OOOOOOKLAHOMA where the wind comes sweeping down the plains...

And has it ever came sweeping down the plains!

For DAYS the wind has been blowing, and we're not talking a breeze. It's been a steady 20 MPH with gusts up to 40 mph! I'm even more irritated by it because so far it has broke 3 of my 6 Goliath tomato plants (the best variety!). Unfortunately I can't replace them because they are sold out of that variety at Carmichael's. : ( So Better Boys it will be.

As much as I dislike the rain, I really hope it does rain because it will usually calm the wind down (and we're not going to the lake this weekend). I know, I know. We complain about the wind now, but when July comes we'll beg for wind and rain.

Okay, I'm over my rant for the day!

Not much exciting has been happening in our household this week, yet we've been pretty busy. Bryce and I had dinner with Amanda on Tuesday at El Tequila. At first Bryce sat in his car seat and managed to drop every one of his toys on the floor. I think it's became a game to him to do this. Then I get him out of the car seat and he grabs my plate, tries to get a hold of my food, and then grabs my glass of water, sticks his fingers in it and knocks my straw out. He's become very curious lately with his sense of touch.

We didn't catch any pictures at the restaurant but I did catch a picture of some drool.

Wednesday we made our delayed Walmart trip to get a few things that we needed, most importantly dog food. Bryce slept the entire time we were there and the entire way home, including a stop at Arby's to grab dinner for Nic and I. Then gave him a bath, that is becoming harder and harder to do because he is so squirmy. I was afraid because he took such a late 'nap' that I would have trouble getting him down for the night, but fortuantely that was not the case.

Last night since Nic was at the station, Bryce and I spent the evening at my Mom's so I could help her prepare for her Annual Kentucky Derby party (hence the reason there is no Tasty Thursday this week). I created some win, show, place tickets and I painted some trim pieces. She conveniently decided to remodel her den area prior to this party, in addition to normal party preparations. Unfortunately Bryce got to bed an hour late and it really affected the entire nights sleep...not in a good way.

This morning we did our usual routine. Bryce sat in his boppy watching Blue's Clues while I pumped and put on my face. As he's been doing lately he pushes himself over the boppy just enough so he can look at me, but this morning he completely pushed himself over it to where he rolled off of he boppy and onto his tummy. I didn't catch the roll, but I caugh where he stopped to grab his feet and then when he got his whole body off of it.

Now looking at the above picture, I realize we really need to start doing some major baby proofing: getting rid of loose cords, breakables out of reach, cover plug-ins, and cabinet locks.

So after we're done with Blue's Clues, pumping, makeup and Bryce's bottle. We head to the bathroom so I can blow dry my hair and fix it. The routine as of late is to put Bryce in the walker in there and he scoots around, mostly in the direction of Fara. This morning I thought it was cute that he went straight to the door (where Fara was on the otherside of) as if he was trying to escape. He then turned around and looked at me...almost to check if I'm watching.

Finally it is raining and the wind is almost nonexistant...for now.

It must be lake time...

...because it seems that's where most of my pictures are coming from.

Friday evening our friends Joey, Trisha (who is 7 months pregnant), and their son Tanner came to visit us at the lake. Bryce spent some time sitting next to his girlfriend to be...while she's still growing in her mommy's tummy and grabbing his buddy Tanner's ear.

Saturday morning our day began with rain. YUCK!  So I took the opportunity to take a picture of Bryce in his little Osh Kosh Overalls...of course he was in the mood to be held so this first picture is of him starting to get upset.

Now to the full blown fit!

 Then we went down to try our luck at fishing. We stopped to visit and since Bryce doesn't do well sitting still in the carseat I held him we visited with some friends.

Naturally he grabbed the steering wheel. So it looks like he is driving.

All eyes on the road

Now down at the boat dock. The weather was too cool to go out on the boat so we just sat in the boat in the dock while everyone fished off of the dock.  

Melissa & Bryce

Here's my nephew Kell and Melissa's boyfriend Ozzie.

One of the perch Kell...er...Ozzie caught with Kell's pole.

And another.

Melissa and Kell

Our soon to be Jr Pro Fisherman

We won't be back down to the lake for a couple weekends since this weekend because we'll be going to my mom's Kentucky Derby Party.

Memory Monday: Muskogee Bed N Breakfast

We're going back...WAY BACK. Back so far that my photos are from scanned 35mm negatives! So please forgive me for the horrible quality of the photos. Since I've scanned these in I have purchased a much better film scanner however I cannot find where I stored my negatives...go figure!

