Paw Paw Houston??

I do not know what Houston was doing last night but he was cracking us up! He had on his pj's but was in no way ready for bed. He finished his bottle and was carrying it around in his teeth. Then, he must have been channeling his inner "old man" because he leaned back and started patting his belly. We were in the floor laughing at him. He is really just too much sometimes!

VA Beach

James took Houston and I on our first trip to Virginia Beach yesterday. We went to visit the Lester's. Jon and Shellee's son, Brock, turned 2 in June. He is too cute. Their backyard is a little boy's paradise! Houston had a blast. Jon built a MASSIVE sandbox for Brock. (I can't remember how many tons of sand went into this thing!) Brock also has the coolest toys which he was happy to share with Houston. Houston enjoyed riding the 4 wheeler. However, when we got him on the Cat dump truck he was in love! He rode all over the yard and did not want to get off of it! When I did finally pull him off he cried! I guess we know what someone might get for Christmas! We had a great time and hopefully can go back to visit again soon.

Finger Foods

It is no secret that Houston is a great eater. He loves anything I put in front of him. He also loves feeding himself. Annie loves it too as he always shares. He will stop about halfway through to drop her something on the floor. She isn't picky either. She will eat peas as well as Cheerios. Too cute! One thing he doesn't like is plates. He sees no use for them and immediately dumps whatever is on it off. Oh well, we'll work on manners later...

These boots are made for walkin'

Mom bought Houston these cowboy boots. I tried them on him to see if they fit. I wasn't sure that he would like them as he is addicted to the Nikes he got from Jake & Jill for his birthday. He made it very clear what he thought of them. When I tried to take them off he threw a fit! That was yesterday. This morning after breakfast here he came sock in one hand, boot in the other. They are super stylish with his onesie! His bowlegged John Wayne walk makes this priceless! How many people can pull this look off?

Our new backpack

Sadly, Houston has outgrown his Jeep carrier. We loved that carrier so much. We have toted him everywhere in that thing from the time he was a newborn. We had to move up to a backpack carrier for him. He loves it as you can see. He can see everything from his great view and when he gets bored he can pull your hair!!!

On our walk this morning we saw a bear!!! Well, let me clarify. James and my Dad saw the bear. Mom and I just saw the shadow as it was darting into the woods. It was small, only about 100 pounds, which isn't much bigger than our black lab, Jett. We're sure momma bear was very close by but we didn't get to see her. (That was probably a good thing!) So I don't have a picture of our bear to post but I did get one of this salamander! That's almost as cool, right???

Ode to Cheerios

(Green Eggs & Ham Style)

By Houston Rocker Bear

I do I do love Cheerios

From the top of my head to the tips of my toes

I will eat them everyday

Nobody better get in my way

I will eat them when I get up

I will sometimes share them with my pup

If mommy did not put them up on that shelf

I would go get them by myself

I will eat them in a chair

Or off the floor I do not care

I will eat them day or night

Take them away and we will fight

I do I do love Cheerios

And always will I suppose

All work and no play...

You know what? He asked for it. Begged actually. So I let him have the Swiffer duster. It made him happy. He played with that thing for over an hour. Is that so wrong? I consider it a win-win situation. He was happy playing and I'm happy there's no longer any dust in the vent at the bottom of the fridge. Who has time to clean that thing anyway? Seriously?

1 year checkup

Houston went for his 1 year checkup today. He weighed 23 lbs. and was 29 1/2 inches tall. The good news is we can now switch to whole milk!!! No more formula!!!! The bad news was he got 4 shots! Poor guy! The doctor was very pleased with him and gave him his "seal of approval". (Note the smiley face on his diaper!)

Sunday walk

We went for a walk today. It was James, Houston, Mom, Dad, Jan, Katie, the dogs, and me. We saw a coyote, a turkey, and a salamander. We saw a tree that a bear had broken off and another that a buck had horned. It was a nice cool day. James and Dad took turns carrying Houston. He loved it. He smiled and laughed the whole time and even walked a little himself. It was a lot of excitement for him and he fell asleep before we made it back to the truck!

Fire truck

Houston got an inflatable fire truck from Stephen and Laura for his birthday. He loves it. I almost passed out blowing the thing up. He was very helpful though. He stood behind me patting me on the back and blowing too. It took him less than five minutes to crash the truck. It is a good thing he was wearing his seat belt....

Future Hooter's manager?

Houston celebrated his first birthday on August 27, 2009. This past year has gone by so fast! James wanted to start a birthday tradition with Houston and take him to Hooter's. Houston had a great time. He was a little shy at first because of all of the noise and the crowd. He warmed up quickly. He started dancing to the music and watching football on the big screen. His dad was so proud!! The birthday boy was soon being passed around by the waitresses and they sang the birthday song to him. It was definitely a first birthday to remember!

9 month picture

One of our favorite things to do is go for walks in the mountain. We took this in Henley Hollow back in May.

Getting Started!

This is something I've wanted to do for a very long time now. I guess I'm finally doing it. If my 74 year old grandmother can get a laptop and wireless internet I guess I can try something new!! I hope this will be fun for us and everyone who reads it!