The Bal Family

Christmas 2011

2012-01-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011. Garrison is 3 1/2 and Adelyn is 4 months old.

Addy turned 4 months on Christmas day. I seriously don't know where the last 4 months went, it seems like just yesterday she was born. This year Garrison was really excited about santa. Every toy commercial he saw on tv he would run and come get me and say he wanted whatever it was. The biggest thing that he wanted were racetracks so Santa listened and he got two really big racetracks. I guess Santa thought he was good bc in my mind, this was definitely up for debate! Terrible two's don't exist, he was perfect but once he turned 3 he was like a whole new child. Parenting a three year old has definitely been entertaining but I wouldn't trade my two babies for the world.

My mom is still in the skilled rehab trying to gain her strength and mobility back and Garrison and I attended their Christmas party and dinner. We had a nice time and I'm sure my mom was excited to have us all there. This is a picture of Garrison posing in their sleigh, by the tree.

Amy always comes over around Christmas time and we make and decorate home made cookies. We did this on Christmas Eve so that Santa could have his cookies. Garrison really enjoyed it this year and loved putting flour all over himself. Here he is helping me make the cookie dough.

He was so proud to take this picture. haha

Another tradition that I've started (that I had growing up) was opening one gift on Christmas Eve. It's always pajamas so that you can wear them to bed and have Christmas PJ's on when santa arrives. I didn't really contemplate that a 3 year old may not enjoy this tradition....Here are my babies posing with their Christmas eve gifts....(at this point still cute)....

You can sort of see the disappointment on Garrison's face as he has opened his gift. This was our exact conversation:

Garrison: "This is addy's gift (it wasn't). I don't want jamas, I didn't order this. (throws the gift aside and stands up.) Come on let's find my racetrack (walking to the tree and gifts) It will be the really big one."

sigh. He was not thrilled about pajamas and really disappointed! I'll be happy to let you know, I did take a brief moment and explain to him that Christmas is not just about gifts and that he needs to be grateful for everything that he receives. I think it sunk in (haha ya right!)

I finally convinced him to put on his Christmas PJ's. Here are my sweet babies. Adelyn just wanted her bed

Garrison posing with Santa at my mom's christmas party.

Doesn't she look like a doll?!?!

I hope your Christmas was as blessed as ours was. 2011 was definitely a trying year, especially as a mom, but I am blessed. I love my family more than words and pray every single day that they grow old both happy and healthy. God Bless

Adelyn's Newborn Pictures

2011-12-30T14:38:00.000-08:00

Isn't she the cutest thing?!?!?

Adelyn Nicole Bal

2011-12-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Adelyn Nicole Bal arrived at 8:04am on 8-25-11. She was 8 lbs even and 20 3/4 inches long. I had a c-section that morning bc the doctor's didn't want her going through the stress of labor. The delivery room was crowded with too many people, doctors, nurses, the NICU staff, etc. I remember the second she was born Adam's first word's were "oh baby, she's perfect." And she is. The anesthesiologist also said the same things, she's beautiful and just perfect. She was born with a head full of black hair and looks very much like her older brother. Her delivery was uncomplicated and I got to see her for a short amount of time before they took her to the NICU for observation. She spent most of her first day in the NICU but by that night, they were letting her stay in the room with us. I was lucky that I got to spend all day Friday with my girl and then Saturday morning, they transported her to Medical City Children's Hospital so she could get ready for her MRI and surgery. Luckily, my sister came and stayed with me, so that Adam could go with Addy. It was really hard on me to be at a different hospital than her even though I knew she was where she needed to be. The heaviest burden was put on Adam's shoulders. I think for this 24 hours he was worn out. We didn't want her on formula, so Adam had to make multiple trips a day to pick up breast milk from me and transport it to the NICU where Addy was at. I was released Sunday morning and we headed straight to see Addy in the NICU. It's hard to see your baby hooked up to machines and monitors when you just want to be home with her and adjusting to a normal routine. Monday, at 5 days old, was her surgery. The waiting after they took our sweet baby girl was brutal. We grabbed some lunch and sat in the waiting room with friends and family, to try and keep our minds busy. Nothing really worked, we just wanted an update that our baby girl was going to be ok. When the neurosurgeon finally came out he said the surgery was successful and that Adelyn had done great. He actually said "she is a rock." They expected her to have to be on a ventilator after surgery and she wasn't. She just soared through the surgery with flying colors. She amazes me. She was only in the NICU for another 3 days and then we were discharged home. Born on a Thursday, surgery on Monday, and sent home on a Thursday. It's amazing what they can do these days and we are beyond thankful for our perfect little girl.

This was right after her birth, the first time they let me hold her in the NICU. They wheeled my hospital bed into the NICU and I got to hold her out in the hall. They said she was the biggest baby in there :))

All we are missing is Garrison! My sweet family

This picture was after they let her come stay in the room with us. She was definitely more at peace when she was around me.

This picture was taken right before they took her to Children's. She didn't even seem bothered by the IV they started in her hand.

My favorite picture of all time!

Getting settled in at Children's

This was when I first got to hold her at children's after being away from her for over 24 hours. torture!

Morning of her surgery, resting peacefully.

Picture right after her surgery. We weren't allowed to hold her yet

This picture melts my heart. Adam reading to Addy. Precious

First time I got to hold her after surgery.

Us right before they were going to come and get her ready for surgery. I didn't want to let her go

This morning was great bc I showed up and all her wires/IV's were out!!

Going home!!

Love!

2011-10-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered a new thing at the grocery store, Greek yogurt parfaits. LOVE them and I'm pretty addicted. Now, if it would just magically make the baby weight come off, i'd be a pretty happy girl! :)

August 16, 2011

2011-10-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

Worst. Day. Ever

I know for all of 2011, I've been a really really horrible blogger. So now I have so much to catch up on that I don't even know where to start. August 16, 2011 is a day that I wish I could erase. Seriously it's the worst day of my life. It started out as a great day. 37 weeks pregnant and heading into a sonogram to check on our baby girls status. I hadn't had a sonogram since early 20ish weeks because I was so healthy. I'm not sure if this is a blessing in disguise or a bad thing. So of course, I was excited. Excited actually doesn't even do it justice but you get what I mean. I was alone (big mistake!). We had recently sold our home (exciting, something I need to blog about later) and so Adam had to be at our rental to get our gas turned out. I could seriously write an entire book about this day and I think that is part of the reason that I've neglected this blog since Adelyn's birth. I don't know how much to share and have never dealt with that many emotions, that I don't know how much I should share blah blah blah. Anyway, back to August 16th. After the sonogram they told me Adelyn was measuring 8lbs, 9 oz with 3 weeks left. Dr. Monier brought me in to speak with me, and I expected him to say he wanted to induce me. Nope. I only could wish that was what he wanted to tell me. He informed me that they found what appeared to be two cysts on her brain and with that my little perfect world came to a screeching halt. I believe my exact words to him were "I'm sorry, I don't think I understand what you are saying to me." I work in the medical field so I knew exactly what he was saying, but in that instance and relating to MY baby girl I just didn't understand. Dr. Monier said he didn't either but that he had a specialist that could see me right away at the hospital. I don't think i've ever cried so hard in my life. The phrase I remember repeating over and over on this day was "I can't believe this is happening." Some how I managed to relay this message to Adam and he met me at the hospital. My parents and sister met us there as well.

The next dr that we met with was a high risk OB with level 2 sonograms. We were able to see her brain and skull with more detail. I didn't know what I was looking for but I did know that her skull should not be solid black. Black was fluid he said. Fluid that was putting pressure on her brain and making it almost impossible to even see on the sonogram. Not what any mom wants to see. One thing I can be thankful for is that he did not see any cysts or tumors of any type. His diagnosis was aqueductal stenosis that was causing her hydrocephalus. Basically there's an aqueduct in your brain that drains the CSF, hers for some reason or another was closed so that the fluid could not drain. He told us he could not tell us much more than that. The diagnosis would have to be confirmed with an MRI after she was born. He also said we would need to contact a neurosurgeon and that he could make that referral for us. There are a lot of scary unknowns with hydrocephalus and the unknowns were the hardest thing for us to deal with. They couldn't tell us how her head would measure at birth, they couldn't tell us if she would have any developmental delays, they couldn't tell us how this happened,etc. It's been devastating news to say the least. Our world was shattered in the blink of an eye. I think from August 16th until she was born on August 25th, I cried for at least half the day. The first night I cried myself to sleep with Adam doing his best to console me. I just couldn't get it in my head that this was really happening and I was so scared for her and for her future. Thankfully Adam and I have an amazing support system. We had friends bring us dinner and come over just to hang out with me on the nights Adam worked. I found if I just kept busy, I thought about it the least. I prayed alot. I've always been a pretty hard core prayer, but it increased about tenfold during this trial.

We got to meet with Dr. Swift, the neurosurgeon who would eventually operate on our sweet baby girl, the Monday before she was born. Seriously this man is sent from God. He sat down with us for about an hour and tried to answer all our questions and help ease our fears. Again, with this diagnosis, there are so many things they just can't tell until after she's born, but he was able to help us start to accept and move forward. I felt comfortable knowing he would be helping my baby. Talk about a blessing but Dr. Swift is actually one of the neurosurgeon's who operated on the Egyptian conjoined twins a couple years back. These Dr's are amazing and I"m thankful that they were able to get us in and meet with us and take on our case. Dallas has amazing medical teams. After Addy was born, she had an MRI, and Dr. Swift was able to review those and then decide what best approach to relieve the fluid. He decided a VP shunt was needed and the best choice for Adelyn. We trusted him and moved forward. Adelyn ended up having surgery 5 days after she was born. Talk about second worst day. I'd trade places with Adelyn in a heart beat if I could. I just want her healthy and happy.

I think I'm rambling...there is just so much that I could write, that I'll leave it at that for now. Her final diagnosis stayed Aqueductal Stenosis and Hydrocephalus. Her hearing was perfect. She came out perfect. And we love our sweet little girl. God has great things in store for her. She is amazing.

Reassurance in parenting

2011-08-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

Obviously, at times, parenting can be really tough. So every once in a while it is really nice to get some sort of reassurance that you are doing a good job. Each night at bedtime Garrison gets to pick out two books that we read. After that he usually requests that I sing him a song or two or maybe even the same song 20 times. Obviously, it's because I have an awesome voice. Ha, seriously, I hope Adam doesn't listen in to these night time singing sessions. I'm horrible. Garrison's favorite bed time books are Dora and Max. He even has Max memorized. He likes to say the words before I say them and he's pretty much got it down. His favorite night time song is Jesus loves me. Which has been good because it lead to a bunch of questions. Where does Jesus live? Can Jesus come play tomorrow? Etc etc. So yesterday morning, we were driving and Garrison said one of his trucks was about to eat him. I said no, it won't hurt you, mommy will protect you. Garrison's response was "no, that is Jesus' job." Ahhhhh and that is the reassurance I needed yesterday. To know that I"m teaching him values that will last a life time and that my teachings of Jesus are seeping in his ever expanding brain. It was a really cool parenting moment and I'm so proud of my little guy!

couponing anyone?!

2011-07-25T06:24:00.000-07:00

It seems like the craze lately is couponing. Has anyone seen the show Extreme Coupon? That's where I first became aware of it. The first show I watched was a lady that bought $1000 worth of groceries and paid $40. That's insane. and impressive. So the next day, I got online to start looking up how they do this. Completely stressed me out. This extreme couponing definitely isn't for me. Who seriously has 30-40 hours a week to devote strictly to clipping coupons, reading ads, shopping around?! Not this lady. The show did however make me aware of some of my spending habits. So i've been paying attention to store ads and deals on items we use and etc. I'm a walmart shopper bc of the convenience but lately have been hitting the sales at Albertson's.

