Hunter Cole Moore

Our friends Rachel & Kirk welcomed Hunter Cole Moore on New Year's Eve. He joins his two older siblings Wyatt & Olivia (twins that are Mason's age). He weighed 8 lbs 14oz and was 21 inches long. Before we went out for the night, we stopped by the hospital to visit.

Christmas Pictures

Mason opening his gift from his Aunt Jill & Uncle Brad

Mason & his Daddy getting ready to open presents at my in-laws house

All he wanted to play with was the wrapping paper

My parents Christmas Tree

All of the stockings lined up at my parents house

Getting ready to open up gifts at my parents house


Our little family right before the Christmas Eve service


All of the Kaye's at Anna & Matt's wedding ( the dress makes my belly look way bigger than it actually is)

Jill, Kara & Katy at Stadia's

With Jill & Kara

Pictures from Marissa's Visit

Mason & I in the backseat

He was being sweet and loving on his Mommy

Marissa & I before she left to go back to Bakersfield

Mason adores Marissa

Laura's Engaged!

Congratulations to my sister-in-law, Laura, and Matt, who just got ENGAGED! We have been waiting for so long for this announcement and couldn't be more happier for the two of them. Welcome to the family Matt!

Where has the time gone?

We have been staying pretty busy and it's hard to believe we only have a little over a week left in Houston. The time has flown by and I have been so spoiled to spend these days with our families. I even had a sweet visit from Marissa, who flew in from Bakersfield, to visit me for a couple of days (it was her first trip to Houston and hopefully not her last). I will blog more about our trip later, when I have pictures to go with everything. I feel like pictures brighten up the blog and they make it so much more entertaining. Adam arrives tomorrow evening and after 3 weeks of not seeing my hubby and Mason only talking to his Daddy on the phone, we can't wait for this week together. Btw, can you believe I only have 100 more days left until Taylor's due date?

Misc. Pictures of Mason Dec 08

We went shopping at the Premier Outlet in Houston and it was VERY cold that day
Mason wore a scarf around his head under his hoodie to keep him warm

I love capturing those pretty blue eyes

One of our many days of shopping

Playing with his cousin, Connor, at Gram's house (his great grandmother)

Blowing Mommy kisses

My cousin, Taylor, swinging Mason around. You could tell he loved it!

Tagged - 8 Things about me

Kristen tagged anyone that wanted to fill out this meme, so here we go:

8 TV shows I watch:
1. One Tree Hill - I have been watching it from Season One and I love it.
2. Gossip Girl
3. Jon & Kate plus 8
4. Desperate Housewives
5. The Office
6. The Hills
7. Almost any College Football (I love watching GameDay on Saturday mornings in the Fall)
8. The Biggest Loser

8 Favorite Restaurants (in no particular order):
1. The Cheesecake Factory
2. Maggianos
3. Chuys
4. Bagel Cafe - unfortunately, it's only in Katy and I only get to indulge when I'm in town.
5. PF Changs
6. Hasta La Pasta
7. Taste of Texas
8. Freebirds

8 Things that happened to me today:
1. Took my mom to her doctors appointment
2. Bought stocking stuffers
3. Went to Ulta to look for lipstick but didn't find the shade I was looking for
4. Saw an old friend at Starbucks
5. Took a short nap while cuddling with my son as he watched VeggieTales (really I just rested my eyes because I was never able to fall asleep)
6. Made note of the neighborhoods with good Christmas decorations for our Christmas Light outing next week.
7. Filled out my new planner for 2009
8. Returned some books to Katy Budget Books

8 Things I look forward to:
1. Adam joining us in Houston
2. Spending time with both sides of the family next week
3. Getting my hair trimmed and colored next Monday
4. Dinner & Monday Night Football with Jeanna & Trevor
5. Seeing David & Emily for the first time since their wedding in July
6. Visiting with Brad & Jill before we leave and before they move to Oklahoma City!
7. Celebrating Christmas Day and teaching Mason what the real meaning of Christmas is all about.
8. Taylor's arrival in March!

8 Things I wish for:
1. Safe travels for all of our family and friends traveling over the next couple of weeks
2. That Adam will be able to join us tomorrow evening, instead of Friday evening in Houston
3. For cold weather on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
4. A smooth and healthy delivery for Taylor in March
5. That it will be easy to get back into shape after Taylor is born
6. A blessed new year in 2009
7. That potty training will go smoothly for Mason ( we won't be starting this until after Taylor is born)
8. That I could take HEB & Charming Charlies back with me to Bakersfield.

