Three Peas In A Pod

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T23:21:00.002-06:00

This past year has been an exciting year for us. We've been blessed every single day and are so grateful for everyone and everything we have in our lives. We've had our ups and downs this year, but without one we can't truly appreciate the other. Matt's gone from three jobs to two and I've gone to working a full time job with a promotion and raise. I am so blessed to still be able to work from home and have Catalina here with me and not in a daycare. This time has been so important for me. I know she'll probably need to go to daycare sometime this coming year, but I'm enjoying my time with her. It's hard to believe she is almost three years old. Time sure flies.

We love our family and friends and hope everyone has enjoyed their holidays. May this coming year bring even more wonderful blessings and surprises to us all. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T10:20:00.003-06:00

I wanted to take the time to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. We have been truly blessed this year in so many ways. We are surrounded by friends and family that we love very much and look forward to another wonderful year. I hope this coming year will be even more special and magical for everyone!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-12-20T23:30:00.004-06:00

It's been a busy past few months here at our house. Work has picked up and slowed down for Matt and me. Catalina is growing so fast. It is completely unbelievable how fast time flies. I still remember bringing her home from the hospital and now she's walking, talking, and dancing all the time. I'll update more when I have more time in a couple of days, but for now here are a couple of pictures. Playing with daddy during a trip to Grandma's house.

Enjoying her first Fall Festival with her friends.

Catalina decided that changing table = bunk bed. Needless to say, it is no longer in her room.

Dancing Baby

2009-09-28T00:08:00.003-05:00

I saw this video on Yahoo today and just could not stop laughing. The baby is so cute. It reminds me of the days that Catalina would start jumping extra hard and extra high in her jumper whenever Pink's "So What" would play. I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did.

Baby Dances To Beyonce @ Yahoo! Video

Glenn Beck's Common Sense

2009-06-23T22:35:00.003-05:00

I saw this video on Glenn Beck yesterday and I could not help but laugh at some of the reactions from the people. I have learned that you do not always have to agree with your political party or with a particular person. I believe that if people are willing to work together towards a common goal, so many things can be accomplished no matter who they are or what they believe. Sometimes, it is the bigger picture that matters.

I have not read Glenn Beck's book, but hope to do so some time soon. I love the statements and they are truly common sense. I hope you enjoy this clip as much as I did.

Got Carried Away

2009-06-13T16:21:00.004-05:00

I love putting Catalina's hair in pigtails now that she has hair that is long enough. She does not seem to mind them either. One late night Catalina was not tired and I got carried away with the pigtails. Instead of her hair going out to the sides, her pigtails just stuck straight up in the air like a geyser.

She did not seem to mind though. She still gave me a pretty big smile.

Visit With Grandma and Auntie Jan

2009-06-13T16:07:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we took a quick trip to San Antonio to visit Matt's mom. It was a really nice trip. We even got to see Auntie Jan (Matt's aunt). We took a little trip to Ihop and had breakfast for dinner. The strawberry crepes were yummy!

Catalina and her Grandma Farley

Catalina and her Auntie Jan

We sat outside for a few minutes visiting before we left the restaurant. Catalina really liked Jan's walker and decided to take it for a stroll.

She did a great job walking with it. We had a blast on our little trip to San Antonio.

What a Mess!!!

2009-06-13T15:47:00.005-05:00

We have been working really hard on getting Catalina to eat big people food. She loves her Gerber baby foods, as do we, but we recently found out that she is looking a lot more orange and yellow than she should be. Her doctor said that when she is not eating the baby food anymore that she will turn a more normal color. I can't wait, but until then I guess we'll just have to deal with it. Thankfully she loves green beans and peas and broccoli.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a can of SpaghettiOs to try out on Catalina. To my surprise, she really likes them. I chopped the meatballs up into smaller pieces and she had a blast. I have also realized that if I have a lot of transcription to do, I really should stick to something not as messy. Lunch now takes about an hour and a half or two hours after cleaning up Catalina and her mess. It's fun, though, and I would not have it any other way.

My next project is to get her to drink her milk cold. Any suggestions?

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T00:59:00.003-05:00

Thank you to those who faithfully serve our country. I am grateful to those who have died in the line of duty while protecting the rights and freedoms for all Americans. Their sacrifices will never be forgotten.

Playing Catch Up

2009-05-24T01:15:00.004-05:00

I guess you can say that I have been slacking off lately with my blog. So much has been going on in the past month and a half. I won my first blogging contest at Gourmet Mom on the Go. There are always so many cute, yummy recipes and the occasional contest. I won a four CD set of Country music lullaby renditions. I already have the Coldplay, Green Day, No Doubt, and a few other lullaby rendition CDs. They are great to listen to and I am so happy that I won. Thank you Mandy!

