My Little 10 Week Old Fish!!!

My First Swimming Pool Experience At Poppa and YaYa's!

OK Mommy Don't Get Too Crazy, I Am Only 10 Weeks Old!!!

Leave It To My Dare Devil Poppa To Start Me Off Early!!!

A Little Unsure Of This REALLY BIG Bath Tub!!!

Awww Now I Am Feeling A Little More Relaxed!

I Am Going To Be A Great Swimmer Like My Uncle Cager!

I Love My Aunt MoJo and Uncle Cager and They Sure Love Me!

Well it's official our baby boy is going to be a water baby! Yesterday afternoon the kids were swimming and my Dad got the idea to see how Cannon would do if he dipped his feet in the water a little. Well the first dip startled him a bit and he let out a little fake cry and then the second dip nothing came out and he was just looking around and hanging out with his feet in the water and before we knew it he was all about the water!!! Never cried, just hung out and looked around - a little confused at how big his bath tub had grown and the slight temp change, but very relaxed and calm!!! I am so thankful for that because during the summers we are either at the pool or on the lake so we are all very excited about our sweet little fish!!!

XOXO,

Kristen

You Make Me Happy When Skys Are Gray!!!

Not A Care In The World!

Well this weekend was the weekend from Hades to say the LEAST! I walk in the door on Friday after a LONG week, to witness totally destruction!!! Our 10 year old lab went totally postal and ate through 5 sets (3 of which were custom made) plantation blinds, ate a plant, and damaged a pricey lamp - when I say ate through I mean the blinds had holes in them, some were broken in half, all were scratched - luckily we were able to just by replacement panels for the blinds instead of all new blinds, thankgoodness! If we would have had to buy all new blinds it would have cost us in the thousands AGAIN, thankfully it only cost us in the hundreds which still stinks - especially since we are selling our house and not taking those with us but I guess whats done is done! So basically that is what our weekend consisted of, fixing Banquets mess! I guess something finally snapped with her and she lost it - I really think it has do with the obvious - the lack of attention she is getting b/c of the baby! Don't get me wrong she still has been getting attention just not as much as she was used to. So now since she can't be trusted, we had to go get a big crate for her to stay in during the day, while we hated to do it - it's really our only option and we can't keep in the backyard b/c she tries to dig out! So we will see how this works out, fingers crossed that she adjusts ok!!! With all of the repairs going on we still got lots done - house cleaned, front and back patios cleaned, flower pots cleaned out - I don't why but something made me decide to start a few art projects (re-doing our patio furniture) - OK in all honesty I really want to buy all new fabulous furniture but there are so many unknowns for us right now as far as our house goes that I don't want to spend the $ until we sell and either buy or build, so I am taking it upon myself to spruce up the old for the time being (I'll take before and after pics, so you can see how it all turns out)! Also, I finished designing the photo walls for the formal dining room and breakfast nook, so now the shopping begins and I can't wait to see how this turns out - it has taken me forever to settle with a design, but I think it should be pretty cute and unique!

"Little House On The Prairie" Musical in Dallas with two of my favorite girls, our mother's day present to one fabulous mom!!!

Cannon is growing like a weed, last week was his 2 month appointment - he weighed 10 '8 and was 23 inches long! He got his two month shots and I hated every bit of it and the Dr. said he looked great and was growing as he should be! He is started to coo, yell, respond back with coos, he loves watching ceiling fans, and is smiling non stop, he still loves to be held and cuddle, loves his warm baths, is eating lots more, almost rolling over BUT one thing remains he still hates getting his diaper and clothes changed and he's still not sleeping through the night! This weekend we are going to Lubbock for our nephews graduation, it will be our first road trip since he's been born I am kind of nervous about that but we'll see how that all goes! He loves to go on car rides and usually just sleeps, so hopefully that's what he'll do but I am not placing any bets on it! We are so proud of our nephew and can't wait to watch him walk across the stage, we are also very excited to see our family and introduce Cannon to those who have not met him yet!!!

