A Year of Thanksgiving

I debated on posting, but I then realized that I hadn't posted about Thanksgiving and tomorrow is the first day of December. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We were blessed to spend the day with a whole lot of family.

My great-grandmother, Granny, came in town for the holiday and all of our extended family on my dad's side went to my cousin LeeAnn's for the day. Probably 40 people filled the house for lunch and more arrived afterwards to visit. In the evening, we went over to my in-laws where we feasted yet again on another delicious turkey dinner. Mason enjoyed all the yummy good food and loves pumpkin pie like his mom. The evening ended with none other than the A&M vs. UT football game. Unfortunately, the Aggies lost, but we still had a good time.

Friday morning, my mom, my cousin Taylor, and I left at 5:30am to begin Black Friday. This family outing, really a tradition, has been going on since I was 10 years old. (Just writing that makes me feel old, because that means we have been doing this for the past 18 years.) We have started earlier in the past, but didn't feel the need to leave any earlier this year. I'm so glad we didn't, because even though we all bought a few things, it was a disappointing shopping day. The sales weren't as good, and has anyone else noticed all of the summer clothes from last season? Yes, they are still in the stores and I feel like the winter sales are minimal because most of the stores haven't sold all of their summer clothes yet. Overall, Black Friday just didn't bid well this year.

The rest of the morning was spent napping, followed by another visit to my Gram's house. My aunt and uncle were in from Frisco and I wanted to make sure we had some time to visit with them, since I only see them around the holidays. Mason was a ball of energy, playing with everyone. It was no wonder that he hit a wall early that evening and we took him home to bed.

That evening, Adam & I made a stop at Freebirds before going over to my friend David's house for another visit. The last time I saw David, was the day after Thanksgiving last year and because his schedule is usually so busy and I normally am only home for a week, this was the first we could get together since we moved to California. I finally had the chance to meet his girlfriend, Maggie, who is delightful and was able to catch up and watch some more college football with the guys.

Saturday we took it easy and my mom finished decorating the house for Christmas. Mason absolutely adores anything having to do with Christmas and gets so excited anytime he sees the Christmas tree. It is the best seeing Christmas through your child's eyes. In the evening, Adam & I went on a date, while mom and dad watched Mason. Actually, Mason was sleeping, so their job was easy. For dinner, we went to Hasta La Pasta. It is one of my favorite Italian restaurants and I have yet to taste a better Chicken Rappalla. Afterwards, we debated going to the Galleria, but since we got a late start on dinner and with the drive, we opted to go to a movie instead. We haven't been to the movies together since before Mason was born, so it has been a very long time. We saw Four Christmas' with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It was cute and funny and I would recommend it.

Adam left this morning to fly back to LA. I was dreading the drive, mostly because I knew Mason would be so upset to say goodbye to his Daddy. He still doesn't understand and it will be another 3 weeks before we see him again. Fortunately, Mason fell asleep on the way, so Adam kissed his head and said his goodbyes. I felt bad, because I know he probably wanted to hold him one more time, but neither of us wanted to wake him. As Adam was walking away, Mason woke up and noticed his Daddy wasn't in the car and started to cry. Luckily, Adam was only a few steps away and I got his attention so that he could say goodbye and try to calm him down. It didn't stop the tears, and it was a long ride home. This is the longest Adam & I have ever been a part. We had such a nice 10 day visit and it went by too quickly.

Overall, we have a lot to be thankful for this year:
* Our supportive families
* New/Old friends
* Adam's job which allows for me to stay home with Mason
* A house where Mason has plenty of room to play
* Our health
* This pregnancy, which will bring Mason a sister in March
* All of the traveling we were able to do this past year, so that we could visit our family
* Growth in our lives and spiritually
* An adorable son, who teaches me more about life everyday

Shopping

I love to shop, but the ironic thing is that I mostly end up shopping for everyone but me. Most of my purchases involve Mason, the house or Adam. I tend to talk myself out of purchases ALL THE TIME! It's good in a lot of instances, but in most cases, it can drive anyone that I am shopping with nuts.

I have been waiting to do some maternity shopping until I arrived in Houston. Bakersfield has a lot of stores, but I tend to find more things in Houston. Hours after arriving in Houston, my mom & I were on a search for a Peacoat. I have been needing a winter coat and I had an idea in my mind of exactly what I had been looking for. We drove from store to store Saturday evening and that Sunday afternoon, but I'm too picky and didn't see anything that caught my eye. We decided to give it another try last Wednesday and we hit the jackpot. I found the exact coat I had been wanting and it was on sale. I didn't buy a maternity coat, just because I don't plan on being pregnant forever.

