Daddy Weekend Journal by Cory

As some of you know, Stephanie is on a vacation with the other women in her family to visit her cousin who lives in San Francisco. Since this is the first time that I have had both of our kids for a full weekend (without any help), I thought it would be a good opportunity to write my first ever blog post....

Here is the journal of events for Daddy Weekend:

Saturday:

7:00-8:00 - Christopher and I cooked crepes (he and I do this every Saturday morning and he normally starts asking me by Tuesday each whether the following day is a day that I don't have to work and that we can cook crepes)

8:30-10:00 - Walk down to the neighborhood park. All went well at the park except for when Lucy and Christopher were riding the bouncing alligator and Christopher got it going back and forth so fast that Lucy slammed her mouth on the handle. It gets too hot and we head home.

10:30 - 1:00 - The Stonebriar Mall. I told Christopher that we were going to the mall to play in the play area and as we were pulling into the Stonebriar Mall, he told me that it was the wrong mall (he wanted to go to Willow Bend). I didn't pay this much attention, but when we got in the mall, I realized why...no real play area! or maybe I just couldn't find it.....Daddy Lesson Learned: Trust your son on anything to do with malls since he spends so much time there with his mommy.....We went to "Build-a-Bear" for Lucy to get a bear since she does not have yet have a favorite stuffed animal. She picked out the Panda Bear. I think she really liked it the best since it was about the only display animal that she would hug and she gave stiff arms to the rest of the animals.....Time for a quick carousel ride. Lucy rode her own horse, not sure if this is a first or not for her, but she had a great time.....next up is lunch. It amazes me how something as simple as getting lunch at Chick-fil-a in the mall becomes so complex logistically when you have two kids and no other adult to help you! Maybe it just takes more practice.

1:30 - 4:00 Good, long naps. Daddy could have used one as well, but watched tv instead.

4:00 - 6:30 Play time and dinner

6:30 - 7:30 Ice cream at Double Dips in downtown Frisco. I almost didn't take them there since it is not air conditioned and was probably still above 100 degrees at this time, but it was shaded and they had misters going so it really wasn't all that bad. Lucy got her own 'baby' ice cream cone....she loved that she had her very own cone just like her big brother. Both kids were covered in ice cream, it was so bad that when I tried to wipe ice cream off of Christopher's hands, pieces of the napkin just stuck to his skin and I had to scrape them off.

8:00-9:00 baths and kids to bed

9:00 Daddy fertilizes the trees. Not an ideal time for yardwork, but when else did I have time to do it?!?!?

10:00-11:00 laundry and a much deserved adult beverage

Sunday:

Morning:

Church and Sunday School. One of my proudest moments from this weekend was fixing Lucy's hair this morning. I paid extra attention to how Stephanie did it earlier in the week, and it really paid off. Still not as good as Mommy does it, but getting better.

Afternoon:

Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie. My dad's brother, John, is a trainer at the track, and they invited us out for the afternoon. We joined my parents, my uncle Marlin, aunt Deb, aunt Marilyn, and uncle John. For those of you that haven't been out to the track, I highly recommend going sometime. We had a table in 'The Silks' area so there is a waiter to get you food/drink and you are in the air conditioning. About 5 minutes after arriving, I sat Lucy down on my chair and I sat beside her. Before I knew it, she fell through the back of the chair and bumped her head on the ground...really sad...also, really bad timing...this happened exactly at the moment that everyone got quiet for the National Anthem. So for the entire song she was screaming at the top of her lungs and I was trying to calm her down, I'm sure that basically the entire grandstand could hear her. As soon as the song completed and everyone applauded, she INSTANTLY stopped crying/screaming and began to clap with them....our drama queen. Christopher's horse won EVERY race. His secret was to select which horse he would cheer for when they were a few yards from the finish line. One time we tried to out smart him and asked him before the race which horse he would be cheering for (expecting him to say #1 or #5, etc.), but he calmly and quickly said that his horse would be the one in first place...can't argue with that logic. Unfortunately Daddy was not as good at picking winners....4 bets, ZERO wins. Both Christopher and Lucy had a great time at the track, they love seeing the horses, and they were so well behaved! It is so much fun to take them out and show them off!