Anyway, all that to preference how proud I was of myself on Saturday. With the baby coming up, I wanted to start a small stockpile of diapers and wipes. The stuff we will go through like crazy. My mom had forwarded me a one day only coupon to Babies R Us. The coupon happened to be the brand that I love for newborns, pampers swaddlers. The coupon was $8 off diapers and $3 off wipes (had to be pampers). So we went to babies R us and I grabbed the wipes I like. 500 ct for $14. I noticed it said buy pampers diapers and get half off the wipes. So do the math....$14/2 is 7 - 3 is $4. So I move onto the diapers. The swaddlers were 108 ct for $29.99. (first off, I had totally forgotten how ridiculous diapers are priced!!!!) So do the math....$30 - 8 is $22. So I figured I'd spend a little under $30. Not great, but still saving me $12. So I go to check out and end up spending $17. She rang everything up, I didn't scam or cheat anyone, but I still am not really 100% sure how I did it. (Note: I had bought a couple other items bc I had a gift card, so I didnt' really start looking at my receipt until I got in the car). I guess the diapers were on sale bc they ended up costing me $15 and the wipes, for 500 wipes!!, ended up costing me $1.49. So I'm really proud of myself for driving the extra distance and using my coupon and getting a heck of a deal. Even if I'm not 100% sure how I did. Which this is also the reason that coupons stress me out. My only wish was that I had realized how great of a deal it was and doubled up on it. Oh well. Live and Learn. Welcome to my life of couponing. :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Garrison!!

2011-06-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

Garrison turned 3 on June 28th. It doesn't quit seem possible. The past 3 years have flown bye and Garrison has been the light of our lives since the day he was born. I look at my sweet boy and don't see anything baby about him. He is really turning into a sweet, loving, and fun guy but he is definitely all boy. His favorite things are trucks, the bigger the better, and mud pits. Every day he takes the cushions off our couch and turns the couch (bc the bottom is black) into a mud pit for his trucks. He can play cars and trucks for hours. His favorite show is Diego and his birthday theme was Go Diego Go and we had a pool party. He was surrounded by about 30 friends and family, whom have all been in his life since birth. He is so loved and that makes my heart happy. This was the first year that he really loved opening gifts. He would open a gift and ooh and awe over it and then turn around and grab another one "how about this one?" he'd ask and when I said ok, he'd tear into it. I think about 90% of his gifts, were trucks, which was completely fine with Garrison. The next day I was sitting in the living room and Garrison come up and sat in my lap and said "Thank you for my party, mama." Talk about melting my heart. I just love this little guy! Here are a few milestones that occurred in the last year that I don't want to forget:

Adam and I are still blessed with our schedules, that most of the time he is home with us. He goes to school two days a week and just moved up to the big kids class. He seems to enjoy this more and his teacher said he was bored in the 2 year old class room. He can count to 13 and I'm always trying to get him to practice his numbers. If he doesn't want to he says "I can't remember" but I’ve caught on to this little trick. He can also count some in Spanish, mostly just uno, dos, tres, and quatro (which he butchers).
The past 4 nights he has gone to bed without his Lambo. Adam said last night that this makes him sad bc it's proof he is growing up too fast. Lambo has been his best friend for 3 years, but I think Diego and a great imagination have finally replaced him. Sigh :(
I love our bed time routine, although some nights I really am tested on patience. Every night it's "5 more minutes" about 10 times, bc he just isn't ready for bed. We get to read 2 books together and then he crawls in bed. Sometimes I'll read him another book as long as he lays still and closes his eyes other nights he request that I rub his back or sing "Jesus" to him. He loves for me to sing Jesus Loves Me. He goes to Sunday school and always tells me Jesus loves mommy, Jesus loves daddy, etc. He also loves to thank Jesus for his snacks.
We were released from his GI specialist this year and the original diagnosis of EE has been contested. We don't have to go back for any testing unless symptoms reappear. He is medication free. Thank you God!! He is still seeing a urologist for his urine reflux, but has not had any complications with this, and our choice of not putting him on a daily antibiotic has so far been fine. We only go back every 6 months for a kidney ultrasound to monitor it, but more than likely as he keeps getting taller he will outgrown this as well.
Garrison was fully potty trained about 3 months ago. He was so easy. He just picked right up on it. Now when he goes to the bathroom, he shuts the door and occasionally locks it, because he wants privacy. He has a stool, so he can wash his hands by himself. We still monitor him but for the most part, he is self sufficient.
He eats like a bird. He loves healthy snacks. His favorites are carrots, yogurt, and cheese. Our friend Jason was here staying the weekend with us, and asked Garrison if he wanted pizza for dinner. Garrison's reply was "No, carrots are fine."He loves to help mommy water the plants. He loves to be naked. He loves to pee outside (we really have to watch he doesn't pull down his pants at inappropriate places!). He loves to pretend he is either a puppy or a horse. He hates getting water in his eyes. He is very bossy. He is starting to get a temper.

The last 3 years have been wonderful and we love watching this little guy grow up. I wish that time would slow down, that is my only complaint. Happy Birthday sweet boy and I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for you. xoxo

These are my tattoos

2011-06-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

I came home from work the other day and Garrison came running to greet me, which is his normal routine. He loves to have his mommy home. Today instead of "I missed you!" I heard "look at my tattoos!" This is my sweet boy, I guess he gets it from his daddy....

2011-05-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

I think I decided that I've basically given up blogging this year because every time that I think Oh let's log on and blog about that, it reminds me of the 10 other things that I meant to blog about, and then I just feel overwhelmed! So today's blog won't be about something that occurred two months ago or me trying to catch up...it will simply be about what's on my mind today and the happenings of the Bal household present tense. If I find the time, I'll go back and blog about all the fun we've had in the past months, but I'm going to move on so that maybe I won't feel so overwhelmed to "back-blog" and maybe, just maybe, my blog won't be so lame.

Today, I went to the Dr for my 26 week check-up. (I feel the need to say that Adam and I are having a GIRL bc the "it's a girl blog" has been on my to-do list for a couple months now...ok, see I'm starting to stress myself out!) We are beyond excited to be adding a girl to our little family and I can't wait to see how Adam is with her. He has always said he wanted a daddy's girl and I'm almost certain that from the moment he lays eyes on her, he will be in big, BIG trouble. At today's appt, she weighed 1 lb, 12 oz and is 12.5 inches long. She was very animated ( probably had a lot to do with the glucose screen, and that they had just made me drink 12 oz of orange syrup). She is definitely my child by the way she was loving the sugar. We saw her chomp her lips like she was smacking them and rub her eyes and yawn and then stick out her tongue. It amazes me. I would watch her everyday with a sonogram machine if I could afford one at home. How cool would that be "Hey let's see what the baby's doing" anytime I wanted. Oh to dream.....We can't wait to meet our little girl!!

Garrison. My sweet little boy turns 3 next month. He won't let me call him my baby. He says NO! I a big boy! He already loves his little sister. He talks to her in my belly and tickles her. He says tickle, tickle, tickle, while trying to tickle my belly. It's cute bc he even says it in a baby voice. If I'm laying on the couch, he will come over and lift my shirt a little bit and put his hand on my belly and just pat it. Let's hope his love for her continues because right now, he really has me amazed. Last night, we had chicken nachos. Garrison had taken the shredded cheese to the table and so I needed it and said to him "Garrison, I'll bring this right back" in order to avoid a fit. The boy loves cheese. I used it and took it back to him and he said "Thanks mom, I knew I could count on you." Ummm seriously?! Where did he learned that. He cracks me up on a daily basis!!

Expanding our family

2011-03-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

Pretty much everyone already knows that Adam and I are expecting our second baby. What a blessing! I am 18 weeks right now and finally starting to feel somewhat "normal" again. I've felt so horrible this time around and that is partially to blame why I've had no motivation to do anything, except sleep. Maybe now that i'm feeling better I will get my blog caught up and blog more frequently. I'm sure I won't be too busy with a second baby or anything. Our next sonogram is scheduled for April 25th and then we can confirm whether we are having a boy or girl. At our NT sono, around 13 weeks, the sono lady thought we are having a girl but of course told us not to go out and buy a bunch of pink. I now have it in my head that i'm having a girl, so the anticipation of waiting another month is really killing me!! Several of my friends and my mom, haven't been able to resist buying cute little stuff in pink. I already have about 6 pink outfits, so if it's a boy I'm not sure what I'll do with these gifts! Either way, I love looking at it, and thinking about the baby inside my belly. Stay tuned....one more month!!

This looks safe....right?!

2011-03-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

He's trimming out tree with a small electric saw while standing on one of my bar stools....My family might be rubbing off on him just a little bit. :)

Funny story

2011-02-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

I just realized that my last post was December 8th....that is just plain sad!! It's definitely not because I have nothing to share or nothing that is exciting enough that I think you would care....in fact, it's simply because I have had no energy and been pretty blah and tired and without energy (did I mention I don't have any energy?!)....but I'll wait and share that in a post very soon. Promises Promises!!

So to start my New Year off right...a funny story to share about what happened to me today. It's embarrassing but never the less, should be shared so that you can get a good laugh in. This morning I was chewing 1/3 of a stick of gum. Now, if you are like my friend Laci, you are probably wanting me to stop the story here and explain why I only was chewing 1/3 of the stick of gum. You see, it was my last piece, and I wanted to use it sparingly. It's not like there are gas stations on every corner here in this small city of Dallas. Ok, so for Laci and other's like her, back to the story we go....All the sudden I sneezed. Violently sneezed. The kind that creeps up on you and you have no control and your neighbor can probably here it. Then I realize, my gum is gone. My first thought was that I swallowed it but I don't remember swallowing it. So next, I check out my hair. I just had a vision of it getting stuck in my newly highlighted hair and me having to cut it out. Nope, my hair was clear. Checked my clothes and the ground all around me. Nope. The gum had just disappeared. I looked for several minutes and finally gave up. Obviously, I had swallowed it.

Fast forward, 4 hours. Yes...four...4...FOUR hours! I'm eating a salad for lunch and something catches my eye. Its lime green and small (thankfully only 1/3 of a stick) but completely out of place. I grab the object still not really understanding what it was. Yep, found my gum! Stuck, in no other place, than on my boob. Kind of the underpart, in the cleavage so it was sort of hidden. I'm not well-endowed so it's not like I could feel it sticking to the other boob. I guess it was content there but not anymore. So next time you loose your gum....check there first. :)

Maybe I should get into modeling....

2010-12-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

I get flyers in the mail from time to time from Victoria Secret. I had one in the mail the other day and it was sitting on top of my coffee table with the mail. Garrison was playing with his toys in the floor and saw the flyer. He brought it to me and said: "Mama that looks like you." Such a smart boy already...and apparently with very good eye sight. Yes baby boy, that is exactly what mama looks like.....

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess. 5:16-18

Today started off with me running the Turkey Trot with my girlfriends. We did this last year and decided to sign up again. I've been really slacking with my running lately, so this was a great way to motivate me to get going again. My 5k time was 39.2, not really that great, but not terrible either. It was really cold, about 41 degrees out, and the wind was really blowing hard. Running against the wind is not fun! I'm signing up to run a 10k in January with my dear friend, Laci. Sunday starts our training. 6 weeks. I can do it!!

The rest of the day was spent at my parent's house with me, Adam, Garrison, my papa Bob, mom, dad, amy, cody, and Julie. Julie was my Papa's dear friend. My family stays in touch with her and she didn't have Thanksgiving plans so we invited her over. It was good to see her again. We don't get to see her much anymore since my papa passed. We ate and watched football and had a fire. It was a nice time.

Give Thanks...I am so thankful for an amazing husband, a beautiful and healthy son, loving family and friends, employment, my Church family, Hank, Kazi, and Ross, and most importantly a loving and forgiving God that has promised me the greatest Gift of all.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16

Hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving! I know we certainly did!!

Today I am thankful for....

2010-11-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Coffee....

