The Herrings

Happy birthday Little Man!

2012-01-26T11:25:00.001-08:00

My Dalton is 5! He is the sweetest and smartest 5 year old boy I know! He lives to be outside digging in the dirt, riding his scooter, climbing anything, riding his bike to the soccer field, watching Curious George, Martha Speaks, playing games, telling knock-knock jokes, reading books, and hanging out with friends (Saigel). He loves his sister and loves to "watch" her while I do things around the house. He is starting to blend 3 sounds together and read words like tip, nap, and log. He asks tons of questions! I am so proud of my Little Man!

Doug and Cindy took him to Build-a-Bear for his birthday! He has not put the bear down!

Grandma brought him 5 balloons for the 5 year old! He picked American Pie for his birthday supper. Not for the food, but for the arcade games they have their!

Love these two sweet kiddos!

Christmas with the Herring's

2011-12-26T13:32:00.001-08:00

Christmas at Gran and Pop's

Santa brought Dalton a pogo stick! To date, he can jump 6 times without falling. I am so impressed! If we aren't at the ER by New Years Day, it will be a miracle!

Dalton wanted to leave Santa broccoli and Diet Coke. He also left a note for him that said,"Dear Santa, The ranch is in the fridge."When he woke up the next morning, he found this sweet note from Santa with ranch dressing smeared on the plate. Plus an empty Diet Coke can. So fun!

His Christmas loot!

Macey's first Christmas visit from Santa.

Oasis had a great Christmas Eve service. Some of the kids got to sing a few songs. So sweet!

Cousins Macey and Tucker

Miss blue eyes!

My brother, sister, and me.

Sisters!

This girl loves to crinkle her nose up. It cracks me up!

Saigel got to come spend the night over the break. We love this girl!

Testing, testing....

2011-12-17T14:17:00.001-08:00

I have found an app (thanks to my friend, Cindy) on my IPhone that helps me upload pics to my blog! So excited! This may help me join the blog world again if it works!

Dalton and Santa on the Polar Express train ride in Branson.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First Day of K4 at Arkansas Baptist

2011-08-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Dalton started K4 at Arkansas Baptist School today. (tear, tear:) Actually, I felt very good about leaving him this morning. He did great too. He went to bed the night before at 8:00, but at 10:30, he was still awake saying, "I can't go to sleep. I'm so excited about school!" This makes a mommy very happy to hear that!

Look at that big boy ready for Pre-K!

This is Mrs. Smith, his sweet teacher's aid. His teacher, Mrs. Hogue, had to have emergency surgery this week, but will be back Monday. We are very anxious to meet her.

Even Little Sis had to get in on the "First Day of School" action. However, she was not in favor of getting out of bed so early! God has blessed me with one child that will sleep past 6 AM....YES!

When he got in the truck that afternoon, John asked him how his day was. He said, "Awesome!" I would call that a SUCCESS!

More Summer Fun

2011-07-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

One great thing that happened this summer is that my parents moved from Forrest City to Searcy. Which means that Gran and Pop live about 30 minutes closer to us than they did and are in a much better town. They have plugged in to a great church there, met new friends, and seem to be very happy. We all got together at their new house for my mom's birthday in July.

And...Macey will have another girl cousin in December....My brother Spencer and his wife Kim are expecting a little girl! Macey is very excited about this!

Gran gettn some Macey time.

Best cousins....Dalton and "Jay"

Another great thing about Gran and Pop living in Searcy is that they live close to my brother who has a swimming pool. Therefore, no visit was complete without a swim in the pool.

Even Mom and Dad need a break sometimes. Thanks to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kristin, we got to leave the kiddos for a few days and sneak away to Branson. We have been there many times, but this time we did 2 two things that we haven't done before....took a cruise on the Branson Belle and got a couples massage. Highly recommend both!

Lisa Dugger Speer and I have been friends since high school. We were roomies in college two times and have stayed in contact ever since. She was my maid of honor in my wedding and just a super friend. She is one of those friends that even though we don't talk every day, when we do talk, it seems we just pick right up where we left off and it's like we never left each other. She is a nurse in the labor/delivery in Conway and got to be my nurse when Dalton was born....if that doesn't make you close, nothing will! Ha!

We got our kids together for lunch at McDonalds and a playdate at the WonderPlace. They had a great time and she and I enjoyed visiting while the boys played.

Macey, Dalton, Dylan, and Braydon

We also got to have a few playdates with Addison and Riley. Riley looks like she is sleeping, but she isn't. They were sitting on the couch just like this watching a movie and I had to get a picture. Dalton has got it made with these two sweet girls on his side!

Saigel came to sleep over at our house a few times this summer and we had a blast with her. Dalton and Saigel have decided they are getting married when they get older. I heard Dalton ask her, "Saigel, are you still gonna marry me one day?" and she said, "Yes, but we are gonna have a dog and you are gonna change the diapers!" Dalton said, "No, I don't wanna change the diapers!" I told Cindy it was so cute....their first argument! Ha!
I also overheard him tell her "I love you" several times, which sounds like someone else I know...his Dad!

Look who's 3 months old in July! Macey Grae is the best baby! She is so sweet and such a good-natured baby. She has started cooing a lot and smiles all the time. She is sleeping all night (9 pm to 7 or 8 AM! :), wearing 3 mo. clothes, taking a 6 oz bottle every 3-4 hours, and wearing size 1 diapers. I caught her tonight laughing at her silly brother! Who, by the way, is conviced that he is going to marry her also one day. I keep trying to tell him that he will not want to do that when he gets older, but he does not believe me. I was trying to get her to say, "Ma-ma" and "Da-da" the other night and Dalton interrupted and said, "No, Mom, say,'Buba!'" I can't wait to hear her call him, "Buba!"

Pool Party!

We did a one-hour gymnastics class on Tuesdays at the Little Gym this summer, too. He loved it. John and I are so amazed at his gross motor skills. He definitely excells in this area. This is his sweet instructor, Ms Leah.

This has been an excellent summer. I thank God everyday for these two beautiful healthy kids that he has blessed me and John with. I also thank him for the time off that I have had to get to know Macey and spend more time with Dalton and John. We are anxious to get into a routine, but somewhat concerned about how we will go about getting 2 ready in the morning. I am excited about Dalton starting K4 this year at Arkansas Baptist. I look forward to all the great things he will learn and the new experiences he will have this year.

Summer Fun

2011-07-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

"He's Wild! He's Wild! God is Wild about us!" We had a great week at Vacation Bible School...."Pandamania, Where God is Wild about us!" Dalton was super excited every day to get to go back. So excited that he wanted to take a nap early because he knew after nap, he would get to go to Bible School! This is him and Saigel posing in front of one of the pandas at church.

The next week after Bible School, we took a quick family trip to Branson. We stayed at the Grand Country Inn. They have an indoor water park, putt-putt golf, arcade room, pizza parlor, etc...all on site! Perfect place for kiddos!

Posing for a pic during a competitive game of putt-putt golf.

Dalton has really come out of his shell with the whole swimming thing this year. Much more willing to try new things in the water and seems to really enjoy it. I am thinking we may join the Maumelle Swim Team next year....we'll see.

Even Little Miss Macey enjoyed hanging out in her adorable swim suit.

(Thanks Ms Lauren :)

Dad and Dalton enjoying the lazy river in the indoor water park.

Fishing date with Dad....Look at all the fish they caught!

Miss America!

Enjoying the July4th parade with friends Addison and Riley West. Aren't these kids getting so big?

I bought these T-shirts from etsy.com before Macey was born. She has finally gotten big enough to wear it so I had to get a pic of them both in their Big Brother Little Sister T-shirts. I love this. Also, I have this blank space in my living room that I have always thought would be perfect for a pew. I finally found one that I liked at Hobby Lobby on sale! I think it will be a perfect spot for many Big Brother and Little Sister photo opps to come!

And....look who's riding without training wheels at only 4 years old! We were so shocked that he could do this. We were talking about it at supper that night and he said he wanted to try it.....30 minutes later he was riding on his own in the grass....45 minutes later, Dad took him down to the Maumelle Soccer field and rode around the track so fast that Dad could not keep up with him! He really is growing up!

While the boys were learning to ride bikes, Mom and Macey were having a small photo shoot! Look at these eyes! She is such a sweet and good baby. We are so blessed with these 2 kids and have really had so much fun this summer with both of them.

Macey Grae Herring

2011-05-15T13:37:00.001-07:00

Hello blog world.....Meet Macey Grae Herring! She made her grand entrance on April 25, 2011 weighing in at 8 lb. 6oz. Despite all the storms that night, my labor and delivery experience was AWESOME this time! We had to move into storm shelter two times and the last time they decided to keep me there and prepare to deliver her. She is perfect! We were all very surprised by how long her feet and fingers were!

We were all very surprised at the size of her finger and feet.....they are huge! Do I see a piano player in the future? ha!

So many visitors came to meet Macey. This is her cousins, Tanner and Jansen.

Aunt Kim, Uncle Spencer, and Aunt "Gigi" Gina

Proud Papa John!

With all the storms that night, it could have been very nerve-racking and scary. But my nurse, Terry, was awesome. She kept us laughing and turned a tense situation into a very calm and peaceful environment.

Littel Miss Macey Grae all ready to go home.

We decided to go surprise Big Brother Dalton and pick him up early from school so that he could be there when we got home with Macey for the first time. He has been such a great Big Brother and has adjusted very well. He gets asked often, "Do you like your sister?" He says, "No, I love her!"

More visitors at home....Cindy Mickan.

We have had so many come by to meet and love on Macey. From church to work, I did not have to worry about supper for 3 weeks after she was born! What a blessing! We ate well, too! These poor men at my house eventually had to go back to my cooking :)!

Dalton enjoying some little sister time.

Dalton's job was to show off his "Big Brother" picture album to visitors when they came over. Here he is showing it to Lauren and P.J

Pop enjoying his first grand-daughter.

She is such a good baby! She really only cries when she is hungry or sleepy. She loves to be held and cuddled. This is totally different from her brother who did not want to be held and just wanted to be put in his bed to go to sleep. We are trying to get her used to going to bed by herself without needing to be rocked to sleep and she usually does very well with that. At the time of this writing, she is 8 weeks old and has started sleeping through the night, most of the time. She has also started smiling at us,too! So cute!

Gran and Pop stayed with us a few nights the first week she was home. What a great help that was!

Grandma and Autumn

When my parents came to help, John and I were so tired, that we fed her and put her to bed with this note for Pop and Gran, "Feed me at 3:30" and then we went to bed!

Her first bath and of course Dalton is front and center!

I am enjoying this little girl and all the frilly things that come with her!

However, getting her ready is alot more involved that getting a little boy ready. You have to pick out socks, shoes, headbands, bows, panties, etc... So fun!

Mom and Macey

Dad enjoying both of his kids! Love this picture!

Spring Break Fun

2011-03-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

Going to the dentist may not be your idea of a fun outing on Spring Break, but this boy LOVED it! I do not think I have ever been more proud as a parent than I was that day with him! This was his first dentist visit and he did AWESOME! The dental hygenist, Ms. Jennifer, was great! She showed him all the tools before he even sat in the chair. He got to squirt water in a cup with the water tool and suck it out with thestraw suction tool (not sure what the technical names are!). She showed him the tooth camera that she would use to take pictures of his teeth. Then when it was time to get in the chair, he was so excited for her to get to use the tools on him. Did I say I was proud? She gave him a flosser, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Before we left, this stinker tried to talk her out of another toothbrush! She compromised and gave him another flosser....What a negotiater!

Look at that big boy!

