It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

We kicked off the Christmas season Monday night by baking and decorating sugar cookies. I think Shelby's favorite part was the sprinkles. Just as we were cleaning Shelby up, we heard a light tapping outside. I looked out, and it was lightly snowing. It only lasted about 10 minutes, but it was a perfect way to kick off Christmas.

Last night we went to see Santa. Shelby was not scared of him at all. In fact, she didn't want to wait her turn to jump in his lap. She kept saying, "Claus! Claus!". However, despite her liking for Santa, we could not get a very good picture of her. She kept looking at the photographer like she was nuts for waving this stuffed reindeer above her head and yelling, "Shelby! Shelby!". So this is what we got. I think it is still pretty cute, but I'm biased.

17 Months

Between Thanksgiving, work, 8 trips to the doctor, and cutting a molar, I missed posting about Shelby turning 17 months. I kept meaning to, but then somehow it would already be 3 am, and I would say, "I'll do it tomorrow".

Shelby is so much fun right now. She can definitely have her moments, but for the most part, she is so sweet, loving, and fun. She loves to play Ring Around The Rosie and Patty Cake. She still really loves her books, and isn't too much into cartoons or movies. The only time she will sit still and watch a movie is during breakfast or while eating a snack. She will sit in her little papasan chair, prop her feet up, and eat her food and watch the movie on the laptop for about 15-20 minutes.

Thanksgiving

Things have been so crazy since we got back from Utah that I am just now able to post. We had a great time visiting family. It was the first time in years that all 9 kids have been together at once. Everything was kind of chaotic, as it normally is when my family gets together.

We kicked things off on Wednesday with a birthday party for my niece, Olivia, and my nephew, Parker, at Jump n' Jacks. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of all the guys wrestling at the top of the huge slide. I wish I had video of Jeremy and Nolan tumbling down the slide on top of each other. Thursday we had an awesome Thanksgiving dinner at mom and dad's house. Shelby didn't like the turkey so much, but she did me proud and loved the brussel sprouts.

Saturday was my brother's wedding. Tristan and Ana were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. It was my first time actually going inside this temple. It is more beautiful inside than I could have ever imagined.

Tristan and Ana McGrath




Not sure what Tristan was looking at...



The Guys



The reception was a lot of fun. Since Ana is from Venezuela, they had Latin music playing, and people really got into it.

Our friend, Wesley, and my brother, Sean, were cracking us up...


Original Video - More videos at TinyPic


Shelby Dancing With Her Baby


Original Video - More videos at TinyPic


My Mom made the cake (sorry the pic is grainy)



Of course, while we were in Utah, we had to stop by and see some special friends. Actually, the Materns were kind enough to watch Shelby while we were at the temple. We just love this family!





Sunday was also special, as we got to go to this cutie's blessing:

Mia Kate


We also celebrated Claire's birthday on Sunday. We didn't have birthday cake, since we had the middle tier of the wedding cake left.

So, as you can see, our trip to Utah was jam-packed with family and friends. We had a great time and we can't wait til we can all get together again.

1 Sick Child = 2 TIRED Parents

We are exhausted.

Tuesday afternoon, when I went to pick Shelby up after her nap, I noticed she was super warm. Warmer than usual after someone has been sleeping. So I took her temperature. 102.2. I gave her some Tylenol and hoped the fever would go down. It didn't. It just kept going up and up, til it peaked at 104.5. Finally, at 4 am, after a blessing, lots of crying and restlessness, we decided to take Shelby to the ER. That is where we met the meanest doctor on the face of the planet.

After waiting a ridiculous amount of time (considering we were the only people in the ER), the doctor finally came in to see us. This doctor apparently never heard the Primary song "Smiles", because he had a permanent scowl on his face. He said he was going to check Shelby out and lunged at her. Yes, he really did lunge. Shelby jumped back to me and started whimpering. I calmly started to explain to her that the doctor was going to look in her ears, and that it would be ok, when Mean Doctor cut me off and told me to hold her arms. "No", I replied. "If you just explain to her what you are doing she will let you do it". "Ma'am", he said in his foreign accent, "let me do my job. Hold her arms." And so began the kicking and screaming.

