live, laugh & love

halloween fun

2011-11-02T09:13:00.000-05:00

At the Arboretum Halloween Carnival with our playgroup.

Bentley made such a great Batman. He really got into the whole trick or treating thing.

Enjoy the pictures!

Trick or Treating with the kids on Lavendale Ave!
It was a blast!

Papaya

2011-11-01T21:17:00.000-05:00

I'm 22 weeks and supposedly the size of a papaya...according to the baby bump website.

I'm feeling great these days and enjoying all her kicks. She's an active one.

We haven't agreed on names yet but will keep you posted once we decide!

xoxoxoxo

our sweet baby GIRL!

2011-10-20T21:44:00.001-05:00

IT'S A GIRL... that is what our sonographer said when i went into shock, then proceeded to cry, then asked are you sure it's not a boy. the whole pregnancy i had a feeling i was having a girl but then just figured i'd be the mom with all boys (which would have been great too). Wow, God is always full of surprises!

Ryan and i are just overwhelmed with God's blessings and feel an abundance of joy.

he has been so good to us it's sometimes hard for me to comprehend.

baby girl long is healthy and already growing a week ahead of our due date, march 5th.

I'm 20 weeks and feeling great these days...full of energy!

Thank goodness because I still have to keep up with Bentley.

Not many cravings but my appetite is full force these past few weeks. Finally enjoying food!

I'll post some pictures of my belly asap.

She is beautiful...love her already!

Welcome Baby Sloan!

2011-10-20T21:16:00.000-05:00

Sloan Elise Lagasse was born on October 14th at 2:55pm weighing 6lbs 14ozs.

Congratulations to our sweet friends, Sondra and Chris and big sister Brynn.

Love you all!

twenty months!

2011-10-20T21:12:00.000-05:00

happy belated 20 months!

this little guy is getting more handsome everyday!

i love you with all my heart, and jesus does too!

random pictures

2011-10-20T21:08:00.000-05:00

here are some random pictures taken this past month or so.

enjoy!

bentley and jace with the pumpkins

bentley leaving church with his friends

bentley's buddy, brock!

celebrating october birthdays

our 30lb boys are getting to big for us!

the 10 with our mommies and gigi's

two newest additions to the group

our sweet grandpa

2011-10-20T20:40:00.000-05:00

grandpa long went to be with our lord and savior, jesus christ on september 16th.

ryan was blessed with an amazing father figure and he was lucky to have him around for 31 years.

we got to celebrate grandpa's 84th birthday a week before he left us.

thank you grandpa for leaving us with your legacy. we will always love you very much!

boat trip

2011-10-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

ok... so i've been M.I.A but i'm back!

we have just had a little crazy life lately but i'm ready to blog!

over labor day (yes, it's been that long since i've blogged) we got invited back on the carrekers yacht.

it was another amazing experience with the fuschs and carrekers!

we flew into miami and took the yacht into the keys.

we had an amazing time and awesome weather. it was such a nice mommy break!

the carrekers yacht

our way back into miami from key largo

the crew on board

the best bread pudding EVER

girls relaxing

first day of school

2011-09-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

Bentley started "school" (aka: mommy's day out) last week and....he LOVES it!

I knew he was ready but didn't realize he would be so excited to go.

I think I was more nervous than he was. When I dropped him off he started yelling "bye-bye" to me and ran off to the toys. And when I picked him up he started blowing kisses to his two sweet teachers.

He has the most outgoing personality... it makes me laugh.

Here are a few pictures with his new dinosaur backpack. :)

xoxoxo

19 months

2011-09-13T09:55:00.001-05:00

My little superman is growing big and strong!

Here is a video of him playing at the walnut hill open gym rec center.

This little kid brings so much joy in my life!

Hope you can view the video...Enjoy!

BIG bro

2011-09-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

bentley's going to be a BIG brother! we are expecting baby long #2.

i'm 14 weeks and due March 5th!

the 1st trimester was rough but glad the hard part is over!

as you can imagine we are so excited! i can't wait to add to our sweet family!

i haven't taken any belly photos yet but check back soon...i'll keep you posted!

xoxoxo

gigi retired!

2011-09-08T19:54:00.001-05:00

congratulations Gigi!

my mom retired last week after working waaayyy to long!

bentley and I are so excited to have gigi around a lot more during the days.

it couldn't have happened at a more perfect time...God's hand was over this!

we are so proud of you!

love!

GOOD news!

2011-08-22T18:29:00.004-05:00

Bentley hit a big mile stone...1.5 years. And boy do we have GOOD news for you!

I reintroduced dairy last week before his 18 month appointment hoping we could go with good news.
The Lord has been listening to my prayers because Bentley didn't react.
I just want to thank you for all the prayers and support thru this journey with his dairy allergy.
It has been much appreciated and I would love to give you all hugs if I could!

So far Mr. B has had chocolate pudding, chocolate milk, cheese pizza, grilled cheese sandwich, greek yogurt, and of course the best part...ICE CREAM! I was so excited to give him ice cream. If he is anything like his mommy and daddy I knew he would freak out...well he did! The kid started running around the den in circles, waving his arms, running back to me for more. I must say it was the happiest my heart felt in awhile knowing that he doesn't have to miss out anymore. The most exciting part of all is we finally get to order from the Kid's Menu at restaurants. I've always had to pack his food when we went out and it was a real treat for me to be able to go this week and just enjoy! We go back to the allergist this week to follow-up but so far so good...thanks for all the prayers.

Other than our fabulous dairy news we got a great report from Dr. Neely. Bentley weighs 29.4 lbs (85th percentile) and is 34 inches tall (95th percentile). He is a growing boy!

Check out B with his new electric car!

Welcome Rowan!

2011-08-22T17:25:00.001-05:00

My sweet friend, Jessica, delivered a precious baby girl on Saturday.

Rowan Jewel McMurtrey was born on August 20th at 11:34pm weighing 6lbs 15ozs.

Jason and Jessica are the very proud parents! She is a doll!

Two new healthy babies in three weeks...PHEW!

As you can imagine my group of friends are ecstatic!

Love you Rowan and Claire!

trip to vail

2011-08-14T09:05:00.000-05:00

bentley and i packed up and headed to vail for a last minute 10 day trip.

last minute i mean... decided 5 days before we left.

the 110 degree heat was unbearable and keeping a high energy toddler housebound is torture (for us both).

it all started with my sister over bringing the idea up, we approved it by Ryan, booked our flights the next day, and three days later we were on AA landing in Vail enjoying 65 degree weather!

i must say those spontaneous trips are always the best!

unfortunately, ryan had a lot going on at work and couldn't get away but my mom spent the first 4 days with us and was a huge help. we spent everyday outside... it was amazing!

it was hard leaving Vail but felt blessed we could get away for awhile!

i hadn't seen bentley that happy in a longggg time!

hope you enjoy our pictures!

