Day 6 with Daddy

Day 6 - Grill
An ideal night out is stepping onto my porch area and grilling up a thick slab of something’s flesh.
                                                                                                                            - Ron Swanson

I did my best to make Ron Swanson proud yesterday. The day before I had picked up a few things at the store to throw on the bbq pit. Late in the afternoon, Baby Girl went down for a nap and I decided to bring the grill out and fire it up. It started out well as long as Rebecca was asleep, and I was able to get the first batch of hamburgers off the grill. She woke up after that which made the rest of the cooking interesting as I rushed back and forth between the baby and the grill. Still the results turned out pretty well and we've got hamburgers, hot dogs and ribs for the rest of the week.

I hope that every now and then you enjoy stepping outside and enjoying the smoke coming off a grill. It can be a relaxing experience in addition to being delicious. I'm also sure you will get to enjoy some good barbecue in your life as both of your grandfathers are pretty good at it.

Day 5 with Daddy

Day 5 - Go to the doctor

Monday was a pretty full day for us. It began with a trip to the doctor where we got lots of good news about Rebecca's growth (almost 10 pounds and a little over 22 inches long) and her health. The doctor is pleased with how she is doing. Unfortunately, it was also the first set of vaccinations so it included a few shots which upset her a little bit. She got over it quickly though as soon as she got her bottle. 

The shots didn't seem to affect her too much the rest of the day so in the late afternoon, we headed to the grocery store for our weekly shopping. I've taken her to the store to pick up one or two things but never while shopping for the entire week. She slept through most of it, but woke up just in time for check-out.

Finally, later that evening, we took advantage of the good weather and enjoyed a picnic with Baby Girl. It was a nice way to end a full day.

I hope you do all that you can to grow up big and healthy. Your mommy and I will continue to do our best to provide for you and help you make good decisions, but eventually it will be up to you to eat healthy, go to the doctor and take the time to relax.

Day 4 with Daddy and a little of the weekend

Day 4 - Clean floors

With two cats in the house, keeping our floors clean is a constant challenge. Thankfully we don't have any carpet or cleaning them would be even tougher, but our floors show when they're dirty easily. It's also one of our least favorite tasks and we've fallen behind a little since Rebecca was born. On Friday afternoon Rebecca went down for a longer nap than usual so I was able to get a few things done around the house including sweeping the floors, mopping the kitchen and starting a load of laundry. It was a nice thing to do for  Mommy heading into Mother's Day weekend.

Sometimes there are going to be things you don't like to do, Rebecca, but it's important to do your part to help out the family. If we all take on some chores, it makes it easier for all of us.

The weekend

On Saturday afternoon we made a little trip down to Gruene where we went to a few shops, hung out at Gruene Hall listening to some music for a while and ate at the Gristmill. Here is a picture.

Day 3 with Daddy

Day 3 - Watch a rain shower
I was planning another activity for the day, but a line of rain showers in the afternoon gave us another opportunity. We sat by the back door as the cloudy sky opened up and some needed rain began to fall. It was just a shower with no thunder and lightning so it wasn't too scary for her. The cats had run inside to avoid the shower (we keep the back door open most of the day) and we all looked outside as the rain fell. I turned on CCR's "Have you ever seen the rain" and took Rebecca closer to the door so that we could smell the freshness and feel the cool breeze of the shower.

I hope you're able to take some time and enjoy some of the amazing creations in this world. It's easy to get caught up in busy schedules and miss the simple things that God blesses us with on a daily basis.

Day 2 with Daddy

Day 2 - Shopping for Mothers' Day

We ventured out by ourselves for the first time on Day 2 and went to look for some gifts for Mothers' Day. Rebecca couldn't have been better as she never fussed and was asleep for part of the time. We picked up a couple things for grandmothers and stopped at HEB to buy a few things for the house as well as some flowers and chocolate for Mommy. 

Rebecca, you come from a long line of amazing mothers. No matter what you do in your life, I hope that you do it with the love and passion that these wonderful women have shown in their lives.

Introducing Rebecca Clare... and Day 1 with Daddy

It's been a great year for us highlighted by the arrival of our beautiful daughter Rebecca Clare on March 11, 2013. Morgan was amazing throughout the labor and did it all natural, which many of the nurses remarked makes her a super-woman (of course I already knew that). I don't know if I realized just how much her arrival would change my life, but I feel so blessed to get to see this baby girl everyday.

We've already had a full 8 weeks since she was born as she has gotten to celebrate Easter with both of our families, was baptized in April and been introduced to many of our friends. Morgan headed back to work this week after her maternity leave, and I am taking about a month off from work to watch Rebecca until she goes to daycare.

During this time I had an idea to try to do something different with Rebecca everyday. It wouldn't necessarily be something big, but I would try to give a little explanation about its meaning. I don't know that she will ever read it or if I'll even think of enough things for every single day, but here goes nothing...

Day 1 - Write thank you notes
I've had a few thank you notes that I needed to finish for gifts that Rebecca had received from family and friends. She has received so many thoughtful and useful gifts that we are overwhelmed by the generosity of those we know. So while Rebecca was napping and content in her bouncer, I was able to complete a few. Morgan is very good at sending thank you notes, but I am not and before we met had only sent them for significant events like graduation gifts. I hope Rebecca has a good sense of appreciation and takes the short amount of time to acknowledge those who are special in her life.

Jumping back in

So it's been a while since the last post. Let's catch up:
- Played in a family golf tournament, celebrated Granny's birthday, and Ashley and Chase got engaged all in the same weekend in August
- Went down to Gruene to see Ward and Kristi get engaged in September
- Closed and moved (with the help of our wonderful parents) into our house in October
- Carved pumpkins for Halloween
- Kicked a field goal Thanksgiving evening
- Went to Vegas for a few days at the end of December (and didn't lose all our money)

And finally in January, we went to the animal shelter and added a couple of new members to the household. Introducing Shawn and Gus. As you can see by the pictures below, they are very energetic.

Shawn

Gus