You Make Me Happy When Sky's Are Gray!

As stressful as this weekend is all it took was one sweet look at our little baby boy to make it all go away, it's pretty amazing how just one look at him can make all the bad parts of your day turn to good! He is such a blessing and we are so thankful for him! Please pray for my husband as he gets nose surgery on Wednesday, it's not expected to be too major and his recover should be fast but anything that requires going under makes me super nervous, so I would appreciate all your prays! I hope all of you guys had a great weekend, surely it was better than ours LOL! Sometimes God has a funny sense of humor!

XOXO,
KC

Meet Mommy Crazy: One week of craziness!!!

I Am Smiling More Than Ever Now!

This week has been super exhausting and crazy and I am so glad it's over, only now to start it all over again - it was my first week back at work, Cannon's first week at YaYa & Poppas & at Mother's Day Out, Mother's Day Weekend, and Child Dedication at church.

Sleeping So Hard, It's Exhausting Being Me!

 I can't believe the lifestyle change that comes with mommyhood in general, but especially when you are a working mommy - I really got spoiled during my maternity leave in regards to being able to not have to get ready at any certain time or just not get ready at all (loved the pj days), being able to get some cat naps in during the week (although it did happen once or twice), being able to go work out morning or afternoon, making dr.'s appointments whenever, ect. BUT now during the week our day consists of getting up at 5:30 am for his last feeding, change him, dress him and put him in his swing and then I go get ready, we try to hit the door about 7:30 am, drop him off, go to work, leave work, get home feed him, change him, bath him, put him in a swing and then I go take a shower, dry and straighten my hair, iron both our clothes for the next day, wash bottles, pack diaper bag, and then try to get into bed by no later than 10, however it is usually more like 11 or 12 when I finally get into and then repeat until Thursday. It's definately a huge adjustment from only having to worry about yourself to worrying not so much about yourself but this tiny little boy that controls every single aspect of your life! I definately believe that Stay At Home Moms have the HARDEST jobs out of anyone including men out there, but being a working mom definatetly takes scheduling, organization, and multitasking to a whole new level, a level I could never comprehend.

Hanging Out Before I Go To My First Day Of School!

Mommy and Me On My First Day Of School!

Daddy and Me On My First Day Of School!

Cannon did really awesome at both Yaya and Poppa's house and at Mother's Day Out - it was super hard to leave him all week but as the week went on it got a little easier eventhough I still hated it! I really enjoyed getting back into the swing of things at work as crazy as it sounds but I was so happy when Thursday finally rolled around and I was able to spend all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with my sweet baby boy.

I look like God's Little Angel!

Proud Mommy!

Proud Daddy!

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

Today at church they had Child Dedications, Cannon was dedicated and we as parents promised to raise him as he grows to know Christ, so that one day he will come to us and accept him as his Lord and Savior and request to be baptized! Wow what a HUGE responsibility that is, but it is the greatest and most special responsibility we have as parents and I know God wouldn't have put him in our lives with out knowing we couldn't do it! We are really blessed to have an awesome family, church family and friends who will give us advice and help keep us accountable in this pledge we made as Cannon continues to grow. It was very special today to have our family and friends there in support of this special time. It's UNBELIEVEABLE that God would put so much faith in me, I have a hard time putting that kind of faith in myself but it's days like today that remind you of the special gift God has blessed you with and if your lucky enough loved ones to remind you that you are doing a great job. It also couldn't of happened on a more special day, Mother's Day! This is my first Mother's Day so it was super special and I've enjoyed it so much, after church we went over to Yaya and Poppa's and ate an awesome lunch, opened presents (Cannon and Chandler got me the sweetest card, flowers, and gift), and then just relaxed all day. This was such a wonderful day to spend with family, my hubby, and my sweet little man and I'll cherish it forever. I love you God for this sweet angel that you've given me and I love you, Cannon Todd Chandler!!!

