Thanksgiving

Thank you God for...

A husband who loves You, me and the daughter.

The daughter who brings us such joy every day.

Our families, who despite the distance, make us feel so loved.

Our friends...a big prayer answered.

Our church and pastor for great "shepherding".

Health and home.

I know that we are so blessed by You!

Cry Me A River

Hayden's cry has started to change. We noticed this yesterday. It has gone from an incoherent scream/wail to often sounding like a very mad scream of "DA, DA, DA, DA". This is cute when done in a precious baby coo, but turn it up a few decimals and put some upset behind it and it goes from sweet to heartbreaking. I'm not sure if this is just a natural progression, or a very smart move on her part. After putting her down for bed it's much easier to pretend to ignore the brief wailing, but the heart wrenching cry of "da, da, da" seems like a definite accusation of abandonment. Thankfully it lasts just a few minutes and we have been able to stay strong.

Of course, all bets are off when it turns to "MA, MA, MA, MA".

Burney, Texas Ranger

Congratulations to Brian Burney

for being chosen as a Texas Ranger!
And to April, who always helps him achieve his best.

Texas Rangers are selected from the ranks of the Department of Public Safety. No recruiting has ever been necessary. It is not unusual for more than 100 officers to apply for only a single opening. To become a Ranger, a DPS officer must have at least eight years of commissioned law enforcement experience (including two years with the DPS) and must have at least 60 hours of college or equivalencies, Ranger appointments are made up on the basis of a competitive examination and oral interviews. (from http://www.texasrangers.org/)

Rangers often work with other law enforcement officers – local, state, federal and international, when investigating crimes. To learn more about the responsibilities of a Texas Ranger visit http://www.texasranger.org/today/Coop.htm .

So Brian, get your boots shined up
and your western wear ready!

We are so proud of you!

Six Months of Hayden!

We can hardly believe that Hayden has been here for six months! She has totally transformed our family. We are less selfish, more responsible and much more patient. Obviously having a child has made us better people!

Hayden has grown and changed so much in the recent months. (We will find out exact measurements and such tomorrow at the doctor's visit.) She is sitting up unassisted, transferring things from hand to hand, up on all fours, lunging forward, pulling things toward herself, standing while holding onto fingers, still sleeping through the night, laughing, saying "da, da, da, da", and pretty much just filling us with joy.

Hayden isn't so fond right now of: long naps; having her clothes changed; seeing mom but not "being" with mom; being fed late; being strapped into the swing, car seat, bouncy seat, highchair, etc. (anything that restricts her freedom); being in the stroller, but not moving; lying still for more than 30 seconds to have her diaper changed; or going to sleep. She does love: her empty plastic bottle with rice in it (cheapest toy ever!), cuddling with daddy when he comes home from work; nursing on time; playing on the floor; visiting Grammy; being in constant motion; the orange light on the camera (I swear when it lands on her, she straightens up and smiles!) and of course, hangin' out with mom during the day.

Thank you God for our sweet baby Hayden. She is such a blessing to us!

Weekend At Burney's

Bryan was going to a wedding in Mexico, so Hayden and I headed off for a long weekend at Grammy's house in Odessa! Now, I love going home to my mom's house. I am her baby and Hayden is the grandbaby, so we are treated like royalty! (My idea of a vacation!) Mom cooked breakfast every morning, bought Hayden her Christmas dress, babysat so I could visit with friends, provided interaction (also read "distraction") whenever needed for baby, washed our dirty clothes, taxied us around, and just allowed me to relax...it was FABULOUS. All this for the price of a discount fare on Southwest. Absolutely worth every cent.

(BTW--I totally realize how blessed we are. Thank you God for giving us such a wonderful Mom/Grammy!)

Gi Gi Peggy just happened to be in town, so we got to "visit" with her for awhile.

Hayden models her new seat at Grammy's and her stylish new pig sweater.

Hayden hearts Granny Mac.

Grammy let Hayden open a Christmas present early. It was SO much fun!

Visiting Grammy, Granny, Aunt April, Uncle Brian, and the rest of our Odessa friends was fun, but we missed the dad. Four days and nights was TOO long!

We agree with Dorothy, "there's no place like home, there's no place like home..." Though Grammy's comes in a close second.

Some Cuteness to Hold You Over

Since we will be out-of-pocket for a few days, here are a few pictures to help you weather the wait.

