Our Dugout~ A Field of Dreams!

We've moved!!!

2009-11-15T17:05:00.003-06:00

We switch practice facilites and can now be found at www.thenixteam.blogspot.com!!

Come over for a visit and join our fan club!!!

See you there!!!!

Whew...where have we been???

2009-08-13T21:17:00.005-05:00

We have been busy preparing to welcome this little one into the world...

GRACIE LEE NIX!!

And making this little boy a BIG BROTHER!!!
On August 5, 2009 at 7:45 AM, we became a family of four! Gracie weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. She is doing GREAT and we are adjusting well to becoming a family of four.
She seems to look a little more like me than Cutter did. She has a head full of dark hair and is small and petite.
Cutter is loving being a big brother! He wants to hold her and is continually saying "baby, baby, baby". After everyone left on Sunday, (we had lots of family over) we let Cutter hold her for the first time. He was so, so gentle and wouldn't let her go. He gave her lots of kisses, and lots of love! I can tell this little boy is going to be one protective big brother to his little sister!

Please come back soon for more pictures, I promise to update more often!!

Preparing!

2009-07-12T21:44:00.003-05:00

Well, we have been busy preparing for baby girls arrival!! This weekend my two fabulous sister-in-laws and mother-in-law gave me an amazing "sprinkle". I was overwhelmed by the graciousness of my family and friends that are just as excited as we are to welcome our baby girl into the world!!

36 weeks and counting....

My mom made a special trip to Dallas to be here with us. We had a great relaxing weekend!

My hostesses- Lindsey, Darlynne, and Melissa

Thank you ladies for an amazing shower!!

My baby girls FIRST pair of shoes!! I can't wait to see her wearing them!! She is going to look as cute as a button in them!!

Once again, I'm apologizing for NOT being a good blogger and getting updates on here!! I have been trying to keep Cutter and myself busy this summer. We have just 3 short weeks left before we welcome our baby girl into the world and we are trying to take in every minute we can together; trying to spend as much time indoors and at the pool as possible!!!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T23:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!!!

I can't say enough how much I love my son's dad! We spent most of the weekend working on Baby Girl's room. She will be here before we know it and we just had to get started on it, we are running out of weekends. The summer tends to be our most busiest time of the year and fitting in time to get it done has been hard, but we did it. And it looks AMAZING!! I will post pics later once we put the finished touches on it.

I had planned on making a big breakfast for Daddy when he woke, but he told me not to and we made plans to go to brunch with Papa Nix, Aunt Mel, Uncle D and Aunt Lindsey! I let Daddy sleep in, but Cutter knew better and was just banging at the door to go in, so I handed Cutter daddy's gift and he made his way in. He crawled on the bed as fast as he could and handed it over. Cutter knows just how to make someone feel special and he did it this morning. A big hug and kiss and Daddy was ready to start his day.

We miss Papa Homan sooooo much!! Papa made his way back to Iraq last month, but I had this photo that I hadn't posted yet. Happy Father's Day Papa, we hope you had a GREAT day and were able to get some sleep!! Love you to the moon and back!!

I do apologize for the lack of posts. I am on maternity leave and have been doing my best to keep Cutter and I busy before the new little one arrives. We have quite the tan going because we visit the pool at least once a week. Cutter has really taken a liking to the spray park we have at our pool and I am staying busy chasing him around.

Issues!

2009-06-08T22:09:00.004-05:00

After many attempts to upload several photos, I gave up! I did not, however, give up on uploading this super cute photo of our little man! We have been enjoying the Spring weather and spending lots of time outside. On Sunday, Greg and Cutter worked out in the yard. I have several cute photos of Cutter helping Greg move the sprinkler and him getting wet. He even took a break and laid out in the back of the tractor, but once again I couldn't get that photo uploaded.Cutter is talking up a storm. One of his cute new things is to tell the dogs to "TOP IT" when they are barking! He knows his momma and daddy can't hardly take the barking and we have taken to telling the dogs to "stop" when they do it. Cutter has decided to pick up on this and will tell any animal that is making noise to "top it". It is sooo cute, although I might not be thinking that in a few months.

I am starting my maternity leave on June 15, and I can't wait!! I am so excited to be getting to spend this special time together with Cutter before the new baby arrives. I hope that it doesn't hurt us. We are getting to spend this time together, however Cutter is used to me being gone. Hopefully, he won't get used to this one on one time and then be super depressed when the baby comes. I do have some hope though, we have spent this past week at my sister's house helping her transition into being a family of 4 and Cutter was extremely SWEET to baby Maycee. Several times he leaned in to just check her out, take a look, make sure she was doing ok and then walked away and did his own thing. BUT, we didn't bring her home with us, so I don't know if I can really use that to judge how he is going to handle it all. I am sure he will adjust, but I am just trying to prepare myself for his rejection.

Maycee Alynn Eden

2009-06-01T22:37:00.002-05:00

Welcome the newest addition to my extended family! Maycee Alynn Eden made her appearance on the last day of May, May 31. Emilee is so excited to be a BIG sister! She even mentioned a few times that she is Cutter's BIG sister and asked when Cutter was going to get his "own" big sister! Too Cute!! We are in Cove spending some time with Emilee - taking her to school, picking her up and going to the hospital. Katie thinks she will be out sometime tomorrow.

She is too perfect for words and we thank God everyday that she made it here safely! She looks just like Emilee did when she was born!

Painting Party!

2009-05-19T21:46:00.002-05:00

We were invited to go to a painting play date today! The weather was perfect, the set-up was perfect and my little artist was ready to go!
I tell ya - Cutter might have a future in painting! He was so excited to get that brush dirty and put it to paper!
One little issue we may have - he didn't care for the paint to be on his hands AT ALL!! Not even a little bit. He did a wonderful job, but it was short lived and he headed for a different interest...

The cozy coupe!!!! Every chance Cutter gets to play in one, he does! He loves this car, I think I may need to invest in one!! :)

After a few more trips to the painting board, Cutter's final masterpiece was just that "A Masterpiece"!!

MIA!!!

2009-05-10T21:18:00.001-05:00

WOW!! 2 weeks to be exact and I am TRULY sorry, although I haven't heard anyone complaining!! ha ha

I forgot my camera in my home town so all the new pictures that I have on the camera are currently in route to my house via UPS!

I had a GREAT Mother's Day! We (Cutter and I) spent the first part of the day driving home from Cove, but the afternoon was spent with the two most important people in my life, Greg and Cutter (if you were wondering)!! Waiting for me when I got home was a card from Cutter and Greg and a special James Avery charm for my braclet. I can't wait to get it put on!! Sonic for lunch and an AMAZING steak for dinner topped off our night!

Once I get my camera back I will be back on my regular scheduled updates!! :)

FIRST Fish!!

2009-04-26T20:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we were invited out to the Roberson Ranch Party in Crumby, TX. I was excited to take Cutter since he had never really seen a cow or any other farm animal. Little did I know, the cows really wouldn't interest him, but FISHING, oh yeah now your talking!!
Daddy and Cutter (Daddy not being much of a fisher himself) sat down for some much needed quiet time and much required patience. This little man must have been good luck! Daddy and Lil Fisherman only had to sit there for a few minutes before Daddy felt a tug at his line!
Cutter was patient enough as Daddy reeled in the big monster he had on the other end of the line. What had Daddy caught??
A little Brim fish! Daddy was oh so please with his "Big" catch! Cutter was as well.

He couldn't wait to touch it!!

We had a great time! After all the fishing was done, we went and ate at an "All You Can Eat" catfish place. It was awesome and Cutter loved eating the catfish as well!!

Will you....

2009-04-20T21:31:00.004-05:00

do me a favor and add this little guy, Stellan, to your prayers!?! He is a MIRACLE, diagnosed in utero with numerous heart issues, his parents were told he wouldn't survive. Several weeks later he was born with NO issues and was completely healthy until a month ago when he went into prolonged SVT. Last week he was flown to Boston, where is he being treated by an amazing pediatric cardiologist. Tomorrow he will undergo an ablation and he desperately needs all the prayers he can get; an ablation on an infant his size is very dangerous. MckMama is an amazing writer, so take a moment to familiarize yourself with their story and love for GOD! If you notice on the left hand side of her blog, she twitters and updates regularly so check back for updates!!

I started reading her blog after we found out that Cutter was having heart issues. Speaking of that, last week we had another echo cardiogram done on Cutter; when we went for his 15 month check-up our doctor noticed that his heart murmur sounded louder. She stated that sometimes right before the murmur closes, it gets louder and wanted us to double check just to be sure. Prognosis is that while it does sound loud, it doesn't look bad and has had little to no change from his 6 month echo cardiogram. Straight from the doctor's mouth: "This little guy has a GREAT looking ticker!" and I hope it stays that way too....

1st Annual Easter Egg Coloring!

2009-04-16T21:42:00.004-05:00

This year Cutter really enjoyed coloring the Easter eggs. He wanted to do most of it by himself. I was a little weary, I didn't want him to get the egg dye on his clothes!! Since we were in Cove for the weekend, we got help from a special person - PAPA!! My Dad is home from Iraq and we spent Saturday at his house coloring eggs and then an egg hunt!! Can you say FUN!?!

We had lots of cool things for the kids to do to the eggs. We put sports wraps on Cutter's eggs.

Cutter loved writing on the eggs with a q-tip type dye.

Cutter loved watching the eggs change colors, and didn't want the eggs to stay in the dye for too long.
Emilee joined in the fun helping to dye her eggs - PINK!!
Our finished products looked to good to eat!!

Easter 09

2009-04-13T21:11:00.002-05:00

For now I leave you with the cutest little Easter group EVER......

Exhausted doesn't describe how tired I am! We had a GREAT weekend, I will post more soon!! :)

Hey GIRL!

2009-04-02T11:22:00.005-05:00

We are so so so excited to be adding a little pink to our family! Baby Nix #2 is a GIRL!!
Name: TBA
Due Date: Aug 2009

Slide Anyone or maybe a lil Tee Ball??

2009-03-29T21:54:00.004-05:00

We bought Cutter this mini slide for his birthday and the weather this past week was just perfect for us to take it outside. And we invited Wyatt over to play!!
He loves it and has it just about figured out. The first few times we had to help him up the steps and teach him out to sit on the slide before you slide down. After that he had it down pat and knew exactly how to slide down, but would slide down on his back.
It only took a few times of going down on his back to realize that if he stayed sitting up, he would be able to slide down on his bottom! What a little smarty!!

The boys did a great job of sharing and waiting in line. I know a another great use for this slide, when it is a lot warmer outside. How about putting inside a kiddie pool!?! That seems like a great idea, Mom! We'll try it out in a few months and let you know how it goes, I can't wait!!
And for those of you who thought we were lying when we said we would have Cutter hitting off a tee before he was 18 months old, this proves you all wrong! He loves to hit the ball and can even do it on his own. He will hit the ball, then retrieve the ball, place it back on the tee and hit it again. He carries the bat with him as he goes to get the ball. Daddy is trying to get a little technical with him, I told Daddy to give it a few weeks before we worry about placing the feet in the right spot. ha ha. I'm just glad he seems really interested in it, another GREAT birthday present!

