February Family Visit

ok i know its been a while but we have had non stop company and i got behind (on everything) and am just getting a chance to breathe and catch up so i will try to post all the company and fun we have had in the next couple of weeks. first lets start with the visit from the sisters. what a great time we had. we started off with a little tour of annapolis and some margaritas!

dave n deuce strolln the streets of annapolis

carrie and richard checking out some bell (obviously) on the campus of st. john (a very small private university)

deuce and aunt kelly hanging out at the hotel bar waiting to go to dinner. if you haven't noticed yet (you will) there is a theme to our weekend.

we spent the next two very cold days in dc. we stopped at all the major monuments and walked very fast in between them.

this is deuce at the capital.....can't u tell?

the sisters at the washington monument.

so deuce stayed covered up the whole time but from monument to monument we would peek in on him and this is at the lincoln when we thought he was sleeping and we pulled back the "bundle me" to find him bright eyed and bushy tailed.

this would be everyone taking a rest after we finally made it to the jefferson monument. it was a very deceiving walk. that sucker looked sooo close but once we started the path and the wind from the water kicked in and if i remember correctly it started to snow a little bit it seemed like the longest walk ever. and i say seemed like because as you'll find out in a blog to come that when i walked it with tam tam n james in much warmer weather it wasn't bad at all.

from here we headed to the holocaust museum which if u haven't been is a very moving experience.

this would be us leaving the museum cafe (bc kelly had to have something to eat! hee hee! that prego thing gets u every time). this is when the snow really started to come down and we frantically searched for the closest metro station and i think i felt like the worst mother ever for having my child out in this mess, but as you'll notice in blogs to come he survived just fine!

the next day we went to arlington and got to see a full honors burial. which i realize seems kinda weird to watch a funeral but its just one of those things you have to be there for. we also made it to the air and space museum which turned out pretty cool.

the body bearers walking behind the caisson

overlooking arlington

deuce peeking out after we were safe inside the museum

aunt carrie helping deuce bundle up and prepare to brave the cold one more time. he clearly found the whole thing very amusing.

friday was richards birthday so we decided to celebrate it by eating and drinking all day. carrie, richard, kelly n kevin started off with some huge breakfast at the hotel which i didn't know so i was busy making coffee cake muffins at the house but once they got here the previous breakfast or the fact that we were going to eat lunch in a few didn't really slow them down. but at that point we decided it was richards birthday so y not eat all day (and lets not forget the drinking). so for lunch we went to a local restaurant known for its crab cakes and dove right in and of course had a few drinks. after that we returned home and played some card and domino games while we waited for dave to get off so we could go eat and drink some more. oh, and yes we drank while we played and waited (and i think richard may have had another muffin). so then came the "mexican cafe", famous for their margaritas. krista, robie n caroline joined us for the fun.

so here is the whole gang. lots of people....small space!

the rakes family. too bad the little guys was completely entertained by caroline and not the camera.

these types of pictures always seem to come about when theres drinking involved!

the chances

the hermans

and here is the birthday boy all hopped up on margaritas and birthday fun! the hat the restaurant provided was a nice touch.

and here are just a few fun photos of the little guy from february

like son like father. yes dave decided to go bald (less maintenance)

deuce having a little bath time fun

well thats all for the february visit...stay tuned for more of them!

luv mel, dave, deuce n bronco!

just for fun

well not much has been happening lately but i thought i would add a few pics of our ever growing little angel! i am getting ready to start work on sunday..yes super bowl sunday...but i dont really care to watch the game since the cowboys aren't playing and the patriots are cheaters and the giants...well they are "the giants" what else can i say. i am excited to get back into the swing of the work world but i know i'm gonna miss my little guy. i have also got back to playing vball and i love it. i just joined a u.s.a.v. leauge and will start playing in tournaments come april. i am sooo excited! dave has been hard at work as usual. he is still doing the funerals at arlington but will soon switch to a new "mos". starting feb 17th he will report to ft. meade and begin classes/training for "videoagraphy?" or something like that. he will do that for 3 months and then will get orders. we will most likely end up in north carolina or california but hawii and okinawa are also on the list. the weather hasn't been above freezing for 2 weeks now and i'm starting to wonder if it will ever warm up. guess that texas weather spoiled me. it snowed about 2 weeks ago and it's still on the ground (that's soo strange to me and every1 laughs when i mention it). well i guess that's about all. we are looking forward to all of our upcoming visitors. kelly n kev and carrie n richard will be up here mid feb and then in march "nanna" (dave's mom), tammy n james, and grandmar (a. marla) will all be up here at some point, so look forward to much more exciting blogs than this one!

dave teaching deuce the ropes of the xbox. i think they are on the controller techniques.

deuce napping on his tummy. i love it when they stick their little butt up in the air!

deuce giggling for the camera.

and now i'm just snap happy. pay no attention to the milk that's about to be on my couch

dave doing a funeral at arlington. if you can't tell (i know they tend to look alike) he is in the front left!

this is deuce playing in his activity gym. of course when i got the camera out he got a little gun shy so he isn't quite as smiley and as active as he usually is but still just as precious! (at least i think so) enjoy! i realize the lighting isn't very good but it was the best one.

until next time

luve mel dave n deuce!