Probably the highlight of the weekend for me: Bed time...after reading Christopher a couple stories and praying, he said unsolicited: "Daddy, I love you.".....is there anything better than that??

What a great, action-packed weekend we had. I am so blessed to have these 2 absolutely amazing children! I am also so blessed to have such an amazing wife that can do what I did this weekend 5 days a week by herself. I knew her job was hard and plenty rewarding, and this weekend reinforced both in my mind.

If I ever blog again, I promise it won't be this long!

15 Months!

Well it's been a while since I've updated everyone on little Miss Lucy. She recently had her 15 month birthday and we just had her doctor visit today. She received an excellent report at her well visit today, including a nice little growth spurt which upped her percentile a little bit. Always nice to hear that.

It is funny how quickly you forget about the different things these little ones do as they quickly grow and develop. Things Christopher did at this age come flooding back when I see Lucy achieving some of these little milestones. Remembering him toddle around as he was first learning to walk, and then watching her try so desperately to keep up with him is just a reminder at how quickly the time really does go.

She is learning new things and changing almost daily. She is really trying to develop her vocabulary! She says, "more" (along with her own version of sign language for that one), "bye-bye", "no, no" (always like that, not just "NO"), and "bow" (Does that make you proud, Meredith?). We also hear "Ma Ma" and "Da Da" quite frequently. My favorite little thing she started doing a couple of days ago is giving hugs. It is just adorable. If you ask her for a hug, she will reach her arms around your neck and go "Aaaaawwwwwww." As if to say, "Awww, how sweet." (Which of course, is usually what Cory and I would always say to her when we would give her hugs). She will also give kisses and wave hello and good-bye.

I could go on and on about the little things she does that just amaze me. But to be brief, let's just say that she now "helps" me make my bed every morning. It is so cute! As soon as she sees me start to spread up the sheets, she toddles over to the pillows and tries to pick them up and hand them to me. So adorable!!

We feel so blessed to have Lucy. She brightens our days and fills our hearts with pure joy!

Lucy Baylor, 15 months

Kisses from Christopher

Watching fireworks on the 4th!

Happy 4th of July

Better late than never!

Sea World!

A few weeks ago, we decided to plan a last minute family vacation.  Since our summer schedule was already so busy, we had to piggy back this little vaca onto one that had already been planned, my annual family reunion.  Since we would be driving down 35 anyway to New Braunfels for the reunion, we decided to take a little detour and go to San Antonio first to spend a couple of days at Sea World!

We had SO much fun.  While it was really a short trip, just two days, it was jam packed with smiles and making wonderful memories as a family.  I can't wait for all the other vacations we will take together as a family in the future.  The kids did so well and were very flexible with their schedules.  Cory and I were so tickled with them when we first arrived at our hotel around 10:00 Monday night.  Just like you would expect a 4 year old to be, Christopher was wide awake and filled with excitement and energy at the thought of being in the hotel.  Miss Lucy was right there with him, as they bounced around on the bed and giggled late into the night - so cute!

Our time at Sea World was wonderful.  We fed and pet the dolphins, rode the Log Ride (all 4 of us), played in the water, and of course saw Shamu.  Christopher loved everything we did.  Lucy did too, except for the fake Shamu and fake Dolphin characters that were walking around the front gate, they brought on tears of terror.  Unlike the real dolphins, that she actively tried to reach out and pet several times.

Our friends, the Braatens, were down there too staying in our same hotel.  We met up with them at Sea World the first day, and enjoyed great pool time, dinner, and s'mores by the fire that night.  

It was a wonderful start to our week filled with family fun!

Best Buds

Christopher and Drew are such good friends.  Sometimes Meghan and I even think they act a little more like brothers - wrestling and picking at each other one minute, only to be laughing and having fun the next.  It has really been fun to watch them develop this friendship over the past couple of years, and now see that it is truly genuine, not just something we force because we live close by and Meghan and I enjoy the mommy company.  These boys truly like each other.  We hadn't even been back in Frisco from our little family vacation for 24 hours before Christopher was asking to go to Drew's house.  When we arrived there this afternoon, I heard Drew tell Christopher, "I missed you."  Seriously, how cute is that?