This last weekend was crazy busy, with Adam's arrival and my mom's 50th birthday celebration. I had no time to shop, but knew that this would be the perfect week to do a little shopping. Tonight, I hit the jackpot. In less than an hour, I found 4 blouses, 4 sweaters, and a pair of pants. I also tried on all but 4 items. The only thing left to find, are some brown and black boots and a couple of pair of shoes. All of my maternity clothes from my pregnancy with Mason are summer tanks, or work suits and blouses. So this was a big time need, especially now that my bump is starting to get a little bigger. (Belly pictures to come soon. We are taking family portraits tomorrow, so if I get proofs, I will be sure to post them.)

There is this store in Katy called Charming Charlies. It is a favorite of mine, because it is like a boutique with all sorts of accessories, clothes, shoes, and jewelry. I seriously could spend an hour in the store, there is so much to look at. I tell Adam all the time, that I wish I could bring the store back with me to Bakersfield. Today, I walked in and I was in handbag heaven. Again, I talked myself out of some purchases, but I have several ideas for Christmas gifts now.

My week of shopping will continue on Friday, bright and early. My mom and I have been shopping on Black Friday since I was in elementary. It's a tradition to wake up around 4 am, head to Starbucks and begin our morning of shopping. I waited to do all of our Christmas shopping until we arrived in Houston, because I didn't want to worry about shipping everything. Hopefully, I will find everything that I am looking for and be home in time to take a morning nap.

Pictures from my Mom's 50th Birthday

My mom, the guest of honor

Eating dinner at La Hacienda

Our little family

More of the guests at dinner

Back at the house preparing the desserts

Family waiting for the other guests to arrive

The beginning of presents

My mom & dad

Mama with just two of her grandsons, Jared & Connor. Mason was already asleep upstairs

Happy 50th Birthday!

Yesterday, we celebrated my mom's 50th birthday. Her actual birthday was on Wednesday, but we waited until all of our family could be in to join in the festivities. Adam arrived Friday night and Mason & I picked him up at the airport. As I was driving to the airport to pick him up, Mason decided he would open the car door on I-10 as I was driving about 65mph. I nearly had a heart attack and had to pull over to the shoulder to close the door. I was such a nervous wreck the rest of the drive and we made sure the child locks were on my mom's car from there on out.

Saturday evening, about 20 of my mom's close friends and family went to dinner at La Hacinda. It's a terrific Mexican food place, that our family has been going to for years. The waiters sang and Mason loved all the music. After dinner, we all headed back to my parents house for dessert. Several of her friends would be joining us, that couldn't make dinner and there seriously was so much food that night, I was stuffed. Mom had a fabulous birthday and I still think she doesn't look 50 at all.

My favorite part of the evening was a visit from Ms. Stebbins. She was my first grade teacher at Meadow Wood Elementary. She had invited her first grade class to her wedding many years ago and we have remained in touch since. The last time I saw her, was at my wedding and I was brought to tears. So, when she walked in the door Saturday evening, my emotions were high and I was again brought to tears. She has meant so much to me over the years. It was a great end to a perfect evening.

Happy Birthday Mama

Mama,



Happy Birthday! This is a big year and I feel like we need to celebrate. So, in honor of you turning 50, yes I said it, I would like to take a minute and tell you why we should celebrate all of these momentous years in your life.



From the very beginning, you have loved me unconditionally. Your words were the first I heard and your eyes were the first I would see. There is nothing like being held in your mother's arms, even as an adult. Those arms cradled me as a baby, picked me up when I was hurt or sad as a child, and hugged me when I needed it the most.



You are the strongest woman I know. You have endeared many hardships and persevered throughout them all. You fought breast cancer with an attitude of a survivor, not wanting pity or sympathy. That takes a lot of courage and strength and I know you were able to get through all of this with God.



My life is so much richer, because of you. I have a pretty good memory and I make sure to think about my childhood and family life often, to remind myself I am truly blessed. So why I can't account for the first 21 years of life before me, I can account for the rest of the 28 years and those years have impacted my life. You are the best woman I know and I couldn't think of anything better than to strive to have a bit of that courage, strength, and love you have shown me day in and day out. I love you so much and hope you have a fabulous 50th birthday.



luv ya,

~Tabaitha

Home sweet Home

We made it to Houston! Saturday morning, we left around 2:45am, yes it was very early, and drove to LA to make my 6:30am flight. It's only a little over an hour and a half to LAX, but when you are traveling with a toddler it can take a little bit longer to get through security, eat breakfast, change diapers and take a potty break before the flight.



