The Summer of Bella Luce

This past summer will be memorable for many reasons. Some obviously not great at all (horribly scary days with our baby in the hospital), but I'm glad that we'll have some really fun memories as well because of Bella Luce.

Bella Luce is the name given to the lakehouse that Wade's parents rented for the summer. And having a lakehouse for the summer, eventually led to having a boat as well. Oh if I only had a picture of Wade's face when the boat arrived. Giddy doesn't even describe it. :)

Things started rough figuring out the new boat and finding a dock. And there were some serious "Strzwald" moments that I won't capture (good thing we can laugh about them all now!), but after all of the kinks got worked out, it turned into a great summer. I wish that I had more pictures, but at this stage of life, that task is proving to be quite challenging. So here are the few that I have.

These are two of Tate's most favorite people. He looooooves his cousins, Trip & Mary Tish. And I have to say that I have been so proud of them in how good they are with Tate. At 13 and almost 11, they could be at the age that a 3-year-old following you around EVERYWHERE you go could be very annoying. But they love it. And he loves them both.

Even the weekend Trip had his four friends at the lake, they let Tate join in the fun. In fact, it was pretty funny to hear Tate making sure the boys always knew where he was and when he would be back. "Guys! I'm right over here!"

And Bella Luce proved to be a perfect retreat for my very talented mother-in-law. This is one of her works of art while still in progress.

Tate with one his best buds, Deacon. And look there's a monster truck! Even at a lakehouse, there are monster trucks around. :)

At the beginning of the summer, Tate had no fear about riding on the tube. Somehow as the summer went on, he became more apprehensive and said he didn't want to go anymore. But one day after his friend Deacon went on the tube all by himself, he decided he wanted to do the same. So this picture is right before his first solo tubing...and wouldn't you know it...the tube caught too much water in the front and went under. Wade immediately dove in the lake and Tate promptly got in the boat saying, "I'm all done, please!" Bummer way to end the tubing experience, but he was just as happy riding in the boat watching everyone else.

A great memory for Trip is that this is the summer he learned to water ski and wake board. Way to go! Wade got in several wakeboard runs himself, and I finally (on the very last day) got in a good, long water skiing run.

Tate still talks about Bella Luce. Of the four of us, he was able to spend the most time there with some fun days of just he, Mo Mere, and the cousins. He loved every single minute. And he was very sad when I had to tell him at the end of August that Bella Luce would be closed. It was a fun summer with some great memories!

First Day of Preschool ~ 2010

This is Tate's second year at his preschool, and he was very excited about the first day today. This year will be fun because he gets to go to the Discovery class (science) along with the usual fun in his Ducks class, Chapel, Recess, and Spanish. And we're going to try out a basketball program that's once a week at the preschool.

Of course he made a beeline for the cars you can play with in his class, so there were no problems when we left. When I picked him up and we drove home, he told me that he had fun. He played with cars. It was too muddy to play outside. And he asked his teacher if he could have a turn to talk. :)

We're looking forward to a fun year!

The Random Catch-Up Post

I've had all kinds of thoughts going through my head over the last few months, but they just never make it to a well-written blog post. So for the sake of capturing our family memories (and maybe one day I'll FINALLY sit down to turn this blog into a Blurb book...if only I had an entire day to myself...hint, hint Wade), here are some random photos from the last few months to catch up on.

Lots of firsts in Tate's world. First time to play with Mommy's make-up.

And lots of Daddy/Tate experiences. The first Texas Rangers game. Wade took him to the game along with both Grandpa & Poppy. He went in with low expectations, considering it was an afternoon game right in the middle of nap time. But Tate really did great and lasted six innings. Of course the ice cream in the plastic helmet was a huge hit. And he still talks about the dot race. Since the game (and lots of Rangers games on TV), he has developed quite a wind-up pitch.

His first bike race with Daddy. Again, Wade went in with low expectations not knowing how Tate would do in the bike trailer for 20 miles. He proved to be a trooper and Wade said was often heard blaring his monster truck siren and yelling, "Go faster Daddy!"

And his first overnight camping trip. Our Wednesday night group has an annual tradition of the Dads taking all of the kids camping. This was Tate & Wade's first year to be able to go. This picture just about sums it all up.

He of course loved every minute. I'm sure being with Wade, eating Mr. Brandon's donuts made from scratch, getting incredibly dirty, and being with so many big kids were all highlights. And amazingly, Wade said Tate slept all night in the tent, even after falling off the air mattress twice.

