've had several hobbies thru the years, one of them being Crochet! I really got into it at one point, even made my own patterns and was involved in several exchange groups online! I really enjoyed doing that, but as time went on, I picked up scrapbooking again, and haven't done much crocheting in a long long time. Honestly, It's probaby got something to do with the fact that I worked the yarn and hook in Colorado, where it's not 110 heat index in the summer! I just can't stand to have that heavy yarn on my lap in this Texas Heat!!!

Anyway, I have a Crochet web site. Dayna's Crochet And, from time to time, I get emails from people who either have a comment on my awesome free patterns or a correction that should have been made. :)

I was pleased as punch when someone asked me a question about a pattern because they were making a sweater out of one of my squares. I unfortunately was NO help to her at all, but she made the sweater anyway and shared the pictures!

Her name is Doris P. and she's from Bailey, Colorado and here is her work of art with one of my motifs!

And, my original pattern link Star Flower Granny and picture

Thank you Doris for sharing your work!!! Looks AWESOME!

I LOVE Mac N Cheese

2011-07-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite meals in the world is Mac N Cheese. No, nothing else with it, just Mac N Cheese! My sister would agree with me, every time she thinks of the blue box, she thinks of me! My Husband knows this too, and he's even been known to enjoy a box with some hotdogs cut up in it! :) Jake's gonna LOVE us for that one! By the way, my world WAS rocked at some point when my sweet mother made us Mac Casserole, and she completey ruined my taste for the best meal ever for several days...she put TUNA in the MAC N CHEESE!!?!??! YUCK!

So, you can imagine my excitement when I was at the store looking for yummy new food for Jake, and I came across the best site EVER!

YES! Baby food Mac N Cheese!!! I couldn't wait to give it to Jake, just hoping he would LOVE IT!

Nothing better for dinner than Beef and MacNCheese!

And, wouldn't you know it....HE ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT!!!!

All I have to say is

That's My Boy!

Cricut Updates!!!

2011-07-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

If you are a fan of the cricut, new stuff is coming! Including new July cartridges, so check it out!

I want one of these really, really bad! Please, if you know my husband, TELL him I NEED this!

Cricut Expression 2

Cricut Official Site

Introducing Cricut Expression 2 Personal Electronic Cutter. We've taken everything you love about Cricut Expression and made it even better. All-new machine design, bigger, full-color LCD touch screen, material setting, and a cutting-area light are just the start. Cricut Expression 2 will do everything Cricut Expression can, plus lots of exciting new features like:

Still 12” x 24” cutting capability: Enables large-format cutting and creating.
Compatible with ALL Cricut cartridges – including Cricut Imagine cartridges. (Cricut Imagine cartridges will just cut images, not print images or patterns.)
Larger, faster, full-color LCD touch-screen display with stylus. No keypad overlay required!
Mat Preview: See shapes you’re cutting and where they fit on the mat before you cut!
Material Setting: Choose a default setting for materials you like to cut (cardstock, regular paper, chipboard, etc) OR customize a material setting just how you want it.
Layer View: See all creative features and layers right on the screen, including shift layers. No need to keep referring back to the handbook!
Wireless-compatible: Connect to Cricut Craft Room with your Cricut Expression 2 wirelessly.
And many more!

It will be mine, OH YES, it will be mine!

6 and 7 months

2011-07-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, how time does fly!!! Life has been really busy lately and I have not been keeping up with this blog! So, i'll do another catch up post...

Such a big boy at 6 months! Love him too much!

July 1st, Old Navy Flag Shirt Family Picture! :)

Jake and Alfredo - HIGH FIVE!

The fam on the 4th

And, Jake at 7 months! He loves his Yoda!!

Hope everybody is enjoying their summer!!!

Retreat Time!!!

2011-06-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend two things happened. I went on an all weekend long Scrapbooking Retreat! YEY!! I stayed not 1 but 2 nights away from my baby! BOO! But, he got to spend the time with Nonnie and his Daddy and did very well, and was really really happy to see me when I got home Sunday afternoon! :) Here are some of the layouts I did. I finished 46 layouts!! I'll be adding most of the pictures of layouts to my Scrapbook.com account, but until then, enjoy!

First two pages, I will do his cover page later

First picture of the three of us together

Just about an hour after all the paperwork was finished and he was released from the Hospital

Gotcha!!!

Our Christmas Blessing!!

Its such a great feeling to finally get started on Jake's baby album! however, the 46 pages were from birth to one month. I'm in trouble!!! I'm going to need more bookshelf space!

Sweet Potato Pie!

2011-06-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

As promised, pictures of Jake having a yummy time with Sweet Potatoes!

He's now eating 2.5 oz at a time, ziggy piggy!! And, he loves the sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots! On to Green Veggies next!

Bonus points if you know the movie this is from!

mmmmm, sweet potatoes!!!

Well, maybe not??

Adventures With Socks!

2011-06-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

I know these pictures are a bit grainy, but you can tell what's going on. My son, he's just awesome, isn't he! These are screen grabs from his day care's web cam...

Successfully removed sock from foot! YEY!
mmmm, the sock tastes like squash!
OH, Teacher took sock away, thank goodness I have ANOTHER one!
Why won't this sock come off!