To the peds office we go!

2009-03-23T16:34:00.003-05:00

We headed off the pediatricians office this morning. Cutter has been doing much better. We were sent home from the ER with oral steroids and antibiotics. Dr. Chinn is with me and thinking that he had some type of allergic reaction to something in the air. I asked to do an allergy test today, but she said due to the amount of steroids in his system it wouldn't come back with any information. Cutter has his 15 month check-up on Monday, so we will do the blood work for allergy screening then. If it comes back normal, we will have to wait awhile to do a prick test. They don't do prick tests on toddlers. At today's visit, Cutter was wheezing so we will rule out asthma at the next appointment as well. We are continuing to do the breathing treatments and will wean him off every 3 days.

Another week of waiting to do blood work to see what in the world this little man is allergic too. I am glad to know that I trusted my instincts and started the breathing treatments immediately, that is what probably saved us from having to call an ambulance.

I'm glad my little man is better!!

A Day at the ER!

2009-03-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

Saturday March 21: After coming from playing outside,we sat down to have lunch and then started to relax for a nap when I noticed he was breathing rapidly (we counted 56 breaths a minute at this point). Kind of like he had just gotten done running a marathon, but we had been in for 45 minutes. We gave 3 breathing treatments at home before making the decision to head to the ER. By the time we got to the ER his breathing was down to 40 breaths a minute, which is still high. They ordered a chest x-ray and while we waited for the results, his pulse ox got better. They gave 2 oral doses of steroids and a shot of antibiotics. We still don't have a def diagnosis. We are heading to the pediatricians office on Monday.

Mullins Triplets! Prayer Request!!

2009-03-17T09:28:00.006-05:00

Calling all my family and friends to pray for the Mullins Triplets!!

Aubrey Lyn - 3 lbs 14 inches
Brightyn Lee - 3 lbs 15 inches
Gage Aiden - 2lbs 10oz 13 inches

Aubrey and Brightyn are doing great! Aubrey is off the ventilator and Brightyn should be coming off this morning!

Gage was welcomed into the gates of Heaven with his Nana waiting! I know she is enjoying rocking and singing sweet songs to him!

Please pray for:
Aubrey and Brightyn as they continue to show strength and are doing great!
Brian and Katie as they mourn the loss of a son and praise the Lord for their beautiful daughters.
Katie to heal well and get back on her feet so that she can spend time with her gorgeous daughters!

Much Love,
Kristie

First Push-Up!

2009-03-16T22:42:00.006-05:00

It is FINALLY warm outside, so Cutter, his cousin, Emilee and I sat outside and ate their first push-up!! It was so fun to watch them try to figure out how to work one!
We started the day off by going to "Bounce U", a place similar to Pump It Up, Emilee enjoyed it but the slides there were just too big for Cutter, so we only spent an hour there.

Our next stop was Chuck E Cheese! Now that place, it was right up Cutter's alley. He loved to ride the rides and play the games.

We spent an hour and a half at CEC and by the time we got home, those two were ready for a big fat nap!

Yeah, not so much! Emilee slept for 45 minutes, Cutter 1 hour! What's wrong with that picture!! Play time is supposed to = more nap time!

After cat-nap time, it was time to play outside and enjoy the beautiful weather we are having! They couldn't wait to get outside.

Emilee and Cutter played so well together. She really enjoys being around him and helping him do anything he needs help with. Then it was time for some real fun!! Bring out the push-ups!! Emilee chose grape and Cutter chose strawberry! We had to eat them outside, because I knew it was going to get messy!!

And messy it got!! It got so messy, I had to spray both kids down outside with the hose!!

Cutter really enjoyed his first push-up and I really enjoyed watching him eat it!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Abbey!!

2009-03-09T20:59:00.005-05:00

We had a busy weekend! On Sunday, March 8, Abbey turned 2!! She was a great birthday girl! We had a great time spending the day with her at her "Dora" birthday party!

Cutter loves singing "Happy Birthday". He was sitting on Daddy's shoulders as we sang the birthday song to the birthday girl! What a great participant!!
At Abbey's Birthday there was a BIG moon walk, Cutter loved every minute of it! He had such a great time and Abbey did such a great job of sharing her moon walk when she wasn't in it!! :)

Smiley!

Uh-oh! What did I catch him doing?

Having a blast!
I just love this boy!!

New word this week: DOG!!

Updates! :)

2009-03-03T20:55:00.003-06:00

Everyone is doing GREAT in our house!

I had a check-up for Baby Nix #2, we are growing good. The heartbeat sounded GREAT!! The Doctor did express some concern that the baby is laying a little low. I had Cutter with me, so I was in a little of a hurry. I didn't ask any other questions, and didn't really taking a second thought about it - until I got home. Greg asked how my appointment went and I had told him what Dr. Greebon had said and then I started to really think - and when your pregnant thinking sometimes isn't GOOD! I didn't sleep well last night, so I called the doctor this morning. I expressed my concern about what he said and wanted him to elaborate. Basically, the baby is laying low and my risk for premature labor is slightly higher than a normal pregnancy. He told me the signs to watch for - back labor, contractions, leaking fluid, but that he thought that I would be fine. Since we are still early in the pregnancy the baby has a chance of moving up and it not being an issue at all. We will discuss it more at my next check-up on March 31, when we will find out if we are having a boy or girl!!

Cutter had a check-up with the ENT today and his tubes are doing AWESOME!! We will recheck in 6 months. We made the appointment today and when she told me our appointment I was surprised to think that when we got to the next appointment I will have a new little one in tow with us!! WOW less than 6 months!!

Other than my mind going crazy last night, we are doing good! Cutter is talking non-stop and is picking up new words everyday! Our current new word is "out"!!

I'm OUTta here!

Playing outside!

2009-02-24T14:15:00.004-06:00

After feeling like we have been cooped up in the house for AGES, we ventured outside with Daddy. He and the other neighborhood guys were playing campus golf on the island near our street, so we joined him.
Cutter had a great time "trying" to walk up the hill. It was a bit of a challenge. I give a month and he will have conquered "the hill". He tried so hard, but was unable and just kept falling and rolling back down.

He was able to crawl up the hill, but not walk it. He was determined to get up that hill some how. It was quite windy outside, so we didn't stay out long. Just long enough to get some fresh air. I can't WAIT til Spring, I already know it will be my saving grace when I go on maternity leave.

Cutter loves to be outside, what boy doesn't? BRING ON THE WARM WEATHER!!

The First Time Climber!!

2009-02-17T15:24:00.004-06:00

First off, let me apologize for the big butt shots! I was trying to capture the moment and he wouldn't stay still long enough for me to put his pants back on!
After waking from his 3 hour nap, Cutter was in the best mood he had been in in six months. He proceeded to climb on our coffee table. Not sure if it is a new sense of freedom, but he sure was determined. I probably committed mommy sin number 1! I let him do it, the first 2 times. After that I told him no, but a Mommy has to do what a Mommy has to do to get some good pictures of a first He only tried to do it a few times, and hasn't tried since! I almost wanted him to do again last night so Greg could see it, but I decided against it. Maybe letting his do it 3 times would be sending the wrong message!!
FINALLY!! He did it, and he was so proud of himself!!

Just another milestone to make off the list!

Climbing tables - check

Mommy letting him do it - check

Just one more thing to tell him "no" to -check

The look of accomplishment - PRICELESS!!

Surgery - He's a CHAMP!!

2009-02-16T21:22:00.004-06:00

Our lil man is CHAMP!! He came through his tubes surgery without a problem.

The alarm clock rang at 5:00, we were to report to the hospital by 6:30. Greg and I both took showers and prepared ourselves for what we thought would be a long morning. After getting ourselves ready we went and woke our lil man up for the biggest day of his life. We had one breathing treatment left to do and then we would be on our way. We arrived at the hospital right at 630, (too close to call for me, I would have been there at 6:00, but Greg insisted that leaving the house at 6 would be fine. I was right, we needed to leave earlier, nonetheless, we arrived right on time), we got our champ registered for surgery, and then waited!! At about 6:50, they called us back to the operating prep-room. Cutter fell in love with his nurse, Kathy, she did a great job at keeping him entertained while she did the things she needed to do - get his blood pressure, listen to his heart, and get a pulse ox. We got him dressed in his little gown and he was all ready to go. All we needed was to meet the anesthesiologist, Dr. Moore, see the ENT doctor, Dr West, and he would be on his way. While we were waiting for Dr. Moore, all the nurses came over and just loved on Cutter. That made him happy. He was in a GREAT mood all morning, despite not having anything to eat or drink since 8 pm the previous night.Dr. Moore came and we talked about Cutter having any allergies, any health issues, the plan of action. Cutter would just be sedated with a "laughing" gas. No IV or intubating needed here! He requested that Cutter be given a "calming" medicine with was given orally. It took about 10 minutes for the "calming" medicine to take effect, but once it did, Cutter got the giggles!! Here he is laughing at Daddy.Dr. West came by to talk to us and let us know that the surgery would only take about 15 minutes and that we should wait in the waiting room right outside the prep-room, he would come get us when it was over. Daddy handed Cutter over to the surgery nurse and Mommy started BAWLING her eyes out!! I couldn't stop crying. I gave Cutter one last kiss and one last "I love you" before he left. Before I knew it, he was laughing with the nurse and walking away from me. My little boy was being such a BIG BOY!!Greg and I went out to the waiting room and discussed finding me something to eat (I was feeling nauseous) . There was a cafe down the hall and I needed some toast, so off Daddy went. While he was gone, literally 15 minutes, Dr. West came out to tell me that Cutter did GREAT and he was all done! There wasn't much fluid and his ear weren't protruding like we thought they would be, so everything went off with a hitch. "Great, so when can I see my baby?" I asked. He told me they would come get me in 10-15 minutes. Dr. Moore came out 2 minutes later to tell me that he was the best baby he had ever sedated, he NEVER cried! I was so proud of him. 10 minutes later the recovery room nurse came to get us and warned us that most babies cry for up to an hour, they are quite sure why they feel the way they feel, and that he wasn't in any pain. Cutter didn't start crying until he saw us and there wasn't much consoling I could do (which is frustrating, by the way). It took us about 15 minutes to get him to calm down, some cranberry juice, an orange Popsicle later - we were out the door and into the truck! Time: 830. We got our little champ home and fed him some homemade pancakes and he all well. They were right when they said you wouldn't even know he had surgery by 10. He was still on cloud 9 when I made him lay down and he was out for 3 hours. After he got up from a nap, he was in the greatest mood, swinging his arms and having a good ole time CLIMBING on the coffee table. That is a first, which I will post photos from his climbing in action later, I don't know if he has a new daredevil attitude now or if he was just feeling that good. Whatever it is I am glad that I have my happy little CHAMP back!!

