Christian's Corner

Halloween is HERE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:25:00 +0000

Wow...
Halloween snuck up on me this year. I knew it was coming, but not this fast. Anyway, Neo is going to be a pirate. The whole second grade is dressing up like pirates at his school. And, because I was focused on Neo and things with him, I totally forgot to get Charlie a costume.

here is what I did to make it happen, and the pictures are attached.

This is the site for my inspiration.

I could not find an all white sweatsuit, so I got a longsleeve onesie, the dalmation pants (actually girls pj's), a red collar, and a piece of regular pink felt and black felt with the sticky back from Walmart, and I found the white hat at the 99 cent store. The sticky black felt was easy to put on and fast. I used safety pins to attach the ears and tail then colored it with a black sharpie so that you could not see the safety pin. I already had a pipe cleaner and some no sew glue that I used to attach the pink part of the ear to the black part.

It will definitely do for a last minute costume.

Happy Halloween,
Christian

Birthday Treats

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:56:00 +0000

I had such a great treat for my birthday that I had to write about it. I woke up to a handmade card from Neo that stated, "Congratulations for being a good mom!" How cute. He drew a picture for me and signed his name. I also got a card from Frankie with a coupon for a day "off". (I have really been doing lots of coupon shopping lately, so this was really cute!) The first time I read it, I missed that the expiration was 9/30/08. Which meant that I had to use it that day. So, as I was talking to Frankie, I mentioned that I could use it after Neo's bday party in a few weeks. He said, no, it is for today. I was surprised! He took the day off of work and stayed home with Charlie and met Neo off of the bus. What a wonderful husband! Thanks babe! I had a fabulous day walking around the mall, browsing at Barnes and Noble, shopping at Old Navy, meeting with work friends for lunch, getting myself a manicure and a pedicure, shopping at resale shops and Garden Ridge. I really enjoyed my day "off". It was very thoughful and I appreciate it! I love you very much! That afternoon, I took the boys for haircuts and took Neo to his cubscouts meeting. I love you all very much! And, I love being a mom!

Not so little anymore

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:05:00 +0000

Well, my little boy Neo is not so little anymore. Second grade is off to a good start. We are getting to a point where Neo is doing a lot more by himself. On the first day of school, he told me that I did not need to come meet him at the bus stop anymore...I could just leave the door unlocked. Wow! It made me realize that all of the teaching that we do is so important when they have to make decisions for themselves. I know this is just the start, and I wonder if he will make the right decisions, but I guess we have to pray that God will be with him where ever he may be and guide him in the right path.

2nd grade!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:25:00 +0000

Our little Neo starts second grade tomorrow. : ) Well, he is not so little anymore. We met his teacher on Friday at the Meet and Greet at school. His teacher looks nice and Neo is excited about his first day. Send him an email if you get a chance. I know that he would like that.

The summer is officially over. We had some of the neighborhood kids over at the house this weekend. It was fun to see them playing. It reminded me of when I was little playing at friends houses and had no worries. Neo had a friend spend the night on Saturday. How cute?...oh, I mean cool...is that! And, to end it off, we had ice cream at Piccomolo this afternoon.

Nothing fancy

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:43:00 +0000

So, I have taken another step to get the beetle sold. I put signs in the car today, and I already have 2 phone calls to return. There were a couple of people that stopped to look at it in the driveway. So, hopefully, we can sell it soon.

We have been going to the library alot this summer. Lots of great things to do, and for free! I like that. Anyway, I think that I will continue to bring Neo even after school starts. It is a good atmosphere to be in.

I started cleaning out neo's armoire to see what clothes he needs for this school year. So far, he is good on shorts, tshirts and jeans. I think he may need a few light short sleeve shirts for school. But, he is so picky! No collars, button downs, or dressy shirts. He likes the regular tshirt material. He has a few fleece tops from the last few years, but it was too hot for him to try them on today. I think we may need to get him a new jacket and tennis shoes. He has been wearing his crocs all summer, so the tennis shoes don't feel comfortable anymore.

charlie is getting better at walking. he and i have fun playing and singing. he likes the song, if you are happy and you know it clap your hands and pat-a-cake. I think he just likes clapping :).

Coupons ROCK!!

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:44:00 +0000

So, I know it has been a while since I last blogged....and, I am not going to catch up now, but I felt like writing tonight.