Mean Doctor said Shelby's ears and lungs were ok, and her throat was a bit red. He simply sent us home with an antibiotic.

The next day, Shelby's fever broke around noon. "Hooray!", I thought. I could not go through another night of that. Well, I jinxed myself. Sure enough, around 5 PM, her temperature started rising. Again, Jeremy gave her a blessing, she cried, we gave her a bath, etc. Her fever finally spiked at 104.9.

So I took her to her pediatrician today. She calmly showed Shelby the otoscope and, without Shelby moving one muscle or uttering one whimper, checked Shelby's ears, nose, and throat. Then she listened to her breathe. She said she wanted to order a chest x-ray and urine sample. (Getting a urine sample from a baby is fun stuff, let me tell you. She was so dehydrated that after an hour of waiting, checking the urine bag, and waiting some more, I finally stuck her hand in warm water and that did the trick.) After everything came back, we got the diagnosis: pneumonia and a possible bladder infection (sample is going to the lab for further test).

Hey Mean Doctor, maybe I don't have an M.D., but I know my own daughter. I know that she hates to be held down, and that if you try to hold her down, she will scream so loudly it will pierce your eardrums. Maybe that is why you couldn't hear the crackling in her chest and accurately diagnose her. So maybe next time, Mean Doctor, you could come down off your high horse and listen to what the mother is trying to tell you.

Hopefully the new antibiotics will help. So far she is sleeping and her fever is down, so that is much better than the past two nights. We are going back for a follow-up on Tuesday to make sure it will be ok for us to fly out to Utah that night. I sure don't want to take a sick child to be around 13 cousins, all of whom are 7 and under.

Halloween 2008

16 Months

Today marks 16 months since Shelby entered into the world. I just want to take a minute and write down some things about Shelby at this stage so I can remember them forever.

-Shelby is goofy and funny. She loves to laugh and loves to make us laugh. She cracked us up a week or two ago with this conversation:
Me: Shelby, are you stinky?
Shelby: Nooo.
Me: Are you sure? Did you poop?
Shelby: Nooooo.
Me: Are you lyin'?
Shelby: Rrrrrraaaaawww!

(She thought I meant lion. I was laughing so hard.)

-So far Shelby is not too picky with food, between me despising anything from the water, a lot of meat, and Jeremy being wishy-washy with what he likes, I was worried Shelby would pick up on our habits. We made a deal to be in charge of feeding her whatever the other dislikes. So far Shelby likes shrimp, catfish, mushrooms, and broccoli (these are just foods that one or the other of us doesn't like).

-Shelby is not really into cartoons or TV. I'm not complaining. I hope it stays that way. She LOVES books. She loves being read to. She really loves her nursery song books, and loves for people to sing her the songs as she turns the pages.

-Shelby and Roxy love each other. Shelby loves chasing Roxy around, giving her hugs, and tickling her belly. She really loves feeding her from her high chair.

-I love that Shelby is able to follow directions. She likes to help clean up by putting clothes in the washer, helping load the dishwasher, and throwing her dirty diapers in the Diaper Genie.

-She loves to point to all her body parts- eyes, ears, mouth, nose, fingers, toes, belly button, and BOOTY.

-Right now she thinks it is hilarious to stick her tongue out whenever she is close to my face so she can lick it. I guess I am just super sweet?

-She thinks it is funny to toot and then look up at me and say, "TOOT-TOOT"!

-She still does not have a "security item" like a baby doll or blankie. She loves her babies, but when she wants to be comforted, there's only one thing that can do the trick: my hair. She will still hold her arm up while she is drinking her sippy cup until she gets a hold of my hair. She loves it to tickle her face, and (weird as this sounds) she loves to suck on the ends of my hair.

