June Highlights

Is June really over? Already? My goodness. Here are a few highlights from this fast and furious month. The first weekend of June, we made our way down the ol’ familiar highway to Odessa. I was a hostess at a baby shower for a longtime family friend named Kristi (Patterson) Clemmer. Her little guy, Devin Lawrence Clemmer, is due to arrive in late July, so it was time to shower her with gifts galore! My responsibilities for this exciting day/time in Kristi’s life included making a YUMMY punch, assembling table decorations for the tables that lined the room, and helping get the opened gifts out of the way of the unopened gifts. If you are interested in the punch recipe, this is your lucky day! Banana Punch (1 recipe = 8 quarts = 2 gallons = enough for about 50 people) *2 quarts of water (8 cups) *1 quart of sugar (4 cups) 2 quarts of pineapple juice (8 cups) 24 ounces of frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed) 72 ounces of water (9 cups) ½ cup lemon juice 5-7 large bananas (pureed in blender) First side note: The more bananas the better, in my opinion. Second side note: I did the puree process with some of the 9 cups of water so it would pour out of the blender more easily when combining with the other liquids. 2-3 liters of ginger ale Combine *water (8 cups) and *sugar (4 cups) in a large pot and boil for about 15 minutes. Let cool. (Do not let your 2 beautiful nieces --who are doing dishes and think this is a giant pot of water-- pour the sugar syrup down the drain. If you do, you will have to repeat the process.) Add all other ingredients together (including the 9 cups of water) except the ginger ale. Mix well and freeze. Allow about 2 days for solid freezing if all the liquid is placed in the same container. Take mixture out of freezer at least 2-3 hours before serving. Shave with a fork and pour semi-thawed/shaved punch into a punch bowl and add ginger ale to desired consistency. Punch should be slushy. Did I mention that this punch is DELICIOUS???? WOW!! So yummy indeed! The following weekend, we made the same trip down the same highway to the same house. The house belonging to my wonderful parents. That weekend was a bit more somber due to the nature of our visit. We, along with numerous other family members and friends, were going to the Midland Rockhounds game for a tribute to our dear nephew, Deuce. For months prior, Deuce had been scheduled to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th-inning stretch. God had other plans and called him home on the first day of May. As a tribute to our little red-headed guy, the ballpark wanted to play the recording of him singing the same song from last summer. We all wore matching “Deuce” t-shirts and put on our best game face while at the same time bracing for a difficult and emotional evening. It was just that. At the same time, however, it was such a heart-warming feeling to hear his sweet voice FILL the ballpark. It gives me goosebumps even still. He touched so many lives in so many ways and in so many places. The ballpark is just one of those places. My life is forever changed by his sweetness, love, and happiness. I miss him more than ever even though I didn’t know I could miss him more than I did yesterday. Deuce's friend, Cooper, ran the bases in a race against Rocky that night. He has one of the "Deuce" shirts too. The next weekend, my best friend in all the world, Riley, hopped on a plane and came to Lubbock for a visit. She and I go waaaaaaay back to 1994. Through e-mails, texts, occasional phone calls, cards, letters, and visits, we continue to cherish our friendship and time together. The weekend was filled with lots of fun including eating, game-playing, shopping, itty bitty projects, and visiting. We like time spent “in home” as much as we like time “out” so it was a good, enjoyable balance of both. My mom joined in on the fun Saturday late afternoon and headed back to Odessa after lunch on Sunday. We were a wild and crazy trio Saturday night…and what I mean by that is that we stayed up talking until 4:00am. Sunday of that same weekend was Austin’s first Father’s Day! Owen got his Daddy this cute picture frame. Mommy and Aunt Riley had taken Owen to the park for a few pictures, so as a result, we had cute pictures to put into the frame! Owen is so thoughtful!! ;) The next weekend...the one with June 26th...Austin and I celebrated anniversary #6! This was my status on facebook that day: "Once upon a time, God penetrated the world wide web and brought a boy named Austin into my life. 6 years ago today, we were married! Loving him is the best part of my life. Happy Anniversary to Austin...an amazing husband, father, and friend." On Friday evening, the 25th, Austin’s mom came over to watch Owen so we could go out to dinner. Thanks to a little anniversary money from good ol’ Mom and Dad, we treated ourselves to the yumminess that is Harrigan’s. We then took a little ride over to Toys R Us where we picked up a board game and a new grocery cart/high chair cover for Owen. After a couple more quick errand-type stops, we headed back home to put Owen to bed and play our new game with Austin’s mom. It was quite a nice evening. The next day, on our actual anniversary, one of us (not Austin or Owen) got up at about 6:15 for a 5-hour cleaning, organizing, decluttering session in the garage! It felt GREAT to get so much done!! After a shower and some relaxation, we headed to Kermit for a top-notch meal prepared by Aunt Bev! Man, can that lady cook!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, it was a long way to go for dinner, but it was a nice cool evening, we had a happy baby the whole time there and back, we had some great visiting time with each other and with dear family, so it was worth every mile and every minute! Another June highlight includes Austin’s whirlwind of classes that are over in just 2 more days! He has been working his tail off in 3 separate classes and is looking forward to a break in July. He has some obligations lined up between now and the new school year starting, but he is ready to have a bit of a break in the midst of it all! I am tutoring some, but not at all overwhelmed. We have such a good life. We are enjoying playing games after Owen goes to bed (that seems to be our "thing" these days), watching movies from time to time, working on chores together when we are able to, and running errands together in the evenings. God continues to bless us everyday…good families…good friends…good health…We are so grateful. Happy July to all, Carianne

