Say Cheese...

...as in Chuck E. Cheese. Before we left for our vacation (yes, this posting is getting done late), Mrs. Liz and her 2 daughters invited us to join them there for some fun. This was Elijah's first time to Chuck E Cheese and he had a good time. He was more into riding things than playing the games. But he did earn enough of tickets to get two prices. Plus we stayed cool instead of dealing with the summer heat.

Questions and Answers - Father's Day 2011

This year I wanted to do something different for my Father's Day post. I wanted to hear Elijah’s perspective on this Father's Day. My goal was to create a post that Byron and Elijah could read for years to come and that would hopefully bring a big smile to their faces.
So below is the question and answer session that Elijah and I had about his Dad.
*No prompting was done by me to help Elijah with his answers :)

Me: What do you want to say to your Daddy today for Father’s Day?
Elijah: I love him
Me: How much do you love your Daddy?
Elijah: This much! (As he stretches his arms out as wide as he can)

Me: What are some things you like to do with your Daddy?
Elijah: Build towers and knock them down, go to the pool, go to HEB, go to Lowes and ride the lawn movers, take out the trash and recycle, help him cook, and just play with him.

Me: What do you like about your Daddy?
Elijah: He makes me laugh, reads me bed time stories, takes me places, let’s me help him make his coffee, let’s me push his lawn mower, and he helped me get the yellow ball from the machine.

Me: What is so special about your Daddy?
Elijah: Mommy and Me
Me: What do you mean Mommy and Me?
Elijah: Daddy loves Mommy and me! (This answer is priceless!)

It was a wonderful Father’s Day. We started the morning off with presents, went to church, and then had lunch at the Swinging Door. That is Byron’s favorite place to eat BBQ. The rest of the day was relaxing and spent being together as a family.
Byron, you are amazing father! Elijah and I are both blessed to have you in our lives. Happy Father's Day.We love you SO much!

Random Pictures and another Milestone

Got ice cream?
Helping his Daddy decide what they need to get from HEB
Downtown with Daddy checking out the demolition of the YMCA
Looking cute wearing his Daddy's safety glasses
Enjoying some chicken with Alyssa on a play date
Having fun with the mowers at Home Depot

The milestone? Well, it's actually a milestone for Byron and I. Elijah was left with a babysitter for the first time on Tuesday. Yes, I know those of you reading this are saying, "Are you kidding me? First time?" We hear that a lot, but... :) We have left with family member's before but never someone outside of the family. I was lucky enough to have a friend's college daughter keep him. He loved her and they had a great time! We were so proud of how we did. And yes, she will be keeping him again some this summer.

Have You Ever... Part 2

The fun continues...


Byron getting ready to pull the rib cord. We both were surprised that he got to do this. Too neat!
Coming in for the landing



Elijah on the way home wearing the crown he got at Burger King that morning. He was SO great the whole time we were there (which was several hours) and had a lot of fun too. Such a big boy.

We are excited that we ended up with so many great pictures (this is just very few of them) and the video we got made rocks! In fact, Elijah loves watching it over and over.

Have You Ever... Part 1

...jumped out of a perfectly good airplane? Well, that is what Byron did Saturday. This was my gift to him for his 50th birthday. Since this was a special birthday, I wanted to do something he would always remember. Mission accomplished! It was a wonderful time for all three of us but an experience that Byron will never forget!!
Suiting up
Elijah helping his Daddy out
Waiting for the plane
Getting ready to board
No turning back now
Byron and Rob (his instructor)
Getting ready to jump

Here we go!

Growing Up

In the last month, a lot of big changes have happened with Elijah. The changes are exciting, but sad too because it means our baby is growing up. :(

Our first big change is Elijah is now potty trained. I was not ready for it and had planned on waiting closer to him turning 3. But he was ready, so we went with it. He has done better than we could ever have hoped for and because we did it when he was ready, I truly believe it made all the difference in the world. I just kept it laid back and positive and that worked great for him. Realistically though, we know that until he gets older, that we will have to stay on top of this every day. :)
We do have him in a pull-up only at nighttime, because we can tell he still needs it at this point. Yes, the pull-up will be going away soon. All other times though, he is in "big boy" underwear. Yippee!

The second big change that has occurred is that Elijah now sleeps in a big boy bed. He still loved his crib but we decided to move him because he had started sleeping with his legs through the slats because he wouldn't give up his favorite corner to improve the situation. He would wake up and have major marks on his legs and we just couldn't see him that way. We also knew with traveling this summer it would make the trips a lot easier. He seems to really like his "big boy" bed and has been doing wonderful with his naps and bedtime in it. I think the biggest shocker, to both of us, as of this posting,is he has never gotten out of his bed or has even tried. But then again, he never got out of this crib either. :) We are still looking for bedding and are in the process of redecorating his room to look more like a boy's room instead of a nursery.


Think he likes his new bed?

Mommy and Daddy are SO proud of you Elijah!

Oklahoma Trip Final Post - Mim's Birthday Dinner

Saturday night, about 25 of us gathered for a dinner to celebrate Mim turning 90. Mim seemed to enjoy the evening. Byron and I think she looks amazing and does well to be 90. It was a very special time for all of us.
Elijah giving Mim a birthday hug - so sweet!

Love that smile :)

Mim with her daughters, Barbara (left) and Evelyn. Barb is Byron's aunt and Mrs. Evelyn is Byron's mom.

The two birthday girls

Oklahoma Trip Part 3 - Chisholm Trail Museum

Saturday, May 28th, we went to the Chisholm Trail Museum. Byron and I had already been to this museum before but wanted to take Elijah this time. I think it is fair to say that the pictures show he had a great time.


Uncle Blake helping Elijah rope a Longhorn and being sill at the same time :)
Mim, Elijah, and Aunt Brenda


Mim on her 90th birthday with her grandchildren - Brenda, Byron, and Blake
Trying his hand at branding.