-Most importantly right now, she has been off a B-O-T-T-L-E for a week. I know, I know. Should have done it a long time ago. It was sheer laziness on my part. She would drink milk out of her sippy cup, it was just that she would fall asleep so much faster with her bottle. But, last Wednesday I said, "Ok, bottles are going bye-bye", and we haven't looked back. She had no problems with it. And it kind of killed two birds with one stone, since now she only takes a few sips from her sippy cup at night before bed.

Pumpkin Patch Part 2

Last night we headed to ANOTHER pumpkin patch, this time just a few miles away in Grapevine. Shelby didn't show much interest in actually picking out pumpkins, but I did get a couple pictures of her actually wearing her sweater. (This is the sweater I bought two years ago when I was literally weeks pregnant, but so excited I couldn't contain myself. I would go shopping and see things and HAVE to buy them.) The best part was that it was actually cold enough to NEED the sweater!

The Mommy Test

Anybody who listens to Kidd Kraddick has probably heard the Mommy Test skit. When Kelly Raspberry was pregnant, they would do this skit where a little boy (supposed to be her stepson) would "test" Kelly by creating all sorts of havoc and seeing how she would react. This week I had two of my own "Mommy Tests".

Last Wednesday, Shelby and I flew to New Orleans. It was just a quick (VERY QUICK) trip, as I needed to be in the office for some meetings. Again, Brianne was kind enough to rearrange her schedule so that she could come over and watch Shelby and Claire in the hotel room.

The flight on Wednesday was not good. It was dinner time. We had already been delayed a bit when we got on the tarmac and had to wait for 7 other planes to take off. This was also the first time Shelby's ears have really bothered her on the plane. She was not a happy camper. Thank goodness we had a row to ourselves, but even more importantly, thank goodness that flight is only a little over an hour long. That was Mommy Test #1.

So I got in Wednesday night, had meetings all day Thursday, met Jordan in Mandeville for dinner that night, worked all day Friday, then flew home Friday night. Told you it was a quick trip!

Thanks again, Bri, for watching Shelby. I know she had a great time playing with Claire Bear!



Saturday morning we attempted a visit to the pumpkin patch at the Dallas Arboretum. The Arboretum is BEAUTIFUL! (Lexi, we definitely have to go there for picnics in the Spring.) Of course I went with the highest of hopes of snapping some cute Halloween pictures of Shelby. She wore her cute Halloween onesie, had on her cute Jack-O-Lantern socks, and I brought her super cute Halloween sweater that I bought 2 years ago, and have been DYING to put a child in ever since. So of course Shelby was uncooperative. She would either not sit still, or not look up. We finally left and decided we might try a pumpkin patch sometime this week and hope for better results.







But that was not Mommy Test #2. That came later. When we left the Arboretum, we ate lunch at Chili's where Shelby filled up on Mac and Cheese and Baked Potato Soup. She would occasionally lay her head on the table, and we just thought she was tired. After Chili's, we headed over to Target to pick up a toy for Shelby's friend, Mabel (Shelby calls her "Babel"). Just as I turn the corner to one of the toy aisles, Shelby starts spewing in a way that could rival Linda Blair. Of course, my initial reaction is to cup my hands in front of her, but that was not going to be sufficient this time. She soaked her clothes, the cart, and the floor. Jeremy ran to find some paper towels, while the worker in electronics calmly walked up with that powder stuff and started cleaning up the huge mess. We proceeded to strip Shelby down to nothing but her diaper and I had to quickly carry her out through the crowded store.

As I was washing my hands for the twentieth time, and trying to clean bits of food out of my rings, I thought about my reaction to the situation. Only for Shelby would I instinctively hold my hands out to catch her vomit. That's love.

