LEARNING HOW TO FLY...

A Floyd Christmas

2012-01-03T15:56:00.006-06:00

Christmas morning at the Floyd house (KK & Doc's) started off BRIGHT AND EARLY (6:30am) because we had one VERY excited little boy who wanted to "open my Santa presents"!

Here he is walking out into the living room...

Of course, the first thing he went to was his new remote control train!

Daddy, Doc, and Uncle Craig trying to put it together...

Notice the two year old has put together the entire train before they got one piece of the track down =)

Reid and Doc

Helping KK open one of her presents =)

Back to playing more trains...

Completely fascinated by the train!

Look what else Santa brought... a new motorcycle!

We hit a few walls learning how to drive, so we moved on outside... sadly, the camera didn't make it!

Happy boy!

Getting more trains from Aunt NeeNee and Uncle Craig

A Peterson Christmas

2012-01-03T15:38:00.005-06:00

Christmas 2011 has been the best yet! Reid being 2.5 years old is at such a fun age for all things Christmas! He is understanding the very basic Christmas story of Jesus' birth... and he DEFINITELY got Santa Clause and all the presents. To say we had a wonderful time, would be an understatement.

This year, we traveled home to DFW to spend time with both sides of our families. We spent Christmas Eve with the Peterson clan, then Christmas Day with the Floyd crew (Floyd Christmas post up next!). This post includes some of my favorite pictures from Christmas Eve with all of the Peterson's...

First order of business was meeting our PRECIOUS new niece, Annabel (or as Reid calls her "Baby Cousin Annabel"). I was so excited and fell in love immediately! Her I am with Annabel and her Mommy (Aunt Candice)...

Reid did surprisingly well with Annabel and did great at sharing Grandma and Pops attention! If Annabel would start to cry, he'd run over and pat her back and say "It otay, Baby Cousin Annabel. Dat all better!" It was too cute! Here's a pic of both cousins with Grandma and Pops:

Ben and I opening presents on Christmas Eve =)

Some more pics of the Reider...

Grandma, of course, cooked a wonderful Christmas Eve meal! Going around the table is Ben, myself, Reid, Grandma, Annabel, Aunt Candice, Uncle Joe, and Uncle Jeff (Pops was taking the picture)

Now Grandma taking a picture...

Reid hanging out with Uncle Jeff (Reid's uncles were his favorite people over the holiday!)

All the "big Kids"

Sweet boy

Love this picture.

Time Flies...

2011-12-29T15:18:00.004-06:00

I can't believe that I just ordered these!!!

Where has the time gone??? Is it even possible that I am already planning this sweet baby's 3rd birthday party?

Slow. Down. Father. Time.

Floyd Family Pictures

2011-12-27T16:35:00.006-06:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas! I am still gathering pics to post to the blog (hopefully by the end of this week)... but in the mean time, here are some more pictures from Thanksgiving that I just received.

For KK's 60th birthday, we had family pictures done in their beautiful backyard. I think they came out really great!

Here is a picture of the whole family: Ben, Myself, Doc, Reid, KK, Aunt NeeNee, Uncle Craig

All the "kids"

Love these two with all my heart!

Most handsome little man ever! The sweater he is wearing was hand-knit for him by a dear family friend, Debbie Hannebut - we love it!

Aunt NeeNee & Uncle Craig

Perfect.

Jump Zone = Reid's FAVORITE

2011-12-19T14:14:00.004-06:00

It's official... "Jump Zone is my very, very favorite, Mommy!" (That's what he repeatedly said while we were there.) Winter break started this week, so myself, Lori, and Emily decided to take all of the kids last Friday on the first day of break. Ha. Per the picture below, not the smartest idea we've ever had... it was INSANELY packed.

But... so worth it! The kids had a blast! We were there with Cole, Kylie, Avery, & Owen. Here's a few pics I had to post...

I love this - Reid, Owen, & Cole wrestling... all boy!

So yeah... this looks like the place we definitely have to book for Reid's 3rd birthday party... Fun times for all!

Recent Happenings...

2011-12-19T14:04:00.003-06:00

I love this time of year... but with all of the fun brings a COMPLETELY packed calendar! We've been in the midst of Christmas parties and celebrations. It's been so much fun with Reid this year because he is finally to the age where he (somewhat) understands that Christmas is Baby Jesus' birthday and he definitely gets Santa Clause... ha!

Although he understands Santa Clause, you'll see in the picture that he didn't want to get too close... One of his friends, Sam, had a Christmas party where Santa came to visit. The kids had a great time!

Reid didn't want to sit in Santa's lap, but went and talked to him (holding onto Mommy's hand the whole time). The only thing he asked Santa was, "Where Rudolph the Red-Nosed at??" Haha... he makes us laugh!

A random iphone pic, but you'll see it's hard to get a serious picture of this kiddo most days =)

Oh... and did I mention... RG3 (BAYLOR BEAR) WON THE HEISMAN?!?!?! We've been on cloud 9! And even got a rare night out (kid-free) with some other BU friends to watch the Heisman presentation at Red Door...

With Lori & Mel

Mel, Holly, Ben, Nate, Allan, & Lori - Such a fun night with great friend!

And one more random iphone pic with my favorite little guy...

Reid's First School Picture

2011-12-01T16:25:00.003-06:00

Had to post Reid's first ever school picture...and it is so stinkin' cute!

Those of you who know us, know that we have MAJOR hair cutting issues in our house (ie: Reid HATES them). So, of course, school pictures were held the day after he only received half a haircut. The hair person quit in the middle because she refused to cut a child's hair who had to be restrained. Yeah. We've since moved to the buzz cut - much faster and a little less painful for Mommy and Daddy. He still is the most handsome little guy, though!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T19:24:00.006-06:00

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever!

Psalm 107:1

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving break with our families in Texas! It was relaxing and filled with lots of fun - exactly what we needed!

Our little family of three packed up and headed to Texas on Wednesday morning where we spent the week with Ben's parents (Grandma & Pops). Reid loves "trips to Texas" and is such a great traveler! Here he is watching his movies and wearing Mommy's sunglasses:

We arrived in Texas on Wednesday evening where we had a wonderful dinner with the Peterson's - even Uncle Jeff and his girlfriend Lizzie were in town! Then on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), Grandma cooked a DELICIOUS traditional Thanksgiving meal. It was such a relaxing day of watching football... eating... sleeping... then eating some more! Here we are at Thanksgiving lunch: (Disclaimer: I had surgery the day before we headed to TX, so I definitely did not get out of sweat pants... nor did I fight my toddler to wear clothes. It was OK, though ... we never even left the house! Perfect!)

Pictures of the Reider playing on Thanksgiving

Reider and Pops

Chillin' with Daddy

Cheering for the Cowboys - Reid loves football! (And I promise we own clothes for our child - ha!)

Reid and Uncle Jeff

Playing trains with Pops

Reading with Grandma

On Friday, we got to spend the day with my family (KK, Doc, Aunt NeeNee, & Uncle Craig) celebrating KK's 60th Birthday! We had a blast and I wish I had some more pics... but I do not. We did get to eat at Ben's FAVORITE burger place that just opened in downtown Fort Worth:

Ben was in heaven, to say the least! After lunch at In N Out, we headed to the Movie Tavern then back to KK and Doc's house to open presents and eat some more! It was such a fun day and evening with my family!

Another highlight from our Texas visit, was attending the Baylor /Texas Tech game at the Cowboy Stadium:

Such a blast! We saw a ton of old college friends and I have to say that it was so nice that BU WON! Here's Ben and I:

While we were busy at the game, Reid was busy entertaining the grandparents and aunts/uncles... He was showing off his stellar skills of double-fisting the apple products. Our child can use the ipad/iphone better than most adults!