Welcome Claire!

2011-08-13T15:05:00.000-05:00

My dear friend, Adelina, had a healthy little girl on August 3rd.

Claire Nora Kainer arrived at 1:34pm weighing 6lbs. 8ozs, and 19.5" long.

Congratulations to our sweet friends Adelina and Reed!

Love you both!

happy friday!

2011-07-29T07:33:00.002-05:00

fishing trip

2011-07-29T07:32:00.000-05:00

Ryan went up to Alaska on a fishing trip and had a lot of luck.

Look at the all the salmon he brought back...it's all in our freezer.

He is proud of his King Salmon

Halibut, Red and Silver Salmon

mobile randoms

2011-07-20T16:10:00.000-05:00

at the dallas world aquarium

found daddy's shoes

17 months

2011-07-15T09:31:00.000-05:00

The little man turned 17 months!

Fun Facts about Bentley:

- favorite song to sing: la cucaracha (i'll post a video of him singing it...hilarious)

- favorite toy: the football (not kidding, he has an arm too)

- favorite summer activity: splash pad and the pool (loves dunking his head under water)

- favorite tv show: mickey mouse clubhouse (dancing to the hot dog dance)

- favorite food: saltine crackers (he could probably live off these if we let him)

- favorite book: pajama time by sandra boyton

- favorite part of the day: nighttime (he waves bye-bye when you lay him down)

i love the zoo

2011-06-25T15:09:00.000-05:00

Bentley and I headed to the Dallas Zoo this past week with our playgroup.
It was his first time and he LOVED it. Feeding the Giraffe's was a highlight!

Meeting the Turtles.

Hanging with the Tiger.

Crawling in with the Snakes.

Feeding the Giraffe.

Watching the Lion.

boy noises

2011-06-19T13:13:00.000-05:00

meeting the cousins

2011-06-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

we had the chance to meet the savage cousins.

on their move from astoria, oregon to clearwater, florida we had a wonderful visit.

the little guys...trygg (4 months), koltyn (2 years), and bentley (16 months).

16 months

2011-06-19T09:22:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late on his 16 month update.

Better late than never.

Here are some mobile photos taken the last month or so (I think).

We are enjoying our summer...fun in the sun!

summer fun

2011-06-05T20:36:00.001-05:00

who needs a pool to have fun?!?

this is our $14 purchase that is obviously doing the trick.

bentley loves playing with his new waterball sprinkler (can you tell by this face)? :)

Farewell to O

2011-05-26T09:40:00.004-05:00

It was a sad day to see Oprah leave the stage!

After 16 years of being a faithful viewer I give thanks and my sincere gratitude for her dedication.
She has been my afternoon date since 1995. In Junior High, I remember looking forward to the days I didn't have a basketball or volleyball game after school so I could be home by 4 o'clock to get a snack and watch Oprah. Those days have continued through the years and I'm grateful for all the everyday lessons I've learned (ex. how to escape from abductor, how to lose those last 5 lbs, and how to laugh).

One of my biggest Oprah friends, my sister, came over last night to end the season with me.
We toasted to Oprah and drank Moscow Mules. It was a perfect farewell.

At the Oprah show (Kirstie Alley interview) in April 2009 with my Oprah friends, Adelina and Ashley.

It was a memory I will never forget!

new dirk shirt

2011-05-22T15:45:00.001-05:00

if you don't have one, get one.

it's the new dirk shirt everyone is wearing.

even dirk himself plus ben and skin from espn radio.

support my best friends brother, Jordan Rogers, and order one.

www.newdirkshirt.com

GO MAVS!

ALOHA!

2011-05-18T20:18:00.000-05:00

We went to Maui for 8 days and had a fabulous time. We spent 5 days at the Grand Wailea and 3 days in Kapalua at the Ritz Carlton. The sun, sand, and water was perfection. We vacationed with the Carrekers and Fusch's in Wailea and had a blast! It was so fun for Bentley to wake up and have friends to play with all day. Cohen, Bentley, and Eleanor loved playing together. I can't tell you how many times we went around the lazy river. Bentley wasn't a big fan of the waves or ocean but LOVED playing with his shovel, rake, and buckets in the sand. And other than that we spent alot of time at the kiddy pool. We ate a lot of good fish and the drink of choice was Lava Flows and Mai Tai's....Yummy!
Towards the end of the trip we headed to Kapalua to stay at the Ritz Carlton to celebrate our anniversary. It was a different experience than our honeymoon, to say the least. But, so much fun! I forgot how fabulous that resort is. It was a perfect way to celebrate five years!

But the one thing everyone asks is "How did Bentley do on the 8 hour flight?" You would think we were crazy to take a toddler on that flight but Bentley was a champ. He slept the whole way...fell asleep at take off and woke up during landing. I was a very proud mommy!

Wish I could post all our pictures.
Here is a glimpse of all our fun!

drinking coconut milk from a fresh coconut

dinner at mamma's fish house

the group

the old lahaina luau

the sugar cane train

riding on the train...the kids loved it!

in our suite when we arrived

view from the ritz

fifteen month update

2011-05-16T15:04:00.000-05:00

we just got back from bentley's 15 month appointment. the little man is one big boy... 27.4 lbs (88%), and 33 inches long (97%). it was my surprise to find out that he is about to have ALL of his teeth. he already has his 2 year lower and upper canine teeth, two upper molars, but the rest of his molars (six) are breaking thru as we speak. i guess it explains the bloody spots all over his blanket and sheet. i'm happy we are getting it over with at once. other than an eye test (he passed), two horrible shots, and more dairy allergy discussion , bentley did great. hopefully we won't have to go back until 18 months.

we are still on expensive dairy-free formula. he gets 16oz a day. we are down to one nap after lunch and he is still sleeping 12-13 hours at night. bentley doesn't stop! i'm serious! if he isn't in his highchair eating or in his crib sleeping the kid is running all over the place. sometimes we have 3 or 4 snack times a day just so I can sit down (mamma's do need a break!). my neighbors are my life savers. we will go out front and all the little kids come out to play. it's like a play date everyday. most of them age from 2-5 so they wear him out. it is such a blessing. bentley will run to the front door and bang on it saying "my, my". which he actually is trying to say "mine" which actually means "i want to go outside". these days anything he wants is "my, my".
kids are so funny! sometimes i can't stop laughing at him just cause he is so darn cute trying to make sense. my favorite moments are when he starts a conversation with me. ryan was taking a nap one saturday and bentley was having an important conversation with me in the den that seemed to get louder and louder. ryan came in the room laughing saying "is this what y'all do all day?" it was hilarious. the kid has alot to say.

as you can see i enjoy watching him grow up and explore life.
he is a kid that loves life.

