The goat whisper and princess go to the zoo

* sorry for the poor quality of these pics but they were too funny not to share. *

So, C has been a busy little guy lately. He's into EVERYTHING! As he grows so do our "games". We have a new updated version of the what fits in what game.

He got a little people school bus for his birthday and he loves it. In fact, earlier this day he tried to ride it but with his weight it just wouldn't move. I tried to explain that the bus didn't have good shocks but that was lost on him. So, back to the game. He decided that the table in our entry way was the perfect parking spot for the bus. Thankfully it fit, he had already tried several other spots earlier in the day that were a bust and well, sometimes its the small victories!

We have also discovered brooms. He likes to "help" mom sweep.....but really once he's done in the kitchen he just carries it around. As you can see above, the broom wasn't going to stop him from putting the bus in its place.

The next day we went to the Zoo with Eden and her mommy, Charity. We love this Zoo, its perfect for toddlers and just outside of Denton. I think we picked the HOTTEST day of the summer. It was pushing 95 degrees at 10am. YUCK. We were all dripping. We did stop at the petting Zoo and let the kids walk around for a little while.

Christopher liked talking to the goats. That is until, one stuck his head out the hole. Neither of them liked that much!

Love the "critter xing" sign in the background!

Sweet Eden walks on her tip toes..... 100 % of the time. Its so cute, and man, takes some serious balance. As a tip toe walker myself, I remember being retrained at 8 to walk normally. Still, right now, its just too cute!

We can't wait to go back but were going to wait for fall... That heat is for the birds!

Fun with food

Sorry for the lack of posting for a few weeks. My editing software wasn't communicating with my new camera = lots of work to get things posted. Anyway, just wanted to share this. I love to cook, but I'm not the best baker. Outside of banana bread, we take the wait and see approach to see how anything will come out.

A few months ago we grilled out and saw these on one of my favorite sweet sites and just had to try! That's right, its hamburger and fries.....the dessert kind. Aren't they just so cute!

I love having fun with food and love it when that food is SWEET!

Just call me Dada

Christopher and I just had the following "conversation" :

Me: Am I your Mama?

C: Dada

Me: No, I'm the Mama.

C: Dogs?

Me: They are night night in the kennel

C: Tank to (thank you) Dada

Me: You are welcome

C: Bye Bye

Then he folds his arms across his chest (his latest post) and heads off to our bathroom (kennel) and talks to the dogs (barks at them) through the door.

Still not sure who had a better conversation. Me or the dogs. But at least its our first conversation. I'm just hoping I get a "mama" before he leaves for kindergarten!

Ahhhhh.....Fayetteville

I just love Fayetteville. It's far enough away from Frisco to feel like a get-a-way but close enough to do it often. Now that C eats normal meals and won't just sleep through the trip it takes us a little longer but we can be there in about 5 1/2 hours. Little man and I went two weeks ago and we had a GREAT time. I just wish I hadn't brought the Texas heat with me. The afternoons were almost 100 degrees so we got our early and spent the afternoons playing inside.

On Thursday we made our way to Branson (about 2 hours away) to have lunch with two of my best friends from High School. It's always great to see Sara and Jen and I've loved reconnecting. Just wished we lived closer. Every time we go see Krissy, we take the day trip to Branson to see the girls and it just makes my heart smile. This time we met for lunch, shared some fun stories, laughed really hard and spent some time shopping. I haven't lived in Branson since I was 16 and it always amazes me how much it's changed. It was a great day!

Most every morning was spent in Krissy and Justin's back yard for 2 reasons:
1. NO POOP and it was easy to watch while I had my iced latte.
2. they live close to a busy street and C just loved calling out all the "tucks" (trucks)

Justin was gone most of the week but made it back for the weekend. Our last night we sat on their back porch and talked while Christopher explored.

Justin decided to water the plants while we talked.....

Our conversation must have been super enthralling because no one noticed Justin had moved a little and C was right in the line of fire. He didn't like it much.

