4 Year Anniversary

So, I am a little late on this post, and I'm sorry to say that we failed to take a picture ... but J and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary a week ago on Oct. 22. Thanks to our good friends, Ben and Lindy Walker, for taking care of Trip for the night, we were able to enjoy a relaxing dinner and a movie for the first time in a very long time. After much discussion, J and I decided against doing anything extravagant this year. We both agreed that spending some good 'ole down time together was what we were both sorely in need of!

It is hard to believe that I have only been married to my wonderful husband for 4 years. A lot has happened - We got a dog; bought, remodeled and sold our first home; moved to the Hill Country; started a business; and had a baby - Just to name a few of our big moments! I cannot imagine being married to a more loving and supportive man ... And of course, he keeps me laughing too!

tuckered out

By the end of a long weekend of fun activities Trip was all tuckered out.

HJK3

Trip wearing one of J's old outfits with his initials embroidered. So cute!

Lamby

Trip has recently discovered an affection for this huge lamb stuffed animal, which we have named "Lamby". When we tell him to "give Lamby love" he will rest his head on Lamby or sometimes give it kisses. These are a few pictures of Trip loving on Lamby. I hope he gets attached to a smaller stuffed animal, because I am not going to be lugging this gigantic one around for the next 5 years!

Friends, Pumpkins and Broken Down Cars

My mom and I drove to Austin Friday afternoon to visit my best friend Johanna and her baby girl, Ainsley. We visited the pumpkin patch down the street from their house, and snapped some really great pictures of the kiddos. We tried to get a good one of the 4 of us, but the babies would not cooperate!

I love this picture of Trip standing up on the pumpkin. I got some other really great shots, so I will post a slide show shortly.

On the drive to Austin, my car made some funny noise and just as we were getting into town, the "check coolant" light came on. After leaving the pumpkin patch, we drove to a nearby gas station to fill up on coolant, but the man who helped us said that our coolant was not low, so there was probably some other problem with the car that we should get checked out when we got home. About 10 minutes later, my car overheated at the corner of I-35 and Cesar Chavez. Triple A towed my car from Austin to Boerne (96.2 miles ... just under the 100 mile limit!). Because we had Trip with us and his car seat, J had to drive to Austin to pick us up.

Mom, Trip and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and took a taxi to Guero's Mexican Restaurant where we enjoyed margaritas at the outdoor bar and listened to some great live music. J met us for dinner before we all headed home. My mom had been saying she wanted to see more of Austin, so at least she got her chance!

And in case you were wondering, the fan in my car was broken and I should be getting it back sometime today.

Monkey Trip

Saturday we went to the "Haysterical Haymaze" at Fabra Elementary School, just down the street with some friends from church. Of course, we couldn't miss the opportunity to dress Trip up in his monkey costume!

mommy and me

This is one of only a handful of pictures I have with Trip. I realized last week when I was going through pictures from the past year that I am on the other side of the camera in 99.9% of the time. So, while my mom was in town this weekend, I had her snap a few of me and Trip. I love this one! He wraps his arms around my neck like a little monkey - And despite the fact that most of the time he ends up grabbing my hair, it melts my heart!

Hi Greta!

This is a shout out to Aunt Greta who is in school in California at LMU. Trip finally fits into his outfit! We miss you and love you!!!

Little Pumpkin

Cupcake!

Trip's grandma "Cupcake" came to visit this weekend and showered him with lots of "sugar" ... no pun intended! He loves getting kisses from her and she calls the kisses "giving sugar." So, the grandma name is fitting! We had a lot of fun playing and can't wait to see Cupcake again in a month.

Sleepy Head

I woke Trip up from a nap the other day and this is how he looked. He had flipped to his stomach and fallen asleep with his face on both of his hands. You can see the one hand print on his forehead and the other finger print next to his pacifier.

7 Month Update

(Everyone still comments on what a big boy I have, although his stats seem to be evening out)

Height: 27.5 in. (50 - 75th percentile)
Weight: 19 lbs. 12 oz (50 - 75th percentile)
Development: Trip is FINALLY rolling in both directions, which is his main form of transportation. J and I have decided that he simply lacks the motivation to crawl, so who knows when that will come! He is a really strong stander though, and can stand on his own with his hands propping himself against the coffee table or couch. This is backwards developmentally, so we are trying not to let him stand so much. Someone told me that it is important that babies learn to crawl first because it helps to develop some part of their brain. He is a very verbal child and has made practically every sound ... ba, da, ma, ta, th, ha, hi, oh, etc. He also learned how to make a sound like he has congestion in his chest when he is breathing. He makes it all the time and makes me worry all the time! Just when I am about to call the doctor, I listen and he is breathing just fine. I thought I had several years before I had a child who would fake sick!
Likes: His favorite thing to say is "Dad". Not just "da, da, da" but the full "dad, dad, dad". He doesn't know what it means, but we are working on that. It is probably my favorite thing to hear him joyfully calling for his dad. Of course, I use this to my advantage and am constantly telling J that Trip wants him to change his diaper, or play, or feed him. How can J resist? Trip also LOVES his pacifier. He has really great hand-eye coordination and can spend a long time chewing on his pacifier and pulling it in and out of his mouth.
Dislikes: Being trapped in anything. I can't leave him in his highchair for too long, or he seems to get claustrophobic. When he feels trapped he holds his breath and kind of makes a prolonged grunting sound until his face turns practically purple and then he eventually starts screaming. I was at the grocery store with Trip and it was before he could balance himself sitting in the front of the cart, so I had him strapped in. He started doing this and I couldn't help but laugh! The people around me didn't seem to think this was so funny and gave me the "you are a bad mom" stare. Oh well, I'm sure it won't be the first time Trip throws a fit in public.
Favorite Memories: Trip's favorite song is a childhood song that J learned in middle school. The words go, "Hello everybody, so glad to see you!" and then repeat. Singing this song is the best way to get the biggest smile you have ever seen from Trip. In fact, in every picture you have seen of Trip smiling on this blog, I am probably behind the camera singing this song. Sometimes I switch it up and say "Hello Mr. Trip man, so glad to see you!" ... I know, I know, I am so creative! But you can only sing the same words over and over so many times before it drives you bonkers!!!

Pre-Halloween Fun

I just couldn't resist ... I bought a couple of these cute little Halloween outfits from Wal-Mart ... super cute and super cheap! Coming soon - Trip as a Monkey!

Uh Oh!

Uncle Collins

J's brother, Collins, came to stay with us for the past two nights. It was so fun to see him and watch him play with Trip. When you see your child every day, you don't notice the small changes as much as someone who only sees them every couple of months. Uncle Collins just couldn't believe how much Trip had changed. Hopefully we will get to see Collins again very soon ... we miss him!