Season Opener...

No, not football. Wedding season! Last night we started off the next round of non-stop weddings, showers, and parties. It's going to be a busy few months!!

Saturday we headed down to Houston for Buck and Kelly's wedding. I was really excited about going because we hadn't seen any of this crowd in a while.

Their wedding was in a beautiful catholic church, but I didn't get any pictures. :/ I was in the back following around a little Pooper. And I mean that literally. I smelled him, but figured we could make it until the end of the ceremony before we walked out and changed. Nope. I looked down at his back and saw it creeping up his back...yuck! So I quickly walked up to where we were sitting, grabbed the diaper bag, and headed out. I went across the the Auditorium building and managed to get him cleaned up, only to find....no extra clothes in the diaper bag. Great. And no keys to get some from the car. I couldn't walk back into the church with a baby in only a diaper, so I turned on the lights in the gym and we just stayed there and played until the wedding was over. :)

Jimmy and Mary were sans Brody. I was hoping he and Ruston would finally get to meet! Little Tavyn wasn't there either, so I guess Ruston will have to wait a little longer before their playdate. Soon!

Ruston was so good all night. He took a snooze in the car between the wedding and reception, but other than that, he was a party animal all night. He entertained everybody and kept us on our toes.

He thought Buck was hilarious. :)

And of course, the Aggie War Hymn. Scared Ruston to death when they all screamed "whoop!"

Big group

An end of night pic!

Finally caught the 2 of them together!

The wedding was so much fun! One of my favorite parts was the photo booth. I'll scan our pics and put them up soon. :)

Ten on Tuesday - School Blurbs

Ten Reasons why I hate seriously dislike the First Day of School...

Yep, today was my first day of school.  And yep, I'm a little grouchy tonight.  So yep, you get to listen to me complain. :)

1.  It marks the real end of summer.  I've been back at training for the past week, but it still wasn't school time.  When I pulled into the parking lot this morning and realized it was over flowing with cars dropping off kiddos, all I could do was sigh.  Adios, summer.  I'll be waiting anxiously for your return!

2.  My throat is dry and itchy.  Sheesh, I haven't talked this much in 2 1/2 months.  Talking all day really did a number on me!

3.  My feet feel like they are going to explode!  I live in flip flops over the summer.  OK, if I'm being honest, I live barefoot. :)  I tied my tennis shoes as loosely as possible today, but it still felt like they were being squeezed by a boa constrictor.  Add to that standing ALL day long and you've got yourself a recipe for swollen ankles!!

4.  I'm teaching Kindergarten.  Yes, I know I teach first grade.  But these kiddos come in as Kindergardeners.  And let me tell you, there is a reason I don't teach Kinder!

5.  I repeat myself 1,436 times.  And I'm sure I'll do it just as much tomorrow.  When kids come back from a break, they have the memory of an elephant. (Don't they have bad memories?!?)  I can tell them not to lean on the wall at 10:32 on the way to lunch.  By the time we reach the cafeteria doors at 10:35, they're all over the wall again.  Ugh.

6.  I have to eat lunch in the cafeteria.  Dang! As a teacher, lunch time is pretty much the only adult interaction time you get.  That's it....25 minutes.  I don't wanna eat lunch with these boogers, I've been hanging out with them all morning!

7.  Nobody knows how they get home.  Dismissal time is a hectic time.  Everyone is trying to figure out where all the kids belong.  Why not do it ahead of time, you say? Oh, we do.  But something is always wrong or changed or just forgotten.  I had one kid go home on the wrong bus today.  I can't wait for the middle of the year when they all actually know how to get home! (Yes, it takes that long)

8.  I feel like a chicken with my head cut off.  You can plan all you want for the first day, but it never happens that way.  Things take twice as long as you expect or end up being done in a flash.  New students wander in at random times and you have to stop and get them settled.  Nothing is where I "left it."  I pretty much just walk around and look for things all day. :)

9.  I have to hold it.  Another one that all you teachers know about....  In the summer you get used to being able to use the restroom whenever you feel the urge.  Nope, not anymore!  You have to wait until the end of the lesson, activity, or sometimes end of the day.  All you non-teacher friends would be impressed with the length of time we can hold our bladders!! haha

10.  Kids are crazy mofos.  Summer must be some kind of drug or super sweet candy.  Because kids come back hyper as can be and ready to bounce off the walls.  There were many moments today when I had to take deep breaths and count to 10.  ha!  Gotta get these honeys trained so I can have some peace!!

