Dear Bo, Weekend review (a new pergola)...

We have talked about building a pergola over our back patio since we moved in back in 2005. 

We finally bit the bullet and built one on Friday (I use the term "we" very loosely).  Love, love, love it!  Now I'm busy obsessing over furniture for the space.

 

 

 

Instead of having a date night out on Friday, we enjoyed dinner outside under it.  Great night.

On Saturday night, we had date night out at a new (to us) Mexican restaurant.  Then we came home and sat outside some more. You enjoyed chasing bubbles, and we enjoyed watching you.

 

 

Dear Bo, You're 21 months old...

21 months old?  How did this happen?  Here's what you're up to:

• You weigh around 29 pounds; I'm not sure about the other stats.
• You wear mostly 12-18 month clothes, but some 18-24 months shirts work, too.  You wear a size 4 diaper and a size 6 shoe.
• You're rockin' the same ol' schedule:  wake around 7:30am, have milk and some breakfast, have milk and lunch around 11:45 or 12pm, then down for a nap (which lately has been 2 hours), juice and snack, milk and supper around 6pm, then bath and bed at around 8pm. 
• You have 12 teeth now.  Middle 4 top and bottom and 1 molar on each side.  Teething has disrupted your nighttime sleep this month.  When your sleep is disrupted, I'm always reminded of your non-sleeping infancy and so very grateful that you're such a good sleeper now. 
• You are a happy boy.  You smile and giggle constantly.  So much so that sometimes we wonder, "is this normal?"  You have these hysterical laughing fits that sometimes freak us out.
• You love:  throwing 2 small balls over and off your little slide (over and over again), pushing any kind of button (remote, alarm system, microwave, phone), clapping, watching Bubble Guppies, chasing and kicking Scout, closing doors, and eating goldfish.
• You don't love: hearing the word 'no', having clothes put on or off, and having your shoes put on.
• At the first of the month, you were seriously into acting out when you were frustrated. You would hold your hand up (like a heil Hitler pose) and slam it down, while yelling, "tuh". We've been working on it, and thankfully, we don't see as much of it these days.
• You are a thick little guy.  I can't resist your chubby hands, chubby feet, and chubby, chubby legs. 
• You're verbalizing more:  you say Momma, Dadda, dee (drink), peas (please), fi (fish), bye-bye, and you'll try to say many other things we encourage you to say.  When you want something you either rub your chest (sign language for please) or do sign language for more.  I'm pretty much puddy when you do either.
• While I'm still torn with you inching closer to 2, I'm enjoying the new freedoms:  I no longer take a diaper bag anywhere; it's just a snack in the purse, and we're good to go.  You eat what we eat at restaurants, and you love getting your own drink at a restaurant.  You're just so easy now.
• A-d-o-r-e you.  We adore you.

{Then-August 2010}

{Now-August 2011}

Dear Bo, Your girlfriend's back...

She can play ball...

She can be a heavy lifter when she needs to be (pulling you in the wagon)...

But she knows how to be a lady and ride in her chariot while her prince pushes her, too...

And run her hands through her hair...

And do the hand motions that she loves you "this much!"...

And share her goldfish with you (see how full your cheeks are???)...

And her piercing brown eyes?  They cast a spell for sure...

To be fair, you did your thing.  You showed her your rebel side by running off from Momma and Daddy and grinning defiantly...

You were even vulnerable and showed her your tired side...

The best thing about her is that she is raised by Christian parents who are praying the same prayers we are for her future (it's a bonus that they're Aggies, too), but we won't tell you both that, as we know the parental curse can work against us.  Son, you've got your work cut out for you.

But let's face it, couple wagon rides are a start...

It's incomprehensible that some of your first outings were only a year ago.  If only I could have caught on camera her sweet pageant wave, "Bye Bye Bo", and your clumsy, boyish, up and down wave, "Buh Bye"..

Dear Bo and Hunter, Henceforth known as "Bo" Hunter...

Your grandmothers are friends.
Your moms are friends.
Your uncles (both) are friends.
You truly have no choice but to be friends.

My childhood BFF, her hubs, and her new baby came to town this weekend, and we spent the weekend  hanging out, visiting, watching FNL, and just reconnecting.  We never put a stitch of makeup on, and we never left the house.  Suh-weet!