1, 2, 3, 4...5 years!

2011-05-13T13:55:00.002-05:00

Happy 5 year Anniversary to my sweet husband!

It's been five years full of fun and laughter.

Thank you for always making our life together an exciting adventure!

I'm so happy I get to spend my tomorrows with you.

I love you.

Maui 2006

Maui 2011

dreams can come true...

2011-05-02T21:43:00.001-05:00

Ryan and I got back from spending five days at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida.

We went down there for the UBS awards trip and decided to stay longer and visit Disney World.

This was our first trip just the two of us since Bentley was born and I must say it was MUCH needed.

Even though it was SUPER hard being away from Bentley we had a blast and can't wait to go back.

We spent the first part of the trip attending fancy UBS events and laying at the pool and then spent the second half visiting Discovery Cove, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot.

Some of you might know I have been dreaming to swim with the dolphins for the longest time. Well, I guess dreams do really come true at Disney World because my husband made it happen! He took me to Discovery Cove and I finally got to hang with the dolphins. It was everything I imagined and more!

Hope you enjoy our pictures!

Private party at the Hard Rock in Universal Studios

Swimming with "Sasha" the Dolphin at Discovery Cove.

Ryan seems so much calmer than me...

Can I take her home?!?

I'm in LOVE.

My new best friend.

Sasha was a new mommy. We bonded.

Swimming with the Sting Rays (their stingers were clipped)

Magic Kingdom on Main Street

Mickey and Minnie :)

Visiting Epcot

I love you. Happy 5 Years!

Look what we saw while walking around Epcot...LOVE IT!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T20:01:00.000-05:00

LET'S CELEBRATE...OUR SAVIOR HAS RISEN!

John 11:25-26

***********************************************************************

The Easter bunny came to visit Bentley Sunday morning.

He loved his basket full of goodies!

**********************************************************************

Thursday's Easter Egg hunt at church...

Unfortunately, it was storming so the egg hunt was moved inside.

I was actually surprised to see Bentley more interested in dumping out the baskets, playing peek-a-boo behind the curtains and playing with the bigger kids on the stage.

We had fun anyways!

"Hello, Anyone there?"

2011-04-18T11:09:00.000-05:00

My hiding spot!

2011-04-13T15:20:00.000-05:00

fourteen months and going strong...

2011-04-11T16:09:00.000-05:00

Can someone please press rewind because my son is growing way too fast!?

I do not really know what day, week or month Bentley turned into a toddler but he is going full force.

I'm sure you can tell by now that Bentley is a BIG 14 month old. He is 27 1/2 pounds and really tall.

He pretty much walks everywhere because I can't hold him for long period of times. I thank God he started walking 2.5 months ago or else I would be in trouble (or I would have very muscular arms).

He has the sweetest and loudest personality. I'm sure some of you are laughing already. Yes, he is very loud like me (and laughs loud too). We laugh alot together. Anytime he hears anyone laughing he bursts out in this loud obnoxious fake laugh. My mom said it reminds her of me when I was little. :) Bentley loves to give hugs and tries to be gentle. But he is a very strong kid and sometimes can get rough with other little ones (we are working on that). Anyways, we have tons of fun together. I'm obsessed with this stage. Mr. Explorer is finding new things everyday. It's fun to watch his little brain spin around. His vocabulary has expanded alot! He says...juice, cracker, bye-bye, doggie, Dee-Dee, Gigi, hi, and of course da-da and ma-ma.

Some of you are so sweet checking on his dairy allergy. Yes, he is still allergic to dairy but I finally feel like we have it under control. It's such a great feeling. It has forced me to make some big changes in the way we eat and the groceries I buy. There is alot of label reading but I feel like I'm pretty educated on what foods have dairy in them. You would be surprised to find how much dairy is in your everyday foods (other than your obvious cheese, yogurt, and milk). As you can tell he isn't deprived by much. He eats alot of fruit, meat and vegetables. He is on a special (expensive) formula until he turns 2. Then we will reintroduce milk again and see what happens. Until then he is happy so I am happy! This dairy thing has helped me too...I've lost 17 lbs pre-baby weight. And I don't miss it at all. On occasion I will eat it when he isn't around but we are usually together. And anything I eat...he wants to eat too.

Here are some random pictures taken this past month...Enjoy!

Hope you are having a fabulous Monday!

"i love my eggs!"

2011-04-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

my wannabe potterybarn chairs

2011-04-04T08:54:00.000-05:00

Bentley and I spend alot of time playing out front with neighbors.

And I wanted to get fun chairs for the front to enjoy.

So...check out my wannabe potterybarn Adirondack chairs.

I wasn't about to spend $250 on a chair to get the color I wanted.

But, I found reasonable natural wood Adirondack chairs and stained them myself.

I love the way they turned out.

Isn't Bentley so cute in his chair?! Enjoying juice and a cracker. :)

little soccer players

2011-03-25T08:55:00.000-05:00

We went to the Arboretum with our play group yesterday.

We already have some soccer players in the group.

Bentley sure did fight for the ball!

"I got it!"

bentley's 1 year photos

2011-03-23T21:21:00.001-05:00

we had bentley's 1 year photos taken a few weeks ago. follow the link below to see them all.
so precious. it was so hard picking our favorites!

go to www.andiehamilton.com
enter the website
click on "clients" bottom of page
password is "long"
enjoy!

Galatians 5:22

2011-03-23T14:21:00.000-05:00

Galatians 5:22 says "But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. There is no law that says these things are wrong."

In my quiet time this week I really thought about which of these fruits seem to come easier for me? Which one I'm having to trust the Lord on a daily basis? And which one do I need to be asking God to increase in my life. Is it bad to say all of them! ;) Well, I would openly share that patience and self-control is a fruit that I'm having to work on a daily basis. Especially being a mom makes it even harder.

It is so good to be reminded the Fruits of the Spirit!

Thought I would share with you all!

My Azaleas are in full bloom. These bring me so much joy!

Smile!

2011-03-22T13:41:00.000-05:00

Saturday night we went to dinner with the Spences, Darleys, and Nutters.
Look how cute these kiddos are!