Specifically nonfat, sugar free vanilla latte's from McD's but on the days I don't want to pay for coffee...coffee from work will suffice with sugar free hazelnut creamer....ahhh the perfect way to start my mornings!! :)

Such a sweet boy

2010-11-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

Since I happen to own the world's craziest puppy, I try and walk him at least twice a day. Sometimes this ends up being Hank walking me or me laying on the ground with him trying to get the leash untangled from his legs as he continues to roll and think we are playing. It's comical. Which reminds me that maybe I should look and see if any of my neighbors have posted video of me on youtube. It would for sure be a popular hit. Anyway, I am getting off topic....

Last Saturday, Garrison and I were walking Hank and he surprised me with a gift. He pulled on my shirt and said "Mama, I picked this leaf for you." So I turn around and he holds up a big leaf as my gift. I thank him and we keep walking. Some mother's may get flowers, but this mama gets leaves. Be jealous....I would be too! Here is my sweet boy holding my gift!

What's your name...

2010-11-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of teaching Garrison his last name. This is our usual conversation:

Me: What's your name?
G: Garrison Gill.... after which he dies laughing....

He just can't seem to catch on that it's Garrison Bal

Being thankful for....

2010-11-11T13:52:00.001-08:00

Halloween 2010

2010-11-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

This year Garrison was a Pirate. This was the first year that he loved his costume and really seemed to enjoy Halloween. He filled his pumpkin up probably twice but after Adam and I took out all the chocolate, he was left with maybe 3/4 of one filled pumpkin. Still....that is wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much sugar! Right now, it's hidden away in our pantry. He had such a blast.

His first party was Saturday at my friend Dometric's house. She has a little boy, Kian, that is a couple months older than Garrison and the two of them get along so well. It is so cute to watch them play and be completely all boy. Dometric had a great party. Complete with games, food, pinata, and a clown :) Sunday for Halloween we went to my friend Jen's and let all the kids trick or treat in her neighborhood. They always have a great time. His third party was at his "school." They went trick or treating to the neighborhood shops. Since Garrison only goes 2 days a week and their party was on a day he doesn't attend, they still let Adam bring him up there and trick or treat and have fun with his class. It is so cute to see his friends growing together and enjoying the holidays this year. Enjoy the pics!

This is a picture of Garrison walking around the shops where his school went trick or treating

Garrison and his classmates

Garrison and daddy Halloween night

Garrison and Kian (in black) clapping for the Pinata along with the clown

Garrison and his new friend!!

Little guy decided to take a break from trick or treating..(we had just started!!)

Trick or treating with all our friends!!

Introducing....

2010-11-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

The world's cutest pirate!!!......

Thankful Thursday's

2010-11-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

In an effort to get my brain in blog mode more often, I am going to start a new blogging series titled "Thankful Thursday." Every Thursday, I will be blogging about different things in my life that I am thankful for. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is so easy to get lost in the moment and in all life's little stresses, and forget to just stop, think, and be thankful. I am truly so blessed in my life and want to share with you all the things that make my life so wonderful. God has blessed me in a million ways. So here is my first Thankful Thursday....

My sweet boys. The two most precious faces on the planet! I'm lucky enough to have a husband that loves me for me, that supports his family, that spoils me, that loves me, that brings me flowers just because, that cooks and cleans, (although I don't like him to do laundry haha), that spoils me (did I already mention that?!), that is an absolutely AMAZING father, that laughs with me, and that all in all is my absolute best friend. As far as my son goes, I could write all day long and still not be finished! He is the best part of life and the best part of me. He is such a little affectionate guy and well spoken and polite already. He is a social bee just like me and loves to entertain. His laugh is infectious. Adam and I are lucky enough that Garrison spends almost all of his time with Adam or myself and goes to "school" only two days a week. We love this arrangement, and while sometimes it causes Adam and I not to see each other as often as we'd like, we know that our son is being well taken care of. We are making memories with Garrison daily and raising him to be the man that God has planned. These two boys are the highlight of each and everyday and today I am thankful that God has chosen them for me.

On strike from Subway

2010-11-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

I'm refusing to eat at Subway and I suggest you do the same!

Saturday Adam and I took Garrison to ride the train at Collin Creek mall. He loves it and he looks so adorable sitting in the cart while it goes around and around. After that we let him play at the indoor gym and then we had lunch. We got Garrison chickfila and then Adam and I were going to eat at Subway. Since Garrison already had his food, I sat at the table with him, while Adam ordered. Adam's subway ended up being $8, which I told him wasn't correct, and once he looked at his receipt he was overcharge by about $1.50. Keep in mind that money isn't the issue here. Obviously, I'm not peeved over less than two bucks.

Adam goes back up to the counter to tell the lady she over charged him and the cashier refuses to help him. She didn't even speak a word to Adam. Terrible customer service. Adam finally said to her "are you not going to help me?" at which the lady blankly stares at him and shrugs her shoulders. Ummm seriously?! This is not acceptable. The next day, Adam calls the Subway manager and complains both about being over charged and that the employee wouldn't help correct the situation. The manager actually has the nerve to tell Adam that most of their employees speak English as a second language and that this was a language barrier issue. To which Adam replies, so are you saying that I need to speak Spanish to eat at a Subway. About the price issue, the manager tells Adam that they have subs of the day which are much cheaper, and that maybe Adam should try this next time he visits a Subway. Does anyone see a huge issue with this?! First rather than apologizing for the lack of customer service you stand by your employee by claiming they don't speak English. Secondly, you don't acknowledge that my husband was over charged, but you tell him to order something cheaper next time!!!!!! Unbelievable!! How does ordering something cheaper help you if the employee is going to ring it up incorrectly and then speak Spanish back to you when you try and tell them they are overcharging you. No Thank you Subway...You have for sure lost two customers! Ridiculous....Also, I should post the email that Adam received from the Manager, with about 15 grammatical errors and words missing like the and of...etc. Obviously, no one at Subway speaks English as their first language! It's really sad actually....So, my advice, don't eat at subway! :)

State Fair of Texas

2010-10-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

A couple Monday's ago, Garrison and I went to the state fair with my brother, sister, friend Jennifer and her daughter Camdyn. We had a blast!! We got there early afternoon and stayed until the fair closed. Of course, we stuffed ourselves with fried food...between the 4 adults we shared fried frito pie, fried margarita, fried beer, fried smores, fried moon pie, corn dogs, and nachos :) Haha..seriously I may of gained ten pounds!! We saw a dog show, bird show, and many other exhibits. Garrison loved running around. I took his stroller and I think he rode in it for a total of ten minutes. This child has energy! Garrison rode his first carnival type rides and loved it. He wanted to ride more rides but he was too little for most of them. He was not happy about this at all. I'm sure next year he will be able to enjoy more of them. We had a blast!!

Adam's 30th Birthday

2010-10-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to surprise Adam with a fun 30th birthday and really thought long and hard about what we should do. I finally came up with the idea of chartering a bus that would drive us and our friends to Shreveport for the day.

Pretty cool, huh?! We had so much fun. There were about 22 of us on board. We left our house at 11am and left the casino at 11pm. It's about a 3 hour trip. We have some really entertaining friends and had a great time. Thank you to all our friends that helped me surprise Adam and joined in on our great fun!

Stories from last night

2010-10-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

1) Garrison and I were eating dinner last night and right before he eats, he clasped his hands together and prayed "Tank um for my food." Without me having to remind him that we needed to pray! He is really starting to learn good things!

2) About midway through dinner, Garrison said he wanted to go outside and play. I knew it would be too dark by the time dinner was finished and we were cleaned up, so I told Garrison this. Here is our conversation:

L: It will be too dark by then baby, we will have to go outside tomorrow.
G: It's too dark now?
L: No, it's not right now, but the moon is about to come out and we won't be able to play outside.
G: The moon come out? Mama have mote control?
L: (laughing) I don't have a remote control to the moon Garrison, we will have to wait until tomorrow when the sun comes out.

aaahhh if only I did have a remote control to the world and could control night and day!!!

Counting and Kisses and Jesus Loves Me

2010-09-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

Garrison is learning his numbers. He can count 1...2...3...and then if I say what comes after 6 he says 7. If I say 8, he will say 9! I think that's pretty good!

Kisses....last night I wanted to kiss Garrison and he apparently thinks 2 kisses is plenty. When I asked for another kiss he said "that's enough mama!" :(

Lately, Garrison has been wanting us to rock him at his bed time and then he wants me to sing to him. His favorite song is the Itsy bitsy spider which he will do most of the motions to and whisper the song along with me. One night last week, after I sang the itsy bitsy spider Garrison said "Now Jesus Loves Me." This made me really happy to see him starting to love this song and he even sang along with me at certain parts! YAY :)

Garrison's first really bad "boo-boo"

2010-09-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Garrison was outside my parent's playing with one of their neighbors, a 5 year old boy. Garrison and this boy were playing in the dirt. Garrison was laying on his belly and the older boy was sweeping up dirt piles when he accidentally tripped and fell. He fell right on top of Garrison's head, causing Garrison's head to slam into the concrete. Garrison's had some minor scraps and cuts but nothing this major. He was bleeding from him mouth and nose, and had a bump and scrap on his head. There was so much blood that I thought for sure we had knocked a tooth out. After I got the bleeding to stop, I realized he had just busted his lip, and his teeth were fine thankfully. His lip was so fat, it was the fattest lip I've ever seen. He was definitely hurting and went to bed shortly after that and let me rock him to sleep. I kept an eye on him til about 11pm and then finally let him go sleep in his own crib. (Yes, my 2 year old still sleeps in a crib!! Don't judge....he is the BEST sleeper and so easy to put to bed, that I don't want to change one thing!) He didn't look as bad the next day but I still felt so bad for him. He said "Mama, take my booboo off" :) I wish I could take it away!

Eosinophilic Esophagitis

2010-09-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Being a mother is the most amazing part of my life but has also been one of the toughest. It's one of those things that, until you experience it, you can never fully understand that unconditional love for another life. Adam and I are so blessed with Garrison. He is the easiest baby (yes, I know he is 2, but he is still my baby!). He has been the light of our life for right at 2 years. Beginning in May, we started noticing symptoms with Garrison, that alarmed us. He had tummy problems, a deep chest cough, a constant runny clear nose, and occasionally would complain of back pain or stomach pain. As parents, you have to be the voice for your child when they can't as well as be attentive enough to notice they aren't 100% well. We took Garrison to our pediatrician many times with these symptoms only to be told that Garrison was extremely healthy and growing on track. After the symptoms continued to get worse, we finally pressed our pediatrician to be told that we needed to see a specialist. We took Garrison to a Gastrointestinal doctor, Dr. Annette Whitney. She went over all of his symptoms and agreed that further testing needed to be done. The first was just a series of blood work.

This was our first sad day as parents. Dr. Whitney is at Children's Medical Center and it's overwhelming all the "sick" kiddos down there. You don't realize how blessed you are with a "healthy" child until you are looking at other sick children, and it's overwhelming. I don't know how any parent deals with chemo or other life threatening procedures on your baby. They are suppose to be healthy and running around without a care in the world, and yet they deal with this stuff. I don't know how. We simply took Garrison for blood work, where I had to bear hug him so he couldn't move, and Adam had to hold his arm above and below the elbow straight. Of course, Garrison screamed and said we were hurting him. Horrible. Adam even commented that this was the worst day of his life. Seems minor when there are children doing other serious procedures but for us, in our small perfect bubble, life was not great at this moment. The results came back a week later and even the Dr. commented that the results were surprising to her. His platelets, white blood cell count, and ESR (sedimentation rate) were elevated. His ESR at a very high number. His number came in at 88, where normal for his age is 0-10. On the phone with the Dr., I lost it. I apologized and of course, she said there was no need to apologize, that she understood, and for me not to worry, that she would get to the bottom of this, and get him fixed. I guess it was reassurance for me that I knew my baby, I knew his little system wasn't 100%, even when everyone else around me seemed to think it was all normal and that he would outgrow it. Reassurace to a Pediatrician that kept calling my child "the healthy kid" and making me feel like a hypochondriac mom that WANTS something to be wrong with her child. Dr. Whitney said his ESR rate indicates a couple of things and she was leaning toward an auto-immune disease or some major inflamation somewhere in his body. We had to schedule an endoscopy and colonoscopy for the following week so she could figure out what was going on inside his little body. Yep, we seriously had to wait a week to figure out what was causing this. The entire time obssessing about all the horrible possiblities that could be determined.