We were seated in the very last row, which I actually didn't mind this time. I knew we would be the first to board and when I looked up the seating originally, I had the window seat and the middle seat was open. However, once we sat down, a lady sat next to us and I realized it must be a full flight. No worries, Mason was too busy looking out the window to notice anyone else. But the lady noticed Mason and switched seats, once the plane took off. Before she switched, she made sure to tell the flight attendant, she wanted to sit somewhere she could sleep without any noises around her. I laughed inside, when the flight attendant told her she had no guarantees.



It has been so nice seeing family. I haven't had a chance to see any friends yet, but soon enough. We have been so busy, that I noticed my ankles had started to swell just a little yesterday. I guess going, going, going will do that to you. The funny thing is, my ankles never swelled until I was 35 weeks with Mason and that was only because I was going non-stop and it was extremely humid outside that weekend. I decided to stay home today and take it easy. The swelling is gone and I was able to get a short nap. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I will be sure to do so starting tomorrow. Adam arrives on Friday!

Days before we left for Houston

Mason reading with his Daddy

About to get into the DVD's (which he knows better, obviously he didn't know I was watching him)

Sitting on one of his old toys watching Elmo's World

Look, no hands!

Trying to take off his socks

Several things to look forward to

There are several things that I'm looking forward to during my trip home:



~ Celebrating my mom's 50th birthday!

~ Seeing all of my family over the next 6 weeks.

~ Admiring how much my two nephews and niece have grown.
~ Shopping: I can't wait to shop on Black Friday. It's a tradition that I have been doing with my mom since I was a littler girl. My cousin Taylor has joined us on and off throughout the years and I'm hoping she will be able to make it this year. Not to mention, that there are so many more options and places to go in Houston.

~ Getting my trimmed and styled by my sister. She is the only one I trust with my hair and my favorite part is the shampoo.

~ Bagel Cafe! It's so yummy and I can't wait to have my everything bagel toasted with butter and my decaf coffee.

~ Thanksgiving & Christmas with our families. These two tie for my second favorite holidays. The first being the 4th of July of course.

~ Visiting some of my favorite eating spots (not that I will be able to make it to all of them): Chuy's, Hasta La Pasta, El Jarrito, Atami's, Whataburger, Freebirds and Kolache Factory (they don't have kolaches in California).

~ Hopefully getting to see as many friends as possible. There are some friends that I haven't seen since High School and it's been way too long.

~ Marissa's trip to Houston. My friend Marissa, is flying in to visit us over her birthday weekend. It will be her first trip to Houston and I can't wait to show her all of my favorite spots, especially with everything decorated for Christmas.

~ Cuddling with my puppies Holly & Cassie that live with my parents. Holly is old and not doing so well, so this could be my last visit with her.

~ Watching Mason's face every time he is around Christmas decor. We have been to some of the stores in Bakersfield that have the decorations already up and the boy goes crazy with excitement. I love it!

packing

As I mentioned last week, Adam had a nasty cold. I was afraid of catching it and sure enough, by Friday I was sick with a sinus infection. I called my doctor and he was so thoughtful to call me in a prescription, so I wouldn't spend the rest of the weekend sick in bed. Besides, I had a busy weekend in store.

Our friend Katie, celebrated her birthday on Friday night and we went over to her house for games and snacks. Funny thing, we never played games, instead just chatted the evening away. Saturday, we went to the Country Rose Tea Room for our friend Rachel's baby shower. She is expecting Hunter Dec. 31st and this will be her third, she has 18 month old twins. That evening, the girls decided to go to dinner and do a little shopping at the mall. We ate at Red Robin in the mall and as soon as we finished, we started to walk around, only to find that the mall was closing at 8pm. Can you believe that a mall would close at 8pm on a Saturday? I was so shocked. I guess I'm used to the malls in Houston.

Sunday was spent home doing a lot of nothing. Mason still had a bit of a runny nose and I didn't want to get any of the other kids in the church nursery sick, and since Adam & I both were still recovering, we decided to stay home. It was cold and rainy outside, so it made for a perfect day to watch football and take a nap.

This week, I have been busy organizing and getting all of our stuff together for our trip. Our flight leaves LA at 6:30am and I was planning on just shipping home a couple of boxes of our things, but I learned that it would just be cheaper to pay to check the luggage instead. Since I purchased our tickets before the policy changed in September, our first checked bag will be free. I'm hoping that Adam will be able to get an escort pass to help me get through security with Mason and help us onto the plane. I can't wait to see everyone. We will be home in 3 days!