All in all, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving break - we have so much to be thankful for and are looking forward to seeing all of the family again over Christmas!

Christmas Card 2011

2011-11-20T09:10:00.001-06:00

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Fall Family Pictures

2011-11-18T12:12:00.007-06:00

Our friend, Mitzi Penick, is a wonderfully talented photographer and we had the opportunity for her to photograph our family several weeks ago. I love the pictures she captured! You can see more of her work at www.mitzipenickphotography.com. Here are a few of our favorites!

Reidy and Cole-Cole

2011-11-15T21:02:00.003-06:00

We have been so fortunate here in Little Rock to meet a group of families that all have little boys about the same age as Reid. Reid truly LOVES his friends - Cole, Carson, Owen, Miles, Jake, Brady... the list goes on (and there are so many sweet girls/older sisters as well!). He asks to play with them every day and it's been a lot of fun watching them all together. Cole's Mom (and my good friend, Emily) sent me a bunch of pics of Cole and Reid (or "Reidy" and "Cole-Cole" as they call each other) from over the summer. I had to post a few of them because they are so cute. Love these boys!

God made a world out of his dreams,

of magic mountains, oceans and streams,

Prairies and plains and wooded land,

Then paused and thought, "I need someone to stand...

On top of the mountains, to conquer the seas,

Explore the plains, and climb the trees,

Someone to start out small and grow,

Sturdy and strong like a tree", and so...

He created boys, full of spirit and fun,

To explore and conquer, to romp and run,

With dirty faces and banged up chins,

With courageous hearts and boyish grins.

When He had completed the task He'd begun...

He surely said, "That's a job well done."

Sick Boy

2011-11-04T21:42:00.002-05:00

There is not much that can slow our VERY active 2.5 year old down - EXCEPT... the stomach bug. Yuck. Yuck. and more Yuck. It breaks our hearts to see Reider feeling so bad!

Despite how bad he feels... he's still the most handsome little man ever...

Reid ran onto the tile to "take care of business" so many times, that he finally just laid down on the cool floor. Mommy brought him blankets and the ipad to help make him more comfortable. That's where he stayed for most of the evening.

Hoping he gets a good night of rest and feels better tomorrow!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T09:45:00.005-05:00

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one said, "Oh my! It's getting late!"

The second one said, "There are witches in the air."

The third one said, "But we don't care."

The fourth one said, "Let's run! Let's run!"

The fifth one said, "Isn't Halloween fun?"

...And fun is definitely what we had this Halloween! Reid (now being 2 1/2) COMPLETELY got it - he's practiced and played Trick or Treat over and over. And over again. Haha!

The Saturday before Halloween, we headed out to a "real" pumpkin patch in Mayflower, AR with a group of friends. I wish I had more pictures, because all of the kids had a blast! They had playsets, swingsets, slides, bounce houses, food, snow cones, hay rides, horse back rides... you name it! Reid's favorite part of the day was "riding the tractor to pick his pumkins"... We took a hayride out to an actual pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins from the vine.

That following week was followed with not one, but TWO Halloween (Harvest) parties at Reid's school. He was so excited to have halloween cupcakes and cookies during class! Then the Saturday night before Halloween, some friends of ours threw a mega Halloween party. And let me tell you... the Phelan's KNOW HOW TO THROW A HALLOWEEN PARTY!

Here's our little Superhero enjoying some donuts from one of the games...

Showing us how "fast he can fly!"

With some friends at the Phelan's party...stoping for some dinner...

My friend Emily and I (I was Queen B... she was June Cleaver).

All the Mommies... love this pic!

Then on Halloween night, we went to Palio's Pizza with the Darby's, the Smith's, and the Martin's before assaulting all of the neighbors with our tiny trick-or-treaters.

Here's Reid - ready to go!

Best shot I could get of a few of the kiddos at Palio's - Owen, Reid, Alex, and Avery.

Wagons were the transportation of choice during trick-or-treat!

Kylie stopping to talk with Cole and Reid

Buddies! - Already digging into their candy =)

Look out neighbors!

Reider's loot - pretty good for a two year old!

We're already looking forward to next year!

Busy Saturday!

2011-10-15T20:30:00.002-05:00

It's been a BIG Saturday around here, so I wanted to share a few pics from the day...

In case you haven't heard, Reid is not a fan of haircuts. In fact, I would venture to say... he HATES them. Long story short, this morning we went for our second attempt (this week) to cut our kiddo's shaggy head... it took myself, Ben, and another hairdresser to hold him down while the 4th hairdresser cut his hair. Since an even cut with scissors was clearly out of the question, our little dude got his first buzz cut. I was a little sad it was going to be so short, but he didn't leave us many options. The funny part about haircuts is he is 100% fine as soon as they are done... and he even gets excited about the new do (and the sucker).

Here is the handsome little man post-haircut... so cute!

After Reider's haircut, he got to go pick out two new pairs of tennis shoes - Yes, he LOVES shoe shopping! (Of course I didn't get any pictures) Then we went home to set up his "Big Boy Bed"... Here he is - he was so excited! (We just converted his crib to a toddler bed to get him used to it)

We are so proud because he has done really well! He went straight to sleep tonight and didn't get up one time - yay!

Oh! And one more cute pic... we cooked his favorite meal for dinner... SPAGHETTI!

GOTCHA DAY 2011!

2011-10-09T18:28:00.002-05:00

This past Wednesday, October 5th, we celebrated Reid's GOTCHA DAY!

It's hard to believe that this was already his THIRD Gotcha Day celebration! For those not involved with adoption, "Gotcha Day" is a term that a lot of families use when describing the court finalization date that forever (legally) joins their child with their family. This court hearing seals their records, allows you to legally change their birth name if you choose, have a new birth certificate issued, final adoption decree signed, etc... To say it's a huge day in our family would be a massive understatement!

Reid's GOTCHA DAY was October 5th, 2009 - you can read all about it and see more pictures HERE. In 2009, Ben and I and both of our families also threw a massive celebration party with over 80 of our closest friends and family who so faithfully supported and prayed for us throughout our entire adoption process. It was such a special day! You can see pictures from the original Gotcha Day party HERE.

Ben and I decided that Reid only needed one birthday party per year (he might protest this later.. haha!), so each year on October 5th we spend the day together as a family and let Reid pick anything he wants to do. It's really becoming such a special tradition!

This year, Reid decided he wanted to spend the day at the Little Rock Zoo - his favorite spot! Here he is (with his puppy, Scout) on our way to breakfast at Chic-Fil-A... then off to the zoo!

Our family - love these two with all my heart!

The Penguins

Me and the little man =)

Reid loves the Giraffes...

And the zebras... Daddy was helping him to see better

B and I

This tortoise was the highlight of his day... it begged to be petted like a dog, and Reider LOVED it! Of course!

I really need to get better about taking more pictures, but that is all I have (we miss our personal photographer, Aunt NeeNee!). The three of us had such a wonderful day and capped it off with burgers, fries, and milk shakes at The Purple Cow (again, Reid's pick)!

Michael Reid - Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will ever know! You are the miracle that completed our family and we are so thankful for you each and every day. Looking forward to many, many more Gotcha Day celebrations!

Calling the Hogs (and Bears)...

2011-09-18T21:03:00.002-05:00

...and maybe eating some spaghetti from between his toes.

Finally caught up! Whoop!

2011-09-18T20:49:00.005-05:00

It feels so good to finally be caught up on the blog again! I'm going to try my best to post every week and not get that far behind again. So... here are a few pics from these last two weeks... They have been busy ones! Grandma and Pops came in for a visit... then KK came in... we've had 3 birthday parties, a sleep over, and LOTS of fun. Here they are...

Our handsome little man...so grown up!