Procedure Day. I can't even describe how horrible this day was for Adam and I. Earlier that morning, I had explained to Garrison what the Dr's were going to be doing, and that he would be asleep for a little while, and that he may feel some pain afterward, but it was all to get him better. I explained that we needed to hear what the Dr. has to say so that we can get him better. Of course, a two year old doesn't undesrtand, any of what i'm telling him but somehow I felt better explaining it to him rather than letting the Dr's sneak up on him. We took him to Cook's Children's Suregery Center and couldn't have had a better experience, all negative things considered. The staff was wonderful, the center was very clean, and it all turned out to be great. The anesthesiologist was wonderful with garrison. Adam and I were able to carry Garrison back to the OR and I set him on the table. I don't think he ever even realized they had put a mask on his sweet little face because he was too busy "blowing up balloons" on the anesthesiologist iphone. Cool app. Again, roller coaster of emotions, as we had to walk out of the OR room with our little guy asleep and being hooked up to machines, to go sit in a lonely room and await results. 20 minutes later the Dr. came out and talked to us and said everything went really well and that was she saw was very minor and fixable. She sent of some stuff for biopsies and said she would have the results in a week or so but that all things considered his GI tract looked really well and didn't indicated any of the bigger diseases we were scared to death of.

All of that to lead us to....EE...Eosinophillic Esophagitis. Garrison has a very mild case of it, thankfully, and it's still possible at this age for him to outgrow it. There is a lot I could explain, but in as few words as possible, he basically has multiple allergies that are causing his GI issues and then causing white blood cells to build up in his esophagus. Multiple severe allergies is what I have read, but I believe his are mild. He has been on a steroid ever since and on prevacid and within a couple weeks, we were already able to see a change in our little guy. We have had to make a couple diet modifications and with the medications, he seems to be "healing." The Dr. wants to continue the steroids for another month and then remove him from medications. She believes that we can monitor his symptoms clinically bc obviously I'll see teh symptoms return if he needs to stay on medication. Obviously, I don't want him on steroids forever, but if it makes him better then I guess I can't complain.

I didn't post all this while it has been going on the last 3 months or so because of all the uncertainties. I'm just so thankful that we know what was causing his problems and that we seem to be on the road to recovery. It's a horrible feeling as a parent to think your child is sick and its' beyond your control to make him better. All we could do was love on him and continue life as normal until we had an answer. Thankfully, an answer that we were "ok" with. Hopefully this is our first, and last, medical scare. Even though it's looking like it will be something we have to always monitor, all things considered, we will all be ok!

See if you can guess what is wrong with this picture.....

2010-07-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Today is "daddy daycare" as Adam likes to call it on the two or three weekdays when it's just him and Garrison at home. The weather has been surprisingly nice in the early mornings and Garrison and Adam have been going to the park often. Adam called me at 11 and asked if I wanted to meet him and Garrison at Chick-fil-a at 11:30. Of course!! So I show up and this is how Garrison is dressed!! Kind of embarrassing for a mommy :) Here is how mine and Adam's conversation went...

me: Baby, what is Garrison wearing?

Adam: What are you talking about?

me: He doesn't match!

A: Yes, he does it's blue and blue ( I just ignored this...its NAVY and BABY BLUE...doesn't match!!)

L: He can't wear two different patterns. He has a solid baby blue shirt that matches these shorts. You are going to make him that dorky kid in school bc of his clothes!!

A: Oh, well it matches to me. (He looks down at his own clothes) Do I even match??

Ohhhh my life is comical! I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

Family Pictures

2010-07-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Getting a two year old to cooperate...sit still....smile....say cheese....can you put your arm here....well needless to say all that didn't happen. Garrison wasn't in a smiling mood, probably bc he was so hot, but I still think we got a couple of really cute pictures. My family is so gorgeous and I am one blessed woman!!

The sayings of a two year old

2010-07-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

Some days Garrison loves our puppy; other days he screams and runs from him. Hank is already a pretty big dog, and he is only 3 months old. I think pretty soon he may be bigger than me. Oh boy! I try and walk Hank a couple times a day. Garrison has fun going with me and calls Hank's leash "a draggin" It took me a while to figure this one out. I kept thinking Garrison was talking about Dragons. I finally figured out he says this when he wants to walk Hank outside, and more importantly when I saw him pointing to the leash saying "hanks draggin" I guess because some days it seems like I'm dragging Hank around the street although I'm pretty sure pretty soon it will be Hank "a draggin" me around!

The days Garrison doesn't like Hank really give me a headache. Garrison has this high pitched scream and anytime Hank gets close, Garrison screams and goes running. Which of course Hank interprets as Garrison wanting to play. Then I hear crying "puppy bit me" or "puppy push me" Of course, Hank doesn't bite, but he does have some seriously long claws. He needs a vet trip I guess.

Testing

2010-07-22T17:36:00.001-07:00

I've downloaded blogpress to my iPhone...let's see if my updates on our blog become more regular. Testing 1....2....testing!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Matador Dr,Garland,United States

Meet Hank

2010-06-24T12:32:00.001-07:00

Meet the newest addition to the Bal household....HANK!!! Isn't he precious?! Because my husband is such a rockstar he bought me this beautiful puppy as my graduation gift!! I just loooooove him (and Adam) to pieces :)

Finally done with school

2010-06-24T12:26:00.001-07:00

Well it's official...I have my MBA! Master of Business Administration with a Health Care emphasis. This last semester really took every once of energy and will power that I had to finish. We had to do our "thesis" in teams and there was one girl in my group who I really think was a mole and put there to test us. Anyway...so that I don't get caught up talking badly I'll change the subject. We presented our 3 year strategic plan to the board of directors and ROCKED it! They loved our presentation, suggestions, ideas, creativeness, etc. Our professor even thought certain parts of our project were professionally created. We worked with a non profit organization called Bea's Kids and loved every minute of it. This really is a great organization that helps meet the educational and personal needs of high risk Hispanic children. I hope this organization is able to use some of what we suggested and grow in order to meet their increased needs. It feels great to be done with school and I never plan to go back! I want to focus on my family and being a great mom and wife and not EVER read another textbook! Well maybe I shouldn't say never bc I'm an avid learner, but either way...it will be a loooooong time before I think of taking any other classes!

The Kirk's say I DO!

2010-06-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, well maybe they said I Do back in April and I've just been really really busy. Either way, the Bal household was so sad to say good-bye to my dear friend Jodi as she embarked on her new journey in life. Jodi had been staying with us since September bc her lease was up and she was saving money to help pay for her wedding. She moved in and we had a blast. Garrison got used to having Ju-Ju there and I really believe he thougth he had a second mom! Now she is married and living down in Brazoria with her new hubby and starting their life together. Jodi made a gorgeous bride and I had the best time ever being a bridesmaid! I just love getting dressed up and pampered!! Thank you Jodi for allowing me to share this amazing day with you! I hope your marriage is as amazing and blessed as mine and Adam's!! We love you!

Monday's conversation with Garrison

2010-05-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Monday afternoon Garrison and I were headed to visit with my parents. This was our conversation while in the car.

Garrison: Rabbit sleeping
Me: What Rabbit is sleeping, Garrison?
G: Coco's rabbit (Coco is what Garrison calls my brother, cody. We have no clue why but he has done it as long as he could talk. I just LOVE it!!)
Me: Coco has a rabbit?
G: uh-huh (he refuses to say yes)
G: Wake up rabbit!!

I couldn't stop laughing and I had no clue what he was talking about. Until later that night....

Cody has a new puppy, she is adorable, and her name is Bonnie. When I told Garrison to give everyone hugs and kisses, becuase it was time to leave, he said "Rabbit, check, K?" Points his finger out front, and starts walking out front. I'm intrigued to figure out what he is talking about, so I follow. He walks right up to Bonnie, says "Rabbit hug" and gives her a hug. I guess he thinks she is a rabbit bc her name is Bonnie...Bonnie Rabbit.... Isn't that the cutest thing?!? I just love how his mind works!!!!

22 months

2010-05-05T07:59:00.001-07:00

How is it possible that my little man is already 22 months old?!? Everyday it is like he has learned something new. His big thing right now is "baby do it" and "I no like it" Adam and I have always called Garrison baby and so now we think Garrison thinks his name is actually baby. For example, he will point to Adam's shoes and say "dada shoes" then if he sees his own shoes say "baby shoes." When i am getting him out of his car seat, he doesn't want to be carried anymore, and immediately says "baby walk." He has always been a really healthy eater but lately he doesn't seem to want to eat anything, healthy or unhealthy! That's where "I no like it" has come in. Sometimes he will actually eat half of something, then all the sudden spit out the bite in his mouth and say "I no like it." Oh really?! Bc two seconds ago you just ate almost all of it! Maybe he means this instead of I'm full or I'm done. Either way it's actually pretty annoying. He even told me the other day "I no like it" when I was trying to put a red shirt on him. I let him pick out his own shirt and he chose a blue one.

His vocabulary consists of a gazillion words. It is amazing where he even learns some of the stuff he knows. He loves to randomly say "hi mama" and so I just say "hi Garrison" back. He says "go mama go" often, which I LOVE. He calls music "dancin". He calls our cats "cat-cat" instead of kitty cat. He loves to pull their tails, and amazingly they just sit there or sometimes run. He loves to go play at the park and feed the ducks. He is obsessed with cars and races. He will grab the remote and say "race race race" until we change the channel. Usually the only thing we can find is something that deals with nascar and then he is happy. Adam and I are not fans of nascar, maybe I need to get him some race movies or monster jams or something similar. When he drops something he says "whoopsy".....PJ's are "jammies"....He does not like people to sleep around him. My mom was napping the other day and he said "wake up grandma wake up!" continually until she woke up. He has also said this to my sister who he calls "Hamy" ...my brother is still "coco"....He makes like perfect!! Now if only he would STOP growing!

Here is a picture of Garrison with one of his friends, Camdyn.

Family Pic

2010-05-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

How adorable are my boys?!?! This pic was taken at Jodi and Justin's rehearsal dinner.

Horse Races

2010-05-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

A couple Friday nights ago was opening weekend at the horse races. Randy Rogers was also playing after the races but we weren't able to stay for that. Garrison was exhausted by about 10:30 and so we left. We had a great time with great friends. We went with Jennifer, Camdyn, Jamie, Krystal, and Lindsey. We went out for Jamie's bday and had a great time.

Jodi's Bacholorette Party

2010-05-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

One pic from Jodi's bacholorette party...we had the BEST time!! We all went to Dick's Last Resort in Dallas and then after that headed back to our friend jennifer's house. Our big surprise to Jodi was a lady named Spicy Denise, who brought a stripper pole over, set it up, and provided two hours of TONS of fun! I couldn't do about 80% of the moves, but I sure tried!! Jodi on the other hand, may have been a stripper...ummm exotic dancer...in her previous life!! :) Then we all stayed the night and just had girl time. The next day, actually for the next week, none of us could walk. That is the BEST workout! I highly suggest this for any girls night/bach party/etc. It was grand!!

Parenting...I've got this!!!

2010-04-08T06:43:00.001-07:00

My biggest pet peeve of other parent's has always been parents whose children have NO manners. It drives me crazy. Going to target and someones child runs past you and almost knocks you over or squeezes by you through the door or drops something and just keeps on walking....you know what I'm talking about. It's not the actual act of it that drives me crazy (bc I know children will be children)but the parent's reaction to it. Most of the time there is no reaction bc the parent either doesn't care or doesn't have manners themselves. Well how is that child suppose to learn if the parent is oblivious?! Seriously, makes me want to tell the parent to wake up and realize their children need manners! Ugh..Ok, off my soap box...

That being said, ever since Garrison could start talking we use words like please, thank you, you're welcome, etc. He already knows to say "tank-ew" and "peeeeez." It's just polite and who else is going to teach him if we aren't?! My child is polite and well-mannered...Yes I know I don't have a terrible two's on my hands yet or a teenager, but if I lay the foundation now MAYBE it won't be as bad during those stages. He knows he can't run through a store or parking lot, he knows he cannot shout at restaurants, etc. All my efforts in raising a well behaved, polite boy were shown to me last night. I was driving and Garrison was in the back in his seat and I sneezed. His response...."Bwess ew Mama!" Isn't that adorable?!?! He melts my heart...and we all say together: What a polite little boy!! :)

awwww Big Boy!

2010-04-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

It's crazy how you become interested in poop and pee when you become a parent. At first, you find yourself counting wet diapers to make sure they are nursing enough. As they grow, you pay attention to their bathroom habits for food sensitivities. You pay more attention when they are sick to make sure they aren't dehydrated. Well now that I have a toddler, it's no different. We have had Garrison's big boy potty out for about two months now. We got it out one night when he said he needed to "potty" but of course he didn't. So we have been introducing him to the idea. Saturday afternoon Garrison came to me and said "stinky" so of course I went to change him and he was clean. So I decided just to let him run around the house diaper free and watch him for a bit. He came to me a couple more times and said "stinky" so I took him to his potty where he would sit for about 10 seconds. Nothing. Around the 3 or 4th time we did this he finally pooped in his potty. WHAT A BIG BOY!!!! After, he stood up and got upset, pointed, and said "mess." Poor guy thought he had made a mess and done something bad. Of course, I said no and clapped and cheered and high five him and the whole time he just looked at me like I was crazy.....Potty training sure is going to be fun!!! And just for scrape booking sake I attached a picture.....have a look.....haha..IM JUST PLAYING! I'm not THAT Crazy... :)

My lil' Valentine

2010-03-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

He melts my heart <3

SNOW!!!

2010-03-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Anyone who lives in Texas knows how exciting winter has been in Texas this year. Normally we have four or five really cold days, maybe some ice thrown in there, and nothing much to call "winter." This year has been different. We have had record breaking amounts of snow and a really long, cold winter. I had fun with the snow for a day, but now I'm ready for some sun and really ready to get in my pool! Come on Summer!!!

Here are some pictures of Garrison enjoying our snow....

2010-03-02T09:40:00.001-08:00

This is a picture of Garrison and I watching the Cowboy's playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys WON and finally broke their bad luck...maybe....Let's hope for a Championship next year!!!

19 months is a really fun age! Everyday I look at my baby and see he has turned into a little man too quickly. He loves to entertain us and everyday amazes us with something new that he has learned. He loves chocolate milk in the mornings which he calls "cake"....When he wants to be held he holds up his arms and says "mama I hold you" which melts my heart.....He loves to sing "itsy" (itsy bitsy spider) and "beep-beep" (the wheels on the bus)......his favorite past time is jumping on the bed which he calls "night-night" and we have noooooooooo clue where he learned this from.....brushing his teeth is a constant battle bc he wants to do it himself, unless daddy does it, then miraculously he just sits still.....anytime he sees lotion, he lifts up his shirt, points to his belly button, and says "butt butt" until you give him some lotion to rub on his tummy......he will flex his muscles if you ask nicely....he knows to say "please", "thank-you" and "welcome"....when he sneezes he says "bless you" but won't say "bless you" if others sneeze......his best friend is "wambo" his blue lamb from Laci, which used to be blue and white and is now blue and gray......he is very affectionate and loves to give kisses and hugs. If you tell him he is not being nice, he will say "hug" and hug you.....he loves shoes.....but he loves his mama more than anything in the world....he knows up from down and that planes go up.....he drinks from a big boy cup and if he spills his drink, he will say "mess" and try and wipe it up with his hands.....anytime I am vacuuming or swiftering the floors, he runs and gets his own broom and helps......Everyday I thank God for my little man!!

Christmas....in March :)

2010-03-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures from Christmas. This was really Garrison's first Christmas, since last year he had no clue what was going on. He still from time to time asks "Where Santa?" I need a bigger house for all the stuff he got! He is ssssspoiled!

Hmmmm

2010-01-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

Why does it seem, that all of my blog postings start off with "So I'm a really bad blogger?!" Hmmmm I think maybe I need to start making this a weekly priority! So I promise, I really am going to try harder. I haven't made a post since before Thanksgiving so I have several post I should make today....Let's see how productive I am...

Bahamas 2009

Adam and I have been married over 5 years, and it's been a long time since we have had a "real" vacation. Even though we have little man now, I still think it's important for the two of us to get away and remember why we feel in love in the first place and to reconnect without daily life stresses. So we went to the Bahamas for 4 days. It was beyond hard to leave my little guy behind. I even debated stuffing him in my suit case, don't worry I would of poked holes and given him a sippy. Totally safe, right?!?!? We went to Atlantis and Coco Cay...both which were awesome...but Atlantis is surreal. That place is gorgeous, the pictures won't even do it justice! It is a little on the expensive side, but for a couple days, no worries! Here are some pics from our vacation. We had a blast, and I can't wait to take Garrison there someday! We seriously took 300 or more pictures, so it's going to be hard for me not to post them all!! :)

Adam and I on Coco Cay

Aren't we so cute?!?!

I've never been big on being in awe of celebrities, however we did see/meet 3 of them on our trip. Misty Mae Trainor, we actually got to watch her play in a tournament, and I really LOVE her. I loved watching her play in the olympics and love that she is trying to have a family. I was in awe of her! And yes, this really is her...she just isn't training for the olympics anymore!

Dave Matthews in concert...I have better pics, but this one will do for now

Rashad Evans...fighter...Adam and I love UFC

Coco Cay

Awe

Say it again...Awwwe

This is one of many pools, at Atlantis...ITS AMAZING

This is Adam drinking our coconut drink on the beach at Atlantis..funny story

Ok...the story...This man makes a killing. I may take over his job and move in the near future...Our drink was like $10 maybe, but we couldn't pass it up. This guy is walking around on the beach, no affilitaion with Atlantis and still ppl (like us) are buying from him. It's the experience RIGHT?! So he asks if you want a pina coloda in a cocunut,and DUH we say yes. So he opens this big ice chest he is carting around and cracks a cocounut in front of you. Let's you try the coconut juice and fruit if you like, dumps it out. Then he pours rum in your coconut...but not from a rum bottle, from a plastic jug. Yes, we still drank it. And then pours another milky substance on top of the rum. It was delicious and we are still alive!

Atlantis

Adam walking the beach at Coco Cay

<3

My love

Turkey Trot

2009-12-02T09:58:00.001-08:00

A group of my girlfriends and I decided to do the Turkey Trot this year on Thanksgiving. I am not a fan of running, but signed up to give myself motivation to get into better shape and accomplish something! Come race day, I really didn't feel that I was ready to run my first 5k, but knew I could at least run/jog/walk the whole thing. I managed to impress myself and run the entire 5k! I was so proud of myself and my time was 37.12!! GO ME! Jamie and I are planning to do another 5k in January, and I am hoping to improve my time. Maybe this is the start of something! Hmmmm when are the next Olympics?!?! HA!

The gang...pre-race!

Jamie, Me, Jen, and KWall after the race

I was runnnnnnning!

17 Months

2009-12-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

The biggest accomplishment this month has been that Garrison can put words together, not full sentences yet, but he is learning that two or three words go together. Garrison and my cousin, Katie, were playing together and Katie took Garrison's cup from him. Of course, Garrison wanted it back so he said "Mine cup!" It shocked me but was so cute!! Such a smart boy! He now says mine ___ for everything, we are trying to teach him sharing, but so far the concept is beyond his grasp. He knows his name and can say it pretty well. We are teaching him manners and how to be polite. He knows please and your welcome. He was at my work one day last week and I told him to go give something to one of my co-workers. He did and John said thank you and Garrison said your welcome! His please doesn't sound like please but he says the same "word" every time and nods his head, like he is telling you ok I said please now let me have that! He is a very affectionate boy and gives me kisses all the time. Awww he just melts my heart! He can run, climb on things, walk backwards, and he can drink from a straw. He has a big boy cup that we let him use instead of a sippy, occasionally and only with water. If he spills his water, he even tries to clean up his mess. Someone please make him stop growing.....

Halloween 2009

2009-12-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

This was Garrison's 2nd Halloween but really the first one that he got to enjoy! I looked and looked for a costume and finally found one that I loved.....Adam was not too sure of it! Somehow, I managed to win...It might have to do with the fact that I bought the costume to see if Adam would change his mind when seeing it in person ;) Well....it worked! Garrison was a Garden Gnome! We have several friends with kids a little older than Garrison, so we got all the kids together and went trick-or-treating. We had a great time and the kids are so funny! Garrison didn't get to enjoy his candy, other than a couple chocolate pieces and smarties, but that small amount of sugar kept him up til almost midnight! Already a little party animal! :)Mama and Dada on the other hand, helped make sure all that candy got put to good use!!! Enjoy our pictures....

Here is my handsome lil' guy!!

15 months old

2009-10-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures of my handsome lil guy. People are finally starting to say he is looking more and more like mama...my prayers have been answered!! Haha...I didn't really pray about that, buuuut it's still nice! His personality is starting to come out and he really enjoys being the entertainer. I think once he starts school, I may have a lot of parent teacher conferences. *sigh* He will do something that he knows is funny, and then look back at you to make sure you are watching. If he hears anyone laughing, even on t.v. or the radio, he laughs along with them. He loves to dance and bob his head to music. He knows his animals sounds, knows the number 1, and has added some new words to his vocabulary. His new favorite word is MINE, which I'm thinking he must of picked up at day care. He tells our cats no-no when they are bothering him. He loves to go for walks or be at the park. So far 15 months has been a very entertaining age!!

Changes in the Bal House

2009-10-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

After over two years with Fox, Adam has decided to take a new job offer. It is more money and better "family" hours, so we are hoping he really enjoys it. He started last week and so far is enjoying it! The only downside for us, was that he would not be home during the day as much with Garrison. My mom will still keep Garrison some during the week, but we also decided that we wanted to put him in a more structured environment. Garrison will be going to Children's Choice learning center one or two days a week. We really want him to start socializing more and learning, other than once a week for two hours at Church. We found a place that we absolutely love, the classes are very small (only 3 or 4 other kids his age), and the teacher is great. Everyone is very professional and welcoming and I think Garrison will grow to love it. The first day I dropped him off was SO hard on me. I cried almost all day, I felt like I was abandoning my baby! He did art work on his first day and I already have it hanging on the fridge.

Garrison's First Trip to Meet Big Tex!

2009-10-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we took Garrison to the good ol' State Fair of Texas!! Of course we waited and went on the last day, so it was packed! He really enjoyed the petting zoo and looking at all the animals. The weather was perfect. Adam and I shared a fried cheesecake, and boy was it delicious! Adam also had to have a fletchers jalapeno and cheese corny dog, which of course I nibbled on :)

14 months old

2009-09-11T14:14:00.001-07:00

My son looks like a little boy rather than a little baby. Where has time gone?! I look at him and wish that he would stop growing!! (Just for maybe a year or so...not forever!)Words cannot express what my heart feels everytime I look at him...he is so perfect and precious to me. Garrison is just about running! He is the fastest little walker I have ever seen. He started walking right at his first birthday and has not stopped since! He always has a bruise or scratch somewhere on his body to confirm to us that he is all boy. It is this age where he really is a little sponge! We have caught him doing several things and been shocked that he knew what to do. He will grab our keys and walk to the front door and try to unlock the door with the key. Thankfully all of our plugs are plugged in, but he will also take a cord and try to plug it into the light socket. (Yes, he gets in trouble for this) He holds his cup up to the fridge to try and get ice. He will grab my lotion and shake it on his hands as if he is putting it on....Yes, he is a little sponge!! Thankfully he hasn't picked up any bad habits just yet ;)

Words: Garrison knows alot more than he can communicate but he also has a pretty large vocabulary. Last week after Church, I was buckling him in his car seat and he said hot and wouldn't let his back touch the car seat. Poor baby, he does not like the Texas heat!! He knows cat, dog, ball, mama, dada, pop pop (for my dad), whats that, juice, side (for outside), shoe, i'm sure there are more but so far these are the most common ones he says. He has an infatuation with shoes and often you can find him in our hosue running around in a diaper with shoes or boots on. As soon as he gets up in the morning he will find his shoes, bring them to you, sit down on teh floor, and hold up his foot! I think he would sleep and bath in them if we let him. He does not like his diaper to be on and often takes it off and then we find him running around naked.