Prayer Request

Two minutes before boarding my plane on Friday, something told me to turn my phone back on and check it. I had gotten a text message from Jeremy saying the my brother-in-law, Roy, had had another seizure. That flight home seemed like the longest ever as I waited to touch down in Dallas and call my family to see what happened.

About this time last year, Roy had a seizure at work. The doctors finally determined he had seizure disorder (what would have formerly been called Epilepsy). That time he was around coworkers who witnessed the whole thing and called 911. This time he was driving on the interstate. He felt the seizure coming on and was (thankfully) able to get to the side of the road. Another driver saw him slumped over in his seat and called 911. He is doing well, just a little sore.

Of course Jordan was freaking out because she was still in Slidell with the kids. She quickly packed some bags and drove the kids, along with Brianne and Claire, to Houston. At this point they are not quite sure what to do, since Roy won't be able to drive for a while, and Jordan obviously doesn't want to leave him.

Please keep them in your prayers. We are praying that Roy will recover quickly, that the doctors might be able to find a medicine that will work and not make him feel sick, and that Jordan and Roy will be able to sell their house quickly so that they can be together again soon.

Weekend Wrap-up

We had a special visitor on Saturday- my brother-in-law, Roy! He just started a new job and is currently living in Houston while my sister, Jordan, is in Slidell with the three kids so they can sell the house. Anyway, he came up yesterday to visit us for the day. We had a lot of fun walking around West End. After burgers from Five Guys, we walked around the grassy knoll and visited the Sixth Floor Museum.


(If you look in the picture above, the shots came from the building on the left, square window second from the top.)


After that we walked over to Thanksgiving Square. It is actually kind of cool that in the middle of town there is this little reminder that we should all thank Heavenly Father for all our blessings. There is a cool spiral shaped chapel with amazing stained glass windows winding all the way to the top.




After that we headed over to dinner at Mariano's, then to Top Golf. It was a very eventful Saturday! We were so glad to see Roy and thankful he made it safely home after the late drive back.


I LOVE this time of year because it is perfect weather for playing outside. Here are a few pictures from today:

Fall Food Day 2: Spaghetti Squash

The other night I attempted my first spaghetti squash. I don't know why I never tried it before. It was delicious! And so easy! All you have to do is cut the squash in half, then roast it in the oven for about an hour. Then you scrape the inside with a fork and it comes out like spaghetti, only a little sweeter tasting. We had ours with a doctored up jar of spaghetti sauce (I added some chopped up chicken, then sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, red pepper flakes, and chopped olives). We all loved it. I think it will become a regular meal at our house.

My Itsy Bitsy Spider and Fall Food

I began thinking about Halloween costumes MONTHS ago. I really, really wanted to make Shelby's costume this year. I don't always get to be the super mom I wish I was, so this was one thing that was really important to me. I want it to be a tradition (as long as I can make what Shelby wants to be in the future), and something that we can do together. But as October approached, I looked at my sewing machine, looked at Shelby, and just knew it wasn't going to happen. I have only been getting 2-3 hours of sleep as it is. There was no way! So, I scoured four different Halloween stores, Walmart, and Target, and finally bought a ladybug costume. It was perfectly cute, but deep down I was a bit sad and disappointed in myself.

Then my coworker alerted me to some really cute ideas on marthastewart.com. I should have known Martha would have something perfect! I saw an idea for a mother and child costume, so I combined that idea with one I saw on another website and came up with this:






She's a spider! And I am going to be the web. Of course, I will (hopefully) have better pictures come Halloween, but wanted to post my progress. I'm definitely not the best seamstress, but I really did enjoy making the costume, and that is ultimately why I really wanted to do it.

Now, on to some FALL FOOD. The other night I bought an Acorn Squash, a Butternut Squash, and a Spaghetti Squash. They all looked so pretty sitting in the produce section, I couldn't resist. The problem is, I have never used any of them in my cooking!