RSV and Tubes!

2009-02-11T21:26:00.002-06:00

This has been what we have been doing every 4 hours! Needless to say we have been staying quite close to the house. On Saturday, Cutter started getting a runny nose and a slight cough. By Monday, it was a horrible cough along with the runny nose.

Monday morning we had an appointment with the ENT to discuss getting tubes in Cutter's ears. Cutter has had chronic ear infections since he was 6 months old and this qualifies him to get tubes. While at the ENT we did 3 hearing test, all came back letting us know that Cutter can't hear anything but muffled noises, due to the fluid on his ears. We scheduled the surgery for Monday, February 16th at 730 in the morning, please be praying that the surgery goes as smoothly for us as the Doctor is hoping. After the fluid is released from his ears we will do another hearing test to make sure there wasn't any other damage done to his ear drums and he should be able to hear normal. Cutter says a few words, but nothing more than "Momma", "Dadda" or "that". After the surgery his vocabulary should excel, if not we will talk about going to a speech therapist, but the ENT doc sounded confident that we are getting tubes early enough that it shouldn't be an issue. Cutter also has another ear infection brewing so we started him on antibiotics.

After the ENT appt we had an appointment with his normal pediatrician that I had scheduled way before him getting the cough and runny nose. Since the ENT had already given us a prescription, I thought about canceling it, but I am soooo glad I didn't! My mother always told me to trust my intuition, (I thought she was talking about when he was older, you know, about when you think he is getting into mischief), BOY was I wrong. My intuition told me to go ahead and take him in. We got there, the pediatrician took one listen to his lungs and knew he was getting the beginning stages of RSV!! She took his pulse ox level, normal is 100, Cutter's was 92. They immediately gave him a steroid shot to open his lungs up and we did a breathing treatment right when we got home. We will continue to do the breathing treatments til Monday, when he will get the tubes. We have a follow-up appointment tomorrow with the pediatrician, so hopefully we will get good news that the treatments ARE working. I think they are, he sounds a lot BETTER!!

Poor little guy has had a hard last few months, I feel like he is ALWAYS sick! Hopefully once he gets the tubes, everything will drain just fine and he will stop having these chronic infections. Keep us in your prayers that everything will go just fine on Monday and we will have our happy little boy back soon!

Doing Well

2009-02-08T12:40:00.003-06:00

We are doing well here in the Nix home. Cutter is getting more and more of a little personality and we are enjoying watching him grow into a little boy. I feel like my baby disappeared, turned into a toddler and becoming more of little boy over night. New things he's doing include but not limited to dancing, pointing and saying "that", using mustand and ketchup and LOVING IT!!

As for me, I am finally feeling some what human again. Our appointment on Monday went well, we were hoping to maybe get a little peek to see if we "might" be able to tell what he/she was, but this baby was not having any of it and did not cooperate at ALL! Patsy (the ult tech) had a hard time even getting the measurements she needed, but we heard the heart beat. It is hanging in there around 167. What an amazing thing to hear. We feel more and more blessed as the days go on to know that we are adding another little blessing into our family.

On a sadder note, I am asking all of you to keep The Mac's in your thoughts and prayers as they go through the most difficult time of their lives. This morning their little girl, Cora, lost her 3 week battle with Neuroblastoma. I don't know them personally, but have been reading their blog for awhile and my heart is just breaking for them. I can not imagine the pain they are going through right now. Please do your best to remember to pray for them and that God gives them the strength to live another day.

Playdate with Amari

2009-01-26T22:55:00.003-06:00

While Daddy was out of town for a couple of days, Cutter and I ventured down to Cove. We had a great time hanging out with the family. But our most important date was with this little princess, Amari.

They played wonderfully together. We are actually thinking about staying another night, not by choice, but because the weather may not let us come home. If it doesn't, we may have another date scheduled for tomorrow!
The best part of it all was that while they played, we talked!! It was GREAT to have some adult conversation going on!

My kid is not shy! He didn't even do the ole "yawn" to put his arm around her trick! He just did it!!

Everyone together now......

awwwwwww

Bath Time

2009-01-21T16:54:00.002-06:00

Isn't he just the cutest little man ever!We have been fighting several sicknesses in the Nix Family. Cutter is just getting over strep, scarlet fever (which is a symptom of strep) and an ear infection. We have an appointment next week with the ENT to see about getting tubes in his ears. I really thought I wouldn't have to put my kid through getting tubes, but I guess you can't really help it.
I thought I was starting to feel like myself again, but it hit me like a fright train and I have been feeling pretty bad myself. I am fighting a sinus infection and the normal all-day morning sickness. We are doing as well as expected here in the Nix house and just trying to get everyone well.

12 things...

2009-01-14T12:33:00.002-06:00

...to know about my 12 month old.

Cutter only has 4 teeth! We are patiently waiting for the rest to come in, so we can start exploring new foods. It has to be boring to be eating the same thing over and over. Don't get me wrong, we are trying new stuff, but I basically have to dice it to small enough pieces so he can gum it to death. He can feed himself, most of the time. Actually he prefers to feed himself and he prefers to use a fork. He will also eat anything I put in front of him - Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, Green Beans, Tofu, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, French Toast, Pancakes, Waffles, Strawberries, Pineapples, Cherries, Apples, Blueberries, Yogurt and Crackers are just a few things this boy will chow down on when put in front of him.
Cutter is BIG boy. Not that you can't look at him and tell, but when we took him to his 12 month check-up - he is off the charts!! In all areas- head, height and weight! I asked when to start worrying about having an above average child and the doctor told me not too - I am blessed with a big boy!
He is walking like he has been doing it for years!! He gets frustrated when he falls, but picks himself right back up and keeps on going.
His Papa Homan is in Iraq! He left in December, missing Cutter's 1st Christmas and 1st Birthday, but it is ok. He'll be here next year, when it will be even more fun to watch Cutter open his gifts. We miss you Papa!
He is talking/babbling like I should know exactly what he is saying. He looks at me says something, tilts his head, and waits for me to respond. If only I knew what he was saying, I just look at him and respond back with what I think is appropriate for the situation.
Cutter is going through major, major separation anxiety. I have a feeling that he can sense that someone new may be entering his life in the next several months, so he is taking full advantage of Mommy time!
He can give you the biggest hug ever!! He actually squeezes and hangs on and I soak it all up. I squeeze back and he lifts his head gives me a kiss and is ready to go for the day.
He shakes his head "No" and nods his head "yes" when I ask him a question and 90 % of the time he gives the right answer.
He received a great toy from a neighbor for his birthday - he carries it around and NO one is allowed to play with it, but him. Not even Mommy and Daddy can play with it. What is it? It is a Playskool Form Fitter. He can put the right shape into the right hole, most of the time without help. He can find every piece on the floor and put it back in the box. He also puts other toys in the box. He doesn't go anywhere without it.
He is going to be a GREAT big brother! He is so sweet, so loving, and so kissable.
We have found in the last few weeks that Cutter has a low tolerance for citric acid, which is in just about every juice out there. Good thing Cutter loves water, there will be no juice in his sippy cups. Speaking of sippy cups, Cutter is drinking out of a cup 90% of the day. Mommy is having a harder time letting that night time bottle go, that is "our" time. We will with time, eventually give up that bottle, but Mommy wanted just a little more time.
This boy loves his Mommy and Daddy!

And that my family and friends are the top 12 things about my little boy! He is growing more and more everyday, he is becoming his own little person with his own little personality.

More updates coming soon, with photos. I am finally feeling like myself again and hopefully the creativity will start to flow again!

Happy Belated Birthday Little Monkey!

2009-01-14T11:43:00.003-06:00

I have been slacking on posting pictures lately and for that - I'm sorry! For some reason the baby that is growing in my belly is taking all my creative juices away from me.

And for the much awaited Birthday Pictures....

We had a great time, I can't believe our little monkey is already one! He wasn't quite sure what to think about all the people there to see him.

The theme was rather fitting, Cutter has been climbing, hanging and just monkeying around lately.Cutter enjoyed opening all his gifts. He had lots of practice, since he was doing the same thing just 2 days earlier. He was more interested in playing with the paper, hey it makes noise, so why not! Despite the look of the picture above, his hand is NOT touching the candle. He wanted too, but I made sure he stayed away. Cutter was not so sure about getting all dirty with the cake. He took it easy and just used his hands to get dirty. I guess I taught him well not to play in his food. Little did he know, it was ok this time.

Overall it was a great day spent with lots of family and friends. Thank you to everyone who came and spent this special day with our little Monkey!!

SURPRISE!!

2009-01-06T21:40:00.004-06:00

We were surprised and excited to find out that Cutter is going to be a BIG brother! We will be adding the new little one to our household sometime around the beginning of August. Hopefully this will explain the lack of postings (ie: Cutter's 12 month update and birthday party pictures). The last 3 weeks I have been battling the all-day morning sickness, the worst heartburn I have ever had and brain freezes like crazy.

With Cutter my pregnancy was as smooth as water, so we are hoping that this little one plans to do the same thing. We are approximatly 9 week and 1 day along, so we still have quite a ways to go, but if the next 6 1/2 months go by as fast as the last 3 weeks have, I am in BIG trouble.

Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers for the next several month.

Love, The Nix Family plus one!

Cutter's 1st Haircut!

2009-01-04T15:06:00.003-06:00

I have been anxious to get Cutter's 1st haircut since he got hair. I like to have a clean-cut boy and his hair was getting a little out of control for me.

Yesterday we took Cutter to get his first haircut, by Frank. Frank is the barber that cuts Daddy's hair. He has been cutting Daddy's hair since he was five, so it was only fitting that Frank give Cutter his first haircut.

Before:
After:

Cutter did amazingly well. He NEVER cried and was happy to be sitting up there like the big boy he feels like he is. He wasn't scared of the clippers or the scissors.

His big blue eyes stand out so much more now that he doesn't have all that hair!

He was actually talking to his neighbor in the chair next to him. A little ole' man that had been getting his haircut in the same chair for the past 45 years and he had a good time talking to Cutter.
Frank and Cutter. The 1st of many haircuts! What a little cutie!

BTW, that bruise on his forehead, we have no idea where it came from. We figure he is a boy, they will come and go without any recognition of how it got there.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T21:26:00.003-06:00

Wow, what a year 2008 was. I went from having a newborn to having a toddler. Where did the time go?!? I feel so blessed to have been able to spend half the year home with Cutter, since then the time has gone by waaaaay to fast.

Our plans for 2009:

1. Spend as much time as possible with our little man. Every moment spent with him is so special, even if he is throwing one of his one-of-a-kind tantrums. Yes, we have entered into that era of child rearing.

2. Learn even more about Him. We are committing ourselves to spending more time studying and teaching Cutter about God. I am so excited about this, as we have been more than slacking in this area.