Having a great time at his buddy, Carson Darby's, birthday party!

Carson's Birthday

Reid & Cole

Have I mentioned this kid LOVES "sketti noodles"???

Had a quick visit home to DFW this summer and got to see lots of our friends - here's Reid and Keagan =)

We do a babysitting co-op with several friends here in Little Rock - the kids LOVE it, and it gives us adults some free babysitting for nights out as well! Last weekend was our night to keep the kids... we had 5 (Alex & Kylie - the girls)... then these 3 boys - best buddies! (Reid, Cole, and Carson.) Here they all are getting ready for bed - it's too cute!

Benjamin and I on a date night - love him.

Enjoying some cake at Avery's birthday party... Reid loves him some Jump Zone!

Welcome, Annabel Grace!

2011-09-18T20:35:00.002-05:00

On September 3rd, 2001 our beautiful niece, Annabel Grace arrived!

She was 9lbs 3 ounces and 21 inches long.

She was born in NYC, NY by proud parents Joe and Candice (Ben's middle brother).

Annabel, we are so excited to meet you and already love you so much!

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-18T19:58:00.005-05:00

To say that Reid was excited to start preschool in his "new classroom" at his "new school" and take his teachers their "special presents", is an understatement. Ha! (He only said the words in quotes about 100 times!) We are so very thankful that Reid loves school - he loves to learn and loves meeting new people!

This year, he started at Second Presbyterian here in Little Rock. We've really liked the school so far! He is in the 2B class with his best buddy, Cole, and right next door are two of his other little buddies - Owen and Miles. He goes to preschool at Second Presby on Mondays and Thursdays from 8:30am - 12noon. Then on Tuesdays, he goes to our church's MDO from 9am - 2pm.

Here's Reid on his way to Meet the Teacher... He loves his new teachers - Ms. Karin, Ms. Sandy, and Ms. Sarah Jane!

First day of school (he's just a little excited)!

I think he looks so big in this picture carrying his own back pack! I asked if he wanted help and he said "No, Mommy...I a big boy now!" Mommy tears.

Finding his hook for his bag and jacket outside his classroom

With his buddy, Cole

Looking for his name =)

He found it and hung up his own bag

He and Cole playing puzzles in their new classroom

To celebrate the first day of school... we made "Happy Cake", of course!

Big Boy Pants

2011-09-17T09:41:00.002-05:00

Reid is definitely NOT ready to begin potty training (Mommy CANNOT WAIT for the day he is), but Grandma sent us some Thomas the Train "Big Boy Pants" in a package and Reid was REALLY excited about them. I had a brief glimmer of hope that these might be the motivation he needed to start potty training... but nope. He's just not ready. And I'm not going to push it until he is. Preserving some of my sanity - ha! Reid did look really cute in his big boy pants, though, so here are a few pics!

Reid's First Movie

2011-09-17T09:30:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, July 16th, Ben and I were feeling really brave and took Reid to see his first "real" movie in the theatre. He was so excited! We went to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie thinking it would be perfect because it was only an hour long. Reid was so not interested in Winnie the Pooh, but he REALLY like the previews for the other movies - ha! He made it about 45 minutes, and then we left because he was only interested in talking to all the other kids there. (Side note: Two weeks later, our playgroup took the kids to see Despicable Me, and he sat there the ENTIRE two hours... awesome! Reid LOVES movies as long as it's a movie he's interested in!)

Here's our little man playing video games while we were waiting on the movie to start... he's VERY serious about car games =)

Picking out his popcorn and candy (his favorite part, of course!)

The pictures inside the movie theatre didn't come out very good because I couldn't use my flash... oh well!

Me and my favorite little guy!

Shackelford Fire Station Visit

2011-09-15T17:06:00.002-05:00

Over the summer my friend, Emily, also coordinated a playgroup on Wednesdays and always had such fun (free) things planned! One of my favorites was the fire station visit - the kids loved it! The Shackelford Fire Station was so nice to let us all come and tour the station. The firemen let the kids get in the trucks, tried on all their firegear, etc... what a great time!

Reid and Cole standing in awe... =)

Hanging out in the firemen's chairs

This was Reider's favorite part!

With his buddy, Cole

All the kids (and Reid was so done taking pictures - ha!)

Summer 2011

2011-09-15T16:34:00.004-05:00

I'm really thankful that we had such a fun summer here in Little Rock and still having a hard time believing that fall is already here! I do have to say that I am so ready for cooler weather... summer here in Little Rock was hot, HOT, HOTTER... and then even more humid! (And I'm from Texas - I'm used the the heat!) Thankfully, our neighborhood has two really great community pools and we spent A LOT of time there these last few months. Reid LOVES to swim - he's definitely a little fish! Our summer routine was get up in the morning...breakfast...head to the gym to workout with some friends...then out to one of the pools for rest of the hot day. We swam...then swam some more... pretty much every day. The kids loved it and I secretly through a little party when the pool finally closed over Labor Day weekend. Ha!

A pic of Reid on the very first morning that the pool opened over Memorial Day weekend:

Swimming with Daddy

For moms with toddlers, these were THE BEST find this summer! We have tried every type of floaty out there, and these are the only ones I loved... They allowed Reid to swim on his own without flipping him on his back or face (even when he jumped in). They allowed me to relax a little out at the pool =)

With Cole and Alex

Two of my favorite LR Girls - Emily Martin and Mel Darby (BU friends as well!)

The evenings were nice when the Dads could take over! (Nate Darby, Ben, & Russ Martin)

Reider has also become quite the ham... he loves making people laugh!

Yep... I pretty much wear a hat every day in the summer.

Sand at a birthday party...

And, of course, SUCKERS!

In the mornings after all of us Moms were done working out, we'd let the kids in to do their "exercises"... too cute!

Reid and Cole... two little weight lifters in the making - ha!

10 Years Ago Today...

2011-09-14T23:01:00.007-05:00

I have to take a break from updating (or back dating) the blog to talk about today - September 14th. On this same day, September 14th, 2001 (a decade ago) I made the best decision of my life when I said "YES!!!" to Ben! Amid a terrible time for our country and just several days after 9/11, our family had something to celebrate... WE WERE ENGAGED! And then married just 4 short months later! Ben and I have been through a lot these last 10 years - 6 moves, 3 states, 6 houses (2 remodels), an infertility journey, one whirl-wind adoption, and the blessing of an amazing, joyful, little boy. I wouldn't trade a single second of it for the world. I am so grateful for him and cannot imagine walking through this life with anyone else. The best is yet to come!

Neely's Graduation

2011-09-14T21:41:00.008-05:00

At the end of May, Reid and I traveled back to DFW for my little sister's graduation (Neely, aka Aunt NeeNee). We are all so proud of her! She just completed her Masters in Education Counseling at Dallas Baptist University.

Since Ben had to stay in Little Rock to work, here are some pics of me with my handsome date!

Reid's favorite part of the day was riding the bus from the parking lot up to the auditorium... Here he is with KK and Doc:

Isn't he cute in his little tie?!?

Dallas Baptist University

Our crew who was there to cheer on Aunt NeeNee: Me, Doc, Reid, KK, Lea, Karen, Uncle Craig, and Jack

Reid kept yelling "Good job, Aunt NeeNee!!!" during all the quiet parts of the ceremony!

Jack & Karen Pedersen (Uncle Craig's parents), Uncle Craig & Aunt NeeNee w/Reider, Doc, KK, and myself

Having fun!

Neely and I

After the graduation ceremony, we all headed over to Gloria's for some good Mexican food and margaritas - it was a fun party!

Aunt NeeNee and Uncle Craig

Me, Neely, KK

Doc, Neely, Myself

Doc, Neely, Me, and KK

Uncle Craig helped to keep Reid entertained!