In December 2001 we and another one of our couple friends decided to make the 40 minute drive to Muskogee to stay at the Graham-Carroll House Bed & Breakfast for the weekend. It was actually somewhat a celebration for Nic's birthday. This was my first visit to a Bed & Breakfast. After this I definitely considered a B&B for some of my overnight stays.

Here's a picture of where we enjoyed our breakfast. I don't remember much about the menu but I do remember that Eggs Benedict were available.

Here is our room,

Every since I was little I was fascinated with Chandeliers. To this day I still find my self taking pictures of them.

Jesse, Nic's back and Amy. I'm not sure what they were looking at.

Nic and I

Amy and I...I'm not sure what was going on with my hair!

Showing appreciation to my Husband

I had intended on doing this post in with the previous one on Bryce, but I thought it would be best to have it's own post. It gives me time to get what I'm saying exactly right.

Nic and I have been married for over 7 years but together for over 10 1/2. That's long time for sure. We've gone through many good times and many bad times. We've grown up together, even though it may have been at different speeds, yet we have stuck through it all and are very proud to be able to provide Bryce with a stable, loving and secure home.

I'm not going to lie, as first time parents it's been tough adjusting. Many times Nic takes the rath of my stress, but he does it with stride. A big problem is that I don't EVER ask for help from ANYONE. I try to be superwoman and do it all. It's just the way I am and always have been, and I'm sure I'll never change.  

As much as I have complained that I can't read his mind, I have to remember that he can't read mine either. So I have had to try to learn to let him know when I need help before I just snap in frustration and take it out on him. He's been wonderful, especially lately now that we are getting in the groove of things and he's learning to ask if I need help instead of waiting on me to ask for help. I know I still need to learn to ask, but it's a step in the right direction.

Working fulltime I need at least 30 hours in every day. But there are only 24 and I need to sleep some to be able to be the best mother, wife and employee. My evenings go by in a blur. I pick Bryce up, cook dinner, bathe Bryce, pump, wash bottle nipples and pump bottles, do the dishes, do laundry, clean if I have the time and try to catch a few minutes to myself to wind down. I could easily not make it to bed until midnight by I try to be in bed by 10pm and hope for earlier, only to be up again around 3:30 or 4am to nurse (on the good nights) and then up at 5:30am to start the day. I know there are weekends that I could do some of this stuff but that really our time to relax and spend quality time as a family.

So this is where my husband has really began to help me...of course on the 2 out of 3 nights that he's home. He has made it a routine to wash the bottle nipples and pump bottles (aside from the nights that Amanda does it), he's doing most of the laundry and the dishes, and he's helping me with dinner. On the mornings that he is home, he's taken over feeding the big dogs in the morning, which for the past 7 years has been my chore. He feeds and dresses Bryce, even changing the first dirty diaper of the day, which before Bryce was born I didn't think Nic would ever change a dirty diaper.  I'll also mention that in addition to working at the fire department, he owns his own lawn business and also works at ranch. Needless to say, he's a VERY hard worker and he works his butt off! 

He's been so wonderful. I'm not someone that shows much emotion so I know I don't show him or tell him enough how much I really appreciate him and love him. So this is my opportunity to let him know how much. I'm truly amazed that he works the 80+ hours a week he works, and still comes home and helps me with the housework and has an active role in taking care of our child. He's an awesome husband and father. I'll never forget how my love grew for Nic the day our son was born, almost like I couldn't love him enough. That day my heart was as big as it had ever been.

Nic, thank you so much. I love you!

Time is so valuable these days!

This week has gone by really fast,  I had definitely planned on doing this post so much sooner.

On Monday Bryce officially became 5 months old. I weighed him Monday evening and according to Wii Fit Plus he weighs 15 lb 4 oz. He's just a little guy! He STILL has not rolled from his back to his tummy. He just has no desire to anymore he would rather play with his feet. One thing he has been doing while laying on his back is arching his back where it's completely off the ground and he somewhat balances on his head, if that makes any sense. I keep trying to get a picture of it but I haven't been successful catching it yet. He has been sitting up some, but sees his feet and leans over to get them. Even in the bathtub he tries to grab his feet to the point where he almost puts his face in the water! I think his fascination with his feet is so cute, but it's inhibiting other things.

A couple evenings this week we spent some time outside working in the garden and flower beds. I decided to just use the bumbo seat, so he can look around better.  

We're growing special things in our garden!

No need to adjust your screen, we do have another bumbo seat. We took the blue one to Granny's house and she liked having it there so much that it never made it back. Actually she was looking to buy one off of craigslist or at a garage sale but could only find the pink or purple ones. Bryce wouldn't have minded a pink or purple one but his Daddy would. So with one of my many BRU 20% off coupons and a rewards certificate in hand I picked one up at Babies R Us deciding on a neutral color this time.

