Mommy's attempt to turn Caris into a Bowhead

So I saw my friend's niece in all these cute headbands and interchangeable bows and thought how hard can it be to make these bows? Well, was the joke ever on me! Apparently I needed to take a bow making class. I am posting this Thanksgiving pic to show how ridiculous my futile attempt was at bow making. I finally broke down and got her the real stuff!

Our Little Turkey in her Thanksgiving outfit. Daddy gave it a little flair around the edge of the photo.

She always has this "who me?" look

What a chunker...

Here and There

We took Caris to visit her Patrick's Grandma, Jessie, the day after Thanksgiving. Jessie lives in Conroe. Caris is her first Great-Granddaugher. She may be a Great-Grandmother but she is still very active and laid back and so easy to be around. She has seen a lot in her day and can tell you some stories. I could be wrong, but I think she was one of 13 children so you know she has some stories to tell.

During hurrincane Ike, we went to stay with some of Patrick's relatives in Franklin, TX. For those who don't know where it is, it's 75 miles north of Bryan College Station. They had this name sign on their porch so I made hubby and Caris pose in front of it.

A November birthday

In early November some friends and I got together at my house to celebrate our friend, Nga's birthday. She is also pregnant with her second baby due in February. Nga, Tiffany,Colette and I first met in a single's group at First Baptist a while back and three of us have since gotten married and started a family. Colette or CoCo as we call her, is our single friend left. We know her husband is on his way in God's perfect timing.

Celebrating Nga's Birthday with Colette taking our pic

Tiffany feeding Jonathan at 6 months here. This is what I have to look forward to.

Nga, Coco & Tiff

Nga, me & Tiff

Three Years and still going strong

November 19th was our anniversary and boy was it different this year. First, Patrick had to go out of town on business so we celebrated the weekend before. In the past, we would go off for a weekend getaway, usually to a bed and breakfast somewhere in Fredericksburg, our favorite spot in the Hill Country. But with a new baby, we were doing good to get a baby sitter for a movie and dinner. So while my mom watched Caris, we went to see the movie Fireproof and loved it! For those of you who hadn't seen it, I highly recommend it. Kirk Cameron, from "Growing Pains" and the Left Behind book series, did an excellent job in this movie. This movie did a good job in portraying God's faithfulness in restoring marriages and how to protect the institution of marriage against different factors that may influence and destroy marriages in our society. But I digress...so our anniversary was different this year in the fact that we weren't together. Also, since we were kind of tight on the budget this month and with Christmas coming up, we decided to write each other love letters instead of buying each other gifts. My husband wrote the most beautiful three page letter to me that reaffirm why I married this man. Our marriage, like any other, has not been perfect but I have a husband that always wants to go back to the bible as a reference point. Patrick's desire to follow Christ first and foremost, then his desire to be a Godly husband and father to Caris blesses me beyond words! This anniversary was low key than the others but it was the best one yet because we just let our hearts do the talking and we know that the best is yet to come! I LOVE YOU husband of mine!!!

Dinner at Perry's Steakhouse. Check out P's Cowboy Rib Eye. I had a Surf and Turf Kabob with Steak Medallions, Lobster, and Shrimp. We splurged a little but it was worth it!

Bye to the Junods

These pics were our last pics with Wendi before she and her family left for Doha. Their family is moving to Qatar, Doha for her husband's job. My husband had been next door neighbors with the Junods for two years before I came along. Actually, they took my husband's photos in their kitchen to have it posted on Christian Cafe, where he and I met. Almost 3 years and a baby later, here we are saying goodbye to their family...Come to think of it, our families have had a history of taking pictures in one way or another. Her husband, Nick, took our engagement photos. My husband later developed a love for photography and would take the Junods' photos on various occasions for practice. We love this family...they were more than neighbors, they were friends in the Lord. Throughout my pregnancy, Wendi would pray and was so supportive in our endeavor to becoming parents. Her tips and advice from hosting my baby shower to nursing was really timely for me as a new mom. We will never forget the Junods and know we will keep in touch and see them again. Nick, Wendi, Brooks, and Barrett, our prayers will be with y'all as your family embark on this new journey and entrust y'all in God's care.

Wendi, Caris, and me

Caris and Wendi

Caris getting more alert

Caris is now 3 months and it's so fun taking her pics because she is so much more interactive and alert and will even pose for the camera. She is still trying to get used to the flash, thus, the bug eyes in some of them.

Her outfit reads "Daddy is My Hero"

Enjoying her new chair, it's a different version of the bumbo chair.

Grandma just loves spending time with Caris.

Church Fall Festival

Our church had a Fall Festival so here are some of our cute pics we took with our friends that night.

I had no idea what to dress Caris in so she wore an outfit that said "Kiss Me, I'm Irish".

My friend Amy and I wore our baby carrier, here with her kids (Me & Caris, Savannah, Amy & Caleb). It was obviously past Caris's bed time, she was so tired poor thing.

Here we are with Dan and Baby John (The Zink's baby was born one day before Caris on 8/8/08 and he weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz !)