The McWhirter Family

MELT!

2011-09-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is how a conversation went with Rowan today-

Me: "Rowan, who is my best friend?"
Rowan: "Me"
Me: "Who is your best friend?"
Rowan: "Elliot"

I mean, how sweet is that? She has been the best big sister, we are so proud of her. Cannot believe that we could be so lucky to have two precious girls!

Elliot's First Month

2011-09-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

Do you see that smile? Does it make you want to melt?!? I know I will be saying this on every monthly post, but the first month has come and gone and I cant believe it. Elliot is such a great baby. She sleeps a lot and eats every three hours. She is such a happy girl and we hardly hear a peep from her other than her little grunts. We called her a little piggy in the operating room and from her cry and noises and she is still sounding that way today.

For the first 3 weeks, literally, this child would have slept the entire 24 hours of a day other than to eat. She consistently wakes up every 3 hours, eats, burps, and back to bed. Last week she became more alert and aware of her surroundings. She has smiled for me a couple of times and even rolled over from her tummy to her back once. I think it was a fluke because she hasnt done it again. As of last week, she wakes up every 3rd hour, eats, and stays awake for about an hour and a half and then back to bed. At night, shes pretty good at going right back to bed. She even slept from 8-2am one night! I was in heaven getting that much sleep!

We love you so much little sister! We cant wait to watch you grow and become your own little person!

Elliot Ruth McWhirter

2011-08-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Elliot is here!

Born 8.11.11

7:41am

9 lbs 1 oz

21 inches

She is doing great and big sister is so in love with her baby sister. We got video of Rowan saying. "my baby sister come out of mommys body" and "I love this baby." It brings a lump to my throat just typing that, it was the sweetest most endearing meeting of two children I could have ever hoped for. Grant and I are so blessed to have our family of four here, healthy, and happy.

Ropes

2011-08-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

Funny story - but so typical of our sweet girl. Rowan was in the bath and I asked her if she was going to show her baby sister the ropes (how much we love each other, how to play, how to fit in to this world) and Rowan said..."yes." As soon as she got out of the tub she ran to grab her jump rope and put it on my belly and said, "here baby Elliot, here are the ropes." Love this girl!!!!!!!

Father's Day

2011-06-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all those daddies out there! I know that Grant feels like the luckiest guy in the world to have scored such a sweet daughter and is so looking forward to baby #2. I am the luckiest gal in the world to have married the man of my dreams, and to have an awesome dad and father in law in my life that are a constant presence and influence for me and my family. I love all the daddies in my world and I hope you had a great day celebrating too!

Anniversary Yumminess

2011-05-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

Grant and I celebrated 4 years as a married couple on May 12th. We have been together for 10 years including premarriage, which is a long time...but those 10 years have been the best I could have asked for. We have learned so much about each other and continue to grow together everyday. I love him so!

We have never been big on fancy anniversaries, birthdays, valentines days, etc. We usually look up the traditional gift and do a gift based on that. This year was plants/flowers. I was expecting Grant to get me flowers, but he was really thoughtful and got us tickets for the concerts in the garden at the Botanical Gardens. I am so excited, I have wanted to go for years! My gift was not nearly as thoughtful as his, but I got him a lemon tree. We have been saying that we have wanted to plant a tree at our home for a while so we will always have this!

For dinner, we did a low key grill out with Rowan. This dinner was my ideal meal. Of all time. Other than a sandwich, my other favorite food, this could be my last meal. We started off with Ina Garten's ricotta toast:

*Mix ricotta with fresh herbs, I used chives, green onions, and thyme. Add lemon zest, salt and pepper. Brush country bread slices with olive oil and grill until toasted. Rub a garlic clove on the bread and spread ricotta mixture. YUMMY! And Rowan ate 2 slices of it!

Grilled Asparagus

Grilled Filets

Tomato and Avocado Salad:

*Halve baby heirloom tomatoes, dice avocado, drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper

I eat the tomato and avocado salad a lot for lunch, it is super fresh and fills me up. Im struggling not to overload on carbs this pregnancy considering that is all I crave besides sweets. Avocados offer a healthy fat that make me feel full but doesnt leave me feeling guilty.

We had a wonderful anniversary and if you are wanting something luxurious but dont want to spend way too much $$$$, make this meal!!!!!

Easter

2011-05-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

We had such a great Easter this year. Rowan enjoyed a couple of egg hunts (both of which had petting zoos) so she was in heaven. She really understood how to get eggs and that there were treats inside. Easter Sunday we went to church, headed to Plano, and then back to Fort Worth for dinner with my family. Funny story about church - the power was out at our church so they moved the service to a banquet room at TCU. We took Rowan in with us since we didnt think they had child care and she really did good. Until the music stopped. Someone sneezed and she said in her normal loud voice, "whats that?!?" A baby cried, "BABY!!!!!" Eventually, Grant took her out after communion ("Yummy!!!! Grape Juice!") but I am glad she got to experience big church for the first time.

Conversations...

2011-05-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

I love how much Rowan is talking and how we now have "conversations"...

For example:
We were having some quiet time playing in her room before her nap she heard the train "boom" (we live by a really loud railyard where the cars are latching together and it is quite noisy during the day.) Here is how our conversation went:

Rowan: Whoa, train.
Me: Yea, that was loud
Rowan: Train crash
Me: Yea, the cars are latching together
Rowan: Uh-oh, train boo boo
Me: The train is okay
Rowan: Train hurt?
Me: No, the train is okay
Rowan: Train go back doctor?
Me: No, the train is okay, its just getting ready for a long ride
Rowan: Ride train?!? (As in, I want to ride the train)
Me: Sure, sometime soon, we will ride the train
Rowan: No fall off the train
Me: No, dont fall, thats dangerous
Rowan: Yea, get hurt, go back doctor (and then she gets the most pathetic look on her face like SHE is actually hurt and is sad that she is hurt).

I just start laughing hysterically because of her train of thought (sorry for the pun). I cant believe that we are able to carry on conversations together. Some of them...well, alright, most of them are ridiculous...but I love that she is old enough for us to "talk." It just makes me look forward to so many more "talks" ahead.

She starts checking herself over for boo boos and inevitably finds the one freckle on her arm and points to it. This "boo boo" always requires a kiss. Grant and I together probably have thousands of freckles, but our child has one and she acts like it tortures her. It is hilarious! I am anxious to see if her little sister has freckles like we do!!!!!

Rowan at the Rangers

2011-05-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

Grant's parents got season tickets to the Rangers games and we went for the first time in April. Rowan loves going. She likes all the colors around the stadium and to cheer and clap on her favorite Rangers players. She also loves her tradition of eating ice cream out of the small baseball hat with Mac. We look forward to many more baseball games this summer and fall!

First Traumatic Visit to the Doc...

2011-04-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

I got a call last Tuesday from Rowan's school saying she fell and hit her head on a chair and that they thought she needed stitches. In a panic, I rushed up there and found my sweet baby girl cuddled with her teacher, Mrs. Jennifer, eating some strawberries. She was fine, but I could see the cut was not. We headed straight to her doctor's office and thats when all he** broke loose. They had to put her in basically a straight jacket to glue her head and poor thing screamed and cried for 20 minutes while they were working on her. We were all exhausted after they were finished!

She is doing just fine and likes to point at her head and say "uh oh doctor" to tell everyone she has a boo boo. The cut should heal in about 2 weeks, and hopefully she wont have too bad of a scar. She is my tough little girl!

...and baby makes 4!

2011-04-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that we will be welcoming another GIRL to the McWhirter family! She is scheduled to arrive on August 11, 2011. We could not be more excited about her and Rowan is really looking forward to meeting her "baby sisteh".

Rowan's Class

2011-02-15T12:08:00.000-08:00

Rowan goes to UCC twice a week for 3 hours per day and she loves it. I cannot stress how much this experience has helped her interact with other children and she really thrives on activity. She has so much fun! Here are her sweet classmates at their Christmas party. They all play very well together and we have so enjoyed getting to watch them grow!