CONGRATS, AUNT NEENEE!!!! We are so proud of you!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-09-14T20:49:00.004-05:00

Mother's Day has to be my very favorite day every year - I can't even explain it. All of the love...all of the emotions. On one hand, I am so very thankful for the gift of Reid and the joy it is to be his Mommy. I stand in awe at the unbelievable sacrifice and unselfish love that allowed his birth family to entrust this baby boy to us. On the other hand, I grieve with Reid's birthmother, "S", as I can't even begin to imagine what she must feel. My prayer is that she feels love... from Ben and I, from Michael Reid, and from the Lord who held our entire adoption in his perfect hands. A friend of mine passed this on to me and I absolutely love it:

Once there were two women who barely knew each other,

One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.

Two different lives shaped to make you one,

One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.

The first gave you a need for love; the second was there to give it.

One gave you your nationality; the other gave you your name;

One gave you a talent; the other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions; the other calmed your fears.

One saw your first sweet smile; the other dried your tears.

One sought for you a home that she could not provide;

The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.

Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?

Neither, my darling. Neither. Just two different kinds of Love.

Here is a picture from my very first Mother's Day. CLICK HERE if you would like to read the post.

And here is Reider on Mommy on my 3rd Mother's Day - WOW! How the time has flown!

We had a wonderful day with our little family of three! The boys let me sleep in, then we headed out to the zoo to enjoy the gorgeous weather and have a picnic. Here's Reid and I looking at a giant cobra:

Reid and Daddy on the train...(again, posing for the camera is not on Reider's priority list)

Loving the train! (And yes, that is a mosquito bite on the side of his head!)

That evening for dinner, Ben made us reservations at the Kobe Japanese Steak House - it was wonderful! I wish I would have taken more pictures because Reid loved watching them cook at our table! Here's the only one I took:

We had one very tired boy at the end of the day!

Boys Will Be Boys!

2011-09-14T20:23:00.007-05:00

One of Reid's other favorite things... PLAYING OUTSIDE! And the dirtier he can get, the better!

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes,

Shy and adventurous, full of surprises,

With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins.

They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while...

Nothing can brighten the world like their smile!

And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy...

Than a curious, active, and lovable boy!

Favorite Things

2011-09-14T19:52:00.004-05:00

While we have truly loved living in Little Rock these last few months, that doesn't mean that there haven't been bittersweet moments when we miss all of our wonderful friends and family back in Texas. We are so grateful for how smooth our transition has been and for the great friends we have already met here in Arkansas. Here are a few of Reid's FAVORITE THINGS since moving to Little Rock this spring:

I simply remember my favorite things,

and then I don't feel so bad...

1. The Penguins (Little Rock Zoo) -

Reid LOVES the penguins. We bought family passes to the LR Zoo because we go so often, and the Penguins are the first exhibit Reid rushes to see. He always asks, "Hold penguins, Mommy?... Kiss penguins? PLEASE??!?" Haha!

Here he is with one of his best little buddies, Cole, and Cole's big sister, Kylie.

2. Downtown Splash Pad at Riverfront Park -

Once the weather started warming up this spring, we discovered the Riverfront park in downtown Little Rock. It's perfect for kids of all ages! There is a huge splash pad, playgrounds, and plenty of tunnels for exploring.

These are just a few pics of Reid with his friends, Lilly and Miles. Unfortunately, these aren't good pics of the park... the kids are just playing in a puddle...ha!

3. Suckers (Packages from KK and Doc) -

About every other week or so, Reid gets a package in the mail from KK and Doc that has SUCKERS... we LOVE suckers! And Reid always loves getting things in the mail!

4. Lunch at Daddy's Office -

Reid loves his Daddy so very much! I'm so thankful for their sweet bond...

5. Building "Towers" -

We might have an engineer on our hands, folks... Reid will spend HOURS playing with his blocks and train tracks building (what I think are) elaborate towers for a two year old...

(it's hard getting him to pose for the camera these days.. ha!)

6. The iPad -

Reid calls it "My iPad" and knows how to use it better than Mommy and Daddy! Here he is surfing YouTube for more Thomas the Train videos...

I AM STILL HERE!!!

2011-09-14T15:04:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not, we are still here!!! I am so sorry for my lack of blog posts over the summer - we've definitely been busy! I have just spent hours (HOURS) getting all of my pictures uploaded because some girlfriends and myself are going away next weekend for a Scrap Retreat (so excited!). We will be spending the weekend working on our family scrapbooks. For me, this means I will be spending the weekend working on Reid's Adoption Book, my 2011 Digital Scrapbook, and... THE BLOG!

Here is a list of the posts I'm working on that will appear within the next 2 weeks:

1. Little Rock Zoo / Fountains

2. Outside Fun

3. Mother's Day 2011

4. Aunt NeeNee's Graduation

5. Summer 2011

6. Fire Station Visit

7. Reid's First Movie

8. Big Boy Pants

9. First Day of School in Little Rock

Stay Tuned!

May 2011

2011-06-02T15:30:00.005-05:00

May has FLOWN by - I feel like I blinked and it's already June!!! We had a fabulous month... The boys spoiled me rotten on Mother's Day, we took a trip to Texas to visit our family and friends, had a super fun Memorial Day weekend, are living our life out by the pool, enjoying the warm weather, and just very happy in general =) I feel so blessed!

I have so many blog posts I need to catch up on...

1. Mother's Day... I can't even begin to tell you what this day means to me. And I can't even begin to think about that day without remembering Reid's precious birth mother. How we love her and are so thankful for her! Here's a look at my very first Mother's Day...

2. Pool Pics - We have a little fish on our hands this summer! Reider LOVES to swim... he wakes up asking to go to the "pool-lay" and go swimming. He also refuses to take his floaties off most of the time when we get home =)

3. Texas Trip - My little sister graduated from DBU with her Masters in Education Counseling. It was such a great weekend hanging out with our families and friends - so many pics that have been posted on Fb!

But... my time is always so limited with a VERY ACTIVE 2-year old boy! So for now... here are a few of the amazing family pics that my friend, Mitzi Penick, took... love them! Enjoy!

Easter 2011 - HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

2011-05-04T13:49:00.011-05:00

Our family had such a wonderful Easter this year, but (as you will see from this blog post) I HAVE GOT to make a better effort at taking pictures. Easter made me realize how much I miss my sister (Aunt NeeNee) because she always did such a wonderful job with photography... I never even had to take my camera when she was around! At the end of the day when all the festivities were over, I realized I didn't even get a pic of Reider and his Easter basket... ugg. EPIC FAIL. Oh well, I suppose there's always next year... Here are the few pics that I did get, so enjoy!

Handome little man in his Easter clothes

(And yes, Neely would have gotten a MUCH better pic)

Since we didn't go home to DFW for Easter, we had our first ever ORPHAN EASTER here in Little Rock at our house. (Orphan Easter meaning that none of us had in family in town, so we all got together). We were joined by some dear, old friends - the Henry's. And also by some brand new friends - the Meinhart's. We had a great day just eating, hanging out, letting the kids play, and even having an Easter egg hunt in the backyard.

Here's the adult table =) (The kids all ate outside)

With my two handsome men - oh, how I love these two!

The Meinhart's - Mark, Kasey, Lilly, and Miles

The Henry's - Patrick, Sarah, Max, and Molly

All comparing their candy after the egg hunt

I think Reid was asking Molly out =)

Max and Lilly

And yes... after a few hours outside, it definitely turned into an Arkansas Easter. Reid began shedding clothes and was completely covered in sand and dirt. And LOVING his candy!

And here is our tired baby boy... It was only 5:30pm and he was out for the night!

