Friday Night Lights

Friday night we headed to Dripping Springs to watch the Tigers play in their first game of the season.  We only made it until the 3rd quarter, but they ended up winning 49-0.  Connor had the best time!  He loved watching all of the action and looking for the team mascot.  I couldn't believe how long he stayed interested in the game.  He kept telling me "Momma, they run so fast!" Cole's parents got us season tickets right by theirs so Connor loved being able to hang out with Nana and Papa too!  We all had a great time and can't wait until the next game.    

Playdate at Emily's

This morning we headed over to the Bowman's house for some outdoor fun.  The weather was perfect!  It was really overcast and with our "cool front" that came in it was only in the 90s. :)

Connor, Emily, and Caleb

All 3 kids were so entertained with the pool and outdoor toys that it gave us moms a chance to actually sit and visit.

Beth, Jamie, and Baby Elijah  (Jackson was inside taking a nap)

"Argh" (For some reason Connor thought this was a pirate hat.) :)

Caleb and Connor

Playing peek-a-boo with Emily.

These two are so cute together.  Connor just loves Emily!  We were starting to clean up and they both ran and got back in the pool. (I think Connor was trying to avoid having to go inside because he was having so much fun!)  I looked over again and they kept giving each other hugs.  So I quickly grabbed my camera to capture this sweet moment.

Then not a second later I hear Connor say "Now kiss" HA!  What a pair! :)

Thanks Emily and Beth for having us over.  We had such a fun time!

Gymboree

Today we took Connor to a class a Gymboree.  My mom had found a coupon for a special rate for a one month membership so we decided to try the free trial class today to see how he liked it.  Well, he absolutely LOVED it!  I have not seen him have so much fun in a long time.  It is the perfect place for kids to run and explore new things.  They have the classes set up by age group so all the activities are very age appropriate.  The teacher guides the class with music and activities, but there is also plenty of time for the kids to run free. Todays theme was all about fire engines and fire fighters.   

Trying out the balance beam.

The kids could jump of this tower to a soft mat, but my careful child preferred to slide down. :)

He loved this slide!

Time for bubbles!  I think this was Connor's favorite part.

Chasing the bubbles.

Singing songs and getting ready to play with the parachute.

We have already signed up for a month and can't wait to go to our next class!

On another note...

Your prayers are working!  The past 3 times we have put Connor down to sleep he has done great.  The getting up when we lay him down and crying has completely stopped.  I think we are on the right track!

Our Weekend

We went up to Cole's work on Friday night to start setting up his new office. I loved seeing where he would be every day and getting a feel for what his new job will be like.  Since there was so much to do we went back for a little bit on Saturday to finish sorting through all of the furniture and junk that the guy before him had left.  You would not believe how much stuff was in this office.  I don't think the previous employee ever threw anything away in the 6 years he was there.  It was disgusting to say the least!  After lots of cleaning, organizing, and adding a few personal touches his office is ready to go.

Connor loves having his Daddy home on the weekends.  He becomes his little shadow and wants to do everything just like Cole.

The not so fun part of our weekend was spent trying to get Connor to sleep.  For the past week, bedtime/naptime have been a major struggle.  It all started one day when he decided he could get out of bed by himself.  We have tried everything we can think of to keep him in there and nothing seems to work!  What works one day might not work the next.  It is just so hard to understand why he is resisting going to sleep.  He is so sweet and good the rest of the day, but then goes crazy when it is time to sleep!  I don't think I have ever seen him act so strong-willed and stubborn about anything before.  Needless to say we are all worn out from the "power struggle" and can't wait for sleeping to be a happy time again.  I know this is just a phase and we will get through it, but any ideas/ advice would be greatly appreciated!!   The one thing we do know that works is prayer so be sure to be saying a few prayers for the Hayden family this week. :)

I can say that I am so thankful he is currently taking a nap, even though it took almost 2 hours for him to give in and fall asleep! :)

Haircut

At the last minute I decided to take Connor in for a haircut yesterday.  My plan was to wait until after the "back to school" rush, but I found out that morning that the girl who originally cut Connor's hair (then stopped working to stay home with kids) was going to be there so we raced over to Cool Cuts and she squeezed us in.  I was so glad that we had an appointment because the place was packed.  There was probably 10 or 15 other kids waiting!  His hair was getting so thick and long that it was definitely time for a change.  I told her to cut it as short as she could without his cowlicks sticking up in the front and back.  She did such a great job!  This was the best "smile" he could give me this morning.  I think he is still tired from waking up at 6:00am for the past 3 mornings! 