3. Learn from Cutter. Enough said. He teaches us new things every day. We go to bed at night and talk about things that Cutter has done. Most of the times we laugh, he has a way of doing that to us. But we also cry, it is amazing that our little man is growing up so fast and it just brings us to tears to know that our time with him is so precious and sometimes we take that for granted.

We are wishing you and your family a Happy 2009. We hope that your year is as amazing as we are planning on ours being.

From our family to yours - Happy New Year!

Love,

The Nix Family

Christmas Day '08

2008-12-29T11:59:00.002-06:00

Cutter's 1st Christmas was amazing! He was such a good boy this year, so Santa brought him lots of fun toys! Our morning started out early, Cutter had us up at 7 am! Not bad, it could have been earlier.

Checking out his stocking full of goodies that Santa left him. He was excited about the pez candy, even though he can't eat them yet!

Santa left Cutter a BIG basketball hoop! It might be a few months before Cutter is playing with this, but Santa had the future in mind.

After we opened gifts from Santa and Mom & Dad, GG made us all a homemade breakfast. Eggs, bacon, and biscuits and gravy. MMM...it was sooo good. What a great start to our 1st Christmas as a family.
After Christmas breakfast we sat the kiddos in front of the tree for a first of many cherished Christmas photos. All in all, our 1st Christmas together was GREAT!

Happy Birthday to My Little Monkey!!

2008-12-27T00:00:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that my little monkey is ONE! Where has the time gone? We have a very busy day planned today, but I do have plans for a 12 month update - so stay tuned!

Photos

2008-12-19T20:59:00.003-06:00

We went and had Cutter's official Christmas and Birthday pictures taken! I guess since both fall at the same time, I am going to have to make an effort to go around June/July to get some taken. He has changed so much since his 6 month pictures. I had such a hard time picking out the photos, he is such a little doll and was in full cooperation mode. Here are the best ones, and yes it was hard to decide which ones to get, but I did my best. ENJOY!!

Musician???

2008-12-16T00:00:00.001-06:00

Maybe....

~Please excuse the first squeal you hear! I'm ebarrassed to say that's me trying to get him to squeal, I promise you don't have to hear it again during the video!!~

Spaghetti with Santa!

2008-12-15T00:48:00.000-06:00

We went to see Santa and have spaghetti with him, unfortunately you weren't allowed to take pictures as they had professional photogs there. I will have to wait til they send those to me. Until then here are some from that night before we went.

My little Mr. GQ

Waiting to go see Santa

Loving on Momma
Waiting to put my shoes on!

This is how my kids rolls!

2008-12-14T21:11:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I said it - this is how my kid likes to roll. I am not quite sure where he got this quirkiness from but this isn't the first time he has done it and gotten aggrivated at it! What is "it", you ask?? Well see for yourself....

Cutter walking!

2008-12-07T17:30:00.002-06:00

I got some video of Cutter walking! Sorry that it is going the wrong direction! I know better next time! I will try and get some better video. This one was shot 3 days ago and he has gotten so much better and going longer distances! Oh wow, now I have my hands full!!

Santa!

2008-12-03T00:08:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we took Cutter to see Rudy and the Kansas City Southern Railway Holiday Express. We waited in line for about 45 minutes! It was well worth the wait!

Seasons Greetings!

While waiting outside in the chilly weather, we had Cutter all bundled up! He looked so cute in his beanie and new jacket!
The elves stopped by to see all the excited children, one stopped to get a photo with Cutter! The elves are all volunteers and live on the train for the month that the train is on tour. They help set up in each new city they stop at.

Before we jumped on the Kansas City Holiday Express we stopped for a family photo! We were super excited to get into some warm tempatures!
Cutter would NOT sit on Santa's lap, so Greg had to stand with him next to Santa. Look closely and you can see that Cutter is holding on to Daddy for dear life! O'well maybe next time!
On the way out of the last train car, we were met with this sign to let us know that our tour was over! Well worth the wait!! Hopefully they will come back every year, we enjoyed seeing the toy trains that they had set up inside the cars, but we especially enjoyed seeing Santa!

Giving Thanks!

2008-12-02T21:41:00.004-06:00

Well somehow my original Giving Thanks post wasn't there when I posted it! ERRRR..

So here is the short version, when I get more time, I will update more with pictures!

Short Story: Cutter slept through an amazing Thanksgiving Dinner! Then we went outside to get some photos of the kiddos. It went ok, most of the time Emilee and Abbey were walking away from a crawling Cutter!And the super CUTE photo of my little man!! He is just so gorgeous! I love him so much!

Walking!?!?!

2008-12-02T21:03:00.003-06:00

Today Cutter decided to entertain us with the idea that he may be waddling around the house by Christmas. He took about 5-7 steps in between Greg and I on his own. Was my camera near by to capture the spectacular moment? NO! I wasn't expecting it, so it was even close to me. Maybe I will be able to get some photos of the little man on the move tomorrow!

Star Topper!

2008-11-30T03:20:00.000-06:00

We decorated the tree the other day! We let Cutter do the honors for his first Christmas! I am so excited for Cutter's 1st Christmas! I can not wait for him to see Santa, I'll post that as soon as I get it!

Tis' the Season!

Learning to walk?

2008-11-29T03:07:00.000-06:00

We were at a friends house and Cutter was having one heck of a time pushing the others around on their ride along tractor. He probably pushed it around in a circle about 15 times! He was having so much fun!

The concentration tongue!

On the go!!

Taking a break!!

All by himself!

2008-11-28T01:37:00.001-06:00

We are teaching Cutter how to feed himself with a fork. So far he is doing pretty good and he is pretty proud of himself too. Check out these photos to see for yourself.

I want that!

I put the food on the fork and he puts the fork right into his mouth, without even missing the target! No mommy! NO MORE PICTURES!! See I can do this myself!

YUMMY!!
And a cheese to finish it off!!

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!

2008-11-27T02:58:00.000-06:00

Love, The Nix Family

Problem solver or Dog watcher?

2008-11-26T01:21:00.001-06:00

I can't decide if Cutter has become a problem solver or if he is watching our dogs waaaaayyyyyy too much! About 2 or so months ago, Cutter found a new way to carry a toy from point A to point B. It has taken me this long to get a decent picture of it, because every time I would get the camera he would drop it. Almost like he didn't want any evidence that this was happening. We are in the process of trying to teach him that not everything has to go into his mouth. (Yeah, I know, good luck) However, we having much success with it. The items that Cutter seems to want to put in his mouth have been cut in half and are often soft things, such as a stuffed animal or soft toy. We are still working on it, and it is a work in progress, as is everything we are teaching him.

Corn on the COB!

2008-11-24T22:04:00.002-06:00

We gave Cutter his first piece of corn on the cob! He really enjoyed it. I sawed off the actual corn and gave him just the "cob" part.

He wasn't quite sure what to think of it at first, but after holding it in his hand for a few minutes, decided that he would give it a try.

He decided the best way to "eat" it was to suck on the end of the "cob". I guess the juices were pretty darn good! Can you see that smile behind that "cob"??

What a lil ham!

Two Teeth GRIN! :)

2008-11-21T00:49:00.000-06:00

Aren't those just the cutest two teeth you have ever seen

To ALL other parents -

2008-11-20T00:44:00.000-06:00

~LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS~

A BOX of fun!

2008-11-19T00:29:00.000-06:00

Why is it that the box is always so much more fun than the stuff that comes in it! In this case, it was Pampers box, but still Cutter had a great time playing in, around and on top of the box! Daddy had a great time spinning Cutter around in the box. The box occupied their time long enough for me to get some stuff done in Cutter's room! What fun on a lazy Sunday!

In the box

Spinning in the box

Destruction!

2008-11-18T11:51:00.003-06:00

This is what happens when you leave a 10 1/2 month old, alone in his room, for an extended period of time. I have been letting Cutter play in his room, it gives him some alone time and shows him that he can play by himself. Well the other day, I went to go check on him and this is what I found. If you look closely you can see the little spot neat the bookcase where his little bottom was sitting. And this picture should be a testament to just how many books this little man has. He loves, loves books. He loves to eat the books, tear the pages out of the books and more importantly he loves to read the books. Well, I do the reading, but you get the point.

The destruction doesn't bother me! I am sure it won't be the last time I clean up a stack of books! I would have gotten a picture of him sitting in the spot, but by the time I got back with the camera he was moving away from the mess!

Laugh Out Loud!

2008-11-12T21:39:00.002-06:00

Cutter loves to laugh. Sometimes he sits in the middle of the living room and just starts laughing. Not just any kind of laugh, but a full on belly laugh - the kind that makes you want to join him. Greg and I haven't quite figured out if he is laughing at us, our pareting skills, the dogs, or just because he wants too. It doesn't really matter, because we just turn to each other and laugh back at him! Maybe that is what he wanted - us to laugh at him! Anyway, the kid is just as cute as can be - I'll laugh with/at him any day!

Not much happening in the Nix house (besides the laughing episodes). Sorry that the post have been kind of boring lately. I figure you come here to see the pretty (I can still call him that, right?) little man anyway, so why write much when the picture pretty much explains itself! If anything new happens, I'll let you know! ~Kristie

yummy, speghetti!

2008-11-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

According to Cutter, the speghetti was a THUMBS-UP!

Soapy Mo-Hawk!

2008-11-10T15:42:00.001-06:00

NEW!

2008-11-09T20:49:00.003-06:00

OK, so I decided I couldn't wait til after Christmas to get a new laptop - so I am the proud new owner of a Dell Inspiron 1525! YEA, for me! I haven't installed the photo software yet, but once I do, I have some pretty cute photos for you!! First time eating spaghetti, a soapy mohawk and just monkeying around photos, are just some ideas of whats to come!

With those kind of hints - who wouldn't come back for more! I know ya do, so check back tomorrow night and see what Cutter has been up too!

Broken :(

2008-11-02T21:11:00.004-06:00

OK so my 50 year old dinosaur of a laptop has called it quits on me! I am crying tears of saddness.

What am I going to do? I loved that thing!

I am working on Greg's work laptop write now, but he doesn't bring it home during the week. I am going to take mine to the laptop vets tomorrow and see if it is worth saving, if not, it may not be until after Christmas when I get a new one. I know that it is nothing serious, it has to do with the power to the laptop, so hopefully (keep your fingers crossed) it won't take much to fix.

My dino has been through it all and has visited almost every airport/hotel in the United States. Computers age like dogs, every year is really 7 years, and I have had mine for almost 7 years! So that makes mine going on 49 years! YIKES, thats old for a computer. I haven't been in a complete hurry to get a new one, because truthfully, this one has done what I needed to do - get on the internet, trade trips for work and load pictures.

My point in posting that I am laptopless is that I may not get to post very often and if I do post there may not be any pictures. Tomorrow after I take the dino to laptop vets, I'll know more!