Tonight I attempted the Acorn Squash. I saw tons of recipes online, and sort of combined a few to come up with my own version of a stuffed Acorn Squash (basically I added onion, celery, and apple to a box of dirty rice). I really liked the filling, but was not so keen on the squash itself. I felt like the flavor was a little over-powering. But, it was worth trying once!

15 Month Update

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic


We had Shelby's 15 month appointment today. Just for stats purposes, she is 33" tall (Brianne, the nurse DID measure right- shocker!), so as I thought, that puts her up there in the 2 yr old range. At 25 lbs 4 oz, she has not gained any weight since her 1 yr appointment, and actually hasn't even gained a whole pound since her 9 month appointment. Thus the reason for the disappearing roles. Anyway, all is well with Shelby and she is developing right on track.

6 Years and 15 Months

Six years ago today, Jeremy and I were sealed together for time and all eternity in the Baton Rouge, LA temple. I am so thankful for the Gospel and the knowledge we have of eternal families. I am thankful for my hard-working, intelligent, loyal, loving, worthy husband. I can't imagine a better person to spend eternity with.

Today is also Shelby's 15 month birthday. Yes, another month has passed by, and my Shelby is growing at an alarming rate. She is talking more and more, copying, or at least mimicking the sounds, of everything we say. She is very inquisitive, and asks, "What's this?" about a hundred times a day. She loves grown-up food. Tonight I made stir-fry for dinner, so I made a separate thing of Alfredo Mac and Cheese for Shelby to eat, thinking she wouldn't eat the stir-fry. Well, she got a little impatient waiting for the Alfredo to cool, so I gave her a bite of the stir-fry. She loved it. She kept wanting more, broccoli and all. She is also very into dipping things right now. She loves queso, salsa, ketchup, etc. She has been walking now for 3 months, but she is still a tad wobbly, however she can get up to a pretty good pace- fast enough to where I have to run after her.



As far as stats go, I'll have to post them after her appointment- which reminds me...I need to make that. I do know that she is pretty tall for her age, and dwarfs even some of the 2 year olds in nursery. The last time I put her on my scale here at home she weighed about 23-24 pounds. Her cute rolls are now slimming down, but darn it if this girl doesn't have the cutest baby J. Lo badonkadonk ever!

Two Tags

I was tagged by Lexi. I generally do not participate in tags because I usually find that I am not as funny or interesting as I would like to be, but for the sake of keeping it going, I figured I would at least make an attempt:

I am: a daughter of two, sister to eight, and mother of one.
I think: it's about time Jim and Pam got engaged!
I know: Shelby's tongue is going to hurt tomorrow since she bit a hole in it tonight.
I want: to be out of this house and in my own!
I have: a wonderful, hard-working, loving husband.
I dislike: diet sodas. Gross.
I miss: the feeling of air flowing through my nostrils.
I fear: that I will not become the mother I want to be.
I feel: tired from the medicine I took.
I hear: Roxy walking around the living room.
I smell: nothing because I am sick.
I crave: hot showers. I could sit in the shower all day long and be happy.
I cry: when I think about sweet Abby.
I usually: go to Jeremy's games on Thursdays, but tonight they don't play until 9:45.
I search: Sugardoodle.net for ideas for the Nursery.
I wonder: what the world will be like when Shelby has grown up.
I regret: signing a 12 month lease.
I wish: it were Friday already so we could go to the Texas State Fair.
I love: my family.
I care: too much about a lot of things that don't matter.
I always: wear my retainer when sleeping.
I worry: about our country's future.
I am not: a pet person, but we have a dog.
I remember: "running through the wet grass. Falling a step behind..." (Sorry, just a little Better Than Ezra)
I believe: Heavenly Father has a plan for us.
I sing: only around those I know REALLY well. I am tone deaf.
I don't always: agree with my family, but I love them anyway.
I argue: over silly things.
I write: on my blog, but I need to write in a journal more.
I win: Some.
I lose: Some.
I listen: to lots of different kinds of music.
I don't understand: some people sometimes.
I can usually be found: here at the house during the day.
I need: more sleep.
I forget: names. I am usually too focused on the next part of the conversation that new names go in one ear and out the other.
I am happy: when I find a good deal, hear Shelby laugh, eat yummy food, and spend time with my family.