Anyway, the Dubes are heading up to the East Coast for the rest of the summer and we sure will miss them.  We were really bummed when we realized that Drew would not be here for Christopher's birthday party this year.  So Meghan and I decided to get the boys together for a little early celebration.  We had planned to go to the pool and then for ice cream, but rain was a spoiler.  We ended up at the Wiggly Play Center for some playtime, and then hot dogs and ice cream from Double Dips.  Meghan and Drew were so sweet and even got Christopher a birthday present - which Meghan told me was entirely Drew's idea, even down to when they went shopping (1:00 in the afternoon, which is usually nap time)!  

We are so thankful to have them in our lives and will always think of Drew as Christopher's first "real" friend!

 Getting ready to sing "Happy Birthday"

Drew helps blow out the candles!

Christopher's very own lawn mower from Drew.

And just for fun - a couple more pictures of these silly boys!

In January 2008 celebrating Drew's 2nd birthday!

June 2009, celebrating Christopher's 4th birthday

Lucy's First Swim

We hit the pool on Sunday evening with our good friends the Dubes.  This was Lucy's first official time in the pool.  (I think I held her in there last summer for a few minutes here and there to cool her off but that doesn't really count.)  Cory was golfing so he didn't go with us, and I told him when he got home that we might have a little dare devil on our hands!  Of course it is a bit early to tell for sure but our little girl had a BALL in the water.  I started her out in her little boat float.  She just kicked and splashed with the biggest grin on her face the entire time.  Until she caught glimpse of her brother and Drew swimming out into the water to Jeff (Drew's daddy)!  I could just see the wheels turning in her little head as she started to maneuver her way out of the float to try and swim herself.  She was the same way in the baby pool, wanted nothing to do with me and trying with all her might to keep up with the big boys.  It was SO cute and SO different from Christopher's first pool experience.  I can't wait to see how the rest of the summer unfolds!

Sittin' by the pool!

The boys!

Let the Fundraising Begin!

So, I know I briefly posted about The 3 Day a couple of weeks ago but this weekend marks 24 weeks until the event!  Time to start training and time to start FUNDRAISING!!

I'm going to insert a copy of the letter I sent out two years ago when I began my fundraising campaign then.  Even now, when I go back and read it, I am haunted by what a scary time this was for my family.  We had never experienced anything like it.  Cancer is a horrible disease and I know and love too many people who are affected by it.  The 3 Day is such a powerful way to feel like you are doing something to make a difference.  When I walk, I not only walk for the many men and women who are facing this disease at this very moment, and not only for the ones who have faced it and lost their battle, but for the ones who have yet to face it.  My own mother.  Me.  My daughter.  With the money that is raised, research will be done, treatments and medications will be discovered, and we will become that much closer to finding a cure.  As we like to say at The 3 Day, "because EVERYONE deserves a lifetime."

My original fundraising letter, written in April of 2007:

Dear Friends and Family,

A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 3 minutes.  Every 13 minutes, the disease claims another life. 

This past January, my aunt, Pattie Hubbard went to see her doctor about a lump she had found in her left breast.  After having to wait for the biopsy results over the weekend, we learned that the results were what we had feared.  She was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer and a lumpectomy was scheduled immediately.  Unfortunately, the doctors were not able to remove all the cancer and additional tests showed pre-cancerous cells in her right breast.  Three weeks later, we found ourselves back in the hospital waiting room while my aunt had a double mastectomy.

Throughout the course of these events, I watched my cousin Beth, my best friend, face the fears of losing her mother.  I would lie awake at night trying to think of things I could say to help, knowing there really were no words.  Beth needed to know that her mom would be OK.  That Pattie would be there for her wedding, her children, and the everyday comforts that mothers provide. 

While I was searching for more knowledge on breast cancer to better help my family, I discovered www.The3Day.org.  It occurred to me, this was the way I could help.

The Breast Cancer 3 Day is a 60-mile walk for women and men who want to make a personal difference in the fight against breast cancer.  Participants commit to fundraising, training, and dedicating an entire weekend to the cause.  The participants will travel an average of 20 miles a day during the event, raising awareness for breast cancer along the way.  This year, I am going to be one of those participants. 