Look how easy he can lift that leg and put his foot in his mouth! Wait, should we be proud? Well, anyway, we are! By the way, he can ALSO stick his entire fist in his mouth! YES, that we should be proud of!

Soon after, a passy was found and took all interest in socks away, and time for a little nap. Taking just one sock off is hard work!!! Apparently... Notice he still has only one sock on. NICE! :)

Have a great weekend everybody!

Update - 4:55 pm - NOW he has NO socks! HEHEHE

Thank You!!!

2011-06-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say THANKS to our troops out there serving and retired. We would not be who we are with out you!

We had a low key Memorial Day, nothing special, just yummy hamburgers for us and sweet potatoes for Jake!

Dean, Dayna & Jake - Happy Memorial Day!

Jake was in a REALLY good mood, and we made him giggle!

Again and Again!

Showing off his Wranglers

So, I have to explain our cake.

My mother bought me a cake pan in the shape of a giant sandwich!! So, it really looks like a sandwich! It has jell-O, fruit, and whipped cream in the middle!

I hope you had a great three day weekend too!

Solid Food? I don't think so!!!

2011-05-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

So, last week we started on solid foods for Jake. We were really excited and got the rice cereal and bowls and spoons and were ready to go!

Well, guess what. The boy HATES rice cereal!!! YUCKY!!!

Breakfast of Champions!!!

Messy Eater!!!

Okay, I think I've had enough!!!

This week we tried some sweet potatoes and he liked that MUCH better! Also, he likes eating solids better at 10am than at 6am. No idea why, but we will go with that!!!

Hopefully he will get the hang of this soon! He's not getting full from the bottle alone anymore.

One step closer

2011-05-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today was our 5 month visit from the Agency. It was to make sure we were doing alright, and that we had the house baby proofed. MAJOR thank yous to my Mother-in-law, Linda for helping out so much this weekend! The three of us thank you very very very ...100 times more... very very much!!!

So, our next step is a final court date which will be sometime after June 15th, hopefully in July at the latest, but we shall see! I'll keep you updated!

More later...

UPDATE!!! UPDATE!!!
We just sent the check to the Lawyer, and earliest we can get a court date is June 24th, but the schedule has to be open and the Lawyer has to be available, so if so, we may get in that day! If not, the next available date would be July 8th, as they only do proceedings every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month. Wish us luck!!!

And May Marks Five Months!

2011-05-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, time is just flying by! Jake is 5 months old! He was able to enjoy a wonderful weekend with his Queenie and Alfredo, and with his Nonnie and Papa and all his cousins at our Neice's Graduation party! She graduated from SHSU after 7 years! Good Going LJ! We are so proud!

Five Month Photos for your viewing pleasure...
Love the title picture! He was sitting up, took a digger into the couch, then tried to roll on his back! Love that shot! He thought it was funny!

He is definately Handsome Like Daddy! His cousin has given him a nick name ~ Lady Killa'! he proved it Sunday when one of his cousins couldn't resist giving him a little kiss on the cheek! Just the most adorable thing I've ever seen!

Love Ya!

Blog Giveaway!!!

2011-05-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

Go check out Creations With Becka's blog for an awesome giveaway! She is trying to reach 600 followers, and she's getting close! Hurry! Hurry!!!

Some Thoughts

2011-05-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but forgot, so here ya go!
There's been a lot of things rolling around in my head these days. Thought I would share.

First of all, on Osama Bin Laden (OBL). I am very conflicted in my feelings as to his death. Is the world a better place without his evil, yes. Am I going to celebrate his death, NO! Am I glad he's dead, well, honestly, yes, but I feel guilty about that. I don't think celebrating a persons death is appropriate. I also have NO interest in seeing the video, photos, or any kind of media of what happened that day. I'm proud to be an American and I'm proud of our President for accomplishing something that has needed to be done, and I'm especially proud of the SEAL team who went in and did the job. God Bless America!

On the lighter side, I really, really love Star Wars. So much so I have several copies of the movies. The original trilogy (4, 5, and 6) as they were originally released in theaters on VHS, the updated original trilogy on VHS and on DVD, Episode 1 on DVD, then the new trilogy (1, 2, and 3) on DVD, which came in a set. So, now we have yet again a NEW way to enjoy movies at home, the blu ray! I promised my husband that I wouldn't get the new format as our blu ray will play DVDs, but yesterday is May the 4th. And, in excellent Star Wars Fashion, they released the two trilogies on blu ray yesterday, May the 4th, Star Wars Day! I love it, want it, and NEEEED it, but I will hold true to my promise not to by it.

By the way, if anybody needs a Birthday Gift or Christmas Gift idea for me, maybe you could consider.... :)

maythe4th.starwars.com

Television. I'm just about DONE with the shows they offer these days. Glee was awesome, now not so much. I still like it and watch it, but it's not up to its former glory. The Event was not such a good event, which I was really hoping it would be! Heroes, wow! Started off so good, then so-so, then what?? then it ended with no close to any story line. Bad Form! So, all that's left is a bunch of so-so TV shows that I really don't care to follow and the dreaded reality shows. Let me just say I HATE THEM! I'm so sick of all the "fake" drama these people display to the world! I don't want drama in my life, why the HECK am I gonna watch a bunch of whiners live out their so-called horrible lives. I do like America Idol, and this season is way better than last season, and I LOVE J-LO! Still watching the Office, but Michael Scott's last episode wasn't all that great, but still will watch to see where it goes. Community really makes me laugh! And, the little show after Glee, Raising Hope - OMG, that show is SO FUNNY!! If you haven't seen it, just try it once, it's LOL funny to me! Dean doesn't think so, but that's alright.

