Arboretum Fun

Would you like to see something cute? Well of course you would! :)

http://arboretum.hphoto.net/

Go to the Fall Gallery

Click on the 10-25-11 pictures and go to page 5

Look at the sweet pictures of Declan and smile......

I have lots of fun pictures too...which I hope to post soon! xo

Mimi Visits! 21 months!

Here are some fun pictures from our 5th Anniversary weekend when my Mom was here. We took Declan to the pumpkin patch. Poor kiddo was very tired and really could have cared less. I want the internet to know that he fell asleep during the hayride. ha!

 Uh oh.....

 Dad to the rescue!

Declan hasnt stopped talking about Mimi since she left...and that was weeks ago now! They had a wonderful time playing while I got to go into the office & work one day. Matt and I also got to go on a very nice date.  It had been so long that I couldnt remember when our last date was. Yikes!

Thanks for the fun visit Mimi! :) We love you!!

Daily Life 21 months

Here are a few random pictures from our daily life around here! Enjoy!

My happy morning baby in his favorite Thomas Pj's!

 Making cookies with Mommy!

 Playing blocks with Dad...one of his favorite Daddy things! :)

Dad builds the big towers and lets me knock them down! Fun!!



Ruidoso - 20 months...more pictures

 Me and my sweet boy!

 My sweet sweet boys

Ruidoso - 20 months!

David & Beverlee planted this tree in honor of Declan's birth. :)

I think I probably say this every post, but I cannot believe how much Declan has grown! Sometimes, I feel like he's grown and changed overnight! He is a very curious little boy. Which is fitting because his most favorite is Curious George! He is so fun right now and as always, so happy. His little brain is just amazing. He is talking so well and busy. Oh, so very busy! Matt was in Artesia for work so we flew down and went for a visit too. For the weekend, we went to Trinket & G Paw's cabin in Ruidoso. We had such a wonderful time. It was really nice to get away for a few days! Declan loved all the birds. I pointed out a deer to him and he said "Daisey!" Anything with 4 legs is a dog. :) But after I told him it was a deer, he had it down. And if you ask him what a bear says, he growls. So cute.

More Hawaii pictures...

Waterfall on the road to Hana
Swimming with Daddy at the Ritz pool! :)

Sleeping at the big tree in Lahaina!

Hawaii & More.....

So, it looks like my last blog post was on May 18th! Yikes! Sorry guys! What can I say? It's been busy as ever around here!

Declan started walking (finally!) and is getting braver and braver everyday! I am amazed at all of the things he knows and can say. His vocabulary is pretty big these days and it seems like there is a new word every day sometimes! Last week, Annie taught him to say "good boy" so the next morning in bed, he was saying "good boy" over and over. And G Paw taught him about the moon and stars. I was just reading his favorite night time book and he got so excited when he could say "Moon" with me! We have an ABC magnet toy for the refrigerator and he can put the little letters in and out all by himself. He will put in the R and say "RRRRRRRHHHHH" like a lion. It's hilarious. He is so happy and so sweet. Matt is in Denver for work and last night we were talking on face time (on our iphones) and I said, "Do you want to give Daddy a kiss?" He leaned in and kissed the phone probably 6 times...over and over. It about melted my heart. We are having so much fun with him...always!

The Lanning family has started a new adventure too (if you havent already heard!)! Matt was offered a position at HollyFrontier Company in Dallas. He accepted and has been there 3 weeks now. We are both really excited for the opportunity. Everyone there is so nice and he is feeling right at home. It doesnt hurt that they have an office in Artesia and he knows several people he's working with. :) In fact, one guy said to him in the elevator one day, "Are you an Artesia boy? You look like an Artesia boy!" haha I dread the drive to Dallas for him, but they seem to be really flexible with his schedule (like my work was), so he can go in early and come home early to miss traffic.

We made some great friends at Sproles and we will always be grateful for the start Matt got there. They always treated us like family and even threw us a baby book shower for Declan. So many kind people there!