Ms. Jennifer and Dalton

What a small world. While visiting with Ms. Jennifer, we figured out that we are both from Eastern AR. She is from Wynne and we grew up with some of the same families.

Dr. Jolly and Dalton

We got a great report from the dentist too! All 20 teeth look great and they said keep up the great work at home. He was so excited, he brushed his teeth several times that night with his new toothbrush and toothpaste.

We left the dentist office and headed straight for Gran and Pop's house in Colt. Per my request, my mom made a huge pot of homemade vegetable soup, corn bread, and garden salad sandwiches. She had all this ready for supper when we got there...YUM!

The next day, we took Dalton to Memphis to the Children's Museum of Memphis. It was GREAT! I highly recommend this place...so much fun for everyone!

Theya had an entire room designated to the Wizard of Oz. They taught so many things through this movie. As you can see in the picture above, the kids got to try on costumes and act out scenes from the movie. This looks like great bribery material to me! They had different questions for the kids to think about and answer throughout the room. One of the questions I read to Dalton was, "Dorothy's home was very special to her. What makes your home special to you?" Without any hesitation, he answers, "You!" Seriously, can this boy get any sweeter?

He was the policeman and I was the prisoner.

He and Dad piloting the plane.

Loved this picture!

We have really had a great time this week together. I have tried to soak up every moment of our family of 3. I am excited about our family of 4 coming soon, but I know these are sweet days too! We have enjoyed this beautiful weather for sure! Enjoyed several outings to the park and even had a lunch picnic today at Lake Willastein. John and I are getting to celebrate our 10th anniversary tomorrow by having an all-day date. I am so excited to spend some sweet time with John too!

10 years and 33 weeks!

2011-03-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

John and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary today! On one hand, I think, "Only 10 years?" and on the other hand, I think, "Wow 10 years, already?" Really, it has been a wonderful 10 years. I tell John all the time, "I love our life!" I would not change anything about it! I know I definitely "married up"! I started praying for my future husband in the 10th grade. I prayed that he would be growing in his walk with the Lord and that God would be preparing him to be my husband. I love to hear what God was doing in his life at that time and how my prayers were answered. My sister sang a song in our wedding called, "How could I Ask for More?" by Cindy Morgan. My favorite line in the song talks about how that heartaches are often "blessings in disguise". Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more?

10 years later and 1 and a half kids later! Here I am at 33 weeks. Everything is going great. The room is almost ready. We went to the doctor on Monday and had our 5th ultrasound. At the 4th ultrasound, my doctor told me that I had a "low lying placenta". This means that if it did not move, I would have to be scheduled for a C-section. I understand that women have these everyday, but that is not how I delivered Dalton, and really did not want that for this one either. It would also put a little more stress on the rest of the pregnancy because evidently, it could be kinda dangerous for the mother if it ruptures! YIKES! So, we prayed about it and really an overwhelming peace came over me that week. I knew that this baby was growing and healthy and in God's hands. But, when we went on Monday, everything had moved up and she is head down and turned face down, which is different than her brother. He wanted to be face up when he entered the world, which made for a little bit of a harder delivery. She also said that Macey is already over 5 lbs and is on track to be a 9 lb baby!!!!WHAT? She said she did not think I wanted to deliver this baby full term at 9 lbs so she would talk in the later appts about inducing by week 39, if she does not come before then! I knew she felt big! I am just so thankful for a healthy baby! I am still sleeping well and eating alot. Acid reflux was an issue a few weeks ago, but it has subsided for now. Dalton went with us the ultrasound Monday and since she was already turned face down, we could not see her face, but he requested to hear the heartbeat again! We are all very excited about her arrival!

Big Brother Class

2011-03-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Big Brother Dalton

The teacher let them each pick out a baby and take it back to their seat. She taught them how to hold the baby. Can you tell we don't play much with babies at our house? I have a feeling that will change, soon! We went on a tour of the maternity floor of the hospital, and he was insistent on taking the baby with us. He said he did not want to leave her there by herself. Already showing signs of a good Big Brother!

The teacher had a baby that she passed around to let the kids feel how heavy their baby might be. When Dalton got his turn to hold the baby, I thought he was going to kiss it. No, he was smelling it! Evidently, the doll smelled like baby powder! Ha!

Is this the sweetest thing or what?

On the tour of the maternity floor, they let the kids play with the bed and see how it works. They showed them the place where they put the baby after she's born to dry them off and clean them up and also showed them the bassinet where the baby sleeps. He got to see a real baby in the nursery and thought that was really neat!

We got to make a bag for him to take stuff to the hospital for him and little sister. We also ate snacks and watched a movie about being a Big Brother or Sister. The movie was so sweet and silly and introduced the topics of being a sibling so well. I could see that I must be extremely hormonal, because there were so many times during it that I was having to fight back the tears, like when they talked about how your baby would love it's older brother or sister, I was thinking, "Okay Alisha, get it together!" I don't think they were expecting to have to pass out tissues to a crying mommy!

I think he will make a great Big Brother! I love watching him get excited about her coming and seeing already that he loves her so much. He loves to kiss my belly and talks to her so sweet. At times, I worry that he will be jealous when we get something new for her room or talk about her, but he is showing that he is just as excited as we are about her arrival....this is so a God thing....that natural connection between 2 siblings. I love it! I have a feeling it's only just begun!

Big Brother Dalton

2011-02-24T15:22:00.001-08:00

We are trying our best to make Dalton feel very much a part of getting ready for Baby Macey's arrival. Dad painted Baby Macey's room last weekend and he and Dalton put up her crib and bedding.

What a great Big Brother!

I remember the first time we put this crib up for him and here he is helping do it again....CRAZY!

It's been 1 year since my grandmother, "Mamaw Clark", passed away. Before Dalton was born, my Mom got her rocking chair that she sat in ALL the time recovered. We used it in his nursery and then moved it in the living room. We all love sitting in the chair....including Dalton! Kinda funny the things that remind me of her...the smell of tomatoes in a can (she made tomato dumplins and all the grandkids LOVED them and nobody makes them like Mamaw), fresh apple cake (she made this cake and it was DELICIOUS), the soap opera "Days of our Lives" (she watched her "story" everyday) and donuts from Wal-Mart (she at a donut from there every morning for breakfast with her coffee and still lived to be 97!) She was a wonderful lady that we all miss very much, but I know she is loving life in heaven!

29 weeks and Valentines Day Project

2011-02-17T20:11:00.001-08:00

29 weeks and all is well! We had our 29 week OB appt on Valentine's Day and it went great. My doctor did another ultrasound and baby girl is growing like a weed! She is already 3 1/2 pounds which the doctor said is in the 70th percentile. Looks like we have another big one on the way! And, it's still a GIRL! I have dreamed that some how, she changed to a boy. Since the last pregnancy update, we have started cleaning out her room, got her bedding, and bought paint for the room. We have also got a name for this sweet baby.......Macey Grae. We have had several names rolling around, but I think we have finally settled on this. I am very happy with it and it just feels "comfy". We were at IHOP last week and Dalton asked me to write sister's name on it. He said, "Write: Dear Macey, I...... hope..... you..... are...... good." I second that, Macey Grae! Dalton is getting more and more excited about the "big brother" thing. We were all riding in the truck the other night and Dalton reached over and started rubbing my belly. Sweetness! He loves feeling her move and wants to talk more and more about what she will be like. He is determined to be called "bubba". For the first time, the other night, I rolled over in bed and she did not like the way I was laying and starting punching and did not stop until I shifted and changed positions. Is this a sign of a persistent child? I have officially reached the 30 pound mark.....Oh my! Everyone tells me how small I am.....where is the weight going?

We had our first at home project for school. Dalton had to make a Valentine box for his Valentine party at school. We decided to make a monster Valentine box. I found this patten on-line. I think it turned out pretty cute and Dalton loved it. We cut out a slit for his mouth and the kids "fed" the monster Valentine cards. We also made chocolate covered strawberries for his teachers and made Valentine cards for his friends.

He is holding hands with the monster...super cute, I think!

Old friends "aka"...Lifelong friends!

2011-02-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

L to R: me, Amanda Byers, Arlyn Howard, Lisa Speer, and Kristin Griffin.

I love these girls! I have known Lisa the longest. We met when I was in the 10th grade through GMA's, a girls program in the church I grew up in. Lisa is from Beebe and was good friends with Kristin. When we graduated high school Lisa and I roomed together at Central Baptist College where we met Amanda. After CBC, Lisa and I transferred to UCA and went to Central Baptist Church in Conway where we met Arlyn. Arlyn is a nurse and lived in a great house in Conway and asked if we would like to live with her....what a God-send for two poor college girls! Arlyn is a SUPER lady that we have always looked up to. We always called her, "The Proverbs 31 Woman" because she truly lives the life of a virtuous woman. She is 37 and has met her MAN and fallen in love. We got together for breakfast today at Mimi's to hear about her "new love" in her life. We are so excited for her and I am sure that those around our table were tired of all our giddy laughter and squeals as she told us the details of her love life. It's such a great reminder that no matter how long it's been since you've seen each other, true friends pick right back up where they left off and laugh like college girls! Can't wait to hear what God has in store for Arlyn!

Table Work and Snow Day

2011-02-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

I have always heard that while a child is developing strongly in one area, the other areas of development will lay low. Dalton has always been extremely gross motor oriented....running, jumping, climbing, etc....Just since Christmas, we have seen him really developing those fine motor skills....cutting, writing, painting, etc.... He shows a great interest in them as well and it seems to hold his attention longer than before. It may have something to do with the fact that it has been so cold and snowy outside that there has been more of an opportunity for these skills to grow!

Gran and Pop gave him a huge stack of foam pieces for Christmas that is great for learning to cut. I draw different shapes on them and he loves cutting them out. He does great staying on the lines and turning the paper too!

Tracing the letter Q. They are really working hard on learning to write their names at school and he is doing so well. He is also doing well at naming and identifying the letters of the alphabet.

Dalton's masterpiece!

Another round of winter weather hit Arkansas this week. We got about 6-8 inches of snow in Central AR, but the worst hit was NW AR. Fayettville area got over 20 inches of snow.....that's just CRAZY!

Dalton kept running the window shouting, "Mom! It's Christmas!"

It does kinda look like Christmas and it definitely puts me in the mood for Christmas music!

At bedtime tonight, Dalton prayed that the sun would never come out again. I think he loves the snow!

After an afternoon playing in the snow, Dalton enjoyed warming up with Dad on the couch, watching a movie together.

Funny for the week: Last Sunday, after church, we were talking to Dalton about his lesson in Children's Worship at church. He told us there were some mean guys that beat up another guy. The "Great American" came and put him on his donkey, took him to a hotel, and fixed all his "boo-boos"! "Great American"....."Great Samaritan".....same difference, right?!

27 Weeks

2011-02-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Third trimester....Here we come! I think as I type this my blood pressure is rising. When I say we have nothing done.....I mean we have NOTHING done! The bedding has not been bought, her room is still the "catch all" room, and bless her heart, this sweet girl still has no name. Thankfully, my pregnancy is going great! At my last OB appointment, I had that great experience at weigh-in where the nurse is moving the bottom slider on the scale farther and farther to the right and then reaches the end. She then has to move the top slider to the next notch and start the bottom one all over again at the left....YIKES! I thing I have gained somewhere around 25 pounds. My doctor doesn't seem to be concerned, so neither am I! I am feeling her move more and more. I have also noticed patterns of movement. She seems to be busier at night and more calm during the day. Dalton is commenting more and more about my growing belly and frequently asks if it's almost time for the baby to get here. The other day John and I were telling him what a big boy he is getting. He corrected us and said, "I am not a big boy, I am a Big Brother!" I stand corrected!:)

Dalton loves dressing up in his pirate, cowboy, doctor, and super hero costumes. I am reminded frequently of how wild at heart boys are. I have always heard that boys are constantly needing to be told that they are "good enough". He loves to play "super hero" and comes and asks, "Mom, do you need help?" That's when I quickly come up with a "problem" and say, "My cat is stuck up in the tree! Can you help me?" or "My house is on fire!". That's when he quickly comes to the rescue! As you can see below, he is dressed in his Bat Man costume, checking out my growing belly.