For a few years, Dean and I had been watching all the season's of Lost. Now, THAT was a GREAT SHOW! We didn't actually watch while it was running on the network, but it was fun to watch a series from start to finish on DVD. If you want to watch a really great series because the summer rerun / reality show season is coming up, I suggest that one!

That's all for now! Love ya!

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail!

2011-05-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Easter with the family!!! Everybody in Dean's family was able to go to Papa and Nonnie's house for the afternoon!

The entire family!

Durwood and Linda (aka Papa and Nonnie)

David and his kids, Linda Jean, Andy and his wife Melissa, and Michael

Doug and Stacy and their kids

Emily, Travis, Hannah, Natalie, Abigail, Ben, Sarah, and Lily Anne (aka Easter Lily)

Dean and Dayna and their son Jake

If you are counting, thats 20 people, including 12 grandkids!

Nonnie and Papa with Jake - LOVE this picture!

A year ago, we took pictures at Easter that we used for our Adoption Applications. Look where we are now! How lucky and Blessed are we!

Jake having a nice chat with his cousin, Lily Ann, she is 4 months older than Jake, so they should be best good cousin friends for life!

Natalie wanted to be baptized with the whole family there. This is before, durring, and After.

We are so proud of you, Natalie! God bless you and your loving parents!

I hope everybody had a wonderful Easter full of blessings!

Jesus loves us this we know, 'cause the bible tells us so!

I wanna win! Don't You!!!!?!?

2011-04-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

I've never done this before, but there's a first time for everything! Everything Cricut is giving away an E2 (Cricut Expression 2)!

Click here for more details!

Good Luck!

Where has 4 Months gone??

2011-04-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

Not sure where the first four months have gone! It seems like yesterday I was wondering if I would be a mommy, and now I'm a Mommy of a 4 month old! Jake is starting to coo and talk to us and just be as cute as can be!

Showing off his new hat from Old Navy! Such a cutie!

Pictures with Jack are hard to com by as Jack doesn't really want anything to do with Jake. Pixel however will let Jake get hand fulls of fur and skin and grab his collar and he will just sit there and pur until he lets go, then he moves ever so slightly to be out of reach. Silly kitties!

Angel Face full f drool!!!

Thank God I'm a country boy! His Queenie got him cute Wrangler overalls!

"Yoda, talk to the hand..." He is now officially bigger than Yoda!

Four Whole Months and STILL laughing at Yoda

Looks to me he's ready to "go fast!" I swear it looks like he's holding an imaginary steering wheel!

Looking forward to First Easter! TTFN!

Trip to the Zoo!!

2011-03-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

One of our Neices turned Eight last week and wanted to have a family outing at the zoo, so we all headed to the Medical Center and enjoyed the day together at the Houston Zoo. We spent the morning taking in all the animal sights (and smells!) and then had a picnic out by the lake and after lunch, some of the group went on paddle boats! Fun was had by all!

Dean and Jake looking at the fishes

Jake and 7 of his cousins, Emily, Travis, Hannah, Natalie, Abbie, Ben, Sarah. Lilly Ann was napping in her stroler, so she's not pictured.

Me and Jake in front of the salt water tropical fish tank

Jake loving the lovely weather in his stroler

Doug & Stacy and their kids

Dean, Dayna, Nonnie and Jake in the stroler

Jake and Lilly Ann

Jake in Dads lap watching the paddle boats

Happy Birthday Abigail! Hope you had a great time! We did!

Lots can happen in Three Months!

2011-03-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Sure has been a busy three months! I can't believe it went by so fast! He is SUCH a cutie and such a joy, I have to share and share some more!

Apparenty he REALLY loves his Puppy Passy now. Look how upset and then how content he is after he gets it back!

aaaaaa, that's better

Three Months Old - March 15, 2011

He's getting bigger than Yoda!

Our little family!

I also want to say another family we know from our Adoption Agency, AIM, adopted a baby girl today! She was born two days ago, so Happy Gotcha Day to Megan and Jason and Macey!!!

Jake and Pixel

2011-03-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

I know, I just posted, but I wanted to post these fun pics as well!

I love to take pictures of Jake, I call myself a Mama-razzi (this is from the Bo Bunny collection of the same name). The collection can be found here Mama-Razzi

So, when I saw Pixel sitting on the couch where I usually take pictures of Jake, I thought, cool!

Pix doesn't look too happy about this, but Jake is LOVING IT!

Okay, lets see if he will take a pic laying on him, YES he DID...

OH, I think Pix is about finished with Mama and Jake

He didn't go far but it did seem to make Jake Sad. :(

Love all my guys!!!

Parents Visit!!!

2011-03-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

My parents came to stay for a night before going on a cruise out of Galveston. They just came to visit Jake, we know, Dean and Dayna take a back seat to our adorable baby boy!