Food: He still eats really healthy and for this I am thankful. He had cuccumbers last night for the first time and loved them! He had blueberry waffles this morning ofr breakfast with daddy and Adam said he wanted more. He still loves bread, bananas, strawberries, eggs, pasta pickups, pork, chicken, peas,and zucchini. There really isn't too much he won't eat and want more of. Last night he grabbed an onion off my plate and even ate that!!

Seems so crazy 14 months ago, he was totally dependent upon me, and now he is a toddler enjoying the world!

My darling 3 year olds....

2009-09-11T13:58:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday was my first day volunteering in the Church Nursery. My classroom was with six 3-year olds. I received my lesson plan about a week before the first day and had read over it several times as I prepared myself for Sunday. The Bible verse that I was to teach the children was Phillipians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ. The first time that I opened up my email and saw this verse, my heart literally skipped a beat and I knew that this was exactly where I was meant to be. For those of you that don't know what this verse means to me personally, let me explain. I have a dear childhood friend who passed away in 2000 of cancer, Tana Jo Thomason. Tana was an unbelievable Christian and I know that in her short time on earth she helped bring many people to the Lord and made a huge impact on everyone she touched. I could speak all day about her uplifting personality and all the wonderful memories I have with her. This was Tana's favorite Bible verse and what she relied on during her struggle with cancer. So for me, when I saw that this was the first verse that I would be teaching my new 3 year olds, I felt that Tana was with me and that I would be making an impact in these young children's lives. God is great!

The first Sunday went very smoothly and I really cherished my time with the children! They were so pleasent, funny, and cute and I cannot wait to teach them and form a bond with each and every child. I hope that I can manage to be a positive role model for them and help in some small way along their life journey through Christ.

Ladies Night Out!!

2009-08-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Adam and Garrison left for the weekend and went to visit Adam's grandparents in Mississippi. I had class from 9-5 on Saturday so I couldn't join them. It was very hard to let my baby go for so long, but I knew that he would have a blast. I was worried about Adam on the plane, and trying to keep Garrison maintained, but Adam said he did great. He didn't cry and was entertaining everyone around them. I'm so glad he didn't have a bad experience!! It was Garrison's 2nd time to fly. I am fortunate enough to have amazing girlfriends who kept me entertained all weekend! Saturday night we went to Pete's Piano bar and then all stayed the night at Jamie's new house. We had a blast!! Thank you ladies for keeping me busy!! Love yall!!

JoJo and Les

BOOOO LONGHORNS!!

Me and the birthday girl, Linds

Me and Jacque

All my beautiful friends!! Look how well we coordinated our outfits!! :)

Garrison's first Rangers game!!

2009-08-21T12:16:00.001-07:00

A couple of tuesdays ago we took Garrison to a Ranger's game. We went with some friends of ours and had a really good time! AND the Ranger's WON!! GO RANGERS!!

Garrison's first trip to the zoo!

2009-08-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Adam and I took Garrison to the Dallas zoo about a month ago. We picked the perfect day because it was only in the low 90's and we didn't get too terribly hot! Garrison really loves animals. I think his favorite was a gorilla named Timbo. The zookeeper said Timbo loves babies and he sat right next to the glass where we were the entire time. When we got there, I was holding Garrison, and Timbo was on the other side. When he saw Garrison he darted over and then sat by us. I wonder what it is that makes him love little ones so much. It was pretty neat!

RIver Time!!

2009-07-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Every year we go float the Guadalupe River with our friends. Sometimes we camp and others we stay in condos. This year we decided to camp at Lazy L&L. We had a blast!! We have so much fun when we get time to get away with our friends, especially now that it is few and far in between. Enjoy the pics!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Vacation 2009

2009-07-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

We went to San Antonio for 5 days and took Garrison to Sea World. He really enjoyed Shamu and we are hoping next year, we will be able to stay longer. He is so curious about everything.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

July 4th, 2009

2009-07-15T07:56:00.001-07:00

Friday we went to Wylie's Fireworks show, and Saturday Garrison and I went down to Como to spend time with my family. We had a cook-out and popped fireworks.

Garrison Adam turns 1!!

2009-07-15T07:09:00.001-07:00

Sunday, June 28th, Garrison turned 1! I cannot believe how fast the last year has gone by or how blessed Adam and I are. We couldn't ask for a sweeter baby boy. Garrison is off all his bottles and drinks his milk in his sippy. Some days we have to do everything we can to get enough milk in him and other days he wants too much. He is a very healthy eater (except for when he goes to Grandma's and pop-pops :). He loves eggs, turkey, chicken, zucchini, yogurt, strawberries, and his favorite thing is probably bananas. He can take about 8 steps at a time. His bedtime is between 8-9pm, and he gets up around 7am. He can say mama, dada, pop-pop, bye-bye, dog and when he sees the cats he whispers something that sounds like "wassa." Also when he sees the cats, he starts patting his leg, like he is trying to lure them to him. When I ask him to give me a kiss or a hug, most of the time he does but Adam has to ask him for a head bump. Garrison doesn't kiss with his mouth, instead he bumps his forehead on you, or the cats, or his stuffed animals(see pic below). He loves to swim, and we have to keep our bedroom door closed a lot of the time, or else Garrison can see the pool in our backyard and will point to go out. He loves being outside, either in his stroller or his big boy car. I think we are on the right track with him...and can't wait to see what the next year brings.
My beautiful family!!

Me and my baby!

Camdyn and Garrison dancing to his birthday cake

Garrison wearing his Uncle Cody's boots from when he was a baby

Cody, Me, Adam, and Garrison enjoying the pool after the party

My family

Enjoying his new car

Aunt Amy pushing Garrison around

Garrison and Grandma

The cowboy balloons

Enjoying his cake

Maybe daddy wants a bite

Happy First Birthday!

Great friends

Cam and G working on the car

Where's my gift?

Katie and Garrison

Camdyn and Maddison

THis is Garrison's head bump :)

Garrison's horse cake my mom made

Barnyard balloons

Leslie's 28th Birthday

2009-07-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

It doesn't seem possible that I am really turning 28 :) Not that 28 is old, but I am quickly approaching 30....sigh.... Anyway, we had a nice time out with friends. Garrison had his first sleepover at my parent's house and I don't think he even realized that we were gone. He is about to be 1, so I think it is time that he was allowed to stay away from me and I'm sure it bothered me way more than him. We went to dinner at Pappasito's with our friends, and then went out to Logan's in Addison. Sunday, my actual birthday, we picked Garrison up from my parents and then Adam took me shopping for my birthday. Later that night we met family and friends at Razzoos. YUM!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Almost walking....

2009-06-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Garrison is one week away from his First Birthday...I cannot believe it!! He takes a couple steps but then loses his confidence and sits down on his bottom. He is so fast with his crawling, that he is pretty content getting around without walking. Yesterday he was sitting on the kitchen floor and he stood up, without holding onto anything! He stood there for about 5 seconds and then sat back down. My family just happened to be there for Father's day so of course little man got lots of claps and praise. He was so proud of himself!

His favorite word seems to be "that." He points at everything and says that?..that?...that?...So we just name off all the different things. He is fascinated with lights and light switches. He can turn off the lights, but hasn't figured out how to turn it on. He says no, dog, mama, dada, and that. He comprehends alot more than he can speak at this age.

One of the cutest things he does is a head bump. We are not sure where he picked this up from, but instead of giving kisses he gives head bumps. So now instead of saying Can mama have a kiss?, we say Give mama a head bump and he leans forward and bumps his forehead to your face. He does the same thing to the cat. Luckily for Ross, Garrison has also figured out "be gentle" and instead of beating on the cat, he "gently" pats the cats back. I think maybe Ross is becoming less afraid of Garrison.

Garrison is such an easy baby, as I have stated from the beginning. He is starting to throw little temper tantrums, but hopefully with a bit of discipline on my part, that will stop soon (maybe I am dreaming). He can be wide awake, and I lay him in his crib at bedtime, and he will turn over onto his side and grab a stuffed animal and fall right to sleep. He also eats very well and we have cut back to only one bottle a day. All his other milk/formula he gets in his sippy. He eats every fruit and vegetable I give him. His favorites are strawberries, blackberrys, zuchini, and cauliflower. He also loves turkey meat. Please no moans and groans about him being so easy, and don't jinx me by saying baby #2 will be a terrible.... :)

Everyone is growing up!

2009-06-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

In the past couple of months, Garrison has been a busy boy going to birthday party after birthday party!! Madison, Brooke, and Camdyn all turned 2 this year and I can still remember when they were born and how tiny they looked! Now they are all turning into beautiful little girls and Garrison is going to have such a hard time picking which one to date :) Oh the memories....

Camdyn's Two year pictures

Cammy and I when she was a couple weeks old....

Brooke's Two Year pictures

The first time I met our God-Daughter, Brooke

Maddie poo's Two Year pictures

Me and Maddy (this was the same day I was holding Cam LOL)

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears

2009-05-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

There is a song, by Jeremy Camp, that I keep hearing on the radio. If you haven't heard this song, go out and buy it or find it online bc it is an amazing song. There is something so calming and peaceful about it and reminds us that in our darkest, saddest moments, one day we will see Jesus face to face.....

There Will Be A Day lyrics

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

(Chorus)
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more
fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,
we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel you’re walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

(Chorus)

I can’t wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will
wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery
this is why this is why I sing

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more
fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,
we'll see Jesus face to face

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more
fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,
we'll see Jesus face to face

There will be a day, he will wipe away the tears,
He will wipe away the tears,
He will wipe away the tears,
There will be a day

Mother's day was Sunday and what a blessing to celebrate my first Mother's Day. This year has been unlike any other and I welcome every change that has taken place, being a mother is so rewarding. Sunday, my Aunt Sandi spent the day with us. There were no tears but alot of sadness. How do you celebrate Mother's day when your only son is in Heaven? I think you celebrate by remembering the words of this song...bc we know there will be a day when the burdens of this world are no more, we hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings that there will be a place with no more suffering....My Aunt Sandi is an amazing woman, and I pray for healing for her heart all the time. Her and my Uncle Larry have been through a hurt no parent should go through, and on Sunday, My First Mother's Day, I see their strength in a whole new light. I admire and hurt a whole different hurt for them, a hurt only a parent can experience. I didn't get to tell Bryan good-bye, I left to go on my honeymoon, naively telling Bryan the day before I left, that I would see him again and I expected him to be talking to me.....I guess I was in denial of how bad he was or wouldn't have left....but a revelation comes to me....I WILL see Bryan again and he will be talking to me and he will not hurt and my aunt and uncle will get to celebrate with BT, it will just be at a later date. When Jesus decides to call us home....So I think I have been hearing this song over and over and the words have truly spoken out to me for a reason...I don't use my blog to witness or preach, but this song is really amazing, calming, and may cause you to reflect on your own life...so I encourage you to do exactly that...buy the song and think....

He speaks!!

