Lil' Cowpoke Room

Welcome to our oldest little cowboy, Keeler’s room!  Keeler will be four in July.  
It is so hard to believe that my baby will be four years old!

 Keeler’s bedroom is still one my very favorite rooms of our house. I love the wall color, BenjaminMoore’s pistachio ice cream.  It is such a calming and fresh color.  This room might also seem so calm and relaxing since his room is where we spend our special time reading before bedtime and where he sleeps.  He doesn't hardly ever play in his room.  He typically drags toys from the playroom to the living room to be with us.  Who else has a playroom that never gets used?!

This dresser is from Target.  I decoupaged the drawers with bandana scrapbook paper to tie it in with the western theme, which I think gives it a fun finishing touch.

 Again, I decoupaged wooden letters from Hobby Lobby for his name above his bed.  This is an easy and inexpensive project.

My sister-in-law gave us Keeler’s name made out of rope.  It has always been one of my favorite pieces in his room.  You can find them at Buckaroostyle.com.

The “imagine” in his room is the same gift that we gave all the hostesses at Keeler’s baby shower.  The word "Imagine" is so fitting for children...imagine where life will take them!    

This little mirror is hung low so Keeler can look at himself before he heads off to school.  Every kid loves to look in the mirror!  The backpack was another special gift for Keeler.  It was given to him by my cousin Ashley when he was a ring bearer in her wedding.

I bought this little cow print hanger for Keeler when I was pregnant, even before we knew if he was going to be a boy.  My cousin Ashley was with me and talked me into it.  I guess she knew that my life would be full of little cowboys before we even did :)  

The little chaps hanging are a gift from Keeler's uncle Troy.  He had them specially made for Keeler when he turned 2.  They are even marked with Keeler's own brand, "KB"!  I just love seeing him all deck out in his cowboy gear!  The good thing is when he outgrows them they can be passed down to Kallahan.

Kallahan, cowboy Keeler & Brynlee

Here is a picture of Keeler’s nursery when he was an infant at our old house.  The crib bedding was custom and our one splurge once we knew baby was a little cowboy.  The bedding became the inspiration for the entire room which we carried over to the new house.  Oh how I miss the hardwood floors!  Hopefully our plan of switching out the carpet to hardwood this winter actually occurs.

If you would also like to check out our youngest little cowboy’s nursery jump over to this post!  I went with bright colors for this happy baby.  

Thanks for stopping by! 

Have a wonderful weekend.

May this Home  be blessed with Laughter of children, 

the Warmth of close family, Hope for the future, 

and fond Memories of the past.  

Relaxing with visitors

We had a relaxing and to be honest a bit of a boring weekend.  My cousin Megan & her boyfriend, Eddie, came up on Thursday evening and stayed through Sunday.  She is such a darling young woman and I am so proud that she is doing so well.  She works almost 30 hours a week and is going to school full-time.  She is scheduled to graduate college in May.  Man, time is flying!  

We all loved getting to know Eddie.  He is so easy going and seemed to be happy no matter what we were doing or better yet, not doing.  It was terribly hot and windy here so we really just wanted to stay inside.  I got to take two naps this weekend - pretty exciting news for this mommy!  I think that our guests enjoyed playing with the little cowboys, going swimming and doing some local shopping.  On Saturday evening we watched Tower Heist --- it was a great movie, we all loved it!  Tyler liked it so much he watched it again on Sunday.  

Hard to believe this little cowboy will be four in a month!

   Our little cowboys love having visitors.  Kallahan really took to Eddie!

Open home, open heart!

Happy 9 months!

Happy 9 Months Baby Kallahan!!

Height:  27 ½" (25%)
Weight:  18lbs 7oz (60%)

Head:  18” (50%)
Keeler @ 9mos: Height: 27 ½" (25%) | Weight: 16lbs 10oz (5%) | Head: 17 ½”  (25%)

Dear Kallahan,

You’re 9 months old today.  You have made our life even more wonderful.  You have the cutest little demeanor because you are so happy and friendly.  This month you got your first haircut, went on your first horse ride and got one more tooth (the front upper right) – that makes three.  You are constantly pulling up on anything and everything.  This month you have begun to cruise; it’s not enough anymore to just pull up on something, you now have to cruise the perimeter of the tables and couches too. It’s amazing. You can’t stand still! It won’t be long before you’re walking on your own.  Granny showed me today how you can climb up and down the stairs.  
You are becoming more and more curious each day.  That means getting into things that you don’t need to like fireplace tools, grabbing drinks, etc.  We are working on “no, no.”  But you just look at us and smile.  Oh, the road we have ahead should be fun! 

