ONE YEAR!!!

Ethan turned ONE yesterday, December 3. I can't believe he has been in my life for a year. What an amazingly blessed year I have had with my little man. However, he is growing up too fast!!! Thank you, Jesus, for my precious angel and for everyday I am able to spend with him! I love you to the moon and back, Ethan, and I look forward to many, many more milestone birthdays and many years with you.

I've Decided

I'm going to make my blog private. Sometimes it creeps me out that it is public and anybody can read it! If you want to continue to be a part of my blog, please leave me a comment with your email address and I'll add you!! Thanks!!!

Rockin' Out!

Happy 11 Months!

Happy 11 Months, precious Ethan! I can't believe the next time I post one of these, it will be for your one year birthday! You are growing up so fast and you are the most amazing baby I've ever known! I love you to the moon and back!!

P.S. Halloween post to come soon!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch in Etter (about 12 miles north of Dumas) and had so much fun. This was the first time I had ever been to a Pumpkin Patch, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait until next year and I can watch Ethan enjoy it, too! He wasn't quite sure what to think about all of it this year. We got some pretty cute pictures, and we came home with a pumpkin for our front porch. Fun family memories!!

As I begin my 30s...

I turned 30 on October 2. It was not an easy day, I have to say. For the longest time, 30 just seemed so far away, and then, wham! It slams you in the face. However, they say everything gets better with age, so I am going to remember this and apply it to my life. My 20s were pretty great, so if this is the case, my 30s are going to be amazing!! My wonderful husband, along with some help from my mom, my Memom, and some of my closest friends, pulled off a SURPRISE party for me in Snyder! I don't know how they did it without me finding out (I tend to be a bit nosey) is a miracle, but they managed. We had so much fun! So many wonderful friends and family members were there to help me celebrate the big 3-0! All in all, being 30 isn't all that bad and I look forward to what lies ahead in this decade of my life!

Cute Pictures of a Cute Baby!

Ethan is so photogenic, and I just love taking his picture. He is so funny; when he sees the silver camera, he immediately gets his "cheese" face on - hilarious! However, I've noticed that it is only when there is a silver camera in his face - any other color just won't do. Hahaha. Anyway, just wanted to share some of these cute pictures of this cute baby I have on my hands!!

Happy (Late) 10 Months!!

Well, we were out of town visiting Ronnie's family in the beautiful Texas Hill Country when Ethan turned 10 months. I feel like an awful mother not posting anything yet for him, but sometimes life gets in the way. I have a lot to blog about, but I wanted to wish my angel a late Happy 10 Months!! I love you to the moon and back, sweet boy!!

Warning...

No need for any further explanation!

My Little Helper

I have the best little helper, ever!!! I was trying to get his clothes out of the dryer and hang and fold them, and all Ethan wanted to do was just throw what he could get in his hand on the floor! But, I didn't mind because he's just so darn cute!!!

Happy 9 Months!!

Our little angel is 9 months old today! Unbelievable! We had our 9 month check up today, as well. Ethan's doctor in Dumas left, so we had to find a new doctor. We chose Dr. Young in Amarillo, and we really, really like him. Ethan weighed 20 pounds and was 29 inches long. Growing boy!! Happy 9 months, sweet baby boy; I love you to the moon and back!!

Blue Ribbon Photo Contest for September

It’s time for another round of the Blue Ribbon Photos contest at http://acowboyswife.com/

Every month, a photo contest will be held here, each one with a different theme. There will be two judges for each contest, whom of which will narrow down the entries one by one to choose the winners. There will only be one Blue Ribbon winner.

SEPTEMBER BLUE RIBBON PHOTO CONTEST

Please read the complete rules before submitting your photo!

Photo entries will be taken from today, September 1st through September 20th at 10pm CST. That’s over two full weeks to get your photo submitted here!

The September theme is “Sapphire”. Sapphire is September’s birth stone so anything blue related applies to this photo contest.

Here is my entry for the contest titled My Angel in Blue.

This is my son, Ethan, when he was about 3 months old. It is one of my favorite pictures of him!

Behind the RED Door!

We finally got our front door painted red!! I absolutely love it!! I think it adds so much to the front of the house, and just completes it. I've always wanted a red front door, and I now have one!!!



Here is the picture (again!) of the house before any work was started on the outside. I think it looks a jillion times better!!! We've come a long way, and I'm so proud of our home!!!

Bucky Beaver Teeth!

Ethan's front teeth are huge!!! It cracks me up when he smiles at me! =o) It's crazy how much the arrival of these new teeth has completely changed his appearance...he no longer looks like a baby. =o( He's growing up so fast, and turning into the cutest little man ever!!!

Chicago 2009

Ronnie and I spent 5 wonderful days in beautiful Chicago last week! We had a blast!! I had to go for a work conference on Friday & Saturday, so we decided to make a vacation out of it. I've been to the Windy City a couple times before, and absolutely love it! Ronnie had never been, so I wanted to show him around. We saw and did so many things and have so many wonderful memories! It is by far, my favorite city, ever, and I look forward to returning there someday! Here is a slide show of some of our pictures:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

8 months!!!

Ethan is 8 months old today! Wasn't he just born yesterday?!? We are up to 8 teeth now and he is still the precious angel I held in my arms for the first time 8 SHORT months ago! Happy 8 Months, Baby Boy! I love you to the moon and back!!!

Teeth, Crawling, Pulling Up and Gerber Graduates

Well, Ethan is growing up every second. He is currently working on 5 teeth! 5 - poor guy! 4 across the top and one more on bottom. That will make a total of 7 when these all come in. He has handled it pretty well, I have to brag, but sometimes, he is more than grumpy. Understandable, but hard on me just the same.