Alright, vent session over.  My 5th First Day of School is under my belt and now I'm ready to show up smiling and motivated tomorrow! Sweet dreams, blog land!! :)

I'll take ya for a ride...

...on my big green tractor!!

Every month our friends Ken and Beverly take pictures of Ruston. I had his 11 month session all planned out at the beach. I even had his outfit picked out! But unfortunately, Danny's work schedule did not allow us to get down there. This is the first time in 7 months we haven't been able to get them to take his pictures. :(

BUT...lucky for us, Rebekah took some pictures of him earlier this month for his birthday invitations. So, even though he was only 10.5 months in the pics, we're going to use them as his 11 month. Thanks Bekah!! :)

11

It is amazing to me to think that this little boy is already almost a year old! It's been incredible to watch him change and grow and develop such an awesome personality. He's such a happy boy! He laughs and smiles all the time.

Eating: Eating is Ruston's specialty. There isn't a thing he won't try. (Also including inedible things, such as remotes, Chapstick, tables, and dogs.) He eats a lot of table food. Every once in a while we'll have something for dinner I don't think he should have, or he just won't like it, so there is still some baby food mixed in there as well. His favorite lunch is a "sandwich." I'll tear up a piece of cheese, slice of bread, and piece of turkey and he just goes to town! With the increased amount of table food came an increased mess. He is the messiest eater!! It's OK, though..it's cute. (for now) :) He's really into his sippy cup and I don't think it's going to be hard at all to switch him from the bottle.

He has a tooth! One finally came in! He definitely doesn't like to show it off, though. He squeezes his lips shut and pushes my hands away whenever I try to look at it. So no pictures. :( One of his favorite things to do is "attack" us. haha. He'll come at us full force (open mouth the whole way) and slobber all over us. Now that this tooth is here, it's not quite as fun for us! One of his favorite spots is our knees!?! Here he is heading for mine!

Sleeping: Are you ready for this??? He sleeps!!! Crazy, I know. I swear, it was just like one night, he just "got it." We got really lazy about how we were putting him to sleep and he was ending up in our bed every night. August 1st I said no more and started our repeat round of sleep training. There are nights that he screams, but most nights, he lays right down and I'll pat his back until he falls asleep. Now, he still doesn't sleep as long as other babies I've heard. His average is about 9:30 pm to 5 a.m. But that is amazing for him! Every morning I walk in and tell him how proud I am of him. He responds with the biggest, sweetest smile I've ever seen.

Playing: He still plays with EVERYTHING! He loves his real toys and he loves things that he decides should be toys. A new favorite is my Chapstick. He will get a death grip on that tube and not let go until something really fabulous steals his attention. He still cracks up when he looks at pictures of us. We're re-doing our picture wall right now, so we've got some pictures on the floor. He crawls up to them and just starts laughing. He'll point at us and smile as big as day. (He can only point with his left hand! The right hand he still just reaches out with his whole palm open. Does this mean he'll be left handed?!)

He learned to clap this month! Its so cute...we'll say "yaaay!" and he'll stop whatever he's doing, break into a huge smile, and clap his hands. He seems like such a big boy now. He likes to pretend too. We like to pretend we're eating or drinking with his toys. He's gotten really good at lifting a cup himself and pretending to drink.

He's starting to show more interest in his books. We have pretty much always read every night, but he never paid much attention to the books any other time. Now he'll choose books from his toy baskets and sit and turn the pages for a while.