I come in contact with a lot of people everyday that I have never told that I am pregnant. I have noticed some of them staring at my belly before this week, but I think have just been too scared to ask if I was pregant or not. This week, they got up the nerve, and started asking, "Are you pregnant?" HA! I love it! I had to include this picture too. The Wests got Dalton a Toy Story Operation Game for his birthday and he and Dad have played this game a lot this week. Not sure who is having more fun, John or Dalton!

Happy Birthday Dalton!

2011-01-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Dalton's birthday all weekend long. On Friday, John and Dalton enjoyed a "Dad and Dalton Day". They ate breakfast at Krispy Kreme, drank hot chocolate and played at McDonalds with Uncle Jeff and Austin, lunch at Taco Bueno, good nap, and then taking Mom out to supper. On Saturday morning, he was surprised with a visit from Gran and Pop. We got to spend the morning with them and ate lunch together.

Do they know this boy well, or what?

They got him a pirate kit equipped with a telescope, pirate patch, hat, and earring. Arrg!

What little boy doesn't love a flashlight?

Pop and Pirate Dalton.

As you can see, Dalton loves to run around in the mornings in his pajama shirt and underwear.

They also got him a pair of binoculars. Watch out neighbors!

After his afternoon nap, we surprised him with a birthday party at the Little Gym in Little Rock. It was a great party with tons of friends and family.

Walking on the balance beam

I caught glimpses of this sweet and happy smile several times during the party. One time, he looked at me and said, "Thanks for bringing me here, Mom!" Priceless!

"Red rug time"

My big 4 year old!

Fun with friends

The instructors at the Little Gym were AWESOME! I loved that they handled it all and I got to just sit back and enjoy the party.

This is the life.....surrounded by all these sweet and beautiful girls!

It's bubble time!

The parachute was a huge hit.

The "birthday tent". All the kids are under the tent together and Dalton is sitting in the middle of all of them. Several times during the party, the instructor told them to say the 3 magic words, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALTON!" When they said it this time, the tent flew off and I caught the sweetest smile on his face!

My college friend, Arlyn Howard, made his cupcakes again this year and I ordered the cake toppers from etsy.

I think I counted 23 or 24 kids at the party....the more the merrier, for sure!

Passing out party favors to his friends. They were tootsie-roll pops with Curious George tags that said, "Thanks for making my party so sweet! Love, Dalton".

Another great thing we did was opening the presents at home. It gave all the kids more time to play and also took the pressure off the whole gift opening time. I have learned you never know what a 4 year old is going to say. I did catch this great response to a gift he got.

Snow Day January 10, 2011

2011-01-11T11:02:00.001-08:00

WOW! Hello snow! We got about 3-4 inches of snow Sunday night. This just absolutely thrilled Dalton's soul! Sunday, after church, we went to eat lunch and we saw one of the first grade teachers at ABS, Ms. Morton. She brought her cell phone over to show Dalton the weather map and the snow that was headed our way. His face lit up and he started making plans. He said, "Mom, if it snows a little bit during my nap, don't wake me up. But if it snow a lot, wake me up!" Needless to say, actually getting him to lay down at all with the thought that snow may be coming soon, was very difficult. He was more excited about the snow that he was about Santa coming at Christmas! I think he closed his eyes for maybe an hour and then it was SNOW TIME! (For some reason, my setting on my computer was set wrong and it uploaded them all to the right. I did not want to upload them again, so I have numbered the captions. Hopefully, this will make some sense!)

1.) Snow Angels!

2. )First ride on his new sled

3. )Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

4.) Catching snowflakes on his tongue

5.) So the worse part about getting snow at night, is having an almost 4 year old little boy that remembers it in the morning and wakes up at 5:45 in the morning to go play in it. I held him off until 8. I had to take his picture under the clock to proove why we deserve the "Parents of the Year" Award :) Let's go play!

6.) So this is our 4th winter in the this house and every year it has snowed and the hill we live on has been great for all the neighborhood kids to sled on. Wouldn't you know it.....the year Dalton got his first sled, someone totally plowed our street! We could not believe it! We had to get in the car and look for a hill with snow to try out the new sled. We found this local park with hills and had so much fun sledding.

7.) Sledding with Dalton. Not sure sledding at 6 months pregnant is highly recommended, but how could I resist? Baby sister loved it too!

8.) Now this is THE LIFE! My turn!

9.) Big boy sledding by himself.

10.) Boys will be boys!

11.) The park we went to had a great bumpy metal slide. It had snow piled on it and when he went down it the first time, he went down the first 2 bumps and then flew off and landed in a huge pile of snow. His bottom never even touched the bottom of the slide! He got up and said, "That was FUN! I wanna do that again!" Dare devil!

12.) Our snowman made with random Mr. Potato Head pieces.

13.) Dad firing a snowball at Dalton in the great "Dad vs. Dalton snowball fight".

14.) Man to man combat!

15.) Now that's just cruel....hitting them while their down!

16.) Look at their faces....A picture of pure snow delight!

23 Weeks!

2011-01-02T14:13:00.001-08:00

Can't believe we are 23 weeks! It's going so fast. This pregnancy has been great. I am feeling great and growing bigger and bigger by the minute! Do you know how fabulous it is to be pregnant during the holidays with all the great food? Heavenly! People are just now starting to tell me that I am "looking pregnant". Dalton is so funny....he loves watching my belly grow and wants to show it to Dad. I have been noticing that my hair is acting different.....it's wanting to be straight for once in my life. I have to work hard for it all to curl. Parts of it wants to be curly, while other parts want to be straight. Maybe baby girl is getting all my curls! I also think she is going to have some great finger nails, because mine are chipping like crazy. I finally just cut them all short. I have not really had too many food cravings, but there are some days that all I want is GREASE! Bring on the burgers and fries! We have some names simmering in our minds, but have not officially committed to one. We are getting accustomed to the idea of having a little girl in our house. I have overheard Dalton randomly telling others that he is "having a little sister". I love hearing him tell that! One more thing.....My sweet friend at work, Lauren, loaned me so many of her maternity clothes and for that I am SO THANKFUL! It has been such a treat to get these cute clothes! You are a lifesaver, Lauren! THANK YOU!

Funny Dalton story for my "mommy blog"....The other night, after all the crazy Christmas stuff, Dalton is asking Dad where his "cash" is that he got for Christmas. John told him that he put it up for safe keeping. Dalton said, "But, I need it!" When John asked why he needed it, he said, "I need it for college!" John said, "What will you do with it at college?" He said, "I need it to buy my lunch at college!" Silly boy!

Christmas with Gran and Pop

2011-01-02T13:20:00.001-08:00

The last stop for the wild whirlwind of Christmas was at my brother and sister-in-law's house in Bald Knob. Spencer and Kim had a great lunch for us and we always enjoy spending time together.

Uncle Jason and Jameson

Kim and my Mom

My Dad. getting an early start on his Christmas present from me and John.

Gran and Pop got Dalton a Nerf gun. The boys had a great time playing war games outside. This little girl on the way is gonna have to toughen up quick with all these rowdy and crazy boys!

Tanner and Jansen

We always take a family pic every year. Getting this bunch posed for the camera is not easy! The boy in the orange on the right is a young man from Soaring Wings Ranch that my sister and her husband help with. He was a very sweet addition to our family this year!

Hillis Family 2010

Uncle Jason and Sweet Tucker. He will be one in a few weeks!

Loved this pic of my Mom and Dad....BEAUTIFUL!

Jansen and Tanner

Spencer got a new camera recently and practiced taking pictures on all of us! We are still working on looking at the camera and not being so silly.....don't think we're there yet! One of my favorite parts of Christmas this year was my Mom giving me a crocheted shawl for baby girl that Gina and I wore when we were little girls. She also game me a knitted toboggan that Spencer and I wore. Can't wait to put these sweet things on her! She also got her little white panties...I can tell this "girl thing" is gonna be FUN!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's

2011-01-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Day night, we always go to Grandma and Grandpa's. They always spoil all of us with great food and gifts and this year was no exception! Dalton got out some of her reindeer and had fun playing them all at once.

The boys got to eat Christmas dinner at their own table. They thought they were hot stuff!

We each have stockings at Grandma's too. They are always filled to the top with goodies. Notice the pink one at the bottom! Wonder who's that one is? So sweet! The pink is growing on me!

The wonderful chaos of gift opening!

The 3 Herrings....looking forward to #4!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

2010-12-30T12:52:00.000-08:00

This was such a fun year for Santa at our house. He has reached that magical age that he really understands, anticipates, and dreams of what he wants for Christmas. It was so fun enjoying that with him!

Dad and Dalton feeding the reindeer our "special" food. We got the food at ACH's Breakfast with Santa. It was a mixture of oatmeal and glitter. The glitter was to glow when the moon's light hit it and guide the reindeer to our house. So cute!

Dad and Dalton writing a note to Santa.

He decided Santa would like to eat Pop-tarts for a snack.

The note read, "Santa, the milk is in the fridge. Dalton"

Christmas at Grandma Stacy's

2010-12-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

It's a tradition to go to Grandma Stacy's in Quitman for lunch on Christmas Eve. I always enjoy starting Christmas off in the country with the wood burning fire place and the delicious food everyone brings. This year was no exception! Let me add how fun it is being pregnant during the holidays, too! I can eat all I want and thoroughly enjoy every bite!

The kids (L to R): Austin, Dalton, Autumn, Kelsey, and Abby

Only the kids exchange gifts at Grandmas. The hard part is holding them off until after lunch to tear into them! We decided it might be a good idea to "practice" gift opening with Dalton before the fun began. So, the night before Christmas Eve, I put several of his toys into different gift bags and we practiced the right and wrong ways to open gifts. We tried to explain that you do not say, "I already have one of these!" or "I want more presents!" We also tried to teach him to enjoy the gift and be thankful for the gifts and not just rip through them without noticing what he actually got. John got to use this illustration in his sermon the Sunday after Christmas. His sermon was about "reflection" and how that we need to reflect on what God does for us, even the little things. He said so many times we are like our 3 year old who rips through the gifts of the day and we don't even notice what God is doing in our lives. We are just focused on getting through the day. That'll preach!

Dalton hugging Grandma Stacy

Wish this picture wasn't so blurry, but I love it anyway!

Trains at Laman Library

2010-12-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas with the Wests (and Mickans)

2010-12-30T11:05:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for friends! I love the saying, "Friends are the family we choose." And, I would choose these people over and over again! We have gotten together at Christmas with the Wests and Mickans for the past several years to enjoy a meal and exchange gifts. This year, the Mickans were not able to come because Saigel had strep throat....Boo! Thankfully, she got it early in the week and was able to have a great Christmas afterall. We love you guys!

Addison, Dalton, and Riley decorating cookies after supper. As you can see, we ate spinach and strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing and baked spaghetti. Yum! Paige brought her great candy bar pie and even left the leftovers in my frig for us! Now, that's a real friend!

And let the chaos begin.....unwrapping presents.

And in 2 minutes flat, it was DONE! But smiling faces on all!