2009-05-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

First off as a disclaimer: I won't take any happiness away from Adam, because I do consider Garrison's first word "dada." In fact on Sunday morning Garrison had crawled into our bedroom and Adam was still in bed and Garrison said clear as can be dada!, like he was trying to wake him up. It was play time! However, it is really neat when they finally say something other than mama and dada, bc some of the time when he is babbling these words, we aren't really sure if he is saying it or just talking. So last night, Garrison was playing on the floor and pulling apart the rubber mats that we have down on our tile. Yes, he is truly all boy! He was playing with one end that is long and skinny and I guess Ross, our cat, thought Garrison was trying to play a game with him. Ross was trying to grab it and Garrison did not want to play with the cat and so Garrison said NO! and turned his back to Ross, so that he did not have to share his fun toy. Adam praised Garrison and told him what big boy he was (although I am not sure if we just reinforced not sharing LOL) but we are so proud of our little man and how smart he is getting everyday! He is such a delight and we just want to smother him with our kisses! It is crazy to think just 10 months ago that he knew nothing and now he is like a little sponge!

Our God-Daughter, Brooke, turns 2!

2009-05-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

Adam, Garrison, and I headed to Amarillo to spend the weekend with the Lowrance family. Brooke, our God-Daughter turned 2 on April 21st and had her bday party April 18th. We loved seeing how grown up Brooke is and enjoyed our visit. Jason, Adam, and I all met in Lubbock working at 50th Street Caboose when we were 19 years old and have been best friends ever since. Adam and Jason actually were roomies soon after they met and Jason was the best man at our wedding. It is fun seeing Jason as a husband and dad and seeing how we have all changed so much. Whoever would have thought that we would be such fine-upstanding adults!! :)

Adam and I were broken in well with two year old temper tantrums. The first day we were there Brooke was so tired and needed a nap, but I guess having house guest threw her schedule off. Natalie just went on with her business until Brooke calmed down. Adam was just standing there in awww and commented to Natalie how patient she is. He just soaks up all this parenting information because it won't be long til our little mister is 2 and testing his boundaries. Brooke is so much fun and we wish they lived closer so that the kiddos could really be best buds!

First Boo-Boo

2009-05-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Garrison thinks he is a big boy. He pulls up, walks holding on to stuff, crawls, and climbs on everything. Sometimes he gets carried away and thinks he can walk without help. Here is his first boo-boo after taking a tumble over a bar stool. (This is of course 3 days before Easter!) Poor baby!

Garrison's first Easter

2009-05-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

Garrison had a really great first Easter. He is so spoiled! I have been taking him to Church with me, but normally he sits with me, and if he gets fussy we will walk out for a bit. Now that he is 10 months old, he is getting harder to keep still and entertain. We decided Easter Sunday would be his first time to go to the Church Nursery. He had a fun time! We got there and he went right to the lady and never once fussed to be back with me. Adam went and checked on him once during Services and they had taken 6 babies, all Garrison's age, out for a stroll in a 6-seater stroller! When Church was over, we picked him up, and they said he was perfect, he didn't cry one time! He is so independent already! In Garrison's first Easter basket he got a Bible story book, tooth brush, comb, sippy cup, and an Easter bunny. He also got an Easter bunny from his great-grandparents, my parents, and my sister. He loved them all!

One of my girlfriends thinks he looks like a Dr. Suess character...LOL

Talking to his new friends

Garrison's First Easter Basket!

He was a little mad that I woke him up to go inside after Church :)

Randoms March 2009

2009-03-26T10:56:00.001-07:00

Garrison is getting so big! He will be 9 months old on March 28th, I cannot believe how fast time flies! He is crawling now, but prefers to get around by an army crawl. He has mastered picking up finger foods with just two fingers. He loves all fruits and veggies, but isn't too fond of meat yet. He knows how to wave hi and bye, and loves to wave to himself in the mirror. The cutest thing he is doing right now is clapping his hands. When you sing the song "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" he gets excited and claps along. It is adorable! I need to get it on video....

You can see his teeth in this picture, and notice he got a little too much sun. OOPS! We kept moving in the shade, but it seems the sun kept following us. He loves to be outside.
My boys

His hair is getting really long, but it is still so thin! And it is a little wild
Here is Garrison's best friend, Ross, our cat. Ross is really patient with Garrison even when Garrison is swinging his tail all around. He has only been scratched twice :)

Garrison goes to Como

2009-03-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday Garrison, Tamina, Matt, and I went and had brunch at Blue Mesa at Northpark. It was delish! Afterwards, Garrison and I, headed down to my papa's farm to spend some time with the family. Garrison really enjoyed being outside and rode his first horse, Maverick. He wasn't even scared of him!! He is getting so big!

Sunday Garrison, Tamina, Matt, and I went and had brunch at Blue Mesa at Northpark. It was delish! Afterwards, Garrison and I, headed down to my papa's farm to spend some time with the family. Garrison really enjoyed being outside and rode his first horse, Maverick. He wasn't even scared of him!! He is getting so big!

Good Luck Laci!!

2009-03-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

One of my best friends, Laci, decided to move to Michigan to be with her boyfriend. Adam and I have had the privilege of meeting Matt several times, and while we really enjoy him, we have no clue why anyone would want to move out of the great state of TEXAS!! :) We wish Laci all the best with this new journey but I am sad that she will be so far away! Here are some pics from her going away party.

Laci and I

Tamina, who now lives in houston, came and stayed the weekend with Adam and I so they could come to the party. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with her and Matt. This picture just cracks me up, I think maybe they were singing to Bon Jovi :)

Les, Laci, Tamina, and Cori

Me and My sexy hubby

Crawling

2009-03-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

I really didn't think Garrison would ever start to crawl! In fact he pulled up before he crawled, he just loves to be on his feet and hates being on his stomach. He finally has figured out how to go forward in his crawl, but his favorite mode of transportation is still rolling. It really is entertaining to watch him go and pretty funny when he gets stuck underneath stuff :) He eats everything we give him and wants to eat what mommy and daddy are eating. I hope he remains a good and healthy eater!

8 months

2009-03-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

Garrison is 8 months old. He loves to babble, bounce, spit, and play with his tongue. He says dada the most but yesterday said bye-bye and waved for the first time. Adam had picked him up from my mom's and he wanted to tell her bye! Can someone please figure out a way to make him stop growing or maybe just make time stop for a little bit! I don't want to stunt his growth, but he is getting too big! :)

Helping daddy with laundry. YES Adam does laundry, this isn't the 1800's!! :)

Garrison in his johnny jump up. He LOVES this thing! I really need to post a video of him in it soon

Valentine's Weekend

2009-02-23T09:38:00.000-08:00

Adam had the entire weekend off of Valentine's so we both took off the friday before and made a quick trip to Mississippi. Adam's grandparents live there and haven't had a chance to meet little Garrison yet. I was nervous about his first flight but he did excellent! He fell asleep both times right before take off and then slept about half the flight. He didn't fuss once! He is such a good baby! Everyone keeps telling me baby #2 will be hell on wheels.... people quit jinxing me!! NOTE:: Baby #2 is NOT coming anytime soon!! Garrison really enjoyed his visit with his great-grandparents. He even got to try his first bites of "real" food...oranges and cheerios. It is crazy how he chews his food like he knows exactly what he is doing! He did so well that he has also had peas and carrots since. For Valentines Day we went to dinner at the Beau Rivage...Garrison's first trip to the Casino! :) Adams Great Uncle and Aunt, and one of his cousin's joined us. We had a really nice dinner. It was sad coming back to Texas and we wish they would hurry up and move here!

Who signed up for running....?!?!

2009-02-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Laci....you might recognize her from the hospital pics when Garrison was born, she was the one who was afraid to hold him :)....she will love me for this....However, she now spoils him rotten and loves spending time with us....Saturday night Garrison and I went to her apartment and helped her declutter her closets....oh what an exciting saturday night....Anyway, Im getting off topic....So my dear friend Laci, decided to motivate me and we signed up for a 5k run together. I started training about 3 weeks ago, got on the treadmill all excited and ran about a half mile...whew!! YES, I have a loooooooooong way to go. I hadn't realized how much pregnancy took out of me! Now Im up to running 2 miles and I have less than 3 weeks til the big day...wish us luck!!

Also, Garrison is 7 months old! My how time flies by! I will post a recent pic. We get stopped everywhere we go and ppl want to see him and talk about how cute he is...maybe this is normal, i dont know. Last night he got called a girl 3 times, by 3 different people who stopped us!! He was in green and yellow, so I guess from now on he will only wear blue and footballs!! It's the curse of his blue eyes!! At Garrison's 6 month appt he weighs 18 lbs and is 27 1/2 inches long. Growing like a weed this child!

Now that baby has talent

2009-01-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Garrison loves to chew on his feet...odd yes but funny. We also have teeth!! I am blessed with a baby that loves to sleep! He sleeps about 10 hours at night. Well two nights this week he would wake up about every hour and fuss, so I assumed his teeth were bothering him. Well I was right, bc now he has two bottom teeth. They aren't all the way up yet but they have broken skin and he seems to be at ease now.

Garrison's 4 month pics

2009-01-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to post these pictures bc they were sent out in our Christmas cards or framed as gifts and I didn't want to spoil it. Garrison really has the greatest faces. He is destined to be an actor! He is very animated and knows how to make mommy's heart melt already! Take a look...

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Garrison's First Christmas

2009-01-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

Garrison had a wonderful first Christmas. We really loved that Adam's mom was able to spend the holidays with us, even though we really missed his grandparents, who had to stay in Mississippi. Maybe next year! This year was also very sad bc it was the first Christmas without my Papa. I know he watched us from Heaven and him and Bryan loved watching Garrison enjoy, but I still missed him very much. We had Christmas at his house, like always. It may be our last one there so I tried to take time and remember it. I think Garrison helped lift the spirits of everyone and ease some of our sadness. He loved the wrapping paper most but also seemed pleased with his new toys.

Garrison and I on Christmas Day

Here is Garrison getting on his horse from papa and grandma

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Santa brought us the best gift!!

Grandma came to visit

2009-01-06T06:56:00.001-08:00

Over the Christmas holiday, Adam's mom came to visit from Illinios. We had a great time!! She was here for 9 days and we got alot of relaxing in. I had to work some of the time, but Adam was lucky enough to take the same days off. I think she enjoyed getting to see how much Garrison has grown since her last visit. They had lots of play time and bonding time.

Garrison is 6 months old!

2008-12-29T08:08:00.000-08:00

Just a bunch of randoms as Garrison is turning 6 months old! So far the only thing we can't feed him are peaches. Odd allergy huh? The Dr said we can try peaches again in a couple months. We gave him peaches for the first time this past weekend and immediatly afterwards he was so fussy. He just cried and cried and nothing would calm him down. His eyes were a little puffy and after he woke from his nap he had small hives on his face. Poor little guy!! Here is a picture of Garrison snuggling with adam. Notice how red his little cheeks are, he just didnt feel well the rest of the afternoon. No more peaches!!

He sits up really well, he is a little wobbly on his own, but for the most part really impresses us. Its amazing how fast they learn and how time just flies by. I know it sounds so cliche but it really is amazingly true!

I went through his dresser and closet this past weekend and boxed up all the clothes he has outgrown. Some of the outfits he wore the most made me want to cry! They were so tiny! So far I haven't thrown anything away, but I know that I will have to eventually or move into a much larger house! Especially after Christmas, we have no clue where we are going to put all his new gifts! Garrison still hates being on his stomach! Put him up on his feet though and he tries to walk. He already understands the concept of putting one foot in front of the other. We are still having to give him nutramigen as his tummy can't tolerate anything else. Any fruit or vegetable we give him he gobbles up! This past weekend adam was feeding him and turned his head away for a second and Garrison grabbed the spoon and put it in his mouth backwards. Pretty smart kid!! He loves Mum-Mums. The first time we gave him one and it was gone he threw a big fit! I think he just wanted to show us his temper :) I think in a couple months we won't think this is so cute anymore. Last night I gave him a sippy cup with water. He grabbled the handles and pulled the cup to his mouth. I had to help tip it over, but he understood exactly waht the cup was for. A little later he got excited and was flapping the cup around and poked himself in the eye with the cup. It just broke his heart, he made the saddest face and screamed for a couple of minutes. It really is amazing how much he has learned in 6 short months of life. He continues to amaze us daily and fills our home with so much laughter and joy. What a great blessing 2008 brought to the Bal family!