I have committed to raise a minimum of $2,200 by October 26^th. The proceeds raised from The 3 Day will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.  The money raised will fund research, treatment, prevention, and community outreach programs.  I hope I can count on you for financial support as I undergo this journey.  It is difficult to ask for money, but remember you can help save lives!

Thanks to the thousands of men and women who have donated in the past new tests and treatments have been developed.  After her mastectomy, Pattie was able to have a test predicting the probability of reoccurrence of her cancer.  Her percentage was so low she will not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation.  My aunt will be one of the lucky ones to beat this disease and become a survivor! 

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Stephanie Locke

How to donate:

·    Visit my personal donation page at www.the3day.org/goto/Stephanie.Locke.  You will be able to make your donation online.  While you are there, be sure to check out our team page for The Pink Princesses.  There is a whole group of us walking for Pattie!

·    You can also mail me a check.  Make all checks payable to: Breast Cancer 3 Day.  Please send them directly to me:

Stephanie Locke

1802 Countryside Drive

Frisco, Texas 75034

This year, more than 200,000 women and men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will lose their lives to this disease.

 

If you are one of my faithful readers (or even if you aren't), then I'm asking you to please click on the logo on the top right and donate.  I need to raise $2,300 before November 6th and I need your help.  I know these are tough times, but every little bit helps.  Don't delay, donate today!

Sharing Recipes

A few of my good mommy friends (Meredith, Jonna, and Aubrey) and I have been e-mailing for a while about good recipe finds, grocery store bargins, and other mealtime related tips and stories. We find that it helps us keep our sanity as we strive to take care of two or three children, husbands, households, and ourselves. We recently decided to put all of our thoughts about these things onto a combined blog. The four of us plan to update it with recipes and ideas to help make mealtime simple. Check it out and comment if you wish! We'd love other thoughts and suggestions!

Realtime Mealtime:
http://4realtimemealtime.blogspot.com/

The 2009 Breast Cancer 3 Day

That's right peeps, I'm walking again!  The experience I had in 2007 was incredible and I'm so excited to participate again - this time, withOUT a baby in my belly!  As many of you know, I need to raise $2,300 to walk the 60 miles.  Click here to read more about why I walk and to donate if you wish!  

New Post, New Pics

So I know I haven't been posting much lately. I guess ever since Trinkets, I have just enjoyed my evenings away from the computer since so much of my time was spent up here prior to that. At any rate, I'm going to try to be better and give updates more often!

Christopher is about to finish his 3-year old pre-school year. I can't believe my baby will be 4 this summer!! CRAZY!  We've had our first experience with soccer, which really deserves a post of its own, but overall it's been good.  Christopher has had a great time with it and Cory and I are so proud of his efforts and his competitive nature!  He is really turning into quite the intuitive little boy. I can't say anything anymore without him picking up on it. He has the best imagination and we are always engrossed in "pretend play" at this house.  The other day I got to be Lois Lane, a Wonder Pet (can't remember which one), a cow, a dinosaur, and a mommy all in the first hour of my day.   The kid is so smart and constantly asking me questions about anything and everything.  He rattles my nerves every day but melts my heart even more.

My little soccer player

My little kitchen helper, wearing his sister's jacket.  This just cracked me up one day!

Miss Lucy is now 13 months and trying to walk, as you saw in my previous post. Not only that but the girl climbs on everything! She keeps me on my toes all the time.  She is also exploring her vocal chords.  There is no use trying to have a phone conversation, or any other conversation for that matter, while Lucy is in her high chair.  She has decided that at that time of day, she will shriek the most attractive high pitched squeal you can imagine.  It is so pleasant really.  She's not doing it out of anger or sadness, just her form of communication right now.  She is also becoming more and more animated.  She shows her excitement for things with the cutest little faces and always saying "oooh, oooh."  This little one does the same as her brother and makes me both crazy for sanity and silence, and crazy in love.

"Look at me!  I'm taking steps!"

Little girl pigtails.

What we've been up to...

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

That's right peeps, the little girl is on foot now. All this video was taken over the weekend and by today she is practically trying to walk everywhere! So cute!