Now, for the tag I have been meaning to get to for a while (Sorry, Hillary!):

4 places I go over and over...
1. Kroger
2. Target
3. Church
4. Work (via home office!)

4 places I'd rather be right now...
1. Mahahual
2. Tanning bed- because it is 20 minutes of uninterrupted bliss.
3. A new house
4. On a cruise ship

4 people I talk to on a regular basis...
1. Shelby
2. Jeremy
3. Family (I know that is cheating, but if one of them didn't make the list they might get mad.)
4. Stephanie

4 places I love to eat...
1. Taco Cabana
2. Taco Bueno
3. Abuelo's
4. Mariano's (Do you sense a theme here?)

I am not going to tag anyone in particular, but if you read this, and feel so inclined, answer back and let us all know your answers!

Just Like Daddy

Jeremy recently joined a softball league, so Shelby and I have been going to his games to cheer him on. Shelby loves watching the games, so when I saw these cute pink gloves and bats on sale, I couldn't pass them by, even if Shelby is a bit young for them. She brought her glove and ball to the game the other night and carried them around. I think she wanted to get out on the field with the team. It was so cute.

Caving In To Peer Pressure

As I was getting Shelby dressed today I realized that I needed to go shopping. It is starting to get cooler here, and though it's not cold enough for Shelby to start wearing all her winter clothes, it is time to start pulling out some in-between, more Fall appropriate clothes. (I guess I was so used to living in LA, I had forgotten there even was such a season.) She has a few pairs of pants, but she needed some other staples- just like some solid color onesies, a few long sleeve shirts, and maybe a few more pairs of shoes, because she outgrows them so quickly. So when Jeremy got home, we headed over to Target, because I figured I could find the staples for her wardrobe there for pretty cheap. While there, Jeremy offered to push Shelby around so I could get down to shopping. At one point, he made his way back to me and said, "Of course. I was just meandering down the aisles, and I happen to look over, and I see two Wii's. Of course they have one!"

Jeremy has been B-E-G-G-I-N-G for a Wii since they came out. I happen to pretty much despise all gaming systems. I just think they are dumb. (Except for the original Nintendo, only if used to play the Mario Bros. games. Then it's ok.) I kept getting really mad at Jeremy every time he would bring them up, because I'm thinking, "Ok, I wake up, get Shelby, take care of her all day long- while I'm working a full time job- do all the chores (except mow the lawn and take out the garbage, those are boy chores), put Shelby to bed, then I stay up til 3 or 4 in the morning doing any work I couldn't get done during the day. How the heck do YOU have time to play a Wii?" So, I told Jeremy that IF he ever got one that he would only be allowed to play it if all the chores were done.

ANYWHO, we ended up leaving Target because I hadn't found what I was looking for, and walked down to Ross. I got a few things for Shelby and as we were walking out I said, "Well, now that I have found some things for her, I am going to go back into Target and get some leggings so she can slip them on under this if it gets cold." Jeremy played it perfectly and said he was going to go ahead and put everything in the car and pull it up. Shelby and I quickly ran into Target and asked the guy in electronics if those in fact WERE two Wii's sitting there, or if they were empty boxes. He gave me a puzzled look and said he would check. Sure enough, they had JUST gotten them in. So I grabbed one, and checked out. When Shelby and I walked out, Jeremy was pulling the car up so he couldn't see the bag. I set it down next to the car and strapped Shelby in. Then I told Jeremy to back it up, cause I was driving. As soon as he got in the back, I handed him the bag and said, "Happy Father's Day!!" (For Father's Day, I originally got Jeremy tickets to see his favorite musician ever, but he ended up having to cancel part of his tour. I had yet to replace his gift.)