Catalina has also been practicing her walking. She has been holding on to something or someone with one hand at least. We have noticed these past few days that she is starting to let go before falling or grabbing hold of something. Hopefully she'll be walking on her own soon. I can't wait!

We have always known that Catalina is a very strong child. Her pediatrician noticed that on his first visit with her the day she was born. If you look carefully at the picture, you will notice that her big jungle toy is turned sideways. I do not know how she did that, but she seemed to think it was funny.

We also had a wonderful Mother's Day. Matt had to work, but Catalina and I spent the day with my mother, grandmother, and aunt. It was a nice, quiet day. I could not have asked for a better Mother's Day.

Finally, Catalina's hair has grown out long enough to put her hair in pigtails. Of course, I can only put part of her hair up, but it looks cute either way. It's been a little over three months since her first haircut and she already needs a trim. Her bangs just keep getting longer and longer everyday. At times, especially when damp, her hair gets the cutest little curls in the back.

I have been enjoying every day that I have with Catalina. Matt and I have been truly blessed and would not have it any other way. We have good days and we have bad days, but they are treasured just the same. I just wish the teething stage would end already. 12 teeth in, 2 more trying to come in, and no sign of the other 6.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T12:15:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Easter. I am ever so grateful for my family and friends and having the opportunity to have Christ in my life. Without him, we could not do what we do. We have been blessed so much and hope you have been, too.

Happy Easter!

Catalina's First Year

2009-03-28T01:02:00.003-05:00

This took me a while, but after sorting through a couple thousand pictures, the scrapbook for Catalina's First Year is finally finished. I have enjoyed this first year with my little girl. Matt and I never could have imagined all the wonderful times we have been through together. It has been truly amazing. I hope you enjoy the scrapbook as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Even the song perfectly describes how I feel. Please enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Catalina's First Birthday

2009-03-03T16:57:00.009-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Catalina celebrated her first birthday. We did not want to do anything big or extravagant since she, of course, will most likely not remember her first birthday. So we decided to have close family over to help us celebrate. We had a fantastic time. We had a petting zoo come visit for a bit since that was something Catalina could actually participate in and enjoy. It was too cute. They brought chickens, ducks, a bunny, a goat, and a pig.

Catalina with her cousins and aunt Tina.

The chicken was sitting on top of the goat.

The kids loved it when they found out they could pick up the chickens and hold them.

Catalina loved petting the bunny.

The bunny was a hit.

I think Catalina did not like how the goat was looking at her. If you look at its mouth, it looks like he is talking to her.

She did like the pig, though. It even gave her a kiss on the cheek and she did not cry.

We found out that Catalina does indeed like cake. We saved her first cake experience for her first birthday.

This is just a picture to show how tired we were the next couple of days. We napped any chance we could.

We all had a wonderful time and this is definitely a memory that we will always cherish.

More Firsts

2009-02-28T00:20:00.006-06:00

These past two weeks have been extremely busy for us. Catalina has been doing so great. We have said good bye for good to the bottle. I really was not looking forward to her being a couple years older and still hanging on to a bottle, but I really did not have to force her into using a sippy cup. I am very grateful for the ease at which we made this transition. We also said goodbye to formula and said hello to milk. She had been drinking the milk based, lactose free formula, but she does not seem to have any problems with the milk.

Catalina had two really big firsts these past couple of weeks. She visited the dentist for the first time. She did really well. She was squirming a bunch and I thought for sure that she was going to get poked in the gums, but the dentist managed to only get her teeth and not any gums. He said she did a really great job for her age. That made me feel like a proud mommy!

The following week, Catalina got her first haircut. I tried trimming her bangs, but soon realized that it was not an easy task and was probably better left to the professionals. She sat in Matt's lap the whole time. The stylist was very friendly and very patient. I think she did a wonderful job.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T10:13:00.002-06:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Sleepover

2009-02-11T02:14:00.004-06:00

This past weekend, my niece, Sierra, stayed over. She is so good with Catalina and they had so much fun together. I wanted to post some of the cute pictures of them this weekend. Sierra and I took Catalina to the park so she could swing for a little bit. It was a new experience for her and she really did not know what to think of it. She would laugh and then would look stunned.

While the girls were playing, Sierra soon found out that she needed to keep her fingers and toes away from the baby. At least Sierra had already had a bath.

I have no idea what this child is doing. She really is a nut. She just got excited and twisted her legs to the side.