At first I thought he was trying to escape his bumbo seat ...

...then I realized he was just trying to chew on it...like everything else.

Multi-tasking...chewing on the bumbo seat and getting his hands and feet dirty. How do I even get any work done outside while taking all these pictures?!

One of my favorite pictures for the time being...of course he's grabbing his feet!

This weekend it's back to the lake for us.

Tasty Thursday: Lemon Pepper Shrimp Skewers

My goodness this week has flown by! I'll do a quick Tasty Thursday then I'll post some on my favorite subject: Bryce.

Last Friday during my lunch I visited our friend that works in the meat department at the Food Pyramid just a mile or so from my office. There I purchased 2 lbs of large shrimp for Friday night and a couple of Ribeye steaks for Saturday night, and of course some other things.

Friday evening as soon as I got off work, I loaded up my groceries and went to pickup Bryce and Fara (the dog) from my Mom's. Forty minutes later we're at the lake in our travel trailer preparing our Shrimp Skewers. I don't really have a recipe its just something I throw together.

First I began by soaking a handful of bamboo skewers in water. Doing this keeps the wooden skewers from burning and/or catching fire. At this time Nic was also busy getting the grill fired up. We use good ol' Kingsford charcoal, no propane grill here!

While the skewers soaked, I cut up a couple yellow squash, a zuchini, and an onion. While I was cutting the veggies, Nic was busy peeling the 2 lbs of shrimp. Since Bryce was born, dinner has became a teamwork effort.

Once the shrimp was peeled, I tossed them in some extra virgin olive oil until well coated. Then I sprinkled some lemon pepper over the shrimp and tossed again.

I then began loading up our skewers in no particular order, I did try to atleast have a piece of onion next to every shrimp. Once the skewers were loaded I did one more sprinkle of lemon pepper before we placed them over a hot grill.

Unfortunately I was in a hurry so I didn't take the time to take many pictures. But here is a picture of the skewers just shortly after they were placed on the grill.

Nic tended to the grill, turning and rotating the skewers to make sure they were all cooking evenly. The total cook time was probably around 15 minutes. It probably wouldn't have taken so long if Nic had realized we were going to need the full 'surface' of the grill and had put charcoal accordingly (rather than just on one side, hence the need to rotate).

Here's the finished product.

Despite being 2 lbs of shrimp, the two of us (with Bryce eyeballing us) devoured every bit of it!

Monday Memory: Our Honeymoon

Since last week we looked back at our wedding, this week we'll remember our Honeymoon. Nic and I did not take our honeymoon until over a year after we were married. We decided instead of a cruise, that we would go to El Cozumeleno, an all-inclusive resort in Cozumel, Mexico. the dates of our trip was March 1st to March 5th, 2004.

We booked a charter package that flew out of Dallas, so we drove to Dallas on Sunday and stayed the night in a hotel. We got up bright and early to catch our direct flight to Cozumel. Not only was this my first trip out of the country it was also my first flight!

Here to this date is one of my all-time favorite airplane shots. I love that you can see the shadows of the clouds over the Gulf of Mexico.

Paradise had been found...or at least we thought so.

Our first meal...lunch. After this trip Nic and I learned a few tricks, one that would have benefited us here: pack a set of warm weather clothes and a swimsuit in our carry-on. We had made it to the resort early so they locked our luggage up until our room was ready so we were stuck wearing our jeans until then.

The view from our 3rd floor room.



On Tuesday we headed out for our first snorkeling trip.

The snorkeling guide was kind enough to swim down and take a picture looking up at us.


On Wednesday, at the recommendation of some of our friends we rented a car and explored the eastside AKA wild side AKA windy side of the island. The east side of the island is undeveloped aside from a few bar and grills and one windpowered hotel. At one time there was electric on this side of the island however in 1988 Hurricane Gilbert knocked most of the poles out and since there has not been electric on this side of the island.

The eastside is typically very windy and has miles of unspoiled beaches and rough surf. It is NOT recommended to swim on this side of the island due to the rip current.


Again at the recommendation of some friends, we stopped and had lunch and margaritas at Coconut Bar and Grill. We enjoyed garlic grilled shrimp and the view. Being one of the highest points on the island the view is absolutely amazing.

Nic on the ironshore.

El Mirador

During our 5 days at the resort we enjoyed many rounds of miniature golf.

Walking along the shore. Cozumel is not know for it's sandy beaches, there's a lot of iron shore. It helps the water visability, which is one of the reasons Cozumel is known for snorkeling and scuba diving.

After this trip we fell in love with this island and have returned many times. Cozumel also will be where we take our first family vacation this upcoming November.

Here's our first sight of our beloved Isla de Cozumel.