He loves to play with anything he's not supposed to have! Dad's surround sound speakers and receiver are really hard to stay away from. Diesel's water bowl is also incredibly tempting. Ruston likes to copy things we're doing. When I'm in the kitchen, he wants to pull out every single tupperware dish and spread them all over the house. When Danny works out, he wants to use his equipment too!

Bath time is still a fun time. He crawls around chasing his toys. His favorites are the puffer fish and the hermit crab. He'll choose those first every time. He definitely DOES NOT like rinsing his hair. He hates leaning back so I can pour water over his head. He screams, arches his back and tries to roll over and get away from me. So I've started just dumping the water on his head. I feel so mean! He hates it too and usually ends up screaming as soon as he catches his breath. Then he stands up and tries to crawl out of the bath tub. So I always have to save that for the very end of bath time. haha

Moving: Not walking yet, but getting very brave with letting go of things and just standing. Whenever he decides he wants to go somewhere, it doesn't seem like walking even crosses his mind. He just plops down on his booty and takes off. He's really fast now and can get anywhere he wants to. Other than crawling and cruising, he likes to push things! Not just his toys or boxes, he pushes our kitchen chairs! These chairs are really tall and I think they're rather heavy, but he'll push them clear across the house!

Talking: Ruston understands so much of what we say to him. He knows what his bottle is, and can find Danny, Diesel and myself when we ask "Where's daddy?" Still no real words coming from him. He makes mostly sounds. He likes to say "duh" and "buh". He will definitely talk to you and have a conversation, though. And though I might not know what he's saying, I seem to be able to convince him that I do....because he keeps right on talking back to me. :) He still makes all kinds of sounds with his mouth. He can make a smacking noise, and his favorite is to blow and make his lips shake/vibrate. He usually just does it with his lips, but sometimes he'll throw his tongue in there and end up spitting all over the place. :)

This little boy can make any day great and turn any mood into a good one. I love spending time with him and watching him learn. Can't wait to see what's in store for us and this busy body this month!

Ten on Tuesday - Revisited

Wow! What a week it's already been and it's only Tuesday!! haha. Working all day is definitely taking some getting used to. It's a big difference from being at home hanging out with my boy all day. It was so hard to leave him yesterday!! Way harder than the first time I went back to work. I'll admit, I did cry when I left the house! But I called my buddy Leslie and we complained together. :) I think we both came to the consensus that working is over-rated and we will soon be taking the new job of Full time stay at home mom!! (Ha! I wish!!) He's 11 months old today and I just can't believe how fast this year has gone by.

Anyway, I know you have all been on pins and needles waiting to find out if I met my ten goals for the summer! I made them HERE.

So, let's check them out!!

1. Clean out our closet! -- Hmm....kind of. It's definitely better than it was! And I can't take the credit for everything that got done in there. Danny actually did most of it!

2. Work on Ruston's baby book. -- YES!! I did! But am I finished? Not close. Will I be finished and have it ready for his first birthday party? Probably not. I'm filling out his official baby book, but I'm also making him a scrapbook. And that's what takes so long. :(

3. Go to the beach at least 5 times. -- No. :( We didn't make this one. But we got close! We went 3 times. And we were supposed to be going again this weekend, but we don't get to now. Danny has to fill in at work for some people that took off. Booooo! I had Ruston's outfit all planned for his 11 month pics with Ken. So I guess we don't get to take them now. :( Luckily, Bekah took some for his bday invites that can work for this month, even though they were a little early. But I digress...back to the beach! The trips we did get to take were fantastic. I'm so lucky to have a place to go without spending a lot of money.

4. Read. -- Yeppers! I didn't finish a whole book, but I got close! And I'll finish it soon. :) I did get to do a lot of blog reading though. Danny thinks I'm crazy reading about these people I don't know. But I really like just knowing there are other people in the same situations I'm in and seeing how other people live.