Celebrating Easter

We had a very nice Easter Sunday celebrating with friends and family. It is definitely my favorite holiday, a time that allows us to truly focus on Jesus and the sacrifice that our Father made for each of us.

Christopher really enjoyed hunting the eggs this year too. A big difference from last year. Yesterday morning when we woke up he asked me if I could pretend to be the Easter Bunny and hide some eggs so he could find them again! Too cute!

Happy First Birthday Miss Lucy Baylor!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl! I am so thankful that the Lord chose me to be your mommy!

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love...

My Husband!

My friend Crystal did this on her blog and I thought it was a good idea.  My husband has been amazing over these past couple of months with all of the JLP stuff.  I've been trying to think of ways to show him my appreciation and figured this was a good place to start.

10.  He makes me laugh.  I joke with him now that he has lost some of his humor in his old age, but really it's still there.  He is pretty quick witted and usually always finds a way to bring a smile to my face even on my worst of days.

9.  He is smart.  While this quality can be somewhat frustrating when we are having discussions about our finances, I know that Cory is usually right because he's so smart.  His brain works completely different than mine does, which seems to work well for us.

8.  He is very handy.  By that I mean Cory is really good a fixing things and actually does a very good job.  The other day our the leg on our ottoman broke and Cory totally repaired it just like new.  It could have cost us a pretty penny at a furniture repair shop but instead just a few minutes of Cory's time on a Friday night.

7.  He is very patient with me.  In most other aspects of his life he is the complete opposite of patient, but he never seems to mind my making us late someplace because I can't decide what to wear.  I know it does eat at him on the inside, but he never shows it to me at the time, which I think is nice.

6.  His love of sports.  I love all the little known facts Cory can spout off about sports.  I love watching anything from football, to basketball, to baseball, to golf with him.

5.  His work ethic.  Cory takes his job very seriously but also finds ways to leave it behind to spend time with us at the end of the day.  I think he has been very successful in his career so far and know that he will continue to do so in the years to come.

4.  How helpful he is.  I know I mentioned that above but seriously, I don't know what I would have done over these past couple of months without Cory.  He has really pitched in around the house and with the kids when I have had all these meetings that have lasted until 9:30 and 10:00 at night sometimes.  And he hasn't complained about it once.  To make matters worse, all of my meetings have been on Wednesdays which are the same days as his soccer games, which he has had to miss on a couple of occasions.

3.  His leadership.  Cory is a wonderful spiritual leader of our family.  I am so thankful that my children have him as their role model for what a man should do and be.  We (myself, Christopher and Lucy) are so blessed by this.

2.  He is a wonderful father.  I think most women think about what kind of dad their husband will be before they have children, and I did.  I have to say that Cory has far exceeded my expectations in this.  I knew he would be a good one, but what I don't think I was expecting is that how good he is at showing our kids that he loves them.  He genuinely loves spending time with Christopher and Lucy.  And believe me, the feeling is very mutual!

1.  Because he loves me.  Like I mentioned  before, I know I have my days, and am sure that I'm not always that likable at times.  But at the end of the day, I know Cory loves me.  We're working a little bit on speaking each others' love language a little better at times and even at that he's stepping it up right now, which really means alot to me.

Bottom line, I am so blessed to have Cory as my partner in life.  He is without a doubt my best friend, and I love him with all of my heart.

Now, if you are reading this, I encourage you to blog about your "10 Reasons Why You Love..."  Get creative and fill in the blank!   

Brrrrrrrr!

Not really what you want to be saying while you try to hunt Easter eggs but that's the way it was this morning for us at our annual church Easter Egg Hunt. We still had a good time and Christopher hunted a few eggs before he got too cold. Of course the weather spoiled my adorable coordinating outfits that I had all ready for them to wear. We're heading down to Dallas Blooms on Monday so hopefully it will be warm enough by then and they can wear them there. Stay tuned...

I just wanted to post this picture of my kids with the Easter bunny from today. Please notice that Miss LBL did not shed one tear!



Oh, and I would also like to add that exactly one week from today JLP Trinkets to Treasures will be O-V-E-R and my life will hopefully resume some form of normalcy! The countdown is ON!!

Time For a Post

So I know it's been a while...