Uncle Justin made it better though....for longer than he liked I'm sure. After swinging C for the 10th time, he pulled him up into his arms and just when he was all the way up, Christopher would arch his back and go back down. Super fun for Uncle Justin! :)

Once he dried off a little, he went back to exploring.....

He fell in love with sticks while we were there.....boys!

We had a great time that night AND I got in some great laughs and sister time with Kris. I love hanging out with my sweet, beautiful sis!

Speaking of, every night she would come home from work and C would run to the back door. She would pick him up and they would go spend some time looking out her bedroom door. Its so sweet to see how much he loves her, they really have a neat relationship.

Each morning we were in the backyard early ( still in Pj's) playing. This is the face of a man on a mission.

Yep, found his buddy the stick again.

Christopher squats alot these days. I love it. It's his little pit stop, just long enough without slowing down too much.

Because surely there is more to explore.....or dig.

It was a great week and we hope that Jonathan can join us next time.

If you cant beat 'em......

We have a problem. Its annoying. I guess its more my problem but its a behavior I have been working to correct since toys found their way into our house.

The culprit - Cooper. Unfortunately, toddler toys (especially boy toys) look like dog toys. Cooper seems to think that all of Christopher's balls are meant for him. On the plus side, he doesn't want to eat or chew them, he just carries them in his mouth and ...the worst part.....PACES. EVERYWHERE. NON-STOP. Its driving me a little nuts.

In recent past I would grab the ball out of his mouth, clean it off and tell cooper no. He would then go find another ball and repeat.

I gave up when he had a ball in his mouth that didn't really belong to a toy and I didn't really care what happened to it. But, then decided I was teaching bad behaviors.

FINALLY, I got smart. Well, actually Cooper picked up the wrong ball. He found a golf ball. Hard, cant be punctured and best of all NOT Christopher's.

It was pretty funny to watch Cooper torture himself with this ball because he would pace, so I made him go in the kitchen where he could pace all he wanted without bugging C and I. Then, he finally wore himself out and gave up. VICTORY......well, small and just for that day.

So now, I keep a handful of golf balls around when Coop feels the need to have a ball in his mouth and its pretty much broken the habit.

I say if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Face Master C

Its been a rough few days at the Delcambre house. C came down with a 104 degree temp Thursday afternoon. He was really lethargic and was out of it. We had a scary few hours. Jonathan and I watched him and alternated the Tylenol and Motrin. We also tried a lukewarm bath. It seemed to help but Friday his fever was back pretty much all day. He had lost his appetite and wasn't drinking much.

Thank God for great friends (who happen to be a mommy of 4 and her hubby who is a pedi. They were advising along the way). Finally when we couldn't get his fever to break Friday night we decided to go into the Dr on Saturday morning. Well, J took him. I had a photo shoot. I'm so glad we went. Christopher has HFM disease, which although viral can be pretty serious. Although C didn't have the blister symptoms on his hands or feet, I'm told his throat was pretty bad. Poor guy!

Hopefully his fever breaks today....the Dr. seemed to think it should. He is back to drinking more but still not really interested in food. Hope that changes soon....he's only in the 5% for weight.

I just wanted to post and update and what is a post about C without photos? Here are a few from early last week before the funk hit!

I hate the way images turn out on blogger...nothing like when I edit them...Oh well. At least they print perfectly. I thought I would share more of the what will fit in what game. It pretty much always involves a spoon or ball and typically ends with the cup.

This is the kid of many faces. Seriously, J and I are on the floor with the faces he makes. We were playing around last week and Christopher got tickled about something and it went a little like this:

Happy Monday!

Oh Nose!

We are in a really fun phase right now with discovery. There are two new favs with C. Action and reaction and what fits in what.

First, he loves the action/reaction game. He will close a door and I open it. Seriously, this can last for an hour or more (if I would let it). Christophe is also as passionate about the open the cabinet and have mommy close it game too. His most recent one this morning is snap the eyeglass case closed and have mommy open it. This evokes a deep hearty giggle.

