Smile

Travis is able to get JT to smile so big! He seems to be extremely ticklish and loves it when he sees Travis coming in for the tickle! He starts to smile before he's even tickled. He's such a happy baby like his brother! He even smiles big when it's time for his 4am feeding which makes it all worth the while that early in the morning. 

Chef in the Making...

For as long as I can remember, Will has loved being in the kitchen and watching us cook. When we can we let him help as much as possible. He gets so tickled when he's asked to help. We may have a future chef on our hands. He is helping me make tilapia for dinner in this picture and was working very intently on what I had asked him to do. 

Family Day

On Saturday, Travis and I took Will and JT to the Splash park at the villages of Fairview. We first brought Will to the Village Beach to let him play but he wanted nothing to do with the sand. It should make for an interesting beach trip this year! We decided to bring him next door to the splash park and it took him a while at first but once more kids came to play, we couldn't stop him. He had a blast and we barely got him to sit for lunch! JT slept through the entire thing! :) It was nice for us to have some time with just Will. He's been such a sport having a new baby around.

What I want my Sons to Know...

I read a recent post from Pinterest about a mom who wrote to her boys about what she wants them to know in life. I thought it was a great idea and wanted to do the same for my two boys so here it goes..

1. When I look into your eyes I see my heart.

I never knew how much my life would be changed because of the two of you until they placed you in my arms. You taught me so much about unconditional love. I love you more and more each day.

2. Play. Draw. Create.

Use your mind to be creative. It teaches expression and lets out your true personality. There will be fingerprints on walls, mud on floors, paint in hair but it can all be cleaned.

3. Love the outdoors.

Go outside as much as possible and enjoy nature. Bike, run, play, climb.

4. Accept others for who they are.

Don't judge a book by its cover. Accept each person for who they are and respect them.

5. Always move forward.

There will be times in life where you will hit bumps in the road. It's what you do when you hit that bump. Don't let it get you down. Get back on your feet and keep going. It will make you stronger. You can do it!

6. It's okay to cry.

Crying is an emotion..a feeling. It doesn't make you any less of a man if you cry. We all do it.

7. Always be proud of who you are.

You may not always be the best on a team or the most popular but stay true to yourself and be proud for who you have become. Mom and dad will always be proud of you.

8. Be an apprentice.

Before you move out of our house or head to college, you need to know how to do laundry, cleaning the dishes, make the beds, dust, cooking, grocery shopping, and clean the house. Your wife will one day thank me.

9. Play a sport.

It will teach you leadership, sportsmanship, respect, and how to work as a team.

10. Put God first in your life.

Wherever life takes you, keep God in the center. He is always there for you. Prayer and faith takes you a long way.

11. Respect Women.

Treat women with respect and love. Be kind. A woman can do everything that you can

do. Communication and respect is important in any relationship.

12. Be a leader.

There will be times of peer pressure. Don't give in. Stand up for what you believe and

be a leader. It will take you far in life.

13. Be patriotic.

Love your country and thank a service men for what they have done for our country.

They have fought and sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

14. Be a good brother.

Friends come in and out of your life but you remain brothers forever. Love each other.

15. Take the road less traveled.

May you always make the right choices; never give up when it gets hard; be a leader not a follower; gain independence; and always dream big...anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

16. Wherever life takes you, you can come home. I will ALWAYS be here for you. I love you more than anything in this world.

Love,

Mommy

Happy Birthday Dad!

My dad's birthday was this past Sunday. Since we weren't there to celebrate, I had the boys attempt to hold up a "Happy Birthday" banner for their Papa. Ever since we were little my mom would hang up the banner for each of our birthdays and now I do the same for my family.

Dad,

Hope your birthday was filled with lots of love and happiness with many more years to come. Thank you for being the dad that I have always looked up as not only my dad but as my friend. You are truly an amazing person both inside and out and have so much love to give to not only your family but to your friends. Thank you for being a wonderful Papa to our two children. They truly adore you and I can't wait for them to grow up around you and mom. We love you!

Family Visit

This past weekend, Travis' grandma and aunt came up for a visit. It was their first time up to Dallas and their first time meeting JT. We had such a fun weekend together. We took them to Grapevine while they were here and got some good wine for that night. Travis cooked up a delicious meal, they spent time with Will and JT and we stayed up talking and playing games after the kiddos were down. We loved having them and look forward to when they visit us in Louisiana.

J.T.'s Baptism Weekend

Last weekend, family came up from South Louisiana and Kerrville for J.T.'s baptism. We had a great time filled with food, shopping, laughter, and lots of love. As most of you know, J.T. is named after my dad John Thomas. I couldn't imagine a better person for our son to be named after. Ever since I was a little girl I have always looked up to my dad. He is such a special person in my life and it means so much to me to have our son carry on his name. Our little boys are so loved by family. We feel so very blessed.

J.T.'s first time meeting his great-grandpa

Reigha and Will playing on their phones

J.T. in the baptism gown-a family heirloom

Proud grandparents

Proud great-grandparents

Our happy family

Cousin love

Our family

Sad News

Our good friends Derrick and Brittany recently lost their two precious twins, Evan and Halle. My heart breaks for them so much. They have waited so patiently to get pregnant and they told us the news this past Christmas. Travis and I were so excited especially since our children would be close in age just like Brittany and I were growing up. There were several complications along the way and on Tuesday, Brittany gave birth to them. Unfortunately, they did not make it. God had other plans for these two special angels. When my mom told me the news, the tears started to flow as I sat holding on to my two children. How could this happen to two wonderful people who would make amazing parents and wanted nothing more than to have children?

The emotions that I felt when we lost our little girl started to come back. You never truly forget how you feel when you lose a child regardless of how far along you are and no one can really understand unless they go through it themselves. Grant it, what they are going through is far more difficult than what Travis and I faced and I know in time through their faith, family, and friends they will persevere. Their time will come when God will bless them with children and I know they will make such great parents.

We love you both!

Easter 2012

This year was a great Easter for our family. Not only was it JT's first Easter but we ended up driving down to Crawford on Sunday to spend it with my aunt and uncle on their farm. Travis and I always love going down there and Will is now at the age that he also enjoys it and loves running around all of the open land. On Saturday, Will dyed Easter eggs. I'm not sure what he thought about it. We only gave him a few to dye and he ended up throwing two of them onto the ground. We at least tried! :)

Trucks and Nap Time

Will' newest obsession is trucks and trains. He has a basket full of them and loves to take them all out and line them up on the couch, on top of the tv stand, on the floor, or below the tv. While playing with him last night, I watched him put each car in a particular place. My job was to hand him each car and he would carefully place it where he wanted it. I wondered what was going through his little head.

Lining up the cars

The pile-up

Today at nap time, Will didn't want to go down right away. We had just had people view the house so I think he thought he was missing something even though they had already left. He played in his room for a while and emptied out his basket of books and was flipping through them. Eventually, it got quiet and I didn't see him in the monitor. When I walked in there he was sound asleep in the chair.

Big Brother

Over the past few weeks since JT has been with us, Will has been such a great big brother. We were worried how he would react to someone else in the house that the had to share the attention with since for the last 20 months it has been ALL about Will. He took to his role as big brother better than we could have ever expected. He loves to help and we try to include him in as much as we can. The other day, we asked if he wanted to feed his brother and he came right over and knew what to do. I am so grateful for these two little blessings in our lives and couldn't ask for anything better in life! We are truly lucky...

Bluebonnets

Today, we attempted pictures with the bluebonnets.Will was not into taking pictures which is what we get when we hit nap time and he wasn't too sure about walking through the tall flowers. JT slept through it all. Overall, it was a nice day as a family.