Jake with his Queenie and Alfredo

Jake and Alfredo

Jake and Queenie

Kickin' it back!

They had a great time on their cruise! They came back for a short hello when they came home and gave us all the sussies they bought for us before heading to South Texas. It was nice to see them! I hope they come to stay longer next visit!

Let's Catch up...

2011-02-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while! I'll do a summary post of tons of stuff! LONG POST but fun! :)

My birthday went well! we took Jake to stay with his Uncle Doug and Aunt Stacy and all his cousins while we went to the Cheesecake Factory!!! So yummy!!

Then, Valentine's Day! Jake was all dressed for the occasion! He's so cute in Red!

Then, the next day, Jake turned 2 months! YEY! He is just too cute!!!

I was planning on taking more pictures that afternoon because I wasn't too happy with how the ones I took turned out, but around 2ish, I GOT SO SICK! Turned out to be food poisoning!! I was out of it for two days! Thank goodness Nonnie could come and stay with Jake overnight! She really helped out a ton!

At Jake's 2 month doctor appointment, we found out he's 10lbs 2oz and 22.5 inches!! Progressing well!

And, here's just some great pics of my son, he's so cute!

Shirt says it all!

In Daddy's lap, just a gigglin!

Wow, Jake has some big Socks to fill!

I took this BEFORE his photo shoot at Target where he did NOT smile for the camera!

Outfit from his cousins, he's such a cutie!!!

Heads Up!

2011-02-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Jake is really looking good at Tummy Time! Getting Stronger!

I guess we need to add him tour our phone plan.

"Yeah, I make this look GOOD!"

Shirt says it all. BEST BABY EVER!

Superbowl Tummy Time!

That is all

Say cheese!!!

2011-02-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

First, we lost our first passy to Buddy! Jake dropped it outside and well, that's Buddy's place so he grabbed it and chewed it to bits! Here it is. BAH! Buddy!!

This is a cute sleeper hand me down from his cousin Quade who is one month older that Jake. And, It looks like he likes it! Sort of a smile there!

Then, we got it! The cutest smile ever! He's such a perfect baby!!

Smile, it increases your face value! --Dolly Parton, Steel Magnolias

Mama-razzi!!!

2011-01-28T09:23:00.000-08:00

Just couldn't help but post these! I bought this outfit for his coming home outfit, but alas, he was so tiny we had to get a newborn size, as this is a 0 to 3 month. I'm so glad he's in that size now as we have a TON of clothes that size!

The shirt says "Dad's First Round Draft Pick"

This is ALMOST a smile!!!

I think he's had just about enough of me taking pictures! Too bad Jake! You're just gonna have to get used to it! Wow, I'm going to have a huge scrapbook for him!

What's been going on??

2011-01-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

Well, we have been busy! We did some fun things the last week or so! My office friends were nice enough to throw me a baby shower and Jake got some good stuff!!!

such a cutie pie!!

Apparently the Cats like it too!!!

Loving Jake in these camo pants and red socks!

Dean helping Jake have a bottle

Soooooo cute! He's finally fitting in his clothes!

Then, we took Jake to the Tristar show ...

and he got to meet (well sorta) Bum Phillips! That's Jake in the stroller behind him!

So, we've been having a bit of fun!!!

Jake is One Month today!

2011-01-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

My baby boy is one month old today! I cannot believe it! It seems like yesterday we brought him home. Actually, to tell you the truth, it seems more like 2 months!!! What a life change it has been! And, it's only getting better!

The cutiest face ever!

My young padawan watching TV with his Jedi Master!

I hope everybody is enjoying their weekend!

First Bath!!!

2011-01-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

Just can't help it! His first bath. Years down the road, he's gonna HATE this picture!

Also, today was his first Aggie Game!!! He's ready to yell for the Aggies! Whoop!

Gig 'Em Aggies! BTHO LSU!

Christmas as a Family!

2011-01-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We had a GREAT time celebrating on Christmas Eve at Nonnie and Papa's house with all the family! It was our first BIG outing with the baby. I think he did quite well!!

This is me with three of Jake's cousins. Natalie is holding Jake and apparently is known as "the baby whisperer" in their house! These three have 5 other siblings! Lots of cousins to grow up with!

We have two new babies in the family this year! This is Jake and his cousin Lily Anne who is 4 months old

We celebrated Christmas late in the morning, after a 6am bottle then a 10am bottle! Jake got some good stuff! Well, clothes and other small toys. And, Santa thought it would be alright to start him early, and he did get a couple action figures, C3PO and R2-D2!

And, for New Years we well, did nothing really. We went to Walmart to get something to fix for dinner, which ended up being Jalapeno Poppers, BBQ Brisket, Mashed Potatoes, Guinness Beer, and a Cherry Pie! WOO HOO! We were in bed by 10:30 and I slept thru the "war zone" outside at midnight and woke up when Jake woke up hungry at 12:45.

Here's our Audirsch Rockin New Years Eve Party!

For New Years Day, we all had these great Old Navy Hoodies. Jake's has these cute little ears on the hood! LOVE IT!

Anyway, I will be sure to keep you updated on all things Jake! He's such a blessing!

Happy New Year!!!

We would like you to meet...