Olivia (13 months). Hudson (2 years). Emma (2 years). Avery Kate (3 years). Bentley (13months).

why?

2011-03-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

why do monday mornings have to start like this?!?

Happy Birthday Michele!

2011-03-20T09:41:00.003-05:00

Happy 31 to my sweet sister!
Had a blast celebrating this weekend!
Love you to death!

GO CATS!

2011-03-20T09:31:00.003-05:00

Kentucky made it to the sweet 16!!!
Much celebrating in our house.
Don't you love March Madness?!? :)

Dad is a huge Kentucky fan.
So that means the little man is one too.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

2011-03-18T09:14:00.000-05:00

Results...

2011-03-17T09:29:00.001-05:00

BRAD picked sweet Emily.

Happy with the results!!

Next Bachelorette is Ashley from this season.

Not too happy about the pick.

Wasn't a big fan.

But I'm sure I'll still watch it. ;)

chantel vs. emily

2011-03-14T09:27:00.002-05:00

tonight is the night every girl (most girls) will be glued to ABC.
who is brad wommack going to pick?

so...i want to change my prediction. i'm thinking brad is going to pick emily.
after watching the last few weeks there are more sparks between the two.
but then that means she won't be the next bachelorette which i think would be awesome.

i guess we will find out tonight the winner and next bachelorette!
stay tuned i'll keep you updated.

full week

2011-03-13T10:48:00.008-05:00

we had a full week of excitement....

bentley turned 13 months on friday and he has taken off.

we made a visit to nordstrom and he got his first new pair of shoes for the spring.

we picked out a pair of green and navy stride rite sandals. he is a size 5 1/2.

he seemed to love them. oh and he got a green balloon afterwards!

we also had our first big fall!

broke my heart.

we were at borders book store and he fell on a sharp table.

his bottom tooth (almost) went thru his bottom lip.

lots of tears and lots of blood.

after a trip to the emergency room no stitches thankfully.

just have to let it heal from the inside out.

but of course it was the day before his first year photos.

thankfully our photographer is able to photo shop his chin.

look at this happy little guy.

bentley at gymboree this week.

his first time to push the train and push the log.

since he has moved up to the "cruiser class" the activities are lots of fun.

"i'm a big boy now."

and of course the week wouldn't be complete without a play date with eleanor.

"Hey Mom, Look what I found!"

2011-03-08T08:46:00.002-06:00

HAPPY FRIDAY!

2011-03-04T08:37:00.000-06:00

daiya

2011-02-27T20:47:00.004-06:00

who would of thought you could find dairy free cheese?!?

bentley's new favorite food.

the smell is horrible and the taste is even worse.

but i guess it doesn't matter when you don't know the difference.

milk procto-colitis

2011-02-23T15:32:00.003-06:00

...is the milk allergy Bentley has.

Yesterday we went to the allergist to get some answers.
Dr. Elisa Lange was awesome and basically confirmed my diagnosis.
She did a skin allergy test on Bentley and he did great. A few tears but that's all.
He tested positive for milk and negative for soy.
Which means we can move forward on soy milk.

Apparently it is very common for babies to get a dairy allergy before 12 months. And 98% of babies grow out of it by a year. But of course there is that 2% where Bentley falls under. It makes me sad because she said more than likely he was born with this allergy and I didn't know it. I'm just glad it is under control now. This just means there is alot of label reading for me. She sent me home with reading material and how to get familiar with this allergy. This looks like something we are going to have to fight thru for the next few years.

Bentley is such a trooper. He is so strong and I'm so proud of him.
He is going to learn to love Soy foods and I am too!

see ya shawntel

2011-02-22T16:19:00.002-06:00

as of last night my top pick to win the bachelor got kicked off.
i must say i did pick good. shawntel made it to the top 4 girls out of 25.
if you are bachelor fan i'm picking chantel to win and emily as the next bachelorette.
i've never been a fan of brad wommack especially after reading the US weekly article.
it's been an entertaining season. i love my monday nights with the bachelor and wine. :)

dad's day off

2011-02-22T15:00:00.004-06:00

thank goodness for president's day because we had daddy for the whole day.
we spent the afternoon at the park and had a fabulous picnic under the sun.
the weekends seem to get busy so it was nice having a relaxed family day!

i'm ready for the spring! bring it on!

"Ma-ma, Ma-ma, Ma-ma"

2011-02-18T12:05:00.006-06:00

Since the little guy turned ONE I turned his car seat around.
He is forward facing now and loooovvvveeeessss it.
Our first outing he yelled "Ma-ma, Ma-Ma, Ma-Ma" the whole time until I turned around.
I must say it is more fun watching him in the car.

We had our 12 month check-up last week and it was a bitter sweet moment.
He was weighed on the big kid scale (standing up).
Bentley is 25.8 lbs (85th percentile) and 32 1/2 inches long (98th percentile)
Ryan says we have a future longhorn football player in our family. :)
Dr. Neely said he looked great and passed developmentally with flying colors.
The shots are the worst part of course. He got a blood test and three shots.
He cried all the way home... and I cried with him.

Since whole milk is the next stage I was given the ok to reintroduce him to dairy.
Supposedly at 12 months most babies grow out of the dairy allergy.
So basically the only way you know if babies still have it is to try it.
That was a mistake. Bentley had an allergic reaction to it.
He broke out in hives and passed bloody stoles. It was a lot of fun...let me tell you.
We are back on Soy and headed to an allergist next week to find out more details.
I'm SOOO over dairy! I hate it! It is not a food in our house we like.

Besides the dairy thing we sure are glad to have a little toddler around our house. It's so much fun! He keeps me busy and on my toes all the time. I'm not sure if it is a boy thing but he is into everything. He isn't scared of much and nothing is off limits to him. :)

Hope you have a great week!

yummy dairy free bday cake

2011-02-15T08:30:00.003-06:00

i made a dairy free birthday cake for bentley's bday dinner. the family came over to celebrate friday night (feb 11th) and i was in a panic googling for a good vanilla recipe. i came across one that looked good and decided to go for it. it turned out awesome and bentley seemed to LOVE it. thought i would share. if you are in need of a dairy free vanilla cake use this one!

ingredients:
4 cups of flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups (1 stick) of Vegan butter such as Earth Balance or Smart Balance with Flax
2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
4 eggs (room temperature)
2 cups of soy milk such as Silk
2 tablespoons of white vinegar

1) preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray your cooking pans.
2) combine the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside. the mixture will look curdled.

3) in a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt...set aside.