Keeping Cool

Today we decided to beat the heat with a little splash pad fun at Mimi's.  It has been so hot here recently that being in the water is about the only thing we want to do outside!  

I love these little feet!

He is looking so grown up lately!

That is all for now.... I am being paged to come play trains.  Hope you are having a great week!

Relaxing Weekend

It was a pretty low-key weekend around here for us.  One of the things I was most excited about was that Cole had Saturday off and will continue to get them off for a long time!  Some of you have already heard, but Cole received a promotion at work and is now the purchasing agent for Streetman Homes.  It is a big change for him since he is no longer in the field, but will be working out of the main office.  (I don't think he misses working outside on these 100 degree days!)  Cole and I are so thankful that God provided this opportunity for our family.            

Saturday morning we ran a few errands and headed down to San Marcos to visit Mimi at work.  Connor was so excited to go to "Mimi Target."  I tried to take a few pictures while we were there.

Attempt #1

Attempt #2: "Cheese!"

We headed home that afternoon for Connor to take a nap, did a major clean and reorganizing of our closet, and then headed out to meet some friends for snow cones after dinner.  Cole and I tried to share our snow cones with Connor, but he refused to try them. :)  He had no idea what he was missing! 

On Sunday, we had a great morning at church followed by a delicious lunch with friends at Rudy's.  

It was such a fun weekend spent with my boys!

Quick Trip to Texarkana

Last week, my cousin (Kaci) and I decided at the very last minute that we would meet up the next day in Texarkana.  We both had long drives ahead, but it was the perfect place to meet so we could see all of our grandparents as well.  My mom and I had been trying to find a time to go see baby William so this worked out perfectly.  We headed out on Wednesday after my doctors appointment.  Connor did great on the way up there, but was glad to get out of the car when we got to Momma Lou's house.          

We were all so excited to see William.  He is such a good and easy going baby!  We soaked up every minute with this sweet little guy.    

Kaci, William, and I

Sweet boy with his Momma

Connor loved getting to spend time with Momma Lou and Ed.  He made himself right at home!

Momma Lou with her 2 great-grandsons

Ed and William

Sneaking a little sip of Mommy's "shush" (slush)

Connor of course was thrilled to have his Mimi there too.  These are two peas in a pod!  I have a feeling Connor might not be so willing to share his Mimi with Carson. :)

Checking out William's activity mat.

A glimpse of what my life will be like in 2 months. :)

We also had a chance to see Papa and Ginny while we were there.  Of course the first thing Connor wanted to do when we got there was go play in the backyard with Papa!  He loves all the space to run around.  We had a delicious lunch that my cousins, Courtney and Callie, joined us for.  Unfortunately after that Connor was in major need of a nap so we didn't last long. 

Callie and Courtney

On Saturday we headed back to Austin.  I wish I could say that the trip back was as easy as the trip up, but Connor was done with riding in the car.  We were thankful that he did take about an hour nap.  It was so cute how he wanted his puppy right up next to him. :)  

Even though it was a short visit we had such a great time seeing everyone and were thankful for the time we had.  That will probably be my last long trip for awhile since Carson will be here before we know it!

3 Weeks Ahead

This past Wednesday I had my 28 week appointment.  During this appointment I had my glucose screening (which I passed), a growth scan, and a doctors visit.  My doctor wanted to do an extra ultrasound just to check on Carson's progress and make sure everything was still going well.  We we totally shocked when the technician told us that all of his measurements showed that he was 3 to 4 weeks ahead of schedule!  Right now my due date is October 24th, but the ultrasound showed it was closer to the 5th.  This either means he is a really big baby or they might be a little off on my due date.  For now my due date will stay the same and we will just monitor his growth in the coming weeks.  We also learned from the ultrasound that Carson weighs about 3lbs and 9 ounces already and his heart rate was 134 BPM.  My countdown ticker says I have 76 days left.  So Carson will hopefully be here in about 10 weeks.  The pregnancy is flying by and I can not wait to meet this sweet baby.

Here are a few new pictures of Carson:

Profile of his face

He already has tons of hair on the back of his head.

Carson's face looking up.  He even had his eyes open in this one.