2008-12-29T07:59:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we had a Christmas dinner with all the mommies and kiddos. We attempted to get a picture of them together, outside of their high chairs, and that was a disaster. When one kid would sit down, we would have to chase another one down. Needless to say, our only good picture was either them in a highchair or us holding them. :) Maybe in 5 years we will get a good one! Koren is 18 months, Madison is 22 months, and Camdyn is 19 months. We will surely have lots of fun times while our babies are growing up!

Well baby visit

2008-12-18T12:24:00.000-08:00

Garrison had his dr appt today. He is 5 1/2 months weighs 16.3 lbs and is 26 1/2 in long. Growing like a weed!! He got his polio vaccine and didn't cry for too long. I just had to distract him after it was done. Usually his shots make him sleep all day long! He is still having problems with his left tear duct, it is blocked. If he hasn't "out grown" it by next month the Dr. will send us to a pediatric eye dr and they may have to probe it. It doesn't bother Garrison but i have to clean his eye all the time and sometimes when he wakes up his eye is matted together. Poor baby. :( The Dr. said he thinks his cheeks doubled in size :) What do you think?? This was Sunday night after his bath

This is his newest toy that he normally likes to play in. This past saturday he did not want me to clean house, he wanted me to hold him....such a little actor already....

Another semester of graduate school complete

2008-12-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest- Maya Angelo

This past week, I finished my Marketing Management class. Since I had Garrison, I decided to take this semester easy, only attempt 3 hours. To make the adjustment of being a mom, a student, a wife, and an employee. Needless to say I have been exhausted and stressed. Almost every graduate class I have had thus far there is some sort of group project included in our learning. This class proved no different. This was actually a very fun and helpful class but the experience was ruined by my group members, well a couple of them. I think I ended up doing about 50% of the project myself, bc other members of my group felt C quality work was all they were willing to put forth the effort in. Graduate school is a choice. I made the choice to further my education and I actually enjoy the learning process. I don't understand those who join graduate classes only to feel it a burden in their life. My professor agrees with me as it appeared several groups had this problem. I guess I am just excited that this class is over with, that I can focus on the upcoming holidays, but I eagerly await my grade. I will continue workin on my masters degree, adn I'm sure I will have several more experiences like this, but the end result will be worth it....well I hope :)
Hope everyone is getting ready for Christmas, and more importantly remembering what Christmas is all about. XOXO. Les.

Pokeno Girls Christmas 2008

2008-12-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

So I have a wonderful group of girlfriends that get together once a month and play a game called Pokeno. It is amazingly fun! All of our husbands or boyfriends of course make fun of us, but we love it!! We got together last Friday and had our Christmas party. Jamie was a great host, we had mexican food and frozen margaritas..yum! Here are some pics from Friday night.

Update on my lil Garrison

2008-12-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

Garrison was 5 months old at Thanksgiving. I can't believe how fast time goes. I enjoy every second with my new little family. Garrison can sit unsupported now but after too long he topples over. He talks up a storm too. I am just waiting and of course coaxing him to call me mama!! Several people have heard him say mama and dada although it's still babble, I don't think he really knows what he is saying yet.

4 1/2 month check up

2008-11-17T09:46:00.001-08:00

This is lil man chillin at the Dr's office. We took him on Friday and he weighs 14 lbs 13 oz and is 26 in long. He is still in the 90th percentile for height and 50th for weight. He loved the mirror and really thought his own reflection was funny. He was playing on his stomach and tore the paper on the table to pieces and when I tried to make him stop he threw a fit. Uh oh...his temper is already coming through!

cereal time

2008-11-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

We are starting to give Garrison cereal every afternoon, he is really getting the hang of it. The first time I tried, he got fussy after a couple minutes, I think because he didn't understand. Now it's another story. He basically attacks the spoon as soon as we get it anywhere near his mouth. He is really messy except I think Adam only adds to the messiness bc he doesn't try to clean up he just keeps giving him more and more. Garrison has such chubby cheeks that sometimes I have to push on his them just to make sure he has swallowed and isn't hording the food in there!

A couple weeks ago, Garrison and I were visiting with my sister at my papa's house. I laid G on the floor and we were letting him play on his back, when he was just about to roll over for the first time onto his stomach. I got really excited and screamed and scared him so he didn't make it all the way over! OOPS!! He didn't try to roll anymore for a couple of days...I guess I taught him that was no good!! Next time I will have to remember to only get excited AFTER he has achieved a milestone. He is 18 weeks now and rolls from from to back and back to front like its nothing! I can't believe he is getting so big! :(

wreck em texas tech!!

2008-11-11T12:22:00.001-08:00

Adam and I decided to cook out and have our friends over for the Tech vs. UT game and of course the majority of our friends, in the Dallas area, have jumped on the ever popular UT bandwagon :) We had a fun night with our friends and really enjoyed getting to rub it in that Tech WON!!!!!! We are ranked #2 now and couldn't be more excited!! Garrison's bedtime is 9pm, I have no clue how he slept through all the yelling and screaming going on in the living room, but he didnt wake up once!! So far in his life Tech is undefeated!!! WRECK EM TEXAS TECH!!!! Miami here we come!

Garrison's first Halloween

2008-11-11T12:07:00.001-08:00

YES...I am well aware that my blogging skills are not up to par....I will get better!! PROMISE!! Even though Garrison was really too young to enjoy Halloween, I still felt it my parental obligation to dress him up! And since he is too young to suggest a costume, I got to decide all by myself!! Adam of course wanted him to be a pumpkin, but I vetoed this idea! They don't make alot of costumes for baby's unless you want to put them in a sac type costume, so this was a little big on him, but still adorable. Let me introduce....Garrison the Giraffe....

Wylie had a trick or treating event downtown so we went to that with some friends, then over to grandma and grandpa's house for a visit. The next night we took Garrison to his great-grandpa Bob's house and then went to dinner with Aunt JoJo at chilis. These are some pics of Garrison's friends, Superman and Miss Butterfly.

14 week check up

2008-10-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Friday we went for Garrison's well baby visit, he is 14 weeks old! He weighs 13.2 lbs and is 25 3/4 inches long. His weight is in the 50th percentile and his length is in the 90th percentile. The Dr. said well he looks just like his daddy....like I haven't heard that a hundred times already!! :) Guess that just means we get to try for another one who can look like a mama...not anytime soon of course! I do have one friend, Jordan, who keeps saying he looks like me....she must be buttering me up! Love ya girl! Poor baby got two shots and he was not a happy camper on Saturday!

So funny story about adam....Adam loves being home with garrison during the day. He really enjoys his alone time with Garrison. However, from time to time I have to remind adam certain tasks of parenthood. For example, Adam picks me up from work and we are on our way to the Dr. We are talking and what not and so I ask Adam what he dressed G in for the Dr. He says oh I didn't have time to change him. Which means for our 11am Dr. appt, our son, is still in his footed pajamas!! I say it's ok, I think I have an outfit in the diaper bag, I will just change him real quick when we get there. I look at Adam who has this silly grin on his face. He says I forgot the diaper bag. OMGosh I could just die. We are taking our son to the Dr in his pj's and with no diaper bag. The Dr will take the diaper off when they weigh him, so now we have to put the same diaper back on! All I could do was pray he didn't have a dirty diaper. I really debated just waiting in the car and not going in with them!! HAHA...Adam goes "So I guess this will be on your blog, huh?" Well of course!!

just plain sad

2008-10-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

Today we laid my Papa to rest. He passed away sunday morning, 10-5-2008. I'm sad, my heart just hurts. How do you say goodbye to someone who has been in your life since you were born. Someone who you cherish, someone who was perfect. I was with papa saturday afternoon until about 930pm at the hospital. I knew he was ready to go, he was in pain and suffering. I actually prayed for the Lord just to take him and end his pain. He answered my prayer and my papa went quietly in his sleep with my dad by his side. Im sad that Garrison will never know how wonderful he was. Every picture we looked through of us growing up my papa had two or three or four grandkids piled in his lap...reading us a book...feeding a babydoll....or just loving us. I guess Bryan has our papa now, but I wasn't finished with him here. I know that is selfish but I miss my papa. I miss you papa and until we meet again my heart will ache

3 months old!!! Oh my!

2008-09-29T07:30:00.001-07:00

i cant believe our little man is already 3 months old!!
he loves to chill in his bumbo
Here is our first time to try out cereal. It was more like milk than cereal, bc I just wanted to see how he would do with it. He got the hang of it quickly, bc he started opening his mouth when he saw the spoon coming. It did confuse him though bc after about 5 "bites" he got fussy. We will try it with a thicker consistency one day this week.
Everyone comments on his LONG eyelashes, so this picture really shows them. He has mama's eyes.....what a stud! :)
im so hood
looks like he has a tooth in this picture but that is just a reflection off of a spit bubble....he loves to blow bubbles and is infatuated with his tongue!

We will miss you tamina!!

2008-09-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Bal household is sad as one of our best friends has decided to move to houston to be with her boyfriend. While we are extremely happy for Tamina, I am still a little sad that she will be so far away! We had a little get together at Becky and Keiths and also all went to dinner before she left. Good Luck Tamina and we already miss you!!

Update on my Papa

2008-09-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago my papa fell getting out of his truck, luckily he was with my uncle Larry, and not alone. He broke his hip and had to have a rod and two pins put in. They were worried about how well he would do through the surgery but he made it through. The Dr. was really pleased. There were so many friends and family with us through his surgery, it was very emotional. After the surgery, the Dr. came in to talk to us, and couldn't believe how many people were there. He said we really packed the house and it was the biggest crowd he had seen! Of course, anyone who knows him, knows how stubborn he is and he refused to stay in bed or ask for help. They transfered him to rehab but he is now back in the hospital. He is very dehyrdated and lethargic. He is just not himself and very confused at times. He wont eat or drink anything except corn bread and buttermilk. :) Please pray for a full recovery for him as he has a long road ahead. Papa seems to really enjoy it when I take Garrison up there for visits. He just waves to him and says Hi Big Boy! It is cute.

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2)

Family and Friends at the hospital

2008-09-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

JoJo
Cheryl
Natalie and Jason made it in from Lbk
Jen
Grandpa and Garrison
Tamina
Grandma and Garrison

LOL...yes Laci holds Garrison now!

Krystal

Uncle Cody with Garrison

Cody and his girlfriend, Whitney

Cindy and the Janaks came for a visit

Aunt Amy

right before I was due...my mom liked to sneak pictures of my HUGE belly

I'll get better at this I PROMISE!!!

2008-09-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

9 weeks old
9 weeks old, going out to meet tamina

who me?!

Garrison and his great grandpa, 4 weeks

long and skinny

i dont like bath time!!

Mr. Dimples

First bath. He hated his bath at first, but now he enjoys it and splashes around

this is my fav pic! 10 weeks!

10 weeks

so far I have been a really BAD blogger!! Garrison is 11 weeks old and I am just now getting his pictures on here!! At his 10 wk dr appt, he weighed 11 lbs, 8 oz and was 23 1/4 in long. He is a healthy boy!! He looks just like his daddy, as you can see! Garrison is a very easy and laid back baby. He is sleeping in his own room and crib now and sleeps so well. He goes down around 930pm and wakes anytime betwen 3am-6am for a feeding, and then goes back to bed. Usually I can get him to stay asleep til 9-10am!! He loves to sleep! We are lucky :) At 4 weeks, he started smiling at me. At first I thought it was gas smiles but he would smile the most when i would make a face back at him. Adorable!! He holds his head up on his own and loves to be standing on his feet!! He hates tummy time, so i have a feeling he may hate to crawl but will walk early. We are really enjoying him!! He has already been to a game and watched mommy play softball!

Garrison Arrives!!

2008-09-15T08:53:00.001-07:00

These are all pictures from the hospital! Of course I have about 200 others but I just uploaded some of my favorites!! He is so alert and has the chubbiest little cheeks! He has bright blue eyes and Im really hoping they dont change!! He looks just like his daddy so at least he could have mommy's eyes!!