2010-12-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday wa a pretty good day. it was a LONG day but all turned out well in the end! We went to Beaumont to pick up our son. Here we are waiting for all the paperwork to be signed. It only took about 30 to 45 minutes, but it felt more like 2 days!

Here we are after the baby was discharged by the doctor and we were heading to the Elevatory.

Here he is all cozy in his car seat ready for the long drive to his new home.

After we got home, Dean was able to hold him

And, introducing Jacob Dean Ashish Audirsch

Merry Christmas!!

News, and More News

2010-12-16T21:09:00.000-08:00

First of all, thank you all for your prayers. Please keep praying! We have until 12:30 tomorrow (12/17)!

We had a fun day of visiting friends at work, shopping, and going down to the hospital. My mother is in town and she helped me do some much needed shopping for all the necessities, like onesies and blankets, etc. Then we picked up Dean and headed to Beaumont. That sure is a long drive!

We were able to visit with the birth parents as well as our social worker. My mother was able to meat them as well and hold the baby. He is even more handsome than he was yesterday!!! Dean and I were able to talk and visit and cry and hold the baby for quite a long time today. It was an emotional day today. He is really a beautiful baby! Head full of dark hair! You can almost not tell where his eye brows stop and his hair starts! I promise to post pictures soon.

As for tomorrow, we are going to the hospital around 11am to meet her mother and grand mother. They have come in from Florida today. We are nervous about meeting them, but we are confident all will turn out well.

We are praying for the strength and courage for everybody involved to decide the best for this beautiful baby boy. And I pray for all the happiness for the birth parents and their family in this difficult time.

This is REALLY REALLY Happening!!!!

2010-12-16T04:51:00.000-08:00

So, you never now how you are going to react to great things that happen to you in life. When we found out we were picked for adoption, we were floored and cried and were so happy!!! We have been planning for a day like yesterday but you never know how you are going to react when such a thing happens. Here's the story...

I went on my lunch break and was going to do some lunch time Christmas Shopping when I called Dean just to say hi and how's it going and that it was nice out so he should get out some today. Then, the phone beeped and it was AIM on the other line. I told Dean I had to go and answered the call. It was Denise, she said to call Jan on her cell phone NOW! Well, guess what! The birthmother was in labor and we are wanted at the hospital in Beaumont, you won't get there before the baby's born as she is 8cm already! OMG! I had to pull over to call Dean and told him all about it!!! Then frantically called my mother who FREAKED out of course and started to head our way!

We got to the Hospital around 2:30pm. She apparently went into labor at 1am that morning, but was sent HOME from the hospital at only 1cm. By the time she got back to the hospital, she was in full blown labor, and he was delivered so fast they didn't even have time to finish the paperwork!!!

The baby was born on December 15, 2010, 12:23 pm, weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long. He's happy and healthy, and the birthmother is doing great!

So, we are currently in the "48 hour" window, which ends Friday at 12:30. Please keep praying forus.

I will post more when I know more as we are planning on going to the hospital this afternoon.

Truly A Jolly Happy Soul

2010-12-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

I love my dog. He is such a sweet and super hyper dog! But, one of my favorite things about my crazy dog is he ACTUALLY will sit and take a picture when I ask. I'm not sure why but he does! And, when doing a Christmas picture, risking my beautiful tree from total Buddy destruction with ONE swift wag of a tail, I asked him to sit patiently down by the tree and take a picture. And, the ONLY way to describe this dog is truly a Jolly Happy Soul!

Have a Merry Christmas from Buddy (the Elf)!

I just wish we could get a costume on him, I really think he would look too cute in a Buddy the Elf costume don't you? He just never warmed to the idea of wearing clothes and/or anything on his head. I think that's Dean's doing as he thinks dressing up the dog is just wrong. Oh well. Here's to Buddy the Elf! One of my favorite movies of the Christmas Season!

"Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?"

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

2010-12-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

YEY! I have a beautiful Christmas tree! I actually had it finished Thanksgiving weekend.

The tree is a pre-lit tree with only white lights

And, now, with the multi-color lights added

I have some of the ornaments on, just playing with the feature on my camera here...

My mother made me this ornament when I was a baby!

And, here's the finished tree!!!

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

I hope everybody had a fantastic Thanksgiving, and if you ventured out into the craziness called "Black Friday" I hope you got the best deals you could with out any black eyes! :)

We are looking forward to this Holiday Season! We wish all the happiness to you and may all your Christmas Wishes come true! I know what WE are wishing for!!! (HINT: it's tiny and will turn this couple into a FAMILY!)

So far, so good!

2010-11-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like things are going quite well! We are chatting with the birth parents via email and enjoying getting to know them a little better. We are cautiously optimistic at this point and hope with all hopes that this goes on without a problem.

I'm going to repost this picture...

Notice the white dresser is NOT the one we got from Babies R Us.

This dresser is very special to me. When I was a baby and my family was just starting out, we didn't have much. However, my father bought this dresser for me. It was originally just a pink dresser. My mother being the artist she is drew pictures of Raggedy Ann and Andy and glued them to the sides of the dresser. She used the piggy banks on top of it now as a guide to what she wanted to draw. I have had this dresser with me ever since! When I was in high school, we repainted my bedroom and I painted this dresser white but made sure not to cover up the art work on the sides. And, now it's proudly going to be used in my baby's room. And, as our room is prepared for the baby, we are ready...