Angel Baby

2011-02-15T12:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I have learned so much about Rowan over the last couple of months. She is such a BIG girl. She is talking up a storm and adding words together to communicate. She is just bopping around learning about the world around her. We are having a blast with her, this age is so much fun. She is definitely testing her boundaries and for now, time outs seem to work. She loves to play, eat, and mess with the dogs. She turns 2 tomorrow and I have NO idea how I am going to make it through the day aknowledging that she is no longer my baby.

It's Been a While....

2011-02-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

It's been over 6 months since I posted anything and as you probably know we have been incredibly busy as a family all fall and winter. Grant and I took a much needed relaxing vacation to Napa, Rowan has been thriving in school and BSF children's, we have really enjoyed our weekly playdates with Annalisa, Luke, and Nash, and the many crazy weekends of attempting dinners out and sick weekends in. I am thinking of giving up facebook for lent and concentrating more on blogging. I guess you can be the judge 6 months from now as to how I fared.....

Summer

2010-08-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

I would love to be the person that remembers and keeps this blog updated all of the time, but I like to "cluster" blog if you will - compose 10 posts and then try again in 3 months. I will try to be better about this.

Here we are in Wimberley with my family, so relaxing, so peaceful, truly a blast. By the way, the best summer purchase was the below "puddle jumper" float. It has rocked its way through the summer, allowing Rowan to swim along without being in her face and too bulky. Clutch for this year and next!
Here we are at PK with Grants family. A relaxing weekend getaway, need to go there more, its only 1.5 hours from Ft Worth.

Here we are in Lake Tahoe for our bi-annual McWhirter family stomp down. Just keeps getting better and better each time we go.

We had a great summer, lots of swimming, lots of ice cream, not a lot of business. Just what its supposed to be about!

18 Month Photo Shoot

2010-08-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

18 Months

2010-08-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

What a summer! We are ready for fall in the McWhirter household. After a long, hot summer of traveling, swimming, and all around shenanigans, we are ready to get back to our regular schedule.

Rowan is doing great! She is a water dog, i.e. LOVES to swim, and is continually amazes us every day. She will repeat a lot of what you say, so we have enjoyed hearing her new words like baby, please, happy, shhhh, mimi, pop pop, ro ro (yes, she can semi say her name), and will mimic a lot of animal sounds. She thinks its funny to laugh when other people are laughing and if you yell, she will yell. She is eating a lot. Our doc says that children her age should eat about 4 tablespoons of food at each meal time. Oh, wow, she eats a whole plate full of food. It is crazy to me how much this child can put down. Her favorite toy is her baby, "Oooeee" is her name. She also really enjoys feeding the dogs through their kennel door in the morning, although I just realized that what she really is doing is letting them lick her waffle, and then she eats it. Disgusting. Rowan loves to climb on things and not listen to mommy. She also likes to say "no" and scream a blood curdling scream when she doesnt get what she wants. Needless to say, "timeout" is a word that is frequently used in our vocabulary. Even though I dont think that she really knows what it means, I think she has picked up on when her older friends get in trouble, their mommy asks if they want to be put in timeout, and her friend says "no" and changes her tune. So Rowan will answer me when I ask about timeout, but usually gets sidetracked and quits what she was doing to begin with. Did I mention sidetracked? Well, it is really not fun carrying a 27lb monster everywhere in 106 degree heat, so I have really encouraged R to walk more and hold my hand when we are out and about. So we are walking...walking...walking...plane flies somewhere in the 150 mile radius...stop. "Whas saaaaattt?" Patience my friends, patience.

There are so many more funny and adorable things that Rowan does on a daily basis, but this post would be a mile long, so I have abbreviated her latest escapades. Potty training and big girl bed are next on my list. Should be interesting!!!!

A Taste of Tahoe...more pics coming soon!

2010-06-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday!!!!! I LOVE this pic!

2010-06-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day

2010-06-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great memorial weekend. Grant and I went to Colonial and to a few Colonial parties while Rowan stayed with Mimi and Mac. We picked her up Sunday and headed to a barbque and then on Monday went to my sisters to swim. This was Rowan's first swim since last year and it took her a second to get used to the water, and once she did, she really enjoyed it. We thought she was going to fall asleep on her raft. Aaaah, the joys of summer!

Here is Rowan playing with her cousin, Lauren. She is pointing to her nose.

Kisses!

Belly button...

I love this picture...three tired monkeys after swimming all day

"I'm soooooo relaxed mama"

Baby Nash is Finally Here!!!!!

2010-05-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

Sweet Nash arrived at 11:48pm on May 19, 2010. Everyone is doing great and this little one is absolutely precious! Such a laid back baby! More pics to come.

Lindsey's sweet family waiting for Nash to get here. Baby looks just like his Uncle Chad for now.

What we have been up to lately...

2010-05-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

We have been pretty busy lately, here is what we've been up to...

We visited the zoo with Reed and Leah

Big fish coming!!!! See Rowan backing off...

"ooh ooh ahh ahh" She sees a monkey

Mommy and Me Happy Hour at Vicki's. The last get together before the Sawyer's headed to Lubbock. Tear! We will miss yall and Rowan will definitely miss Riverson, her bff.

Rowan, Carter, Emma, Skylar, Hazel, Drake, and Riverson...This was hilarious.

Priceless! Rowan and Riverson attacking baby Skylar, they love her so!

Rowan's last day of mother's day out was last week, how many more days till fall?!

This was the bouquet that Rowan made me for mother's day. So special!

Last day of school with bff Charlie

Her wonderful teachers, Mrs. Jennifer and Nana

Time to break out the pool, its getting HOT!

Have you met Boogs McWhirter?

This picture just makes me smile...look at her hand on dada's leg.

We ate her first ice cream cone at Grandmommy's. She almost finished the whole thing!

Grant's 30th Birthday

2010-05-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

May 10th was Grant's 30th birthday and we celebrated the following weekend. I had arranged for he and his friends to play golf at Texas Star and then everyone else that didn't play golf to meet at the clubhouse for a happy hour. It was a surprise, the first surprise that I have actually been able to somewhat pull off in our 9 years together. We had a blast and Grant was so happy that everyone could celebrate. Good times!

The fam after the surprise

Matt, Claire, Grant, and Rowan

Mimi and Rowan waiting for dada

SURPRISE!

Grant coming in on the 18th

Vicki, Brynn, and me

Ellis/McWhirter/Daniel Family

Heather, Mimi, Me, Meemaw, Lindsay

Mimi, Me, Meemaw

Cupcakes by SugarShack - they had a picture of Grant jumping over the fire at Steak Fry when he was 18

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Grant! I love you more than anything and am so proud of you for everything you are!!!! Cheers wompus!

15 Months and raring to go!!!!

2010-05-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

This is a typical day in my house now...Rowan into everything...the dogs into everything...me on the phone...re-filling snack traps and sippy cups...screaming..."mama! mama! mama!" I love it! This is what being a mom is about! The best part is at the end of the day, when your little one is to tired, they might not make it through their bedtime book and you give them one last hug and they lay their head on your shoulder and pat your back. Makes me smile the biggest smile and look forward to another tomorrow!

Rowan is so much fun at this age, but she's always been fun, its just a different - you understand what I'm saying and doing - stage. Rowan is running and walking all over the place, into everything its almost comical. I love it when I find sippy cups in the trash, toilet, and washing machine. That little stinker! Oh yea, the washing machine. We have the front loading one and it has a child lock on it, but that does not protect the power button. Rowan loves to turn it on and off, especially mid-cycle and when I go to get the clothes out thinking its done...water pours out. Other bad behaviors that are hilarious to Rowan (hilarious in her book is when she knows she is not supposed to do something, i.e. immediately followed by the word "no") - getting into the dog crates, grabbing the toilet paper and making a run for it with it streaming behind her, full force running into the closet and faceplanting it into our hanging clothes, running into daddy's office and spreading out as many papers as possible, using the fax machine, standing on the dishwasher door, putting her toothbrush down the drain in the sink, getting in the shower when we are in there, throwing food off of her tray, taking her shoes off everywhere we go and putting them in her mouth, and the list continues. Like LaTarian (sp?) Rowan thinks its fun to do bad things.