Last week, we had the ultimate gift of going to Hawaii with Matt's family. Annie & Pa Pa (Matt's grandparents) took all 22 of us to Maui. It was so very generous of them! We had such a wonderful time! Our only regret is that we werent able to spend near enough time with them! It was a crazy but wonderfully jam packed week. Our best friends, Terry & Michelle also got married! Matt was honored to be Terry's best man. It was the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to (besides mine...but I can say that right? :) ). Michelle was stunning. She made me (along with others!) cry as she walked down the isle. It was a great party afterwards too.

I was so nervous about the whole trip with Declan...I worried about how he would do when we got there...and how he would do on the plane. But it was a lot of worry for nothing because he did wonderful. He really was a dream. In fact, both the people sitting behind us on the plane on the way there and on the way back complimented him & us. As a parent, I think that is the best compliment you can get - from a stranger saying how great your child is. And when you consider this was a 7 1/2 hour flight, this is amazing! But for confidentiality reasons, I will say that the people in FRONT of us didn't say anything....Declan knows how to open and close (er...SLAM!) shut the tray table and kick the seat in front of him. Yikes! I did apologize to the people in front of us DFW to Maui and the lady laughed and said she drank and didn't even notice. I probably should have paid for her drinks. haha.

I promise...there are many more pictures to come...I will have to split them up in more posts!

Love to you all!

xoxo

Cory

I'm at a loss for words right now...forgive me. But found these pictures which made me smile. Matt and I went to Lubbock one weekend before Cory went to bootcamp. This was November of 2007. We had a lot of fun that weekend. We took the boys out for burgers, grilled steaks, and I made homemade mac & cheese for the boys. I also remember doing 5,687 loads of laundry for Shelby.
I love these boys so much.
xo

Uncle Cory's visit - 16 months

Hello everyone! It's been a busy few months around here...which explains for the lack of posting! We've had back-to-back company for several weeks...so I will have lots of fun pictures coming soon.

Cory drove home for leave from NC week before last and he stopped here for a few days! It was a fun visit. Declan had so much fun playing with Uncle Cory! We went to the Science and History Museum in Fort Worth one afternoon. I'm not sure who had more fun - Cory or Declan! Maybe it was a tie! Enjoy the pictures! :)

Isnt this gross? We got a good laugh out of this item in the gift shop.

We almost bought this treasure for Uncle Shelby. As you can see, Declan is suspicious.

It took me a while to figure out what this was. It's a construction site and you are supposed to build the walls with the black foam bricks you see scattered about. When I told Cory, he looked at Declan and said, "Looks like too much work to me." haha

It's safe to say Cory had way more fun with all the water toys outside. Here he was building a dam.

Declan loved this - you could press the buttons and it made big water bubbles in the tubes.

This was Declan's favorite. You put your hands on the little silver imprints and the ping pong balls would fly and the pin wheels would turn. :)

Declan sitting in a dino track

And my most favorite....Uncle Cory reading Declan one of his favorite books. :)

Declan has said Cory's name 3 times now...so sweet. Of course, Cory hasn't heard it once! But
Shelby heard it the other night...so I have at least 1 witness!

Love to all!
xo

15 Months!

15 Months has brought lots of fun and new tricks! :)
Declan repeated twice to me the other day, "I wuv you!" Of course he hasnt said it again since then, but still, very precious!! Here are a few other new words...
Good (he loves to say this appropriately - like while eating or drinking something!)
Dead (weird....but he repeated it while Dad was giving him a lesson on the circle of life. They were talking about leaves. Matt told him the leaf he was holding was Dead. And he said, "Dead!" lol)
Yum (also with food and drink!)
He finally started clapping yesterday....so cute. He will crawl around and stop and just start clapping out of no where. It's precious!!
He's also found Daisey's water bowl, which is so fun to splash and play in! Ahhhh!
We are headed to the dentist tomorrow - his first appointment. I am preparing myself for the worst but hoping for the best. He does not like for me to even brush his teeth, so I'm sure it's going to be a total nightmare!!I leave you with one of my most precious Daddy and Declan pictures. It was taken a few weeks ago when he didn't want to go to bed. So we pushed bedtime back a bit and Dad and Declan had some cuddles. So sweet!