An homage to the pink soccer ball.

Bathtime fun.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Happy Birthday Alex!

Can you believe that Alex is 16 today!?! Oh my squash, where has the time gone? I remember the first few days I worked with him...I'm pretty sure he didn't say anything directly to me, but we logged many hours swinging side-by-side in his backyard singing "...jeepers, creepers,...look at those peepers..." For the first few weeks we communicated through song, and though today the boy's verbal expressive skills have grown by miles, he still loves to sing and dance!

So in honor of the sweetest 16 yr. old we know, a list of "Alex" memories:

the BEST hugs

beautiful, big blue eyes

love for animals (just ask him about Abner, Tyler or Holly)

singing songs

shootin' hoops

great effort to please everyone

pats on the cheek

playing tennis in the driveway

chips & salsa at Chilis

being called "honey," and "babe"

checking out videos from the library

questions about my friends and family (every, single one of them)

trampoline jumping

riding bikes

sounding out words

memorizing his address and phone number...to the beat of his drum

Spaghetti O's with oregano and Parmesan cheese

just one bite of meat...please!

never forgetting a name or a face

jumping off the diving board (thanks to Jon)

field trips

practicing his letters

swinging in the backyard

always asking for Bryan, when I am standing right there (like chopped liver)

visiting Mrs. Genny

good talks on the way home from school

tickling Hayden's toes

soccer at the park

getting ready for Camp El Tesoro

basketball camp with Coach Johnson

salad at Jason's Deli

sweetest smile

amazing love for friends and family
and did I already say THE BEST HUGS?

I thank God for blessing us with you, Alex Gill!
Hope this next year is as wonderful as you are!

We love you!

Doing Our Duty

It was time to cast our vote for the next President of the United States as well as the Sheriff, the random hospital propositions, etc., etc. Bryan and I missed voting last year for whatever was on the ballot at the time, so with this being "The Big One" we made sure our voter's reg. cards were current and that we knew where we would cast our ballots. Conveniently, we would vote at our local elementary school, just a block or two away. So on November 4th, at 7:00 am we loaded Hayden up in the stroller and headed off to the school. We stood in line for a wee bit, (longer than it took to actually vote of course.) and then cast our ballots. Many people there commented on how early we were starting to train our daughter to vote. It's not like we could have left her at home alone, but we do hope that she grows up to care about her country and takes seriously her responsibility to contribute.

Here are the pictures of Hayden experiencing her first Presidential election.
She was way into it.

First Word...Sorta

So we were sitting in the car waiting for the nice officer to write Bryan a citation for speeding, when we noticed that Hayden wasn't just doing her usual taradactyl screams from the backseat, but was actually saying, "da, da, da, da, da." Closely followed by, "ma, ma, ma, ma." Later at home she said, "da, da, da, da" some more. We are pretty sure that she doesn't actually know who Da Da is, but the sounds do indicate that all the needless babbling I do with her all day, every day, isn't going to waste. We'll let you know when she speaks with actual intent.

As for the speeding ticket...we were coming down a big hill and had already started to decelerate. The officer didn't care.

October Concluded

The last highlights from October (finally).

5. Grammy Visits

My mom was at a conference in Richardson on a Thursday and Friday, so we just picked her up when it was over and brought her home with us for the rest of the weekend! Mom and I had been looking forward to some fun times with Hayden (and Bryan too). We didn't pack the time too full. We picniced at the park, cooked, played with baby, went to church, and played some more! I cannot tell you how much I enjoy spending time with my mom and daughter simultaneously!

6. Reverse Trick-or-Treating

My friend Kerri has been so very gracious to invite me to the mom's group that meets every Wednesday morning at her church, King of Glory (KOG). This is such a great time to get together with other moms and share and receive encouragement. Anywho, KOG had planned a trip to a local assisted living home, where the kiddies could dress in costume and hand out goodies to the residents. Bryan and I are not the most social folks, so this was a stretch for us...but Hayden did great. She didn't mind all the patting, touching, oohing and ahing...it was almost like she had experienced it before. Hmm, I wonder who else can't get enough of her?

A BIG thank you to Hannah and Mandy Walk for letting us borrow last year's ladybug costume and to Kerri for taking these great pictures (Bryan forgot our camera).

My favorite quote of the trip was

ME to a resident: "Have a great weekend."

Resident: "You have a great weekend, I'll just be here."