Christmas JOY!

These pictures could just about speak for themselves. Pictured left is Preston on Christmas morning--I don't know if I have ever seen him happier :) In the middle is Preston and his "girls"--and the smiles on our faces tell the story of how SMITTEN we all are with him. On the right is Preston with my dear grandparents, his great-grands, who I have never seen happier than in their interation with him. Really, I don't know how he does it, but Preston Luke melts our hearts and reminds us all what is truly improtant. I hope you had a great Christmas, and wish you nothing but the best for 2010.....am I getting older or does 2000 seem just like yesterday??

Not so Holly Jolly......

See, I wasn't kidding! Preston did NOT like being held by Santa......he still "likes" him but would much prefer admiring him from afar :) Not much else to report. Back to visiting with family......

Birthday Party Fun!

It seems lately that I remember to get out of the door with everything BUT my camera--so I am grateful to Katie Hall for capturing these shots of Preston at Cullen Clark's second birthday party last Saturday :) Preston had a BLAST, he loved playing with the big boys and of course Kennedy-pictured right. After ice cream, goldfish, and a LOT of running around--he fell asleep in the car and did not even wake up when I took him to his crib....this does NOT happen often. We are getting excited about Christmas coming and hope you are as well. Merry Christmas!

Preston's FAVORITE Christmas Card

Nana--your idea was a HIT! Preston could not have enjoyed the Christmas card you sent today more :) I wanted to take him straight up to the bathtub after our trip to the park this afternoon....but he saw the card on the counter and said, "NANA!" So, I let him open it. Then close it. Then open it....you get the idea. He really got a kick out of hearing Nana and Pops' voices.
I have enjoyed getting ALL of your Christmas cards....and can't wait to get more!

Breakfast (well, kind of) with Santa

WHEW! Preston and I just got back from attending Squire Creek's Breakfast with Santa and I am POOPED! I would love to report that Preston loved Santa and we got a great picture--but nothing could be further from the truth :) The minute we got close to the man in the red suit, Preston screamed full force. He would let me hold him to the side of Santa while we read a book....so just MAYBE one of those will turn out. We'll see. Then, after I chased Preston around for a little while---he's hard to catch when he sets his mind to getting away from you--we had a little breakfast with the DeMoss family. As you can see, Preston definitely has eyes for Miss Murphy-ha! Next, we tried making a stocking with stickers but had to halt that when Preston started eating the stickers. Finally, we attempted a photo session with Davis and Preston but it went about as well as the pictures with Santa...oh well. They sure are cute little boys though, don't you think. At least Preston gets the Santa thing. When he passes my needlepoint Santa pillow on the couch he says, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" If you can catch him say it, it is pretty cute!

CTB Christmas Open House

Preston had a blast at the CTB Christmas Open House today. He loves going to where Daddy works, and says, 'Daaaaa' when we pull into the parking lot. Preston was not so much interested in Santa, but was interested in the candy canes he was handing out :) He was very concerned about all of the Christmas goodies that were there to sample. The picture of us together is when we are enjoying the AE Phillips choir singing Christmas carols. What a talented group of kids! Preston really enjoyed hearing the kids sing--and the chocolate oookie that is in his mouth.....

Merry Christmas!

I put the Christmas cards in the mail this afternoon--so if I am spoiling this for anyone I apologize! I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry CHRISTmas! I think we are going to start a new tradition in our family by attending Christmas Eve services this year. In this crazy, mixed up world, I want nothing more than for Preston to learn to Love the Baby Jesus whose birth we celebrate this time of year. Our love to you all!

Watching You Tube with Daddy

I've got to hand it to Jeff--I would have never thought to turn on YouTube as toddler entertainment! Of course, they are watching puppies, babies laughing, and the Hot Dog Dance :) He and Preston were having a BALL tonight..I just wish I had gotten a better picture. Have a great week!

SURPRISE!