I also tag whoever wants to fill this out!

Only in Houston

It has been a perfect day. While I'm still a summer gal all the way, I do prefer a chill in the air around the holidays. If anyone doesn't know, Houston weather doesn't always come thru. I have spent quite a few Christmas mornings in shorts and tshirt because the 80 degree weather doesn't compliment my winter jacket.

Last night, I ran some errands with my parents and my mom warned me that it had cooled down and I might want to grab a coat for myself and Mason, but I nicely declined and said we would be fine. Little did I know that the wind was blowing about 30 mph and the front was pushing through. So each time we got to our destination, my dad was sweet enough to pull up to the door of the store to let all of us out of the car.

This morning, I could fill the brisk air and new it would be quite cold outside. Therefore, my plans were to stay inside all day and enjoy the coziness of my parents home, drink hot chocolate, and spend time with my mom and Mason. It was the perfect lazy day.

My mom made King Ranch Casserole for dinner and then we sat around the living room watching Mason play with his tool box and tools and dance to his new Veggie Tales Sing the 70's CD. The boy has "happy feet" and can bust a move like no other 17 month old that I have seen. It's the cutest thing. After Mason went down for the night, I watched a movie with my parents and snuggled up on the couch to keep warm.

Our dog, Cassie needed to go outside, so my mom offered to take her, since she was the only one that wasn't cold. To my surprise, she said it was snowing. The flakes were pretty small, but soon they grew bigger. I had to wake up Mason, so that he could witness his first snow. I don't think he was as excited about the weather as we were and you could tell by the look on his face. He would have much rathered lay asleep in his bed, then be standing in the freezing weather with his mom outside. So, I took him back to his bedroom so that he could get his rest, while we enjoyed watching the snow flakes fall to the ground. It will be cold for another day, but by Saturday it will be in the 70s again and that my friend, is Houston weather!

No Pictures

FYI: The lack of pictures is due to the fact that the TSA broke my wireless card, when searching my luggage. My dad has lent me one of his laptops, for my stay, so I don't want to upload any pictures to his laptop and then have to do it all over again on my own. When I get back to Bakersfield, I will be sure to post all of the pictures from my trip.

Holly Nicole Coverston

I woke up this morning, expecting it to be an other morning. It wasn't until around lunch time that both my mom and I realized there was something wrong with our oldest dog, Holly. She was secreting something from her body, but we couldn't figure out the substance and the weird thing is she never moved. After cleaning it up and trying to get her to move, we realized she hadn't moved much at all today.

Every morning, that I am at my parents house, Holly comes running in my room after she eats. She sleeps in my bedroom until I get up. She came in this morning and I didn't think anything of it. I got ready and walked around her as she slept. Eventually, she went back into my parents bedroom. I noticed it was unusual for her not to join us downstairs, but figured she was tired and would come down when she wanted.

As soon as we noticed the substance, my mom called my dad who then advised her to call the vet. The poor girl is 13 years old, which is old for a Lab, and has been having some problems lately. My parents told me it was bad, but I never realized how bad it was until I came home for the holidays. We were able to get an appointment for 2pm. My dad had to come home from work, because neither my mom nor I could lift her downstairs or into my dad's truck to take her to the vet.

We all new that she was in pain and was definitely not feeling good. She has had two lumps on her stomach for some time, but because the blood work alone to test if they were cancerous is so expensive, mixed with her old age, and it would be painful for her, we decided not to do the tests awhile ago. Before we left, I took some photos of her as she lay almost lifeless in our bathroom. Her breathing was shallow and she couldn't even push herself to stand up anymore. My dad told us that this might be our last time with her.

I drove my dad's truck, while he sat in the back with Holly and held her. She used to love going for rides, but not anymore. I cried all the way to the vet, while Mason sat in the back seat full of life.

As soon as we got to the vet, we took her to the back room and petted her as we said our goodbyes. It didn't take long before she was gone. Tears filled our eyes and our hearts broke as left their office. It's never easy saying goodbye to a pet. They might not be human, but they have so much character and love to give. Each pet we have had is a part of our family.