Catalina also got a new toy this weekend. She really enjoys it. The belly part of the elephant moves around and she loves making it move.

I think we all had fun this weekend. I can't wait to do it again.

She Said Mama!

2009-02-11T01:58:00.003-06:00

Catalina finally said mama like she meant it. She has been saying mum for a good while, but she finally got her lips to move just right and the sound to come out just right. It was so cute. Now, when I am working, I'll hear her in her room saying mama when she wants to get out of her crib after a nap.

This week, she also had another first. She is officially off the bottle. We went to the grocery store the other night and bought her new sippy cups. They have a hard rounded spout, not the soft kind. I have the bottles on standby just in case she decides she wants one, but she really seems to like these.

I also finally sent out invitations for her birthday party/celebration. I don't really want to call it a party since I don't plan on doing many games at all. I think there will probably be more adults than children at this thing. We are having a petting zoo come over for an hour that day. The kids should love it. We figured Catalina loves petting the cats and dog, so she will probably enjoy this so much. I was so happy to find a birthday activity that she will be able to participate in. I will be sure to post pictures up afterward. We are really looking forward to her birthday. I have been getting a little emotional thinking about it. My baby is going to be one year old and soon she won't be a baby anymore. I have just enjoyed this past year so much and can't wait for all of her other firsts in life.

2009-02-07T00:05:00.004-06:00

I heard this poem earlier today and really liked it. I liked it so much I decided to share it.

I Carry Your Heart With Me
by E. E. Cummings

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in
my heart) I am never without it (anywhere
I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)

My First Award!

2009-01-31T13:41:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I was nominated for my first blog award. This just made my day. Thank you so much Tara for thinking of me. I love reading Tara's blog. She's just so funny. Now, it is my turn to nominate blogs that I enjoy reading.

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Nominate your favorites and link to this post.

My nominations for this award are as follows.

1. Holly
2. Mandy (Gourmet Mom on-the-Go)
3. Annie (Deep Lunges and Unitards)

I know I'm supposed to have ten nominations, but this is the best that I can do at the moment. Please forgive me.

Please don't feel obligated to participate. I just wanted to recognize the blogs that I really enjoy reading and felt deserved this award.

Some More Pictures

2009-01-25T00:56:00.005-06:00

Catalina has eight teeth now. These past couple of weeks have been hard on her. In addition to having some major teething crankiness, she was sick with a cold. She had snot coming out of her nose and drool just pouring out of her mouth. It was so disgusting, but cute on her. She was crusty in the morning and wet all day long. She's finally better and couldn't be happier. These are some of the pictures from the past week.

A couple of weeks ago, we saw my brother and he gave us this chair for Catalina that my nephew had grown out of already. She loves it and so do I. She can lay back in it or we can change it to a rocker. I have even found her standing up in it when she sits close to her jungle playset. We have to keep a close eye on this one. She enjoys it though.

This is Catalina trying to stand up. I am looking forward to her learning to stand, but I know once she does I'm in for the time of my life. She will probably have me running around the house all day long chasing her.

I just thought this picture was cute. She had just woken up from a nap and was as happy as could be.

I guess it's time to start planning her first birthday party. I have 26 days and she will be one year old! I'm so excited. I know she will not know what's going on, but it's a big day for us. As Matt says, we've kept her alive this long. Any birthday ideas or advice for us? Please let us know. We're all ears.

Binky, Where Are You?

2009-01-25T00:19:00.006-06:00

The other day I noticed that Catalina was doing so well without her pacifiers (or binkies as we call them). I also realized that I had somehow misplaced a couple of them even though I had just bought two new ones after Christmas. I walked into the baby's room and this is what I found.

If you look closely, you'll notice that she has three in the crib with her. I have seen her recently trying to put two in her mouth at one time. She just cracks me up. I searched high and low for the binkies and could not find them. I think she hid them under her bumper. What a stinker!

Time to Stand Up

2009-01-07T18:55:00.006-06:00

I knew that time with my daughter would be precious, but I never realized exactly how fast that time would fly. Every time I turn around, Catalina is doing something that she had not done before. I love it and it scares me all at the same time. In the last few weeks, my daughter has accomplished so much and she just keeps doing so much more. I told Matt a while back that when Catalina started crawling, we should move the crib mattress down to the lowest level. Since work has been slow, I decided this week would be when I would do it. I was thinking maybe this weekend it would get done. Well, twice yesterday I caught Catalina trying to stand up in her crib. The first time I thought maybe I was just wishing she had done it, but after the second time I knew it was happening faster than I ever imagined. So, late last night, Matt and I lowered the mattress in her crib. Now she can not climb out of the crib. I am looking forward to her learning to walk on her own, but not to chasing her around the house. All I know is our cats better look out. They are walking toys to this child. She smiles every time she sees one. This is a picture I took after Christmas. It is one of my favorites that I thought I would share.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T22:17:00.003-06:00