You love the water.  From the bath to the pool you light up when you see water.  You almost nose dive to get into the bath.  You also love to eat!  You are still eating baby food primarily but we are introducing some soft table foods like bread and smashed veggies.  When you want another bite you scream.  I mean scream!  Last night daddy was telling Keeler that he needed to eat his food because it won’t be long and you will be taking all his food.  You are sleeping through the nights and taking two naps a day.  We just got back from a trip to Texas and while we were there you did great.  You love our family and seem to feel at home wherever we go.  We love you Kallahan!  Happy 9 months.

Love,

Mommy    

Happy first day of summer!!

We are getting super excited because our cousin Megan (aka May-May) and her boyfriend Eddie are coming up to see us this weekend.  Megan lived with us for about 10 months two years ago.  We have only seen her once since then so it’s a way overdue visit.  She will be meeting Kallahan for the first time.  We love our May-May!!

Summer 2010 - Keeler was so little!!

“I can only imagine where these tiny feet will go in their lifetime. My only hope is that they never forget the way home."  - Candice G.  

Weekend Whoas!

We traveled to Texas this weekend to see my mom and she is doing great! Her doctor and physical therapist are both really impressed with her strength and progress.  She is on a walker and still has to stay off her feet most of the time but I could not believe how well she is doing.  

Keep up the good work mom!

While we were in town we got to do quite a few fun things!

We went to cousin Bryon’s first wee-tee game.

Went swimming at my sisters and then Keeler went to a Venom football game with my sister & her family. 
Kal & I stayed at home with my mom.  We had a nice dinner and then watched a good movie.

Kallahan got his first haircut right before he turned 9 months.  

I almost cried - he looks like such a big boy (and so much better)!  

*Note:  the little boys were just "too busy" for pictures!
Sunday we celebrated Father’s Day. We all went to lunch and then spent the day together.  We gave my dad some "Best Pa Diddy Ever Beans" and two R.D. Mercer cds.  These were wonderful finds from the Ulysses garage sales.  "How big 'ol boy are you?!"  

I hated that we weren't home with Tyler but we were able to have dinner with him last night and gave him his gift ----a hedge trimmer (just what he wanted)!  Just don't ask him who made dinner, ha! 
Thanks for all that you do for us!! :)  

 Last but not least,  Kallahan had his first snow-cone and to say he LOVED it would be an understatement.   

summer must-haves!

This is a random post but I wanted to share a couple summer must-haves!  

1) L'Oreal Sublime Bronze –Tinted Tanning Lotion

I started using this product last summer but when I wore a skirt to work last week I was constantly being asked what tanner I used – so I’ll share!  Anyone that knows me, knows my tan must come from a bottle because I am constantly preaching the harms of the sun and tanning beds.  Oh how I wished I could take back my years of worshipping to the sun gods for so many reasons!  But anywho, a pasty girl still wants a tan and this product is amazing!  I typically use it about three times per week (after a shave)all over.  The lotion is tinted with a subtle hint of glitter so it is easy to see where you have applied to eliminate streaks.  Sometimes I still get streaks when I am in a hurry, but after the next application they are basically unnoticeable.  I love that sublime gives you an instant glow and does not rub off on your clothes nor does it have a strong smell.  Best of all, it costs less than 10.00!! Let me know what you all think!!

2) Bud Light Lime-A-Rita

I can’t take credit for this find – thank my friend Sabra!  She brought over some lime-a-ritas to our house a few weeks ago and well, you can say I blame them for my sudden summer weight gain, jk!  I really am not a big drinker but I like an evening cocktail on the weekends.  So who's with me?  I love a margarita but hate the mess and keeping all the ingredients on hand!  Well, problem solved… seriously a margarita in a can, just pour it over ice.  Don’t be fooled, it's in a can but it's not a beer. It’s a malt beverage and packs a punch with 8% alcohol.  Seriously, one and I am done.  Feeling good…but done.