Dalton, Riley, and Addison showing off their pillow pets.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2010-12-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

Our friends, the Mickans, hosted a birthday party for Jesus and it was so much fun. The party included candy cane crafts, puppet show by Doug, story time, games, cupcakes, and party favors for all the kiddos. On the way home, Dalton said, "That was fun, Mom!" I would call that a great success!

Dalton and Katelyn Alkire making candy cane ornament.

Dalton and Conner Alkire

Is this not the cutest? This is Sennett Mickan, Saigel's new little brother! Precious!

Dalton LOVES Doug's puppet shows! Doug used the puppet to tell the story of the wise men coming to see baby Jesus.

Cindy led in the "What God wants for Christmas." story. The kids open 7 boxes and each box has a different part of the nativity scene in it and the last box answers the question, "What does God want for Christmas?"......"YOU!"

Saigel Mickan

Abby Fly

Dalton enjoying the best part of the cupcake....the icing!

The kids played a Christmas version of "hot potato". They passed a present around and when the music stopped, whoever had the present, got to unwrap a layer of wrapping on the present. After several times of unwrapping....

There were Silly Bands for everyone!

It was a great party that reminded everyone what the season was all about......JESUS!

Breakfast with Santa

2010-12-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, we kicked off the Christmas season with "Breakfast with Santa" at Arkansas Children's Hospital. This is such a fun event! They have great Christmas crafts, letter to Santa station, North Pole calling center, real fire trucks for the kids to tour, pictures with Santa, and a delicious pancake breakfast served by local firemen.

Waiting in the long line to get a picture with Santa

The long line made for a great "photo opp"! Mrs. Brandy at my work made his cute shirt for him...Thanks Brandy!

Surprisingly, Dalton has done great the past 2 years getting his picture made with Santa and telling him what he wants for Christmas. It was so sweet watching him talk to him.

The Elves had Santa on the "main-line" all the way from the North Pole:)

Here is his letter to Santa we made. It says, " I want a sandbox and a scooter".

Putting his letter in the "special mailbox" to send to the North Pole.

Getting his Christmas tattoo

Working with Dad on his Santa craft.

My little lefty!

Proudly showing off his reindeer puppet.

This sweet firman....He strapped Dalton into the seat and let him hold the fireman's helmet. The look on Dalton's face says it all!

I have to include this sweet story for the "mommy book". Last Sunday, John had to be at church early, so I decided to take Dalton to IHOP for breakfast (Little sis was wanting a good breakfast :). We had a great breakfast together and then the waitress brought the ticket to the table. When Dalton saw it, he grabbed it and pretended to take money from his pocket to pay for it. I reached over and gave him the money and he put it on the table. I said, "Thanks for paying for my breakfast, Dalton." He said, "Your welcome, Mom!" Ahhhh, too sweet! Love, love, love this boy and this age!

Its a GIRL!

2010-11-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! I can not believe it! We are having a girl! So shocked, but very excited. We completed our Thanksgiving weekend with our 3rd doctor's appointment and 3rd ultrasound. Not only were we told we were having a girl, but a very healthy one and we are so thankful. She already weighs in at half a pound and everything is looking good. The doctor was able to point out her heart, kidneys, bladder, stomach, spine, cerebellum, nose and ear. It was so great to see all that at only 18 weeks. So, now the fun begins.....thinking of girl names, looking for room decor, getting used to "her" not "him". We told Dalton that night that he was having a sister and at first he was excited and instantly had a smile on his face. But then, I let it slip that he was not having a brother, but a sister, and then the tears came. "But I wanted a brother!" I told him that he would be the brother and he got okay with that. I was asking him tonight what we should name his sister and he said we should just name her, "Her". He is so funny! Here I am at 18 weeks:

Thanksgiving Week

2010-11-27T12:35:00.001-08:00

Oh my...What a week! We started the Thanksgiving celebration last Thursday at his school with a Thanksgiving Feast. The menu included the wonderful K3 Thanksgiving food: chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, mashed pototoes, green beans, corn, fruit, and juice boxes. His class wore their turkey handprint shirts, turkey hats, and ate on their turkey handprint placemats. The feathers on his hat had things written on them that Dalton said he was thankful for....his jeep, the color red, and mom and dad were some of the things he said.

My little turkey

Dalton was so excited to get to be out of school for a whole week and he woke up Monday morning to this....PINK EYE!

Thankfully, this was our first round of antibiotics ever! He was not a huge fan of the eye drops that we had to give 3 times/day for the entire week, either! Poor guy!

He was able, however, to go to the grocery store with mom and dad on Wednesday to get our food for our Thanksgiving lunch.

We went up to Grandma Stacy's on Wednesday so that Dad could go hunting with Uncle Jeff. Before Dad left, he took Dalton on a 4-wheeler ride.

He loves going to Grandma Stacy's house because he gets to see the horses, Bo and Lucky. They were so good to come up to the fence so that he could pet them.

Dalton, Austin and Autumn waiting for the horses.

Stairsteps......Abby (11), Autumn (9), Dalton (3), and Austin (2).

Getting some love from older cousin, Abby. This was taken right before our last bit of excitement during the Thanksgiving week. Dalton ran through the rose bushes and hit the railing by the mailbox. He broke the fall with his face! He got up with a huge knot on his forhead, a scratch right under his eye, and a gash on his cheek. We were so thankful it missed his eye!

Playing with magnets with Dad

My attempt at creative photography :)

The finished product...Ta Da!

If you look close, you can see the battle wounds on Dalton.

We left Grandma Stacy's that afternoon and went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving supper with my family. Despite some of the "setbacks" throughout the week, I know we have so much to be thankful for. Last Sunday at church we sang this song called "Because of Your Love" by Paul Baloche. The words are so fitting for not only Thanksgiving, but everyday of the year.

"As we come into your presence, we remember every blessing that You've poured out so freely from above. Lifting gratitude and praises, with compassion so amazing. Lord, we've come to give you thanks for all You've done.Because of your love, we're forgiven. Because of Your love, our hearts are clean. We lift you up with songs of freedom. Forever we're changed....Because of Your love."

I'm All BOY!

2010-11-15T18:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest addition to the new big boy room. I love every line in this, especially the "giving mom hugs". That is part of our nightly routine before bed. I lay down beside him in the bed, sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and then before I get up he gives me several kisses on the "wips" and several hugs around the neck. The thought frequently crosses my mind as I lay there with him that one day this will end and I need not try to rush through this routine but really, really, really SOAK IT UP! I love the other lines in this too, like digging in dirt. I sat outside with him this afternoon on his swing set and the whole time we were out there he was digging in the dirt. We came in and had to literally scrub the dirt out from under his fingernails. These are good times! I love this BOY!

I think this is proof that John is teaching Dalton his OCD habits!

Like father, like son!

Dalton said it was "forty cents tall."

Seranading Mom....mini John

Big boy room

2010-11-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

I had Thursday and Friday off this week and John and I decided it was time to update Dalton into a "big boy" room. When he got out of the baby bed last year, we decorated his room in cars and trucks. We have seen this year that cars and trucks just aren't his thing. What is his thing? Anything outside.....from bikes to dirt to shovels and fishing. He loves his swing and slide, balls, fishing poles, digging in dirt, riding his bike, climbing trees, etc.... He rarely, if ever, plays with cars and trucks. So we decided to make his room into things he likes. My brilliant husband had the great idea of painting sillouettes on the wall of things he likes. We found pictures of sillouettes online, put them on transparencies, and projected them on the wall. I mostly watched and gave moral support. So thankful for John's creativity and craftiness, because I have NONE! We were able to send Dalton to school both days and surprise him Friday afternoon with a new room when he got home. He walked in and said, "This is awesome!" Several times this weekend, he said, "I love my new room." and "Thanks for my new room!" John and I agree, it was TOTALLY worth it for all that! I have a wall vinyl that has not come in yet that will be on one wall that says, "I'm all boy!" with things that boys do in the background like, "digging in the dirt, jumping puddles, giving mom hugs, wrestling with friends, etc...." ( I will post a picture of it when it comes in.)

God Gave Me You!

2010-10-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

I heard this song on the radio for the first time the other day and I LOVED IT! It's "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes. (It's the first song on my playlist.) We were being silly the other night after supper and I got out the camera and took pictures of my 2 favorite people in the whole world. I love these guys! So glad that God gave me these 2 to spend my life with. I love you, John and Dalton!

Halloween Fun

2010-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Halloween all week long this year. On Tuesday night, we went to Family Fun Night at the Maumelle Library. They read Halloween stories, made Halloween crafts, and ate spooky snacks. On Friday night, we went to the annual Halloween party at the Mickan's house. It was, as usual, so much fun to see friends dressed up in full costume for Halloween. On Sunday night, our church did a Trunk-or-Treat at Lake Willastein in Maumelle and Mills Park in Bryant. It was a huge success! The one in Maumelle had around 500 kids come through the Trunk-or-Treat, with the last "trunk" being a presentation of the Gospel. Three kids prayed that night to accept Christ! It was awesome to be a part of. Another neat thing was to get Dalton involved by helping me at my trunk pass out candy to the other kids. He went through the line of trunks first with Cindy and Saigel and then came and helped me. I had bought candy to pass out, but when Dalton got there, he started passing out his candy out of his Halloween bag! Although he was being very picky about what candy he gave out of his bag, it was still pretty sweet! After Trunk-or-Treat, we took him out Trick-or-Treating to friends and neighbors. While riding in the car to the next house, he says to John and me, "This is a great night for Trick-or-Treating!" Not sure who had more fun, though, Dalton or me!

My trunk was decorated with the "Cat in the Hat" theme, "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish."
(thanks for the suggestion, Brandy! :) The kids that came by my trunk, picked a red or blue fish that had a number 1,2, or 3 written on the bottom. Those numbers were how many pieces of candy they won. I actually ran out of candy 3 times during the 2 hour period! It was great!

Cat in the Hat and Princess Gracie

Love this boy! He has already decided that next year he wants to be a pirate for Halloween. Sounds good to me!

Fievel (Saigel) and Cat in the Hat

Cindy(the bottle of ketchup) took Dalton and Saigel through the line of trunks while I was busy at my trunk.

There was a reward for the best looking trunk. I would think that everyone would agree that this trunk won, hands down!

Trick-or-treating at John and Becky's house.

"Trick-or-treat, Addison and Riley!"

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf

(a.k.a Dustin and Amy Dennie)

Who knew Thing 1 could play the guitar?

Doug was French's Mustard, Cindy was Hunt's Ketchup, and Sennett was a hotdog. Too cute!

The Marlboro Man

(a.k.a Todd West)

John and I had a great time dressing up this year as Thing 1 and Thing 2. I can't wait until next year....I have already thought about what I am going to be!

I am not sure what Dalton what more excited about....him being Cat in the Hat or us being Thing 1 and Thing 2. When people would ask him what he was going to be, he would tell them Cat in the Hat and then immediately say, "And Dad is going to be Thing 1 and Mom is going to be Thing 2!"

RiLadybug Riley West

Bumblebee Addison West

Saigel as Fievel

Dad and Dalton making a wand at the library Tuesday night.

Dalton and I, listening intently to the Halloween stories.

Classic Toys

2010-10-25T18:47:00.001-07:00

My mom called the other day and said she was cleaning out closets and found some of my old toys from when I was a kid and wanted to give them to me. She found my old Fievel, Pound Puppy, and E.T. doll and poster. I know these toys really date me! I remember getting every one of these toys, especially E.T. and the poster. I got it for Christmas one year from Santa. The night before Christmas, I was almost asleep and suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to tell Santa that I wanted an E.T. doll. I woke up my older sister and told her and she told me that Santa knew everything, not to worry. And, when I woke up on Christmas morning, Santa had remembered! I was so excited! It was so neat pulling these toys out and introducing Dalton to my toys.

