Wednesday, December 31, 2008
William and the Wii
We received a new game from Aunt Jolie and Uncle Mike for Christmas called Wii Music. We love our Wii, and this new game is GREAT! Daddy and William were playing together last night and I couldn't help but take a few pictures. William loves it!
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Pics
It has been a crazy week so I am just now getting around to posting our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day pictures. I will be adding some pictures from Nonno and Nina's visit and the AlamoBowl later this week.
We had such a lovely Christmas this year, and were lucky to be surrounded by so many family members. We really had a great day of food, games, and fun. We could not have asked for a better day to spend with loved ones.
We also must have been good this year because basically all of our entertainment needs have been taken care of for the next year. We received our renewal to the San Antonio Zoo, a membership to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, a membership to the New Braunfels Children's Museum (so much fun for Will), and season passes to Six Flags-Fiesta, TX. We also have a pass to the state parks of Texas (Colby's b-day present), so really we have so much that we can do and we don't have to worry about entrance fees to any of it. We are just so excited about all of them. William and Mommy go to the zoo about once a week, and now can add some other fun activities to do as a family. WOW!
Enjoy our pictures!
Love,
The Tates
We had such a lovely Christmas this year, and were lucky to be surrounded by so many family members. We really had a great day of food, games, and fun. We could not have asked for a better day to spend with loved ones.
We also must have been good this year because basically all of our entertainment needs have been taken care of for the next year. We received our renewal to the San Antonio Zoo, a membership to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, a membership to the New Braunfels Children's Museum (so much fun for Will), and season passes to Six Flags-Fiesta, TX. We also have a pass to the state parks of Texas (Colby's b-day present), so really we have so much that we can do and we don't have to worry about entrance fees to any of it. We are just so excited about all of them. William and Mommy go to the zoo about once a week, and now can add some other fun activities to do as a family. WOW!
Enjoy our pictures!
Love,
The Tates
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all!!! Santa came to visit last night and we all have such wonderful treats. Santa brought William a barn with animals that make noise. He loves it so much. Grandma and Grandpa came over around 7:30 this morning and we started opening presents around 8. We all got such great presents. We are enjoying spending time with Nana, Nanny, Tia, Grandma, and Grandpa today. We have such beautiful weather in Sherman. It is sunny and cool, a perfect day to play. William was a good boy during all of the present opening and he has really loved all of his toys so far. He is a still a little under the weather today, but all in all he had a wonderful Christmas.
We hope all of you are having a wonderful day.
Merry Christmas!!!
Love,
The Tates
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas Eve!
We have had such a busy week, and it is only Wednesday! On Friday evening we left for Sherman and arrived around 12:15 AM. Mommy and Daddy thought they would be clever and leave at night so William would sleep on the way there, HA! He tricked us. He only slept for about half of the ride there, but luckily fell right to sleep when we arrived at Nana's. When we pulled up Nana was waiting for us in the driveway and William pointed to her and said "Nana!" It was so cute, and the first time he has called her by name. Very early Saturday morning Nana and Mommy left for their cross-country journey to Iowa. They had so much fun on the road, except it was VERY cold. At one point the thermomemter read 4 degrees. That's cold!!!!! William and Daddy had a great day together. They played at the park all morning and just spent a lot of quality time together. They both really enjoyed their Saturday together. On Sunday, Mommy, Nana, and Nanny (William's great-grandmother) headed back to Texas. It was -10 degrees when they left with a windchill of 30 below. Holy Macrel! That was COLD! William woke up with a fever and Daddy had to spend his Sunday nursing him back to health. Poor guys...so much for a fun filled weekend while the girls were away. The girls arrived safely back in Sherman Sunday evening.
We have been spoiled this week with Nana's cooking. She has made some wonderful meals while we have been here. Poor Nana has been working all week, but hopefully she will be home around 2 this afternoon so we can start the holiday celebration!!! Last night we went and saw some pretty Christmas lights near Sherman. William really enjoyed them and we have posted some pictures at the bottom of this entry.
William has especially been enjoying his time with Nanny. He loves to sit in her lap and have her rock him. He sometimes wants to rock Nanny which is also very cute. Mommy and Nanny are leaving this morning to head to the DFW airport to pick up Aunt Jan, and while they are busy doing that, Grandma and Grandpa will be heading to Sherman from Brownwood. By this afternoon we should have a houseful, and we are so excited!
We hope everyone has a very fun and happy Christmas Eve!
Love,
The Tates
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Colby's Holiday Party
We were lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa come down to watch William on Saturday night so that we could go out to Colby's company Christmas party. It was held at the brand new Grand Hyatt on the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. We had a good time and the food was great. We sat with Colby's former boss and her husband. They are always so nice and we both enjoy talking to them. After the party (we left early) we headed to one of our new favorite dessert places, Cocoa. It is a cute restaurant in the north-central part of San Antonio. Colby LOVES their chocolate martinis and I love their desserts. This time we had one mini- chocolate lava cake and a slice of their roasted hazelnut dark chocolate cake. I could have eaten my weight in that cake. It was to die for! So yummy! As always we had such a wonderful time. We tend to really cherish the few nights we get out together as a couple.
There is always a professional photographer at the Christmas party and here is our picture from this year.
Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa for giving us some time off! We truly appreciate it!!!
There is always a professional photographer at the Christmas party and here is our picture from this year.
Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa for giving us some time off! We truly appreciate it!!!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Festive Decorations
It sure is cold here today. It is about 40 degrees and we have a strong north wind blowing. It really puts us in the holiday spirit. Although we will only have 2 days of cold weather before it is back in the upper 60s/70s again.
We wanted to share some pictures of the decorations we have around the house for Christmas and some pictures of William helping us decorating his 2nd Christmas tree. He really likes the tree this year. He loves to point at the different ornaments and tell us what they are. He is getting SO big. For fun I have added a couple of pictures from last Christmas. What a difference one year makes!
We are also getting ready to head out of San Antonio for Christmas. This weekend we are heading to Sherman and Mommy is driving with Nana to Iowa to pick up William's great-grandmother. The three ladies will arrive back in Sherman on Sunday and by Christmas Eve we will be joined by Grandma and Grandpa, and Great Aunt Jan.