Until then I am going to go cry into my pillow!!

~Kristie

Oh and today was my birthday, so happy birthday to me! Today you became laptopless! :( But, I did get breakfast in bed, delivered by my lil man with the help of my big man!! :)

Pumpkin Patch, Take 2!

2008-11-01T12:00:00.000-05:00

This is about as good as our Take 2 pumpkin patch pictures got! Cutter was once again uncooperative, even though this time Stephanie and Wyatt went with us.Someone please, please tell me this is a phase. I don't know what I am going to do if I have a kid that doesn't like his picture to be taken! I am talking in future tense, because I am holding out hope that it is just a phase!Wyatt, on the other hand, was definitely in the mood to have his photo taken! Here is one of many photos that turned out super cute!!You will be glad to know that I am giving up on better pumpkin patch pictures for this year, the ones I have aren't bad, I just wanted better!! I am still holding out hope for next year!

My Lil' Silly Spider!

2008-11-01T00:23:00.009-05:00

Cutter's first Halloween was a complete SUCCESS!! We had a fun filled day of things to do.

We were invited to a Mom2Mom group by Lil O's Mom! We had a great time. Several moms took advantage of a mom with a wonderful camera and very good talent! Cutter wasn't in the best of moods, but she did a great job with what she had to work with! Thanks Kathy!

Our next stop was to Cutter's sitters house, but we got there a little late for the pumpkin painting so we just sat and watched the others eat yummy, green iced cupcakes! Maybe next year Cutter will get to enjoy one with them.

Shoo, are you tired yet, from our fun filled day? Well it ain't over yet! No time to nap at home, so it is cat naps in the car! (And I expect a half way decent kid to go trick or treating, what am I thinking!!)

Well, those cat naps worked, cause once we got home I had a totally different boy than what I had at the play date! This boy totally hammed it up for camera - with his costume and hat on! Enjoy these pictures, I couldn't pick which one I wanted to post so I just decided to post them all!!Cutter loved going trick-or-treating. He hit up about 3 houses, before Mommy called it quits. Mommy felt a little funny getting candy for a baby who couldn't even eat it! So after a few houses, we were back at our house helping Daddy hand out candy. We got lots of oooo's and awwww's at how cute Cutter looked in his costume! I would agree with them 110%.Finally, we were back in the house and Cutter loved, loved checking out all the loot he got! Actually he only got about 6 pieces, but he knew exactly what to do with those 6 pieces. Put. It. Right. In. His. Mouth. And I didn't even get a chance to check it, good thing he didn't get to "eat" it!!Happy Halloween!

Happy Fall, Y'all!!

2008-10-23T23:40:00.004-05:00

Cutter and I went to the pumpkin patch yesterday. We will be going back on Saturday with Daddy! Out of all the pictures I took, this is the best one! Ughhhhh...
Note to self: Do not attempt to go to the pumpkin patch by yourself, have the distraction of those colorful, makes you just want to touch, round things (which your child loves) and expect good pictures!!

Playdate!

2008-10-23T17:41:00.001-05:00

Another day of fun with wonderful mommies and babies! It had been awhile since Cutter and I had gone to one. Everyone was shocked at how big Cutter is getting! He plays so well with other children and loves to be around them too. The mommies have started a play group for each month it will be at a different babies house and we will pick a different color for all of them to wear! Today's color: PURPLE!!

Cutter and Parker trying to escape! They were the only boys, we missed Little O!

Big birthday boy, Parker will be turning one on Saturday! Wow, they grow up fast!

Pretty in Purple, Camryn

Looking through the gate! Everything, I mean everything goes into the mouth! errrrr...

Come play with me mom!
We stuck them all in the gated area! Wow, that's a lot of babies for one area!
Abbie! It was her birthday and Cutter brought her hot pink Daisies!! awwww...
Mia - she wanted out and fast!!

Cutter playing by himself! Everyone else wanted out, not my lil man, he was just fine playing with all those toys! What a good boy!!

Cracker!

2008-10-22T17:27:00.001-05:00

Cutter ate his frist "Ritz" cracker! You think he liked it??

Say It Aint So, Joe!

2008-10-21T10:27:00.000-05:00

Baby Jail!!

2008-10-20T17:14:00.003-05:00

Cutter got himself underneath his highchair and thought that it seemed fun in there for awhile!
But wanted out shortly after the fun wore off...
Finally he figured how to get out!

Total time: about 25 minutes

Then I made this note: "Remember this when Cutter hits the terrible twos"!!

Just Kidding...

Just a swingin'

2008-10-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

After we got home from our trip to Canada, Cutter needed some outside time, so we took him to the park. Stephanie and I met up and took the boys out for a little sunshine! Cutter loved the swings. And the merry-go-round. And the slide! What can I say, this boy loves to be outside!!

After the swing, we got on the slide! Of course Cutter couldn't go down by himself, so I went back a few years and got on the slide with him. Growing up the side was one of my favorite things to play on, I hope that Cutter enjoys it as much as I did!
Then it was time for the merry-go-round! I never really cared for it, since I have a weak stomach, but Cutter seems to like it. He did really well and hung on while we spun it, slow of course!
Cutter and Wyatt play really well together. They are all smiles on the merry-go-round!
The boys on what we think is a "newer" version of the monkey bars. It looked more like a spider!
We packed a lunch for the boys and had a picnic after all the fun we had. We went early enough in the morning that it was still pretty cool out, but by the time we got done, it was clear we needed to go. It was HOT and it was time for a nap!

Diary: Day 7 - Homeward Bound!

2008-10-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

We were so sad to leave Canada! I was extremely SAD, that place is awesome. I didn't watch tv for a week, not even the news! Greg started out driving when we left, but soon the sickness came over him again and I had to take over the wheel. When we got to South Dakota, Greg pulled in to a McD's and we switched drivers! Cutter decided that he wanted a turn at the wheel, he did a great job a getting us home quickly!

Seriously though, I drove most of the way home! I didn't mind. I love driving and sight seeing, even though I travel a lot, I don't always get to see the beauty of our country. I had a great time, just taking it all in. Greg and Cutter slept a lot of the drive home, due to not feeling well. Grandma was a great right hand man. She hasn't been in to Canada in 5-6 years and she could still tell me where to go, not even looking at a map!

Overall, our visit to Canada was AMAZING!! I can not tell you the gratitude I have and love that I feel for our "Canadian" family! We will most certainly go back, hopefully it won't be too far from now!

Diary: Day 6 - Just relaxing!

2008-10-17T22:03:00.001-05:00

**Sorry for the delay in Diary: Day6, I was having technical issues getting the pictures to upload. Either I or Blogger fixed the issue, not quite sure which one, anyway it is fixed and I am able to post pictures now**

Day 6 of our trip left Cutter feeling under the weather, I think due to allergies, since we had visited the farm the day before. Cutter and I relaxed at home, while the Grandma's went to visit an old friend. Greg went golfing, at a one of a kind golf course.Gateway Cities Golf Club is the only golf course where when you tee off and your ball lands an hour later! It is only a nine hole course and only a 2 minute golf cart ride from the house, so Greg was back relaxing with Cutter and I in no time.It also has one-of-a-kind SAND greens! Yes, you read that right, sand greens. Greg was unsure of how to play on them, as no one was able to go play with him that day. The sand greens are treated with motor oil so that the sand doesn't blow away. It is compacted into the ground, which in turn, makes it hard. You are supposed to use these tools to drag a line from your ball to the hole and then rake out the line. Greg had a hard time trying to use the tools, but did the best he could. He had a great time and scored at 45! Hey, no one was looking, except Scott!!After Greg got done golfing and Cutter and I got up from our nap we took another trip into town. Aunt Bette wanted to treat Greg and I to dinner for our 3rd anniversary! Everyone in the family was invited and we had a great time, mingling and eating! Greg had started to feel a little sick himself, so our dinner was cut short. We also had to get up very early in the morning to head back home and we still had some packing to do. Since Greg and I departed dinner early, the family gathered back at Aunt Bette's house to wish a safe drive home. It was so sad to see everyone for one last time. We had such a great visit and it went by so fast! I couldn't believe that we were already saying goodbye, when it felt like we had just said hello! It was way past Cutter's bedtime, but he was the hit of the vacation and I didn't want to leave without them saying goodbye! Dorna did the honors of feeding Cutter before he went to bed. Cathie and Cutter, she loves Cutter so much. He was amazing with everyone and just fit right in! Part of the Davis crew! I wasn't on my game and forgot to get a picture of the whole family! Aunt Bette and Cutter before bed time! Aunt Bette was a great hostess, we will definitely be back!Before leaving on our long trip back to Texas! We had planned to get up early in the morning and get on our way before day light, but Cutter had other plans. He decided to use Thursday morning as the first morning to sleep in. He let us sleep til 7:30, so we got a late start!

Cancel a phonebook!! ~GO GREEN~

2008-10-16T14:04:00.002-05:00

GO GREEN and CANCEL a phonebook!! You don't need them, you have the internet. They stack up in a closet or cabinet. Cutter will be using ours as step stools!! :)

Cancel a Phone Book Millions of phone books hit American doorsteps unsolicited every year, to the tune of more than 19 million trees. If you don't want yours, join the 10,000+ already saying "no thanks" at the new www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org (click on opt-out at the top).

Diary: Day 5 - A "Day" at the Farm

2008-10-08T16:48:00.000-05:00

Our "day" at the farm was really only about 2 hours. I think that's good. Good, considering it was raining some of the time and it got really cold. Cutter and I stayed in the truck most of the time, but when we arrived at the barn, which was our first stop, it was still nice out. So, we got out, took some pics and got some much needed fresh manure air!

Cutter wasn't quite sure was to think about being put inside this tire. But after about 30 seconds he thought it was kinda cool and started laughing.

That big tire belongs to this big thing!
<-------------- And that thing is called a combine and it can harvest a lot of acreage, in a short amount of time. Boy, farming sure had changed. It has an air conditioner and even a heater! Which is much needed in Canada. Greg took a tour of the combine and we were hoping to get to harvest some, but with the rain, we were unable to. Greg wants to take a trip back, which we plan to do anyway, but next time he really wants to go harvesting. I told Gene that Greg is free labor so he needs to use and abuse him. But if he does that, Greg may not want to go back; so I better rethink that idea!
That horse in the background, it is the first horse Cutter has ever seen. He laughed and he laughed at the horse. I guess he thought that it looked funny! It was pretty funny horse, as funny as a horse can be! He came up and sniffed Cutter's hand, I wish we had thought about bringing him some carrots, bread, or something yummy, but I didn't plan that well!
Our next stop at the farm took us to a natural spring where the cows get their water. Here is little known fact for all the city people out there; Did you know that cows need salt in their diet? If it is not available they will lick rocks and such until they get what their bodies need, most farmers will place salt blocks by their water source to insure that they get what they need.

