Aunt Alex Graduated!

We spent the first weekend of my two week Christmas break in our beloved College Station to watch Nick's little sister Alex graduate from Texas A&M (whoop)! Nick and I are both so proud of her. She is graduating a semester early and already has a job lined up in Dallas with PFS Web. She found a fabulous apartment just today and starts work on Tuesday of next week!

Every picture of Addy is an action shot!

I have loved being a full time mommy these last couple of days! On Monday, Addy and I ran all over town with my mom finishing up some Christmas shopping. Addy got the cutest sparkly pink shoes!

Tuesday, my brother John's sweet girlfriend Marissa and I went to the mall for a bit and today she offered to come play with Addy so I could go to the grocery store by myself! It was a nice break and the store is so hectic at this time of year so it was nice to not have to tote her along.

Addy and I went to lunch with Courtney and baby Bella today. Addy has a new thing where she hates being in her car seat and tries to propel herself out of it. In order to not disrupt the entire restaurant, Addy conned me into taking her out of her car seat for lunch. She proceeded to stand on me, pull my hair, knock the bread off my sandwich, and almost spill my drink more than once. It is a good thing she is so cute!

I am really looking forward to my first Christmas as a parent! I know they will just get better and better from here on out and I am excited about some of our new family traditions!

Counting it down

12 is way more energy than I have right now, so I will start near the middle...

5 Christmas Parties

What a busy weekend! Of course, I got only one picture that actually contains adults. The rest are all Addy's friends.

4 Days of School left

I am so pumped for Christmas break. I love the time off I get for tolerating teenagers every day.

3 hour drive to College station this weekend

I am so proud to see my little sister-in-law graduate!

2 tickets to Wicked

With my best friend Aubra in February!

And a partridge in a pear tree

(I had to google what a partridge even is. Here is a picture in case you are unsure as well!)

Catching Up

I know it has been forever. My last post was about the start of wrestling. I forgot how much time I commit to it though. I have seven sweet, fantastic girls on my team and am enjoying coaching them immensily.

Nick and I had a fabulous trip to Vail over Thanksgiving but we both missed Addy desperately.

She is getting so big and cute. I love it!

Love the Start of Wrestling

Wrestling practice just started a couple weeks ago. I am coaching the girls again this year. I have 3 returning girls and 4 new ones. Even though I don't love staying at school longer, I love getting to know students that I don't have to give grades to and helping them learn to do something that I loved doing. One of the coolest things about teaching high school is getting to enjoy the good parts year after year.

The girls and I went for a quick mile run after practice yesterday and were talking and laughing as we jogged along. It took me back to a time 7 years ago when I did the same thing with my friends and teammates after school. If given the chance I wouldn't go back to high school, but reliving some of my favorite moments with sweet girls who look at me the way I looked at my coach is a real treat.

Amarillo by morning

Addy's first plane ride
Nick, Addy and I spent a fun filled weekend in Amarillo to see my cousin Houston get married to sweet Melanie. We flew in Friday in time for the rehearsal dinner. I got to spend time helping set up with William while Nick and Addy got settled in. The rehearsal dinner was so much fun. The favors were adorable- Rita got Mel and Houston's pictures on boxes of Sour Patch Kids candies because they both love them and got their engagement picture on a root beer bottle. They were wrapped up in cellophane bags and out on every table. It was such a unique and tasty idea!

Love my cousins and brother

Nick took Adalynn to the indoor pool for her first swim. He said she is "reserving judgement" about whether she liked it or not. I think the temperature was not what she was hoping for.

Saturday, Addy and I went to the bridal brunch and then we watched football with Nick all afternoon. Saturday night was the wedding. Addy was perfect (she slept through the whole thing). It was seriously one of the most beautiful and romantic weddings I have ever been to. The minster talked about things Mel and Houston had said that they love about each other and things each of their parents had said. Houston and Mel are so in love and so sweet together- they are fun to watch. I was too busy having a blast to take many pictures but I have a few.

We flew back today and have been doing tons of laundry and trying to get ready for the week. Our dear friend Trey lost his dad this weekend so we went to the viewing this afternoon. Please keep Trey and his mom in your prayers this week.

Laning Photography

Nick, Addy and I went to Dallas this weekend and had family pictures taken. We didn't want indoor studio type pictures- we really like being outside and wanted more candid outdoor pictures. We were so excited to take them by a pond he fished in as a little boy but then the torrential downpours came.