Fievel and Pound Puppy

E.T. is so ugly, he's cute!

I must admit this poster is a little creepy, but I loved it!

And, here's another update on the pregnancy blog....

13 weeks

I am still able to wear most of my regulary jeans, with some help (rubber bands around the button holes and the wonderful invention called "belly band"). My tops are what I have grown out of first this time. We went to our 13 week appointment today and she did another ultrasound. Everything looked great and my how we've grown! It really looks like a baby, now! The scales showed I had gained 4 lbs. since the last weigh in....probably due to the 2 breakfasts I eat and frequent snacking all day. Thankfully, I have continued to feel great. Even though this is our second pregnancy, we still can't help but be amazed at the miracle of life!

Psalm 139:13

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."

Pumpkin Patch 2010!

2010-10-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

Yay! It's Pumpkin Patch time! We have been looking forward to going to the pumpkin patch for a while now. On Saturday afternoon, I woke him up from his nap and whispered in his ear, "We're going to the Pumpkin Patch, today!" Those eyes popped open and he said, "No way!" That boy was out of that bed so fast! A friend from work had made for him a cute long sleeve shirt with a truck carrying a pumpkin in the back. I had planned on him wearing it to the pumpkin patch, however it has decided to be summer in October! It was so HOT! As you can see, he is wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt to the pumpkin patch! Where did fall go?

Going through the hay bail tunnel.....Where did Dalton go?

There he is!

"Farmer Dalton"

Happy Fall Ya'll!

"The Great Pumpkin!"

Dad and Dalton looking for that perfect pumpkin

showing off his pumpkin treasure on the hay ride back

We got to go with some of our friends from church, Jason, Rhonda, and Gracie Barnett.

Going in to the corn maze.....
will we make it back out?

Made it!

As you can see in the pics, everything around this area is extremely dry. During Dalton's prayers tonight, he (on his own, without prompting) prayed for rain! I think even a 3 year old can see that we are in desperate need of rain!

Dalton is a ..........

2010-10-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since my last blog and a lot of things have happened since then. Dalton has changed and grown up so much and here are some of the things he has become......

Dalton is a.......

SCHOOL BOY!

Dalton started K3 at Arkansas Baptist on August 12. He is doing very well and seems to love it. He has learned so much, including the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the Christian flag, (at the time of this post) letters and the sounds all the way to "G", number 1-5, months of the year, and days of the week. He has obviously learned a little science too, because he was playing "school" today and threw some chalk in the air and when it came down, he said, "Today, we are going to talk about gravity!" Don't think I knew what gravity was in the 3rd grade!

Saigel Mickan also started at Arkansas Baptist in the K4 program. Are these 2 made for each other or what? He told me today that he misses Saigel and she is a sweet girl!
BTW....the hand holding was not prompted! These two really do love each other.

Look at that big boy walking to class....tear, tear.

Checking out some of the table toys in the classroom.

Dalton is a......

......HIKER and a CLIMBER!

A few weeks ago, John and I took him to Petit Jean. This boy not only looks like his dad, but he also got his climbing skills. He loved it! The bigger the mountain, the better the adventure for these two. At one point, while climbing a rock with John, Dalton looks up and says, "Dad, are you sure about this?"

Dalton is a ......

......... FISHERMAN
Dalton has been on Dad for a while now about taking him fishing. John finally caved and took him last Saturday to Lake Willastein in Maumelle. After $4 invested into a box of worms and about 10 minutes of fishing, Dalton decided it was time for lunch and then on to the playground at the park!

And..........

Drumroll, please..........

Wait.........

Wait for it..........

Dalton is a...............

BIG BROTHER!
That's right! We are so excited about the new arrival making it's appearance at the Herring household sometime early May of 2011. Big Brother Dalton is taking this very serious too! The weekend we told him, we went to eat at Taco Bueno for lunch after church that Sunday. He told us before we got there that he was going to order his lunch. We said okay and he said, "I can do it because I am the Big Brother!" I told John, I did not know whether to laugh or cry.....so sweet! When asked what he wants....a brother or a sister....he says, "I want a brother and a sister!" But, my doctor has already confirmed there is only one in there! Everything is going well with the pregnancy. I am 10 weeks today and feeling great!
"He has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY!"

When I was pregnant with Dalton, I did not have a blog, yet. I have always wanted to take pictures every month of my growing and changing body and I have decided this is my chance! Here is my little "baby bump" at 8 weeks. It's amazing how your body is no longer your own during pregnancy and how many changes your body goes through! So thankful for this little life!

Welcome Home DAD!

2010-07-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yippeee! Dad is home! We welcomed Dad home with a sign that read, "Welcome home, Dad!" and a bunch of hugs and kisses. Estimated that over 900 people were saved! Isn't God good?! Besides the people reached with the Gospel, this time away has reminded me how precious this man is to me and how much a little boy needs his Dad!

Here he comes!

"My Dad ROCKS!"

Notes from Dad

2010-07-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

We sent Dad off to Ghana, W. Africa on Thursday, July 22. He was gone 10 days with 9 others from Oasis to do door-to-door witnessing in the villages there. The missionaries there will begin a new church with the converts made while this team was there. This is so exiciting, but also very scary! We had been praying and preparing for this trip for months and I don't think either of us dreamed it would ever be this hard to be apart this long and this far away. Before he left, John wrote 9 different notes to Dalton for us to read each night before bed while he was gone. He numbered them and put the day that Dalton was to read it. Dalton was so excited every night to get to read the next note that Dad had written him. On the day John left, I was telling him, "Don't go!" (kidding, of course) and Dalton said, "Mom, he has to go! He has to tell those people about God!" Here are some pics of Dalton and the sweet notes from Dad.

Thursday: Night 1

Dalton,

This is the first night of many that I will be gone. I love you. Be good for your Momma. Don't drive her nuts or make her be an acorn. (inside joke!) Sleep good and I'll see you in eight more nights.

Love, Dad

Friday: Night 2

Dalton,

This is the second night of my trip. I know you and mom are doing good. Tomorrow is Saturday and maybe you can talk mom into taking to Larry's Pizza. I love you. See you in seven more nights.

Love,

Dad

Saturday: Night 3

Dalton,

This is the third night of my trip. I am missing you and mom like crazy! Are you still being good for mom? Tomorrow is church day. You get to go to big class and I think the Shine Shop will be open for you. I love you!

Love,

Dad
(Note: After we read the note on this night, Dalton said, "I miss Dad". I said, "I do, too." He said, "But, don't cry, Mom, okay." Also, I do realize he has had the same P.J.s on for the past 3 nights :)

Sunday: Night 4 (can you tell that we get really silly before bedtime?)

Dalton,

I'll be home in less than a week now. I know you and mom have been praying for me and I can already tell. Thank you. Obey your mom and listen to her. I love you and miss you and mom. Can you tell mom how good she looks today? Moms need to hear how beautiful they are.
Love,
Dad

(If I said that I did not cry after that one, I'd be lying! Then for some reason after I read it, Dalton said "Read it again!" What is this boy trying to do to me? :)

Monday: Night 5
Dalton,

This is the 5th night of my trip. Which means I'm more than halfway through it. I am getting to tell people about Jesus in a place called Dodowa. I love you and am ready to see you again!Love,

Dad

(He laughed and laughed about "Dodowa"! Not sure why he kept wanting to put the notes on his head!)

Tuesday: Night 6

Dalton,

This is the longest I have ever been away from you and mom. You and her are the biggest joys in my life. Which means you're my favorite people :) Keep being good for mom. I love you.

Love,

Dad

(Gran came to visit a few days while Dad was gone. It was a lot of fun. Dalton started calling her "Granny" while she was here. She pretended it bothered her and so that made him call her that even more! He is really beginning to show a personality of being a teaser and a prankster.)

Wednesday: Night 7

Dalton,

I've been gone for almost a week now. Keep praying for me. I have one more day where we're telling people about Jesus. After that we will begin our trip home. I will see you on Saturday.

Love,

Dad

(We discussed after we read the note what we would do when we saw Dad in the airport. We both agreed that we would give him big hugs and kisses!)
Thursday: Night 8

Dalton,

I know by now I am ready to see you and mom. I need a big hug from both of you. I will begin traveling tomorrow. You and mom can pray that I'll be safe as I travel. Keep obeying mom and listen to her. Don't drive her nuts.

Love,

Dad

(One more note and one more night!!!!!)

Friday: Night 9

Dalton,

This time tomorrow I will be home. Sleep good tonight because I need you to pick me up at the airport tomorrow. Tell mom that our flight should be in around noon. I am already traveling back home. It is just taking me some time to get back. I love you. When I see you tomorrow, I will need a big hug and kiss from you (and mom).

Love,

Dad

(Afte we read the note, we discussed who was going to get to Dad first to give him hug and kisses. He told me to go slow and he would go fast. We love you Babe and can not wait to see you!)

Sticky Fingers

2010-07-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

So I was hoping that we could make it the last 10 days without any drama....WRONG! Dalton was in the bathtub tonight and he hollers, "Mom, come here! I have a surprise for you!" I go in there and he had gotten his finger stuck in one of the holes of a little ball that he likes to play with in the tub. I tried to get it off there, but could not get it to budge. I got him out and called Grandma. She suggested oil, lotion, cold water, etc.... His finger was not budging and it looked like it was beginning to swell. I called Paige to see if she had any words of wisdom. Her first thought was to call John, but since that was out of the question, Todd suggested Ms. Becky, the master of tools. I called her and she had all her tools laid out on the counter by the time we got there. She sat Dalton on her kitchen counter and went to work. He sat there so brave and Ms. Becky had that ball cut off in no time. We got it off just in time to get to the last night of VBS at Uncle Jeff's church. When asked by his teacher, "What's been your favorite part of Bible School this week?" He immediately responds, "When I got the ball cut off my finger!" His finger still had a red ring around it at bedtime. Thankfully, we still had 10 sweet fingers, 1 less ball, and a good lesson on not putting our fingers where they don't belong!

Showing off his finger stuck in the ball.

Ms. Becky working to get it off and Dalton being so brave

Ahhhh....you could see the tension just lift from his body when she got that ball cut off. Thanks Ms. Becky! On the way to Bible School, Dalton said, "I love Ms. Becky!"

Nickelodeon Story Time LIVE!

2010-07-15T15:20:00.001-07:00

Surprise! I love surprising Dalton! John and I surprised Dalton this week with Nickelodeon's Story Time LIVE! He had no idea what we were there for until he sat down in his chair at Robinson Auditorium. Honestly, my reasoning for the surprise is 2-fold. First, this boy loves surprises and wakes up every morning asking what we are doing to day. If I say, "I don't know", he then says, "It's a surprise?" To which I say, "Sure!" (because most days I have nothing planned and it's a surprise to me, too!) Second, if I had of told him, he would have literally drove me CRAZY until it was time to go! So for our sanity, we decided to surprise him....it was GREAT for everyone involved !:)

Grandma got to go with us to the show.

He sat in Grandma's lap during the first half of the show and watched intently.

Ni Hao Kailan!

"We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore!"

"Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets we're on our way...."

Dora and Boots

We had a great time and he was still talking about it the next day. During intermission, he said, "Tank you, Mom and Dad for taking me!" Totally worth every penny!

