Christmas with the Boutons

I know, its February 1st and I am just now writing about Christmas, but it has been a crazy 5 weeks! All of that is another store entirely... for now...here is Christmas 2012...

(James, Kacie, Hannah Blanche, Michael & Presley watching Polar Express)

Twas' the Friday before Christmas
and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse....

Why you might ask, well, Geoff, myself and the boys were all loaded up in the Swagga-Wagon, heading to Dunwoody, GA to spend a week with the Bouton/ Hatch Family for Christmas!

We pulled out of Frisco around 7:00 pm, after dinner, giving the boys a bath and putting them in their pj's. The car was FULL with not only our luggage and family of 4, but also Christmas presents, I tried ordering online ahead of time, but you know how that goes, a cooler full of every snack you could think of and juice, water, milk and an assortment of DVDs in-case the boys tired of Elmo and Mickey,

The trip was actually uneventful- Michael fell asleep first, then James, around 9:30 and they did not wake up until around 1:00 am, did not go back to sleep until 3:00, when we had to stop for gas and Geoff and I switched driving- I took over until we pulled into Atlanta around 7:00 am and arrived at the Bouton House just as they were waking up!

(James loving the piano)

We had a great time, except for Michaels double ear infection, again, and strep, of course, but he never complained:) He was so excited to see his cousins and play with the big girls! They also loved playing with their cousin Wyatt. I have a feeling Michael, James and Wyatt will be up to NO GOOD in the years to come... James loved taking center stage and showing off his dancing skills :) Boo-Boos got some moves! He must get them from his Mama:)

(Wyatt & James "organizing" Aunt Merrie's cabinets, they did this A LOT!)

We alternated having dinner at Merrie & Owen's House and Steve & Lorraine's House. I absolutely love our Family and hate that we live so far away:( Fortunately, we have the tradition of switching off holidays and we see each other every summer on our Beach Trip, thank you Nana and Pops! Family is so important to me and I am so happy the boys are able to make these special memories with their cousins, like I did with mine.

While we were in Atlanta, Geoff and I were able to go spend the day with my cousin Ellen and her family. They used to live just a few miles from us in Plano, but her husband had a job change and they moved to Atlanta:( It was SOOOO great to see them! Michael has missed his BFF Christian and they played so well together! Little Miss Lainey is absolutely adorable! Its crazy to me how fast everyone is growing up....time really needs to slow down!

Leaving the following Friday night was sad, however, we knew we would see everyone in 6 months at the beach, so it gives us all something to look forward to!

 (Presley, Michael & HB Making "Reindeer Food")

 (Kacie, James, Michael & HB)

 (HB, Presley & Wyatt)

 (I think this one is my favorite! I love HB's face:)

 (Christmas PJs)

 (Sweet Wyatt & Presley)

 (Toasting Marshmellows)

 (Sprinkling Reindeer Food)

 (Craziness!!!)

 (Christmas Morning Bagel)

 (Michael & Wyatt)

 (James' BFF Elmo)

 (Captain Michael)

 (Lainey & James)

 (Christian, Lainey, Michael & James)

Thanksgiving, a little late

Sorry, a little behind, but I don't want to miss out, so here we go...

To catch up from my last post, we spent Thanksgiving in Dallas this year. Nana and Pops were able to come in to celebrate with us along with the Haggerty/ Gregory Family. We all went to my sister and brother-in-laws house for an early dinner and let the kids play. It was so nice and relaxed! Nana is a fabulous cook, as where Geoff gets it from, so we were very fortunate to have her culinary expertise with the sides. Scott cooked the turkey in his Big Green Egg, absolutely delicious by the way, and my sister and mom added in their sides and appetizers as well. When we arrived, the kids we excited and ran around and played while the adults talked, ate, drank and of course, watched the Cowboy Game. It was an amazing meal shared with incredible company- a successful Thanksgiving was had by all:)
 
The way I celebrate Thanksgiving has drastically changed over the years. Growing up, the Thanksgiving Holiday, to me, really meant a fast, big lunch, followed by a scramble out the door with my Uncle Randy, his friends, and my cousins Carl, Kyle, Rachael and sometimes Genevieve, to watch our beloved Cowboys play. I must say, this game was always the hi-light of my year. We had so much fun tailgating in Blue Lot, just outside the coral, then making our way inside to our seats, 1st level, just on the other side of the 50 yard line, and cheering on our Boys. Yes, I have to admit, we sometimes were "those fans" who would occasionally make an off-hand comment to an opposing teams fan or perhaps an unknowing man wearing a "fanny pack", but all in all, we had fun. We were die-hard, true Cowboy fans through and through- my Uncle Randy taught us right:)
 
The year Randy was taken from us, way too soon I must say, we decided we had to carry on our tradition of Cowboy Game Thanksgiving. The same cousins, Kyle, Carl, Rachael, Genevieve and myself, in addition to friends who are like family, John, Adam, Tim and the occasional girlfriend/ boyfriend, etc. decided we would Tailgate Thanksgiving! What a novel idea! Randy would have made fun of us and laughed at us, but inside we know he would have been proud:) We literally made everything the night and morning before the game, then took everything to the stadium. We made sure to have an extra Blue Pass, or at lease pretend to, park, then set up our table and chairs for our Thanksgiving meal. We were able to keep the food warm by hooking up hotplates to the car battery...classy, I know! Kyle always carved the turkey, just like Randy did every year. We know he was looking down at us, probably laughing, but proud that we carried on the tradition.


