I've Brainwashed my Child...

Oh no!  What have I done?  Haha.  So Austin one day was hanging out with me in the kitchen and I decided I guess it's time that you have your "cooking supplies" to play with so that mommy can cook dinner while you play.  Well he still uses the things I pulled out to play with and actually it is some of his favorite things to play with.  Lately we (or I guess I should say I have) been using this "whisky" spoon as a face mask and Austin and I take turns with it.  It makes him laugh and I like to be silly so it is a win-win situation.  Well when I was trying to take his 9 month photo on Saturday I needed a distractor so I got the spoon out and look what he did...

Pictures Galore!

I guess it is a good thing in a way that I am not a stay-at-home mom although I would absolutely love to be one because if I were we would probably have twice as many pictures as we do of our little man.  We were sitting outside tonight while Dad was grilling dinner and I just couldn't stop taking pictures of him because he is just so darn cute.  Haha.  I was remembering that when I was home with him taking like 50 pictures of him on our bed and this was at a point when he could not move.  Haha.  So basically I took just 50 pictures of him laying there.  I guess that is what mom's are for.  Haha.  Now since he has grown up so much and is doing so many new things I am always trying to snap pictures of him which of course is great pictures it is fun to go back and look at old pictures.  So this post is just an excuse basically for me to be able to put some pictures that I have taken of him up on the blog.  Enjoy!

And he's off...

As I have mentioned earlier Austin is now crawling everywhere.  I finally broke out our old camera which is a little messed up but I felt the need for a new video of Austin on the blog.  I think all of you will enjoy it because you will get to see Austin crawling and yes ladies and gentlemen he does get upset sometimes...mostly because he thinks he is a two year old.  Haha.  If you try to take something away from him he does not like it.  Haha.  Poor guy...haha...what am I thinking?  Poor us.  He is only 9 months old and already thinks he is going on 12.  It is funny because his teacher even says that he always wants to do what the "big" kids are doing.  If they are having a snack...he wants a snack regardless if he just drank a full bottle.  Haha.  She says you would think he has never been fed.  Oh boy...the things we have to look forward to.  (Just a side note to the video...Austin does know how to crawl like normal, but he can move a lot faster if he uses his right leg to push himself across the floor which he does ALL the time.  And yes, don't worry the bowl that he is playing with is the dog's bowl.  Haha.)

Personality+Brains=Perfect!

Austin has got to be one of the cutest kids I have ever known.  Now, really think about it?  I am not just another one of those crazy moms who thinks their child is the greatest because people will back me up on this.  I feel so proud when people talk about Austin and all of his cuteness!  I mean shouldn't I?  He is 50% me.  Now when he is his serious self and won't smile (which is not very often) we say that he is acting like daddy.  Daddy is serious a lot and can't really relax much.  So of course he got all the good parts from me...haha.  Just kidding!  He is a perfect mix of David and I.  It is amazing watching him.  I know I have said that before but I love just watching him learn something new and being the one to teach him about his world.  It is amazing how much he takes in.  He has always been one since he was little to watch what was going on around him so I really think he is a smart kid.  Again...it is not just me thinking that because I am his mom, I promise...his teacher even made a comment recently about how smart she thought he was.  I mean you can see in the pictures that he has figured out how to take things with him somewhere.  You just put them in your mouth...haha...then your hands are free to crawl and play with the doggie door.  What a life?

Futue Football Coach...

It is so funny how as a mom you catch yourself treating your child a certain way because they are a boy or a girl.  I remember a few months ago Austin and I getting ready to go out for an evening walk and it barely drizzling and he and I went.  I remember talking to myself in my head saying it's fine he's a boy and boys can't get a little dirty and wet.  Now if we had a girl I don't think I would have continued with the walk.  Why is that?  Who knows I am probably the only weird person that thinks like that...well I am a girl so I guess that might explain some of it.  Haha.  So tonight David had a soccer game at Clements High School which is far away I hear so Austin and I just hung out at the house.  I decided to be a crazy mom again and snap a 100 pictures of him so tonight we did our coach's son poses.  Towards the end I was showing Austin how to actually use the whistle and he was able to blow it once which was very exciting.  Austin also learned tonight how to say Dada.  He has been saying Mama for a little bit now so we have been trying to get him to say Dada.  I think he has really learned how to say it from his friend Barrett at school because every day when I pick up Austin Barrett always points and says Daddy to his dad.  Austin loves his friends at school!