Gene owns several thousand acres, so we could have been gone literally all day, but he picked the best places for us to go and get the best picture of what farming is like. We drove around in several different pastures, just looking and talking. Not much farming going on when we were there.

Everything that Gene and his family grow is organic. As part of the Jewish culture, Gene had some rabbi's from New York come and watch as he harvested his organic passover wheat. They are going to return in a few weeks to watch him package it.
Back when people started migrating towards North Portal, they would set up homestead on a piece of land and claim it as theirs. This particular pasture that Gene owns, had been claimed by many families at different times. The reason nobody would stay on it? It was full of white rocks and you couldn't grow anything on it. The families would come in, set up and start moving the rocks; thinking that they could get all the rocks moved to different places and that they could start growing something. This rock wall is a testament to just how much rock was out there and this doesn't do it justice. Eventually the families would realize that it wasn't a good piece of land, pack up and move their family else where. While driving around on this pasture, I can't tell you how many "rock" walls we saw.
After our trip to the farm, we went back to Gene and Cathie's house and had some good ole grub. On the menu tonight, STEAK!! T-Bones and Rib eye. Straight from the cow. And it was awesome.
Daddy, Mommy, Warren #1, Lauren, Warren #2 and Leslie
Blowing kisses to the camera! He is getting better at it!
Leslie, Mommy and Lauren
When I was little, Leslie and I used to be pen pals. I loved getting mail (I still do) and it was extra special when Leslie would send me something. It had been about 8 years since I last saw both Lauren and Leslie, so it was nice to get a chance to hang out and catch up on what is going on in their lives. Lauren married Warren #1, just 2 weeks after Greg and I got married, in Maui. Can I just say that she was one beautiful bride with a gorgeous setting! They just bought some land and have started farming also. Lauren and Warren are waiting on the babies, they have a big house being built and want it to be done before they start working on additional family members (Sorry, Cathie I tried. I thought maybe Cutter being so good would fool her, but it didn't.) Leslie met Warren #2 a few years ago and they have been dating since. I think I may have heard some wedding bells, but Warren #2 just started his own First Aid/CPR training business; so they are waiting for that to take off and then I think we may be hearing them a little louder! Also, while we were there, their sister Nicole, met someone named Warren also! Just friends, but I nicknamed him "Tres" as in #3. It is a big family joke and I wanted to be apart of it!!

Warren #2 and Cutter

Cathie, Mommy, Oma and Aunt Bette

I love my family!

Day 6 keeps Cutter and I at home relaxing and Greg goes to the golf course!! Yes again, but this one is special. Stay tuned!

Apology to my readers!

2008-10-06T21:50:00.002-05:00

Ok, to all six of you who read Cutter's blog, ahem Aunt Katie, I am sorry I haven't updated it lately. It's just that we have had alot going on and I just don't have the energy after Cutter goes to bed.

Cutter has some kind of bacterial infection. He woke with 104.7 fever Friday morning. I immediatly took him to the good Doc (I was there in 15 minutes), they drew some blood and his white blood count was over 20,000! Which means he is fighting a major infection somewhere in his body. The good doc thought that it might be the onset of pneumonia again, so they gave him two shots of an antibotic. But, when we took him back on Saturday to do a recheck of the blood work, his white blood count had rose - which means it is bacterial. So the little man got another shot!! Poor guy! After all the shots of antibiotics, the little man got a good dose of the runnies, so now he is on a liquid diet! See, I told you I have been busy and overwhelmed!

I started our day 5 diary, but got too tired to journal it. I will try and work on it tomorrow! But please don't hold me to it, just give me a day or two and I promise it will be up soon!

Thanks for the patience!

P.S. We did get some good news, our family will soon be expanding by one! NO, NOT ME!! My lil sis, Katie, just found out she is expecting again! Due around June 8, 2009! Please pray for a happy and healthy pregnancy!

Diary:Day 4 - Just enjoying family!

2008-10-02T21:20:00.004-05:00

What can I say I enjoy family! I love my family. I love everything about being part of a family. And I want nothing more than Cutter to enjoy our family!

Day 4 of our vacation was spent just hanging out with our family. It was Monday, so most of our family members had to go back to work. We, meanwhile, went to visit a small town east of North Portal. Estavan is the closest town to North Portal (and it is about 25 minutes away); it has a small strip mall and a few restaurants. The town is in a major need of workers, we went to eat at a restaurant and it took us an hour and a half to eat! They have been working on rebuilding a bridge in town for a year; the oil companies have been coming in and hiring the crews working on the bridge. They have done twice! They can make two times as much working on the oil rigs, so who wouldn't go!

After our trip to Estavan, we returned to Cathie's house and had dinner. Finally, we had the chance to see Ian. Ian has to be the funniest guy, next to my cousin John, in our family! I have always enjoyed being around him and I couldn't wait for Cutter to meet him. Unfortunately, we were visiting during the week he works, so our visit was short and sweet. He did make the drive from Estavan to come see us and I was super excited. Cutter was asleep for the night, but once Ian walked in the door he had us laughing so hard and loud that we woke him up! Oh well I wanted him to meet Ian anyway!

Ian and Grandma

Ian and Cutter

and the three of us

Day 5 of our trip takes us to the farm! Stay tuned!! :)

Diary:Day 3 - Hanging out, playing the piano & a craft show

2008-09-30T23:34:00.012-05:00

Sundays in Texas are lazy days. Sundays in Canada are lazy days too.

The morning air is crisp, the day was bright. We skipped church in lieu of getting a few extra hours of some much needed sleep. Cutter started his morning off by reading, err eating, the Sunday paper - just like his Mommy already. (No I don't eat it, I read it :))

The little man adapts easily to change. He is a wonderful sleeper at home, but I was unsure of how he would do sleeping in another, unfamiliar place. I tried hard to keep him on his routine, trying to make it easier for him to make the transition, but all my worries were put to rest the first and second night of our vacation. He slept all night long and took good long naps when needed.
We woke every morning to this smiling face! We knew he was getting a good nights rest if we woke to him saying "Dada". Aunt Bette graciously lent us her room and Cutter slept in his pack-n-play at the foot of our bed. He would wake, stand up and look at us with his big grin as if saying "OK Mom and Dad time to get up and eat some grub.".
The whole time we were visiting Aunt Bette, Cutter would so casually walk over to this table, stand there and look out the window. Then he would inch his hand over to her nicely decorated fall candleholder and look at me until I told him "no". He listened, but would try over and over again, hoping that one time I might just let him touch it. It must have been so enticing to him, but he would follow the rules and not touch it!
Cutter found this footstool a lot of fun. Over the week we were there he must have pushed it around the living room at least 100 times. By the end of the week, he realized that once he ran it into the couch he had to get on the other side to go another direction. That's my boy, problem solving already!!

Cutter was very interested in the piano. The night before at our first family gathering of the week, Warren (Lauren's husband) played a nice rendition of Charlie Brown. Cutter was mesmerized! He sat and listened the whole time. We got quite a few nice songs played while we were there. But the best song played was when we put Cutter at the piano and let him go to town. He loved it and had a blast listening to himself play. I have always told Greg that Cutter may want to play the piano instead of playing ball and we agreed while we were on vacation that it would be just grand if he did want to play. We would totally support him if that is what he chooses to do. We hope that he is as talented as our "Canadian" family.

Aunt Bette has taught most of her grandchildren how to play. I joked that I would be sending Cutter up to see her once a year and the only thing they would be doing during his visit would be learning how to play. Or at least she thinks I was joking!

Before we left for our afternoon out to the craft show and Daddy to the golf course, we took some pictures outside in the beautiful weather we were having.
Also, Dave and his clan were going back to Moosejaw. We were so sad to see them go. Audra was such a great play date for Cutter. She has lots of patience and enjoyed play with him as much as he enjoyed playing with her. Dave really took a liking to Cutter as well, although that is not hard to do. I know Dave enjoyed seeing Cutter smiling face early in the morning. We didn't get to see much of Burke, with his cousin and friends just down the street in such a small town, once he got up Saturday morning we didn't see him again until Sunday when they were leaving. We felt so very lucky to be blessed with their presence for 3 days and are so glad they made the drive down to see us. We didn't get a chance to see Mary Kay; we sure did miss her!

Burke, Dave, Audra, Cutter, Mommy, Greg and Grandma Mac
While the girls went shopping and the boys went golfing, the grandma's went to the casino. On the way to the casino, Aunt Bette stopped and picked up Jackie. Jackie is my grandfather's cousin's wife and they often would visit Texas in their retirement years. Kip and Jackie came to Texas so often that have vivid memories of having dinner, laughing and telling stories from when I was younger. Kip passed away shortly after my grandfather in 2005 and since then Jackie's health has started to decline. Jackie has Alzheimer's and although she acted like she knew whom we were, we were almost positive she didn't. That's OK though, I am glad I got a chance to see her again. I don't remember not seeing this smile on Jackie's face! What a wonderful lady to have known.
Aunt Bette, Jackie and Grandma

Diary:Day 2 - History Lesson

2008-09-30T10:45:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, after a good nights rest, we were ready to get going and do some sight seeing. I had been to Canada 16 years ago, in 1992 and we had gone to visit the house where my grandfather, his twin brother and two older brothers were raised. I was eager to go back and see it. I was warned that it wasn't in the best of shape and the gentleman that had bought it didn't want us on his property, so we stayed back and took pictures from the street.
They were right, the house wasn't in the best of shape and the out-house that used to be right off the back left hand side was gone. My great grandmother would have never let her house look like this. She was very particular and took pride in her house. I wish we would have been able to go inside. The last time we were there we at least able to get closer and see inside, but we understand.
This chicken coop was used to house the chickens and later was used as storage. At our previous visit, we went into the coop and retrieved many family photos, priceless belongings and some nice antiques. This time all I could do was look from afar and wonder what might still be in there. It doesn't look like much has been done to it, so there is no telling if there are belongings still left in there.

Our next stop was the cemetery where my great grandparents and their infant son are buried. In 1992, a white church stood next to the cemetery and in 1995 the church was destroyed by a plow wind.

Kopperud Lutheran Church was erected in 1910 and destroyed by a plow wind at 12:30 am on July 30, 1995. The cemetery grounds are now maintained by a local family and they do an amazing job!
This bell was once used at the church and is the only item that survived the plow wind.

This is the school that my grandfather and his brothers attended. They were so strict that they would not allow my grandfather to use his left hand and would often slap his hand with a stick to remind him to use his right hand. I was surprised that it was still standing, I took this picture from about 100 yards away, as there is no longer a road that leads to it.
Here is the old border crossing office. They have built a new one, this one is no longer in use. It is right across the street from my great grandparents house.
Our last stop was there cemetery where my Great Uncle Leonard is buried. Uncle Leonard passed away unexpectedly in 1989. He was watching t.v. fell asleep and never woke. Aunt Bette wanted to stop by and see him as she does very often.