Again, I'm just sick that I didn't get more pictures... I promise to do better so hang in there with me! =)

Hope you and and your families enjoyed the Easter holiday as much as we did - we are so grateful for a Saviour who loved us enough to bear the cross then rise again! HE LIVES!

KK's Visit (April 15-17)

2011-05-04T13:28:00.006-05:00

Whew! It's been a BUSY few weeks for us, but I am trying my best to catch up on some blog posts during Reider's nap time today. I can't begin to tell you how much our family is enjoying Little Rock - such a great place live! Of course we miss all of our family and friends in TX, but we have been so blessed here to reconnect with old college friends and meet many new friends as well. We spend our days at playdates, the park, zoo, etc... All of that to say, the blog is lacking. And I apologize. =)

Several weeks ago (April 15-17) we had such a blast when KK came to visit for the weekend! The main goal of her trip - outside of spending time with Reid - was helping me get my patio/backyard ready for the spring and summer. I was so appreciative of the help because we spend so much time outside! And now, it looks so pretty when we're out there =) Here are a few pics:

And yes...even the little dude was helping =)

Oh! And KK got him his new favorite thing... the sandbox... thanks, KK!

We spent most of the weekend working out in the yard and just relaxing. It was so nice! Then on Sunday, I helped to coordinate our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt so KK got to watch Reid at his first-ever egg hunt! Here's the handsome guy ready to go...

While we were hiding eggs for all of the kids, they all had fun blowing bubbles... playing some games...

And, of course... eating lots of treats!

Let the egg hunt begin! Reider didn't quite know what to do at first... but then he figured out there was CANDY inside all of the eggs... the rest is history!

Reid and KK

With Mommy and Daddy (and already eating his candy)

Checkin' out his loot!

We always have so much fun when the grandparents are in town... can't wait to see you all again soon!

A Day Out With Thomas The Train

2011-04-04T13:29:00.010-05:00

For Reid's 2nd birthday, his Doc and KK got him tickets for "A Day Out With Thomas The Train". So this past Saturday our whole fam headed out for the fun-filled day. Thomas is Reid's very favorite thing right now, so to say he was beside himself would be an understatement. We had so much fun!

My little family

Reid even had fun on the shuttle bus from the parking lot over to the Thomas train park!

His least favorite part of the day = the petting zoo. Reid still thinks they are "yuck!"... (Oh! And he busted is mouth/nose earlier on Saturday morning... hence the lovely scrapes under the nose. Poor baby!)

"Come on, Mom and Dad! I want to see Thomas!"

Reid was telling his Dad the names of all the trains =)

So excited!

Before the train ride, we spent a lot of time looking at the model train village... Reid LOVED it!

With my Mom (KK) and Aunt Neely ("NeeNee")... Side note: It was also Neely's 25th birthday! She had always wanted to ride a Thomas the Train... haha!

Reid with Uncle Craig and Doc

All the guys

And here's Thomas!

We got to ride in the very first car behind Thomas

Safe to say that Reider LOVED the train ride!

Checking out the wheels and tracks below

Getting ready to leave the station! (Grandma and Pops were taking pictures outside the train)

Inside the train

Sweet boy

Looking out the window with my little guy

Love this!

My favorite picture!

Laughing with Doc

Serious talks with KK

After our Thomas Adventures... we went to dinner at Fireside Pies for Aunt Neely's birthday. Later that evening we headed over to KK and Doc's to eat her "Happy Cake", as Reider calls it...

Reid had a blast with all of the family the whole night!

Yes.... we've learned to take off our clothes. Aunt Neely said these will show up again at high school graduation or something =)

Handsome little guy!

Wrestling with Uncle Craig

Now it's Doc's turn!

Orlando Vacation

2011-04-04T12:38:00.008-05:00

Several weeks ago (March 6-12) Ben and I had the opportunity to go on our annual adult-only vacation - we had a complete blast! We go with the same group of friends to a different place each year... this year was the Ritz-Carlton Grand Lakes in Orlando, FL. This trip is always such a blessing to us because we get quality time together with some great, great friends... Oh, and did I mention that Ben's company pays for the WHOLE thing?!?! Unbelievable. Huge blessings.

Day 1

We arrived in Orlando, got settled into our rooms, then had a welcome reception with our group out on the Da Vinci Lawn. Unfortunately I didn't take near enough pictures this year, but here's a self-portrait of Ben and I on our way out the door to the reception.

Day 2

Day two started off bright and early with a huge breakfast and the only "buisness" meeting of the week. Below is a picture of Ben with the Texas district.

After the business meeting, here's where we spent the rest of our day... and most of our days there =) Beautiful and so relaxing!

The evening of Day two, we had a fabulous dinner at Vines Grille with several people from Ben's new Arkansas district. We truly enjoyed getting to know these new friends! (The Hogues, The Greenwoods, and Jon Olmsted)

Day 3

On Day 3, we headed out to Universal Studios with Nate & Abby... Abby is a HUGE Harry Potter fan so we, of course, went to the Harry Potter Village...

I have to say that I was very impressed! It definitely makes me want to read the books now!

That evening we had a blast at the Everglades Party on Fairways Lawn. There was a live band, tons of food, activities, and lots of fun! Here we are with some of our great friends... Kyle, Justin, Christine, myself, Ben, and Garrett.

Some "new friends" that joined us for dinner...

With one of my dearest.... Abby Sannes =)

Day 4

Early on the morning of Day 4, all the guys hit the golf course and the girls headed to the Spa - heaven! Then we all spent rest of the afternoon by the pools =) That evening, Ben and I went to dinner at Pat O'Briens with the Texas group... Here is me and my love:

The Texas group

Day 5

Day 5 once again started with a spa day for the girls and race car driving for the guys. Unfortunately, this is the only day it rained, so we all headed into Orlando for some good quality time... shopping! That evening we all got dressed up for the big Final Night Reception in the Ritz-Carlton Ballroom. After the dinner was a rockin' after-party... lots of dancing and live music!

Before the dinner with Nate and Abby - love them!

Abby and I

Christine, myself, and Abby

Let the after-party begin!

Christine and I

Abby and I

Myself, Kyle, and Christine

These 4 guys have been buddies since 2006 when we all lived together up in Minnesota - we've all been through a lot together! They take the same picture on the last night of our trip every year. (Nate, Kyle, Ben, & Nima)

Ben, Justin, and Kyle

Love him.

Trying to squeeze everyone in the pic...Abby, Ben, Nate, Kyle, and I

It was such a great trip and I'm always sad when the week is over... but also so ready to get back and see this little guy! We miss him so very much!!! Thank you a million times over to all the grandparents who watch Reider for us while we are gone. We love you!

Can you tell he was excited about his Mickey Mouse?!! And yes... that is a diaper he put on Mickey =)

We already miss all of our O-Town friends, but are so looking forward to next year! We'll be heading to The Phoenecian in Phoenix, AZ!

West Little Rock - New House Pics (Before & After)

2011-03-31T19:39:00.015-05:00

This post is for our friends and family who have asked to see pictures of our new home in West Little Rock. Warning that there are A LOT of pictures. If you're not interested in these or in remodel work, then go ahead and skip right over this post =) If you are... then come take a tour of our new house via Before and After pics!

House hunting in West Little Rock was difficult, to say the least. We chose this little pocket of Little Rock for the schools as well as the great location - our house is within blocks of all the major shopping, restaurants, etc. However, there is very little new (affordable) construction in this area so most of the houses are quite a bit older than we were used to. (Or "charming" as Ben and I came to know them. Ha.) We wanted to keep our house payment the same as we had in Dallas/Fort Worth, and we were definitely shocked at the variance in price per square foot for this West LR area. We went from having 3200 sq feet in DFW to 2300 here in WLR for the same price. Ouch. But... after a grueling hunt... we FINALLY found (and love) our new home! (Or at least a floor plan that we liked. You'll see below that pretty much everything else has been redone.)