Rowan has also added new words to her vocabulary - quack, shoes, ouch, uh oh, no! no! no!, nigh nigh, some of these words she has said for a while, but these are mostly what she is saying all the time now. When she sees something she likes, she yells "dada!" She also says that when she sees Grant or hears his voice.

Eating is not so much fun now, I mean what kid does not like pbj sandwiches, quesadillas, chicken fingers? Rowan does not. She is on the carb, carrot, and fruit diet and about nothing else. The best thing I heard from her 15 month appointment, was that its my job to provide her the food on the table, but its her job to eat it. So I dont feel so bad now and I am so over fixing her own special meal when she wont eat a bite and it ends up on the floor.

What else is Rowan doing that is new? Hmmm...how about temper tantrums, screaming, whining, and my most favorite...arching of the back when she doesnt want to be put in her stroller or car seat. Rowan tried to run into the street at my grandmothers house, I got her in time, but it was full on melt down after that and my sweet grandmother was worried about her for days. This does not happen every day, but it makes me sad that Rowan has added frustrated and angry to her list of emotions. She gets over it really fast if I distract her, but it is just as frustrating for me to see her go through this. At our last doc appointment, Mercer said, next time we will talk about potty training and time out. WHAT?!?!

My little Ranger...

2010-05-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

We went to the Ranger game on mother's day and here are a few pics. She likes to stand in the seat and people watch just like her mama and mimi! We cant go for the whole game and there is not a lot of baseball watching going on, but that is what usually happens with me anyway when we go. She claps when everyone else claps and dances when music comes on, its pretty funny. We have so much fun when we go, I know Rowan likes it too.

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T12:34:00.001-07:00

Being a mom has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I think all the time how my daughter has changed who I am as a person and how I live my life and I would not change a thing. Being a mom is also the hardest thing that I have ever done, but I think about all of the joy and happiness that Rowan has brought to my life, and it makes my heart full. I am so proud to be Rowan's mom, she has made my life complete!

I had a wonderful day with my family on Sunday, we woke up, went for a jog and then headed to Taverna for brunch. After brunch we came home for a rest and then headed out to the Ranger's game. Yes, this was my idea to go on Mother's day, I dont know, there is something so rewarding about seeing your child have fun and Rowan loves the ballpark, so it was something I asked Grant for. We met his parents and it we all had a great time. After the game, we met my family for dinner. I am so thankful for my mom, mother in law, and sister because they have helped me so much over the last couple of years and we appreciate them so much!

All in all, it was a perfect day for me and my family, which is all I could have asked for!

Easter Sunday

2010-04-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

Rowan this year...

Rowan last year on Easter Sunday...truly amazing!

We had a great Easter Sunday. We actually had a weekend full of activities planned, but they all had to be axed due to the stomach bug that Rowan and I got. Luckily, we were both feeling better by Sunday and were able to make it to church, brunch with the McWhirters, and then to my parents house for dinner.

I cannot believe how much Rowan has grown in one year. WHERE DID THAT BABY GO????? She is the love of our lives and we are so blessed.

My World...

2010-04-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

...and I love it!

This was found in a toilet (the seat was opened and closed for this to happen) before we were about to go to bed. Any parent can tell you that things like this at the end of the day can bring you and your partner the biggest laugh, no matter how crazy and long the day was. I just had to share because we are still smiling about this one!

Lindsey's Shower

2010-04-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

The girls.

Lindsey looks stunning in her blue.

Kristen had a bib monogrammed "Ricky Nash" which is one of her kikas-isms. It was hilarious.

My sweet friend, Lindsey, is welcoming baby Nash into the world in early May and we recently showered her with all things boy! Nena, aka "the coug" hosted us at her house with some of the moms, and it was so nice. The food was fabulous and Lindsey had the sweetest cake balls as a party favor. I wish I had a picture of it prior to me scarfing them down (Grant's didnt quite make it home :-)). They also did the cutest centerpiece of childhood pictures of Lindsey and Charlie. We absolutely cannot wait for this baby to get here, the Benson's are going to make the best parents!

Babies! Babies! Babies!

2010-04-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

March has been a very busy month for our sweet friends who have welcomed new babies into the world. We have had so much fun meeting each of these precious squeezers and hearing all about life with a new baby. It is so funny how each delivery is different and each baby is different. We are so thankful for these healthy, happy, gifts from God!

Baby Luke

3.9.10
Born to lifelong friends Donatella and Luke and big sister, Annalisa

Baby Skylar

3.18.10
Born to great friends Isaac (Triple I from Idalou) and Brynn.

Baby Leah

3.21.10

Born to our neighbors and great friends, David and Lisa

Reed and Rowan

2010-04-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

We have been lucky to meet the Sheilds through our neighbors, David and Lisa, and they have a son, Reed, that is Rowan's age. They are so cute together, they were trying to hold hands last weekend. Reed started walking before Rowan so he is showing her the ropes. He is so precious, we just loves the way he talks, he has his own language and it is adorable! This is the night I realized that I needed to say goodbye to nice clothes for Rowan, toddlers are dirty!

Rowan Loves Mickey Mouse!

2010-04-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Rowan's Dedication

2010-04-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Rowan was dedicated at church on March 21st and it was a very special day for us. Despite the ice in Plano, the McWhirter's made it in as well as my family for the service. Afterward, we had everyone over to our house for lunch. It was the perfect day for our sweet daughter and the church was so sweet, they crocheted a "prayer shawl" for Rowan for her journey with God. We are so lucky to have found such a welcoming, wonderful congregation and church.

Rowan is 13 Months!

2010-04-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ever since Rowan's birthday, time has flown by, and our little one has changed so much. To our amazement, Rowan went from standing on her own to full on walking in about a months time. She started to stand on her own the day before her birthday and then started walking on March 13th. She is such the explorer and is still a little unsteady. She just recently learned in the last couple of days how to stand up on her own. She tries to walk faster than she knows how and inevitably falls down a lot. She has little bruises and scrapes on her shins from falling, but I guess that is just part of being a kid.

She is still unsure about the independence thing. She knows what she wants to be doing (walking, grabbing for something, she wants up or down) but she still likes mama to be close by so that she can be picked up at a moments notice. Its nice in the beginning of walking because she cant move fast, so we can cruise along the sidewalk, and I dont have to worry about her running into the street. She mostly learned how to walk outside on the sidewalk because there is nothing to hold on to like in the house.

She has learned how to blow kisses, claps, waves, she loves to point at everything, and can even show you different parts of her body (nose, mouth, eyes, ears, and her favorite belly button). She also understands what "shhhhh" means and will say "shhhh" and put her finger over her mouth while she is doing it. I think that she is starting to actually understand what I am saying when I talk to her. She still says "hot" all the time, but loves to say "mama" "dada" "nana" "ouch" and whatnot. She also tries to say "shoes" the sh is the cutest thing that she says too. She is also mimicking a lot too, so we have had to be careful about what we say around her because she will randomly say what you say, and then forget it and wont say it again.

Rowan loves to eat. In fact, I think she likes food a little too much. She gets so excited to eat and will let you know if she doesnt like something. Her favorite thing to do is to throw food over her high chair and watch you pick it up. Instead of saying no, I just started to ignore it and I think that is helping. She finally started liking milk and will gulp it down if you give it. We started brushing her teeth with an Elmo toothbrush and baby toothpaste, it is the cutest thing, she loves to get her teeth brushed.

We are having so much fun with her as always!

Happy Birthday Rowan!!!!

2010-03-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

Rowan turned 1 on February 16th, I can't believe it! To say that we have been busy would be an understatement (more on February in another post)! We celebrated Rowan's birthday on February 13th with a party with her nearest and dearest. We are so blessed to have our friends and family that love Rowan so much they want to celebrate with her. We had so much fun playing, eating cake, and opening presents. We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends supporting our sweet Rowan!!!! ps. Thank you aunts Lulu and Kikas for helping with the decor and ideas for her party!