Branson Family Getaway

2010-07-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

Before I get to talking about our Branson vacation, let me show-off the newest Mickan addition. Our friends, the Mickan's, had Sennett Jace Mickan on June 30. Dalton and I took a quick trip to their house last Saturday so that Dalton could meet big sister Saigel's little brother. He is so cute and they tell me that he is really a good baby. Dalton and Saigel have not seen each other much this summer and they were very excited to play together. As you can see they had dress up time as soon as we got there.

Harmony Bear, Sunshine Bear, and baby Sennett. Not sure where Dalton came up with this, but he has decided that he wants to call the baby "Sennett-tude". Sounds kinda cute to me! Cindy told me that when Saigel went to see Sennett in the hospital for the first time, she asked the visitors that came to see him if they wanted to "pet" him! So cute! Love it!

So we took a quick trip to Branson last week and had so much fun. I think we have reached the age where vacations can be fun again and not just a ton of work, especially if John and I decide before we go that this vacation is not about us, but about Dalton. Then we end up having lots of fun watching him have fun! We stayed at the Grand Country Inn. They have an indoor water park, theater, restaurant with a great buffet, indoor putt-putt golf, arcade game room, and pizza parlor. In other words, it is a great place for kiddos! We went to a show called "The Amazing Pets". Dalton was glued to the stage the entire time!

I love old trucks like this one. Dalton's nursery was decorated with antique trucks and cars, so when I saw this one in the parking lot of our hotel, I could not resist a photo op!

We found a great place to eat at the Branson Landing called "San Francisco Oven". The pizza was awesome! Can't wait to go back! After supper, we found a great ice cream shop called "Orange Leaf". Wow! This is a self-serve yogurt shop where you pay by the pound. They have so many flavors of yogurt and they let us sample the different kinds before we chose one. Dalton chose coconut with lots of sprinkles and John and I shared a chocolate/peanut butter swirl yogurt. Delicious!

Loving that pizza at San Francisco Oven. I also liked that the kids meals came with a bowl of fruit.

He was looking so cute I had to get his picture!

Dad and Dalton checking out the fountains.

Dalton asked Dad for some money so that he could make a wish. Here he is holding the money John gave him. He closed his eyes and threw the money in the fountain. We asked him what he wished for and he said, "Mom and Dad". We still are not real sure what he meant by that. Hopefully, he is not wishing for a new Mom and Dad :)

"I wish for a Mom and Dad"

Silly boy!

I have really enjoyed staying at home with my little man this summer. So thankful that I have a job that allows me to do this!

My two favorite guys in the whole world!

As you can see by looking on the ground in this pic that it did rain one afternoon but that was okay....It made for a great afternoon nap time that we all got to take advantage of! I love a good nap in the rain!

Playing his first game of putt-putt golf. Hole in one!

John did end up winning our game of putt-putt, of course, but only by a few points!

Having fun at the water park

Branson is also a perfect place to go for this age because it's only 3 hours from our house. I have not quite gotten the courage to take him on a long road trip to the beach yet, but he did great on this little car trip. Maybe next year we will think about a longer road trip! Thank you Lord for the good family memories we made on this trip!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th all weekend this year. On Saturday, we went to Family Fest Parade in Maumelle. Dalton enjoyed watching the floats, but most of all he liked the sack full of candy we left with from the parade! After the parade, we went to Lake Willastein in Maumelle where they had pony rides, bouncy things to jump in, games, carnival food, bands playing, and fireworks that night. Thankfully, the rain held off for the most part and the fireworks weren't cancelled! The funny part was that Dalton had been asking about the fireworks for 2 days and then when they actually started, he begged us to go home because he was so scared! His mean mom and dad made him stay and endure it!
On Sunday, we went to church and then that night the Harrington's invited us to their house for a cook-out and fireworks. The kids had a great time and the adults enjoyed games of ladder golf and great food! Dalton enjoyed the fireworks much better that night.

Swinging at the Harrington's

Dalton and Lilly Harrington

We bought him this snow cone at the Family Fest. He loved it. In fact, he loved it so much he got his chair and moved far enough away from me and John so that we would not be able to share his snow cone! This boy is a STINKER!

They had pony rides at the Family Fest. He loved riding it. He got off and said, "I fell just like a cowboy!"

"Riding the Range....Yee Haw!"

"Howdy partner!"

John and Dalton at the parade picking up candy.

Picking out the good stuff!

Dalton and cousin Austin enjoying the parade together.

Look at this big boy. He wanted to put on his helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads and ride his big boy bike. I wish I could say that we put all this stuff on everytime we ride, but......

Family Fun

2010-06-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to get to take Dalton to see Toy Story 3. For one, his dad and I saw Toy Story 2 on our second date. So cool to get to take our 3 year old little boy to see the next one 10 years later. Secondly, Toy Story is such a great little boy movie. I love all the toys and they just scream "BOY" to me. We went to see the 3D version of it. Dalton was glued to the screen the entire time. I am thinking he is a movie popcorn lover. He ate nearly half of a large popcorn bucket by himself! Which, I have to admit, I kinda like the popcorn too!
Here is John and Dalton sporting their cool 3D shades.

Dalton has been wanting a watermelon lately. So after the movie, we stopped at a roadside stand and bought watermelon, tomatoes, and squash. We decided to eat some of the watermelon when we got home. Thankfully, Dad thought ahead and reminded me to put a play shirt on Dalton before he ate the watermelon. Boy, am I glad I did! The messier the better!

Nothing says "summer fun" like a good ol' watermelon!

Like I said, messier the better!

Swinging Places, Happy Faces!

2010-05-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

After months of saving our money and looking for the perfect swing set, we found one! We also decided the time to put it up was Memorial Day weekend. John started on Saturday afternoon and following 14+ hours of hard work.....DONE!

I decided to take a pic of all the hardware needed for the swing.

Some of the parts put together

Some of the wood

Our sweet friends, the Harringtons, had sympathy on us and came Sunday night to help. The kids had a great time playing together and kept Dalton distracted from the swing. On Saturday, he asked several times, "Is it done yet, Dada?", but Noah and Lilly kept him busy Sunday night and made putting the swing together a lot more bearable. Thanks guys!

John Herring and Jeff Harrington...what a pair!

Guys hard at work

Monday afternoon at about noon.....he got to take his first climb on the ladder!

Look at that face! Makes it all worth it!

First time down the slide! Weeee!

Sitting at the picnic table

His secret hideout underneath

Just a swingin'!

He climbed the ladder, went down the slide, and got up to the top and then decided before he got on the swings, he wanted to go get his friends to enjoy it with him. We went across the street and got Daniel, Claire, and Ashley to swing too! So sweet!

Thanks Dad!

The finished product!
(Sorry about the glare on the slide.)

Putting in the last bolt with dad! I can't wait for the many afternoons this summer spent playing on this swing set. Thanks babe for all your hard work! Your a great dad!

Catching Up

2010-05-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have blogged, so I have a lot of catching up to do! My nephew, Tanner, turned 10 years old a few weeks ago and here are all the kids at the party.

Mother's Day weekend, Dalton and I had a Mom and son outing. We started that Saturday morning at Krispie Kreme...yum! Dalton likes their donuts with "fintles" on top (sprinkles). After we got all sugared up, we went to Barnes and Noble for their Saturday morning story time. They read a book about 2 pigs named "Toot" and "La-la" and look who showed up to get pics made with the kids!

After the story time, they had flower pots for the kids to decorate and dirt to plant flower seeds in for Mom. Here he is decorating his flower pot.

We then went to Firefly studio for him to decorate me a bowl. Paige West got me a gift card from there for Christmas and we have just gotten around to using it. I had one of those great moments while there where you wish the ground would swallow you up! You can't really see this in the picture, but the guy that was helping us has a lip-ring. Obviously, Dalton had never seen one of those before and kept asking me very loudly why he had a ring on his lip. I tried to get him to be quiet about it, but too late, the guy had already heard. He told him he had it because he liked it. Of course Dalton replies, "Why? I don't like it!" When do kids start developing filters? Sooner than later, I hope!

Getting his hand painted. He said, "That tickles!" We had to practice a few times before he actually put it in the bowl to be sure he knew what to do.

Caught ya' red-handed!

I love this saying, "What are little boys made of? Snips and snails and puppy dog tails". This is so true. I love my bowl! It has the year painted on the back. Nothing like a child's handprint to help you remember how small they once were. I have it displayed on top of my refrigerator on an easel. Too cute! Great gift....Thanks Paige!

I had a great mother's day! We went to church that morning and my 2 guys took me to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch, El Chico. Before church that morning, I hear John telling Dalton that it was a special day called "Mother's Day." Dalton says, "What do I get?" Typical 3 year old mentality....world revolves around them! Then on the way to church that morning, Dalton says, "I love you mom! Happy Valentines Day!" I just laughed and said "Thank you, Dalton! I love you too!" So great being this boy's mom!

Last weekend, we went to Quitman to see Grandma Stacy. We have not seen her since Christmas so we were excited to go. We realized that Dalton thinks her name is "Grandma Stacys" because when we talk about going we say, "We're going to Grandma Stacy's!" So when he was talking to her there, he called her "Grandma Stacys". Funny! He had a first while there...he got to pick fresh strawberries from her garden and eat them (washed, of course!). He loved that!

We invited John's mom to go too and while she was there, Grandma Stacy had her roll her hair for church the next day.

Maumelle had there Grand opening for their new fire station and police station this week. They were giving free tours of the stations. Dalton got to see where the firemen sleep when on call and he got to get in a fire truck.

When asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" he answers, "A fireman!" I had better start praying now!

Doug, Cindy, and Saigel came too. I got a picture of these two at the police station...."Bonnie and Clyde!" Dalton has been asking us lately if policemen were bad. We explained to him that policemen are there to protect us and they lock up the bad guys. They are not bad. He got to see a policemen at the station and got to ask him for himself if he was bad. I was reminded this week how often we take for granted those people who put themselves in harms way everyday to keep us safe, my dad being one of them! So thankful for these men and women who feel it is their calling to protect and serve! Thanks Dad and all the other police and firemen!

Had some words of wisdom from Dalton today....while eating lunch at a Chinese restaurant after church, Dalton was admiring all the decorations in the restaurant. He said, "Wow! Dod (God) is a genius!" He really is, Dalton!

P.S. I was showing Dalton this post and he corrected me on the names of the pigs at Barnes and Noble. Their names are "Toot" and "Puddles" not "La-la". What was I thinking? :)

Weekend with Gran' and Pop

2010-04-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

John, me, and my mom

My dad and me

Pop, Gran' and Dalton (bear too!)

Dalton was saying on the trip down there that he forgot to bring some toys. I told him that Pop and Gran' have toys to play with but if they did not, Pop would probably take him to Wal-Mart to get one....they had a 16 piece tool set waiting for him when we got there! Pop even found one of his old tool bags to put them all in. Thanks Pop and Gran'! He loves them!

A few weeks ago we had a church-wide picnic at church. We grilled hot dogs, went fishing, played basketball, and enjoyed visiting with friends. Dalton enjoyed fishing and playing in the dirt. His shirt that day said it all..."My favorite color is dirt."

He even had dirt on his nose!

Wild at Heart!

All boy!

Put me in Zoo!

2010-04-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Such beautiful weather, who could resist going to the zoo? I decided I wanted to take him now instead of going when it is blazing hot like it probably will be in a few weeks! We had a great time looking at the animals, climbing trees (?), and riding the train.

Looking at the fish in the water...he was more excited about the fish than the monkeys that were swinging overhead! He kept asking for his fishing pole!

One of God's most beautiful creations!

My favorite exhibit...a cute little boy that climbs trees!