After Christmas Nonno and Nina arrive, and then Aunt Jolie and Uncle Mike (along with Grandma and Grandpa) will come for a visit so that we can go to the Alamo Bowl. The Alamo Bowl has become one of our new winter traditions (3 years running). We always have a great time and this year we will see Missouri versus Northwestern. Should be a good game.
Don't you just love the holidays? We are so glad that we are lucky enough to see the majority of our families during this time of year, although we wish we could see everyone. Those that aren't with us for one reason or another are always in our thoughts.
Expect a few more updates between now and New Years!
Hugs to all,
The Tates
We wanted to share some pictures of the decorations we have around the house for Christmas and some pictures of William helping us decorating his 2nd Christmas tree. He really likes the tree this year. He loves to point at the different ornaments and tell us what they are. He is getting SO big. For fun I have added a couple of pictures from last Christmas. What a difference one year makes!
We are also getting ready to head out of San Antonio for Christmas. This weekend we are heading to Sherman and Mommy is driving with Nana to Iowa to pick up William's great-grandmother. The three ladies will arrive back in Sherman on Sunday and by Christmas Eve we will be joined by Grandma and Grandpa, and Great Aunt Jan.
After Christmas Nonno and Nina arrive, and then Aunt Jolie and Uncle Mike (along with Grandma and Grandpa) will come for a visit so that we can go to the Alamo Bowl. The Alamo Bowl has become one of our new winter traditions (3 years running). We always have a great time and this year we will see Missouri versus Northwestern. Should be a good game.
Don't you just love the holidays? We are so glad that we are lucky enough to see the majority of our families during this time of year, although we wish we could see everyone. Those that aren't with us for one reason or another are always in our thoughts.
Expect a few more updates between now and New Years!
Hugs to all,
The Tates
Our Jesse Tree and Advent Traditions
This has to be one of my favorite times of year, the time of Advent. I love all of the biblical stories associated with the season, and as William gets older it is so much fun sharing them with him. We now have 2 advent traditions that our family plans on doing every year. Last year Nana gave us a book of 24 advent stories, one for each day in December up until Christmas Day, and we read them to William in the mornings. The book revolves around Benjamin Bear. He is impatiently waiting for Christmas, and to help the time pass, his mother tells him that every day when he opens a door on his Advent calendar she'll tell him a story. Each story is about another little bear and his long journey to Bethlehem. We just love it! We read it to him last year and have continued the readings this year.
Our second and new tradition is that of the Jesse Tree. William's Godmother, Shannon Robinson, made him a Jesse Tree this year and did such a GREAT job with it. It is SUCH a treasure to have. Shannon is so creative and always has her family do such neat and education activities, which we just LOVE! The Jesse Tree is basically a symbol of the family tree of Jesus. Jesse was the father of the great King David of the Old Testament. He is often looked upon as the first person in the genealogy of Jesus. At dinner time we read the passage of the day while Will colors a picture,usually revolving around the story we are reading, and then he gets to put the ornament of the day on his Jesse tree. We have the tree sitting on our kitchen table so we get to enjoy it at every meal.
We have been trying our hardest to do these two traditions every day in December, and even though some days were skipped, we always make sure they are read the next day or so. We do get through all of the stories, but some days have more stories than others ;-)
Hope you all are enjoying the season of advent as much as we are.
With love,
The Tates
Here are some pictures of our family enjoying our new advent traditions.
Our second and new tradition is that of the Jesse Tree. William's Godmother, Shannon Robinson, made him a Jesse Tree this year and did such a GREAT job with it. It is SUCH a treasure to have. Shannon is so creative and always has her family do such neat and education activities, which we just LOVE! The Jesse Tree is basically a symbol of the family tree of Jesus. Jesse was the father of the great King David of the Old Testament. He is often looked upon as the first person in the genealogy of Jesus. At dinner time we read the passage of the day while Will colors a picture,usually revolving around the story we are reading, and then he gets to put the ornament of the day on his Jesse tree. We have the tree sitting on our kitchen table so we get to enjoy it at every meal.
We have been trying our hardest to do these two traditions every day in December, and even though some days were skipped, we always make sure they are read the next day or so. We do get through all of the stories, but some days have more stories than others ;-)
Hope you all are enjoying the season of advent as much as we are.
With love,
The Tates
Here are some pictures of our family enjoying our new advent traditions.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
We Are Truly Thankful and Blessed
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving because we sure did! Thanksgiving morning we woke up and headed north to Lone Camp, TX. It took us about 4.5 hours to get there, but it was a beautiful drive. The leaves were changing all the way there. We stopped about half-way to let William run and play at a school in Evant. He had so much fun.
Once we made it to Lone Camp the fun and chaos began! We had a total of 16 people. 12 adults and 4 children. Those 4 children range in age from 2.5 years to 1. WOW!!!! Although there was some unified crying at times the kids really did have a great time playing with each other. We had a wonderful meal full of goodies! William enjoyed his mashed potatoes the most, but it seems like that is all he eats now a days. After dinner the kids played and the adults visited a bit. Of course we had to watch the TAMU v. Texas game. Part of the house was thrilled and the other part was not so happy with the outcome, but it sure was fun to watch.
After a not so restful night (William slept maybe a total of 5 hours) we had a birthday celebration for Kaitlyn Noelle. She is about to be the big 1!!! That's right,one year old. She was such a good sport while her older sister and cousins played with her toys. She just looked precious in her little dresses. After the b-day party we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's in Brownwood for the rest of the weekend. William had SO MUCH FUN at their house. He constantly wanted to be outside watching the cows. If we got too close to them he would giggle nervously, but he loved it. He also got to pet Grandpa's horse Otis, who also taught him the correct way to sound like a horse. William now has a very theatrical way to say neigh. He was a big help to Grandpa while we were there. He would just follow Grandpa all around outside and help him with whatever he was doing. Here are just a few photos taken this past weekend.
Grandma came home with us on Sunday to help out while Daddy starts his new job in project management and Mommy finishes her last week of teaching. We are lucky to have her help, because now Mommy is sick. :-( That would be why this post is SO very late.
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!