The house is ....quiet. That is a rare occasion. I am the only one awake...another rare occasion. Anyway, I just got back from Kroger and HEB. I am trying to be a better shopper, so I started looking at the ads on Wednesday, going through my coupons on Thursday and Sunday, and shopping on Monday or Tuesday. Today, I got $158.23 in groceries and household items for $100.34. Not too bad! I am going to try to get even better at it. I found a site that you can see what the sales are and what coupons to use. It is www.couponmom.com. I have not figured out the best way to navigate through the site, but I plan to work on it. She is amazing! Also, if you did not clip your own coupons or don't have enough for the deals where you need a certain quantity, you can get them at www.thecouponclippers.com. They usually ship pretty fast, so if you get the circular on the first day out and go through coupons, you can see which ones you need and get them there.

In trying to save money, we switched our electricity provider to Greenmountain energy. They use natural resources like wind and water to provide electricity, which lowers the amount of pollution used to get it. And, it was less expensive than our current provider. Look at that!

In addition, if you have not seen the video clip of charlie on our website, you need to check it out! Neo is starting school next week....second grade! Can you believe that?

My how time goes by so quickly!

Getting used to life with two

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:53:00 +0000

Wow. Things change once you have two children. I think that one of the hardest things to deal with right now is not being able to do as many things with Neo. For example, I was not able to go to his bday party. What a bummer. It's okay though. I think as Charlie gets older we will all be able to do things more often. We are so blessed to have two wonderful children. Neo is very patient and understanding. He loves being around his little brother and does a great job calming him. Charlie is a good baby. He is not fussy for no reason. But, it sometimes takes me a while to find out what that reason is. Yesterday morning when he woke up from his morning nap, he smiled at me so big. I just know he was saying, "Good morning mom, good to see you." It is those moments that I will treasure forever.

Our new baby is here

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:32:00 +0000

Hello all,

Our new baby boy, Charlie, graced us with his presence on September 26th (the same day as Mr. CJ's birthday). He is beautiful, although I am a little partial. You can see more of the story here. Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. We are both doing well and adjusting to life with a "party of four".

Many thanks to mom and Mrs. Lynn. I greatly appreciate the time you took out of your busy lives to come and help us out. From cooking to cleaning, you guys did it all, and found time to just talk. I am quite thankful to have you both in our lives.

Also a little late, thank you Frankie. You are a wonderful coach. Your support and understanding made my labor and hospital stay much more enjoyable. Thanks for being there for me when I needed it most. You are a great dad. I appreciate you taking the late late shift : ) and helping to calm me when my emotions are clearly out of whack. I am so fortunate to have you. I love you very much.

Many thanks and much appreciation to all,
christian : )

Update

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:59:00 +0000

We had an ultrasound and some tests done today. The baby and I are doing fine. I will keep everyone posted.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Wii had a great day

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:35:00 +0000

Neo saved up enough money to pitch in for a Nintendo Wii. We all played it today and had loads of fun. He is already wanting to add games and stuff to his wish list for his birthday and christmas. I will get the details and add it to the list soon. Or, if you want, email Frankie.

I will update the blog after my appointments tomorrow.

Sunday, September 23

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:26:00 +0000

Just a small post to say that we are still waiting for our baby to come...

I have an ultrasound tomorrow at 11:30 and a doctor's appointment at 1:30. I will let you guys know what is going on later tomorrow afternoon.

Good Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:50:00 +0000

I slept in the recliner last night, hoping that the baby would stay or move down some. I slept okay, but don't know his position.

The birds are chirping and it looks nice out. I am thinking about going out for a walk. Maybe we can get something going here. I can tell when I walk that he is pushing down (especially on my bladder). One of my neighbors told me to try some eggplant parmesan. I may do that today. I have never had that, but its worth a try. It has been nice to talk with some of our neighbors while I am out, or at least get a wave and a smile.

I will keep you all posted on any updates. Have a good Saturday!

It's Friday, no baby yet

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:31:00 +0000

Good morning!

I went walking yesterday afternoon, and I could tell that the baby moved down some. It felt great to get some exercise in and I felt good that the baby moved down (especially since the doctor said he moved up). But, this morning he does not feel like he is in that position anymore. Maybe if I sleep standing up, he will stay down :). It is nice and cool outside this morning, so I will go take a stroll and see what happens.

Thanks again for the emails and phone calls. I will keep you all posted.