Riding the train

Feeding the birds

The "bird whisperer"

Easter Egg Hunt at Lake Willastein

2010-04-03T14:37:00.001-07:00

We were so excited about the Easter Egg Hunt this year at Lake Willastein. Thankfully the rain moved out before Saturday morning.

Trying to hurry to get to our spot before the horn blew....run!

Eggs and candy for the 4 years and under

Waiting on the horn to blow with his friend from church Ben Carlyle

Organized chaos!

Getting more candy than eggs!

Showing off his loot!

Looking in the eggs to see what he found

Giving the Easter Bunny a hug. He kept saying it was a "small bunny". When I looked back at last years pic of him with the bunny....I saw why....

That was a really tall bunny last year!

We started a new Herring Easter tradition at our house this year....passing out treat bags with invite cards to church to our neighbors this year. We loaded Dalton and the bags in the wagon and at every house he would run up to the door, ring the doorbell, and say "Happy Easter!" and give them the bag. Sometimes he would need to be reminded to say "Happy Easter!" not "Trick or Treat!". We had a great time doing this. The response of some of our neighbors was priceless! I think we had low expectations, though, because when one lady said, "Okay, thanks! We will probably come!", we really did not know what to say next...that was not part of the script! Ha! I am praying that God will use this simple little thing to reach others for Him this Easter!

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-30T11:33:00.001-07:00

Overall, we had a great Spring Break. Even though I got the worse sinus infection, we still got out most everyday and did something (thanks to dad who pretty much took care of me and Dalton all week!). We went to the Museum of Discovery, park, indoor play gym at Church at Rock Creek (awesome!), flew kites, and went to see his first movie at the movie theatre: "How to Train a Dragon" (very cute!) I think Dalton got used to going somewhere everyday that he is still asking this week, "Where we going tomorrow?" Here are some pics of our week:

On the way to Museum of Discovery

Exercising like dad

Cleaning teeth

Looks so big sitting in this desk

Arts and crafts with mom and dad

Ladybug puppet

Climbing boulders with dad at the park

Getting the kite ready to fly

Yea! We got the kite up!

Swinging at the park

Playing hide and seek with Mom and Dad

Fishing trip with Dad (and mom, the photographer!)

2010-03-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

This has been the perfect weather for fishing. John took Dalton fishing last week to Lake Valencia in Maumelle. It's so great living in a city like this that has parks and lakes to take a little boy to when the weather is nice. With the extra hour of daylight and warm afternoons, this has been a very happy 3 year old little boy!

They met Todd and the girls there too. Dalton is throwing in his line.

Look how big this boy is....He started wearing a 3T pants last fall, turned 3 in January, and he is already in a 4T pants this spring! Thank goodness for adjustable waistbands!

Lake Valencia is a great place to fish and ride your bike on the walking path, too.

Making snow angels in the dirt!

Can not believe how big he is getting! He is saying and doing stuff everyday that cracks us up. I love you Dalton and I am so proud of all the great things you are learning and doing! I love being your mom!

Surprise! It's a Snow Day!

2010-02-09T12:24:00.000-08:00

So we go to bed Sunday night knowing that we might possibly get snow on Monday night and even then it was supposed to be a "trace" of snow. So glad Grandma called early Monday morning and let us know that we were out of school! Yea! It's a SNOW DAY! This gave Dad and I some time to figure out how we were going to handle this with Dalton. Judging from the past, as soon as he hears there is even a possibility of snow, he wants to go out right then and there. We decided not to say a word about it until we all had eaten breakfast and got dressed. I said, "Dalton, we have a surprise for you! Go look outside!" He was so excited and just like we knew he would, he said, "I wanna go outside!"

Perfect snow to build a snowman!
(notice the hat says "Oasis Church"....it's a Christian snowman!)

"I'm melting!" He was pretending to melt.

Shoveling snow with our neighbor Mr. Norm

Making snow cream with dad

This boy was adamant about going outside with his flip-flops. After many attempts to try to convice him that we don't wear flip-flops in the winter... we gave up and said okay! He went out the back door and this was as far as he got. He decided this was not a good idea and quickly came back inside! He will eventually learn that Mom and Dad know best!

Home sweet home!

2010-01-31T11:56:00.000-08:00

Tucker finally made it home yesterday after 12 days in the hospital. He and big brother Jameson finally got to meet too! Here is the email Spencer sent to me with these pictures...

Here are a few pics of our past week. Jay really enjoyed himself while Tucker was in the hospital. I think some kids get neglected when there is a new sibling but it was just opposite for him. He got to do some really cool stuff including a day with his "best friend", Dalton. The initial family reunion when we got home was kinda wierd and Jay seemed a little scared but then warmed up pretty quick after that. There is one at the end where Jay is giving Tucker some of his cars. He wanted Tucker to play with his cars. Kim told Jay that Tucker was too little to play with his cars and Jay said, "Maybe tomorrow". One joke we heard more than once this week when Tucker wouldn't eat very much...I guess he's just "tuckered" out. He'll get that the rest of his life. Also, Jay likes to find words that rhyme and he found one for Tucker. Just guess what it is.

So glad you are finally home Tucker!

Snow Day 2010!

2010-01-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

Sledding with neighbor friends....Ashley and Claire Franklin

I'm a Rock Star!

2010-01-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

The UPS man brought Dalton a birthday present today from Gran' and Pop.......

a microphone with stand and a headset.....

Thanks Gran' and Pop!

I forgot to put these next 2 on my blog....

Catching snowflakes on his tongue.
(A girl from church gave him this trench coat...isn't it the cutest?)

He was playing in my bathroom one morning while I was getting ready for work and I turned around and this is what I found in my bath tub.

It was an excellent Backyardigan adventure!

2010-01-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

We had Dalton's 3rd birthday party in the coffee shop at our church with his closest buddies Saigel, Addison, and Riley.

Enjoying American Pie pizza

Dad put this together on photoshop and displayed it on the flat screen T.V.s. We also had Backyardigan music playing to set the "mood".

Look! It's Uniqua and Pablo!

"Hi! I'm Uniqua!"

"Hi! I'm Tyrone!"

After pizza, Dalton decided it was time to open presents.

Diego truck from Ms. Becky and Mr. John

Vtech laptop from the Wests

Backyardigan's watch from mom and dad

Barnyard UNO from the Mickans

CAT trucks from P.J. and Lauren

Handy Manny ball pit from Scott and Jamie

Arlyn Howard made his cake again this year and did a wonderful job!

A new "bouncy thing" made it's debut at the party. I love this picture of these sweet kids!

Explaining the rules to "Pin the bowtie on Pablo".

This boy is something else....I put the blindfold over his eyes and gave him the bowtie sticker to put on Pablo. He put that sticker so perfect on Pablo...not sure he could have done it better had he have been able to really see. It was quite shocking!
(You can see how close he got in the picture below...)

Saigel taking a peek at where her bow tie landed.

Riley putting her bow tie on

Playing in his new Handy Manny ball pit.

And....look who decided to show up early! This is a picture of my newest nephew, Tucker Blaise Hillis. His mommy, Kim, went into labor Monday night and he was born 5 weeks early Tuesday morning at about 6 weighing 6lb. 2oz. He had a little trouble breathing at first and had to be taken the ACH. He is doing so much better now. He is completely off of his oxygen and getting to be nursed. He is so precious! Just another one to join the list of January birthdays in our family: his dad, Spencer,(he missed his birthday by about 6 hours!), Aunt Gina(12), and Dalton(23).

Big Brother, Jameson. He was really wanting to see his new little brother, but the hospital would not allow little ones to go in. We assured him that he would get to see him all he wanted very soon when they took him home. He will probably eventually be wondering when can we take him back!

A New Year's Ride

2010-01-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

There was no snow for a ride on a sled this year, but there was plenty of dirt and mud for fun on a 4-wheeler with dad. We went to John's Grandma Stacy's house in Quitman on New Year's day and enjoyed the annual New Year's lunch: cabbage, greens, black eyed peas, and hog jaw (plus other little goodies!). John and Uncle Jeff took Dalton on a few rides on a 4-wheeler around Grandma Stacy's land. John said that he asked Dalton "Are you having fun?" and Dalton just turned around and gave John the biggest smile. He said he kept asking Dalton if he was cold, and of course, Dalton kept saying, "no." I don't think he would ever say he was cold!

Getting all bundled up for the ride.

I am kinda proud of this coat. I got it at Gordman's (my new favorite store). It was marked for $25, which I was okay with paying that for it, but then when I got up to the register, it rang up for $12.50! I was so excited! Coat, hat, gloves were all under $20. I got it a little big so that he could wear it a few years. I think we will definitely get our money's worth out of it!

Let's ride!

LOVE this one! I think I have got 2 boys at my house now that are dying for a 4-wheeler!

Happy New Year!

Christmas with Friends

2009-12-27T21:00:00.001-08:00

Saigel, Riley, Addison, and Dalton...
anxiously waiting to tear in to the presents!

Doug and Cindy got Dalton a Crayola Artist set.
He was so excited!

Riley showing off her sparkly shirt and headband I got for them at Justice. I really enjoy shopping for these girls. I think John and I would go bankrupt if we had a girl of our own. There are so many cute things to buy for girls!

I texted Todd and Paige last week while I was keeping their girls for them and said "If Dalton turns out to be half as sweet as these girls...I will call it a success!" They are all precious and I am so glad Dalton has these girls to grow up with.

A Christmas Surprise

2009-12-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, my mom and dad brought my Mamaw Hillis to see us. My dad said his Christmas present to her this year was to bring her up to our house from Forrest City to get to see us and where we live. They had a long day in store because after they left my house in Maumelle, they went to my sister's house in Damascus, and then to my brother's house in Bald Knob. We had fun getting to see her and visiting with her for a while. It also makes for a perfect photo opp! (You'll have to excuse the "no make-up" look. They got there earlier than I thought and I did not have time to put any on. Oh, well!)

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2009-12-27T20:00:00.001-08:00

Our church is going through a study about Christmas written by Rick Warren called, "The Purpose of Christmas". In the book, he talks about that Christmas is a time for Celebration, Salvation, and Reconciliation. He says that as a three-year-old child, he asked his mom, "Why do we have Christmas?" His mother explained that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birthday. He said, "Well, then, we should have a birthday party for Jesus! We can have cake and Kool-Aid and sing happy birthday Jesus!" His mother said, "Okay, we will!" He says that started a five-decade family tradition of having a birthday party for Jesus. John and I really liked this idea, so we began this tradition this year with our little one. I am not sure he totally got it, but it was just another way that we could emphasize the fact that yes, gifts are nice, but the greatest gift we have been given is the birth of our Savior, Jesus.

Dalton and dad blowing out the candles for Jesus.

"....Happy birthday dear Jesus, Happy birthday to You!"

Our birthday cake for Jesus.

This party sparked a lot of theological discussion afterwards like "Where is Jesus?" and "Why isn't He here at His party?" I know he doesn't "get"it all now (I don't think I really "get" it all, either!), but my prayer is that we are just slowly planting little seeds in his heart and that one day those seeds will take root and he will come to know Jesus as his own personal Savior. What a joy, privilege, and awesome responsibility we have as his parents to share the Good News of Christ with him.

Ms. Becky and Mr. John came over after our birthday party and brought Dalton a Christmas present. Ms. Becky made this scarf and hat for him. Is it not the cutest? Love it!