  
Then life happened and friends moved away, Geoff and I were married, others started celebrating with their extended families and Jerry World came and no one could afford tickets to the game, not to mention the Ban on Tailgating...who bans tailgating? Thanks Jerry! Kyle passed away, much, much too soon and our Thanksgiving Tailgate was no more.

                                                       Thanksgiving 2011 in Atlanta

                                                        Thanksgiving 2010 in Dallas

                                                      Thanksgiving 2009 in Dallas

But, the lesson learned from trip down memory lane...it's not where we celebrate Thanksgiving, but who we celebrate it with. That is what Thanksgiving is all about- giving thanks for the ones we are with and what we have. Over the past 7 years, I have met and married my Best Friend, had 2 amazing little boys, added on to our family with in-laws, nieces, nephews and friends and created countless precious, priceless Thanksgiving memories. So, although we might not ever have our beloved Tailgating Thanksgiving again, I know the memory of the holiday will live on through pictures and stories that we all love to tell.

Michael is 4!!!

Michael is 4? How is this possible? How is it possible that this time, 4 years ago, I was at Presby Dallas, trying to figure out this new position in life God blessed me with...being a Mommy! It is surreal, becoming a mommy, at least it was for me. One moment I was pregnant, being wheeled into surgery, the next thing I know, Dr Lutich placed this little person in my arms and POOF! I was a Mommy! I have loved EVERY moment of it! Honestly, I think looking back on what we have gone through to get to where we are today, Geoff and I are pretty darn lucky. Grant it, Michael gave us a run for our money, and I know this is only the beginning, but by God I would not change a single thing! Every moment, every event we have gone through, has made us the Parents we are today. From having absolutely no idea what in the world we were doing the day we brought Michael home from the hospital...1. We set an alarm clock to wake up every 3 hours to make sure he ate...(Rookie Mistake:) 2. Staring at the monitor, anticipating his wake up for a feed, burp, poop, anything that makes these little humans stir...(Rookie Mistake #2) 3. Taking Michael to Children's for his first hospital trip at 5 weeks, followed by his first ambulance trip to Children's Dallas...(Welcome to Mommyhood) 4. Surviving Colic/Reflux...(What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?) 5. Children's Hospital Trip #2 for RSV...(Thank goodness for Children's Legacy, that is all I can say)

6. Tubes..best decision ever! 7. Taking several plane rides to Boston, Atlanta, South Carolina and to top it all off, Hawaii...Michael was the best traveler ever, minus the puking in the woman's weave on the descent into Atlanta...although, I think she deserved it:) Michael taught us so many things over the course of our crash course into parenthood, no book could have ever taught us. Through everything we have experienced with Michael, I think the most important lesson we learned is to have faith. Not only faith in that we know what in the world we are doing, but faith in the fact that God blessed us with this little boy and knew that Geoff and I had some clue as to what we were doing. And you know what, he was right. He blessed us with another crazy little boy to follow in his Big Brother's footsteps!

 I think Geoff and I have done a darn good job navigating this new found territory and I cannot wait to see what else our little boys have in store for us!
Happy Birthday Michael Geoffrey Hatch! We love you to the moon and back:)

Halloween...a little late

I had big plans for the boys costumes this Halloween. I figured it would probably be the last year I was able to choose their costumes and could make them match, like last year, when they were Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. I had everything planned, Michael was going to be a big, strong Fireman and James was going to be super cute Dalmatian puppy. Unfortunately, when I presented this plan to Michael, he did not agree with my costume choices.
Michael wanted to be a Transformer. Not just any Transformer, but Optimus Prime. And to top it off, Michael then informed me that James was to be the Transformer, Bumblebee- well, we had to negotiate on this one- James would be a Bumblebee, however, a real bumblebee, wings and all:) Thank goodness we already had a bee costume that James could use.
I have to admit, the boys were pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself:)
 