Dr. Appointment update

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:05:00 +0000

My doctor said that the baby moved up! Maybe he is nice and cozy in there. She said his heartbeat sounds good. I am the same amount dialated as last week. So, she wants to do an ultrasound next week to see how big he is and check his movements. I will keep you all posted on any updates.

Heading to the doctor

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:35:00 +0000

My doctors appointment is at 10:30 today. I will head over there and make a post this afternoon with what she says.

I hope that everyone is doing well.

Still doing great

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:32:00 +0000

I am feeling good and trying to get some rest in before the baby arrives. I am really excited, because I know that each day is one day closer to us meeting the baby.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow (Thursday), and will make another post after the appointment. I hope that things have progressed since last week's visit.

Thanks for the phone calls, emails and texts to see how things are going. I will try to post here often until the baby arrives. That way, everyone knows what is going on.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Thank you.
love,
christian : )

Still doing great

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:32:00 +0000

Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:39:00 +0000

Well, we had a great weekend just relaxing and getting stuff done. Neo met a new friend and they were together most of the weekend. Frankie got lots done around the house and he washed my car. Thanks babe! I really believe it is the cutest car ever! When the time comes, it will be hard to part with it. : (

No new news on the baby. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday morning. So, we will see what she has to say. But maybe we won't need to go. :) I am feeling well and trying to keep my feet up and relax. We went to eat out last night and I thought that spicy food may do the trick to get some contractions going. No such luck. The food was really good. I have not had spicy food in a while.

Neo added the Transformers - Decepticons DS game to his wish list for his birthday. He has a similar game that is really neat that he enjoys. Or if you are interested, it looks like we will get a Nintendo Wii. There are lots of games and accessories to go with it. Talk with Frankie if you are interested in those items. If you all can make it, his birthday party will be on October 13th.

I hope that all is well with you and your families. Take care and keep in touch.

So anxious...

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:08:00 +0000

We are all so excited about the new baby. We can not wait! Our bags are packed and the room is pretty much ready. I am feeling well and have a doctor's appointment today. I will let you guys know what she says.

We are looking forward to sharing this with you. We will definitely update the website and post pictures as soon as we get them. I know that Houston is not "next door," but would love to see you and have you over to see our family. I am not sure how long it will take us to get settled in, but if everything goes as planned we think that we will be ready for visitors one to two weeks after the birth. If you are able to come in to Houston, please talk with Frankie or myself so we can coordinate the visit and make sure that we are ready and that we don't have everyone here at the same time.

I look forward to visiting with all of you and sharing this special time in our lives.

Anxiously awaiting...
Love,
Christian :)

Neo's Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 20:34:00 +0000

I can't believe that Neo is almost 7 years old. The years go by SO fast! I started putting a list of items on Neo's wish list if you guys are interested. His party will be on Saturday, October 13 at Jump'n Jungle. We would love to see you there.

These are Neo's inputs:
- Wii games/controllers and accessories (email Frankie for specifics)
- a Jack Sparrow costume (I found this one on Disney's website - size M, the sword, patch and telescope are here) (I found another one that looks cool here)
- Animal Crossing DS game
- High School Musical DVD
- Transformers - Decepticons DS game

Things Frankie and I think he will like/need:
- Dave Barnes 'Chasing Mississipi' CD
- Marc Broussard 'Save our Soul' CD
- he needs some light long sleeve shirts for this winter (size 6)

It's Been a while

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 23:24:00 +0000

i know it has been a while since my last post. i have so much to say...

Let's see...

I went to the dr. last week and no new news. i have not dilated and the dr said that I am still green. because i had no clue what he meant, i asked. he used this metaphor. "You know when you go to the grocery store and you see the yellow and brown bananas, then you see the green ripe bananas?" I answered yes. He said, "well, you're one of the green ones at this point. your cervix is very tightly closed." Okay, we will let nature take its course. however, i feel like i am coming to the end. or, i guess this would really be a new beginning. the dr also mentioned that the baby was around 6lbs10oz and that he thinks this baby will be bigger than neo was at birth. i guess we will see if he is right about that one. i go to see the dr again this wed. and i will let you all know if there are any updates.

neo said the funniest thing last night. or, i got a really big laugh out of it and it was one of those you had to be there moments. i decided to plan meals for the week so that we don't have to eat out as much and i don't have to cook as often. so, i decided to make cheeseburger pie and another dish which used ground beef. so, i let neo know that the food was ready. he asked what we were having and commented that he did not know what that was. i explained what is was and he said what does it look like. i told him it has cheese on top. before i could finish, he said, "well, where's the box with the picture..." i laughed and said that i made this from scratch. he could not get over that there was no box. maybe, i will start to cook more stuff from scratch, with no box or bag that has a picture. anyway, i have not laughed that hard in a long time...

we went to visit neo's school on friday and got a chance to meet his teacher. the room is cute and the teacher seems nice. he started first grade today! he was excited to start too. he had a good day overall.

well, hopefully more to come soon...