Earlier this summer we went to a local library to hear Eddie Coker perform. Back in my special events planning days when I managed a kid's arts/music festival, he was the headliner. His music really is pretty fun. We met Kristen and her boys there and have been listening to the Woo-Woo Dance in the car ever since. This was the first time I had seen Tate dance freestyle to live music. Hilarious. The pictures don't do it justice. Just imagine Elaine dancing on the infamous Seinfeld episode. Oh, how I love this boy. :)

His second ride on a horse. This time at cousin Mallory's birthday party. He LOVED it.
And speaking of horses, I was able to take Tate to watch cousin Mary Tish in one of her horse shows (where she won 1st place!). We were all so proud!
And she's not blood-related but might as well be. Anna & Paige came for a quick visit after Will was born. Tate looooooves playing with Anna. They are separated by states and several years, but still have such a great time together. Of course, it's no wonder since their moms do too. And we can't wait to meet Baby Boy Reynolds coming soon!

And lastly, for some reason I've tried hard not to compare the boys too much. I'm know I'm way overthinking it, and it won't really do any permanent damage to compare and contrast their differences. So when I realized I had pictures of both of them in the same outfit on the same rug, I had to look and compare.

They are almost the same age here. I think their faces look similar, but the hair is so different. Although this was right in the middle of Tate's awkward hair stage when the full head of dark hair was falling out to be replaced by a full head of blonde hair. Love them both!

And there you have it, some random family updates!

The Inauguration

Yes, we drink the purple Kool-Aid. I have no shame in saying that we are ACU die hards. Such die hards that we took two small children on the early morning drive to Abilene on the absolute hottest day of the year to sit through a two-hour presidential inauguration. They should surely name a building in our honor for that, right?

Wade & I both had wonderful ACU experiences. I was fortunate to know early on what I wanted to major in, and for the most part, didn't steer too far from it. So I spent the majority of my 4 1/2 (who really graduates in 4 anymore???) years in the JMC Building. I received a fantastic education while at the same time getting practical real-world experience. I credit much of what I deem as a successful career in non-profit PR to all that I gained from ACU. And on top of a wonderful education, I made lifelong memories and friendships that I hope to never take for granted.

All that to say, we were excited to go back for the inauguration of ACU's new president and bring along both of the boys. We probably should've thought through a little more the fact that it would be a two-hour ceremony with two small children, but hey, we live on the edge. And I had fruit snacks.

We did survive the day and had no regrets about going. It was pretty surreal to be sitting in Moody Coliseum with my husband and children. I looked around at all of the very eager, young-looking students and couldn't help but feel excitement for them and all that was in store. Cheesy, I know. There's not much of my time at ACU that I would change or do over (except for maybe a few early dating choices...did I say that?), but as I'm sure many people 10+ years post-college say, I wish I could've soaked it in more. I don't necessarily want to go back to that stage of life, but I do miss the learning environment. Oh boy, am I sounding old now or what?

I loved ACU then, and how could you not love ACU now? The school received national accolades and attention with the mobile learning initiative launched last year. And now my beloved newspaper, The Optimist, was the first university student newspaper created for the iPad. Pretty cool.

And even with all of the innovative things happening and the incoming classes growing in numbers every year, the school still has a unique feeling of community. Like I said, we're die hards around here.

It was a fun (although excruciatingly hot) day for all of us. While sweating profusely and corralling two small children, the pictures are pretty weak and limited. You do what you can do.

Five minutes before it was all about to begin, Will had a blow-out diaper, which needed a wardrobe change. So here you will see what we call his signature pouty face. Guess he was a little embarrassed to be in the buff at a presidential inauguration.

And here's the best we could get at a family picture. Minus one family member.

And I'm not sure why, but the Parade of Flags made me all teary this time. Yes, I'm turning into my mother.
Tate loved the flags and the Big Purple band.
This is a horrible picture, but proof of that actual inauguration. Maybe Dr. Schubert will still be President when the boys go to ACU (2025 & 2028...no pressure!), and they can say they were there.
No surprise, but Tate loved the GATA Fountain. I had just finished telling him he couldn't get in the water or take his shoes off, right when a student walked up and took her shoes off to rinse off her feet. I was both annoyed and grossed out. The drama then got worse as Tate barreled off and proceeded to practically knock over the handicapped man walking by us. The man was so kind about it. This kiddo keeps me humble.
Paying homage to the Wildcats. One funny story is that Tate kept asking when the cats were coming out. Explaining the concept of a school mascot is a tricky one.
This was approximately 3.5 minutes after we got in the car.
We never made it over to Cullen Auditorium for a picture of Will at his (middle) namesake's location. And I completely forgot to go get a loaf of zucchini bread from Hickory Street Cafe (the absolute best hands down!). Even though we left completely exhausted, it was worth it. Worth being there at the start of a new and exciting chapter for ACU. And worth being with my three favorite people at one of my most favorite places.