After our tour of North Gate and North Portal we met back at Aunt Bette's house for a dinner and a chance for everyone to get together. We had a great time socializing and Cutter was the best entertainment we could have asked for. He had a great time playing with all this 3 rd cousins.

Cutter and Audra
This was entertaining watching him figure out how to get it off his head. It only took 4 times for him to figure out that the ring disappeared to the top of his head and how to get it off. He had a blast playing with Audra. The funny thing is is that at our last family reunion Audra was Cutters age and I was the one playing with her this way. Oh how the circle of life goes.
Nikole and Cutter
Grandma and Cathie
Nikole and Dorna

Welcome Frederick Blayne MacDonald

2008-09-30T02:39:00.001-05:00

On Labor Day, September 4, 2008, my cousins wife, Quincy, gave birth to a 3rd generation of Frederick's. Frederick Blayne MacDonald entered the world at 11:30 am, weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz and was 21 inches long. He was 4 weeks early and as healthy as we could have hoped for!
Before we went to Canada we got a chance to meet the new little Mac! He is just so precious and I can't believe that Cutter was once that little. Grandma enjoyed meeting him for the first time and she was just so smitten by him! Cutter is going to have so much fun having a cousin so close to his age.
Frederick Jay Mac with Blayne and Grandma
Blayne has the intials of our Great Grandfather, Frederick Beers MacDonald - what a great way to carry down such a great family tradition.
Welcome Blayne to this wild, crazy family! We love you and can't wait to watch you grow into a handsome young man!

Diary: First 24 hours!

2008-09-29T14:41:00.002-05:00

About 3 months ago when Greg and I were discussing what we were going to do for our 3rd anniversary and my vacation I expressed concern that I wasn't quite ready to leave my little man for more than a couple of days. He agreed and we set out to find a place that we could go to as a family and still be "baby" friendly. I immediately phoned my family up in Canada and decided that we would go for a visit, they had yet to meet Cutter and I was eager for them to meet my handsome little man before he graduated high school. So away we went.

Before we left on our long journey to Canada, I needed Cutter to get out as much energy as possible, so I gave him his walker and let him loose in his Canada shirt that his Aunt Bette had sent him. He was just as anxious to get going as we were. We gave Cutter a bath, a bottle and off to the car seat he went. Before we were out of the block, he was sawing some zzzz's and slept til 6 a.m. the next morning, we were well into Nebraska by then. After a morning bottle, a few kisses and lots of smiles later, he drifted back off to sleep til about 1030.

By that time we were entering into South Dakota he was waking and ready to play. Luckily I had prepared for such a long drive, I loaded up on books, movies and lots of patience. Much to my surprise, little man is such a good car rider that not much patience was needed.

By noon, we were eating lunch and switching drivers. Daddy had driven all night long was getting pretty tired so it was mommy's turn at the wheel. While I was driving Daddy did a great job at keeping the little man occupied. Within 2 hours Daddy and Cutter had had a nap and Daddy was ready to take the wheel again. So I jumped back in the back and took over keeping him busy. I tried a new Winnie the Pooh video, but he just isn't into movies yet. So back to the books we went. I can't tell you how many times I read the same 10 books I brought. We went over our body parts - nose, eyes, ears, chin. I repeated it so many times that I thought by the end of our day he would be repeating it as well, but I was out of luck, he's still not saying it, can you believe it!?! :)

After a stop at Subway and another nap later in the afternoon we were arriving into Canada and our family was anxiously waiting to greet us. By 8 pm we were sitting and sharing stories about our drive to seem them.

Stay tuned for the next 9 days!

10 exhausting days, 2 - 24 hour car rides, and 24 new friends and family to love!

2008-09-28T21:27:00.006-05:00

Over 300 pictures and many stories later, we are getting back into the groove of things after a 10 day trip to Canada. For the next week I will post a diary of our trip! We are exhausted and ready to get back on a schedule. Cutter is an amazing travler and everyone fell in love with him. We are so excited that we got to take him along to meet family and friends that were just as anxious to meet him. He was a total hit and just as good as I expected him to be.

Be on the look out for a day to day diary of our trip to Canada!

September 11, 2001

2008-09-11T11:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday as Greg and I were getting ready for today, September 11, we reflected upon how fast the past 7 years have gone by. I remember where I was (in Utah), what I was doing (getting ready for flight attendant training) and who I was (a merely 20 years old, with no direction in life).

I could still, to this day, tell you exactly how I felt when those terrorist attacks happened. I was numb, scared, I felt insecure, and was unsure of how my career choice was going to work out.

I had been contact by "my airline of choice" weeks before September 11 and had chose to attend training starting Oct 15. I was excited, scared, and looking forward to starting a new beginning. Then Tuesday, September 11 happened and by Friday they were calling me to tell me that training had been canceled and they were unsure how long it would be before they started training classes up again. Me being me, I told them I was still looking forward to going to training and to please let me know when they started again. About a week later they were calling to let me know they decided to keep going with the training and that my class would still start October 11, needless to say I was super excited. Deep down I was scared. I went on to complete training and became an official flight attendant on November 16, 2001.

Two months after September 11 I was up in the skies flying, I wasn't going to let those people (if that is what you want to call them), ruin what I wanted to do with my life. Initially I was scared, fearful that it would happen again, but now I feel safer than ever flying in the friendly skies.

In the last 7 years I have met, loved and married the man of my dreams. We have had a beautiful son, whom will never know the true feelings of such a terrible attack, but will know why his Uncle James is fighting for our freedom.

Life has gone on, but this day will never be forgotten! I will always reflect on where I was and how I felt, as I do not want to forget how uncertain I felt that day!

Echo.

2008-09-10T18:24:00.007-05:00

Anyone in there??

Cutter loves hearing himself as he talks into this empty bucket. He continually goes for this toy when put down to play. I am assuming that he likes hearing the echo that comes along with hearing his voice. It is actually a bucket that has a top with the square, rectangle and triangle on top and then you place the coordinating block into that hole, but since Cutter isn't quite into placing the blocks in there yet, (I mean, I know my kid is a genius but hey I have to be realistic here), we took the top off. One day here soon, I will start teaching him that the blocks go into the top accordingly. Until then, he can enjoy the thrill that comes along with hearing his echo.

Ouch!

2008-09-07T21:27:00.003-05:00

We have our first big boo-boo. On Friday Cutter was making his way over to our end table when he took a lunge and struck the corner with his nose. He cried, we cried and I continued to cry. At first it didn't look like it was going to be much of any thing, but by Saturday morning it looked like this. So I am Neosporian-ing it up at night hoping that it will heal up within no time.

I am baby proofing everything around here! I never knew crawling could be so dangerous! :)

Oh please, Oh PLEASE...

2008-09-05T14:27:00.005-05:00

..tell me how I can get my kid to stop grinding his teeth! Two days after he got his bottom tooth he started grinding them non-stop and it is driving me insane! Grinding teeth to me are like finger nails on the chalk board - it makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it. He doesn't have much of a bottom tooth there yet, I don't know if it is because of the grinding or if it just hasn't made its way completely out there yet.

We have made forward progress on the crawling, Cutter had been either moving backward when he crawled or would crawl a few steps and then plop down on his belly, but as of yesterday he is moving full steam ahead. He is finally figuring out that he can follow me just about every where I go and can get to any toy (or couch) that he wants. The fireplace is my next thing to baby proof, I am going to attempt to make some kind of barrier to go there. I''ll show of my crafty side if it looks ok.

Cutter has also started clapping. I don't know if he picked it up from patty cake or if he saw me do it so many times when he did something new. If I say "Yea Cutter!!" he starts clapping! He is so proud of himself and he gets a huge toothy grin on his face that you just can't wipe away.

Next on our list of tricks to learn: Waving Bye-Bye!

Labor Day = Laundry Day

2008-09-01T22:54:00.005-05:00

Since our usually scheduled laundry day was not spent at home, we made Monday the day to get it done! The last time we did laundry Cutter was not mobile, today was another story. Since Cutter has become more and more mobile by the day, getting him to sit still is nearly impossible. Today we (meaning I) attempted to fold the laundry while the little man played with his toys near by.

Yeah, what was I thinking? I dunno either!

So I gave him his own laundry to fold, err I mean, play with. What is more fun than a basket full of miss matched socks!?! This kid had a blast! I'm telling you he might have a carrer at the dry cleaners one day!

And the best picture yet of those two top teeth!!

Our Labor Day Weekend!

2008-08-31T21:24:00.008-05:00

We spent most of the weekend in my hometown and had an absolute blast! Uncle James is home for his 2 week R&R and the lil sis had a BBQ for him. In the morning the boys played golf and most the girls got their manis and pedis done. Cutter and I went to visit some family that he had yet to meet.

Great Uncle Leslie had been out of town doing some work in another country, because of that this was our first opportunity for him to meet Cutter.

Great Uncle Leslie and Cutter

Great Grandma Homan and Cutter - we think Cutter has gotten those pretty blue eyes from this side of the family.

Papa Homan and Cutter - sharing some special time outside!

At the BBQ we spent a lot of time outside, the weather was beautiful and the kiddos were in a great mood. Cutter loved playing the green grass and feeling the blades between his toes. He only tryed to eat the grass two or three times, if he had been a little older I probably would have let him, but I figured I better teach him that we don't eat grass - yet!

Emilee just got this swing set for her birthday and because the weather has been so miserably hot this was her first time to be able to enjoy it. Everyone, including the adults, had a great time going back a few years and going for a swing!
Emilee enjoying her swing!
Aunt Amanda and Aunt Katie taking a jump back in life and enjoying the swings.

Abbey was no different, she loved the swings as well.

With the weather cooperating, I had the opportunity to have a nice photoshoot with Cutter!

And some random shots of the family:

We had a great weekend! Cutter is such a good baby, with all the running around we did this weekend, you would have never known that he was cutting his BOTTOM right tooth! Thats right, Cutter now has a bottom tooth to go along with those two top teeth. Before we know it the tooth fairy may be visiting my house! Oh please help me slow the time down!! :)

8 month update!

2008-08-29T10:35:00.009-05:00

I know it is late, but better late than never right??

Dear Mommy's Little Monkey,

You are growing faster than I could have ever imagined. You are still the sweetest little boy I know! We have had so many accomplishments this month - to include but not limited to - getting your two TOP teeth, crawling, pulling up on objects that aren't stuck to the ground, and really becoming aware of your surroundings.

On Monday, August 25 - while we were waiting for Uncle James to get home - GG stuck her finger into your mouth, and low and behold what did she find? A TOOTH! The top left toothy had just popped through and Mommy had no clue! Our only sign that you were even teething was that the drool would never stop, there haven't been any melt downs, you haven't been irratible, or showing any other signs. And I just knew that the bottom teeth were going to come in first, but nope, you like to be different - getting those top teeth first. **Still trying to get a picture of them, he won't let me get close to him with the camera right now**

Last Friday, you also started crawling. I was so excited to see you go I was rooting for you and you were so happy about your accomplishment. Now if only you could figure out to follow me when I walk into another room, once you figure that out there will be no stopping you. Once you figured out that you could move from one part of the room to the other, the glow on your face was such that I won't ever forget it. You are such a sweet boy!