I use this blog as a way to share with others what's going on in our lives, but also a way to journal about the funny and memorable things that happen. We started another tradition this year of reading "What does God want for Christmas?" This book tell the story of Christ's birth while putting the nativity scene together, piece by piece. Every night you open a different box and it has a person to add to the nativity. I have always heard about this and thought it sounded so neat and spiritual. I wonder sometimes if the authors intended for it to be as funny as it was at our house! On the night that we opened baby Jesus, who, granted, was laying on some funny looking hay, Dalton says, "Is he laying on macaroni and cheese?" I could not help but laugh! The night we opened Mary, one of the questions in the book was "Are you ready now to give your life to service for God?" John read the question and when he was finished we both looked at Dalton, expecting him to not really even understand the question. But as soon as we looked at him, those eyes widened and he emphatically shook his head "no"! John said, "Okay, let's pray." Too funny!
When we opened the last box which tells what God wants for Christmas by putting a mirror in the box. The answer is "You!" God wants "You" for Christmas! We gave Dalton the box and really built the anticipation of "What does God want for Christmas?". He opened the box and said, "He wants a mirror!" I think God knew we would go crazy as parents if He did not add some kind of humor to the mix!

Santa comed to my house!

2009-12-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

I woke up Christmas morning really unaware of what day it was. Mom and Dad got me dressed and then Dad said, "Do you know who came to our house last night?" I said, "Who?" Dad said, "Santa!" Dad said I could go see what Santa brought me but first I had to wait for him to get the video camera ready. As soon as Dad said "Ready!" I ran in the living room and said a big "Wow!" Santa brought me my "big paint brush and big paint" that I told him I wanted plus more! Look at all the stuff he brought me!

My big paint, big brush, and big paper

"Dalton's Snack Shop"
He also brought me this super fun snack shop equipped with menu boards, money, food, clock, price tags, and it even folds up for easy storage which makes my mom and dad very happy! Good job, Santa!

Santa left me a sweet note in my artist pad of paper.

I was a little overwhelmed with all the stuff!

Counting my money I had earned from my snack shop.

Painting with my big paint brush and paint, painter's palette, and big paper.

I love you, Dad!

Christmas at Aunt Gigi's

2009-12-27T19:30:00.000-08:00

We went to my sister's house in Damascus for Christmas lunch with my family. We had a great time. It was there that I realized the difference between a 2-year old and a 3-year old. I remembered that last year I spent most of the time following him around and making sure he was not getting into anything he wasn't supposed to. It was more exhausting than anything. Not this year! He and his cousin Jameson had the best time playing together. Aunt Gigi has a basement in her house and that's where Jansen and Tanner's bedrooms are. Those boys played down there together for at least an hour without fussing or fighting the entire time. At one point, I told Dalton that Jameson was his cousin. He said, "Yah, and my friend, too!" Which is even better! Most of the afternoon was spent playing my nephew's, Jansen and Tanner, Wii game. I found out that my Wii fitness age was 58. I did great at the bowling (I was the intramural champion for bowling at CBC :), but I stunk it up at the baseball and tennis...poor eye-hand coordination, I guess!

Me, Gina, and Spencer
(It appears that Gina is the same height as Spencer and me. But, truth be known, she is standing on her hearth and we are standing on the floor. Good try, Gina!)

Our silly pose...Mom is so proud!

Uncle Jason and Dalton drawing on his Magna Doodle.

Gran and Pop got Dalton 2 movies: 101 Dalmations and Pinochio.
(BTW, Gran, he was watching that movie while I was blogging and loving every minute!)

"Playing" Jansen and Tanner's Wii.
(Notice it's plugged into his pocket!)

Gran and Pop and all their boys. Aunt Kim is expecting boy #5 in February. Boys, boys, boys!

Gina's family

My Mom and Dad

Whew! This Christmas stuff is exhausting!
(Notice the leg stretched out completely touching the seat in front of him. No wonder his 3T pants are almost too short. I just hope they make it until summer!)

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's

2009-12-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

After a good nap at home, it was time to go eat Christmas supper with Grandma and Grandpa. Just like every year, Grandma outdid herself with a delicious supper. As a tradition, we always have a family discussion about God and what He has done for us this year. The discussion this year was to name your favorite Christmas song, sing it, and then tell why it was your favorite. It was fun singing Christmas songs together and it was something that the little kids could get involved in too. When it came time for Dalton's turn, he first said his favorite song was "Backyardigans", but then with further thought, he changed it to "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer". Super fun singing that song with all the Herring's! :)

Jeff, Austin, Kristin, Abby, and Grandpa

Grandpa, Autumn, Grandma, Dalton, and me.

Dalton found some chap stick in his stocking.

Bring on the presents!

Uncle John and Austin

Watching Christmas movies together

One of the hardest jobs comes at Christmas every year: getting toys out of the box. This year two of his toys required power tools to get them out! Dalton is giving Dad a hug for working so hard to get his remote control car out of the box.

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kristin got Dalton this Buzz Light Year robe with his name on it! He has been wanting a robe like mom and dad wear. He said, "Can I go take a shower, now?"

One of his favorite gifts was this echoing microphone. Thanks Grandma!

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning, Dalton and I left the house bright and early to go to AR Children's Hospital for their "Breakfast with Santa". Not sure who had more fun...me or Dalton!

Our breakfast was made and served by the Little Rock Fire Department. They made pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, orange juice, and an orange. They parked their fire truck outside and gave the kids tours of the inside. Dalton loved that!

He got to write a letter to Santa....

....and then sent it to him in the special mailbox.

The elves had Santa on the "mainline" and were calling him so that the kids could talk to Santa.
Too cute!

Listening intently to what Santa had to say.

Christmas would not be complete without a tattoo!

I love this picture!
My how things change in just a year. I remember last year we had to have a family picture with Santa because Dalton had such a death grip on me that I had to be in the picture too. Not this year! This boy went up there all by himself and even told Santa, "Merry Christmas!"

When Santa asked, "What do you want for Christmas?" Dalton answered, "A big paint brush and big paint!" I asked him later why he wanted this and he said Ms. Becky paints the walls at church and he wanted big paint and a big brush like she has. Uh-oh! I am scared! I have been wanting my living room painted....

Making a Chrismas card...we got a little "happy" with the glue!

Santa was letting the kids test drive his sleigh outside. So fun!

We had a great time! I am thinking this will have to be a yearly tradition and dad is going next year to pull double-duty in the long lines! More than a great time, it was all for a wonderful cause!

2009-11-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

These are pics from our trip to Silver Dollar City a few weeks ago. We had a great time.

Carving Pumpkins, Dressing up, and Trick-or-Treating....Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a day filled with lots of Halloween fun. I am not sure, though, who had more fun... me and John or Dalton! We invited our sweet neighbor friends over for some pumpkin carving fun. I think the jack-o-lantern turned out very spooky!

Dalton, Ashley, and Claire picking a template for the pumpkin.

Dad is putting setting the template on the pumpkin
(So glad John has skills...if it were up to me to carve that pumpkin...who knows what it would look like!)

We bought at Wal-Mart these great "kid-friendly" pumpkin carving knives, scoopers, and templates. Honestly, this was my first pumpkin carving experience too! I was more excited about it than Dalton was, I think!

Digging out the inside of the pumpkin.

This kid is "all boy"! Loving to feel it between his fingers. He said, "Ooooh, it feels mushy!"

Our spooky jack-o-lantern!

I got this cute little cut-n-paste worksheet from work for him to do after our pumpkin carving.

And here he is...the cutest little UPS man I have ever seen! UPS men have always had a special place in my heart because my dad was a UPS man when I was a kid. I saw this costume back in August in a magazine and I knew this is what Dalton had to be for Halloween. He kinda has a thing for UPS guys too! Whenever he sees a UPS truck, he always says, "Look! a PS truck!"

John and I dressed like jail birds. Our story is that we escaped jail in a UPS truck and we are holding the UPS man hostage! Notice our #s on our costumes are the same. John said we were "cell mates". Funny!

"Trick or Treat!" We were probably the first trick-or-treaters in the city of Maumelle, starting at 5:00. That was good saying that we had been holding Dalton off for 2 hours! He woke up from his nap at 3 and was "ready to go!" He did great saying "Trick or treat!" at the first couple of houses and then I guess he got tired of saying it and just went straight to "I want candy!" I'm sure it looked hilarious seeing a little UPS man with 2 jail bird parents walking the neighborhood. Needless to say, we got many head turns!

Saturday night we got to go to Doug and Cindy Mickan's house for their annual Halloween Party. I thought last year's was awesome...but these 2 totally outdid themselves this year! The party was fully equipped with a craft table for the kids (or the moms :), delicious finger foods, spooky Halloween decorations, Rock Star game, and fire pit to roast hotdogs. Thanks Doug and Cindy for all your hardwork to put this together every year. We look forward to this party all year long!

The Rock Star Robinson family
Scott and Jamie...or should I say Olivia and John?
Addison and Riley West....too cute!

Autumn, Abby, Austin, and Dalton

Benji and Lindsay Carlisle

Astronaut Ben Carlisle. I love this costume! This picture does not really do it justice. Lindsay had embroidered on the chest "Commander Carlisle". She said Ben kept asking all day, "When am I going to get to go to outerspace?" Too cute!

Erik and Keasha Montgomery.
Erik was "Nature boy" and Keasha was an Egyptian princess. You look great guys!

Uhmm...this is Paige West, the pastor's wife! She was telling everybody that they had to behave because their was a nun at this party. Mrs. Robinson told her we did not have to behave, she did!

I could not figure out how to get this picture straight, but I loved it so I could not leave it out! Saigel Mickan was the cutest little rock star!

Amy Fly....Miss Cellaneous.

Brian and Karla Gates...blues brothers.

P.J. and Lauren Noland...Meow! That face paint on P.J. was a little creepy though! He said Dalton was not scared of him at all and totally knew who he was! He said he walked up to P.J. and said, "Hey P.J.!" like nothing had ever changed! Too funny!

Carson Morado...Our blind ref!

Jailhouse Rock!

Cowboy Danny and Sara Hill the gorilla and sweet baby Caroline.

The UPS man and the astronaut playing Rock Star.

Cindy had a craft table at the party that was supposed to be for the kids. But once all the moms saw how adorable the craft was, we decided to turn it into a Mom's Craft table! We made monster pillows out of felt that she had pre-cut all the pieces out before the party. It was super fun visiting with these girls as we made these sweet pillows for our kids.

The Rock Star Band

So...as I was putting all this together for my blog, I decided to look back at all my pics on my camera. This picture below was taken early last spring. It's the first picture on my card in my camera. I have started the tradition to save all the pics on this card to a CD every year on Dalton's birthday and then start fresh with a new card for that year. Just wanted to show how much he has grown in less than a year...

Then.....

Now!
We had a little photo session this morning before church because I thought he looked sooo big and handsome in this outfit he was wearing. Just when I think he couldn't get any cuter....he goes and does something like this!

This is why we had to move to a big boy bed!

2009-10-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

Just in time...John and I were already working on converting his playroom into his new bedroom when one morning we walked in his room to find this....Needless to say, there was a rush put on the project and that night he got to sleep in his big boy bed for the first time and did great! I have to be honest though and say that it was a little sad not having him in that crib anymore, but he still gets a rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" every night before bed. He has only got up out of bed one time. I had just finished singing to him, turned out the light, and walked into the living room. I hear two feet shuffling behind me and I turned around and said, "What are you doing?" He said, "I waked up!" As hard as it was not to laugh, I told him this was a "no-no" and he is to stay in the bed. John and I were ready to implement the strategies we have seen on "Super-nanny", but there was no need that night...Thank goodness! I am very proud of the way his room looks and I think he is, too!

Notice the red box that is beside his bed. His dad made this from scrap wood so that he could climb up into bed easier. He also taught him how he could move the box over to the wall to turn on the light.

His bears seem to have made themselves "at home" in their new bed, too! :)