He was so shocked and surprised. I am happy I got to surprise him like that and got to give him something he's wanted for a really long time. Just wish it didn't have to be a Wii. Ugh....I'm sure I will play it too...as long as he downloads Mario Bros. And I should have a pretty clean house.

Another Point Scored for the Big Girl

Just so I don't leave my blog in a bad mood today, cause that's not the point of my blog, I just wanted to share a quick note about my big girl. Before her bath today I decided to put her on the potty. I don't know why I haven't before, because it seems inevitable that as soon as I take her diaper off and put her in the bath tub she is going to pee. Anyway, it's funny how those cute, squishy cheeks look a lot smaller on top of the big toilet. When I first put her on, she just sort of looked at me like, "What the heck, Mom?". Then I turned the water on, and sure enough, she went! I started clapping, she started clapping. It was a glorious moment. So, I guess that will become a daily ritual before her bath- just the first step toward potty training. Oh, to not have to change diapers anymore.

Biased?

Gee, do you think the writers of SNL are biased? I mean, it's not that I am JUST now coming to realize it. The past eight years all they have done is Bush-bash. A lot of talk radio hosts have been talking about the bias in the news lately. Well, I am sick of it leaking into my shows. I would like to be able to sit down and watch a show, take a break from the 24 hour, non-stop election talk, but I can't, because there it is in the shows. Ok, yeah, they might have poked a bit of fun at Hillary as well, but they just made her out to be a strong, smart woman, whereas they made Palin out to be some dumb hick, who only got to where she is based on her looks. I just think it's ridiculous that the writers of SNL are so lacking in talent that all they have to write about is politics, and at that, they can't even be fair about it, they just force their own opinions on everyone else.

Another example, the 2008 MTV VMAs. Russell Brand's entire opening monologue was spent bashing Bush and telling everyone to vote for Obama. First of all, he is from England, so he shouldn't have any right to say anything. Second, what did any of that have to do with Best Video of the Year? So stupid.

I just think that they should leave politics out of our entertainment shows and leave it for the news (even if that is biased).

Baseball, Bastrop, and Babies

We have been pretty busy over the past week. I almost feel guilty writing about the fun things that we have gotten to do, since so many of our friends' posts have been their evacuation stories.

Friday night we were lucky enough to get to go to the Rangers/Red Sox game. The last time we went to a baseball game, Shelby wasn't walking yet, so she stayed in my lap the whole time and everything was fine. Now, of course, she is walking, so I was a little curious as to how this was going to work out. She actually did really well and was actually interested in the game!








I love going to baseball games, especially for the food. I love Chicago Dogs!



And just for my brothers, here are some pics of the players:








After the game we came home and packed. We woke up early Saturday morning and drove to Bastrop, LA (close to Monroe) to visit Jeremy's dad and grandparents. It is always fun seeing them and we are happy to be able to drive over there any chance we get.

When we first got there Shelby was a little tired, so she decided to take a nap with Mamaw.



Shelby had a lot of fun playing with Daddypaw and Mamaw...and Ruth!





On our way home from Bastrop I got a call from a lady from church saying they were looking for some volunteers to help babysit the grandson of a woman in need. I was a little nervous about how I would balance a 3 month old, a 14 month old, AND work, but I couldn't say no. Baby Evan was SO cute, however I don't think Shelby is ready to be a big sister just yet. She thought he was cute when they dropped him off, but when she realized he was staying...that was another story. She didn't understand why I was holding HIM all the time. She got mad at me for feeding him his bottle instead of her baby's play bottle. She tried to feed him a Cheez-It (which I can't be too mad at her for, she was just trying to share). Of course, I know if we did have another baby, it would be different, she would have time to adjust, but it was a crazy 5 hours!