Love,
The Tates
Once we made it to Lone Camp the fun and chaos began! We had a total of 16 people. 12 adults and 4 children. Those 4 children range in age from 2.5 years to 1. WOW!!!! Although there was some unified crying at times the kids really did have a great time playing with each other. We had a wonderful meal full of goodies! William enjoyed his mashed potatoes the most, but it seems like that is all he eats now a days. After dinner the kids played and the adults visited a bit. Of course we had to watch the TAMU v. Texas game. Part of the house was thrilled and the other part was not so happy with the outcome, but it sure was fun to watch.
After a not so restful night (William slept maybe a total of 5 hours) we had a birthday celebration for Kaitlyn Noelle. She is about to be the big 1!!! That's right,one year old. She was such a good sport while her older sister and cousins played with her toys. She just looked precious in her little dresses. After the b-day party we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's in Brownwood for the rest of the weekend. William had SO MUCH FUN at their house. He constantly wanted to be outside watching the cows. If we got too close to them he would giggle nervously, but he loved it. He also got to pet Grandpa's horse Otis, who also taught him the correct way to sound like a horse. William now has a very theatrical way to say neigh. He was a big help to Grandpa while we were there. He would just follow Grandpa all around outside and help him with whatever he was doing. Here are just a few photos taken this past weekend.
Grandma came home with us on Sunday to help out while Daddy starts his new job in project management and Mommy finishes her last week of teaching. We are lucky to have her help, because now Mommy is sick. :-( That would be why this post is SO very late.
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!
Love,
The Tates
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
We realize this is a day early, but we wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!
We are headed to Lone Camp (west of the Ft. Worth area) tomorrow morning to spend a few days with Colby's family. We hope everyone has a very blessed Thanksgiving!
Love,
The Tates
Sunday, November 23, 2008
A Kitchen In Progress
Last night Colby and I started painting our kitchen. We absolutely love the new color, although Colby didn't want me to put any pictures up until it is completely finished. Here are just a few.
I will post the finished product as soon as I can.
I will post the finished product as soon as I can.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
South Texas Corn Maize
WOW! We had a great weekend with Nana! Friday evening Nana arrived and I got my awesome birthday presents. Some cute Christmas table linens and part of my nativity set that Nana gets me each year. I love it! William was very happy to see his Nana since it had been about 2 months since they last saw each other.
On Saturday we woke up and took Will to get his haircut. He was SUCH a good boy, and he has a cute short cut. He really needed it. After his haircut we took off towards Hondo, TX and the South Texas Corn Maize. It is a corn maze set-up on a farm with all sorts of activities for kids and adults. We even had fresh roasted corn on the cob drenched in butter. It was AWESOME! William especially liked the corn. We did half of the maze and Will loved running the course. It was pretty chilly and VERY windy on Saturday, but it was so much fun. Here are some pictures we took on our adventure.
The rest of Nana's visit we spent just relaxing and hanging out around the house. William even got a new Handy Manny toy from Nana. It says all sorts of things and has the individual tools to play with. He really enjoys it.
We can't wait to see you at Christmas Nana!
Love,
Us :-)
On Saturday we woke up and took Will to get his haircut. He was SUCH a good boy, and he has a cute short cut. He really needed it. After his haircut we took off towards Hondo, TX and the South Texas Corn Maize. It is a corn maze set-up on a farm with all sorts of activities for kids and adults. We even had fresh roasted corn on the cob drenched in butter. It was AWESOME! William especially liked the corn. We did half of the maze and Will loved running the course. It was pretty chilly and VERY windy on Saturday, but it was so much fun. Here are some pictures we took on our adventure.
The rest of Nana's visit we spent just relaxing and hanging out around the house. William even got a new Handy Manny toy from Nana. It says all sorts of things and has the individual tools to play with. He really enjoys it.
We can't wait to see you at Christmas Nana!
Love,
Us :-)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Fun Filled Birthday Weekend
This post has 3 slideshows so please make sure you scroll all the way down!
As most of you know, my birthday is just one week after Colby's. We have started a new tradition about 2 years ago that we go camping and hiking at Lost Maples State Park with Colby's parents. If you want to stay at Lost Maples you have to book your campsite at least 11 months in advance. We have yet to stay there. We typically go on Colby's b-day weekend, but decided to do it my b-day weekend this year. We ended up staying at a really cute cottage in Concan, TX on the Frio River. The place we stayed was called Neal's Lodge and was built in the late 20s. The original family still owns and runs the place. So cute! We decided that a cabin would be easier then tent camping with William. Will has a hard time sleeping out of his element. The cabin was awesome, and a short drive to Lost Maples. Lost Maples is very popular this time of the year because it is really one of the few places in Texas that you can see a true fall, complete with changing leaves.
We arrived at Lost Maples Saturday morning and spent the day leisurely hiking around. We had a picnic lunch and then drove back to the cabin about 2PM. Now, we had no trouble getting in to the state park around 9AM, but as we left there was at least a mile long (I'm not exagerating) line of cars waiting to get in! Boy am I glad we went fairly early! Between Patt and I I think we got some beautiful pictures, and William had a blast.
After our hike we relaxed at the cabin during the afternoon. Patt, Colby, William, and I went down the the Frio River to explore. Will and Colby got in and spent quite a lot of time throwing rocks into the water. Will loved it! Saturday evening we had a yummy pork dinner that Patt made and William got to try smores for the first time. He loved them! He even helped Grandpa and Daddy get the fire started by blowing on it. He had so much fun.
Sunday (which was my b-day) morning Patt made breakfast and we got to try some of the Pumpkin butter they brought back from their Tennessee trip. It was SO good. After that we decided to take a walk around Neal's Lodge and along the Frio River. Poor little William was so exhausted from Saturday's adventure that he was preety grumpy all day. I think the only thing that really made him giggle were a couple of kittens that live near the cabin. He played with them and enjoyed every minute of it. We roasted hot dogs on a campfire for lunch and then had some celebratory birthday cake. YUM!
We had such a wonderful weekend, and I especially had a nice birthday. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes, cards, and phone calls!