Another feat that you have seemed to master this month (actually the last few days, but it still counts) is pulling up on things around the house. Things like the couch, the ottoman, and the magazine rack. We learned real quick that the magazine rack does not support 23 lbs trying to pull on it.

You hair is growing quickly!! My plan was to wait until you turned a year old to get your first haircut, but I don't know if I am going to be able to wait that long. I like a clean cut boy, and the hair over the ears thing is killing me, but I don't want to lose my baby any faster than I already am, so I guess I will wait as long as I can!

You are my sweet baby boy. If I could put a brick on your head and just take it all in for a day or two I would. I can't believe how fast things are progressing and that you are becoming so independent. People always say "they will be graduating high school before you know it," and I can totally see how fast that time is going to come and go.

Until next month, keep growing, getting sweeter, and maybe by next month you will be walking!

Love you from here to eternity!

Mommy :)

Welcome Home Uncle James!

2008-08-26T16:39:00.010-05:00

Phew, what a weekend!

Greg, Cutter and I had plans to just hang out at the house and do nothing, but when Aunt Katie (my lil sis) called and asked if her, GG (my Mom) and Emilee could come up on Friday, I said jumped and said "yes!". Katie wanted to come up and surprise Uncle James at the DFW airport and pick him up there for his 2 week R & R, instead of having him catch his connecting flight. Boy did we have a whirl wind of a weekend. At first Uncle James was coming in Saturday at 8 AM, then it was Sunday at 6 AM, finally it was Monday at 1:30 PM. The airplane seemed to have maintenance issues in Germany and he was stuck there for 30 hours!! While we waited patiently for Uncle James we went to have some fun.

Cutter and Emilee had so much fun together. She is such a great big cousin! If she was around 24/7 I don't think Cutter would ever crawl/walk, because she brings all the toys to him. They had a great time together!

On Sunday after we heard that Uncle James still wasn't coming home, we knew we needed to get out of the house. Since Emilee had been so good, we decided to take a drive to Firewheel Mall and we found the best girly place out there - Club Libby Lu. If it is pink, High School Musical, Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers then you can find it at Club Libby Lu.

For a modest fee little girls can get their hair done, finger nails painted, and get to choose from a number of accessories. Emilee chose a microphone headset. She looked super cute and walked around like she owned the world. She is a little shopping D-I-V-A!!

Finally the day has arrived - Daddy had to go to work, so Mommy, Aunt Katie, Emilee and GG made there way to DFW to pick Uncle James up. We thought that he was coming in at 1:30, but after waiting at the airport for a couple of hours we found out that his flight would be 3 hours late, arriving instead at 4:30 PM. We left the airport, went and got something to eat and returned a few hours later.

We waited patiently for Uncle James to arrive:

FINALLY, the time has arrived - Uncle James is home!!!

Welcome Home Uncle James! We hope you enjoy your time home! See you this weekend!!

What was I thinking?

2008-08-20T12:06:00.006-05:00

Who knows, but he looks pretty cute though! It is not his fault I put him in the burnt orange jumpsuit!!

A New Ride!

2008-08-17T22:18:00.006-05:00

Mommy and Cutter have been spending lots of time together lately. For the past 2 weeks Cutter has had a little bit of separation anxiety. When I return home from a trip, he won't let me put him down to even change my clothes and when I go to walk out of the room, you would have thought I had taken his favorite toy away from him. So when Daddy volunteered to take the little man out for a walk this afternoon I took full advantage of my time - to take some pictures!! It wouldn't be right to let him take a ride in his very first car without pictures, right?

Apparently, Daddy had tried to take him once before and couldn't figure out how to make the strap shorter and didn't want him to fall out, so when I suggested taking his new car this time Daddy was more than happy to - once I fixed the strap. No accidents on his watch, so he says!!

I would be lying if I said he liked it, he absolutely LOVED it! I could hear the laughter and squeals as they were coming around the corner.

Cutter is perfecting his old man face, and he looks cuter and cuter every time he does it!

My OshKosh Kid!

2008-08-14T21:12:00.007-05:00

So before Greg's Mom and Dad moved out of the house below I took my boys out there for a photoshoot. These are the shots I got:

**Disclaimer:I love his smile, not the finger :)**

But this is my all-time favorite:

Goodbye house, Hello Condo by the lake!

2008-08-11T09:41:00.004-05:00

Daddy has been hard at work moving Granma and Papa out of their house and into a condo by the lake. They built this house in 1985 and it is the house that Daddy grew up in, got in trouble in and loved in. There were so many memories made in the house, it is sad that there will be no more memories made in it. Cutter won't remember it, so I was insistant that we take another drive out there before the new family moved in.

Old House:
New view from the Condo by the lake:

This is "THE" Rocking Chair!

2008-08-10T13:15:00.004-05:00

At our recent visit to my hometown, we took some pictures of Cutter is the famous rocking chair. This rocking chair has had many of bottoms sitting in it. I remember sitting in it, there were also many fights over who got to sit in "the chair". At some age you get to big to sit in it, so you have to choose another seat, but I had my fair share of rocking. The chair is still up and working for the great grands to sit in. It has a long history, it has been around longer than my mom and uncles. It was made by my great grandfather for my grandpa and his twin brother, so there are two of them around. We have so much fun handing things down like this. I hope that it is still around for my grands to take pictures in, for now it is staying at Grandma's house for everyone to enjoy!

Cousins!

2008-08-03T21:24:00.002-05:00

The two boys in this picture are cousins, they are 3 months apart! Can you tell??

Cooper out weighs Cutter by 1 pound and is taller by an inch!

Loss of a friend!

2008-08-03T20:56:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow (Monday) we will be heading to my hometown for the funeral of my friends mom. It will be a sad visit, one I wish I didn't have to make.

They are a family that laughed together, had fun together and cried together. She will surely be missed by all that knew her. Karen was loving, kind and such a giver. She never missed an opportunity to be at a wedding, shower, or birthday party. She had a smile that would brighten up a room. I always loved to sit and chat with her. She spent a year over in Iraq, by choice, to help soldiers. She always had her "lips" on, never a day without that red or pink lipstick on. I will forever miss that contagious smile!

Thanks Karen for always making me smile or laugh when I was in your presence! You've made me realize that life is too short and to make the best of what I have!

Mindy and her Mom, Karen

Her favorite saying:
DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING
SING LIKE NO ONE IS LISTENING
LOVE LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN HURT BEFORE
LIVE LIKE EACH DAY IS YOUR LAST

IMAGINiT Baby!

2008-08-02T09:45:00.006-05:00

So Daddy was home with Cutter one night by himself and decided to do a photoshoot for the background on his laptop. It was to cute not to post! IMAGINiT is the company that Daddy works for, they sent us this onesie and a bib when Cutter was born. He is just now able to fit in it, so Daddy thought this was the perfect opportunity. It looks great with his pretty blues!

Cardiology

2008-07-31T10:16:00.009-05:00

We had Cutter's Echocardiogram done yesterday and the results are good. He is being diagnosed with Aortic Vavle Stenosis. We will recheck it at 12 months, and every year after that, to make sure that the narrowing is not getting smaller. It is very common in first born, type A males. It also should not effect his ability to play sports, if he chooses to do so.

We were very pleased to see that everything looked good. The Cardiologist spent a good 2 hours looking at everything. Cutter was very patient and let the doctor do what he needed to do for about the first 45 minutes, after that Cutter wanted to play with the machine and such. So the doctor took a break and I was able to put Cutter to sleep. While he was asleep the Doctor came back in and finished the rest of the exam. Once I found out that everything was ok, I was able to relax and be mesmerized to see his heart pumping and doing what it needed to do. What an amazing muscle!

Cutter is responding very well to the breathing treatments, we will continue to do them until Monday, when we go back in for a follow-up.

He is such a sweet little boy and we feel so blessed to have him in our life. Sometimes, I think, it takes eye openers like this to bring you back down to reality and remind you not to take life for granted.

Dear Friend

2008-07-29T20:26:00.003-05:00

I have a very dear friend,
Her Mom is dying,
She gave it a good fight.

I can't stop thinking about them,
I pray 100 times day for a miracle,
but then again I don't want her hurting.

I can't get in the blogging mood,
Cutters update will have to wait,
My heart is breaking.

( I know this is Cutter's blog, but thought I would fill you in on why there is no update today)

Sick!

2008-07-28T18:32:00.004-05:00

Cutter is sick with walking pneumonia. We are doing breathing treatments 2 times a day. Wednesday we are going for a chest x-ray and finally the ultrasound done on his heart. When I took him to the doctor today, the Cardiologist was able to come in and listen to it. He said that all our questions will be answered on Wednesday. Let hope and pray that all will be good and we will get good results.

He is a trooper when it comes to doing the breathing treatments. He has fallen asleep every time we have done it.

I am having a very stressful week (and it is only Monday). I will try my best to do Cutter's update soon.

Does this look like a sick baby to you??

Having fun with his cousin, Hope!

7 month update coming soon!

2008-07-27T17:27:00.003-05:00

Have company.

Will post update by Tuesday.

Til then I'll leave you with this...

He is Mr. GQ!

2008-07-21T14:41:00.005-05:00

Rolling,Rolling, Rolling!

2008-07-17T22:33:00.009-05:00

HE DID IT!! Finally, he has been trying to do it for sometime now, but he hates to be on his belly. Something told me to put him down before bed tonight and he went for it! 3 TIMES!!

We got the second and third time on the videocam and I got the first one with the camera! What kind scrapbooker, I mean Mommy, would I be without a camera near by. So this is the look the first time he rolled over and saw me!

and these are the pics that I got while he was in action!!

Happy 50th Birthday GiGi!!

2008-07-16T01:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday GiGi! Hope that you have a great day!! We love you!

A new friend?

2008-07-14T20:42:00.007-05:00

Maybe?

Granma and Papa Nix are downsizing and recently sold their house, so we will be going over there for the next couple of weekends - helping them go through 25 years and 4 kids worth of stuff. Saturday we tackeld the attic and we found a box full of old stuffed animals. In the box were 3 frogs, 2 green striped and one blue polka dotted. I asked Greg before he even saw what I was talking about what color frog he had and his response was green and grey striped, he was close, it is green and white striped. Made by his Great Aunt Ruby. I asked him if he had a name for his frog and he said he did, but couldn't remember, so we are working on getting him one. Any suggestions??

I brought him home gave him a good bath (twice) and much to my surprise he cleaned up pretty darn well. We introduced Cutter to the frog and Cutter has really taken a liking to him, so we will see if a new friendship is brewing.