Happy Birthday Patrick!

My man turned 31 on the 28th! We kept it low key as we have a Princess who must get to bed on time. He received a couple of cards, two Wii Cabelas Hunting games, & a Candy Haven cake.

Cutest thing --- Zane wanted to write on daddy's birthday card. Only problem, he can't write, so he drew. But, he asked me to help him. So holding his hand, & helping him, he asked me to write (and these are his exact words):

Dear daddy,
I love you dear daddy! My good hunter friend. Happy Birthday daddy!
The End
Zayner

How cute is that??? Zane worships Patrick! He loves nothing more than to be at the deer lease with his daddy. And he is constantly telling us, "When I be daddy ..." rather than "When I grow up ...." I love my little man & his love for his daddy!

Happy 31st Birthday Patrick! I love you so very much!
~Patsi~

(This post was actually written yesterday, but I delayed the post hoping to upload some pictures.)

My babies

I love my babies! Hard to believe Zane is almost 4 & Berkley is pushing 1!

Kisses from big brother
Zane is really into holding Berkley. I have to get onto him several times a day as he tries to pick her up. But I did help him take her for a ride on his John Deere riding toy.

~Patsi~

The Hubby & I

Patrick & I went on a much needed date last Sunday afternoon. We saw the movie, Gran Trino, & we ate at Uncle Julios. CarrieBeth watched the kids, & they did GREAT!

I love you, Patrick! Thank you for a great night!
~Patsi~

My little man ... Zayner Bug

Today was another BEAUTIFUL day in Texas. I think the temperature was 57 degrees. I got a new flash for my camera that will hopefully help with the shadowing. I think it is an SR-800 for those Nikon users out there. Anyhow, a new flash means a PHOTO SHOOT! This shoot is just with Zane as Berkley was taking a nap.

Daddy's Little Hunter

But, Mommy's Handsome Man

Mom's Favorite of the day This goat may teach Zane a thing or two about head butting! This is one FUNNY goat! He is a handsome little guy!
And then the Princess of the house woke-up!

I am hoping to learn enough about photography to take the kids pictures myself rather than taking them somewhere. It is going to be a trial & error thing. I can't wait for warmer weather so that we can go to local parks & TWU for a few photo shoots! :-)

~Patsi~

9 month doctor visit ... Practice makes perfect!

Berkley had her 9 month visit today with Dr. Goff. She weighed in the 50% at 19 pounds. She was in the 75% for both height & head circumference.

We were given the okay to go to Alimentum formula rather than the Elecare. I just purchased a bulk of Elecare formula last week so when that is gone, we will try making the switch. Developmentally, Berkley was "behind". I was in shock! I mean, she is crawling, saying "da da" & "bye-bye" or "bubba" & she waves "bye-bye". No, she isn't holding her bottle, but Zane never did because I always held if for him! I do the same with Berkley. She will hold a sippy cup, but the bottle, heck no! What are mom's for? Anyway, I was asked if she pulls to a standing position or will stand if holding onto something. Geezzz, she is only 9 months old & just began crawling! I am stuck in this "she's a baby" mindset! Dr. Goff is not highly concerned, yet. Berkley's left foot turns in BADLY! And, at times she will just turn it in, bearing weight on her ankle rather than foot. I pointed this out before because it causes bruising at times. I was told not to worry Then today, she is "developmentally behind" because she isn't bearing enough weight on her feet. But, had I known she needed to stand, we would have practiced .....

When we got home today, that is exactly what we did ..... practice! And guess what, I have the picture to prove, BERKLEY IS STANDING!

So technically we are not developmentally behind because Berkley isn't officially 9 months old until the 17th!!! Whooo!!! Practice makes perfect!!!

Cute little Zayner Bug was so excited to see Berkley stand that he sat on the couch saying, "Oh gosh, I will shut my eyes. Tell me when she does it & I will open my eyes!"

~Patsi~

Lionel Train Coin Bank

Zane got a Lionel Coin Bank for Christmas from mommy & daddy. When we went to put it together, some of the pieces were missing. I ordered a new one off line, & it was delivered this week. This thing is cool! When you put coins in, it lights up & gives a train sound. Zane loves it!

~Patsi~

She's into everything!

I wrote such a happy, pleasant post with 9 month pictures regarding Berkley! And then, baby girl began to give us some grief! She is into everything! That is really not the issue, the issue is when you move her from somewhere she isn't suppose to be or take something away that she shouldn't have, she DRAMATICALLY screeches! She gets highly upset & screams & growls! It is funny at times, but she has been doing this daily since Sunday! And, I mean EVERYTIME she isn't getting her way! I had to take her out of church because she was screaming when I took things away or didn't give her the things she wanted to play with! Personality is setting in!

Moving along ....

In another area!Hanging out in Zane's room!
I know, I know: She learns well from her big brother!
~Patsi~

The Silly Faces of Berkley Marie

Sunday before church I grabbed the camera to get a few pictures of Berkley. She will sometimes do this thing with her eyes & Sunday I wanted to capture it. So here you go:

Not sure what brought on these faces!

The eye thing & the crunchy nose thing!
And of course, a beautiful smile!

~Patsi~

Princess Berkley is 9 months old!

Yes, you read right, Princess Berkley is (almost) 9 months old. She will actually be 9 months on the 17th, but I took her Friday (Jan. 9th) for her 9 month photos. I really had a hard time with this one. I mean seriously where does the time go??? Just yesterday I was bawling myself to sleep the night before my induction, thinking just how hard Zane's little world was about to be rocked & turned upside down. And I had nothing to be concerned about, THIS LITTLE PRINCESS IS NOTHING BUT LOVED!! She is currently crawling & has been eating some of the little infant snacks (banana & sweet potato puffs) along with her favorite, Ritz crackers. She will seriously eat 6 crackers at one sitting! She also drank from a sippy cup for the first time today. She has began to enjoy playing in Zane's room & taking walks in her stroller. I can't believe how fast my baby is growing up! :(

Princess Berkley Marie

Precious

A trait she gets from Aunt Starla! LOVE IT! Her little personality is adorable!