Love,
The Tates
As most of you know, my birthday is just one week after Colby's. We have started a new tradition about 2 years ago that we go camping and hiking at Lost Maples State Park with Colby's parents. If you want to stay at Lost Maples you have to book your campsite at least 11 months in advance. We have yet to stay there. We typically go on Colby's b-day weekend, but decided to do it my b-day weekend this year. We ended up staying at a really cute cottage in Concan, TX on the Frio River. The place we stayed was called Neal's Lodge and was built in the late 20s. The original family still owns and runs the place. So cute! We decided that a cabin would be easier then tent camping with William. Will has a hard time sleeping out of his element. The cabin was awesome, and a short drive to Lost Maples. Lost Maples is very popular this time of the year because it is really one of the few places in Texas that you can see a true fall, complete with changing leaves.
We arrived at Lost Maples Saturday morning and spent the day leisurely hiking around. We had a picnic lunch and then drove back to the cabin about 2PM. Now, we had no trouble getting in to the state park around 9AM, but as we left there was at least a mile long (I'm not exagerating) line of cars waiting to get in! Boy am I glad we went fairly early! Between Patt and I I think we got some beautiful pictures, and William had a blast.
After our hike we relaxed at the cabin during the afternoon. Patt, Colby, William, and I went down the the Frio River to explore. Will and Colby got in and spent quite a lot of time throwing rocks into the water. Will loved it! Saturday evening we had a yummy pork dinner that Patt made and William got to try smores for the first time. He loved them! He even helped Grandpa and Daddy get the fire started by blowing on it. He had so much fun.
Sunday (which was my b-day) morning Patt made breakfast and we got to try some of the Pumpkin butter they brought back from their Tennessee trip. It was SO good. After that we decided to take a walk around Neal's Lodge and along the Frio River. Poor little William was so exhausted from Saturday's adventure that he was preety grumpy all day. I think the only thing that really made him giggle were a couple of kittens that live near the cabin. He played with them and enjoyed every minute of it. We roasted hot dogs on a campfire for lunch and then had some celebratory birthday cake. YUM!
We had such a wonderful weekend, and I especially had a nice birthday. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes, cards, and phone calls!
Love,
The Tates
Monday, November 3, 2008
Happy Birthday Colby!
For Colby's 33rd birthday he and his best bud Joshua went mountain biking at McAlister Park. No kiddos and no wives, just the guys. While the boys were away William and I decorated the house for Daddy's b-day with lots of streamers and balloons. We even made German chocolate cupcakes while they were away. After Daddy and Joshua got back from their grand adventure we relaxed and had homemade limeades with chips and salsa. William enjoyed spending time with his godfather, Joshua. He really likes him. For dinner we had green chile burgers, homemade sweet potato fries, and baked beans. Our friends the Manigolds came over with their son for dinner and cake. We spent the rest of the evening just chatting with our friends and enjoying a nice evening at home. All in all I think Colby had a nice, relaxing birthday.
Happy Birthday Colby!!!!!! We love you very much!!!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Happy Halloween!
WOW! What a happy Halloween we had! William had a play date with some of his friends at a local play place. He played and they had some Halloween inspired crafts that he did as well. He had a great time painting a miniature pumpkin and coloring some Halloween pictures.
After our play date we had a spooky lunch with Daddy at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Miligritos. It was super yummy and we always love having lunch with Daddy. Will fell asleep in the car, so he didn't have a great nap which meant he was extra tired for the rest of his Halloween. When Daddy got home from work we went to vote, and William helped :-). We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and then carved our family pumpkin. Normally we carve our pumpkin the weekend before Halloween, but because William got so sick last weekend we had to do it on Halloween. He had fun watching Daddy carve it, but once we started cleaning it he didn't like it. He has a thing with textures and pumpkin guts is not a texture he enjoys. We had some dinner and put him in his Charlie Brown costume that Mommy made. By this point in time Will was exhausted so we took a few pictures and went to a few homes to trick or treat. Will was so grumpy during picture time that the only thing that kept him happy was playing with a container of dental floss. So don't be surprise if you see some dental floss in the photos. Here are a few pictures we took on Halloween. Look for some more pictures in the next few days!
Happy All Saints Day!
Love,
The Tates
After our play date we had a spooky lunch with Daddy at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Miligritos. It was super yummy and we always love having lunch with Daddy. Will fell asleep in the car, so he didn't have a great nap which meant he was extra tired for the rest of his Halloween. When Daddy got home from work we went to vote, and William helped :-). We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and then carved our family pumpkin. Normally we carve our pumpkin the weekend before Halloween, but because William got so sick last weekend we had to do it on Halloween. He had fun watching Daddy carve it, but once we started cleaning it he didn't like it. He has a thing with textures and pumpkin guts is not a texture he enjoys. We had some dinner and put him in his Charlie Brown costume that Mommy made. By this point in time Will was exhausted so we took a few pictures and went to a few homes to trick or treat. Will was so grumpy during picture time that the only thing that kept him happy was playing with a container of dental floss. So don't be surprise if you see some dental floss in the photos. Here are a few pictures we took on Halloween. Look for some more pictures in the next few days!
Happy All Saints Day!
Love,
The Tates
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Pumpkin Patch
This afternoon we headed over to a pumpkin patch at the Bracken United Methodist Church. Bracken is a small town about 5 miles west of us. William is still pretty tired from being sick, so he did the best that he could. At first he just wanted to be carried around, but after a short amount of time he decided to walk around. He had fun climbing on the pumpkins and just investigating them. At one point he had spotted a little scarecrow girl by a tree, and bless his heart he thought she was real and ran right up to her. We're not quite sure what he thought of her once he realized she was fake. We picked a pumpkin out to carve on Halloween and called it a day. It was a short trip, but very fun. Enjoy the slide show of some of the pictures we took during our adventure!
Be sure to check the blog this weekend for Halloween updates. We can't wait to show off William's homemade costume!
Happy Halloween Eve!
~The Tates
Be sure to check the blog this weekend for Halloween updates. We can't wait to show off William's homemade costume!
Happy Halloween Eve!
~The Tates
And the Lab Results Show...
Salmonella!
William's lab results finally came back yesterday and showed that he had a salmonella infection, although the amount is not enough to warrant a treatment with antibiotics at this time. Many strains of salmonella have become anti-biotic resistant, so if the patient can get over the infection on their own that is the preferred course. They are pretty sure he picked it up from another child and not from food. So for all you mommies out there with kiddos be sure to wash their hands!
