Baby # 2 is on the way

WEll, I've actually known for quite a while but wanted to wait until I was far enough along to make the announcement. Colt will be a big brother in October or possibly the end of September. My actual due date is October 9th. I've had 3 sono's so far and everything looks good. Yesterday my ob told me she was going to ask her Dr. friend who does sono's for high risk pregnancy's if he would be able to detect Hirschsprungs in a sono. Apparently he said he could b/c she called me today and had already made me an appt. I have to wait until I'm 20 weeks when the baby's bowels are functioning. So I'm very excited about that. I really don't think anything is wrong but it will be nice to rule it out.
So my next appt is April 27th. I will be 16 wks so I hope to find out the sex. If the baby is cooperative we'll be able to tell but if not, we'll definitely be able to tell on the 3D sono at 20 wks. I can't wait!
Other than that, we are really looking forward to summer. I want to savor every moment I have while it's just Colt and I. A part of me is a little sad that he won't be the only child anymore, but I know it will be what's best for him. Jared and I both enjoyed having a sibling so close in age. Colt is growing up so fast. He has started saying words. It's crazy how he can communicate already!
Well, please keep us all in your prayers as we begin this new journey (again)

Random fun

Well, I'm on Spring Break this week so I thought I'd have some extra time to post. There's not too much to share but I thought I'd post some cute pictures. I celebrated my 29th bday last Friday. Jared gets an A+ for planning a great night out. I thought we were going to Edohana which is a Hibachi grill in Rockwall that we enjoy going too. He totally threw me off. We went to Shananegenz instead. He also invited several of our friends who were waiting there. We ate dinner and played a game of bowling. It was a great night with some great people. Unfortunately Jared is going out of town for his bday so I won't be able to surprise him with anything. But he'll be doing what he loves best. He'll be fishing on the lake with his brother and cousin.
So Colt is growing so much. He's 18 months old now. I can't believe he's 1 1/2 yrs old. He's starting to say a few words. The one he says the most is "hot". It's crazy how much he understands. Since he can't talk yet, I guess it's just hard for me to believe he actually understands what we're telling him. He does though. I can tell him to go put something in the trash and he will. He does have a very stubborn nature. When he wants something, he is very persistent. I guess that can be a good thing or a bad thing as he gets older. Well, we don't have any plans this week. I just plan on spending time with Colt and going to lunch with a few friends. The count-down until summer will begin as soon as we go back next week. With all this beautiful weather and being home with him, I'm getting really excited about summer and what fun it will bring.
He loves sitting with the dog


The look on his face is priceless


Me and Colt at Iron Chef


Jared and I before my Bday surprise


Jared thought it would be funny to not take his shirt off all the way. Colt thought it was pretty funny too.

Cruises, snow, anniversary and everything else in between

Well, I have put "blogging" off for a while and so I have so much to catch up on. We have had a very busy year so far. I'm definately not complaining because we've been fortunate enough to get alot of much needed vacation time. We decided about a year ago that we would probably be to the point of needing a vacation by the time we celebrated our 3rd anniversary. We celebrated our anniversary on the 13th of January and we left for our cruise on the 17th. We started off the weekend by taking colt to my parents. It was VERY hard to leave him knowing we wouldn't see him for another week. We both just tried to keep our mind on other things. We left very early Sunday morning. We picked up some friends in houston and began our journey to Galveston. We went to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. It was a wonderful vacation. We went with our friends that we actually met on our honeymoon 3 years ago. They live in Kansas so we don't get to see them very often. It was so nice to spend time with each other. It was also nice for JAred and I to get some alone time. Don't get me wrong. We missed Colt terribly. In fact, by Friday night I was wishing is was already Sunday so I could be holding my sweet boy. We all survived the seperation though. Colt had a great time with my parents, Uncle Zach and Aunt Margie, Grammy and Grandad and Uncle Joe and Aunt Jaime. I'm not sure he even realized we were gone. So, we had a great time and are thrilled that God has been able to bless us enough to enjoy a vacation every now and then.
Well, I felt that one cruise this year wouldn't be enough for me so I decided to go on another one 10 days after we got back. Okay well, it was planned. My mom told me several months ago that she wanted to take me and my sister in law on a "girls trip" and the first weekend in February was the only weekend we could go. Wednesday night, we flew to Orlando. We stayed at the Airport Marriot. Thursday, we drove down to Port Canaveral. We boarded the ship. We had a great time. I will say I have never felt sick on a cruise until this one. Thank goodness our room was in the middle of the ship so once I got to our room, I felt fine. It was a smaller ship and the waters were really rough. We still had a good time. We went to the Bahamas. Once we got there, we went to the Atlantis hotel. We had the most amazing experience of swimming witht he dolphins. I've always wanted to do this but it is so expensive for 2 people. Well, this time i only had to pay for me, so we were able to experience the dolphins close up. It was amazing! While I was on this cruise with my mom and sister in law, Jared was at home playing mommy and daddy. I think it was a really good experience for both of them. Jared really did a great job being a single parent. He did tell me I couldn't go away again for a long time. LOL.
Well, I haven't even been home a week and we had a snow storm here in Texas. I have never seen so much snow in Texas in my lifetime. We have 11 inches in our front yard. It was so much fun playing in it this morning. Colt wasn't really sure what to think of it. He could hardly walk in it since it was up to his waist! Schools were closed today. Jared went in a few hours late. The only bad part is now we have to make it up at the end of the year. Boo! Oh well, we made some great memories today.
Well, I hope I haven't bored you too much. I'll try to not wait so long until the next post.