One day last week I had a brief conversation with my mom about breastfeeding. She had seen something on the Today Show (I think) about the benefits of breastfeeding but the excerpt also included some information about bottle feeding and the positive aspects of that. Don't worry, this post is in no way a lecture about breastfeeding. I have two children, one of which was bottle fed and the other breastfed so I can easily speak about both experiences and also firmly believe that a mother has to do what works best for her baby, her, and her family and I know that situations arise where breastfeeding isn't the best thing, like in Christopher's case, but that is another story entirely. The point of my story today is that after that conversation with my mom, I began tooting my horn just a bit because it had dawned on me that Lucy, my little breastfed baby, had just about made it through her entire first year of life with a perfectly clean bill of health. The girl had not run a fever, had an ear infection, or even had to make trips to the doctor other than her well visits. This simply was not the case with Christopher. While he never had any serious illness, he had to be treated for things like croup, ear infections, and sinus infections all before his first birthday.

Well wouldn't you know it, low and behold, Miss Lucy came down with the flu last Friday (positive test results confirmed on Monday). In my almost four years of motherhood, I have not experienced one of my children being this sick. It has been awful. Her fever would spike as high as 103 and she was just completely listless at times, doing nothing but sleeping on my chest. It was heartbreaking, worrisome, and of course, exhausting. I'm happy to say that today, on what I guess would be day six of the virus, I have finally started to see a few shreds of normalcy in my baby girl. She has smiled at me, eaten some solid food, and even clapped for Christopher this morning after he sang me a song. So I can breathe a little easier knowing that she is on the mend and will return to her normal happy self again very soon.

11 Months Old!

So we are officially one month away from Lucy's first birthday! How crazy is that? I just can't believe that my little girl is almost ONE!!! She continues to bring a smile to my face and melt my heart every day. I hesitate to say this because I don't want to jinks anything but I really think she is turning a corner with her stranger anxiety. Last week we spent some time in Abilene with my parents and she did so well with them. She was so happy showing very little anxiety towards them at all. Today when I took her to the nursery at church for my mom's group; not only did she smile at the sweet lady who works in there, but her lip did not even quiver when I handed her over!! I was elated to get to walk off without hearing my daughter's sad little cry.

She is talking, crawling, cruising, pushing, eating, smiling, waving, clapping, and kissing up a storm. This afternoon I drove in the car to the sounds of her little kisses coming from the back seat. So sweet. It is not something she does necessarily on command, but definitely a new noise she has discovered that she can make and I think it is precious. Cory told me that tonight, she "walked" all over the kitchen with the assistance of one of our little tiny "kid table" chairs, pushing it from one corner of the room to the other. The baby gates are back up and it is a good thing too because today I watched her make it all the way to the top of our stairs. She was so proud of herself and would stop periodically to smile and wave at me as I followed along beside her.

We are so blessed with this beautiful baby girl. I am hoping that this month will go by so slow so that I can soak up every last bit of this first year with her that I can.

Lucy at 11 months:
Waves all the time
Claps (will usually start clapping whenever she hears the song "When Your Happy and You Know It")
Makes adorable kissing sounds
Eats like a champ
Pulls up on all furniture
Cruises around all furniture
Will move from one piece of furniture to the next
Will walk behind toys/chairs etc.
Drinks very well from a sippy cup
Takes two naps a day (when her brother's schedule allows her to be at home)
Sleeps from about 7:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. (at least this week!)

Who Knew?

The Sonic in the food court at Stonebriar Mall is more expensive than the one on Lebanon (and also the one on Main) by my house. Wonder why this is?

The BIG Backyard Build!

We decided to take the plunge and get a swingset for the kids. Cory and his dad have spent the last two weekends putting it together. It was quite the job!! They worked so hard. All day yesterday Christopher would periodically open the back door and ask how many more minutes until it would be finished! He has been beside himself with excitement over it. I know we will be spending endless hours of fun out there in the days to come!



This is what our backyard looked like last Sunday (and all week long). They only had Sunday of last weekend to build it because most of Saturday was spent purchasing and unloading all the boxes.



The finished product!



A happy boy climbs!



A happy girl swings!

Thanks again Neal, for all of your help! Cory would not have been able to do it without you!!

Happy Valentine's Day