Flowers from my sweeties!!!

Dynamic Duo

Don't Blink!!!

My Sleeping Prince

Mouth Wide Open Like Daddy!

So I put my sweet little man down for a nap this afternoon and walked back in to find him completely off his boppy and rolled over on his little tummy and he did it all on his own - I just couldn't believe it! As I sat there for a second watching him sleep suddenly I realized - WOW, he sure has grown! Everyone that doesn't see him everyday is always saying "he is getting so big" and I am always thinking "no he's not" but today I could see it and it made me a little sad but excited at the same time! It's like hit a growth spurt this week and grew over night, watching him this afternoon made me think of that Kenny Chesney song don't blink because it is so true how fast life passes with just a blink of the eye and it makes you so grateful that God has granted you one more....second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, decade.....to spend with the ones you hold dear. I am so blessed with such a great family and friends that I often take them for granted but it's moments like these that stop you in your tracks and open your eyes to how blessed you truely are.

XOXO - Kristen

Out Of Shape Momma!!!

I AM GETTING SO BIG!

LOVE MY MOMMY, AUNTIE MORGIE, AND AUNT MOJO!

CUTE LIKE MY UNCLE CAGER!

HANDSOME LIKE MY DADDY!

MY POPPA SPOILS ME ROTTEN!

YAYA BATHS ARE THE BEST!

AUNT MORGIE IS THE BEST ROCKER!

What an awesome weekend we had! Auntie Morgie came into town on Friday and we got to spend lots of time with her and the rest of the family - Cannon loves her! I nominated her as "Diaper Changing Diva" for the weekend, which gave me a little bit of a break and I think shocked her as to how many diapers Mr. Cannon goes through on a daily basis (12-15)! We spent most of the weekend being lazy and hanging out, of course we were able to squeeze in some good food, snow cones, and checked out the new wake board park in Cresson - which made me realize summer is about to officially be here and I am still so out of shape! I love going on the lake and laying out but I have ALOT of ab work out to do before I do either of those things. It was awesome seeing my little sis, it's always so fun when she comes down and we all get together -without her it's like a missing link to our small family puzzle that's starting to grow but I guess that is how it is when any of us aren't present. I love my family alot and feel blessed that we are all so tight knit, which usually means more drama when we are all together but at the end of the day we would do anything for the other. My poor Dad, I don't know how he survived so long by himself with the 4 of us girls - I know he's grateful to have Cage, Chandler, Kyle and Cannon around now to break up all the estrogen - LOL!!!

ABOUT TO GO ON MY FIRST JOG!

LET'S GO MOMMY!

WOW! JOGGING WEARS ME OUT!

Today we went to church and were able to witness two people close to us get baptized and the sermon was awesome (as usual), then we went to the nursery to pick out some trees, flowers, and mulch for the flower beds, started working on the garden when we got home and then Can Man and I went on our first stroller jog but more fast walking than anything, O.M.GEEEE I am soooo out of shape! This has prompted me to make a few goals for myself this year, to complete a - 5 K, 10 K, and Half Marathon by the end of the year! Tommorrow is my 6 wk dr.'s appointment, so I am going to start training tommorrow! Honestly, the best part of running for me is being able to have about an 1/2 an hour to an hour of alone time with God, in a scenic place without any distractions - I load my Ipod up with my fave praise and worship songs and Stonewater pod casts and I am set to go. Even on the days that I don't want to run this alone time gives me the motivation to get up and not always run but at least walk! I am looking forward to working towards these goals starting tommorrow but you guys have to keep me accountable or I might just fall off the wagon!

I hope you all had a great weekend and I'll report back on how my first week of training went! Cannon loved the jog so much that he fell asleep soon after we started, I hope he continues to enjoy it! Until next time....

Love,
Kristen

One Month Of Sweet Baby Boy Bliss!