The roses Jared sent me on our anniversary.

me,mom, margie

us again leaving the Bahamas heading back to the ship

These aren't in order. This was in the big Golden Chair at the Atlantis

me being silly looking like i'm kissing the fish.

At dinner

Jared and I getting heading back to the ship in Cozumel

Our friends

Notice there's only a picture of me with the Sting Ray. Yes, I look a little scared but it was fun. You won't find any pictures of Jared b/c he was in the water less than 5 minutes. And he certainly didn't get near any sting ray. Maybe he was the smart one!

After we left Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman, we went to a private beach. It was great. Not crowded at all. Beautiful!

Our professional picture taken on formal night



















At school, trying to not get too wet!

Merry Christmas!!! I know, it's ben forever since I've posted. Wow, a 15 month old can really keep you on your toes. We've had a great Christmas break so far. Colt has enjoyed the extra time with family, opening presents and trying different foods. He is still going through a 'seperation anxiety' stage so he wants his mama all the time. But that's okay with me. Mrs. Pat might be upset when I take him back but for the time being, I love the time I get to spend with my little man. He has been in and out of the Dr. 3 times since September. I am getting a little frustrated with the Dr. He never seems to be able to give me any answers. But I'm not really sure there are any. He had a cough for several months that wouldn't seem to go away. We did some breathing treatments and alergy medicine and it subsided a little. He also got some kind of stomach bug that lasted almost a week. The Dr. says it's really common for kids under 2 to get sick alot. Cold after cold after cold. Well, I really don't like his answer. In fact, Colt is sick again now. He woke up yesterday with a fever. A high fever. And he's acting very lathargic. I'm praying he'll feel better in the morning. So, I don't know what I'll do in the morning. It might be time to find another Dr. I hate to sound like a paranoid mom because maybe he's right. Maybe that's all it is is one cold after another.
So anyway, on a better note, we still have one more Christmas. But below are the festivities so far. We have had such a blessed year. Jared is enjoying his job. He's moving up and taking on more responsability. I'm proud of him because he gives 110%. It's also very exciting to see Jared interact with Colt. Sometimes just watching them brings a tear to my eye. There are many times now that Colt just wants his daddy. The love that a father has for his son is priceless.
As for me, I'm glad to be half way through the year at school. My kids are wonderful. Everyday one of them says something that makes my heart smile. I should be writing a book. I just finished my first masters class. It was alot of work but I know it will be worth it in the end. If I follow the program and don't take any time off (which I don't plan on doing), I will be graduating sometime in the summer of 2011. Oh and I did get a perfect 100 in my first class. (I think that's a first).
I saved the most exciting part for the end. Jared and I are about to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. We will be going on a much needed vacation. We are cruising through Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. We are going with the couple that we met on our honeymoon. So we are very excited to spend a week with them again. It will be the first time we have been away from Colt for more than 24 hours. The more I think about it, the more I don't want to go. But I know this will be good for me and Jared. And Colt will be well taken care of by our family. Please say an extra prayer that we'll make it a full week without our little man.
Here is a list of some of the things Colt does now that he's growing up.
1. He can show you his belly button (or raise up his daddy's shirt and show you his)
2. He can give you a high five and low five.
3. He can eat just about anything you put in front of him. (he has a mouth full of teeth now so he can enjoy a good steak)
4. He still has a shoe fetish.
5. He likes to wave by and walk away from us
6. He likes to blow bubbles in the bath
7. He can almost run faster than his mama. Uh Oh!!
8. He loves to climb up on everything. Uh Oh again!!
9. He still loves to give kisses and most of the time they're open mouth kisses!
10.He tries to take the remote away from me to give to his daddy. (I don't know who has taught him that)
I'm sure there's so much more but these are what i can think of now.