Front of the house - BEFORE

Front of the house - AFTER. Basically, we just had the landscaping cleaned up and mulched out here. We also had the front door repainted white rather than grey. Eventually, we will have the outside of the house repainted instead of the yellow color it is now.

Back porch - BEFORE

Back porch - AFTER. Not much back here except for some clean up. Please excuse the furniture out there... Getting some new patio stuff is next on my list =)

Back yard - BEFORE

Back yard - AFTER

View of back yard from back porch - BEFORE

View of back yard from back porch - AFTER

Walking in front door - BEFORE (You can't really tell in this pic, but all of the trim in this house was either pink... yes, pink... or brown. Charming. Ha. Ha.)

Walking in front door - AFTER. Every last surface was repainted. Multiple ceiling fans removed and new can lights dropped in.

Formal Dining - BEFORE

Formal Dining - AFTER. Everything repainted and new flooring.

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER

Living Room - BEFORE (I'm standing by the back French doors looking towards the front)

Living Room - AFTER

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER (the only thing in this house that did not have to be repainted were those entertainment cabinets. Lovely. But they did get some new hardware.)

Living Room - BEFORE (These french doors lead into the den area)

Living Room - AFTER (French doors to den area)

Den / Family Room - BEFORE

Den / Family Room - AFTER. All new paint and flooring.

Hallway down to Reid's room, guest room, and guest bath - BEFORE

Hallway down to Reid's room, guest room, and guest bath - AFTER

Guest Room - BEFORE

Guest Room - AFTER. New paint and flooring. And the decor is not finished yet.

Guest Room - AFTER

Guest Bath - BEFORE

Guest Bath - AFTER. All new paint, cabinets, hardware, flooring.

Guest Bath - BEFORE

Guest Bath - AFTER (Yes... I'm going to start working with Reid on potty-training! Oh happy day!)

Guest bath - BEFORE

Guest bath - AFTER

Reid's Room - BEFORE (the little dude had to have somewhere to nap while we met with contractors!)

Reid's Room - AFTER. All new paint and flooring.

Reid's Room - AFTER

Reid's Room - AFTER (It's hard to tell in the pics, but he has a huge room which I love... all of his toys fit well in there!)

Reid's Room - AFTER

Back out to the Living Room - BEFORE

Back out to the Living Room - AFTER. In this pic, if you were to go LEFT... that is the Den area then the hallway to the guest room, bath, and Reid's room. To the RIGHT is the formal dining and two doors that lead to the kitchen area.

The Kitchen - BEFORE. All I can say is "charming". Ha. This was a doozy to fix up.

The Kitchen - AFTER. Everything is new except the floors.

Kitchen - BEFORE

Kitchen - AFTER

Kitchen - BEFORE (I took a pic of this b/c that plated glass is the only thing I kept for the new kitchen)

Kitchen - AFTER

Breakfast Nook - BEFORE

Breakfast Nook - AFTER

Laundry / Mud Room - BEFORE

Laundry / Mud Room - AFTER. Again... all new paint, cabinets, hardware.

Laundry - BEFORE

Laundry - AFTER (also the new home to Fat Jack & Johnny... they even have their own private "water closet". Haha!)

Master Bedroom - BEFORE

Master Bedroom - AFTER. All new paint and flooring.

Master Bedroom - BEFORE

Master Bedroom - AFTER. (The tray ceilings are still there... just didn't show up in these pics)

Master Bath - BEFORE

Master Bath - AFTER. New paint and cabinets. Will hopefully replace these countertops and all the brass down the road.

Master bath - BEFORE

Master Bath - AFTER

Master Bath - BEFORE

Master Bath - AFTER

And that is the grand tour! We welcome visitors so please let us know if you are ever in the area!

STILL ALIVE (in Arkansas)!

2011-03-30T20:49:00.004-05:00

Yes... yes... yes... we are still alive and kicking! And we are now residents of Little Rock, Arkansas =) To say this last month has been completely overwhelming and crazy would be an understatement. We have moved an entire household to another state... sold a house... bought house... completely remodeled a house (kitchen just finished TODAY!)... have rented and moved into a new office space for Ben... have desperately tried to feel settled... have gone on vacation to Orlando... have been staying busy with a VERY active 2 year old... have found a new church... have met some sweet new friends... have reconnected with great old friends... and are trying to carve out our new life here in West Little Rock. Whew! And I'm tired all over again. Too tired to post much tonight... BUT... the posts are coming people!

Here's what to expect in the very near future:

1. Before, Remodel, and After pics of our new AR house

2. Misc pics of the most handsome angel baby EVER

3. Pictures from our vacation to Orlando, FL

4. And a glipse into our daily lives (thus far) in Little Rock... there are definitely some funny stories. Mainly about my yard people.

But since none of those posts are going up tonight... here's a little video of our happy baby boy (the real reason you all read this blog anyway!). These two completely crack me up!

BIG WEEK!

2011-02-07T14:55:00.005-06:00

My apologies to the Blogosphere for being on hiatus... but in case you haven't heard, DFW was iced over and shut down for the past week. CRAZY weather for Texas! Reid and I camped out at my parent's house for a little bit of company, and we have all been SO GLAD that the roads are better and our nice weather is coming back (for a bit). But on to more important topics...

Many of you know that the first week of February is so very special to our family! The first big event is February 2nd. Ben and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary this year - hard to believe it's been so long! (We didn't actually celebrate considering we were both in two different states, but we are taking a week-long adult-only vacation the first week of March, so we are looking very forward to that.) I love that man more every day and am so thankful to walk through this life with him!

Then... on February 3rd... Reider turned the big T-W-O!!! We obviously already had his birthday party... and despite the icy weather, we still had a great day! We made a chocolate "Happy Cake" (as Reid calls it) that he REFUSED to share with any of us. We all became closet cake eaters to avoid the Reider wrath. =) Here he is enjoying some of the "happy cake":

Then... we ALWAYS celebrate February 5th. What a blessed day that is! Makes me tear up just remembering... February 5, 2009 is the very first time we ever laid eyes on our sweet baby boy. What a complete gift he is! You can see pictures from that day HERE. Hard to believe this was just two short years ago! Can someone please tell me how to slow this time down?!? We will always be so grateful to Michael Reid's amazing birth family for entrusting him to us. They showered him with unselfish love and we are so thankful he has such a wonderful story. We can't wait to share more of it with him!

And... we are adding to the momentum of our very special week with a MOVE TO LITTLE ROCK this year. As I am typing this, the movers are here and packing us up. They will be here through Wednesday, then we all drive out on Thursday morning. As I have said, it is bittersweet for sure. We will miss being so close to our families and great friends. But, in the same breath... Reid misses his Daddy (and I miss him like crazy, too!!) so we are very thankful to be living under one roof again soon! Prayers for serenity this week would be much appreciated. =)

And... to end... here's a short little video of my budding "musician". This is what we do when we're iced in ALL DAY LONG. Reid loves playing the piano and singing!

Reid's 2nd Birthday Party!

2011-01-26T14:14:00.006-06:00

WOW... Ben and I can hardly believe that our baby boy is almost TWO! What a pure joy these last two years have been! We decided to celebrate a few weeks early (before the moving craziness set in) with a Thomas the Train birthday party at none other than... McDonald's (Reider's favorite). And I have to say... it was a blast! We kept it small with just family and a few of Reid's little friends, and I think it's safe to say that all the kids had a lot of fun. =)

Here's the birthday boy before the party started while we were setting up... checking out his party hats...

...or eating them...

Reid LOVED all the Thomas decorations and balloons!

And, of course, there was a Thomas the Train cake...