7 months

Sweet little boy!!! You turned 7 months old on Sunday! You sure know how to make time fly! These have truly been the best months of our lives!

(I have been trying to post this since Monday, June 21, but blogspot.com was being quite difficult.)

This is not a check-up month so we don’t have exact stats as far as your weight, height, and head size go, but we do have "the numbers" from what we figured.

Weight: 22.5lbs (being held by Mommy on the digital bathroom scale)

Height: 28 inches

Head circumference: 48 centimeters

You are wearing size 3 diapers and size 6-9 month clothing. Once again, Mommy is finding some of the smaller-sized stuff that you can still fit in, so you wear those favorites from time to time. Just last week, another tote was packed up with clothes that don’t fit you. This is large tote #2, and it is truly heart-breaking to know that you have outgrown all that tiny clothing! Please don’t grow up too fast! I beg you.

You had your 3^rd haircut on June 10. Mommy and Daddy gave you your first two haircuts, but this time we took you to ProCuts. You were squirmy, but the lady was eventually able to trim the front, around the ears, and the back. Both Mommy and Daddy love your hair so we aren’t ready to let go of any of the length like we did for your 2^nd haircut. We still joke about having to use your college savings account for haircuts as you grow and grow!

What a look!

You are drinking about 28 ounces of formula a day, give or take a few. You have graduated to “2^nd foods” when it comes to baby food and you like everything you have tried. So far, it seems that you are not a picky eater - hooray for that! Since last month, you have been introduced to oatmeal cereal and you seem to like that as well. We mix it (and also the rice cereal when you have that) with various fruits at breakfast and dinner and you gobble it all up! If Mommy had to guess, she would guess that your favorites are still sweet potatoes, squash, and bananas. You have also tried peaches in the last month and you really like them! A VERY special treat was introduced to you at a Midland Rockhounds game over Memorial Day weekend...COTTON CANDY!!

You still have just the 2 teeth on the bottom, but they are a lot more visible (and adorable) when you show us your big, happy smile!

You continue to sleep 8-10 hours at night without waking up. Your sleeping buddy (pacifier) is no longer Morris the Monkey. We retired Morris and have given you a new Wubbanub that we named Leo the Lion. You love him just as much as you loved Morris! You still nap a few times a day…a long nap in the morning, another long nap in the evening, and a few other naps during the day.

