Wordless Wednesday - Part 4

Another year has come and gone...

Every year I look forward to the rodeo. So many people, so many things to do, so many good singers...

I can't believe that another year of the rodeo is already over. This year I didn't spend as much time out there as I used to. When I was a kid, we practically lived out there because so many family members were working it. In my most carefree semester of life (living out in the Ponderosa, for those of you that know :)), my friends and I were up there every night. Such a blast.

We only made it out there twice this year, but that's OK. Priorities change when you have a wee one. :)

We went to the BBQ Cookoff on the 19th. Fantastic food and drinks from the Asleep at the Grill Team. I saw so many friends I haven't gotten to see in so long! We had tickets for the rodeo that night too, but we just made it to the concert. No matter how many times I see Randy Rogers, it's still great! He's still my favorite. :) After the concert we went back to the cook off for a while. It was a late night!!

We had more tickets for this past Friday. We got there super late again because we had my school's Spring Carnival to work. We made it just in time for Steve Wariner's 2nd song. He is fabulous!! I'm telling you, I was expecting him to look old and fat, but he didn't at all! Great concert. And great time at the BulletProof tent afterwards! There was a "cover band" playing...Suede. They were the best band I've heard in forever!! We didn't leave until the played their last song at 2! They're playing again at Cool River in May...I think we're going to have to go!

Adios, Rodeo Austin.....see ya next year!

6 months old!! (Last week, that is ;))

This month for Ruston has been all about the personality. He's becoming such a charming little fella. (Not that he wasn't before, of course!) He'll look at you and smile super big, then turn his head really quick and bury his face to hide. He squeals when he gets excited and just laughs and laughs. He's started to smile and act happy when Danny and I get home in the evenings. It just makes my day for him to look at me and then grin. He'll lean toward you and just fall into your arms. He can follow and locate a voice really well. He strains his neck around to look at you if he thinks you're doing something interesting behind him.

Toys are becoming interesting now. He'll grab them and bang or shake them like crazy. If he sees one he wants, he'll stretch out until he gets it. Big boy "doesn't need" our help when it comes to holding his things. He wants to hold his own bottle and spoon. He can get his pappy himself. And he wants to drink from our glasses, not his bottle! :)

Everything still goes straight into the mouth. Even his feet. :)

The biggest deal this month has been getting him some help for his acid reflux. This poor guy has been screaming at night for MONTHS. We mentioned it to the pediatrician, but he didn't seem to worried about it. We decided to take him back again, specifically for this problem, and luckily he thought it was severe enough to offer some help. Little buddy now takes 5.5 mLs of prilosec each day. It has definitely made a difference in the amount he spits up and the awful tummy aches he was getting at night. He still doesn't sleep worth a dern, but we're ready to work on that now. Before, we couldn't do the "cry it out" technique - he was crying because he was in pain. :( So we couldn't just leave him. But now that the tummy aches are gone, we're ready to get it started. Sorry in advance to the neighbors - you might hear some screaming!! :)

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Ruston turned 6 months old today! Since I'm on Spring Break, I finally tried getting him to sleep in his own bed. It's so hard putting him across the house when he wakes up so much in the middle of the night. So he's still been in the bassinet in our room. He didn't do too bad. I layed (laid?) him down around 8 in his big boy bed. He was up at 8:45. I rocked him again and got him back to sleep and he made it to 3:20!!! Alright! For those of you that don't know about our sleep issues, 3:20 is great. We're trying again tonight. I've already had to go back in there and rock him again once. Maybe we'll make it to 3:20 again tonight!

He was kinda fussy all day, so I didn't do his "photo shoot" in his 6 month sticker...I'll try tomorrow. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we tried peas for the first time today. They were a go! He really is a great solid food eater. Pretty impressed.

We worked in the kitchen all afternoon and made Daddy a St. Patrick's Day lunch. We took him green beans and some Parmesan Chicken with noodles in pesto sauce. Ruston's specialty is cupcakes, so we made some to take to everyone working at the Rockdale store.

I attempted to take a picture with the pooper in our green shirts, but you can't really see them. I was using the mirror in the bathroom to tell if we were both in the picture or not. Ruston loves the mirror. His friend "Carlos" always looks back at him and smiles. :)

I wanted to make sure we got a picture of him in his "I'm a McCutie" outfit, so we snapped this right before a bomb went off his diaper. :)

This month's photo shoot...

This month's photo shoot didn't go as smoothly as the one's in the past have...

We started out in a chair in our bedroom, but his booty kept slipping....

So we tried standing up. He liked it, but I was just waiting for him to tumble....

So we moved to sitting on the floor, which eventually led to this....

And this....

So we let him try standing backwards.....

And got this! :)

Got some silly faces on the couch...

Then finally a smile!

And of course, had to get one with the fur brother!

Thanks, Ken, for doing this every month!! :)

What a way to start our break!

Yesterday was our first day of Spring Break...and it wasn't filled with much fun! haha

Ruston had his 6 month appointment early Monday morning. Everything checked out well. Buddy is a little small, but he's still super handsome!! :)

Stats: 16 lbs. 4 oz (25%)

26 1/2 inches long (50%)

Head - 44.7 cm (75%)

Poor guy had to get 3 shots. :( He also had to take one "shot" orally, and threw it back up as soon as we got into the waiting room to leave...haha...story of his short life. :)

That afternoon, it was Diesel's turn to visit the doctor. I feel so bad for the guy. Since Ruston's come along, he really has taken a back seat. He's such a good dog, I feel bad he doesn't get much attention anymore.

He definitely beat Ruston out on the weight, amount of shots, and amount of time at the Dr.!! He weighed in at 93.4 pounds. Got 4 shots and his nails clipped. Hopefully the rest of our break will be a little less painful!! :)

Thoughts for Thursday...Part 2

Here's another email I've had saved from Bethany since '06. When she first sent this to me, I was in college, dealing with issues I thought would ruin my life at the time. It's really crazy to think that things turn out so differently from how you picture your life being. Everything happens for a reason and I'm so glad I ended up where I am. I remember getting this and just thinking to myself, wow, so true....

I BELIEVE...

That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

That regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

Flashback Friday! Part 6

Remember this scrawny little boy that thought bathing was so awful, he screamed bloody murder the entire time?

Well...

He's a little plumper and a little calmer now. :)

Wordless Wednesday - Part 3