It was a HUGE mistake to show Reid his birthday "happy cake" before the party... he was OBSESSED with eating a piece. We tried to distract him for a little while with air hockey...

...but that didn't last long.

We decided it was his birthday and he could eat cake when he wanted to! So here's Reider... diving into the cake before the party even starts!

I think he liked it =)

With the two loves of my life...

Trying on his party hat as his friends began to arrive...

Let the fun begin! Pictured is Reid, Keagan DeLaPorte (with Siti), Bekah & Grace Wells, and Isabella Higgins (with Jayme)...

Fun with party favors - love these kids so much!

Reider caught sight of the presents that were starting to pile up and wanted to start "opening it"...

Happy Meal time!

The little man eating his favorite food - FRENCH FRIES and DIP!

Pictured: Brielle McDaniel, Bekah Wells, Isabella Higgins, Grace Wells, Reider, and Keagan DeLaPorte

Sweet "Baby Harpers" and Shaun

Aunt NeeNee taking good pictures (which I will post when she is done editing them)

...and round #2 of cake and "ice creamy"

We'll have many more pics to post from Neely as soon as I get the cd... but for now, here's a little video of the Happy Birthday song =)

Reider, Mommy and Daddy love you so very much and are so proud of the little guy you have become! Can't wait to see what this next year holds!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-12T16:06:00.001-06:00

A picture of Reid and I with my Grandmother (Reid's great-Grandmother)

Christmas #2 - The Peterson Fam

2011-01-12T15:48:00.004-06:00

Christmas #2 began bright and early over at Grandma and Pops house on Christmas morning! It was such a wonderful day and we, once again, had a complete blast! Christmas Day included Ben, myself, Reid, Grandma, Pops, Uncle Joe, Aunt Candice, Uncle Jeff, Rob, and Debbie. This Christmas was so much fun to have everyone together since we're all spread out throughout the year. Reid was so proud of himself that he knew everyones names and could say them perfectly =)

Here's a pic of our little fam before the traditional reading of the Christmas Story of Jesus' birth and the present opening began. As you can tell... we look a little tired from putting together a train table all night =)

Reid absolutely COULD NOT WAIT to dive into presents! We were all spoiled way too much and received such nice gifts! There were, of course, more cars, trains, and puzzles for Reider... not to mention new luggage for us all and many other fun things!

Pops and Grandma

Aunt Candice and Uncle Joe

Uncle Jeff

PUZZLES!!!

More presents!

Books are one of Reid's favorite things!

The whole family at Christmas dinner (Reid was still napping - we wore the little guy out!)

Here's a great shot of everyone =)

Continuing to play with new toys...

We can't say it enough... we feel so incredibly blessed to have such amazing families! It is a great feeling to know that your child (and us as well) are surrounded by so many people who love them unconditionally. They are all incredible examples of Jesus' love... what more could you ask for?!? Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Christmas #1 - The Floyd Fam

2011-01-12T15:22:00.005-06:00

WOW... I am just now getting around to posting our Christmas pictures! Things have been just a tad busy around here for us! The biggest news is that we finally found a house in Little Rock - yay! We close on the 24th of January then are having a little bit of remodel work on it. Once that work is complete, then we will finally be making the big move. So bittersweet, but Reider and I are so ready to see Ben every day again! More updates and pictures coming on our move very soon...

But for now, I'll move on to our wonderful Christmas...

Christmas #1 was spent with my side of the family on Christmas Eve - we had a blast! It was Ben, Reid, myself, Doc, KK, Aunt NeeNee, and Uncle Craig. Is this not the most handsome little man who was SO VERY ready to open presents???

But first... before the present opening... we went to the Candlelight service at my parents church. And, as you can see, Reid has become VERY opinionated on the clothes that he wears and he was none to thrilled at his Christmas sweater I had picked out. These pictures are classic...

Yes, we are most definitely almost two! =)

Aunt NeeNee and Uncle Craig

Ben and I (Reid was still throwing a fit)

After the Christmas Eve service it was finally time to begin opening presents. It was so much fun this year to watch Reid get so excited and wide-eyed! He definitely understood the gift giving this year!

The first present Reider opened was full of "choo-choos"... yes, he is OBSESSED! Here is is trying to carry them all at the same time...

Then we figured it was time to bring out the BIG gift... Reid's new train table!!!

He ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! I have never heard the words "choo-choo" so many times in my life! He kept saying "Ho, ho, ho... choo-choos!!!"

Of course, after getting the train table, no other presents really mattered much to Reid... ha!

Reid and KK

More presents

...and back to the choo-choos!

Neely and I with our wedding boquets Mom and Dad had preserved...

The guys with their signed George W. Bush books

Mom and I with our blingin' new watches

It was a wonderful Christmas! We, of course, received way too much and are so very thankful! My favorite new toy has to be my ipad... LOVE IT! =)

After Reider went to bed and all the gifts were open... we began the task of setting up the train table. It only took 3 college grads 3 hours. Wow. (And maybe the wine didn't help!)

Yep... still working...

...by 1am, all the adults were playing with Reider's toys =)

...and the finished product that is providing MANY hours of entertainment for our little man...

We are so very thankful for our wonderful family and the sweet memories that were made! Looking forward to 2011!

Reid's Christmas Party

2010-12-16T15:40:00.004-06:00

On Tuesday, Reid's MDO class at Southlake Christian had their little class party - it was one of the cutest things I've ever seen! They all made matching Christmas shirts, ate Christmas cookies, juice, and exchanged gifts (each brought a wrapped book).

The party started right after nap time. Usually my child is the first one up, but on party day... he's, of course, taking the longest nap ever. This pic is taken as the party is starting... lights are on, parent's are there, and Christmas music is playing. Didn't phase him one bit. =)

Did someone say "cookies"? That got him up and going... Here's Reider diving into the cookies...

Me and my guy =)

With KK (and still way more interested in eating cookies than taking pictures)

With Grandma (now double-fisting the cookies)

With Miss Annie & Miss Colleen - we LOVE these teachers!

Looking at his book from William

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-01T09:55:00.000-06:00

Fort Worth Parade of Lights

2010-11-30T20:57:00.005-06:00

On Friday evening, our family went to our first ever viewing of the Fort Worth Parade of Lights - Reid loved it! We were a little worried, but he sat there completely mesmerized through the entire parade. This will definitely be a holiday tradition that we do every year! My Dad (aka "Doc") was actually one of the judges this year, so we got to sit in the VIP section and had a great view of the parade.

Is he not THE CUTEST!?!

Haha...this is what a family Christmas picture with a toddler looks like... =)

Reider and KK

The whole fam... Aunt NeeNee, Uncle Craig, Ben, Myself, Reid, KK, & Doc

A few pics from the parade (photographs courtesy of Neely Pedersen)

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-30T20:30:00.003-06:00

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." 1 Chr 16:34

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration this year - we truly have much to be thankful for! We spent the day at KK and Doc's house and were joined by a large crew... it was: Myself, Ben, Reider, KK, Doc, Aunt Neely, Uncle Craig, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Jeff, Karen & Jack Pedersen (Uncle Craig's parents), Wyatt & Amanda Palmer and John Palmer (Neely & Craig's good friends from med school). It was a great group and we enjoyed the day watching football and eating way too much food!

Me and my handsome little man

...someone was getting very sleepy...

The "Kid" table... =)

The adult table...

Our child LOVES to be the center of attention... and he's never short of attention when his Aunts and Uncles are around... he and Uncle Craig goofed off most of the day...

Aunt NeeNee reading books

Gaylord ICE 2010

2010-11-30T16:05:00.004-06:00

Last week we had a fun outing with KK, Jayme, Isabella, and GiGi (Isabella's Grandma)... we ventured out to Gaylord ICE! It was a Charlie Brown theme this year and was really beautiful!