4) beat butter and sugar at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla
5) add eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each egg

6) at low speed beat in soy milk mixture until combined

7) add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until smooth.

bake at 350 for 35 minutes for giant cupcakes.

or just until golden on top.

enjoy!

i decided not to do a dairy free icing because none of the ones i found sounded good.

i figured i would just monitor his intake on the icing. of course that was what he wanted most! :0
i iced with buttercream icing and decorated with blue food coloring and red sugar sprinkles.

they turned out good!

Happy 1 year old! He went face first! :)

i heart you

2011-02-14T15:06:00.003-06:00

HUGS and KISSES from our little valentine!

happy ONE year!

2011-02-11T21:44:00.003-06:00

Look who turned ONE today?!
I couldn't let the day end without wishing my little prince a happy birthday!
We have a lot of celebrating to do this weekend so stay tuned for more pictures.

Bentley was born at 2:25pm at Presbyterian Hospital in Plano.
It was a very snowy day...snowed 15 inches. Record snow in Dallas.
I will never forget it. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it to the hospital.
The past 12 months have been a year of pure joy.
Everyday has been a blessing and I thank God for that.

Bentley, you are the joy in my life and I will love you forever.
I pray that you will grow up to be a strong, wise man who loves the lord.
Your dad and I will love you unconditionally and support you the rest of your life.
We love you with all our heart.

cabin fever

2011-02-09T15:38:00.003-06:00

Look what we brought home from Colorado!
Yes, this is in Dallas. Can you believe this??

We were snowed/iced in for a week.
Actually I was out in it going to the doctor's.
I made a visit to Carrell Clinic to get x-rays and boot for my toe.
Then Bentley got a double ear infection and then two days later a stomach bug.
We had all kinds of germs in our house. Good thing it's all over.

But wait...we are iced in again today!
Ready for this to be done!

6+ inches of snow

Telluride, Colorado

2011-02-09T15:05:00.012-06:00

I must say we were blessed to go on two ski trips this year.
We were invited by the Fusch's to join their family in Telluride.
It was an amazing time and we felt honored to be there.

We stayed in a million dollar home and had all the space we could have dreamt for.
It was a nice thing because I broke my toe the beginning of the trip.
I wish I had a good story to tell but I jammed it into the wall chasing after Bentley.
Oh...it was so painful! Despite the toe I had a blast. I still skied. Only the last day.

We had a great time, especially little Bentley.
Nothing was more exciting to him than waking up every morning and having two friends, Eleanor and Lyla, to play with ALL DAY! He was like a little kid in a candy shop.
So happy all week!

january 28th

2011-01-31T09:12:00.003-06:00

Bentley surprised us all and starting walking while we were in Telluride, Colorado with the Fusch's. It was our last day there and I had just come in from skiing. It was totally unexpected and out of the blue. As you can tell from the video I was not expecting to see this. We are so proud!

The first video was fresh and taken in Telluride minutes after he took his first steps. The second video was last night when we got back into Dallas. Little guy is getting good.

target ad

2011-01-20T10:04:00.004-06:00

bentley and i drove to tyler to spend some time with our sweet friend, shelby and her 3 week old baby boy, colt ronald . it was so much fun and we even made a trip to target. look at these boys riding in the cart. shelby and i got the feel of what it would be like with two kiddos. it was pretty entertaining. love you both. miss you already!

i think we need to send this picture into target for an ad. :)

hey!

2011-01-20T08:46:00.011-06:00

I love having an iphone. It's so convenient always having a camera and video handy.

Here are some random pictures of Bentley. We are having fun these days. We are in the stage where he is figuring out so much and understanding more than I probably think he is. He is so much to keep up. We have had some bumps and bruises but he is tough. I've learned not to make a big deal about it or else it just makes it worse. I must say I'm exhausted by the end of the day. I feel like a dead mommy by the time Ryan gets home from work.
Does this get any better?

Right now he can walk around the house by himself holding onto furniture. It's amazing how far he can get. He will walk on his own holding onto my left thumb but isn't quiet confident letting go yet. Recently he has taken a few steps on his own but quickly lands on his bottom! So cute! It's fun to watch him figure out new things. He gets so proud of himself. He'll look at me and started laughing sooo loud!
The new thing this week is sharing. He loves to share. He shares everything with mommy. Everything is handed to me and he waits for a "Thank you". Then of course he wants it back. It makes me smile every time.

On the other hand, dinnertime is a chore. I'm having to start to discipline and I hate it but everything goes onto the floor. Bentley likes to share his food with Love. She sits by his highchair and cleans it all up. I think it's more entertaining for Bentley to watch her eat his food. There are some nights when dinner has ended early because it's all on the floor. I hate those nights but I feel like I have to do it. Naps have been hard too. The minute I lay him down he is standing up jumping and screaming "mama." This lasts about 3o minutes. So by the time he falls asleep his 1.5 hour nap has turned into 1 hour or less. Uggg. Does this get any better?

All you mommies out there...any advice or tricks?
I'd love some!

"Mommy, here is your shoe!"

Snow day in Dallas

His new sleeping position

He will make you laugh.

2011-01-20T08:38:00.004-06:00

8 teeth and counting...enjoy the short video. :)

bachelor 2011

2011-01-15T09:15:00.006-06:00

Yes, I have joined a bachelor league. :0
This show is so addicting I couldn't resist!
The bachelor is Brad Wommack (not crazy about him) and the girls are WILD!

Shawntel is my pick for the final rose. She seemed pretty sweet!
The winner takes all....so far I'm still in the game!
I must say being apart of a league makes it so much more entertaining!
Stay tuned. I'll keep you posted how far I get.

Shawntel Newton - Age 25, Occupation Funeral Director, Hometown Chico, CA.

You GO Girl!

EleVen mOnthS

2011-01-11T18:27:00.003-06:00

Look who's 11 months!?!

Mr. Personality is all laughter these days.
It's by far his favorite thing to do. And mine too!
We laugh alot together...I LOVE IT!

My happy lil monkey is one month away from the BIG birthday.
That is all I keep thinking about...probably because I'm so sad. :(

Hugs and Kisses my lil one!

Happy 2011!

2011-01-03T14:29:00.014-06:00

Happy New Year's!
It's hard to believe we are starting a new year. What a blessing 2010 was to our family. I must say we had one of the best New Year's ever!

We spent New Year's Eve with all of my friends from college. Everyone is spread out over the country so it's such a treat to be together. We had so much to celebrate. The birth of Cruz Michael...parents of Tasha and Adam; the soon arrival of baby Sophia...Tiffany due in March; the soon arrival of baby girl Murphy...Sheila due in May; and the engagement of Pleasant and Tom.
New Year's Morning we headed to Tiffany's baby shower to celebrate baby Sophia. It was so fun to be together with all the babies. I feel very blessed to have friends like you! Much Love!