It rained like crazy all day on Saturday but we were able to find a great gazebo in Flower Mound to take our pictures in. I feel like rainy pictures sometimes turn out the best so the rain didn't stress me out. Our photographer Nicholas Laning and his lovely assistant (his wife Kathleen) came out despite tornado warnings and got super creative to help us get some great shots. I am really looking forward to seeing the pictures in a couple weeks- I know they are an investment we will always treasure.

Aubra and I got to have a nice baby- free dinner Saturday night. It was so great to have a little break while Addy spent time with her dad.

Nick and Cody, one of his best friends from college, did the muddy buddy race against each other this morning and finished at the exact same time. All four muddy racers had a great time. I am seriously thinking about joining them next year! Anybody have good muddy buddy stories/ experiences?

Midday Yell

So I didn't post about this last week but it was so much fun that I want to tell the story. Last week on Wednesday we gave the PSAT all morning at school. In the afternoon we were supposed to talk about our college experiences and show a slide show with pictures form the old days. I decided to make my class into a Fightin' Texas Aggie yell practice. I taught the kids to beat the hell outta a rival- passbacks and hump it and all. I played the war hymn, taught a yell, and then told an "old Rock" story. There was a lot of whooping going on. It was my favorite day of school so far.



I did show a slide show. There was a picture of me, Aubra, and Melissa at a game. Several boys throughout the day asked me if my friends were married. In 8th period, one bold young man asked about Mel, asked if she was married, and told me to tell her "What's up". He was unphased by the fact that she is 10 years older than him. Oh, high school boys.

You girls are hot and can have any 15 year old boyfriend you want! Haha.

Pumpkin Patch

I am so glad Nick was in town this weekend so we could have some family time. We watched the Churchill Charger JV volleyball team beat Madison on Friday night. I love seeing my students being successful outside the classroom. Saturday we watched a lot of football, went to the pumpkin patch to get some pictures of Adalynn and went to Bass Pro so Nick could use his birthday gift cards.

Saturday night we had dinner with Cari, Greg, and Matt (missed you Kayla and Cason). Baby Lilly is due next week and we are all so excited to meet her. If you want to read about sweet Lilly, check out Cari's blog .

We are about to go meet my family to celebrate my dad's birthday at Alamo Cafe of course. Mmmm... queso.

P.S. Adalynn was in the 80% for height and weight at her 2 month check up! She weighs 12 lbs and is 23 inches tall!

All the single ladies

All the single ladies- I don't know how you do it! Nick was in Dallas watching the Aggies play this weekend so Addy and I had our second girls weekend alone. I am exhausted! She is a great baby but I am so glad that I have an involved partner to help with taking care of her most of the time. This makes me really appreciate how much he does.

God is good in his design for it to take two people to make a baby because going it alone would be tough.

Today was the annual Baby Blessing Sunday at Northside. There were 16 babies born at our church this year! It was wonderful to take a day to pray for them and hear a sermon about how much God loves children.

This afternoon we watched the Cowboys at Lolly and Pops' house and are now looking forward to a quiet evening at home. Addy has her two month check up tomorrow. Time flies!

One week down...

I just finished my first week of school. I feel like I am actually able to control my classes for the most part this year which is awesome. Last year I was new and unsure of myself as a teacher so my students walked all over me but this year I am have gotten most of my kids so sit down and do work. Students that cussed out my sub and stormed out of the classroom are working on test re-takes and behaving wonderfully. It is like my teacher dream...

Addy is doing great with Ms. Kayren and we are falling into a great routine. Addy loves waking up in the morning and snuggling and eating breakfast with me and Nick before she gets dropped off for the day. She smiles all morning.

I wore jeans and a Churchill shirt today because that is normal Friday attire for teachers and had more than one kid say "I didn't know you ever dressed casual Miss". Clearly my plan to be intimidating by dressing up every day is working. I am looking forward to a whole weekend of casual. Pictures to come on Sunday. (:

Houston Weekend

I had my first day back at school on Friday. I was nervous like a kid starting a new year. My sub had told me horror stories about my students so I went in very afraid. It turns out my kids are great! I mean, there will be a few button pushers but I know I am going to fall in love with them just like my students from last year. It was the absolute best to have several of my old students stop in to see me and ask about Addy. I love knowing kids that I don't have to give a grade to!

I got Addy from her sitter after school and we packed up to go to Houston. By the time we finally got on the road (my brother is a diva and hadn't even packed) it was 7:30 so we arrived in Houston not long before midnight. Adalynn was an angel and slept the whole drive.

Saturday morning we went to visit my college roommate Melissa at her apartment in the Woodlands. It was great to get to catch up with her and I am so glad she finally got to meet Addy.