I know it's been awhile since my last blog but I've been staying busy with my sweet little baby boy. He is one month old now and at this months dr.'s appointments he had grown a quarter of an inch and is now 9 lbs! Wow it's amazing how fast they grow! He's starting to do lots of new things, trying to stand (which scares me because it gives me the impression that he maybe an early walker, during tummy time he does the crawling motions, his neck seems to be getting stronger and he's trying hard to hold it up, he's officially found his thumb and will insert it in his mouth when he doesn't have a paci immediately there to soothe him, he's developing little rolls on his tummy, arms, and legs (which I absolutely adore), his cries are becoming easier to desifier in terms of what he is wanting when he cries, he's smiling more, he's cooing, he's snoring, he's developing quite a personality and temper (hence the above pic), he's focusing on objects and faces, he's getting into a sleep pattern (we are now waking up at 12, 3, 6), he's more spoiled than he was at a day old and I think he knows it, his newborn clothes and diapers are getting a little snug, he knows how to throw a fit, he has mad manipulation skillz, he loves to go on car rides and to be in his car seat, and I think he is definately going to be a mommy's boy (but of course that's just my opinion).....there are so many other things he's doing that I haven't mentioned, who knew he would be developing and doing so many new things in one month! Overall he is a really awesome baby - he typically goes with the flow, as long as he's full and dry! He naps throughout the day; he only gets fussy when he's hungry, wants to be held, dirty, getting his clothes changed; he loves to snuggle; he loves to be talked to and loved on.......we're pretty lucky!

This past month has been a massive whirlwind for us with lots of visitors throughout the month, a new lifestyle adjustment, the business picking up, deciding to put the house on the market, healing, trying to keep up with the day to day things (cleaning, laundry, ect.), trying to get back into the social scene (church, lunch with friends, daily outings to the store, ect.) - it has flown by so quickly! I guess your body begins to adjust to this new way of life for me it took about 3.5 weeks but now that I've somewhat adjusted life is slowly beginning to become a little less exhausting and chaotic. Everyday I take the time to thank God for this little miracle that is my son and I take the time to look at his wonderful creation with always the same reaction......amazed, speechless, grateful, undeserving.....without question raising a child is not easy but it is definately the best gift I've ever been blessed with. The second I get down and think it's too hard, all I have to do is look at Cannon and my heart melts every time! He is the light of my life and I love watching him grow from day to day, I am a very lucky mommy : ) Thanks to all who have come to visit us and bring us food, you will never know how much that helped us out and we love you all so much for taking the time to help us out! I am looking forward to next weekend for when Cannon's Aunt Morgie comes to visit us, we are so very excited! Hopefully this week the weather will cooperate so I can get some pics of my handsome little man with the Texas Blue Bonnets, they are so beautiful and there is a perfect patch right across the street from our house : )

Cannon's Rustic, Hunting Themed "Baby Boy Cave"

Here are some snap shots of Mr. Cannon's "Baby Boy Cave", I call it this because Cannon's daddy just recently got his very own "Daddy Man Cave" so I felt it was fitting to give his room this name! We had a local painter in our subdivision paint his room and she did a fabulous job! His bedding came from a store in Midland, TX called Graham Krackers, everything was custom selected (by mommy) and tailored (by the store). They also do home decor custom items - throw pillows, curtains, bedspreads, lamp shades - you name it they do it and it's prompt and excellent quality, we will be lifetime customers for all of our future fabric decor! You just walk in pick your favorite fabric swatches, from the thousands of fabric swatches on the wall and "BAM" you have created the most adorable and one of a kind fabric art for your home : ) All other room decor we either had or got as gifts from friends or family, I was really happy how it all came together. At the time I was decorating it I thought he would be spending lots of time enjoying it but since we're putting our house on the market it maybe short lived, however that just gives me another opportunity to get creative and start from scratch with another room! I love decorating my home, it's one of my favorite past times : )