We really are in full summer swing.  This week we have enjoyed some pool time and lots of summer fruits.  This is a precious picture of my little cowboys and granny from this week right before we went to our house to get in the pool.  Keeler insisted that I get a picture of his castle.  Him & granny were proud of their structure but even more so  because they had managed to keep Kal from destroying it! =)

At work, I have been going on harvest photo shoots.  
I love this time of year!  Check out this great photo:

see more on our facebook page!

This weekend the little cowboys and I are headed to see my mom after her recent surgery.  She is doing so well.  She even ventured out of the house for a bit today for lunch with my sister.  It has been so hard being away while she is going through this.  I can't wait to give her a big hug.  

A life without love is like a year without summer. - Swedish Proverb

Cattle Branding

This past weekend was husband’s first cattle branding as a true business owner of TNT Cattle Co.  He has been working on his family’s farm/ranch for over five years but this past spring the business was passed down to him and his uncle, Troy.  I am so proud of my husband and we are looking forward to what the future holds.  

The annual cattle branding is always fun but a lot work.  This is when all the new spring calves are branded, marked with ear tags for identification, vaccinated & castrated.  We always have a lot of friends & family come out to help.  The branding ends with a large meal and social gathering.  As always, granny made a fabulous meal.  It was so good to spend time with everyone. 

My main focus during the branding was pictures.  I was a bit disappointed on how they turned out but you can see that it’s an awesome process.  It was so windy that everyone was covered in dirt and it was hard to focus as we were all trying to block from the wind and not eat so much dirt :)    

I'll close with a picture of Kallahan & me.  He's nicely sporting a baby slobber-tee and I am wearing Revlon's latest shade of colorstay dirtstay.

Eat Beef

Welcome to our kitchen...

Today I am pairing up Kelly’s Korner’s Show Us Your Life:  Home Tours.  

Today is all about kitchens.  We moved into our new house about six months ago and have done quite a few updates.  If you know me, you know that I don’t cook much so our kitchen is perfect for us.  It's small, simple and quaint.  It’s not a chef’s dream by any means but it meets my needs since I am able to heat up oatmeal and bake muffins – my two specialties. 

So come on in - and enjoy :)

I love the view of the open field from my kitchen window!

"Trust God!" 
These are the wonderful words that Keeler has been saying this week.  He has completed his first ever full week of VBS.  He has enjoyed it so much.  I took off today and taught arts & crafts since they were short handed.  It was such a fun morning.  I can't describe how awesome the curriculum and team were that put on our VBS.  Our church is so blessed.  Can you believe that that they took the 5th graders on a plane ride today?!  I'm telling you, it was unlike any Bible school I ever attended.  Tonight they are concluding with a program, dinner and swim party.      
This weekend is my husband's annual cattle branding.  We have family coming in for the festivities.  I better get to work on cleaning up the house and getting my little cowboys down for naps.  Tomorrow is a big day...stay tuned for pictures.  This is still one of my favorites from last year.

 Have wonderful weekend!!

Weekend Whoas!

 Keeler:  my sweetest oldest little cowboy.  

toy trucks, Peppa Pig, story time, outdoors, swimming, “you’re the best mommy!”  

 Kallahan:  my sweetest youngest little cowboy.  

crazy hair, never still, grabbing Everything, the softest skin

screaming is our new only way of communicating “AHHHHHhhhhhhhhggggggggggggggg!! ... Aaaaahhhhhh-h!!! AR-----H!!!   

Weekend Photo Overload 

Photos c/o Cristen

 I love this picture!  Look at the joy on baby's face.

 My mom had total hip replacement surgery this morning.  My sister and dad report that she is doing well.  The surgery went well and now the recovery begins.  She will be in the hospital for 2-3 days.  PLEASE keep her recovery in your prayers.  I can’t wait to see her and Keeler is already talking about going on a walk with her.   We plan on going down once she gets home and my dad and sister need a break.  It's times like this when I hate that we live too far away to hop in the car and check on them.  

Jeremiah 30:17

"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds," declares the LORD