Despite the look on this face...

we had a great time.

 

Dear Me, If yours were a chapter book life...

...it would read something like this:

{Chapter One}  The Early Years: A loving but firm childhood on the farm

{Chapter Two} The School Years: A confident, fun loving girl conquers grade school

 

{Chapter Three}  The Junior High Years:  Confidence waivers, a wobby walk through junior high

 

{Chapter Four}  The High School Years:  An insecure, anxiety-ridden adolescent experiences the highs and lows of high school

 

{Chapter Five}  Young Love: What I learned from my first loves

 

{Chapter Six}  Regrets: Mistakes made, friends lost, family hurt

 

{Chapter Seven} The College Years:  A confident, fun loving girl gets her groove back

 

{Chapter Eight} God's Mercies:  Meeting and marrying Jonathan

 

{Chapter Nine}  Godly Women:  The things my Granny and Mammaw taught me

 

{Chapter Ten}  No Idle Hands Here:  The Deere years, law school, and a legal career

{Chapter Eleven}  Married Without Children:  The first 9 years with Jonathan 

 

{Chapter Twelve} Everything I Never Knew I Was Missing: Becoming a mother

 

{Chapter Thirteen}  Family:   Becoming friends with the family chosen for you

 

{Chapter Fourteen}  Friends:  Becoming family with the friends chosen by you

 

{Chapter Fifteen}  Marriage:  "Doing Life" with a true partner

{Chapter Fifteen}  Self:  Remembering me, while being her (wife, momma, daughter, friend, attorney)

Dear Memory Bank, Galveston Day 5...

We packed up Saturday morning, said farewell to the beach, and headed to The One's grandmother's house to spend time with her, The One's parents, and his sweet Aunt Dorothy.  No one is getting any younger, so it's always extra special to visit with his grandmother and aunt.  This visit did not disappoint.  Bo seemed to know how special they are, and doled out kisses, winning them over.

{Kisses for Granmama}

{Kisses for Aunt Dorothy}

{His grandmother got her share of kisses, too.}

{Playing with GranDa was extra fun}

{I love the joyful look Mary has on her face in this picture}

{And I love how Bo is puckering up in this picture}

{The Talley Side}

{The Zanowiak Side}

We caught our flight late afternoon, and Bubble Guppies and the magna doodle did their trick for the most part.  We had a delay in Dallas, though, and the flight was full so it was a little more work to keep Bo happy and quiet.  We were only moderately successful.

{Bubble Guppies and Goldfish}

We were all happy to be home Saturday night.  Bo was so pooped that he slept from 8pm-9am and had a 3.5 hour nap on Sunday. 

Overall, it was a great vacation.  Lots of sweet memories were made (and many captured on camera...hurray!).

{My favorite pic of the 3 of us from the trip}

Dear Memory Bank, Galveston Day 4...

On Friday, we had most of the day to ourselves. 

•  We enjoyed time at the beach...

 {Pointing up at the helicopters; with goldfish in hand, of course}

{Shark bite butt}

{Catching a ride from Daddy}

•  Time at the beach house (with Bo napping, and me reading this)...

• More time at the beach after Bo's nap...

• Dinner at Luigi's.  (It was delish!)

• And finally, a restful night's sleep, with Bo in his own bed, in a room all his own.

Dear Memory Bank, Galveston Day 3...

Bo slept in his own bed Wednesday night so we woke up Thursday refreshed!  It was another day at the beach, and the "big boys" also took the older kids putt putting.  The One's parents and grandmother came for the day so there were a lot of people for Bo to visit with.


After dinner we went on a walk at the beach and got some of my very favorite pictures from the trip.

{We could not get Bo to get a group shot right by the 4 older kids.}

 

{When we tried, this would happen.}

{Or this}

{So we resorted to The One chasing him around the kids in hopes of getting him near them smiling.}

{The kids are crazy about Uncle Jonathan}

{The best we could do for a family of 3 shot.}

{Because moments later, Bo looked like this}

{Father and son time}

{Strolling}

{Boardmans}

{Browns}

{One of my favorite pics of all time...my boy and the moon}