Crawling...we are almost there. He can get up on all fours, and rock, but he tries to crawl, and he falls on his face. =o) He gets right back up and tries again. Pretty soon, he'll be zooming around this house and in to everything. Fun times! He is also working on pulling up and he just about has it down. I can't believe he is old enough to start crawling and pulling up. Wasn't he just born yesterday?!

Gerber Graduates...since the acquisition of these new teeth, he is exploring new foods and textures. He finally figured out on Saturday the connection between hand and mouth. It is so cute! He really likes the Graduate flavored puffs (banana, peach, cinnamon apple, sweet potatoe, and strawberry apple) and is enjoying figuring out the process of eating things that don't come in a bottle. He ate half of a banana yesterday and really enjoyed that, too.
New day = new adventures!! I'm loving every second of it!!!!

Happy 4th of July!!

This was Ethan's first July 4th! We stayed in Dumas this year, and had a great time. We went to the city park to check out what festivities the town had to offer (NOTHING like good 'ol Snyder), but that's ok. Not many small towns I know of go all out like Snyder does. I really missed it this year. Anyway, then we went out to some friends' house Saturday night and ate burgers and watched their kids set off some fireworks. The noises did not bother Ethan one bit. He had the best time and was mesmerized by all the colors. We watched the Dumas fireworks display from there and it was pretty good. Small and short, but good. We are so blessed to live in this great country where we do have so many freedoms and liberties. As I remember and celebrate those freedoms, I am humbled by the sacrifice so many Americans gave and continue to give in order for us to live the life we live in this country. America bless God, and God bless America. There is no greater nation.

Happy Birthday, Baby

Today is also Ronnie's birthday. I just wanted to take a minute to tell him Happy Birthday!! Thank you, first and foremost, for your part in our son - he is the most beautiful blessing I've ever received. Thank you for the person you are and the person you make me. Thank you for everything you do to make sure your little family is taken care of. You work so hard, and I hope you know how very grateful we are for you and your willingness and ability to work. Thank you for your unconditional love - it still amazes me everyday. You love me for me, no games, no regrets, just pure, honest love. I can't imagine my life without you, and am eternally grateful to God for bringing us together. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and know that Ethan and I love you so very much and are so proud to call you husband and Dad. I look forward to many, many more birthday celebrations together! I love you, baby!! Happy Birthday!

7 Months

Ethan is 7 months today - unbelievable!! This is such an exciting and amazing time in his life, and I am just taking it all in. He learns new things everyday, and it is such a joy to watch him grow, discover and learn. However, if anyone has any ideas or suggestions on how to make time stop, that would be great!! He's growing up way too fast!

I love you to the moon and back, precious baby boy. I look forward to many more days, months and years with you, watching you grow into as sweet and beautiful of a boy as you are a baby. Happy 7 Months!!!

EJC

Sometimes it is hard to post every single picture I take of Ethan, so I decided that slide shows are the best way to share more pictures, quicker. This particular slide show is just some pictures of him over the last couple of months. He's just growing and I can't believe he's already nearly 7 months old! Enjoy!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Constant Work in Progress

We have been working on the outside of our house, and it is really shaping up. We have pulled up some shrubs, planted flowers, bought a bench for the front porch, got a new roof, replaced the garage door, and are in the process of painting the trim and front door. The trim on the house was green and white (yuck!), and I've been wanting to paint it since we moved in but last year we were busy with the pregnancy and the loss of Daddy. We are painting the trim chocolate brown and khaki. The shrubs in the front of the house were ugly and just caught trash, so now pretty flowers are in their place. The roof was damaged by a hail storm last year, so we replaced it with a dark brown roof, and it looks awesome. The garage door was the original one from when the house was built, and it was literally crumbling at the bottom, so we replaced it with a khaki/beigh one that matches the underneath part of the trim. There was a really ugly, really big, plastic garden hose reel on the front of the house that we replaced with a wrought iron one. And, finally, the front door will be painted RED, but we haven't gotten to that yet. Pictures...

Front of house - Thanksgiving 2008, before any work was started:

Front of house after we pulled up shrubs, planted flowers, put the bench on the front porch, and replaced the garden hose holder:

House with brown and khaki trim (ignore the green garage door!):

Front of house with new, dark brown roof (again, ignore the green garage door):

And, finally, pictures of the front with the new garage door!:

Hopefully, we can finish up this weekend; I'm ready for my red front door! When we get that done, I think we'll be through with it for this year. We've done a lot of work, and the house looks so much better and we are so proud of it!

Asher is here, safe and sound!

James Asher Shields (they will call him Asher) arrived Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 2:51 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. He is beautiful and absolutely perfect!! He has LOTS of blonde hair and blue eyes. Mom, Dad and baby are all doing really well. Everybody is healthy and happy, and big brother Reese can't wait for them to bring his new little brother home! We are so blessed...

God is good

Tomorrow, my family will be blessed yet again with a new life and member. I can't believe my little brother is going to be a dad tomorrow. Amazing. I can't wait to see this role fulfilled in Bub's life. He is going to be an awesome father. We are very excited and anxious for their little bundle to get here, but it's hard to believe it's already time! It seems like just yesterday they called to share their news. My mom, Ethan and I will be headed to Lubbock in the morning to await the arrival of Baby Shields. Please keep Stormy, Bub, Reese, baby, and all the doctors and nurses involved in the delivery tomorrow in your prayers. We pray for healthy baby and healthy mommy!!! I'll post pics as soon as I'm able. Yay!!!!!!!!!!

Growing Boy!

Ethan had his 6-month check-up today. He weighed in at 17 pounds 10 ounces (50th percentile) and was 27 inches long (75th percentile). He is a happy, HEALTHY, growing boy!!