Baby on the way

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 01:39:00 +0000

we were able to get several of our old baby things from louisiana, and some we are borrowing. thanks so much to everyone who searched hi and low for the baby stuff.

i created registries at Target and Babies R Us for stuff we do not have. we are keeping our eyes open for a dresser/changer that mathces the bed. it is light natural wood coloring. i will post a pic if i can find one.

i hope that we can see you all soon.

take care~christian :)

Mother's Day Funnies

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Mon, 14 May 2007 01:51:00 +0000

Neo had some great surprises for me this morning. They made bookmarks, handmade cards, a book that each page starts with "I love you like," and the class made a book called "Our Mothers." I looked at the bookmark, the card, and the color page. How sweet! A few of the lines from the "I love you like" book were, "I love you like chocolate ice cream and I love you like dogs like bones." This book was really cute. Then, I got to read the "Our Mothers" book. Each child drew a picture for their mom and wrote a little something. Here is what Neo wrote.

"My mom's name is Christian. She is 27 years old. My mom always says "Go Play." She likes to read about what's going to happen when a baby comes out. She does not like to mow the grass. She is good at playing games with me, but she is not good at playing computer. My mom cooks the best fish. She likes to eat beans. Her favorite restaurant is Moreno's. My mom and I like to play together. When there are no kids around, my mom reads a book. I think my dad married my mom because they loved each other. I love my mom because she loves me. I know she loves me because she kisses me. I love you Mommy! You are the best Mommy I have. Love, Neo"

I laughed and cried. I guess I need to sharpen up on my computer game skills. I think it's funny that he says I like to eat beans of all things. Or, how about what I read. Ha Ha! Frankie and Neo took me to breakfast. We drove around for a while looking at neighborhoods then came home to relax. Neo has not been feeling well, so we wanted him to rest. Frankie and I worked on a project, then we had dinner and are finally winding down.

In other news, I finished up my first semester of grad school with an A! I am really excited. I will take an online class this summer.

Take care and Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms I know!

Another BOY!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Tue, 01 May 2007 01:00:00 +0000

Well, our second child is going to be a BOY! Frankie, Neo and I are really excited and can't wait to meet this new addition to our family. Frankie and I went to the doctor today and they did an ultrasound. It was great! We got to see the baby moving around, and the nurse pointed out all of the body parts. It is really amazing!

So, what next. Well, I am working on a list of things we want for the baby and his new room. I have not decided on a theme, but there are a few in the running. I will post a list in a few days. If you have some of Neo's baby stuff stored like swings, high chairs, stroller, car seat, bath tub, blankets, playpen, diaper bags, boppy pillow, monitors, baby clothes, or you know someone who has this lying around, please let us know. I would like to get an inventory so we can make a shopping list. We are coming in on Friday, May 18th or Saturday, May 19th for Emily's graduation (Congrats Em!). This would be a good time for us to pick up the stuff that we already have, so that we can make a list of what we need. We will then do some research to see what we would like to have for the remaining items. Thanks so much!

Pregnancy update

noreply@blogger.com (Christian) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 01:48:00 +0000

Well, things are going well overall this pregnancy. I am through the first stages of morning sickness. And, I am feeling more pregnant. My belly is growing, and I felt the baby kick last night. That is such a cool feeling. It is hard to describe, but one can imagine what it must be like to know that life is in you.

I go for my ultrasound on 4/30. I will keep you all updated. As long as the baby cooperates, we will be able to determine the gender. how fun!

please keep me and the baby in your prayers for a healthy baby and natural delivery. and please keep me, frankie, and neo in you prayers for continued patience and understanding. frankie and neo have been great and understanding that "mommy is tired, or needs to rest, or wants potato soup." thanks babe!

i hope everyone is well.

take care,

christian