5. Visit my friends in Dallas. -- Once! I had a great trip up to Dallas in June. I got to see a bunch of my friends, but not all of them. I wish I could have gone up there more, but it's hard. On a side note, one of co-workers from McKenzie just had her 2nd baby. They didn't know before hand, but he had a heart condition that was pretty scary. He was supposed to get to go home today, yay! But whenever you have a free moment, say a little prayer that Baby Maddox stays healthy. :)

6. Spend some time with my family. -- Yes!! I got to spend lots of time with Ruston (although it's never enough). Danny was awesome and took some time off work here and there too so that we could spend some time together. Beach trips were fantastic and even when we just hung out here, it was nice to see each other. :)

7. Work on some school stuff for next year. -- Ha! The boxes I brought home didn't ever move! But that's OK. I feel prepared for the new year and spent my time and energy on what I should have...my family.

8. Cook at least 3 times a week. --Sometimes. We weren't home a lot of nights each week so I couldn't cook then. But I've definitely cooked the majority of the time we've all been home. When Danny works late, I usually don't cook, because it's just for me.

9. Go to church. -- :( Big sad face. I'm really bummed about this one. We have got to get into a church. We are really having a hard time finding one that we feel excited about going to. This has now become my fall goal. We are going to find a church home.

10. Spend some time on myself! --Mmmm, yeah, I'd say so. Wednesdays were pretty much all about me. Kathie kept Ruston most Wednesdays, so I'd do whatever I wanted to at the house. Take naps. Float in the pool. Run errands. Work on scrapbooks. And we started having girls nights on Wednesdays, which is fabulous. I really enjoy my time with the girls!

Adios, summertime! See ya next year!

Thoughts for Thursday

I am beyond sad that this is my last week with Ruston. I've had so much fun with him over the summer. I think it's going to be harder to leave him this time than it was the first time I went back to work. He has such a personality now and we do so much together during the day.

I am definitely excited about his opportunities for this year, though. We were very lucky that we had grandma's to take care of him and we didn't have to send him to a daycare. Only problem is that he got a little spoiled and really didn't know how to interact with other kiddos. My cousin, Amy, keeps her little girl and her brother's daughter at her house. (Which happens to be right next door to my school!) She's going to keep Ruston some this year! We're starting out with 2 days a week and then hopefully we'll be able to add some days as the year goes on. I'm so happy that he will have some kids his age to play with and grow with. And he still gets 3 days of grandma time, too!

But I'd much rather stay home and keep him myself! haha I mean, really, who wouldn't want to do this everyday??.....

I'm going to miss these summer days with my boy!

Why, oh why...

...do the weekends pass so quickly?!? We had a great deal of fun this weekend and I'm sad it's over! Each weekend that passes gets me closer and closer to leaving my little Buddy and going back to work. Boooo. :)

Saturday morning we went to a baby shower for an old friend of mine, Kim. Ruston made the rounds that morning. Here he is walking with Kali.

Kim got so many great gifts! Her grandma even hand made her some baby outfits. Precious!

Bekah, Steph, and I were big fans of the cake!!

Sunday morning we got up bright and early and headed out to Webberville. Ruston is having a tractor themed 1st birthday, so we wanted to get some pictures of him out in the corn fields and on some tractors. He tried his best, but he just wasn't into the picture taking. Rebekah and Scott met us out there and I'm sure she got a few good ones. I can't wait to see them!

Ruston helped Danny drive from the corn field back up to the house.

When we got home, Ruston was really excited to see Diesel. He kept crawling all over him and pulling his fur. As usual, Diesel just ignored him and pretended he wasn't there. :)

Silly boy.

Sunday was also our anniversary! It's hard to believe how different our lives are from two years ago. Danny got me these beautiful flowers. He already had them cut and in the vase when I walked inside.

My dad and Benda kept Ruston for the day. Danny and I layed out in the pool for a few hours and then went to Bastrop. We ate at Chili's and then went to see Grown Ups. That movie is hilarious! I love funny movies. :)

Flashback to 2 years ago!