You continue to captivate us (and other people) with your expressions, sounds, and smile. You have started making two syllable sounds and you like to repeat them a few times before moving on to a different sound or movement. It won’t be long before you are saying “Mama” and “Dada” and we are very much looking forward to that!

You are fascinated with sounds, movement, voices, lights, textures, repetition, and moving your arms and legs (constantly). Playtime is lots of fun and so is making you giggle as we incorporate all the things that grab your attention.

You are sitting up completely unsupported now, but you still can’t quite get to that position all by yourself. Once Mommy or Daddy sets you upright in front of all your cool toys, you can sit for long periods of time without any wobbling. You are so very close to being able to do it on your own, so we are just helping you out in the meantime!

(While I am thinking of it, you have been to 2 weddings and 2 funerals in your 7 months of life. On April 26, you went to the funeral of our family friend, Floyd Duncan. On May 6, you went to the funeral of your cousin, Deuce. I can’t wait to tell you all about your cousin and how much he loved you and how much he was looking forward to playing with you and sharing all his toys! On May 31, you went to the wedding of your Aunt Riley’s niece, Hillary. On June 12, you attended the wedding of Pastor Ken Reeder’s daughter, Emily. At all 4 events, you were extremely well-behaved and quiet.)

Oh Sweet Boy!! You light up our lives and we love you more today than we did yesterday! You are growing and changing so much and we look forward to everything that is yet to come! God has been so good to us and we give Him the glory!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Here are some pictures that capture some moments from the past month!

You and Papa at the Midland Rockhounds game on May 29. Eyelashes just like Daddy! First time in a shopping cart! Mardel is such a wonderful place! Mommy's glasses! Daddy's first Father's Day and your 7-month birthday! Your Texas Rangers outfit from Aunt Riley and Uncle John! Thanks guys! "Just plane adorable" is RIGHT!! Thanks, Grandpa, for this cute t-shirt from Tennessee! Sleepy! Bucket hat from Aunt Bev.

Life...

These last several weeks have been extremely busy! Between bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, trips to Odessa, cookouts, church functions, and baseball games in Midland, it really doesn't seem fair for me to beat myself up over not being able to blog more. Of course I would love nothing more than to be able to blog weekly like I originally thought I could, but there are so many things that draw me away from the computer each day. I load and unload the dishwasher numerous times a week, wash and fold laundry, change diapers, play on the floor, go for walks, run errands, clean/straighten the common areas of the house, pay the bills, sweep the floors, make bottles, dish out baby food, burp the kiddo, tutor students several hours a week, clean as time allows, eat, shower...and the list could continue on for quite some time! Even with all the day-to-day grind, I am truly having the time of my life!!!

A few quick updates:

Our family is continuing to turn to God for healing and peace following little Deuce's death on May 1. He was honored at the Midland Rockhounds game this past weekend and it filled my heart with happiness to hear his sweet voice fill the ballpark. Of course I smiled through the tears seeing him on the big screen, but at the same time, found my heart to be aching as much or moreso than it has the last several weeks. I miss him so much.

Austin will be halfway done with his Masters degree at the end of this week! I am so proud of him for taking on the challenge of earning his degree and will be equally proud in a couple of summers when he walks across the stage again.

My best friend of nearly 16 years (Riley) will be coming to visit this weekend and I am very much looking forward to seeing her! Since she lives in Dallas and I in Lubbock, we just aren't able to get together as much as we would like! Did I mention that we both have CRAZY schedules, too? Anyway...we have come up with a plan to change some of that! We call our plan "Seasons of Friendship." What that means is that we have agreed to make sure we have a weekend to ourselves every season of the year! During each visit (starting with this weekend), we are going to exchange a recipe that we have tried since our last visit, a $10 gift of our choosing, and a greeting card to be opened once we have said our goodbyes and are on our way back to our respective homes. It will most definitely be a fun, fun time! There is always fun to be had when Riley and Carianne get together!

I guess that is all of my updating for today. Stay tuned for a post early next week highlighting Owen as he turns 7 months old! Look at his sweet little face!

Good day to all of you,

Carianne