Well, since my last post, about 2 months ago, Rowan has changed. A lot.

The day before her party, she started standing up unassisted. She is talking up a storm and two more teeth have come in. She can clap her hands, points at everything, and is still so curious about the world around her. Rowan attends UCC weekday school and last month they had parent-teacher conferences (which was so cute). They compiled a book complete with pictures about Rowan's development since she has started there, and the two "talking points" where what a great (and hilarious) eater she is and that she is an analytical thinker. This cracks me up because Grant and I both ask her often "why are you so serious?" because she concentrates and looks like she is in deep thought a lot. I have even had strangers in the grocery store comment on how "pensive" she is. I think that she is just taking in the world around her, observing every little bit she can.

We love you sweet girl! Happy Happy Happy Birthday!

Museum Day with the Fam

2010-01-22T18:16:00.000-08:00

The museum of science and history re-opened a couple of months ago and we have really enjoyed spending time there. They have great play areas for kids of all ages and Rowan loves checking out the other kids. We went this week with my mom, sister Lindsay, and my two adorable nieces, Riley and Lauren.

My sister Lindsay dominating the water spout...shes showing Riley how its done

Her future is so bright she has to wear shades

Mama and Rowan

Memaw and Rowan

Lauren in her element

Not too sure...

There is a spinning pinwheel that Rowan is entertained by

Memaw, aunt Lindsay, and Rowan

Birthday Birthday

2010-01-22T17:40:00.000-08:00

Sunday was birthday day! Annalisa turned 3 and the party was at Celebrations and Rowan had a great time with new toys and new friends. We were also celebrating Janet's birthday in Plano and went to brunch with the family. It was a great day!

Annalisa kareoke's!

Pushing the cart...

Birthday Girl!

Mimi and her Rowan

Crib

2010-01-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

Have you seen my crib style?

11 Months

2010-01-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

" Mom...Seriously?!?" The first of many 'looks' I'm sure

Rowan is already 11 months! Just to look back at when she was 9 months, so much has changed since then. I am constantly amazed at how quickly she changes and learns new behaviors. She is still pulling up on everything, and can stand by herself for a short amount of time (10 seconds or so), and can walk along a chair or table while holding on to it. She just loves opening and closing doors so I let her have her own cabinet in the kitchen that she can play with. She has a little barn toy that has a door that she can open and close and crawl through. Music comes on and the song "Old McDonald" plays and she tries to sing "eieiooooo" along with it...that just cracks me up. She is saying a few more words, she picked up "hot" while we were in Lake Tahoe and it is clearly her favorite. Its the first word she says in the morning and anytime I try to teach her a new word, its only "hot". She loves the t sound. She also recently learned to say "up" and so she likes to say that too.

She is still eating up a storm and will let everyone around know that she is enjoying her yummy food. She is the loudest eater ever! One thing that I have been trying to work with her on is trying to get her to drink from a sippy cup. As we all know, she does like to be fed her bottle by her mama, so I am having a bit of a struggle with that. The doctor last visit told me to start weaning her from the bottle so that we can get rid of them on her first birthday...but we might have to delay that, we'll see.

She likes the little push cart that my parents got her for Christmas, but she is not too keen on walking yet. I am really not trying to push her into it, just letting her figure it out on her own.

She also is starting to understand the "restricted" parts of the house too. Since Grant works from home, I try to keep half of the house closed off for him so that his clients dont hear a loud baby while he is on the phone. We usually stay in the living room/kitchen area where her bedroom is and I shut the door to our room and the hallway. Our bedroom door can shut, but can be pushed open with a little force which Rowan has figured out. She opens the door by herself and barely crawls in our room. She stops and waits for me to say, "Rowan? What are you doing? No..." and that is when the giggling and screaming starts while she feverently crawls at her top speed toward Grants office, loving that I am chasing her. Of course, Grant loves it and she really never bothers him (I say that now, we will see in another couple of months). But it is so funny how she loves to be chased and also knows when she is doing something that she shouldn't be doing. I guess we have a bit of a rebel on our hands? Not surprising at all!

We are truly having so much fun with her and can't wait for her birthday!

Lake Tahoe

2010-01-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

We went to Lake Tahoe with the McWhirter's after Christmas and it was a very eventful vacation. The best part of the trip was that Zack proposed to Heather! Yea! We just love Heather and could not be happier for them. We spent the day skiing and hanging out and then Zack took Heather to an awesome restaurant overlooking the lake and proposed right there at the best table in the place. After they ate, we met up with them for dessert and champagne. It was so special and we are so excited to welcome Heather to the McWhirter clan.

During the trip we skied, took Rowan on a sleigh ride, shopped, ate a lot, and just relaxed in the cabin that we rented. We are planning two more trips together this year and cannot wait for those to come! Enjoy the slide show I put together below. Sorry about the Keith Urban...could not figure out how to change that.

Lake Tahoe

2010-01-19T15:26:00.001-08:00

10 Months

2010-01-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics of Rowan at 10 months. Its hard to believe even how much she has developed in just one month. She is pulling herself up on everything and just really enjoys crawling and opening and closing doors. She also has started communicating with me more and more of things that she likes and does not like. For instance, when she is done eating, she is done. She shoves the bottle out of her mouth or starts smearing her food all over her high chair. She does have to be the noisest eater I have ever heard. If I am on the phone when she is eating, the person on the other end usually asks..."what is Rowan doing?" Well, shes grunting away, happy as a clam to be eating again. She is so quirky and funny, constantly entertaining Grant and I. She is our little chunkster and we are, as always, having a blast watching her grow and play.

Christmas

2010-01-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

This was by far, the most excited Grant and I have been for Christmas since we were kids. We were so excited to celebrate such a meaningful holiday with Rowan and we really enjoyed ourselves this year hoping to make her Christmas merry.

We did have a white Christmas which made it so special for Rowan to see snow, it did, keep us from going to church on Christmas Eve. When I was growing up, we were always allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve, it was always pajamas. We continued the tradition and we all got comfy pajamas this year, thank you Santa!

We hosted our families at our house this year on Christmas Day, which was such a blessing! I hope to continue that tradition as well. We had brunch and Grant did the most fabulous prime rib ever! Looking for any excuse to cook that again. We had a great time eating, talking, playing games, and opening gifts. We are so blessed to have a wonderful family!

Rowan opening gifts on Christmas morning

White Christmas!

Christmas Eve gift...

Checking out the snow...

We went to the Gaylord to visit Santa, here is Rowan with her totally cool cousins, Riley and Lauren

Checking out the fire at the Gaylord

Family pic

Rowan Sees the Light

2009-12-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

9 Months

2009-12-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

Wow! Well, this post is about 3.5 weeks late, but here it is! Can you guess why I have been unavailable to share crucial information about Rowan's development? Well, you have guessed it, she is on the move and wants to be in the middle of everything all the time. This is the quinticential (sp?) picture of what Rowan has been up to lately, she is exploring the world around her all the time!

At her 9 month appointment, she weighed 20.5 pounds (75th percentile), was 29.25 inches (96th percentile), and her head was in the 50th percentile. The biggest news of all is that she FINALLY has two bottom teeth that have sprouted out in the last 3 weeks and I can feel two coming in on her uppers too. She also mastered how to feed herself food from her tray, which is nice for me because I still am bottle feeding her myself. Yes, my daughter is 2 months shy of turning 1 and she still sits in my lap for a bottle. I guess I enjoy the cuddling time too much to concentrate on teaching her to drink.

She still babbles all the time..."ba ba ba, ra ra ra, da, da, da" but I dont think that she understands how to associate the words. The only word that she will really say good is "woof" when she sees the dogs.

She is also pulling herself up on everything! She loves to find chairs, doors, or anything that she can pull up on and stands up. Her favorites are the dishwasher, washing machine, bathtub, shelf (so she can pull all of her books off of it), and open drawers of her dresser (so she can pull all of her clothes out of it.)

We are having so much fun watching Rowan explore the world around her and cant wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Thanksgiving Week

2009-11-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family this year. We are truly blessed for such wonderful people in our lives and cannot be more thankful for each and every one of you!