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. -John 14:3

I hope everybody has a great day! Keep praying for a happy, healthy baby and for him to grow up in a good home! Give us the ability to continue our new relationship with the birth parents, and wish ALL the happiness in the world to them!

THAT was a pretty good day!

2010-11-17T05:28:00.000-08:00

The meeting went REALLY well! We feel pretty good about it all! I'll post more later..

Okay? Okay! Love ya!

Nursery Time!

2010-11-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

So, with the news from Nov 3, we finally got going on the Nursery! Here is how the room started...

This is the room as it was our Guest Room. Caribbean colors of blue, orange, pink and lime green! Yes, that's a giant Dolphin Stuffed animal. His name is OOPIE (pronounced oh-pee - long story...).

It took four people at different times durring a couple of days to get all the stuff out of the room! But, we finally got it!

The, I got FANCY and bought some stencil material for the cricut, found a GREAT grass shape on the Mickey and Friends cartridge and painted on the grass. Love how this turned out!

Close up of the grass

Once the grass was finished, we started on the clouds! Linda came over to help me out.

So, the clouds are half finished here and even though the ones on the wall look like whip cream, I still LOVE THEM!!

Then, Friday (11/12) we got our furniture from Baby's R Us, and they SO IKEA'ed us! We had to put each and every piece together! Amanda helped put this together...

And, finally, we finished! All the furniture is set up, the walls are painted, we have a stroller and car seat system, so we are ready to go!

And just as we finished, our social worker, Jan, called us to confirm we are still excited and ready to go to Beaumont on Tuesday! So, we are so excited we can barely breathe!

Keep praying! I'll let you know when I know!!!

This is REALLY Happening!

2010-11-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

So, I promised I would write more. So, here goes. This is a bit long, but it's worth it!!!

Yesterday we went to a meeting at our adoption agency, a support group for waiting parents. It was nice! We had a few snacks, learned what was going on with the agency, and were able to share stories and feelings and ideas about what all of us are going through. We all were able to discuss openly what's going on in our wait and offer and hear advise from others.

The evening was winding down and people were beginning to head home so we waived to the social worker that we were heading out and she signaled for us to wait. She seemed like she really wanted to talk to us, so we waited, even though we needed to be heading out to get home. Once all the other couples left, she took us in her office to discuss what was going on.

Back in September, we received an email about a couple who were looking for adoptive parents for their baby. We were asked if we wanted to be considered for the situation and we said yes. We never imagined in a million years that she would pick us. Yes, thats right, you guessed it, we have been PICKED!! We were all so shocked and amazed as to what was happening. To be faced with a reality of something you fantasize about is so exciting that I have no word to expalin the excellent feeling I'm having!!!!!

So, the next step, we are going to be meeting the Birth Parents on November 16th. This will be an exciting meeting. I'm already nervous about it and not sure what to expect. If this meeting goes well, meaning we are willing and they are willing to continue with the process together, Dean and I will be parents to their baby. Here's the really shocking part. She is due MID DECEMBER! Yes, I said December!!! We are talking about 6 weeks here!

Here's a picture of us after we got home. I couldn't stop crying all the way home!!!

This is a really scary and exciting time for us. At this point, this is not a sure thing, but we are confident in our social worker and trust her judgment that there is a good chance this may be the one. We hope with all hope that this is the right situation for us. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that this is the right situation for us. And, if it happens to not be the right situation, pray for us to have the strength and courage to continue this journey. We know we are going to find the just right situation for us and all involved!

God Bless! Love ya! I'll keep you Posted!!!

Wow

2010-11-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

The most exciting thing happened today. I will write more later! Love Ya!

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T06:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say Happy Halloween to everybody! Be safe and have fun!

Love, Pixel

Do we really have to choose just ONE?

2010-10-31T05:57:00.000-07:00

So, we have a free weekend finally! What did we do? Oh, nothing too exciting. We went to IKEA to see what kind of couches and if they had baby furniture. The couches were good, we got to look at some Kitchens, and they didn't have much in the baby furniture department for babies. SO, we wend diving up 45 to Spring and The Woodlands.

We found Baby's & Kid's First Furniture! Wow, what a place! We had a blast looking around at all the furniture and getting ideas and such. Here are a few we were looking at.

I really like the sleigh cribs! This one has a safty gate on the front. Looks nice!

This one is great, it's a 4 in 1 which is what we are looking for.

This was a weird looking crib! No, didn't like it at all!

Dean really liked this plane. He had a Big smile - COOL!

This is the one we liked the best. It comes in a more natural finish which is what we are going to get.

So, there you have it! The only weird thing about going crib shopping when you waiting to adopt, well, you are not pregnant and I would say every woman in there was! So, everybody was looking at my tummy and wondering! Ha! Oh well. We now know what we want and what to look for so we hope to get something soon! We really need to clean up the room and get it ready!

Have a Happy Halloween!

Mass Hysteria!!

2010-10-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those photo moments that you just cannot believe that you have to take it! Well, here is one...

To quote Bill Murray:

"Dogs and Cats living together - Mass Hysteria!!"