Christmas Eve at my parents. This is me, my nephew, Luke and my dad

Me and my man

Me and my little man

Colt playing with his new toys

Colt is modeling his new hat and mittens

Me and my niece, Lexie

Memaw reading to my baby

I did not pose him this way. I went to fix him a drink and came back to this.... Seriously, is it something men are just born with?

Taking a nap with daddy

Riding in daddy's work truck for the Forney parade

Forget teaching when it's snowing outside in Texas. I had to let them go outside and play in it.

At Bass Pro with Lexie and Luke

Kissing daddy

Sharing with Aunt Jaime

Swinging with cousins A.J. and Samantha at Gigi's house.

Wow, I'm really a slacker with this whole blog thing. We have just been so busy. I am soooo thankful that we have a break next week. I don't get the whole week but I'll take what I can get. Then, we only have a few weeks until Christmas. I can't wait!!!! I honestly believe that teachers would lose their mind if we didn't have breaks every once in a while. It's so hard to see what some of these kids go through at home. Yesterday one of my kids told me his dad went to jail for selling drugs! There was no amount of schooling that could prepare me for how to handle that situation. I also have a child in my class who is so far from being disciplined at home. I got into my first.... hmmmm what should I call it.... heated conversation with a parent. I'm pretty sure the parent was either drunk or high because nothing he was saying or yelling at me made any sense. And it's really hard for me to believe that a sober person would talk to his son's teacher the way that he talked to me. So I know that these kids need me and that God put me here for a reason. But, man, sometimes it seems impossible to just do what I went to school to do... teach! So I'll get off my little soap box. Everything at home is great. Jared is really busy at work. I am happy for the overtime but not happy about the long hours. Colt is doing good. He's getting a new tooth every other day it seems. He was sick a few weeks ago. He had an ear infection and a cold that gave him a pretty bad cough. But he's feeling much better now. I'm sad to report that he is beginning his "terrible 2's a year early! He has soooo much personality. He is so stubborn and hates being told no (who does). We are trying to be very consistent in disciplining but he keeps doing the same thing over and over and over. He is very hard headed. Not sure who he got that from. Since Jared doesn't read my blog, I'll say it his fault. I'm afraid we have a very long road ahead of us. I'm sure it will be filled with lots of time-outs, spankings, groundings and who knows what else. But with all that being said, he is so much fun. Everyday I think he can't possibly be any cuter and then he'll do something to prove me wrong. He is really funny to watch and interact with. It's amazing how much he's picked up and how fast he learns. My sweet boy is growing up too fast! Well, I can't think of much more going on. Oh, I did start a masters class this week. Man, I don't know what I was thinking. It's sooo much work. But I really want to get it over with. It's a very fast pace program. Classes are 5 weeks long with a week break between each class. I should be done in 18 months. I just might not have much of a life for the next 18 months. Well, here are a few pictures from the past month. I think they're out of order... sorry


Grandad actually let Colt get up on Duke. He wasn't sure what to think about that.
The only picture I got of my little Chef smiling on Halloween


He's learned how to splash. Bath time is a little more messy these days



He's so smart. He picked up Jared's phone the other day and held it right up to his ear. He knew what to do with it. So he's either really smart or he sees his mama on her phone too much!


We has a fun family shoot a few weeks ago. My little stinker wouldn't smile for any pictures with the family.