We had lunch with Melanie and her family and they are just about the sweetest people I have ever met. My mom, Rita, Addy and I went to the Galleria for the afternoon and only saw about 1/3 of that giant mall in 4 hours! That place is fabulous!

Addy decided to turn in early and I got to enjoy dinner with John, Houston, and Mel. I love reminiscing about old times and laughing about the funny things we did together growing up.

Sunday was church, family lunch and the shower where Mel and Housty got a million gifts. The drive home was not nearly as pleasant as the drive up but we did eventually make it and no one starved to death along the road no matter what you may hear.

Today was day two of school. I have come such a long way since last year and I love feeling like I actually am in charge of my classroom and I can get my kids to listen without yelling all day. Our new 8 period a day schedule is working out great; the day flies by and I hardly have time to miss Adalynn. When we got home tonight, the princess was so tired that she put herself to bed at about 7. Here's to hoping she sleeps until morning :)

All good things must come to an end

Today is the last day of my maternity leave. I am listing a few of my favorite things that I will dearly miss- until summer that is. I am a teacher after all.

I'll miss:

1)First and foremost time with precious Adalynn

2) Seeing my husband in the middle of the day

3) Lunch dates with girlfriends

4) Grocery shopping on Monday instead of the crowded weekend

5) Extra time for doing laundry, dishes, and cooking (I made enchiladas and chili on Tuesday!)

6) Not working. I do really like my job but life is much less stressful without worrying about lesson plans and grading

Things I am looking forward to:

1) A paycheck. There may be some really cute riding boots calling my name...

2) A 30 minute lunch. I am guaranteed some alone time to eat which is more than I often get at home

3) Spending time getting to know my students and seeing my fantastic coworkers again

4) Picking up Addy at the end of the day :)

25th Birthday

Today was my 25th birthday. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful day. We went to church this morning and because our church hosted the "Night of Spiritual Harmony" for San Antonio Saturday night, we had several students from Southwestern Christian College in town and the singing was amazing! I enjoyed a fantastic sermon by Jack Evens Jr. (if you get a chance to hear him speak I would highly recommend it!) and Nick and Adalynn spent a lot of time in the cry room. She gets seriously mad when I do stuff like make her wear shoes or a sweater when it is cool.

We checked the mail box on the way home and I was excited to find a package from Aubra which made my morning. Adalynn gave me the gift of taking a 3 hour nap so I could get some rest too! Nick surprised me with planning a special trip for us later in the fall. I can't wait to write more about it later this week! I have gotten calls, texts, and facebook messages from everyone and it means so much to me! Thank you to my friends and family for making the day so special!

We had dinner with my family at Carabbas and then cake at my parent's house. Here are some pictures from the night.

Grandad trying to entertain Addy

John brought Marissa. They both share a birthday on the 25th so they have been getting spoiled with nice dinners all weekend!

Best family picture so far. I am really looking forward to getting professional ones made later this month by Lanning Photography in Dallas.

What she really acted like. Addy had a tummy ache all night. Nick had to sit outside with her at the restaurant most of the meal.

Grammie knows how to calm a baby down
At home after pooping in the bath, spitting up several times, and finally getting some tummy medicine. Much better! The best part of every day is snuggling with my sweet girl!

Meet the Teacher, Better with You, and Bye Bye Baby

It has been a fabulous week in the Wood house. On Tuesday I went to Greenback night which is Churchill's version of meet the teacher. It was exciting to see several of my co-workers and get to meet the parents of a few of my students. I am super nervous about one of my classes that I keep hearing less than stellar news about but I know by January they will be on a roll and doing things the way I need them to. It may just be a few rough weeks with a lot of solo book work for a few of them- its a good thing I'm not looking to make new 16 year old friends.

Wednesday I got to visit the doctor, cook spaghetti and meatballs during nap time, and enjoy a fantastic night of tv. There is a new show stuffed in between "The Middle" and "Modern Family" called "Better with You". It features 3 couples from the same family (hmm, followed by modern family, 3 couples from the same family, just a bit less conventional) and their relationships. One of the stars is Joanna Garcia (brunette on the left) and I think she is adorable. Nick and I loved watching Reba where she played Cheyenne, a pregnant teenager who marries her boyfriend and follows their relationship with one another and with Reba. Well, in "Better with You" Joanna plays a girl who gets pregnant and is now engaged. I know that seeing these predictable patterns in show themes and characters should make me think the show is dumb and un-original but I will admit, I think it was cute and funny and I totally plan to watch. Wednesdays may just become my grading papers in front of the tv nights.