Love to you all!!

14 Month Update

Please forgive me for neglecting the blog for the past month....my dear two followers, I'm so very sorry! :)
We've been busy around here! Declan has been using rolling as his main mean of transportation for a long time now...and he just decided about a month and 1/2 ago that he would like to crawl. This kid is exhausting! Everyone kept telling me to enjoy that he wasnt into everything...and they were right! My days are now spent picking up door stoppers (that is his very favorite thing to play with!) and saving Daisey. He loves to chase Daisey's tail, to open and slam shut the kitchen cabinets, and follow me around the house (that is precious!). He's pulling up on things but I still think walking is a few months away. He still wont bend his knees if we "help" him walk....and he loves to stand on his tippie toes.
He is such a big boy in so many ways now...I'm just blown away. When people ask how old he is and I say "14 months", I'm always shocked when I say it. Where on earth did the time go? He is so precious and such a joy. I'm still loving being at home with him. Matt admitted to me recently that he surprised that I havent gone crazy yet. But it really just gets better and better! The first few months were the hardest to adjust to - now I cant imagine being away from him. I love a rare break from time to time, just like any other Mom, but overall, I really love being at home with him. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who works so very hard so I can do this. I'm forever grateful to him for this life of ours!! I went and looked at a few daycare centers in January to see if I could part with him 1 or 2 days a week and it was heartbreaking! I told Bev (one of my two dear followers) that it would be like the "hard knox life." I really meant it jokingly..I know he would adjust. But, those kids didn't have pacifiers...or bottles...they were tough. I'm afraid I have spoiled Declan rotten. I still think the interaction would be great for him though. I might revisit the subject in a couple months. I just don't have the heart right now!This is what we do while Mom is taking a shower and getting ready! :)

Declan's favorite word is still "Yeah" and I swear I heard him say "Daisey" last night. He also says, Mama (not very often!) and Dada. I asked him a few weeks ago if I could brush his teeth and he told me "no." He hates to have his teeth brushed...poor kid. So now I just brush...no asking!
Tonight I put his veggies on his tray and he started sorting them....putting the pea's in the cup holder (he hates pea's) and the corn in another pile (he loves corn!)...it was hilarious. I can usually point and laugh at things he does and blame it on Matt but I'm afraid this OCD quirk might be all mine....

Lots of love to you all!
xoxo

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

We've been stuck in the house for 6 days now....and I think I'm finally getting out today. I have a serious case of cabin fever! I finally pulled my sewing machine out yesterday and made something cute....maybe my next blog post?

This dip has been a huge hit...both at Christmas and Declan's birthday party. It would be perfect for a Super Bowl party! Enjoy!

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

1/3 cup pickled jalapenos
Juice from pickled jalapenos, to taste
1 packet buttermilk ranch dressing mix (make sure to get the buttermilk packet - not regular Ranch!)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup of mayonnaise (regular - not reduced fat)
1/2 bunch of cilantro, stems removed, chopped (I personally didn't like it with this much of cilantro - I used about 1/4 bunch)

Place jalapenos in the blender and puree until very fine, using juice as needed. Mix the dressing mix, buttermilk, mayonnaise and cilantro in a separate bowl; add to pureed jalapenos. Mix in blender. The dip is best if you refrigerate it overnight. Serve with chips or fresh vegetables, or use as a salad dressing.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups. (I usually double the receipe for big crowds!)

Wishing everyone a warm and safe weekend!

Declan's 1st Birthday Party - Dallas

A fun video Andrea (Thank you!!!) took of Declan and his cupcake! :)

Christmas - Grammy Tammy and Bob Pop's

Kisses anyone??

Declan and Papaw

I have a feeling my Uncle Scott bought the singing reindeer for Declan because it's slightly annoying....but, he loves it. It was one of his most favorite presents and actually kept him really happy. :)