The Buchanan's came in town for Thanksgiving and we hosted a casual get together at our house to see our beloved friends all the way from Pennsylvania!

Donatella, Kristen, Whitney, and Kathy

Rowan, Lindsey, and Kristen

Annalisa in her precious tutu!

The girls

Me and Kristen B

Lindsey and Kristen

Brooke and Whitney

LGB drinking her mama water!

Kathleen, Whitney, Brooke, and Donatella

Kristen x 2

Show us a move Annalisa!

This is my favorite picture

Rowan and Annalisa

On Thanksgiving morning we headed to Dallas for the Turkey Trot with the Isoms and Sawyers. It was a great way to start our day!

I love this picture because Rowan always does this in the stroller when she sees me pushing her. It makes me melt!

Zach, Jagger, Grant, and Henry (Hank stayed at home)

Riverson and Rowan bundled up!

Me, Rowan, Vicki, and Riverson

Thumbs up, I'm just chillin

After the Turkey Trot we headed back to Plano for lunch with the McWhirter's and then to Fort Worth for dinner with my family. A lot of driving in one day, but well worth it. Christmas is at our house this year! Yea!

Rowan really liked to play the piano.

And as always, to be on Grant's shoulders

On Saturday, Tech played Baylor at Cowboys Stadium. It was fun to see everyone and tailgate outside this awesome arena!

After the game, Grant and I headed to Dallas to see James McMurtry at the Grenada with Zack and Heather. He played a great show and Grant sat next to a writer who included a couple of quotes from Grant in his review of the show. Something about how well McMurtry plays the guitar. I will let Grant share that one with you.

Me and Heather

Grant jamming out...

After a long week of celebrations, we did get to take Rowan to pick out her first Christmas tree. We got it in and have still yet to decorate, we are still recovering from Thanksgiving. I honestly have never been this excited for the Holidays in a really long time. I just cant wait to share this upcoming time with our little missy.

d su

What we have been up to lately...

2009-11-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

Rowan loves the washer and dryer! She is pulling herself up on everything!

She also likes the dishwasher and the noises it makes.

We went to the state fair about a month ago with the Howards and Sawyers, so fun!

Zach and Riverson

Rowan and Holt

We went to Ross's 30th birthday and our buds Riverson and Claire were there.

The family before the party

We got a new swing and put it in the front yard, Rowan just loves it!

This was on our 8 month birthday

Good times!

Whew! Crazy Days!

2009-11-02T19:41:00.001-08:00

Wow! We had quite a day today for hitting milestones. I went to get Rowan out of bed this morning and found this....

AAAhhhh! We are sitting up from our tummy! Time to lower the bed....

She is wondering why I am taking her picture at 6:30am...

Later today, she started saying..."da da" "da da" "da da da da da da da". I was so happy! I just wished Grant was home to hear her. All day I was telling her "da da is coming home from work" and "da da is excited to see you". She would say "da da da da". When he got home, I was building her up to say it, but she was so excited to see him that she just squealed and laughed. Oh well, I am sure he will hear it very soon, and again, and again, and again.

THEN, I was making her food in the kitchen and she was playing on her mat, and I saw out of the corner of my eye, a little baby putting one hand in front of the other, headed my way! I got so excited, I bent down and was clapping and congratulating Rowan, she just sat on her butt and started laughing. She was concentrating so hard that I broke it and she just wanted to play from then on. I imagine in the next few days, we will have a full time crawler on our hands. She also mastered today going from tummy to booty and practices over and over again.

Here are some pics from playtime on her mat and her acheivements!

About to crawl...

Work it...

"Nah, I'm gonna chew on this for a while"

"Here I come mama!"

Yay!

I love you so much, sweet girl. Please stop growing up so fast!!!!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

We had quite the eventful Halloween for Rowan's first time in her monkey costume! We had some friends over to watch the Tech game during the day and were planning on going trick or treating on our street after, BUT, as any parent will tell you, these things never go according to plan. Rowan got bit by ants and she is allergic, so we gave her Benadryl, and then she became very cranky and sleepy. Luckily, we got her in her costume for about 5 minutes before she conked out. We did have fun with our friends, it is always great to get together, especially with a Tech win and it being 70 and sunny.

Hopefully, things will go better next year and she will be able to enjoy Halloween and all of the festivities!

MONKEY!

Monkey and proud Mac

Here are Rowan's older and cooler friends, Claire and Grayson. She just loves hanging with these fun girls!

Aaaand, complete chaos!

Monkey

Family pic

Weekend in Lubbock

2009-11-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

We spent last weekend in Lubbock for the A&M game and had a good time minus the horrendus loss by the Red Raiders. Rowan stayed with Grants parents and we flew in on Friday. We went to La Diosa, a tapas and wine cellar, on Friday with Zach, Vicki, Rob, and Lindsey. We had a great time and were excited to find such a cool place in the depot district.

Me, Vic, and Lindsey

Me and Grant

Lindsey, Rob, Vic, and Zach

The next day, we went to the game and had a fun time tailgating and hanging out with friends that we hadn't seen in a while.

Here are Grant and I tailgating in front of the stadium facade. Or as Grant likes to call it "facaid." :-)

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR RAIDERS!!!!

8 Month Missy

2009-11-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

Doing what I do most of the time - play on my mat and suck my thumb.

A little Elvis lip for ya

At Mimi and Mac's house looking through the window at her favorite dogs

Cracking up at Henry

Well, to say that time flies, would be an understatement. I can't believe that Rowan is another month older and is getting to be so big. She is sooo close to crawling, she gets on all fours and rocks back and forth. You do have to keep an eye on her because she will scoot and roll to wherever she wants to go. She is such a happy baby and we are just amazed by how much she is changing. She still doesn't have any teeth, but is expanding her palate for new and interesting food. I am still making her food and we have branched out to beef, chicken, asparagus, and apricot sauce. She just eats it right up!

Her new favorite saying right now is "woof." She loves to hear the dogs bark and for mama and daddy to pretend bark too. She joins right in with "woof woof woof" and giggles hysterically. She is enjoying peek a boo and being on the ground. She wants to talk and walk so bad, she just hasn't quite figured it out yet. We are having a great time with her as always and are just in awe of her growing personality and fat legs!!!!

Dinner Party Fun

2009-10-21T08:22:00.001-07:00

Sarah, Rowan, Maddox, and I

Charlie, Maddox, and Rowan

We recently had the Nurse's and Benson's over for a casual dinner. Lindsey and Charlie had yet to meet little Maddox and Sarah's husband, Greg. Rowan had a great time with Maddox, he had quite the ear infection and was not in school for a while so she missed her classmate. It was so fun to catch up. I also REALLY enjoyed getting to hold sweet Maddox, he was such a snuggler...I really miss those days!

Rowan's First Haircut

2009-10-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend, and expert hair dresser, Whitney, cut Rowan's hair. She did a great job and it has really helped keep her "bangs" (Ok, I really dont want her to have bangs, but it makes it difficult when a 7 month old doesn't know how to get them out of her eyes) and the mullet growing in the back. Lindsey also came by to take pictures and support Miss Rowan. We love our aunt's Lulu and Nona!!!!

Before...

During...

"What? Like this is a big deal?"

Finished product!

It looks fab! Thanks so much Whit! We love you!

This and that...

2009-10-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Rowan in her first Tech onesie

Here is Rowan in her playard, her new thing is pulling all of the toys out of her toybox next to her.

She's saying "haha mama, I got all of these toys out on my own!"

She also really likes being on our shoulders.

7 Months Old

2009-10-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

I know I am extremely late blogging this, but Rowan is 7 months! She is doing great and is really starting to show more and more personality. Her new thing is saying "bah". She says it not stop. She likes to say it will her mouth open and closed. She even likes to say it while she is eating and showers me with her food and she does. She is sitting up great, and really enjoys her time on the play mat. She is rolling all over the place, so I have to keep a close eye on her. She snuggles with her bumper at night. We will go to check on her and she is always on her side holding her bumper with both hands. She still does not have any teeth, but I feel like they are almost here. She absolutely loves her jumperoo. I am afraid she is getting too big for it, though because she looks like she is about to jump right out of it. Grant has already had to raise it!