Thursday I went to the dentist while Lolly (Shirley) watched Adalynn. The three of us went to a girls lunch at Nordstrom and I got a cute new birthday outfit. I am not yet back to my fighting weight but I am looking and feeling a lot better. Pregnancy puts your body through the ringer!

Today Addy and I did a little shopping at Target to get her a jacket and some bottles for daycare. I am starting to feel sad about not being with my girl all the time. I am so sad about missing little things that she does and not being the one to pick her up every time she cries. I love knowing her like no one else does and I am so jealous that I can't be that person forever. I know it is good for me personally to have to let go a little bit because I could cling to this time forever.

If I had to pick a year to relive for the rest of my life it would be this one. I am married to my high school sweetheart and have a beautiful baby. But I know that is not an option and my prayer is that although I want Adalynn to have the happiest childhood ever, I want her best year to be 25 as well. I want her to get to be in love, be successful and happy, and someday have beautiful children of her own. I am so glad that is far away. I will treasure this time forever and happily share each new stage of her life with her.

No nap Monday

Adalynn is just about the biggest cuddler in the world which I love but she refuses to nap unless she is in my arms. I know she is tired by her grumpy attitude but she fights with all her might to keep her pretty blue eyes open at all times. I am trying to enter grades for school and it is slow going with only one hand. Luckily her dad will be home soon to help out!

Adalynn tricking me into thinking she was asleep. I laid her in bed and got this look.

I am excited to be going to meet the teacher tomorrow night at Churchill. I am scared about how behind my kids might be (or pretend to be) but ready to get back into the swing of things. If only I could take Addy with me...

Fire-y Friday

I am trying to make the most of my remaining time at home so I have been busy this week!

On Thursday (I know the post is titled Friday but humor me) I went to SOGO for lunch with my friends Cari and Courtney. Courtney has a baby girl named Bella who is 6 days older than Addy and Cari is expecting a little girl in October. It is amazing how a few years ago I didn't have any mom friends and suddenly I have quite a few. Life changes fast! Anyway we had a great girls lunch and I love going out on a weekday. One of the only downsides to teaching is never getting to go out to lunch. But I suppose it saves us a ton of money that I eat a $1 home-made sandwich as opposed to a $9 Panera Bread sandwich most days.

Today I was able to go to lunch with my brother Daniel which is a rare treat. Daniel lives in San Antonio but is 20 and usually has better things to do than go to lunch with old people. He does however have a soft spot for his little niece so we were able to meet up.
We tried to go to a place called Benny's Diner that he recently discovered but a guy (Benny perhaps?) stopped us in the parking lot telling us they were closed for the day. I found this slightly odd seeing as it was noon but proceeded to ask him what their regular hours were. They are usually open at lunch but Benny's had apparently had a very rough night. First there was an attempted break in and then they somehow lost power so all of the food in the refrigerators had to be thrown out. That is not the happiest way to end a week! I am willing to give ole Benny another try sometime soon though.

My sweet mother in law called to see if I wanted some "me time" today because she wouldn't mind some Addy time. I enjoyed a quiet nap without wondering when I would be woken up by a crying baby and then went in for my first post- pregnancy bootcamp at MPT. It felt great and I can't wait to fit into all of my old clothes again!

Nick and I went to his parents house for pizza and to pick up Adalynn this evening and we were certainly entertained. Nick's mom recently remodeled their entire downstairs (its amazing!) and has new double ovens that apparently light the cardboard that you cook pizza on on fire. There was not just a little smoke but an actual fire in the oven. It was neat for a minute to watch the smoke pour out and crawl up the wall to their 20 foot ceilings. The screaming fire alarm and huge amounts of smoke quickly sent Adalynn and me into the backyard to get away while Nick and his parents tried to get everything taken care of. We even got a visit from the fire department! We also got a visit from the Papa John's delivery man.

Sadly I have no cute pictures to add today but I promise to put a couple in my next post. Have a wonderful weekend!

Cousin Time

I grew up LOVING visiting my cousins. Coming to Texas to see William and Houston was the highlight of my summer and the big family Christmas ski trip has provided me with many happy childhood memories. I still really look forward to seeing my cousins at Houston's upcoming wedding this fall.

Adalynn won't have any actual cousins for a while because my brothers and Nick's sister are all single and still finishing up school and trying to start careers. She is very lucky to have a wonderful group of second cousins though. Here are a few pictures of the ones she has met already!




Blakeley calls herself the best "big sister cousin". She wants a baby sibling so badly!