Will is doing better and is almost 100% better. He has been his little active self all week, and we hope he will be 100% be Halloween. We are going to a little Halloween party in the morning and then we will be doing some family activities all afternoon and evening. Looks like we will be having a very busy weekend with Halloween on Friday, a birthday party and playdate on Saturday, and then Colby's birthday on Sunday. WOW! It should be a great weekend!
William's lab results finally came back yesterday and showed that he had a salmonella infection, although the amount is not enough to warrant a treatment with antibiotics at this time. Many strains of salmonella have become anti-biotic resistant, so if the patient can get over the infection on their own that is the preferred course. They are pretty sure he picked it up from another child and not from food. So for all you mommies out there with kiddos be sure to wash their hands!
Will is doing better and is almost 100% better. He has been his little active self all week, and we hope he will be 100% be Halloween. We are going to a little Halloween party in the morning and then we will be doing some family activities all afternoon and evening. Looks like we will be having a very busy weekend with Halloween on Friday, a birthday party and playdate on Saturday, and then Colby's birthday on Sunday. WOW! It should be a great weekend!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
No camping :-(
Well as yesterday approached we were getting more and more excited about our adventure this weekend. We were even going to go to a fun birthday party before our camping adventure, but unfortunately all of those plans came to a screeching halt yesterday afternoon. William has developed some type of gastrointestinal infection. Poor little guy. He ran a high fever yesterday which required a doctor's visit and then he had a very bad night which required another visit this morning. His pediatrician believes he has a bacterial infection and has sent some samples off for analysis. We will get the results back on Monday, which could mean some antibiotics for the little guy. We have to wait and see what the results are. Colby and I are in agreement with the doctor to wait and see if he needs antibiotics before he starts on any. His fever broke this morning, and although he doesn't feel well, he is feeling MUCH better this afternoon than he did yesterday. I think that Colby and I are feeling better about it, now that he has been smiling again. We hate it when he is sick :-( This afternoon he has been playing for a few minutes and then is exhausted and wants to snuggle. I can't say that we mind the snuggling at all. It is kind of nice, even though he feels rotten. He is getting plenty of fluids and has had some toast today. Children are so resilient! We think he picked up the bug at an indoor play place we go to about once a month. He either got it from another child or from the toys there.
We might have an indoor camping night next week for Halloween, but we will have to wait and see. There will always be another camping trip, and we can't wait for William to feel better.
We might have an indoor camping night next week for Halloween, but we will have to wait and see. There will always be another camping trip, and we can't wait for William to feel better.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Happy October!
WOW! We can't believe that October is almost over! We also can't believe that our beautiful baby boy is now a rough and tumble 18 month old. Time sure does fly by. We are just amazed with him each and every day. He really has turned into such a happy and loving little boy. He just melts our heart at least 100 times a day :-)
Last week we took William for his 18 month check up. He weighs 22 pounds and is 32.75 inches long. As his pediatrician likes to say "William is just like his parents...tall and thin!" His physical development is great as well as his speech development. At this point the doctors like for kids to be able to say about 6 words. Will is at about 30, with more and more being added daily. It seems like now he is more interested in speaking.
We have had a very busy late September/early October as well. In late September we traveled to the DFW area to celebrate both Nana and cousin Neil's birthdays. We stayed at Nana's house in Sherman and had a great time, and then went for the day to Lewisville for Neil's party. For those of you that don't know Neil, he is Colby's cousin's son. We had a wonderful time catching up with Colby's side of the family and watching 4 kids (all 2 and under) play together. We sure do enjoy the time we can spend with our relatives.
Then we had 2 trips to the ER in one week, both for Mr. William. Our little monkey has learned the art of climbing, and he fell off the kitchen table for the first ER trip. He was perfectly fine, but concerned us because he was acting VERY sleepy after the fall. The second trip to the ER was the following week because Mr. Monkey slipped climbing down a stair at the park and busted right below his lip open. He didn't need stitches, but they used dermabond (a type of glue) to seal the cut and help it heal better. Poor little guy! A scrap-page of the incident has already been made :-)
We also started a new family tradition this month. On the first day of Autumn Colby thought it would be a good idea to make a family craft project. This year we made a paper wreath out of our hand prints. We picked a poem for each month in fall and then we also are writing a list of our blessings, traditions, and things we are thankful for. Here is a picture of the wreath.
Grandma and Grandpa came down in early October and watched William so that we could go on a date night. It was awesome!!!! We had sushi and then headed over to a restaurant/bar called Coco. They serve yummy chocolate drinks and desserts, which is exactly what we had. Colby was in love with their chocolate martini!
Colby has had a very busy couple of weeks at work, and now that allergy season is over, hopefully, we are going camping!!! We are so excited to take William on his first camping trip this weekend. We are going to stay close to the San Antonio area just in case, but we can't wait to spend some quality family time together. Pictures will be posted just as soon as we can.
Sorry to not have posted as much this last month. I have been busy with teaching, but plan on posting more this month.
Love to all,
The Tates
Last week we took William for his 18 month check up. He weighs 22 pounds and is 32.75 inches long. As his pediatrician likes to say "William is just like his parents...tall and thin!" His physical development is great as well as his speech development. At this point the doctors like for kids to be able to say about 6 words. Will is at about 30, with more and more being added daily. It seems like now he is more interested in speaking.
We have had a very busy late September/early October as well. In late September we traveled to the DFW area to celebrate both Nana and cousin Neil's birthdays. We stayed at Nana's house in Sherman and had a great time, and then went for the day to Lewisville for Neil's party. For those of you that don't know Neil, he is Colby's cousin's son. We had a wonderful time catching up with Colby's side of the family and watching 4 kids (all 2 and under) play together. We sure do enjoy the time we can spend with our relatives.
Then we had 2 trips to the ER in one week, both for Mr. William. Our little monkey has learned the art of climbing, and he fell off the kitchen table for the first ER trip. He was perfectly fine, but concerned us because he was acting VERY sleepy after the fall. The second trip to the ER was the following week because Mr. Monkey slipped climbing down a stair at the park and busted right below his lip open. He didn't need stitches, but they used dermabond (a type of glue) to seal the cut and help it heal better. Poor little guy! A scrap-page of the incident has already been made :-)
We also started a new family tradition this month. On the first day of Autumn Colby thought it would be a good idea to make a family craft project. This year we made a paper wreath out of our hand prints. We picked a poem for each month in fall and then we also are writing a list of our blessings, traditions, and things we are thankful for. Here is a picture of the wreath.