She loves to pull herself up into a standing position when she is seated. She pulls up and stands on her tippy toes. I laugh that she is going to be a ballerina, but I think it is from her bouncing in her jumperoo. The biggest change I see in her from one month ago is how squirmy she is in my arms. I pick her up, and she twists to face away from me. It makes me sad that she doesnt want to be snuggled with, she just wants to explore the world around her. If I am holding her and take a drink of something, you can bet she is trying to have a sip or grab the drink out of my hand.

Her favorite thing to do is play with paper. I dont give it to her often, but she really likes it. Since the weather has gotten cooler, we sometimes play outside on a blanket. We were waiting for Grant to get home and she was getting anxious for something new to play with. She grabbed a magazine out of my hands, and 5 minutes later, it was in shreds. She went from page to page, ripping them out, then tearing the page to shreds. She did try to put the paper in her mouth, but I had to be pretty diligent to take them away. By the time Grant got home, I had a pile of shredded paper piled up ready for him to throw away.

We are having so much fun with Rowan, I am thankful that she is not yet crawling yet, but I am sure it is right around the corner!

Thankfulness

2009-10-05T11:48:00.001-07:00

As the start of fall is among us, I can't help but to feel thankful and truly blessed. At times I regrettably look past the optimism, cant help but to be pessimistic, and am now at a point where I am ready to move on.

I am overwhelmingly thankful for my family. My husband has proven himself to be a loving and involved father, and my daughter is the joy of my life. Just hearing her squeal in the other room makes me smile. I am madly in love with her and enjoy every moment that I get to spend with her. The three of us have such a great time together, I couldn't imagine my life without them.

I am so thankful that I am able to be a stay at home mom. Sometimes I feel anxious to jump back on the working wagon, and then reel myself in by appreciating the incredible opportunity that Grant has given our family that allows me to be with them always.

I am blessed to have such a forgiving and loving God. He is always there for us and I cherish that I always have someone to go to when I need direction. He brought us the miracle of Rowan and is joyfully blessing our friends and family with the same treasured gifts.

I am thankful for dogs. Ours have definitely NOT been given the same amount of attention that they were used to before Rowan was here. They are still the same dogs they always have been, and still wag their tails when we walk outside, and give us the same love and affection that they always have.

I am thankful for coffee. It makes me happy in the morning, keeps me awake during the day, and gives me something to look forward to when I am trying to pull myself out of bed.

First Day of Mother's Day Out

2009-10-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Rowan's first day of school - aka Mother's Day Out - was right after labor day. She is attending University Christian Church on Thursday's for 3 hours. I am so impressed with the school and can't wait for Rowan to continue going there until kindergarten. She is the only girl in the class, surrounded by precious boys. We were so excited to find out that a friend of mine that I have known since high school, Sarah, has a son, Maddox who is also in the same class. It has been so fun to reconnect with her and get to see her precious baby boy every week! Rowan has such a great time and loves her teachers, Mrs. Jennifer, and Nana. They take pictures every week and we were actually sent home with some art work that Rowan did! She is having so much fun and so am I with 3 hours to myself every week!

Here are Rowan and I before her first day of school...

Labor Day in Lake Tahoe

2009-09-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to go to Lake Tahoe with Grant's family on Labor Day and of course, we were so excited to go. It was Rowan's first trip on the plane, she did so well, and to California! We stayed in an awesome cabin and had so much fun with everyone. We can't wait to go back for New Years Eve!

Grant and I at the Brewery - They have the best pizza in Tahoe!

Here are Grant, Rowan, and I on the deck of Riva Grill overlooking the Lake. They have the best drink, "the woody" that they are famous for. We all had a few on the trip!

Here is Rowan taking a bath in the sink, she did not like the big tub!

Here we are after the boys finished a round at Tanglewood and we all met for lunch and mojitos at the club house.

The fam: us, Jim, Janet, Zack, and Heather

The men

Rowan's 6 month photo shoot

2009-09-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

We had Christi with Candid Chic Photos do Rowan's 6 month shots. They turned out really good! Well, with the exception of my bra strap showing in most of them. Luckily, Christi can edit it out of the ones that we purchase. If you would like to take a look, go to www.candidchicphotos.com go to "Clients" then "Holiday 2009" and then you will find Rowan's pretty little face. The password is: brooke. Rowan looks so adorable. We are so lucky to have a smiley, healthy baby!!!

Breakfast in Bed

2009-08-31T11:30:00.001-07:00

We started a new tradition on Saturday's by having breakfast in bed with the fam. We get Rowan up and bring her into our room and feed her and chill out in bed while Grant makes breakfast. I crack up because a.) Rowan clearly has the worst bedhead out of any of us and b.) she is super interested in watching us eat pancakes and bacon. I love her little footed pajamas too - they seem so comfortable. It is the perfect way to start the weekend as a family and hopefully this will be a tradition for many years to come.

6 Months Old!

2009-08-21T11:26:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that Rowan is already 6 months old! She it turning into quite the little ham and her personality is really starting to show. She is such a pleasure to be around. She laughs, screams, babbles, and talks all day long. She will let you know, though, when she needs a change of scenery or if it is time for mama to pick her up for some TLC. She is rolling all over the place, can sit up assisted, and is grabbing her feet and trying to stuff them into her mouth. She is in the 50th percentile for her head size (finally catching up!), 75th percentile for weight (she weighs 17 pounds), and 97th percentile for height. She is going to be tall!

The day of her half-birthday was Sunday, August 16th and we had a full day. We started at lunch with Grandmommy at the new Los Vaqueros, followed by taking tons of pictures with the pigtails I put her in, and then we made our way to the miniature train by the zoo. She really enjoyed the train ride and we had such a fun, peaceful day!

Lunch with Grandmommy

Giving mama kisses

Pigtails!!!!!

Loving the train...

Domestic Experiments...

2009-08-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

So now that I am a stay at home mom, I have had the time to renew my passion for cooking...and eating of course. I didn't have a kitchen for so long and with a newborn, there just wasn't the time. Now that Rowan likes to hang out in the kitchen with me, we have a lot of fun cooking together. One of my favorite things to do is go through cookbooks and cooking magazines to look up new and different recipes and try them out on my willing husband. I enjoy cooking and eating healthy meals, so I am always in the market for vegetable and chicken recipes that offer a new spin on the usual steamed veggies and grilled chicken that we have grown tired of. I found a recipe in this months Cooking Light for a roasted beet salad. Being the wannabe foodie that I am, I always see chefs utilizing beets as part of their menu on shows like Top Chef. When I think of beets, I think of the jarred beets that my southern mom served as a side in nearly all of her dinners. I thought...the fresh ones look so beautiful and the recipe that I found seemed easy enough. To my delight, it was really good, easy, and my husband actually did enjoy it (well - it did have cheese on it.). Here is the recipe...I recommend trying this one!

BEET AND ARUGULA SALAD

3 BEETS (RED AND YELLOW OR WHATEVER IS AVAILABLE)

2 TBLSP. RED WINE VINEGAR

1 TEASP. EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

1/2 TEASP. SALT

1/2 TEASP. PEPPER

6 CUPS ARUGULA

1/4 CUP KEFALOTYRI CHEESE (I COULD NOT FIND THIS GREEK CHEESE IN CENTRAL MARKET, YOU CAN SUB PARM. REGGIANO OR GOAT CHEESE - I USED GOAT CHEESE BECAUSE GRANT LOVES IT)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets in a baking dish, bake at 425 for one hour and ten minutes or until tender. Cool; peel and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Arrange beet slices in a single layer on a platter. Drizzle with half of vinegar mixture.

Combine remaining vinegar mixture and arugula in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Top beets with arugula mixture. Sprinke with cheese.

8 servings; 50 calories, 1.8g of fat

Viva Mexico!