Will ~ 3 & 4 Months

It has been an eventful couple of months for this little guy. In fact, he's had an eventful life so far! So I'm catching up with his 3 and 4 month posts.

Obviously the biggest part of the 3rd month was his hospital stay and recovery from the staph infection. We are still amazed and extremely grateful that looking at him now, you would have no idea it ever happened. And you would also have no idea that he had to have an outpatient surgery two weeks later. He is doing great and has made a full recovery from both. We've got one tough cookie on our hands!

In regular baby news, here are some fun developments over the last two months:

• He LOVES to smile and squeal at just about anyone that will smile back. Family, friends, strangers, he loves them all!
• His coos have turned into gurgles, aahhs, and all kinds of new noises.
• Will moved from the bassinet in our room to the crib in his room and handled the transition great.
• We weaned him from the swaddle. He was pretty happy with that, so he could get his hands in his mouth at night. Not his thumb, but his hands are almost always in his mouth.
• He's gone 8-hour stretches at night a few times, but has't quite had the full night yet and typically wakes up once for a bottle.
• He lost his hair stripe. The last few hairs finally fell out. Now it's a small dark blond/light brown fuzz ball all over with a very defined hairline.
• He is finally tolerating tummy time better and holding up his head while on his tummy. Five days in the hospital and recovery from surgery caused him to take a few steps back with that, but I think he's on his way to getting caught up. And he's starting to roll to his side pretty often, which has caused several unintentional roll overs.
• He has really started to notice Tate so much more. And if anyone can get a smile out of Will, it is Tate. I'm sure this will just continue even more over time. You can tell he already adores his older brother.
• And he continues to be a pretty long baby and is outgrowing clothes fast.

He is proving to be one happy, easy-going baby. We already knew we loved this boy, but going through the last few months with him have formed a bond I can't even explain. So thankful for his health and life. We all love our Baby Will!

The Letter N

We're big fans of Sesame Street around here. The other day Tate was watching an episode, and I suddenly heard him laughing hysterically. He could barely breathe he was laughing so hard. We have since watched this just about every day. Seriously funny.

Swim Lessons

This was the 2nd year in a row to take swim lessons from Mr. Kaleb & Mr. Jim. Tate did a great job last year, but over the winter regressed some in his desire to swim at the indoor pool. Not ability, just desire. I figured that out after the first day this year when he was immediately right back to where we left off last year. Stinker...he's been holding out on us.

Oh well, he got right back into the swing of things. Floating, kickboard laps, diving under and picking up rings, jumping into the water, and swimming about 10 feet.

They use a tough love approach to the lessons, which works well with Tate. They're there not to play but to learn water safety and some early swim skills. That approach and all of the tattoos can be a little intimidating, but they are so good at what they do, and the kids warm up to them quick.

Here's a video on his last day, the show-off day. Even Daddy, Grandpa, Mimi, and Will came to cheer him on.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

He did great. He had fun. We were proud.

Summer Spectacular 2010

Back in June, our church had its annual Summer Spectacular (a version of Vacation Bible School). Each year they take a story from the Bible and incorporate it into all of the kid's classes, adult classes, and the musical each of the three nights. This year was Elijah.

Tate had a great time in his class learning about how God provided for the needs of Elijah when he sent the ravens with bread and meat. To illustrate, the snack that night was a cracker and chicken nugget. Later when we were talking about it, I asked him how God provided. He said "with bread and Chick Fil A!"

I helped in the 1st grade story room each night and was pretty impressed with how smart these kiddos are. We had three different groups of about 20-30 kids each. My friends Kristen & Alyssa did a great job teaching the story, and I did crowd/kid control.

Then after class it was time for the musical. It was once again an impressive production. They tell the Bible story while using songs we all know. Tate loved the musical and was so excited each night to see what was going to happen to Elijah. When I was talking to him about how God sent the fire and the rain, he said, "And God also sent Boom Boom Pow and The Hustle!"

Even with the price you have to pay when your 3 y.o. doesn't go to bed until 10:00 p.m. each night, it was all worth it. The entire week is so impressive and well done. We all had a great time and learned a lot. Next year...Noah!