The Perfect Date

So in my mind I have two evenings planned in my head of what a perfect date would be.  Of course an evening spent with my wonderful husband David going to dinner and a movie (as a matter of fact we have made that one of our New Year resolutions to at least once a month go on a date) and then there is a night spent with my little man Austin.  Last Friday, David had to go out of town for soccer and Austin and I had our own little date at our kitchen table.  It was very cute because he was eating what I was having: Rice-A-Roni, green beans, and ribs (he also had one of his jars of baby food).  Austin now must have something on his tray that he can feed himself or he will let you know very nicely (by screaming and hitting the spoon) that he wants something else.  Haha.  During our date I was trying to remind Austin of good manners to have on a date like using utensils, no burping at the table (if you do say excuse me), and no throwing food on the ground (although it is nice to help feed others...aka our dogs which have lately become Austin's new best friends because of what he throws to the ground).  I know it probably seems weird to say but it really was a perfect night just the two of us.  We did miss Daddy so we sent him a picture on his phone of eating like a big boy and letting him know that he was taking care of mommy while he was gone.  

The Conversations of Mothers

So in an attempt to try to post often on the blog I felt the need to share what I think is a funny story about being a mom.  A couple weekends ago David and I went out to celebrate our friend Melissa having completed her masters.  Of course like always the guys have their conversations and the girls have theirs.  I have no idea what the guys were talking about but I am sure it was hunting or sports talk of some kind...meanwhile the girls were talking about labor.  Haha.  Granted the "moms" that were there in the conversation all have children under the age of 1.  It is so funny how much your life changes and conversations change once you have kids.  I remember one mom saying while we were there "What did we do before we had kids?"  I know that David and I have thought about that.  It is amazing how every moment of your life now is full of constant entertainment, new beginnings, and laughter because of the little ones in your life.  (In celebration of mothers, I decided to attach of photo of all the mommies from our Christmas in Arkansas.  It is David's cousins and their little ones.  There are also two more babies in the picture but you can't see them yet because they are still growing in their mommies bellies.  Spencer and Amber are both expecting new additions to their families. )

Austin loves his Uncle Mikey

It is nice that Austin has an "official" uncle, David's brother Michael.  It is so sweet to see the two of them together.  Austin definately has a sweet spot in his uncle's heart because his picture is all over his truck.  So sweet!  Michael is always getting Austin little things so that he is cool.  The latest things he has been getting him is camo gear because dad has become a "hunter".  I wanted to make a special post just for Uncle Mikey because Austin really loves having him as an uncle (and we love having him as a brother...yes Michael I am your big sister and don't forget I can beat you up.)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Family and Friends!  Today we sat down as a family the three of us and wrote down our new year resolutions.  Austin has a lot that he wants to accomplish in the new year.  At the top of his list he said that he wanted teeth.  (We put two toys in front of him and told him one was teeth and the other was to walk and he picked the teeth one.  Haha.)  Well one of my new years resolutions is going to be to update the blog on a regular basis.  Well to start the year off right we must update you on everything Austin can now do because he has accomplished a lot since my last post of Santa Claus is coming to town.  Austin can now clap his hands, crawl, pull himself up on everything and anything, feed himself little puffs or anything you put on his tray, and has now begun to make himself laugh.  It is one of the cutest things we've seen.  We just sit and watch him play and his imagination goes.  He will be playing with his toys and then drop his head and just laugh.  Very cute!  

Austin's First Christmas!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and was able to spend it with family and friends.  This Christmas was extra special because it was Austin's first Christmas.  We spent Christmas in Arkansas with David's side of the family.  My parents also made the trip up because they wanted to be there also.  (I don't think my parents know how much that meant to me.)  It is hard when you get married to have to "switch" who you spend Christmas with and being able to spend Christmas with both David's parents and mine made it extra special this year as well as it being Austin's first Christmas.