2009-08-09T08:33:00.001-07:00

We went to Mexico in mid July with Zach and Vicki Sawyer for a much needed vacation sans the babies. We stayed at the Royal Hideaway in Playa del Carmen and enjoyed it so much. The food, drinks, and scenery were all awesome and I highly recommend this all inclusive resort. We had so much fun with the Sawyers! We were ready to get home to our sweeties though.

Having a mojitoBefore dinner the last night

Drugs and Deli...sounds delish! Only in Mexico!

The four of us

Zach, Vicki, and Grant took a sailboat out, I happily took pics, and finished my book, the Glass Castle. Highly recommend that as well!

Pretty much sums up our trip!

Me and Grant

The most awesome part of the trip...our pool right next to the ocean!

5 Months Already!

2009-08-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that our little one is already 5 months old! So much has changed in the last month that I don't even know where to begin. She is really starting to reach out and grab for things, especially my hair or a cup that I am drinking from. She has a little playard that she lies on her back in and she will reach up to the hanging toys and hold on to them and try to get them in her mouth.

The funniest experience that happened was in her crib when we discovered that she could roll over. She has a little lighted toy that has a fish scene that hangs on her crib and I turn it on for her to soothe her before a nap. We call it her "show." So I put her on her back to watch her show and left her in her crib to clean her bottles and when I heard the music go off, I went in to check on her and she was asleep on her stomach, thumb in her mouth. So I was really excited that she could roll over. About an hour later I hear her laughing and carrying on so I go to get her up, and she is on her back again! She rolled over twice without us seeing it! Ever since then, she has been turning every which way, working on her new discovery.

She is most interested in sucking her thumb still, which I can't argue with yet. She also really enjoys her changing table and the wall next to it. She is constantly turning on her side to feel the wall and its textures. She is all smiles all the time and gets the biggest kick out of dogs. She laughs so hard she starts coughing/choking because she isnt getting enough air while in hysterics.

Another big accomplishment is that she has started taking solid foods and drinking from a cup. Her first tastes were rice cereal, peas, banana, and sweet potato. I have really enjoyed cooking her food for her thanks to the Williams Sonoma baby cookbook that my sister, Lindsay gave me. I have realized that I am saving a lot of money by cooking a big batch of food and freezing the portions in covered ice cube trays that can last up to 3 months! She enjoys sitting in her high chair while watching me cook and describe to her what I am doing.

Along with the joys of watching Rowan grow and experience firsts, there are also going to be not so great moments like her first ear infection that we have been battling and some teeth that are in her not so distant future. I hate more than anything seeing my sweet little girl in pain and not her usual happy self.

My poor little love bug had major congestion and runny nose with fever for about 2 weeks while going through her ear infection. She can't breathe through her nose in this picture. Sad...

We have had so much fun with Rowan in the last month, I have been so lucky to be able to stay at home with her and see her smiley, happy face every bit of my day. She is growing up so fast, I just want to stop time and get a few more years of this adorable stage that she is in.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Rowan's first 4th of July was so special because we got to celebrate with our friends and family at Haywire. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, plentiful fireworks, great food, and each other's company. Rowan definitely enjoyed the fireworks, they didn't scare her at all - she was in awe of them. We had a great time and hopefully we can continue taking her out there for many years to come.

Father's Day

2009-07-10T07:41:00.000-07:00

Rowan, Pop Pop, and Mack
Grant and Rowan

Mac and Rowan

We had a great Father's Day! This was Grant's first one being a dad, and I think that he really enjoyed himself. Rowan got him a new camera, some books, and new sleeping shorts. We went to Jim and Janet's for lunch and hung out with the family and then Rowan and I headed to my parent's house so that we could see Pop Pop.

I am so proud of all of the dad's in my life, Richard, Jim, and of course, Grant. I think that the father-daughter relationship is something that comes naturally to all three of these men and I know that our stability and self-confidence thirves from this special relationship. I love you guys!

He speakey the truth!

2009-06-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am very lucky to have a wonderful Bible study group and have really benefitted from our time together to concentrate on each of our relationships with God. This is the second Bible study that our group has had together and this time we are focusing on trusting God.

We usually study various scriptures and this week we just so happened to study one that I have relied on in the past and I really wanted to share this one. I think that it speaks to one of my greatest weaknesses, being anxious. This is the word of Philippians 4: 6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I am so appreciative of this scripture as it truly does captivate the relationship that I strive to have with God and it really gives me something to think about when I am not doing my best. I wanted to share with you because this has been so helpful for me.

Fun and Festive Weekend - May 30, 2009

2009-06-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

On May 30th, we had quite an exciting and festive weekend for the McKeita's (how our name was pronounced in Grenada on our honeymoon...the accent does not stop down there!!!).

We were so excited for Kyle Wright and Brooke Bounds wedding weekend! They had their rehearsal dinner at the zoo, the ceremony was at First United Methodist downwtown Fort Worth, and the reception was at the Worthington on the terrace outside. The weather was perfect and the couple was adorable as they danced the night away. They had this photo booth at the reception where you can take your pics and as you can see from the pic above, this was taken at the end of the night after a long day at Colonial. I am so happy for Kyle and Brooke and we can't wait to hear all about Tuks and Ciacos! I'm sorry that I dont have any pics of the bride and groom, my camera was accidentally left at home! :-(.

On Friday, when Grant was at the rehearsal dinner, I was at another very special celebration. I was at Lamberts with some of my best friends from my crazy high school days, Virginia, Blair, Demar, and her husband, Frankie. Virginia, "outed" that she is pregnant! It was so fun to catch up with each other and laugh about how much our lives have changes since the late nineties.

Virginia and her husband, Yorke, live in DC and baby Allen is expected on December 18, 2009. I am so excited for this baby and am going to go up there in January to help her out and get to know the newest Allen addition. So exciting!!!!

Four Months and Counting...

2009-06-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Four Weeks

Four Months

I can't believe that our little missy is already four months old. We took her to the doctor and she is doing great! Right now, she is 13.5 pounds and 25 inches long. She is in the 50th percentile for weight, 75th percentile in height, and in the 10th percentile for her head size. She definitely DID NOT get Grant's big ol noggin!

She is cracking me up, as always. It's amazing how she is learning to grab things and she has started to put her toys and her lovey in her mouth. She is talking up a storm and smiles and laughs all the time. It is amazing how quick they grow up. I am such a proud mama for this sweet little thing. She lights up my life in an instant when I see her, it's like all of my preoccupation flies out the window and there is nothing else that can come in when I am with her. I was telling Grant yesterday that I am thankful for her great sleeping habits, but I figured, with naps and her 12 hour stretch at night, I only get to spend about 5 hours out of the day with her. I guess this is God's way of preparing you to give her all of your attention and energy when she is awake. Cheers to Rowan! You have given me many wonderful memories over the last four months and I absolutely cannot wait to see you grow and develop over the many months to come!

My new toy!

aaaannd...in my mouth!

The Gatekeeper and The Bath Monitor

2009-06-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we are totally cracking up at the new occupations that have started in our home: The Gatekeeper (Henry) and the Bath Monitor (Hank). Since the weather has been so hot and humid, the dogs have been spending quite a lot of time in the house and have taken up a new role as family members. Hank likes to monitor the situation as Rowan gets a bath in the evening.

Here is Hank on Friday

Here are a couple of Hank on Saturday

Henry has a thing that wherever we are with Rowan, he is. In order to get to Rowan, you have to go through Henry, like a gatekeeper.

Rowan absolutely loves Hank and Henry. Her first true "belly laugh" was when I had her on my lap in the backyard and Hank was playing with his bone. She just looked at him and let out the most hilarous baby giggle. I was in tears, her laugh was so funny. I so badly wanted someone else to hear it (Grant had run up to 7-11) because it was so cute. Luckily, the second time she laughed like that was today and Vicki heard it. We were hanging out with Vicki and Riverson and Riverson laughed and it make Rowan crack up. Trust me, I have been so goofy around her just to make her laugh like that again, but I am obviously not as cute as Riverson OR the Bath Monitor.