16 months

Mason had his 15 month checkup on his 16 month birthday. October was way too busy to go to the doctor, but I wanted to make sure we were able to see Dr. Shah before we left for our trip. The appointment started off great, because the nurse gave him a lollypop right away. Of course that meant that his entire body was sticky, since they strip them down to their diaper for the checkup. He finished his sucker before Dr. Shah came in and that meant I had to take away the stick, so that he wouldn't poke himself or me with it. Unfortunately, that started the first crying session. Luckily, it only lasted for a few seconds and he lit up when Dr. Shah came in the room.


The second crying session began when Dr. Shah had to hold his head still to check his ears. Mason has never liked getting his ears looked at and he makes sure to let you know. Even Dr. Shah commented on Mason's strength. After he was done, I held Mason and calmed him down, while we chatted for a bit. I had a few questions, especially since we will be traveling for a long period of time. I was concerned mostly with Mason's ears. He has had a cold this past week and it is finally clearing up, but I was worried that getting on the plane would cause him to get another ear infection. Luckily, Mason hasn't had an ear infection since May, but it seemed like he was getting a double ear infection everytime we flew home, except for our trip in July. Dr. Shah suggested seeing my pediatrician back in Katy, if he were to get sick again. I'm so fortunate that Dr. Lentsch takes good care of Mason every time we see her on our trips home. I'm hoping that we won't have to visit her office at all this trip.

The third crying session began during his shots. He had his chicken pox vaccine and his DP. Did I mention that his appointment was during his afternoon nap? So I loaded him up to come home and the minute I took him out of his carseat, he was asleep on my shoulder. He slept great and his shots didn't seem to bother him the rest of the day.

Head: 47.5 centimeters putting him in the 75 percentile.
Height: 33.75 inches putting him in the 95 percentile.
Weight: 27 lbs. 4 oz. putting him in the 95 percentile.
(Mason has never been in below the 95 percentile for his height or weight)

A few things Mason is doing at this stage:
~ He loves to dance when I sing songs to him.
~ He walks around the house acting like he is talking on the phone.
~ Like his mom, he loves when anyone rubs their fingers through his hair.
~ When he dances, he puts his whole body into it.
~ When I tell him lets go bye-bye, he walks/runs to the garage door.
~ He loves Oreos!
~ He knows how to open the car door, therefore I have the child locks on his side of the car.
~ He wants you to read books to him over and over and over and over again.

Appointments, Elections, and Colds

Yesterday, Adam & I had my 20 week ultrasound. Technically, I'm not 20 weeks until this Saturday, but Dr. Helliwell said that I would be far enough along to see everything that they would look for. Taylor was asleep at the beginning of the ultrasound and even put her hand over her face, because she didn't want her picture taken. Doesn't she realize that she will be born into a family, where mom almost always has her camera around at all times?

The appointment went well and I won't be back until I'm 28 weeks, only because I will be in Houston starting next Saturday. Taylor is kicking A LOT! Like Mason, she really likes to kick when I lay down for the night. Not that I mind, because I love feeling her move inside. I do remember how uncomfortable it can be towards the end, especially when there is no more room to grow and your ribs and lungs become punching bags.

I'm starting to show and I will try to take a belly picture soon, because I have had several requests. In the beginning, I felt like I was showing after 6 weeks, but now I realize that was just the gas and bloating that comes along with pregnancy. It wasn't until I was 20 weeks along with Mason, that I started to really show. It's the same thing with Taylor. I will be purchasing fall/winter maternity clothes soon, because all of my maternity clothes are spring/summer.

I haven't commented too much regarding the elections. I have my beliefs and don't deny that I voted for John McCain. The polls closed in California at 8pm last night and they declared Obama the future President before the polls closed in California. In all honesty, I believe that we should get rid of Electoral Votes. I believe that every vote should actually count. Who cares if we have to wait a few days for the results, wouldn't you rather know that every vote actually mattered? I know it will never change, at least not this term.

I'm not excited about the outcome of Election Day, but I trust that God has something in store for our nation and we need to put our trust in Him and continue to pray, rather than putting our trust in our President. Whether or not you agree with Obama, we still need to pray for our future leader of the country and ask God to direct his steps to make the best decision for our nation. Really, there has never been a President that everyone loved. That is why we get the right to vote every four years.

Adam is sick right now with a terrible cold. Poor guy has been up the past two nights coughing and sneezing. Last night, he slept in the guest bedroom to try to keep me healthy. He is sleeping in there again tonight, because he still doesn't feel great. My allergies have been bothering me, but nothing I can't live with. Mason has had a runny nose, but nothing too bad and I believe it is the product of his bottom molars breaking through his gums.

This was a very random post, but we want to be able to look back and read about our lives in years to come.

Spreading the Wealth

My cousin's friend, Ashley, posted a note on her facebook the other day that is just too perfect for words:

"In a local restaurant my server had on an "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence. When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more. I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application!"