Allison snuggling with my wiggle worm

Adalynn loves cuddeling with Jessica

All the little cousins at Bella and Morgan's birthday party. Nick walked in holding Adalynn and Bella looks at me and asks "Have you had your baby yet?". That was one of the funniest questions I have ever been asked.

I think Addy is going to grow up loving family as much as I do!

Party Hosting with Baby= hard. Who knew?

Another weekend has flown by and I am another week closer to returning to work. I have mixed feelings about it, part of me knows that I do love my job and I am excited to meet my students but I know I will miss having so much time with Adalynn. Also my tv will get significantly less use when I go back as I will no longer be keeping up with the Kardashians.

Adalynn turned one month old on Saturday so she has been transitioning into her own room. That has been much harder for me than it has for her. I don't know when the instinct to freak out if the baby isn't crying kicks in but I find myself checking to be sure she is still breathing several times a night. I have walked a mile up and down our hallway in the last three nights! Not surprisingly for those of you that are concerned, she is still alive and well.

We spent Saturday morning with some great clients of MPT at the run group and then prepared for Cari and Greg's baby shower at our house Saturday evening. Friday night I got approximately 30 minutes of sleep which made Saturday a long and interesting day.

When we got home from running, Nick set out to mow the yard and then the three of us were going to go to Costco to get food for the shower. The only trouble was that Nick's weed eater broke and he was more than a little perturbed by that. Oh and Adalynn was very unhappy and made sure I was too. So crying baby and I set off for the store on our own while angry Nick searched frantically for the weed eater warranty.

Fortunately for my my mom also needed to go to Costco so she came with Addy and me. Addy has a habit of sleeping sweetly when in the presence of any grandparent so they all think I am crazy when I say she is fussy. Our parents are not old enough to be senile yet so the reason they believe she is a sleeping angel at all times must be some trick she has played on them. Babies are very tricky you know.

Anyway, we got food, got Addy's things together for an evening with Grammie, and got the house ready for 20 people to come over. My mom kept Adalynn at her house during the party and bathed her and got her ready for bed. I seriously had to pack a suitcase to get all of her things that she needs together. She may be slightly high maintenance. Nick borrowed a weed eater from a friend and disassembled the Foosball table from our dining room (classy, I know) so we could put in a real table and pretend to be grown ups for the evening. The shower turned out beautifully despite Murphy's best attempts at enforcing her law.

Sunday we went to church and enjoyed the day relaxing and watching football with family and friends. I love football season and having a clean house. Speaking of which I need to fold towels while Adalynn is still asleep if I want to continue to have a clean house. And if you are in the market for a Foosball table, do not hesitate to let us know. :)

Smiles

Adaynn is smiling more and more these days and I love it! Having a baby has changed me in so many ways. Physically I was absolutely changed, our dynamics at home have changed and spiritually I feel like my heart has been changed.



Having a child makes me understand the analogies in the Bible much differently. There is a verse from Matthew that has been weighing heavily on my heart lately.

"If you, then, though you are evil , know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matt 7:11


Right now there is nothing that makes me happier than seeing my sweet girl look at me and smile. It could be after she eats or when I am snuggling with her on the couch but I do everything I can to give her what she needs and make her happy. I can not fathom the love God has for his people to send his Son as a gift to us. I know that I will give Adalynn anything I have and my Father has so much more to offer me and all I have to do is ask.

Start of Fall

I have been looking forward to fall for what feels like forever. The great weather, football season, and enjoying our sweet girl. It has gotten off to a great start!


Nick turned 25 on Thursday. Adalynn and I met him for lunch and celebrated with cake at home later. I gave Nick a new bag for his laptop and Addy gave him a picture of her for his desk. Nick and I have celebrated birthdays together since we were 17 but I think 25 is going to be our best year so far!

Today was the first Aggie football game (whoop!) and we loved putting on our maroon and listening to the game this evening. Nick has a running group with his bootcamp clients from San Antonio Motivational Personal Training on Saturday mornings at different parks around San Antonio. Nick's client Tracy walked with Adalynn and me this morning as we clocked over 3.5 miles. The weather was cool and beautiful! I am so happy the temperatures are getting lower!

My parents watched Adalynn for a while this evening so Nick and I could play tennis together for a while and grab dinner alone. We went to a newer Mexican restaurant near our house called Poloma Norte that is Aggie owned and we really enjoyed it. If you want to try it out when you are in SA let us know! We also got to listen to the Fighten' Texas Aggies getting a win. I can't wait for the first televised game!

Tomorrow will be Adalynn's first time to go to church. I am looking forward to many wonderful years at Northside. We are blessed with a wonderful church home where we are very loved and encouraged.