locks of luv

well its a new year so i decided why not go with everything new! i got a new job (kinda) and a new hairdo. as far as the job goes i got a promotion to assistant store manager at american eagle and as for the hair well thats a story in itself. so as most of u know i have had long hair forever (except for that brief year where i cut it and imediatley started growing it back out) so i decided it was time for a change. so i was talking with one of my coworkers and was telling them about my wish to cut it but really nervous (since i didnt know any1 up here) and my hair can be quite tricky and deceiveing. i also knew i wanted to donate it to the "locks of love" program (as im sure most of u know what that is).... no need to waste all that perfectly fine hair with all those kiddos in need of it. so my friend hooked me up with this salon/spa (very fancy) that would take care of the donation for me and in appreciation of my donation would cut it for free. talk about a deal! so with much nerves i made my way to the salon and here is how it went.

measuring the hair into sections and the length (13in)

no turning back now!

and thats my hair in her hand!

and its all gone! i think thats part smile part shock!

the finished product!

from the back

after we got home and i played with it a little bit

so thats all for the hair but of course i couldnt post a blog without adding a few pics of the little guy.

deuce all bundled up to go to the dog park. thanks to "ma" for the attire. they have come in great handy!

deuce and i all geared up to watch the cowboys. and thats all im gonna say about that!

here he playing in his activity gym. he really gets a kick out of this thing and it doesnt even light up anymore!

he' all smiles

i really dont know what he finds soo funny!

ok well that's all for now....

luv mel, dave n deuce!

Christmas 07 & Baptism

wow ~ christmas came and went faster than i can recall! the months and days just seem to roll by. deuce is now going on 2mo and learning, growing and gaining such a personality. as most of u know we went home (texas) for christmas and man was it great to be with family. but lets not overlook the traveling portion of this holiday, wich i think the stress of took years off my life! there is something to be said about a couple traveling through the airport with 4 large pieces of luggage, a carry-on, a stroller (a jogger one at that), a car seat and of course large coats (it was 15deg when we left). we totally looked like the grizwalds on foot! and to go through security is another story in itself. oh, of course nothing goes smoothly. u have to break the stoller down, take the sleeping baby out of the car seat, undoubtably the pacifier drops under the screening machine and i set the metal dector off twice. but after all was said and done the little guy did great on the flight both there and back (back being a day later do to a delayed flight) and i wont even get into the stress of all that! i dont wont to loose anymore years of my life! lets just say we made it. now back to christmas....wat a great time. it was soo nice to be with family and celebrate the holidays. we also did deuce's baptism while we were in so that father jim could do it and we are very thankful and feel very blessed for all the family that came to the church. well i could go on and on about all of our travel and christmas stories but i think thats enough talking because we all know everyone just really wants to look at the pics anyway. hee hee

we went to eat the first night in austin and dave decided that deuce should do a little coloring

dave on double duty

austin giving deuce a kiss. isnt he just precious!

grandmar and deuce

while the boys enjoyed opening gifts deuce enjoyed his milk! no cookies yet :(

nanna feeding deuce christmas morning. im starting to see a pattern!

deuce trying to take in all this christmas chaos!

dad feeding deuce when him and jeanette came over to visit before we left h'ville

the baptism ~

deuce with uncle father jim and his godparents kelly n kevin

so once we got home needless to say we needed a little time to relax (as im sure most of u did)

deuce's favorite spot to nap.....dad's shoulder!

deuce playing on his changing table after he peed on it (notice its missing its cover)

just relaxing in the tub after all this travel drama

this is a video of deuce playing and talking to his mobile that he got from grandma jeanette. we decided to put it on his changing table for now so he can enjoy it more.

and last but not least bronco ~ well im pretty sure he got spoiled rotten while we were gone. i had one of my co-workers house sit for us and i think she let him break all the rules. because now when we go to bed he automaticaly jumps in and he now begs for food when we sit down at the dinner table. but all n all he is still just as handsome as ever!

until next time....

luv mel dave n deuce!

Man they grow fast!

ok so im sure most of u guys are aware of this but..... i just have to say MAN THEY GROW FAST! kelly told me just after having deuce that i should take a few minutes everyday and just relish in his littleness (if thats even a word) because he will grow faster than i think. well...im here to say she was right (dont let it get to ur head kel) and it was prob the best advice i was given since his birth! so i dont really have much to say, but i wanted to share some new pics of our growing little boy! he now ways 7lbs 7oz and is starting to hold his head up more n more. he loves to look outside and lay on his changing table and look at the border on the wall. baths have gotten much better, he doesnt even cry anymore. such a big boy! deuce got to experience his 1st snow on the 5th and i did too! (my 1st real snow 6in, not just a layer ice over of the whole city) he has also been to the barracks and been held by "the few, the proud, the marines"! it was soo cute to see all these big tuff guys hold this tiny little baby. we also welcomed r new cousin in this week and we r looking forward to seeing him soon, along with every1 else.

so this is dave's idea of going to get deuce up so i can feed him n yes they both really are sleeping

deuce gettin his 1st bottle

the body bearers having a little fun with deuce. they really are softies at heart!

his first night in his big bed. already out of his swaddle.

deuce enjoying a little playtime in his activity gym! he really likes that thing

us enjoying our 1st snow or should i say im enjoying our 1st snow!

nothing beats the "i love mommy" shirts!

deuce playing (although he looks a little angry) on his changing table.

ahh bathtime and he's actually not screaming!

and last but not least ~ bronco! he got to enjoy his 1st snow as well!

until next time.....

luv mel, dave n deuce!

p.s. ~ cant wait to see every1 at christmas time!