I definitely believe that 2008 was a great year. We had several speed bumps and pot holes along the way, but they are worth all the frustration. We were blessed to have Catalina join our lives this year. It is still hard to believe how fast she is growing. To date, she has seven teeth. We just found the 7th tooth a couple of days ago. She is crawling now (and rocking and rolling her way around), which is amazing. She is able to sit up in her crib by herself and has almost outgrown her walker and jumperoo. Pretty soon she will be independently mobile and we'll have our hands even more full. I do hope that everyone has had a wonderful year. I hope that 2009 holds many wonderful surprises and blessings for everyone.
Happy New Year!

Ten Months Doctor Visit

2008-12-28T00:53:00.008-06:00

This past Friday, we took Catalina to the doctor for a check up and immunization. They could not believe how fast she has grown. She is ten months old and weighs 24 pounds, 4 ounces. She is in the 92nd percentile for her weight. She is 30.75 inches tall and is in the 95th percentile for her height. She is just growing so fast. She is growing out of clothes so fast. Some of her pants that are for 9 to 12 months look like capri pants on her. We went shopping tonight and had to buy size 18 months clothes. Matt always teases me that she is already half as tall as me. I wonder how much she's going to grow between now and her birthday. We'll just have to wait and see.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T23:55:00.010-06:00

Today we had a wonderful day. It was Catalina's first Christmas which made the holiday even more special for us. We were able to share this day with lots of family. Here are some of the pictures of our day.

Catalina spent her morning opening up a few gifts and watching me bake cookies.

After opening her presents, it was time for a bottle. Catalina was so tired from all of the excitement she could not stay awake any longer.

She woke up from her nap happy and refreshed. She was ready to enjoy the rest of the day.

Later in the evening, my sister came over with her kids and the kids exchanged gifts. They gave Catalina an Elmo Live. She's still a little young for it, but she enjoyed it.

Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year!

Christmas pictures

2008-12-25T08:47:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday we took Catalina to JCPenney's to take her first professional picture. She did really well, granted it took her a little while to warm up to the photographer. After making faces and sounds for about five or six minutes, we were able to get on with the picture taking. I am so happy that we were able to get these done. She did not smile, but the pictures look good anyway. Because I had a coupon, I was able to get several poses. I think Catalina did a great job. Hopefully she will smile next year.

I love this picture of her looking at Santa Claus. Matt put on the Santa sleeves and gloves and was able to help out.Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we do. I think next year we will do a family picture for Christmas.

Bah Bah and Mummm

2008-12-22T18:10:00.005-06:00

Mondays are usually a long day for me, and today was no exception. I had lots of work, but was grateful that Catalina did not mind playing in her jumper, crib, and walker today. After she woke up from her first nap, she was hungry. Usually she gives me some time to fix a bottle, but not today. She was crying in her crib saying Mummm...Mummm...and out of the blue she said Bah Bah. I had heard her say Mummm before, but Bah Bah is a new one. I'm just so happy that she actually knows what it means now and how to say it.

The Best I Could Do

2008-12-19T21:12:00.003-06:00

I thought I would post this picture. It was so cute. I had been trying so hard to get a picture of her teeth and it was not going so well. I guess she was taking pity on me and tried to help. This is the best that I could do.

Another Tooth!

2008-12-15T18:02:00.003-06:00

Catalina officially has six teeth in. She has the four top front teeth in and the bottom two front teeth in. I do not have a picture yet, but hopefully I will be able to get a good shot of them soon.

Her First Christmas Tree

2008-12-13T12:53:00.004-06:00

We finally put up the Christmas tree. It's an artificial tree, unlike the real one we had last year. I think we made the right decision in putting this one up this year since the we don't have to worry about pine needles everywhere. The last thing we need is to have Catalina trying to eat a couple of those. After I put the lights on the tree, Catalina could not take her eyes away from them. I think she approves!

Catalina's first encounter with Santa Claus

2008-12-04T16:12:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday, we went to the grocery store and decided to let Catalina visit with Santa Claus. She did a great job. Of course, she pulled on his beard a little, but she did not cry. We had her picture taken on Santa's knee, but unfortunately she did not want to smile until after it was over. We figured as long as she was not screaming her head off, we did not mind a picture without a smile.