Grandma and Grandpa came down in early October and watched William so that we could go on a date night. It was awesome!!!! We had sushi and then headed over to a restaurant/bar called Coco. They serve yummy chocolate drinks and desserts, which is exactly what we had. Colby was in love with their chocolate martini!
Colby has had a very busy couple of weeks at work, and now that allergy season is over, hopefully, we are going camping!!! We are so excited to take William on his first camping trip this weekend. We are going to stay close to the San Antonio area just in case, but we can't wait to spend some quality family time together. Pictures will be posted just as soon as we can.
Sorry to not have posted as much this last month. I have been busy with teaching, but plan on posting more this month.
Love to all,
The Tates
Friday, September 12, 2008
What a crazy 2 weeks!
It all started on Labor Day when William woke up with a stomach virus that Colby had the pleasure of experiencing. Will was sick most of the day, but seemed to feel much better by Tuesday. Late Wednesday night Colby woke up very ill, and it seemed like another stomach virus. Rod and Patt had come in Wednesday evening to keep Will on Thursday while the "parents" went to the dentist. We never made it to those appointments. By the time I got up on Thursday it was very clear that Colby and I had caught the terrible 24 hour stomach virus. I had to cancel my Thursday night class, which I NEVER do! Thank goodness Rod and Patt were here to take care of William. We were so sick and they seemed to have a great time taking William to the park on Thursday and to lunch and the Children's Museum on Friday. Rod and Patt unfortunately ended up sick as well, but I don't think anyone had it near as bad as poor Colby. We were so lucky to have them here to help. I'm not sure what we would have done without them.
This week has been better on the sickness front. William started Kindermusik last week and has not enjoyed it. Poor little guy! Kindermusik classes go from 0-17 months and then at 18 months they can join an older class. Because Will isn't quite 18 months yet they had us start out in the 0-17 month old class. He is the oldest and the only boy. Most of the girls in there are just now walking and are really well behaved. My little boy is running and his personality (as most of you know)just doesn't fit the activities they have them doing at that level. For those that aren't familiar, this class is to introduce children to music through movement (usually with Mom) and exploration. There are a lot of quiet, calm moments. I'm pretty sure that quiet is not a part of Will's vocabulary yet. In my opinion it is really geared for children that are still in their Momma's arms. There are a lot of pick up the baby kind of motions and not too many independent activities with Mom observing. This class is great for the pre-walkers.SO we go to a few classes and poor little Will just has one temper tantrum after another. Mainly because he wants to take things away from the other ones, not to be mean, just because that is the stage he is in. Oooh.... book...mine...kind of stage. So it had been a frustrating 2 classes trying to wrangle the beast! At our last class we actually had to leave early because he was so bad! I can't even count the meltdowns he had in less than 35 minutes. Leave it up to Colby and Sara's kid to basically get kicked out of a kindermusik class ;-) This moment in Will's life reminds me of one of my favorite pictures of me and my Mom. It was during my baptism and I had been really naughty that day. I am asking my mom to pick me up for I'm sure the millionth time that day and she is just looking up into the heavens and I'm sure thinking "Calgon take me away!" It is just perfect! I really think God pays you back 10-fold for what you did to your parents. If that is the case, we are in for one heck of a ride! :-) After talking to Colby we decided that I should write the teacher and say that we wouldn't be going to any more of the younger classes and that we would just wait to move up in a month to the older class because they allow more of the exploration that William needs at this stage. We both feel like he isn't getting much out of this class besides frustration. Our teacher is so sweet and has said that we can go ahead and move him up now. We were really happy about that. Hopefully he will enjoy it more than the younger class. We shall see....
Hurricane Ike is barreling down on the Texas coast. Samantha and her family have decided to "hunker" down in their house just south of Houston. They are not in the proposed storm surge, and we are thankful for that. Most of the Houston area that is not in the storm surge are being told to hunker down so to speak. Please keep them and all those on the coast in your thoughts this weekend.
We wish everyone a very safe weekend!
~The Tates
This week has been better on the sickness front. William started Kindermusik last week and has not enjoyed it. Poor little guy! Kindermusik classes go from 0-17 months and then at 18 months they can join an older class. Because Will isn't quite 18 months yet they had us start out in the 0-17 month old class. He is the oldest and the only boy. Most of the girls in there are just now walking and are really well behaved. My little boy is running and his personality (as most of you know)just doesn't fit the activities they have them doing at that level. For those that aren't familiar, this class is to introduce children to music through movement (usually with Mom) and exploration. There are a lot of quiet, calm moments. I'm pretty sure that quiet is not a part of Will's vocabulary yet. In my opinion it is really geared for children that are still in their Momma's arms. There are a lot of pick up the baby kind of motions and not too many independent activities with Mom observing. This class is great for the pre-walkers.SO we go to a few classes and poor little Will just has one temper tantrum after another. Mainly because he wants to take things away from the other ones, not to be mean, just because that is the stage he is in. Oooh.... book...mine...kind of stage. So it had been a frustrating 2 classes trying to wrangle the beast! At our last class we actually had to leave early because he was so bad! I can't even count the meltdowns he had in less than 35 minutes. Leave it up to Colby and Sara's kid to basically get kicked out of a kindermusik class ;-) This moment in Will's life reminds me of one of my favorite pictures of me and my Mom. It was during my baptism and I had been really naughty that day. I am asking my mom to pick me up for I'm sure the millionth time that day and she is just looking up into the heavens and I'm sure thinking "Calgon take me away!" It is just perfect! I really think God pays you back 10-fold for what you did to your parents. If that is the case, we are in for one heck of a ride! :-) After talking to Colby we decided that I should write the teacher and say that we wouldn't be going to any more of the younger classes and that we would just wait to move up in a month to the older class because they allow more of the exploration that William needs at this stage. We both feel like he isn't getting much out of this class besides frustration. Our teacher is so sweet and has said that we can go ahead and move him up now. We were really happy about that. Hopefully he will enjoy it more than the younger class. We shall see....