Zane will always hold a special place in my heart, being my first born & mommy's little man! I never thought I could love another baby as much as I love Zane. But, Berkley brings so much joy to our family. She is always happy & loves all of us so very much (as we do her)! The love for this little girl is so evident just by watching her interact with all of us. I do not know what I did for God to bless me so wonderfully! She smiles from the moment Zane & I go into her room to get her of a morning until she is laid down at night. (And I am 100% serious!) And she is so beautiful .....

Okay, I must brag on Berkley a little. We had FIOS put into our home today. There were 4 men from Verizon utterly "ohh-ing" & "aww-ing" over Berkley. They were here for a couple of hours. One of the men never got out of Berkley's sight & his love for children was very evident. I know we all think she is beyond beautiful but it was nice to see that others think so too. Before leaving, one of the men said, "She has got to be the prettiest thing I have seen in a very long time. She is gorgeous!" Of course I thanked him & then got to watch these two grown men, baby talk to Berkley & make her do her cute little "bye-bye wave".

A cute conversation with Zane this week about Berkley:
Zane & I went into Berkley's room to get her out of her bed. I picked her up & said, "Good morning! Are you my baby girl?" Zane immediately said, "Berkley is not YOUR baby girl, she is MY baby girl. The doctor took Berkley out of your tummy for ME!" It was so cute! And, I will say I didn't argue with him, it melts my heart seeing how much he loves her!

Happy 9 months Berkley Boo! Mommy, Daddy, & Zane love you VERY, VERY much!
~Patsi~

Texas in January ... Photo Shoot by ME

Texas weather in January is CRAZY but BEAUTIFUL! Today was so early, I left the shop, brought the kids home early, took a walk, & had a photo shoot! I cannot believe that Monday was FREEZING & today was in the upper 70s! ROCKS!

I am still learning the new camera but here are today's outcomes. Some are cute/okay, but I really need some advice on the shadowing. I had the setting on auto just to buy me some time. Berkley wouldn't hardly look at the camera; she was highly interested in the grass & outdoors! (Christina: Can you take a look & give me some tips, especially on the shadowing? HELP!)

This would have been cute except getting 2 to look at the camera is next to impossible!

Brotherly & Sisterly LOVE
I am sure he is thinking, "Look at the camera Berkley so we can go for a walk!"

Princess Berkley

Isn't he handsome?!

Bonding with the neighbor's horse

We put her in Zane's tractor trailer ... look at that face!

This "tongue thing" is inherited by Aunt Starla!

Cutie Pie

Zane was making her laugh with a sock!

Kisses from bubba

Zayner Bug

I am very blessed! I do have beautiful kids!
~Patsi~

Berkley wants crackers

Berkley finally got her first taste of real, table food -- a Ritz Cracker! She loved it! She still has some food allergies & doesn't have any teeth so I have to be very careful with what I give her. She ate this cracker up like it was nothing. Very cute!

Berkley's 1st table food

Now, this is good stuff! She likes it! Let's make that 2 crackers!
Berkley has been trying to refuse the bottle. On Friday she had 7 ounces all day, only 14 ounces on Saturday, so Sunday & today she has been on a formula only diet. It scares me too death knowing she isn't getting enough formula for brain development. She still refused the bottle for over 2 hours when she got up on Sunday morning. She just sticks her tongue out & gags. I'm not sure what the deal is. She only gets one meal a day of baby food & that is only a fruit & a veggie. And in the mornings, she is only getting a small amount of cereal. The only way I am getting her to take a bottle is to give her ZERO baby food or cereal. If she were a little older I wouldn't be so worried, but 8.5 months is a little young to be off the bottle & not liking formula. (But, smelling that formula, I would gag too!)

~Patsi~

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

We rang in the new year at Patrick's friend's house, Blake & Michelle. There were about 6 couples & LOTS of kids there. We ended up getting home at 3:00 a.m. Yeah! Talk about tired! We haven't even stayed up for the New Year in a number of years! But, we had a great time!

New Year's day Patrick's co-workers joined us for a last minute fish fry, and we listened to our little piano players!

Zane & Berkley playing Berkley's piano.

Piano playing is tough stuff! Our Princess piano player. Now does my baby girl look like her Aunt Starla or what?!
This picture reminded me A LOT of Starla's baby pictures.

I must say I am glad to see 2008 come to an end. It was a very bitter sweet year with plenty of ups & downs. Our greatest moment is the birth of Princess Berkley in April! And boy did our family need it! Mom's cancer has to be the worst part of 2008, but I know that she has beat this & that 2009 will be a much healthier year for her. Praise God! I have prayed more this year than I have prayed in all my other years combined. But God is good! We have been blessed in so many ways! 2009 here we come!

~Patsi~

Look who's crawling

Yeah ... that's our baby girl! I cannot believe Berkley is old enough to crawl! She has been on hands & knees rocking but on New Year's Eve she began crawling! No more staying on the blanket & playing, she gets after it! I don't know who was more excited, me or Zane. Zane was thrilled! He was saying, "Go Berkley go!" Then he looked at me with his bright blue eyes & a huge smile, half laughing, "Mom, look Berkley's crawling like Baby Skylar!" (Skylar is Patrick's sister's little girl who is 2 months older than Berkley.)

Berkley Marie getting ready to go!

Here she goes, getting up!
She's gotta rest! We are so proud of our little Princess! And it is even cuter to see her big brother routing her on & loving her so much!

Proud momma,
~Patsi~