I think we actually got them! I hosted a surprise baby shower for Nancy Hunt and Becky Smith last night....and they were shocked :) Nancy and Becky are both having their third child, and are each not finding out the sex of the baby, so our girls group thought it would be fun to sprinkle them with a few new things for Baby #3. The food was great, the babies (and mommies-to-be!) got both practical and fun things, and the time with friends was the best of all...
Also, Preston has had a rough week, but is getting better. I took him to a new Dr. yesterday, Dr. Ensminger who had previously practiced in Winnfield, and he finally diagnosed Preston with tonsilitis--and I was so happy to have a SOLUTION to the fussy baby I had on my hands. He is already doing better-just still a little tired from nights of fitfull sleep.
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Just a preview.....

I don't want to "spoil" the arrival of Christmas cards, and actually used a different shot than this that Sherry Owens took for us, but I just HAD to post this precious snapshot she cut out for me today :) The black-eye is photo-shopped and for that I am SO grateful.
On that note, I am sending vibes of low stress to all you ladies out there that are about to get REALLY busy with Christmas festivities. Honestly, it makes me get stressed just thinking of all that is to be done...but I LOVE this time of year. My prayer is that I can keep the focus on the real reason for the season!!
Hope you are having a good week--brrrrr, it's chilly!

Elmo Slippers

You all know that Preston is OBSESSED with Elmo....and now he is obsessed with these Elmo slippers! He does not like to wear his socks around the house (we do not wear our outside shoes inside for the most part--unless we have company!) so his little toesies were getting cold. The solution.....Elmo!! He brings the slippers to us and says, "UUUGGGHHH!" Translation: PUT THESE ON MY FEET!!! He is still getting the hang of them, and has done a couple of "spread eagle" type falls, but I am just happy he will keep something on his feet :)
Happy Weekend! We are not going to the Tech/LSU game....and really hope we are not going to miss a historic WIN for the Bulldogs. A girl can dream, right?

Beautiful Fall Day...

I just had to document some of the shots I got yesterday when Preston was playing outside. We have been enjoying some absolutely gorgeous weather, and it has been really nice to get out and enjoy :) Nana and Pops stayed overnight Friday after the Boise State game (that ALMOST was an upset!) and then Pops and Daddy golfed Saturday morning while Mommy, Nana, and Preston went to Lowe's to buy pansies. Thanks to Nana for watching Preston so I could get my yard looking presentable! Looks like this pretty weather could be coming so a halt tommorow, but I sure hope you were able to enjoy it-have a great week!

A Happy Haunting Night!

Jeff and I have not been home on Halloween night in years, but are enjoying our many Trick-or-Treaters tonight :) We had a great time on our date last night to celebrate my birthday--holding steady at 25...
Preston, of course, has no idea about Halloween and has had a little cough/cold so we decided to make it a low key night. We did take him out trick-or-treating to see some special friends and he LOVED it. He is now pretty smitten with Lori Golden for giving him a sucker-that he essentially had for supper :) Oh well, it's just one night. I hope you are having a haunting good time!!!

Shopping in Dallas

Nana, Aunt K-K, and I had a great time shopping in Dallas last weekend! My major purchase was from the Fabric Factory---I have already started making plans for Preston's "big boy room!" Ok, I am a planner. There are worse things to be :) And just wait, it is going to be REALLY cute!!

Actually, the most eventful thing that happened last weekend was that Preston had a NASTY run in with the coffee table Friday morning. I can not bring myself to post a picture, and quite frankly try to block it out. IT IS REALLY BAD. However, I took him to the Dr. and he is going to be FINE.

Many thanks to Jeff for being such a great Daddy. It was really nice-not to get away per se-but to spend time with my sweet Mom and Sister.

Hope you are having a great week!!!

Preston Pan

I knew at 4:00 that it was not going to work. Preston was already getting tired and rubbing his eyes. However, we really wanted to attend our Sunday School Class Halloween Bash tonight at Brian and Shelley Mercer's beautiful home. Well, we're all back at home now :( Preston was SO TIRED and was very fussy--but was a HUGE hit as Preston Pan. I try to keep my blog posts very positive, because no one likes a whiner, but SERIOUSLY when is he going to be able to stay up a little later????? We are getting some serious cabin fever.....I can just hear Nana saying, "This too shall pass." At least I am going to get some beauty sleep for GIRLS WEEKEND IN DALLAS THIS WEEKEND!!! WHOOHOO!