Hurricane Ike is barreling down on the Texas coast. Samantha and her family have decided to "hunker" down in their house just south of Houston. They are not in the proposed storm surge, and we are thankful for that. Most of the Houston area that is not in the storm surge are being told to hunker down so to speak. Please keep them and all those on the coast in your thoughts this weekend.
We wish everyone a very safe weekend!
~The Tates
Friday, August 29, 2008
Our little monkey
Well William is officially a little monkey. He has been way too interested in his new climbing ability. This week alone we have caught him climbing up the side of his crib, onto the speaker near the entertainment center, onto a chair to get onto a table, and the list could go on and on. He thinks he is really cleaver when he gets caught. Hopefully this phase will pass quickly...otherwise Mommy and Daddy are going to have a lot of work ahead of them :-)
We hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. We will be spending some of the weekend with friends, but mainly will be doing things in and around the San Antonio area.
We hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. We will be spending some of the weekend with friends, but mainly will be doing things in and around the San Antonio area.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Our Trip to Sherman
Originally we had a crazy DFW area trip planned for the weekend of August 22nd, but unfortunately we had to cancel the first half of our trip. What a disappointment! We were suppose to drive up to Granbury for Katie's (Will's second cousin) christening, but Sara is teaching for 2 schools this semester and one of them decided to have an all day Saturday training. Boo! Although the training was useful we really wish we could have gone to the christening. After training was over we drove to Sherman to spend the rest of the weekend (and Monday) with Nana, Aunt Samantha, Uncle Sean, and cousins Lauren and Sara. The cousins had such a great time playing together. We spent a lot of time on Sunday at a local park that the kids just loved. Monday we took a family picture together that came out great. Here are a few layouts I made using some of the pictures we took over the weekend. We love being able to spend time with our families and can't wait to do it again!
Please feel free to leave us comments, and don't forget to click on the layouts if you would like to see them larger!
We promise to update every 1-2 weeks now, so please check our site frequently for updates.
Love to all,
The Tates
Please feel free to leave us comments, and don't forget to click on the layouts if you would like to see them larger!
We promise to update every 1-2 weeks now, so please check our site frequently for updates.
Love to all,
The Tates
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Our Trip to Austin
We headed to Austin the weekend of August 9th and had a great time, as always. Saturday we stayed with Aunt Jolie and Uncle Mike. William always has so much fun at their house. Jolie and Mike had some people come by to pick up their old hot tub, and Colby helped out. It was really heavy, and we were glad to be there to help. Of course William and Sara supervised. :-) For the rest of our visit Colby brushed up on some new Wii games and Sara just relaxed. We spent Sunday morning just relaxing and enjoying a yummy french toast casserole while Will played. Here is a video that Aunt Jolie took of William playing with their dogs Jack and Molly on Sunday morning. Will and Jack were best buds all weekend. So cute!
After enjoying our Sunday morning with Jolie and Mike we headed to South Austin to visit Joshua. We are so happy that Joshua is settled into his Austin place and is loving it. William also loved Joshua's house and he loved destroying Joshua's CD collection (thanks Joshua!). We headed to our favorite sandwich shop, Delaware Subs, for lunch and headed home later that afternoon. We had such a nice weekend with our family and friends.
After enjoying our Sunday morning with Jolie and Mike we headed to South Austin to visit Joshua. We are so happy that Joshua is settled into his Austin place and is loving it. William also loved Joshua's house and he loved destroying Joshua's CD collection (thanks Joshua!). We headed to our favorite sandwich shop, Delaware Subs, for lunch and headed home later that afternoon. We had such a nice weekend with our family and friends.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Happy August!
Happy August Everyone!
This month begins our month of crazy traveling! Last weekend we enjoyed a fun filled two days in the San Antonio area. On Saturday Sara helped some good friends of ours register for their first baby registry, and had a great time. Then the whole family went to a birthday party Saturday evening. It was so much fun. They had a huge dirt pile, a slip 'n' slide with shaving cream, soda pop rockets, pools filled with soapy bubbles, and more. It was a great chance for the kiddos to get dirty and the parents to relax. What a fun birthday party! (Be sure to click on the pictures for a larger view)
This weekend we head to Austin to visit Aunt Jolie and Uncle Mike on Saturday, and William's godfather and our good friend Joshua on Sunday. Next weekend we head to the DFW area for a baptism and a visit with first and second cousins, including a quick trip to Nana's. WOW!
That is our "big" update for now. Here is a little layout I did of William playing with his lego's. He is in love with them right now.
This month begins our month of crazy traveling! Last weekend we enjoyed a fun filled two days in the San Antonio area. On Saturday Sara helped some good friends of ours register for their first baby registry, and had a great time. Then the whole family went to a birthday party Saturday evening. It was so much fun. They had a huge dirt pile, a slip 'n' slide with shaving cream, soda pop rockets, pools filled with soapy bubbles, and more. It was a great chance for the kiddos to get dirty and the parents to relax. What a fun birthday party! (Be sure to click on the pictures for a larger view)
This weekend we head to Austin to visit Aunt Jolie and Uncle Mike on Saturday, and William's godfather and our good friend Joshua on Sunday. Next weekend we head to the DFW area for a baptism and a visit with first and second cousins, including a quick trip to Nana's. WOW!
That is our "big" update for now. Here is a little layout I did of William playing with his lego's. He is in love with them right now.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Our Gulf Trip and Nana's Visit
Hey Y'all!
We had such a wonderful trip to the Gulf Coast despite Hurricane Dolly's decision to hit the Texas coast on the last day of our vacation. Needless to say we decided to pack up a day early and head back to drier ground. We ended up staying 3 days and 2 nights at a condo in Port Aransas. We were about 2 blocks from the beach (with a boardwalk to take us there), and it was awesome! Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, and the three of us all stayed together in the condo. William really enjoyed the beach. The first day we weren't too sure he was going to enjoy the water, but he discovered the seagulls and was thoroughly enjoying them. On our second day, William was chasing the seagulls around when he decided to make a b-line for the water. From then on he loved both the shore and the water. Grandma got some great pictures of him on our trip. We all had such a great time. It was so exciting for Colby and I to really watch William as he experienced the ocean and the beach for the first time. It made us feel very blessed to be able to have those moments.