That afternoon Ryan, Bentley and I packed up and headed to the Fusch Lake house in Cypress Springs to celebrate Lindsey's 28th birthday. It was a fun night laughing and being together. The guys went duck hunting the next morning. Apparently it was a good hunt!
Happy Birthday, Lindsey. We love you!

I give thanks for all of you!
Many blessing to you and your family in 2011.

Dinner at Eno's in Bishop Arts District

Congrats Pleasant and Tom!

All the babies at Tiffany's Shower

Everyone minus Jess (she was in Cabo)

Jace (14 months), Bentley (10 months), Brynn (7 months), Cruz (2 months)

Happy Birthday Lindsey!

Toasting with Pomegranate Martini's

Ryan with the ducks

1st Christmas

2011-01-03T14:05:00.014-06:00

We had a busy but fabulous Christmas!
Of course it was a blast celebrating it with Bentley for the first time. Yes, he was spoiled by everyone but I think his favorite was the wrapping paper and tissue. Since we flew back from Vail on Christmas Eve the festivities began as soon as we arrived. We spent Christmas Eve with Ryan's side of the family, Christmas Lunch with my mom's side and Christmas dinner with my dad. And how could I forget Santa came Christmas morning at our house. Bentley reacted more than I thought. When he saw all of his toys on the fireplace he started giggling and was ready to start playing.

We had a great Christmas and I hope you did too!

Christmas Eve with the Moores, Longs, and Savages

Great Grandpa Savage, Great Grandpa Long, Ryan and Bentley

Christmas Morning...Santa Came!

Christmas Day at Gigi's

Christmas Dinner with Babo

Winter in Vail

2011-01-03T07:19:00.014-06:00

Our family had another wonderful time in our magical Vail, Colorado.

This year was the 5 year anniversary of our engagement. It was a fun time celebrating with our lil Bentley. It's hard to believe 5 years ago Ryan proposed on top of the mountain. What a blessing our family has been able to carry on this tradition every year. I pray there are many more to come.

Thanks to Bentley's Grandmas and Aunties we were able to enjoy 5 days of skiing. It was so nice to get away during the day and enjoy the amazing snow. This year was by far the best skiing! Vail got tons of snow...several feet on a daily basis.

P.S. Check out the picture of me standing by the tree Ryan proposed by. If you can tell I have my glove off showing my ring. ;)

Bentley meeting Vail's Santa

Love all of you!

Ice Skating in Vail Village

Mr. B loved the snow!

Snow Tubing

The "Love" Tree

This picture was actually taken on the way to Colorado.

We were exhausted from getting ready!

Meet Colt

2010-12-30T14:42:00.004-06:00

My dear friend, Shelby Ann, had her baby boy last night.
Colt Ronald West arrived at 10:31pm on December 29th weighing 6lbs 13ozs and 20.5 inches.
He is a lucky little boy to have Shelby and Jake as his parents.

Love him already!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T18:43:00.011-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Hope you and your family had a great holiday.

Luke 2:11"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

pictures taken by our sweet friend, Lindsey Fusch.

Ho, Ho, Ho...

2010-12-13T08:43:00.004-06:00

Bentley finally got to sit on Santa's lap after fighting the crazy lines at Northpark.

At first he was fascinated by Santa and checked him out for awhile.
But then realized he was NOT daddy!

Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

10 months!

2010-12-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

I remember telling Ryan when Bentley was born what a fun age he was going to be at Christmas. I can't believe he is 10 months and it's weeks away from Christmas.

I feel like this stage is my favorite. Every week there is something new and exciting to report. I love calling Ryan at work and saying "Guess what Bentley just did...?" I probably take a zillion pictures on my phone and email him. He says it's the best part of his day.

I haven't really blogged about our routine and was thinking I probably should so I'll have it on record for the next kiddo. I'm sure by then this will all be a big blur. Routine should be my middle name because I love being on a schedule. I think that is why being a stay at home mom has worked out so well. I keep my days pretty busy and try to stay as organized as I can.

Here is what Bentley's been up too...

Food:

We officially stopped nursing at 9 months. It was such a relief and felt like a million pounds was lifted off my shoulders. It really wasn't sad because we were both ready. I still have a good supply of diary-free breast milk in the freezer that Bentley is still getting. All of the pumping days are coming handy. It all expires in 2 months so I'm determined to use it all before then! On that note, Bentley has upgraded to Soy Formula. He loves it and doing very well on it. He gets 28 ounces a day (four bottles of 7 oz milk). He loves his bottles. It's probably his favorite time of the day. At 1 year he needs to stop the bottle and start taking milk from a sippy cup...oh I think it might be traumatic! I started introducing the sippy cup with water at 6 months and I think he is getting used to it. Hopefully when the big 1 year comes he will be ready for the change. At this point, he is eating pretty much everything. Anything that is cut up really small or mussy. He's eating alot of puffs, cheerios and Mum-Mums these days. I'm such a worrier about choking. It's crazy to see as a mom how fast the "worrying issues" change. When he has born I worried he wasn't getting enough milk and now I'm worried he is going to choke. I guess I will be worrying the rest of my life. :)

-Breakfast: 7 oz bottle, 1 tablespoon of rice cereal, 4 ounces of purred fruit

-Lunch: 7 oz bottle, 4 oz purred vegetable

-Afternoon bottle: 7 oz bottle

-Dinner: Finger foods (meat and veggie), 1 tablespoon of rice cereal, 4 ounces of purred fruit

-Bedtime: 7 oz bottle

*(I was told to continue small amounts of rice cereal until 1 year for iron)

Sleep:

There isn't much to report other than Bentley LOVES to sleep. He has always been an excellent sleeper. He gets an A+ in this category! ;) He started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks and hasn't looked back since. He sleeps 11 hours and takes two 2 hour naps. Since he has become more mobile we lowered his crib to the lowest level and took out his bumper pad. He kept getting his hands and feet stuck between the bars the first few days but he's used to it now.

Rise n' Shine: 6:30am

Morning Nap: 8:00am- 10:00am

Afternoon Nap: 1:30pm-3:30pm

Bedtime: 7:30p

Play:

We moved the coffee table and the back den is officially the playroom. The toys have taken over! Bentley is pretty good playing by himself for a period of time but then gets bored easily. We always have to be doing something so I try to make playtime as fun as I can. He's loves the basketball. He is pulling up, rolling around, and army crawling. He is much more interested in walking than crawling. He is pushing his walker all around and loves holding onto the edge of the couch to walk back and forth. We have had a few major falls but I guess that goes with starting to walk. He is "talking" alot these days and trying to form words. He's defiantly got "daddy" and "ma-ma" down. I feel like everyday he is doing something new. I'm glad I get to be here to see it all.