Here's Reider and I in our ICE coats before going inside - he only threw a small fit when we put it on him =)

Reid and KK

With Jayme and Isabella (sorry for the blurry pic!)

And then we went inside... this next picture pretty much sums up Reid's thoughts on the whole experience...

He was TERRIFIED... safe to say Reider was not a fan this year. Oh well. Maybe next year!

Here we are running him through the exhibit to get to the end...

But, all is well that ends well... To calm him down, we promised he could buy a choo-choo at the end. KK's a sucker and he ended up with a choo-choo plus a car and a bus. Fun times! =)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-04T21:35:00.004-05:00

We had a complete blast this year for Halloween! Reid had a little Halloween party with some of his friends (and ours) over at the house... we had chili pile-on for dinner, then took all the kiddos for their first real night of trick-or-treating. (We only made it about 6 or 7 houses with our crew... but had a great time!)

And just a side note... Reid was supposed to be an actual cowboy for Halloween (NOT a Dallas Cowboy)... but he didn't want to wear the hat, the boots, the gun holster, or the sheriff's badge. He wanted to wear his jersey. And, since this night was for the kids to have fun... we let him. =)

Are these not the cutest kids you've ever seen?!? It's Reid and all the ladies...

The funniest part about getting the above picture, was all of the parents trying to make the kids smile and stand in one place... =)

The look on Reid's face is priceless... he thinks all the adults are CRAZY...

Jill and sweet Harper

Michael McDaniel came as the Mad Hatter! Tiff was the Queen of Hearts and Brielle was the bunny... (but I don't have a picture of all 3 of them!)

Bennett, Jenny, and Ben

The Wells' Fam and Lea

Shaun, Tiff, Brielle, and Jayme

Some of the grandparents who came to see all the kids!

Keagan trying to feed Harper

Keag and Isabella

The evening entertainment =)

I just love all of them!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the actual trick-or-treating... it was a bit crazy trying to wrangle all of the bitties! But Reid had a great time and quickly figured out that people give him candy... at one point I looked back at him in his wagon, and he had eaten candy with wrappers and all!

Love this pic at the end of the night...so sweet! Isabella, Ady, and Reider

Big Changes...

2010-10-29T22:09:00.002-05:00

There are some big changes coming our way, and we would be so grateful for your prayerful support...

Yesterday, Ben was honored to accept a great promotion with his company as the DMM for the state of Arkansas. Yep, I said Arkansas... The three of us are about to be the newest residents in Little Rock. :) We feel very blessed to be given this opportunity and have a complete peace that it is the right decision for our family. However, it is still very bittersweet and incredibly hard to leave our families, friends, and amazing church here in Dallas/Ft Worth.

Many of you know that we have moved away before - we lived up in Minnesota from 2006-2007 while Ben was in a training program for this same company. Against all odds, we found out in Jan 2007 that we were getting to move right back home to DFW. We had no clue (at the time) how the Lord was providing for us. He knew what we were about to walk through with the infertility and adoption struggles... and His provision of our strongest support system during that time was a blessing beyond measure. We truly could not have made it through those years without that physical presence of love, support, and felt prayers. For that we will be forever grateful. It has been a wonderful, comforting, and refreshing time to be surrounded by so many people that we truly love.

But we also know that the Lord doesn't always allow us to stay in those comfort zones - that there are new challenges and new things to learn to help us grow. And we are again taking a leap of faith and trusting in His provision and plan for our lives. He has never let us down and we are excited about what the future holds.

Ben's promotion is effective as of December 1st (this has been a whirlwind!)... He and I flew out to their regional offices in Nashville yesterday to sign contracts and make everything official. Ben will be commuting back and forth from DFW to Little Rock for the month of December as I finalize things here (selling this house, finding and buying a new home in Little Rock, etc - just the small things. Ha!). Our plan is for Reid and I to be moved and join Ben the beginning of January. I will send out our new address/contact information as soon as we find our new home. The good news, is that we will not be very far away (about 5 hours) and DFW is home base for us so I know that we will be back to visit everyone often.

Again, we would truly appreciate your prayers that everything goes as smoothly as possible. We are so grateful for you and blessed by your friendship.

And... we really hope that all of you have been DYING to go on a vacation to Arkansas...(I mean, who wouldn't?!? Wink, wink.) We will have a room waiting for you!

All our love,

Holly, Ben, & Reid

Western Day

2010-10-22T13:43:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Western Day at Reid's school.... and he wanted NOTHING to do with it! I definitely have a little city boy (just like his Daddy!). Reider wanted nothing to do with the animals... the pony rides... didn't want to wear his new boots... Oh well. Such is life! He sure did make a cute cowboy, though! (He's going to be a cowboy for Halloween, too!)

Mom and Reider

Walking beside the pony...

Not really liking the pony ride...

Nope. Definitely didn't like it. =)

He was pointing to the pony saying "ewww"... and "pew-yew!"

Reid with some of his classmates

He enjoyed looking at all of the animals from the other side of the fence, at least =)

Fine, Mom... I'll pet the pony.

Love these pics of his little class looking through the fence!

Nope... I don't want to pet the goats either, Mom...

And I REALLY don't want to touch the chicken...

...just hold me, Mom... I don't want any of the animals touching me...

So cute!

Perfect picture of Reid's facial expression for the whole day =)

Oh well! Maybe he'll enjoy it more next year! =)

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY, REID!

2010-10-22T13:34:00.004-05:00

On October 5th, 2009 we had the great blessing of welcoming Michael Reid into our forever family - it is a day we will always celebrate! For those of you new to adoption speak, click HERE to learn more about Gotcha Day =)

This year, Gotcha Day fell on a Tuesday so I took cookies up to Reid's class at school. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I was too busy playing with the kiddos. Obviously, they are all still too young to understand, but most of them enjoyed the cookies anyway =)

Each year for Reid's Gotcha day, we will let him pick anything he wants to do as a family. We look forward to making this such a special day in his life! We are forever grateful for the sacrifice and love his birth family showed in choosing adoption and in choosing Ben and I as his parents. We couldn't be more blessed! Mommy and Daddy love you so much, Michael Reid!

And... just a cute pic from the other night... Reid and one of his best buddy's, Adalyn (or "Ady" as he calls her!)... too cute!

Quick Update

2010-10-04T15:55:00.004-05:00

As usual, I somehow fell WAY behind in blogging. Ugg. Hopefully I'll get better about that soon! I just feel like I looked up and it was already October... crazy how fast time flies when you're having fun! If you look below, I (finally) posted some pictures from our family vacation to Horseshoe Bay from Labor Day weekend. I also posted a short video of the smartest baby in the world... that's right... Reid is now spelling his name and counting. Too cute! Wow, how we love this little guy!

A quick update... Reider has been going to school for almost a full month now on Tuesdays and Thursdays (9am - 2pm) - and he absolutely LOVES it! We are so very glad! He truly enjoys school, learning, and playing with all of his new friends. We are so grateful for the wonderful teachers he has been blessed with, and they are so in love with Reider as well! I can't say enough wonderful things about Southlake Christian. Please let me know if you are interested in more info for your own kids - I would be glad to get some to you =)

And tomorrow, October 5th, is a HUGE day at our house... it's Reid's GOTCHA DAY! It's so hard to believe that a year has already gone by since we were at the courthouse finalizing the adoption of our sweet, baby boy! You can look here for pictures of that special day =) To celebrate Gotcha Day with Reid this year, we will be taking treats (cookies and cupcakes) up to his class at school tomorrow. Then this weekend, we will have a family day and do whatever Reid wants to do (most likely the aquarium or zoo). I can't wait! I will post pictures as soon as I can!