-Ghost Busters

Pixel even has the remote as he is DEFINATELY the Alpha Pet in the house. Can you Believe he is 15 years old! He is older than ALL of Dean's middle brother's 8 kids! On that note, Jack is 9, so he's older than 4 of them. Buddy's only older than 1 of them.

Time for a Visit!

2010-10-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today, we had our home visit. We were really nervous and have spent the last two weeks getting the house ready for the big meeting. We were a little worried when the social worker called and said she was going to be late, but fortunately, it all worked out for the best! We had a great afternoon of discussing our lives with her, and she gave us great tips and things to consider for the next phase of the process. We both felt it went really well.

So, what's the next phase of the process? Well, most adoptive parents will say this is the hardest part. We are now officially waiting. Waiting to be chosen. Wait Wait Wait. We have turned in all our paperwork and our birth mother book and are ready to go. So, to keep us busy while we wait, we are going to transform our guest room into a nursery! Sorry, all visitors will have to sleep on the sofa bed from now on! We have to first get all the stuff out of the room that doesn't need to be there, and do some painting to get everything ready, then we will get the furniture.

Have a GREAT week!

You will be missed

2010-10-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Today I learned a dear friend of mine passed away this weekend. I have not seen her in a few years, but think of her often. We met while I was living in Colorado, we worked together in my first "real job" out of college. She was a wonderful friend and was there for me at my must needed hour. Most of my best memories of my time living in Colorado have her in them. From Holiday parties, including Halloween to Christmas cookie party, to gossiping over lunch about work, to all the hours we spent together scrapbooking, to just sitting around chatting. She was a wonderful, beautiful person who was truely an Angel here on earth.

To my dearest friend, Errika. You were a beautiful, wonderful, cheerful person. You are and will always be missed. God Bless you and your family, as I cannot imagine the pain they feel. I love you, Eriika!

This was at Eriika's Halloween party in 1999, me as Queen Amidala, Eriika as Marge Simpson, and another friend as a cat.

Renee, Eriika and Dayna at Dayna's 27th Surprise Birthday Party

And, for my 29th birthday, Eriika gave me a Star Wars Trivial Pursuit Collectors Edition.

I Love Halloween!

2010-10-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween and I love decorating for it! I went to Michaels the other day and all the fun Halloween stuff was on sale, so I got theses candles and decorated them. Going on my table. The stickers are Martha Stewert and so very cute!

This is just the beginning of my table center piece. I'll update when I get more!

Happy Halloween!

What's going on with you?

2010-10-06T05:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, been a while! I cannot believe it's already October! So, here's whats up...

Adoption: Sept 27 was our individual meetings, where Dean and I were interviewed alone with Jan. We did it all in one day, and wow, that place is really busy!! However, we both feel it went quite well! And, I've already volunteered for the Christmas Party they have for the Birthmothers. And, I'm gonna get people at work to help! Hey, it's 8 hours of volunteer time!

We have turned in our Birthmother book. It is so awesome! I really love it and Dean was very proud of it as well. So, now we are less than 2 weeks away from our Home visit. We have a bit more paperwork to do and then we are ready and waiting! Here's to Hope!

Scrapbooking: well, I'm going to Croptoberfest on Oct 16th and cannot wait! I had to miss the August crop, which is the first event from my CMC that I've missed in like 2 years! Total bummer!!! Howevr, I am almost finished with my Cancun album. Hope to finish that at the crop and then I'm going to work on my brother-in-laws Disney album! it's an 8.5 x 8.5 album, so it's a weird size, but it will be fun!

Crafts: Being October, I'm all in the mood for crafts! I made the cutiest candles the other day! Next I'm going to do some pumpkin deorating! Saw a really great idea online I'm going to try. Once I get it all up, I'll post some pictures!

So glad fall finally decided to show up, it's been really cool in the mornings and only getting up to low to mid 80s. YEY!

TTFN!

Adoption Seminar

2010-09-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today, we went to the all day seminar where we heard from different people all representing different aspects of the adoption process. We heard from a few birth mothers, adoptees and adoptive parents. Some of the stories they tell you are so scary, like the birthmother deciding at the last minute they want to keep the baby, and stories from birthmothers that they completely regret placing their baby for adoption. And, on the flip side, we heard some really great stories. One lady was pregnant with her 6th baby and decided she could not raise the child, so she decided on adoption. We heard from two couples who had recently been placed and they had their miracle babies with them! They had some good stories and tips and helpful hints for us, like what to expect when you visit the hospital after the baby is born. How to prepare for the upcoming blessed event, and other tid bits we may need. By the way, I think we will get a car seat as soon as we are chosen so we will have enough time to figure it out! We heard both couples complain about putting in the car seat! Guess I'm going to have to talk Dean into getting me a new car sooner, huh?

Here we are at the agency.

There were 7 couples at the agency for the seminar today, and there are currently 8 couples currently waiting. We have set up our next meeting, the individual interviews, in a few weeks and we have set up a time for the home visit in October. Once that is finished and our book is complete, we will be ready to be selected! Such an exciting and scary time! Here's to HOPE!!!