Here are some random pictures taken the last few weeks.

Let's Laugh!

2010-12-08T19:57:00.001-06:00

Easy as 1, 2, 3...

2010-12-07T09:12:00.003-06:00

I have the easiest dinner recipe I have to share for chili!
Literally, it takes 5 minutes to cook and so yummy!
And the fun part is you can change it up so many ways.

Ingredients:
1lb of ground beef
1 jar of chunky picante salsa (or whatever brand of salsa you like)
1 can of drained white corn
1 can of Del Monte diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
1 can of Bush kidney beans
1 can of Bush black beans

Directions:
Cook ground beef. Add all the ingredients including the cooked ground beef in a stockpot and let it cook through. Add salt and pepper and stir occasionally. You can add any spices you have. I added chili powder I had in my pantry. And I topped the chili with diced avocados. Or you could add shredded cheese on top if that sounds good. Any way you can't mess it up. The ingredients are super cheap and it made enough leftovers for 2 days.

Enjoy!

lil walker

2010-12-05T15:54:00.002-06:00

Bentley has started taking his first steps on his own. We are some proud parents!

my first sewing class!

2010-12-05T15:33:00.003-06:00

check out the pillow i made (red and beige striped).
a girlfriend invited me to attend a sewing class and it was fun.
other than sewing on buttons i've never sewed in my life.

i was afraid to see the final product of my pillow.
but i think it's good enough to display in my front room. :)

Ham and Potato Soup

2010-11-28T15:51:00.004-06:00

Do you have ham leftovers from Thanksgiving?
Make a yummy soup.
I promise... it is FANTASTIC!

Ingredients:
3 potatoes peeled and quartered
1 cup of diced celery
1/2 onion chopped
cooked ham diced (however much you want)
3 cups of water
1 cup of chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
5 tablespoons of butter
5 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk

Directions:
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham, and water in a stockpot. Bring to boil, then cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and salt and pepper.

2. In a smaller saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Whisk flour, stirring until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk. Don't allow lumps to form. Stir until thick on low, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot. Cook soup until heated through.

Enjoy!

Gobble Gobble!

2010-11-25T09:08:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with family.
We are celebrating Bentley's first Thanksgiving.
I feel blessed with abundance and have so much to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for...

* my relationship with Jesus Christ
* my caring and generous husband
* great health
* and most important this little man smiling at you!

Have a great Turkey Day!

"look at me"

2010-11-17T15:11:00.003-06:00

Look what I walked into this morning.
The lil stinker figured it out during his morning nap.

Good thing I took off his bumper pad last week.
He is too cute for words!

Feliz Cumpleanos!

2010-11-11T18:59:00.007-06:00

Happy 9 months to my lil man!
Lulu, our housekeeper, sang happy birthday in Spanish and Bentley loved it!

We had our 9 month doctors appointment this morning and it went well, even the shots!
Bentley is 30 inches long (90th percentile) and 21.12 lbs (75th percentile).
Of course the shots are the most dreaded part but Bentley hardly cried. I was so proud.
Dr. Neely gave us a great report and I got some good tips for moving into the next stage.

Can you believe Bentley has 8 teeth?!? Not a joke!
(He laughs when I brush his teeth...it must tickle).
By the time he turns one he is going to have a mouth full.
This stage is so much fun! Everyday is a blast!
I love my job! I feel so lucky to be able to stay at home and witness him grow up.
(Actually, the last few weeks when he was sick and I was sleep deprived it was hard.)

I must say that he has turned into a Wiggle Worm.
There isn't much cuddling happening in our house anymore. :(
It seems like yesterday I was laying on my couch while he was napping in my arms.
Now he basically wants to do a back flip out of my arms to get on the floor to play.
9 months sure does go by fast.

I hope everyone has stayed well. Our shop has been closed the past month.
The Long's have been MIA and that's because of nasty germs.
It all started the first week of October. We came home from Vegas and Bentley had a cold. The following week he caught a nasty virus that included diarrhea and projectile vomiting. Two days later I caught it and 2 days after that my mom caught it. Last week we made our 3rd and final trip to the doctor to find out that Bentley caught Strep Throat. Seriously?!? I thought I was going to pull my hair out. During all this chaos we were off our routine and the nights were extremely long. This week has been a good week though. We are finally back onto our schedule and we are feeling back to normal. Who knows where he caught all this...Tuesdays at Gymboree, Wednesdays at Church, or Thursdays at Playgroup?? Oh well...I guess he is just building his immunity. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

I got back from the Dermatologist to find that the cyst on my back was infected and they had to immediately cut it out and put me on antibiotics. So I'm really tired and going to bed now. I didn't want to end the day without saying "Happy Birthday" to my love. I'll write more later.

Ok that's all now... Goodbye!

Excuse the diaper, I was letting his thighs air out from the shots.

Yes, he is already wearing Christmas pj's

"My SuperMommy"

2010-11-10T13:02:00.003-06:00

My girlfriend gave this book to Bentley and I died laughing when I saw it.
It's called "My SuperMommy" from flattenme.com.
It has my face pasted on the body throughout the whole book.
The book is 14 pages long and is a story about how awesome Bentley's mommy is.

I thought it was so cleaver and had to blog about it.
Hilarious!

Meet Cruz!

2010-11-08T09:16:00.002-06:00

Meet Cruz Michael!
My precious friend, Tasha, had her baby boy after 26 hours of labor.
Born October 31st weighing 10lbs 7ozs.
Sweet parents Tasha and Adam Rodriguez.

Congratulations! Love y'all!

my lil pumpkin

2010-11-01T13:07:00.009-05:00

We finally made it out to the Arboretum to see the 40,000 pumpkins.
I have been trying to go the past two weeks but one of us kept getting sick.
We had a good time taking pictures and Bentley did awesome.

If you haven't been yet it is worth the $.
The pumpkins will be there until November 13th.

Enjoy the pictures!

Trick or Treat!

2010-11-01T12:42:00.007-05:00

Our 1st Halloween!

Bentley was the cutest dinosaur in the neighborhood!
He has not been feeling well this past week but I was not going to let Halloween slip by without celebrating. Saturday night he had two costume parties to attend and Sunday night all the kids on our block went trick or treating. We went to a few houses but just mainly hung out in our front yard and passed out candy. It was perfect weather!

