Brunch with the Billstones

From Corban 10m Billstone visit and Lily

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to have a lovely brunch with Corban's grandparents, and great grandparents! It was nice to see everyone again. The last time we saw Mimi and Poppy was 3 months ago in Austin and I know Corban has changed a lot! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

From Corban 10m Billstone visit and Lily

Thanks for the cute jacket Mimi-

From Corban 10m Billstone visit and Lily

Loving on Great Grandma

From Corban 10m Billstone visit and Lily

Kisses!

From Corban 10m Billstone visit and Lily

Halloween!

Well, this is our pumpkin's first Halloween! We prepared over the weekend since it is on a Monday this year. We carved pumpkins yesterday, dressed up, and took pictures. We roasted seeds, and discussed the plan for Halloween night. It was supposed to look a little like this: Get home from work, get Corban dressed and paint a little nose and whiskers on his precious face to go with his Lovable Lion costume. Then, we were going to hop in the car and go back up to the daycare to surprise Marisol. She would then "eww" and "awe" over our lion boy. Next, off to Patty and Paul's for some huggy time with Aunt Patty. Then, off to Papa's to surprise him and the boys. They were all going to smile and fuss over Corban. I was going to have to pry him away from them to make it to our last surprise stop. Mammy and Grandpa's jaws were going to drop when they opened the door to the cutest little trick or treater ever. Oh yes, we had big plans for our first Halloween.








What ended up happening was: Corban woke up around midnight with a very high fever. We felt helpless as we attempted to comfort him. Thankfully , the wet cloths and Motrin worked and lil C got some rest. We woke up and headed directly to Dr. Guggedahl's office, where we found out our baby has double ear infections. The day turned into long naps and cuddles with me home from work and Mammy came over to lend her arms for a bit.
Not what we imagined, but that's okay! We got pics yesterday and can share them via the web. We made lasting memories to share with our son, we didn't have to rush around anywhere, and Corban is on the mend. That's all that counts. Oh, and if I hadn't been home with him today, I would have missed him standing up without the help of a toy or piece of furniture to hold onto!



He has now been asleep for an hour, and I'm about to follow right behind. Hoping Daddy comes home from school soon. So far, no trick or treaters-but we have our jack-o-lanterns glowing and our candy by the door.

Ten,Ten a Little Piece of Heaven

Diez meses hoy!!! Our little boy is getting big! Looking at pics now, I do double takes. He is looking more like a boy than a baby. His hair is starting to curl up on the sides and back. He is understanding more of what we say. He talks to us all day long. We talk back to him as he jabbers sentences , then pauses for reaction. It's amazing the progress. He loves to let go of things and stand on his own. I think he will be walking before we know it. Almost a week after his 9 month mark, he stood when I put him on the ground at Mammy's house for about 3 seconds and my mom and I were both so excited. On October the 13th, our 4 year anniversary, I said "bye-bye" as I was leaving his nursery and he turned around and waved bye! On the 31st (Halloween) he actually got to standing without having something to help himself up with. Eeeekkkk it's bittersweet. These exciting moments are reminders that time is not standing still. We cherish these days. Happy 10th month sweet boy.

Here is a pic from today at daycare. He is with Marisol, Augustin, and Max. Max is 13 months in the pic.


Daddy and Mama went to a wedding and got spiffed up!

Auntie Sara and Uncle Tim were there too!




Handsome Daddy!



Ready for my closeup!

Fourth Anniversary Celebration Weekend

We had a great time celebrating our 4th anniversary over the weekend. We were fortunate enough, thanks to Mammy and Grandpa, to go to "Casa de Rosie" again. It's become a great tradition for our anniversaries-this year it was made even more special since we had Corban with us. Rosie was super excited to meet him. Even made an exception to her "no children" rule. We have become pretty close over the last few years after sharing many meals and conversations. It's such a great get a way. We stayed in the casita this time around and it was perfectly cozy. We got pretty spoiled by the king size bed
This photo of Casa de Rosie - A Mesilla B and B is courtesy of TripAdvisor.
This photo of Casa de Rosie - A Mesilla B and B is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Corban enjoyed exploring the place and loved the water in the fountain.





We made it to the Farmers Market in Cruces which is one of my favorite things to do. We also took a stroll around the plaza-walked along the irrigation canals, ate some delicious food, and did lots of relaxing.






By the end of the day, Corban and Daddy were tired!



So Peaceful (thankfully-because he had a rough go with teething earlier in the day)



Sunday, we got up and Rosie made us a delicious breakfast. She made fresh strawberry jam, homemade bread, and a Dutch pancake. She is so sweet , she gave me her sourdough recipe, along with a starter. Then it was naptime-clean up time-then pumpkin patch time! We had fun taking Corban to the pumpkin patch and maze. We took lots of pics and got a cute little pumpkin from the patch.
Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. So grateful for my marriage and my boys.




Love Corban's face on this one-





Thank you Lord for our son.



Our Love


(Hector and Letty, so glad you all got to come down to El Paso! Thanks for feeding our pups for us!)

Fall Family Fun

(even though Tech went on to lose to the Aggies later that day, Corban was representing}

Finally the weather seemed more like that of Fall this weekend. It was invigorating! Even the dogs were stoked! We woke up on Saturday morning, loaded up the fam, and went to the dog park that just recently opened up about 5 mins from the house. We had a great time chatting it up with fellow pet owners. It's a pretty big deal that we have an official dog park here on the Westside now.



"Happy Pups"



"Where's the ball?"


"That was fun"



Next, Corban and Daddy had some bonding time while Mama went to a baby shower. Then it was off to church where we heard a great sermon on Jesus being our advocate on Judgement Day. How we are going to be held accountable for every thought, word, and action-but through God's great mercy-we (as believers) have his Son by our side. Grace. Corban stayed in the sanctuary for the praise portion and he tried to sing with us. He really loves music.

Then, Sunday was a busy day. Daddy worked really late Saturday, so Corban and I got up and snuck out of the house so Dad could catch some Zzz's. We went over and hung out with Papa ( my dad) for a while. He cooked us some breakfast and Corban enjoyed his first taste of scrambled eggs and cheese. Yum! When we came home, Corban and I watched Dadadadada clean off a fun toddler slide that Tessie and Phil lent us. We put him down the slide a couple times and he LOVED that. Thanks friends for blessing us by sharing Felipe's toys.

Daddy then went off to sell shaved ice at the fields, and Corban and I went to visit Grandma and Grandaddy Billstone. It's always fun to watch the interactions between them. He loves them , and they love him-it's very evident. He coos, smiles, and rolls his rrrr's... think "RRRRRRRrruffles have RRRRRrrrRRRRidges" He had a great time running all over their living room from the picture frames, to the coasters, to their walkers, back to the frames, then the standing fan. He was a busy boy! I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's so special that they live close enough that Corban can know his Great Grandparents.

The rest of the afternoon, Corban kept me very busy. He ate yogurt, cereal, and apple pieces. We played in his room, made a mess of the kitchen, then went back outside to play with the swing, dogs, and slide.

"I got your back Corban!"



"And they called it puppy love"



"Happy Girl Karlee"



"Wonder if mom would notice if I just went down this slide"



"slimed!"




Finally, DADADADADA came home, took Corban to the store so that I could shower and have some alone time. Then we grilled steaks, had baths, and got ready for another week.

Life is beautiful.