You were my gorgeous brown eyed girl. I never will forget all of the love you gave me and the family and all of those wet kisses. You were the most well behaved, sweetest puppy I have ever had and our house won't be the same without you. Thank you for holding on until I came home to say goodbye. I will forever miss you Holly!

Picture's from Laura Kaye's Graduation

Mason posing with Aunt Laura before the ceremony began

Future Baylor College of Medicine Graduate

My sister-in-laws, Laura & Anna

Laura posing with my mother-in-law, Nancy

Laura & I before the ceremony began

Laura receiving her Masters for completeing the Physician's Assistant Program

Opening gifts at lunch (sorry for the bad lighting)

Laura's Graduation

After 3 years of logging a ton of hours studying, going to class, clinicals, internships, tests and papers, my sister-in-law, Laura, graduated from the Baylor College of Medicine's Physician Assistant program! She has worked so hard and we are so proud of everything that she has accomplished. We love you Laura Kaye!

Hobby Lobby = Happy Girl

We found the fabric for Taylor's room today. My mom and I headed to one of my favorite places to shop, Hobby Lobby! Unfortunately, we don't have a Hobby Lobby in Bakersfield and while they have a website, you can't shop online. (I just don't understand why they don't have a Hobby Lobby in every city. It is way better then Michael's.) Oh my goodness, the lines were long today. Eight lanes were open at the checkout and each lane had about 5 people waiting to purchase their goodies.

I don't know how my mom didn't know that Hobby Lobby sold fabric, but for some reason she was shocked when I mentioned stopping in to see what they had in stock. I was very impressed with their selection. We hit the jackpot within in the first few minutes of walking in the store. I found the black and white swirl print I was looking for and just the right kind of hot pink to accent the room. We ended up buying the entire roll of each fabric, because I didn't want to run out and I don't mind having a couple of extra yards lying around in case I decide to do another project.

I plan on going back, because this week they are having a huge sale and almost all of their decor items are 50% off (which is basically the entire store). I have to remind myself that I have to fly back with everything and my suitcase isn't suitable to hold all of the items I want. I seriously could go nuts in the store, I love it.

A Year of Thanksgiving

I debated on posting, but I then realized that I hadn't posted about Thanksgiving and tomorrow is the first day of December. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We were blessed to spend the day with a whole lot of family.

My great-grandmother, Granny, came in town for the holiday and all of our extended family on my dad's side went to my cousin LeeAnn's for the day. Probably 40 people filled the house for lunch and more arrived afterwards to visit. In the evening, we went over to my in-laws where we feasted yet again on another delicious turkey dinner. Mason enjoyed all the yummy good food and loves pumpkin pie like his mom. The evening ended with none other than the A&M vs. UT football game. Unfortunately, the Aggies lost, but we still had a good time.

Friday morning, my mom, my cousin Taylor, and I left at 5:30am to begin Black Friday. This family outing, really a tradition, has been going on since I was 10 years old. (Just writing that makes me feel old, because that means we have been doing this for the past 18 years.) We have started earlier in the past, but didn't feel the need to leave any earlier this year. I'm so glad we didn't, because even though we all bought a few things, it was a disappointing shopping day. The sales weren't as good, and has anyone else noticed all of the summer clothes from last season? Yes, they are still in the stores and I feel like the winter sales are minimal because most of the stores haven't sold all of their summer clothes yet. Overall, Black Friday just didn't bid well this year.

The rest of the morning was spent napping, followed by another visit to my Gram's house. My aunt and uncle were in from Frisco and I wanted to make sure we had some time to visit with them, since I only see them around the holidays. Mason was a ball of energy, playing with everyone. It was no wonder that he hit a wall early that evening and we took him home to bed.

That evening, Adam & I made a stop at Freebirds before going over to my friend David's house for another visit. The last time I saw David, was the day after Thanksgiving last year and because his schedule is usually so busy and I normally am only home for a week, this was the first we could get together since we moved to California. I finally had the chance to meet his girlfriend, Maggie, who is delightful and was able to catch up and watch some more college football with the guys.