The second game is putting things inside one another. The finger in the nose was short lived (thank goodness) and we are on to bigger and better things. Christopher's favorite is the spoon in the cup game. He will walk around with a plastic cup and spoon for hours only to stop to grab the sippy or possibly to see if something else fits. He also likes to put a stuffed animal in a shoe, his blocks in the trash and balls in Cooper's mouth.

Unfortunately, for Christopher these two new found joys collided in a most unfortunate way this morning. We were playing the what fits in the eyeglass case game. Which is a combo of the two games....apparently we're advancing. Anyway, we had put a golf ball in and shook it around. That was funny. We put a spoon in, again a RIOT! (for him, anyway) but since his belly laughs get me laughing, we were both having a pretty good time.

I had to run to the bathroom so I left him sitting in the living room with about 6 other "toys" that would fit into the case. I'm pretty quick so I thought this was MORE than ample. Nope!

I hear the case close and a SCREAM! I thought he lost a toe, was bleeding or worse.

Christopher comes running, in that toddler sort of way into the bathroom with the eyeglass case.....firmly shut on his nose!

I said "oh no" through my giggles and quickly removed the case. After a few minutes the incident was forgotten and we were back to putting things inside each other.

You might not have even known it had happened except for the clamp marks and a very little red nose.

That was our Tuesday morning. Now we are shredding a new magazine I haven't read yet.....guess I better get back to my play date!

A Challenge....I dare ya!

Our bodies are made up of 70% water. Without the proper water balance, our bodies don't function as well as they should. If properly hydrated, our skin looks better, we have more energy and we aren't as hungry. Water also helps flush out the by-products from burning fat so you can loose weight faster.

I read about the water challenge on blogher the other day and it made me reflect on how much water I drink a day. (not all of us are camels, amanda). Anyway, I decided to take the challenge! 30 days, more water.....better me! Anyone with me?

It's simple:

Drink a minimum of 1 ltr , with a goal of 64oz. of water a day.
Limit to two (8oz) non water drinks a day.

So grab your bottle and drink along. Leave me a comment and let me know how you are doing. Also, start one of your own and pass along to your readers.

I'm adding a charity component to it too. For every 8oz I drink, I'm donating $1 to the global water challenge. What a great way to improve our lives and those around the world.

Also, while focusing on your water intake (especially in these hot months) also watch your outgo. The GWP challenges us to minimize our daily water waste!

Challenge yourself, friends and family!!

I'm Behind. Like Memorial Day behind.

We had a great cook out at Dad and Joy's and although my battery wasn't charged and I missed alot of the fun, I was able to get a few cute shots.

Dad knows how to grill the brats! Yummy!


Pretty flowers all over their house.

Christopher loved to walk up and down the walk way....I think its because he got so much attention :)

And when he wasn't walking, Aunt Allie was spinning around in circles. A fast favorite!

Christopher loves to go to Nana and Pop's house because they have neat deer, elk and boar heads on the wall. Although not a fan of the boars at all, he talks to the elk and deer with dad. Its super cute. Maybe next time I will actually have the camera ready. Uggg.

Ive got an Itch that needs scratching

I am the most blessed woman around. I'm convinced. I have the best job at home with my little man, the best church home, 2 sweet labs that think I can do no wrong, the sweetest friends, lovely family AND the most supportive, loving and WONDERFUL husband.

He works hard everyday so I can live my dream at home with my baby. He loves unconditionally, is the best daddy and I cant imagine my life any other way.

So, on this special day, a post just for him. Thank you Jonathan for all you do for me, Christopher and our little family. It doesn't go unnoticed! If this is the 7 year itch.....I'm looking forward to many more years of scratching together.

Happy Happy Anniversary! I love you!

Man of many faces.

Little man is full of so many expressions, I cant wait until I know what he's thinking. I'm over the moon for this kid.

