Memorial Day Weekend 2009

By far the best Memorial Day Weekend ever! Nana and Granddaddy came up for a long weekend and we had a great time! Here are some of the highlights:
- a new sandbox for James
- a bigger kiddie pool (I had to get in with him! It was a tight fit, but pretty fun.....)
- grilling out (great steaks and chicken Daniel! YUM!)
- lots of time playing together inside and out
- my parents getting up early with James so we could sleep in (Thank you!!!!)
- a fancy dinner out Sat. night to celebrate lots of things we weren't able to celebrate until we all got together
- a "girl's only" afternoon for my mom and me

And today, A BIG THANK YOU to all service people who have served or are serving our country so that we can live in freedom and enjoy peace on our own soil. You are the reason our family was able to enjoy today and all days like today. We do not stop to say thank you enough.

Some of our favorite pictures from the weekend....

Wordless Wednesday

Mother's Day 2009

Today has been a wonderful Mother's Day! It was my first Mother's Day to spend with James and we made the most of it! Last year I was in the hospital dealing with meningitis and other yucky stuff and missing James so much I could not stand it. Daniel was bound and determined that we would cram in as much fun as possible today to make up for last year. I would say he succeeded!

This morning we started out with a delicious breakfast made by Daddy. It included chocolate chip belgian waffles, sausage, eggs and fresh-squeezed OJ from the juicer. Then Mommy got a pedicure which she enjoyed so much. After that, we all loaded up and headed for an afternoon at the Ft. Worth zoo. I have just had the best time! Today was so special....I know I will always remember it. The best gift I could get though I have already received....becoming a mother!

Here are some pictures from the zoo......








He fell asleep about 5 minutes after we left the zoo.....so sleepy!

Some updates from the Duffy Family:


_ Daniel is back on the day shift! He has been back on the day shift for about 6 weeks and it has been wonderful having him home in the evening. James stays with Daddy on Mondays for Daddy/Jamer Day!

- Lauren's TAKS scores came back and the results were great! 91% of her students passed and 51% of them were commended. Commended means that the student missed 4 or fewer questions on a 44 question test. These are AMAZING results! So excited!

- We finished the playroom. It is great! We have rounded up most of the toys and it's such a cheerful room. We will post pictures soon!

- Lauren only has 18 days of school left and then she is off until November because of summer vacation and maternity leave.

- We are in the 27th week of pregnancy. Lauren is feeling baby kicking and it feels like he is running out of room in there. We are starting to see the kicks now and feel feet and elbows pressing outward.

- We have been buying lots of new stuff for baby and are ready to start the nursery.

- We found a new home for one of our cats. Maddox went to live with a new family since he was not handling life with a toddler very well. Poor Tucker seems a little lonesome for him, but is adjusting well.

- James is now 16 months old. He is really exploring his independence. The most amazing thing is that he has become so helpful and so able to do things on his own in such a short time. He has figured out how to climb up in the kitchen chairs like a big boy and enjoys sitting with us at the table. He blows kisses. He helps put his shoes on and take them off. He runs to answer the phone when it rings. Tonight he even helped me shuck corn. He puts his dirty dishes in the sink and throws trash away. When he is ready to get out of the bathtub, he puts his tub toys up and lets the water out, then throws his leg over the side of the tub and pulls his way out. He is trying so hard to talk and getting close to mimicking what we say. He has added 3 more words/phrases recently. They are "uh - oh", "ding-dong" and "Let's go!". There are a lot of times he says things that we swear sounds like he is totally answering us or just talking. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I told him to come eat. It sounded like he said, "Whatcha got?". We cracked up!

Here is a list of James' current favorites:
* foods: yogurt, bananas and pancakes
* toys: frog puppet, ball and stacking cups
* books: Biscuit's Pet and Play Halloween (still loves this one!), Little People Visit the Zoo and Jamberry
* things to do: take a bath, help clean up, go for walks or play outside, call Nana and Granddaddy on the phone

Our 100th Post!

How much things have changed over the last 100 blog posts. Now we are a family of three, on our way to becoming a family of four. So, here we are all this time later, loving life and so enjoying our family. Today James had a wonderful time playing in the yard. He sure made a quick recovery from his strep throat and ear infection. I wish I had this kind of energy. Oh! And check out his new playhouse....we got it on Craigslist. It is already a big hit at our house.