McWhirter Family Stomp Down

2009-06-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

On Friday, June 5th, the McWhirter clan basically took over the House of Blues in Dallas for the Ryan Bingham and Flatlanders concert. We had so much to celebrate! First, Grant's cousin, Carly, got engaged! Her fiance, Adam, proposed on the Thursday before. It was so perfect! He surprised Carly with a boat ride on Lake Grapevine and cooked a gourmet meal (including filet mignon) and brought her ice cream from the place that they had their first date. He proposed at sunset (of course she said yes!) and had their families back home waiting for them to celebrate. I am so excited for them, this is going to be such a fun wedding! Here are Carly and Adam toasting to the "high life":

It was also Grant's uncle Paul's birthday! We were all getting loose on the dancefloor:

Carly and the long bearded bouncer. Literally, "NO PAPPARAZZI!!!"

After the show, Joe Ely came out and was so gracious to chat with us. He was so nice and was bombarded by us for pictures, but was totally amenible to his fans. It really made the night!

Jim, Joe, and Paul

Heather and Joe

Grant and Joe

Rob, Isaac, Paul, Zack, Joe, Grant, Jim, and some randy in the red hat

Big Girl at the Baseball Game

2009-05-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

We found Kenny Powers at the game! We had to get a pic!

Sleepy Time

My favorite pic of her right now...

We took Rowan to her first Rangers game on Memorial Day with Jim and Janet and she did so good! Too bad the Yankees destroyed the Rangers 11-1, but we had a great time anyway. It was pretty warm out, but thankfully our tickets were in the shade in right field.

It's Memorial Day in America; everybody's on the road, lets remember our fallen hero's, yall be sure and drive slow

2009-05-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Love that James McMurtry! This weekend was a lot of fun, and I love how it isn't over yet. Friday, the Craig's came over for a cookout. We are finally able to enjoy the backyard, which is long overdue. We grilled fajitas, I highly recommend the seasoned fajita beef from Central Market, it was awesome! It was great hanging out with them, we hadn't seen them since their wedding in early April.

Lindsey and Rob

The next day, we had more people over for another BBQ. It was a lot of fun hanging out with our friends that we hadn't seen in a while. Everything was going great until it started raining and the rib juice leaked on Grant! His foot has a giant burn on it, which didnt bother him on Saturday, but hurt like hell on Sunday :-).

Spencer manning the grill

The Atnipp's

Brooke, Whitney, Kristen, Lindsay, and Heather enjoying the patio

It was so nice being able to entertain again now that the house is finished. I anticipate that this is the first of many get togethers at the McWhirter's.

economy-shoconomy

2009-05-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else tired of hearing about the economy?!? I am so sick and tired of hearing the words, "In this economy..." What about this economy? People are broke! Our country is broke! WE KNOW THIS...

I am especially tired of companies spending millions of dollars on advertisements that are geared toward people suffering right now. How about NOT laying of thousands of workers instead of spending your money on new advertising that talks about how sensitive they are in this bad economy. So frustrating!

Let's all just sit back, try to save what we do have, and adjust our lifestyle's a little bit. There is nothing wrong with cutting corners. Just be thankful for those who do have jobs and pray that you keep yours. Coming from a company that did do major layoffs, you wonder how else they could have saved money rather than taking away people's jobs. Sorry for the rant, but let's get real people...

This and That...

2009-05-18T08:25:00.001-07:00

Buckwheat McWhirter

I love my changing table...

So this weekend was a lot of fun! We went to Riley's play, Murder on the Orient Express, on Friday night, and she did so good! Riley had an Irish accent and it was perfect! On Saturday, Jim and Janet came over and sent us to the Rangers game with Zack and Heather while they watched Rowan. Are you seeing a theme here? Jim and Janet love to babysit! Which is really nice for us, I am so thankful for the time alone with my hubs!

Heather, me, Grant tailgating

Then on Sunday, we worked in the back yard ALL day. It is starting to come together, although, it is difficult with two rambunctious dogs, especially Henry who likes to eat flowers. Thankfully, we have a dog run where they spend most of their time. Later on that evening, my parents and Lindsay came over for dinner and brought is some of their "vintage" patio furniture! We are so ready for summer!

Feliz Cumpleanos at ti

2009-05-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

So, last weekend was Grant's birthday/Anniversary/Mother's Day weekend and we sure did live it up. Jim and Janet came to get Rowan, so we had the night to ourselves. We started out with a bottle of champagne that Heather and Zack brought us from Napa, when Grant gave me the sweetest necklace that I hope to be able to give Rowan some day. Then we went to dinner at Eddie V's which was fabulous! After dinner we met up with the Atnipps, Benson's, Brooke, and Lindsay at the bar at Eddie V's and got the party started.

This is outside of Eddie V's where we decided this is the picture of our album cover of our band "The White Hot Pants Band"

Then we headed to VIP's where I created a dancefloor in front of the dart board and proceeded to dance the night away.

Thank you, Lindsay, for being our designated driver for the night! We definitely needed one!

The next morning (it came way too early). We headed to Plano to spend some family time with Mimi, Mac, Zack, and Heather. We had a great birthday/Mother's day celebration over there and are so excited about the spa day! Then, we made the long drive back to Fort Worth to eat dinner at my parent's house, where Grant cooked up some great steaks!

It was a wonderful first Mother's day as I got to spend it with my sweet Rowan and family. I am so thankful for her and for everyone else in my life that has helped us get to this point! What a blessing!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Meemaw, Me, & Rowan
So, this is my first mother's day, which makes me feel utterly blessed that Rowan is in this world. Since becoming a new mom, I feel that I need to give a shout out to all of the other mothers that I have much appreciation for. I also want to give another shout out to the mom's to be in my life. You have waited your whole life for this and your precious gift is on the way and will be here before you know it! You cant possibly prepare for what you will feel when you lay eyes on your child for the first time. I am so happy for my dear friends that are soon to be mom's!

I am so blessed with all of my friend's that have helped me with your advice, patience, and listening ear's while I have been trying to figure this motherhood thing out. I am also super appreciative of my mom, Gwen (Meemaw) and my mother in law, Janet (Mimi). They have been so supportive and helpful to me since Rowan has been here, I don't know if I could have kept going at times without them!

Mimi and Rowan

Me, Rowan, Vicki, & Riverson

It's About Time...

2009-05-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

So I am finally coming around to starting a blog, this is way overdue! I am so happy that I am beginning this, I hope you enjoy reading! This past year has been the craziest and busiest year we have had yet! I am so thankful for all of the wonderful things that have happened as we are so blessed.

We moved from Dallas to Fort Worth in June into our first home. About a month in our new home we found out we were pregnant! Our "fixer upper" turned into major remodel so that it would be ready before the baby got here. Here are a few before and after pics:

Yea, we lived like that (basically out of our bedroom) for about 6 months! We finally finished in December, albeit still a work in progress.

In the meantime, we were very busy with many of our dear friends fun weddings (the Perry's, Buchanan's, Atnipp's, Craig's, and Leven's) that time flew by! We finally finished Rowan's nursery over Valentine's weekend and not a moment too soon, because on Monday, February 16th, she was here! 3 weeks early, and perfectly healthy! God certainly has a way of working things out.

Rowan Lucille McWhirter

5 lbs 15 ounces

18 inches long

An angel...

To say that things have really changed in the last three months would be an understatement. I have never loved something more in my entire life. She is the most precious thing! We absolutely adore Rowan and are constantly in awe by her. I am so proud of Grant, he is the best daddy! He is always the first in her room in the morning to unwrap Rowan out of her miracle blanket and help her stretch it out. She purses her lips and sticks her little booty out and he gets the biggest kick out of it. She always greets him with a smile and it makes me melt! Here are some pictures of Rowan in her first three months:

This was taken after her sip and see that Paula, Nena, and Sheri threw.

One of our first smiles.

Playing with Aunt Lindsay in her pajamas that Mimi gave her.

Her first Easter

I am so excited to start sharing the many milestones ahead for us. God has given us the best gift of wonderful family, great friends, and each other.