All the kids on Lavendale Avenue

The newest babies on the block.

Playgroup Halloween Picnic

I'm surprised he didn't scare himself. :)

on the move

2010-10-20T14:59:00.005-05:00

8 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days...

He finally got over the viral infection last week.
That took awhile to recover but he is all well now.
Tooth #6 arrived recently.
I feel like a new tooth comes in every week.
He has three on top and three on bottom.
We haven't tried finger foods yet but I'm feeling that will be the next new thing.

We are in the "mobile" stage now.
About a month ago I bought a walker and it's his new favorite thing.
It took some time to get used to but the past couple of weeks he has taken off.
His feet can't move fast enough.
We have to barricade the stairs into the den or else it could be bad.
Now I understand when mom's say you can't turn your head for a minute.
I was unloading the dishwasher a few days ago and a second later i turned around and found Bentley walking down the hall into the guest bedroom where all his old toys are stored.

He isn't crawling yet and not showing much interest but if he sees something he wants he'll just roll across the rug until he gets it. so funny!

Bentley has been a great sleeper since 6 weeks (12 hour nights). Since he has been more mobile he will wake himself up in the middle of the night cornered face down or stuck laying vertical across the crib not able to move. Thankfully after re-adjusting him he is able to go right back to sleep. I guess Ryan and I have been spoiled with our sleeping baby. :)

I blogged awhile ago that his first word was "da-da".
Since then he has started "na-na". Too bad neither of the grandmas are going by that.
The most exciting news of all is that he has started saying "ma-ma". Of course it was while Ryan was changing his diaper and I wasn't there. But I've heard him say it since. It's usually followed by "da-da". He is little talker or I would say screamer.

Here are some pics of the joy of my life.

silly faces

2010-10-20T14:44:00.007-05:00

LOVE this face!!!!

Hope you are having a good day!

EIGHT months

2010-10-11T20:08:00.002-05:00

Eight months have flown by!
But we have enjoyed every minute.
Bentley is the biggest joy in my life and I LOVE being his mommy!!!
I am so thankful God has blessed me with a healthy, perfect son.

He has been feeling under the weather with a viral infection.
The last few days he hasn't been himself and sleeping alot.
He is so precious even when he is sick. :(

Bentley, I love you with all my heart.

birthday fun

2010-10-10T20:14:00.002-05:00

my sweet husband took me to Viva Las Vegas for my 28th birthday.
our good friends, lindsey and blake, joined us and it was the best time.

it was the first time for all of us to leave our little ones.
it was SUPER hard leaving Bentley but I knew he was in good hands.
my mom, sister, and aunt regina took shifts watching him.
he did awesome but on the last day i was anxious to get home to see him.

i have never been more surprised on a birthday.
when we arrived the husbands had a limo waiting for us at the airport with champagne to toast.
we stayed at the Palazzo at the Venetian. it's the new tower. it was amazing.
i just figured we had a regular room but of course they had to upgrade to a 2,000 square foot SUITE with an exercise room in it. it was out of control. the surprises kept coming the whole trip. we ended the last night with dinner at Olive's at the Bellagio and front row seats to the Cirque De' Soleil show "Mystere". it was fabulous. it's a must see the next time you visit Vegas.

it was so refreshing coming home after having a much needed break.
thank you, ryan, it will be a birthday i will never forget!

love this!

2010-10-10T13:16:00.002-05:00

i need this sign in my yard.
bentley and I came across this on our walk and thought it was pretty awesome!

my new ride

2010-10-03T14:31:00.002-05:00

22lbs and 30 inches long calls for a new car seat.
his little feet were hanging over the snug-n-ride.
it was time for an upgrade and he loves it.

only in texas...

2010-10-02T14:27:00.004-05:00

if this doesn't make you laugh, you have issues! :)

Texas Quarterback 2028!

2010-10-02T14:21:00.003-05:00

TEXAS FIGHT!!!!

Meet Rett

2010-10-02T14:15:00.003-05:00

Cohen is a big brother!!

Our sweet friends, Chris and Lindsay, had baby #2.
John Everett "Rett" Carreker born September 24th.
Weighing 8 lbs 4 ounces and 20.25 inches.

So sweet!

i love fall.

2010-09-27T10:23:00.003-05:00

i love everything about fall.
i love the cool weather, football games, thanksgiving, and most of all fall candles.
i love the smell of a fall candle burning when you walk through the house.
oh, it makes me so happy. :)

this is my new find.
go to bath and body works and pick one up.
they are $6. totally worth it!

little pumpkin

2010-09-20T19:41:00.003-05:00

bentley is growing so fast. it's hard to keep up.
he's able to sit up on his own perfectly and crawling is in progress.
he can't go forward but only backwards right now. it's pretty funny.
oh, and the only toys he goes after is my iphone and the tv remote.

eating is still his favorite thing to do. you name it, he has eaten it.
we are still trying to figure out the sippy cup. he can't quite figure it out.
he has a total of four teeth. the top two "eye" teeth broke thru a couple of weeks ago.
i'm excited about the fall weather and our afternoon walks.
this weekend we were able to enjoy the nice weather.

it's official...his first word is "da-da."
he is saying (or screaming) da-da all the time.
it's pretty cute.

love is in the air...

2010-09-20T19:31:00.005-05:00

we had a fun weekend.
sondra and baby brynn (3 months) came into town to visit.
it was a BIG playdate for two days. so much fun.
thanks for coming!
we love you!

after company left my sister and i hopped on a flight to austin.
emily ruth got married sunday night.
it was a joyful celebration.
she has been my dear friend, babysitter, mentor, young life leader, and co-worker.
there were many tears of happiness.
love you, emily and matt!

seven months

2010-09-11T17:03:00.003-05:00

happy birthday, little man!
we love you with all our heart.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

labor day fun!

2010-09-09T14:56:00.010-05:00

we had a great weekend relaxing and hanging with friends.
here is a snapshot of our weekend. enjoy!

the kids at baby bounce - northpark

bentley's first longhorn game (big day)

clay's 3rd birthday party

wes and bentley at the party (one week apart)

hanging out at the carrekers

great-grandpa long's 83rd birthday

photos

2010-09-04T12:52:00.003-05:00

bentley had his 6 month photos a few weeks ago.
andie hamilton did an awesome job.
we are pleased with all of them. it's going to be hard picking our favorites.
if you would like to view the photos follow the instructions below.
they will be on her website until thursday, september 9th.

go to http://andiehamilton.com
enter the website
click on "clients" (bottom of page)
password is "long"

enjoy!