Virgin Island Vacation

Life is finally getting back to normal (whatever that means) since coming home from our vacation. It seems like everyday is a new "normal" but at least we are caught up on laundry, groceries and nap routine is back on track. I thought for a little while that C was trying to drop a nap but the past few days have been naps as normal.

Our vacation was a blast. We left Saturday (the day before Mother's day) to fly to Miami. There we met up with the Carroll's and spent the night in a hotel before heading to the port on Sunday. We had two days at sea before our first stop. This was both relaxing and lazy.....perfect. I did however get BURNED. It finally looked better 2 weeks later. I typically wear sunscreen but was planning on laying out for just 30 minutes but got talking to Marcus (which based on the angle of my face, sunglasses and hair also left me with a NICE pattern on my neck and chest) and it quickly turned unto an hour plus. Still, not to painful and it didn't really impact the rest of the trip.

Our first stop was in Puerto Rico. There we had a night port stop which was really neat. We chose to go kayaking into a bioluminescent bay. Really neat experience and something that wasn't totally "touristy". The four of us had a great time! I think it was the highlight of our cruise.

The next day we were in St Thomas. BEAUTIFUL! Great weather and we had a fun day of shopping and laying out at Magen's Bay. The water was a little chilly but we had a great day at the beach.

Thursday was our last stop and we were in St. Maarten. It was again a beautiful island. Although SUPER hot. Its amazing the difference between the two islands. We stepped off the boat and were sweating the entire time that we weren't in the water. We ate lunch at a really cute open air restaurant with gorgeous views. Marcus and Amanda later had a little problem with lunch. :( From there we spend the afternoon going Snuba. Marcus and Amanda decided to sit this one out ... Later found out that Amanda threw up her lunch and Marcus almost did. Jonathan and I had a great time exploring underwater and although I had a hard time equalizing the pressure in my ears at first, it was a neat "first" for us to do together. Later, back on our little boat heading to land, Jonathan threw up too but I think he was a little seasick. I ended up being the only one that didn't get sick that afternoon but the pressure in my ears and head gave me a migraine. By the time we got back on our boat, we were all a little green.

Each night we played games up on deck, Jonathan and I went to a couple of shows and just relaxed. I really missed C but knew he was well taken care of. I got nightly email updates of his daily activity and that was fun to look forward to at the end of a day.

The last two days we were back at sea and all ready for a little down time. It was a great week spent with some wonderful friends.

I'm glad to be home but do miss the 24 hour frozen yogurt machine, free room service and the blow up pool in the backyard just isn't as blue as the water in the Virgin Islands.

I still have a bunch of pics from Christopher's Birthday that I will update soon. Promise!

its all on me

whoever was the creative force behind the playskool ball popper and thought that toddlers would love it was dead on.

however, that same person MUST not have been a mom who on any given day is up to her armpits with laundry, dirty dishes, two lovable labs, floors that need to be cleaned, and chasing after a busy one year old. IF he/she were they would have reconsidered this toy. Its so cute that Christopher can push the red button to make the popper pop but its NOT so cute that these little five balls shoot off in 5 different directions.

This creates a giggle from my little man and he thinks its a game. NOT FUN! Especially when a certain yellow lab thinks he is part of the game too and tries to catch them in his mouth.

To the makers of the playskool ball popper, while this is a great toy for your toddler market I think there should be a warning to parents as to their level of commitment to make this an enjoyable toy. Lets face it....there might have been a time or two that the balls popped, went their five directions and when the red button was pushed and nothing came out....Mommy said "uh oh, its broken."

This should be called the "greatest workout ever" Really, have you ever tried to run in 5 different directions and dump them back into the tube just to do it all again. And your being timed.....

At the end of the day, I'm BEAT. Not by and active 1 year old. But by this crazy ball popping toy!

I'm sure I will enjoy this toy more in a few months when Christopher can retrieve them on his own. Until then, its all on me.....oh and Cooper.