The week and stuff

2010-08-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well, last week was the last week we had to do anything to do with Dean's Hospital Stay! He came home Aug 17th and was put on a home IV for a total of 14 days. This ended Friday 8/27, and the nurses came and removed the PICC line and we are glad to put the whole big huge mess behind us and move along!

Thursday we are going to our Adoption counceling meeting we had to reschedule. We are so ready for this meeting! And, looking forward to the next step in the adoptions process. I almost have our birthmother book finished! We are attending an all day seminar on the 9th, so that should be interesting!

And, this weekend was the first weekend with NO iv so we ran some errands Saturday and smoked some Ribs today, just for fun. Didn't go too well, came out a bit salty, and we couldn't get the grill at the right temp, so right now we are still in more of the error side of trial and error when it comes to great BBQ. We have made it our mission to make ribs and brisket so good that we could enter a cook off if we want to! We just have to practice! Football season is gonna be great! Cooking in the backyard while listening to football and playing with the dog, sounds like fun, yes?

Here's a couple layouts from my 365 project.

Have a great week! I know I'm looking forward to a two short weeks in a row! Have a great Labor Day!

This and That

2010-08-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to say this week is almost over! It's Friday afternoon and tomorrow is going to be sleep catch up and fill out adoption paperwork day! We are both so tired! Dean requires an IV drip every 8 hours, so at 6am, 2pm, and 10pm for two hours. Coming off a week of little sleep that wasn't good to even less sleep that is pretty decent, we are well, out of gas!

Here is my layout for last week. Hope you like it!

Sunday - Mother's Hospital Lunch

Monday - our feet while waiting for Dean's surgery

Tuesday - Lemon Bar from Dean's lunch

Wednesday - gas for the minivan

Thursday - downtown Houston in a rain shower

Friday - Buddy is the cutiest dog!!!

Saturday - LONG uphill sky walk to the parking garage

Have a great weekend!

Project 365 - August 1 to 7

2010-08-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

So, while I was waiting for Dean's surgery to finish up, I was able to get some digi scrapbooking finished! Thank goodness for technology! I had my camera that had the daily photos and I just plugged in my picture card and just started to work!

Here's my layout!

Sunday - it's Pixel's Birthday!

Monday - Yummy snack - peach, banana, strawberry and cranberry smoothie

Tuesday - this car has glitter fleck paint quite a site!

Wednesday - CRAZY shoe day!

Thursday - Dean & Dayna at their adoption orientation

Friday - Gas for the truck again - $79.09

Saturday - Dean broke his leg, this was the pass I needed to see him in the ER trauma room

What a WEEK!!!

2010-08-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we had a really big thing happen Satuday. Dean broke his leg! I am right now in Memorial Herman hospital waiting while he's in surgery getting a rod placed in his left femur. We got an update at 5:30ish and all was going well. We checked in the emergency room on Satuday afternoon, were admitted that evening, then waited until Monday late afternoon for surgery. There have been all kinds of stress with this, trying to get information from the nurses and the doctors. We actually didn't see a single doctor until this morning once we started complaining about all the waiting and pushing back of surgery. However, Dean's mom finally was able to get someone to pay attention and we got him taken care of.

UPDATE: His surgery went well! He got back to his room around 9ish. Long, very long day! Needing one more overnite stay, but will be back to normal soon!

So, we are waiting. Hopefully we will be able to get him home tomorrow so we can get back to our everyday lives. The recovery time for this surgery is relatively short and should be back to the grind in a few days.

Here are my feet (Nike's), with my mom's (silver flip flops) and my mother-in-law's (white sandles)! This is while we are waiting in the OR waiting room.

TTFN!

Well, here we go!

2010-08-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

So, today we go to the first orientation for the Adoption process! I am so nervous and excited! I really don't know what to expect! I mean, I kinda have an idea, but does one really ever know whats going on? The last few weeks I've been chatting with a friend who just adopted a little girl earlier this year. It was an international adoption and it took two years, but she and her family are so happy! Its nice to be able to talk about this with friends and they get just as excited about it as I am.

We are going today from 9:30 to 12:30 so it's a good long afternoon of questions being answered. Open vs. Closed, how long does it take, have we gotten thru the first round of checks or are we still on the bubble, so many questions and concerns! I went out last night and got a notebook and a binder and dividers so I can keep track of all our notes and stuff so I'll have it all in one place when I start a scrapbook!

Now, my mother and mother-in-law are starting to get excited too! But, they are asking the kinds of questions they ask...what names have you picked out and when do you get started on the room! Wait, what? But, that's what they do best, and thanks to them, and all our friends, we have a HUGE prayer circle going for us today, which is the best part of all this! So many people want this to go well, so I'm thinking it will!

I'll be sure to post more later about the meeting! Wish us well!

The Beginning

2010-08-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Well, as they always say, the best place to start is the beginning! I've visited all sorts of blogs and I always wanted to start one of my own but never knew what to blog about!

I think I have a lot of interesting things going on in my life these days, and now I'm ready! So, here goes! I will do all kinds of posts about crafts, me, my family, my pets, and things I like to talk about.

And, the biggest thing that's going on now is we are starting the adoption process. We have our very first orientation this Thursday, and we just can't wait. Check back soon! I plan on posting all about it!

So, I hope I keep up and I hope it's fun and I hope a few people read this and it brings a smile to their faces!