Saturday we took it easy and my mom finished decorating the house for Christmas. Mason absolutely adores anything having to do with Christmas and gets so excited anytime he sees the Christmas tree. It is the best seeing Christmas through your child's eyes. In the evening, Adam & I went on a date, while mom and dad watched Mason. Actually, Mason was sleeping, so their job was easy. For dinner, we went to Hasta La Pasta. It is one of my favorite Italian restaurants and I have yet to taste a better Chicken Rappalla. Afterwards, we debated going to the Galleria, but since we got a late start on dinner and with the drive, we opted to go to a movie instead. We haven't been to the movies together since before Mason was born, so it has been a very long time. We saw Four Christmas' with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It was cute and funny and I would recommend it.

Adam left this morning to fly back to LA. I was dreading the drive, mostly because I knew Mason would be so upset to say goodbye to his Daddy. He still doesn't understand and it will be another 3 weeks before we see him again. Fortunately, Mason fell asleep on the way, so Adam kissed his head and said his goodbyes. I felt bad, because I know he probably wanted to hold him one more time, but neither of us wanted to wake him. As Adam was walking away, Mason woke up and noticed his Daddy wasn't in the car and started to cry. Luckily, Adam was only a few steps away and I got his attention so that he could say goodbye and try to calm him down. It didn't stop the tears, and it was a long ride home. This is the longest Adam & I have ever been a part. We had such a nice 10 day visit and it went by too quickly.

Overall, we have a lot to be thankful for this year:
* Our supportive families
* New/Old friends
* Adam's job which allows for me to stay home with Mason
* A house where Mason has plenty of room to play
* Our health
* This pregnancy, which will bring Mason a sister in March
* All of the traveling we were able to do this past year, so that we could visit our family
* Growth in our lives and spiritually
* An adorable son, who teaches me more about life everyday

Shopping

I love to shop, but the ironic thing is that I mostly end up shopping for everyone but me. Most of my purchases involve Mason, the house or Adam. I tend to talk myself out of purchases ALL THE TIME! It's good in a lot of instances, but in most cases, it can drive anyone that I am shopping with nuts.

I have been waiting to do some maternity shopping until I arrived in Houston. Bakersfield has a lot of stores, but I tend to find more things in Houston. Hours after arriving in Houston, my mom & I were on a search for a Peacoat. I have been needing a winter coat and I had an idea in my mind of exactly what I had been looking for. We drove from store to store Saturday evening and that Sunday afternoon, but I'm too picky and didn't see anything that caught my eye. We decided to give it another try last Wednesday and we hit the jackpot. I found the exact coat I had been wanting and it was on sale. I didn't buy a maternity coat, just because I don't plan on being pregnant forever.

This last weekend was crazy busy, with Adam's arrival and my mom's 50th birthday celebration. I had no time to shop, but knew that this would be the perfect week to do a little shopping. Tonight, I hit the jackpot. In less than an hour, I found 4 blouses, 4 sweaters, and a pair of pants. I also tried on all but 4 items. The only thing left to find, are some brown and black boots and a couple of pair of shoes. All of my maternity clothes from my pregnancy with Mason are summer tanks, or work suits and blouses. So this was a big time need, especially now that my bump is starting to get a little bigger. (Belly pictures to come soon. We are taking family portraits tomorrow, so if I get proofs, I will be sure to post them.)

There is this store in Katy called Charming Charlies. It is a favorite of mine, because it is like a boutique with all sorts of accessories, clothes, shoes, and jewelry. I seriously could spend an hour in the store, there is so much to look at. I tell Adam all the time, that I wish I could bring the store back with me to Bakersfield. Today, I walked in and I was in handbag heaven. Again, I talked myself out of some purchases, but I have several ideas for Christmas gifts now.

My week of shopping will continue on Friday, bright and early. My mom and I have been shopping on Black Friday since I was in elementary. It's a tradition to wake up around 4 am, head to Starbucks and begin our morning of shopping. I waited to do all of our Christmas shopping until we arrived in Houston, because I didn't want to worry about shipping everything. Hopefully, I will find everything that I am looking for and be home in time to take a morning nap.

Pictures from my Mom's 50th Birthday

My mom, the guest of honor

Eating dinner at La Hacienda

Our little family

More of the guests at dinner

Back at the house preparing the desserts

Family waiting for the other guests to arrive

The beginning of presents

My mom & dad

Mama with just two of her grandsons, Jared & Connor. Mason was already asleep upstairs