At my school, they held a Halloween Costume Parade. I had the boys in it, of course, and Michael did such a great job! Last year he was very overwhelmed by all of the people and the cheering so he spend the parade outside with Miss Erin. This year, he did great! He was still timid, however, no tears and he stayed in the gym:) James was a total HAM! As the teacher was introducing the 7th grade contestants, James decided to march his little Bumblebee self in front of the kids and DANCE! The entire middle school then began to chant, "Bumblebee! Bumblebee!", and James continued to dance and wave to his fans. HE is such a mess, but I have to admit, he was a precious little bee:) 

Our good friends, the Kotaseks, came over to trick-or-treat with our boys, they have two little ones, Parker and Mason, who are close to Michael and James' age. We had pizza and went our way with our little men dressed in superhero costumes to receive ridiculous amounts of candy in a short 1 hour period. Needless to say, we had a great time:) Lord only knows what Michael will decide he and his brother will be next year:)

SMU Tailgate

There is nothing better than a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the SMU BLVD! We took the boys out for the first SMU home game tailgate and the boys had a blast! The weather was perfect, low 80's and sunny!!! Here are some of the pics of the gorgeous day!!!! James was a little nervous about the Alumni Band, however, he loved when the football team, school band and cheerleaders came down the Blvd:)

September, REALLY?

We have had a fast and furious August that has now made me realize it is September and I have so much I need to do! But before I start on my To- Do List, I need to reflect a little on what has happened over the past several weeks.

#1 KV Ranch- I totally realized I forgot to mention the amazing time we had at our friends Julie & Richards ranch in Hillsoboro- it was so nice to get away for a weekend and just hang out with friends. No cell phones ringing, errands to run, or worries at all! We just relaxed, let the kids play, watched some Mickey, ate some yummy food, namely the venison thanks to Robby and Amy, and indulged in some good wine and adult conversation. Michael was so great! He has had a fear of dogs for just about a year since he was bit, and when I mean fear, this was screaming, shaking, could not function fear of dogs! But, thanks to Scarlet and Chachi- his fear disappeared thanks to this Magical Ranch and pooof- Michael's fear is no more:) By the end of the trip, Michael was chasing Chachi around the house and hanging out on the floor with Scarlet watching TV:)
(Michael hanging out in the "big" pool:)


(Miss Abby and James swimming)                                   (Michael & Chachi)



 (James hanging out with Bren)
 
 (SWEET BREN)

#2 Michael had his 1st OFFICIAL day of preschool. He has been going to Preston Park Montessori, AKA Heaven, for 1 year now, but he is now in the Primary Classroom and is in a uniform, which I think makes it more official:) Yes, Michael and Lindsey are still in the same class, they have been together since they were 4 months old and it is going to break my heart the day they have to go to different schools, Lindsey lives on the other side of Hillcrest, therefore, they will go to different Elementary Schools- but, they will reunite for the same High School:) Have I mentioned that Michael not only refers to Lindsey as his "Best Friend" but now he calls her his "wife" and Lindsey insists Michael is her "husband"! Anyway, I digress- Michael loves his teacher, Ms. Raina, and he has learned so much! I love watching him grow and have a love for learning!

 
(Michael and Lindsey on a breakfast date at IHOP)
(Michael and Lindsey Dinner Date after swimming)

#3 James is at Shelton with me again for another year- hopefully, he will be joining big brother next year at PPMA and follow in Michael's footsteps of amazing teachers:) Currently, James is 1 of 4 boys in his class! Yes, all boys!!! So funny because the entire time Michael was at Shelton, he was out-numbered by girls! James loves his teachers, Maria and Isabel, and calls Maria "mommy" which makes me see he really does love his teachers:) One afternoon he had a meltdown because he wanted to go home with Maria and not with me:( Thats a good thing though- I want him to love school and to love his teachers:)

#4 James had his tonsils and adenoids out this past Thursday:( He was such a trooper! The surgery went well, I was told in the Recovery Room that his tonsils were "huge" and that it was a good thing we went ahead and had them taken out- good to know:) I stayed the night with James at Children's Plano and that was just awful- everything went well, but we were both very happy to come home the next morning and crash- James especially has happy to not have to be woken up constantly for stats, medicine, and other babies crying down the hall- Our little man has been through so much this year and I truly hope and pray this will be all coming to an end sometime soon! It is so hard to watch your child hurt and know there is nothing you can do except say extra prayers and cuddle to give them some comfort. Honestly, James is such a happy baby, you would never know he has so much going on with him. We are so lucky to be blessed with the 2 sweetest little boys in the world. They are so sweet and so special. Michael has been such an amazing big brother. He has been catering to James since we got home from the hospital and is on top of him to make sure he always has his "Abba" or Agua, and lets me know if he needs anything:)

So, August, although it went by fast, I am glad it is over. I am happy the 1st day of school is behind us and James' surgery is now in the past. The only thing I wouldn't mind revisiting is the "Magical Ranch":) I told Geoff he needs to look into investing into some land:)

I hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day weekend:)

Kate