How 'Bout Them Dawgs!

I am a little bummed out that we did not get a family picture...but oh well! I thought these two were a cute snapshot of our fun day at Tech Homecoming :) The Bulldogs almost had a shut out in their win over New Mexico State, and we all had a fun family day. I did not get to do much tailgaiting (ie walking around seeing people) because Jeff likes to get into the stands 45 minutes early....so if I did not get to see you I missed you and hope to see you next year!!! TECH! TECH! TECH!

I still haven't found what I'm looking for.......

but we had fun trying! Jeff and I GREATLY enjoyed our quick getaway to Dallas to go see U2. We left early Monday morning, and got to Dallas around lunch. We did some shopping then headed to our neat room at the W downtown. When we pulled in, we noticed a crowd next door at the American Airlines Center. Well, you know me, I had to go see what was going on--and OPRAH was there. We had to wait about 20 minutes to see her...but it was worth it (well, maybe not to Jeff, but he was a good sport!) Anyway, we then met up with our friends and took a stretch Hummer to the new Dallas Cowboy stadium. Y'all, it is SO pretty inside. I really hope that people use manners and good sense and that it stays nice..it would be a shame for that nice of a place to get gross...I digress. Anyway, the opening act was Muse and they were awesome. (Probably their most famous song is "Super Sonic Black Hole"--heard of them?) Then, U2 rocked the house. They played some old, some new, and they just ROCKED. We headed back after sleeping in and a trip to the gym this morning, and were so grateful for our traveling safety--the rain was BAD! Anyway, thanks again to Resa for her help so we could make this trip. Stay dry :)

Weekend happenings.....

have been, well, not too much! We (Preston and mommy!) were without power ALL DAY Friday and it was a LONG day! The family was all packed up headed out to stay with Resa when we looked inside and the lights were on--HOORAY!
Saturday Preston learned how to use his "Rolli-Pop" toy that Aunt Kendal gave him...this picture really does not do justice to how much FUN he had. THANKS Aunt K-K! Oh, he only liked the two-towers--the four towers was too long to wait for the balls to roll down....HE came up with the idea to use just the two towers :)
Then, I had to post a picture of his PRECIOUS birthday shirt from Nana that is embroidered with Old McDonald...he was a HIT at church this morning. Thanks again Nana for the GREAT find. Oh, and one of the reasons he was a hit was that I taught him how to "pray" and he was showing all of his teachers at school...too cute!
Hope you all have a great week!!!

My Little Pumpkin

I will let these precious pictures speak for themselves. Many thanks to Crystal Garcia photography--we will be back :) Oh, and can you tell how much FUN he had??

My Budding Artist....

I promise I won't post every single picture Preston brings home, but this is the first he has done and I just had to post it! Wow, our house is definitely not designed for kids...I am going to have to come up with a clever display for the art projects to come :)

I can hardly WAIT!

Last Thursday, I took Preston to have his picture made at the Townsend House. Mrs. Crystal Garcia was having pumpkin patch sessions and my friend MaryAnne thought I might be interested...well, OF COURSE! Anyway, I wanted to post a link to her site, as she does have a precious collage posted of a lot of kids you might recognize :) Also, I am asking for your VOTE when she starts the contest later on in the week. (This plea is for you, Nana, Aunt K-K, Resa, and Gran-Gran!!!)

Check it out and happy voting!!!

Sorry, I have yet to figure out how to get a link in here--
the site is www.crystalgarcia.com

Family Trip to the Park

Honestly, the reason why we decided to take Preston to the park yesterday was that he only took a 35 minute nap ALL DAY! Aunt Kendal can attest to the fact that he was COMOTOSE before he went down...but he just does not like to sleep during the day :) Really, I can't blame him, as far as pretty days go yesterday was one for the record books!
As you can see, he had a blast at the little Squire Creek park. They have a good mix of equipment for big and small kids, and I can picture in about 6 months he will be ALL over the place. Afterward, we headed to Monroe to Academy and mommy got some new running shoes and daddy got some hunting gear. We really had a great Saturday and hope you did too!!