A door frame to a special moment

We are BAAAACCCKKKK! More on vacation later but lets just say it was a great time to be away, together and with great friends but honestly I could not be happier to be back home with my little man!

Since about 10, I knew I wanted to be a wife and mommy. I just had that yearning. After 5 years of trying, fertility treatments and procedures we were pregnant. I will never forget the day. I was sure it didn't take and felt like I was going to start my cycle any moment. I walked into the Reproductive Endo (RE) office that morning for my blood test and told the sweet nurse not to even bother with the blood test. She said she had to so I obliged. She said she would call that afternoon with news. I went on to work. The phone rang at 2:33 that afternoon. I was alone in my office and recognising the number, almost chose not to answer.

The voice on the phone started with "I'm sorry to tell you" Great......I knew what was coming. "Shannon, you were wrong. Congrats, you are pregnant" WHAT? ME? I could not believe it! I sputtered some sort of thank you and called J who was expecting the same news I was. We were cautiously hopeful. From there, we needed our numbers to double each test over the next couple of days to signify a viable pregnancy. They quadrupled each time. Great news....either a VERY healthy pregnancy or several little ones.

The result is my precious Christopher James! I could not be more blessed. I have the sweetest, happiest and lovely little boy. I just love to watch him discover new things and see his little person develop.

I was the one to approached Jonathan about getting away for a weekend or something. We haven't had much of that since our honeymoon 7 years ago. I KNEW we needed some down time together but didn't know how hard that would be. We decided on the cruise with our good friends Marcus and Amanda. It was the perfect trip (almost.....but more on that for another post).

Our plane was 20 minutes early getting into Dallas. It had been a long day. We were up on Sunday at 7am and after 2 flights 5pm couldn't get here fast enough. There was another plane still at the gate so we waited. Those 20 minutes almost killed me!! I knew my little man would be sitting in the baggage claim area with Jonathan's parents. I couldn't be there fast enough. As we began to deplane, J grabbed my carry on and told me to "go". That was all I needed I ran, tears streaming to see my little man.

The rest of the evening, we just spent as a family. Cuddled, read books, talked and played. The cruise was great, but there is NO place I would rather be than with my guys! Just like the day we found out we were pregnant, I don't think I will ever forget this day!

Jonathan was getting Christopher ready for bed and I was washing and unpacking our bags. I changed into some comfys and checked on my guys. I found them rocking in the chair, cuddled together and just quiet. I sat, crying for the umpteenth time, leaning on the door frame watching a special moment.

Blessed. God has a perfect plan for our lives. And although there were times I was hopeless and impatient, I knew He had us tightly in His grip. His perfect plan isn't contingent on my timing or my goals but because he knows best and wants the best for me.

Now, sitting on the floor, playing with my little miracle I love that I get to see that little 10 year old girls dream alive!

There is no place I would rather be!

The big man just likes to chill....

Its been a busy week. Right now I should be packing for our cruise since we leave in less than 48 hours and I have to be packed by tomorrow night! Instead, I'm editing gallery's and looking at my little guy. Its going to be hard to leave him behind....good for him and us but hard still.

I have pictures from his first birthday that I need to edit and post....more on that soon. But until we get back from the cruise I just have these to share.

On Monday, the Harry kiddos came to play at our park. I would have called them the Harry Boys but that just sounded weird. We had a fun, all boy climbfest and they were pooped after a picnic lunch.

Here are a few of my favs of C from that day. As my mom calls him, the man of many expressions.....he didn't disappoint!!

Christopher LOVED hanging on the fence....I think he felt so big.

He liked watching the big boys run around.

He was in a great mood and kept flirting with Jenny.

Found some pretty cool sticks.

Mulch is a good source of fiber....right?

Climbed all over the play structures....this guy has no fear!

It was a great afternoon at the park with great friends. Christopher played hard and then too a minute before we left.....just to chill!