Once we made it home we spent the rest of the week hanging out with Nana. Mommy and Daddy even got to go out on a date night...thanks NANA!!!! On Saturday we went to the San Antonio Zoo. It was really hot and muggy, but a train ride at the end of our trip around Brakenridge Park made us all feel better. Every time we go to the zoo seems like a new experience for William. He notices another animal each time, and this trip was no exception. He was in love with one of the animals in the Africa Live exhibit. It almost looked like a prairie dog, but I can't remember it's real name. He was so excited about it that he literally jumped back and danced around while watching it. After visiting the major exhibits we headed to Tiny Tot Nature Spot, a great little place for children under 5 to play at the zoo. William always has fun there and Nana got a kick out of Will playing an African drum.
Here are the pictures from our exciting week.
We had a great week with our family and are looking forward to seeing everyone the weekend of Kati's baptism. We get to see both Colby and Sara's sides of the family that weekend.
Take care,
Colby, Sara, and William
We had such a wonderful trip to the Gulf Coast despite Hurricane Dolly's decision to hit the Texas coast on the last day of our vacation. Needless to say we decided to pack up a day early and head back to drier ground. We ended up staying 3 days and 2 nights at a condo in Port Aransas. We were about 2 blocks from the beach (with a boardwalk to take us there), and it was awesome! Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, and the three of us all stayed together in the condo. William really enjoyed the beach. The first day we weren't too sure he was going to enjoy the water, but he discovered the seagulls and was thoroughly enjoying them. On our second day, William was chasing the seagulls around when he decided to make a b-line for the water. From then on he loved both the shore and the water. Grandma got some great pictures of him on our trip. We all had such a great time. It was so exciting for Colby and I to really watch William as he experienced the ocean and the beach for the first time. It made us feel very blessed to be able to have those moments.
Once we made it home we spent the rest of the week hanging out with Nana. Mommy and Daddy even got to go out on a date night...thanks NANA!!!! On Saturday we went to the San Antonio Zoo. It was really hot and muggy, but a train ride at the end of our trip around Brakenridge Park made us all feel better. Every time we go to the zoo seems like a new experience for William. He notices another animal each time, and this trip was no exception. He was in love with one of the animals in the Africa Live exhibit. It almost looked like a prairie dog, but I can't remember it's real name. He was so excited about it that he literally jumped back and danced around while watching it. After visiting the major exhibits we headed to Tiny Tot Nature Spot, a great little place for children under 5 to play at the zoo. William always has fun there and Nana got a kick out of Will playing an African drum.
Here are the pictures from our exciting week.
We had a great week with our family and are looking forward to seeing everyone the weekend of Kati's baptism. We get to see both Colby and Sara's sides of the family that weekend.
Take care,
Colby, Sara, and William
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
July Update
First let me apologize for the non-existent posts this summer. Teaching that five week session took a lot more out of me than I had hoped. A big thank you to Rod and Patt for coming and helping out 3 of those weeks. I know Colby was VERY grateful not having to work 2nd shift for 3 extra weeks.
Let's catch you up since I have been slacking this month. Updates for Colby and Sara first...
Colby is still really enjoying his job at DPT labs, even though he gets called at 3AM sometimes, he still really likes it. Colby has been trying desperately to get back into cycling. Seems like the more William is active the harder it is for Colby to get away. All he wants to do is play with him when he gets home and most days he just can't seem to get out the door. We are going to make an effort as a family to encourage his bike riding. :-)
As for me...I just finished my class last Thursday, and I am so thankful it is over. As always I enjoy the teaching part of the job, but the paperwork and lecture writing I could do without. I have picked up my scrapbooking hobby again now that class is over and I am catching up. William's 1st year album has been done for a few months, but I am working on our family album, his 2nd year album, and of course some gifts. All are going strong!
Now what you all have been waiting for...William updates. After a little health scare earlier last week (another terrible virus) we took William for his 15 month visit. He is a very healthy 15 month old. He is over the 90th percentile in height and in the less than 10th percentile in weight. He is 32.75 inches long and weighs 21 pounds, 7 ounces. At least he has tripled his birth weight! He is just tall and skinny like his parents at that age. The pediatrician says his weight and height are just fine. Will says about 7-10 words daily. Mom, Dad, Cat, Dog, Outside, Milk, and some others. He can also tell you what the cow says..."Moo." Although his sounds more like MMMMMMM, but it's really cute. He is running around even more now, climbing anything and everything...including Mommy and Daddy. Will and Boko (the cat) have a wonderful relationship. Will gets to sit on the cat or hug the cat without any trouble. Every now and then Boko will go up to Will for some rubs. Very cute.
We are almost 100% off of the bottle. Just night time bottles. William is really becoming more and more of a toddler and less of a baby every day. It is really bittersweet, but we are truly blessed to have such a wonderful child. One of Will's favorite activities is watering the plants with Daddy. He has to hold the hose or he gets really upset. William has also begun the temper tantrum stage of life. He has a really great one where he runs in a circle and then gingerly throws himself to the ground before screaming some more. Although we feel terrible that he is that frustrated it is sometimes funny to watch.
We had a wonderful 4th of July. We went to the parade that Schertz (a neighboring town) has and had a great time. Later in the afternoon we went to a friend's house for BBQ and fun. They have a 3 year old who is a doll and is very sweet to William. They like to play trucks together. Although we didn't see fireworks this year, we had a great Independence Day.
William really enjoys the outdoors and we are very much looking forward to our beach adventure this weekend with Nana, Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Jolie. I promise to update when we get back.
In the meantime enjoy some recent pics of the family.
Hope everyone is doing well in your neck of the woods!
Hugs,
The Tates
Let's catch you up since I have been slacking this month. Updates for Colby and Sara first...
Colby is still really enjoying his job at DPT labs, even though he gets called at 3AM sometimes, he still really likes it. Colby has been trying desperately to get back into cycling. Seems like the more William is active the harder it is for Colby to get away. All he wants to do is play with him when he gets home and most days he just can't seem to get out the door. We are going to make an effort as a family to encourage his bike riding. :-)
As for me...I just finished my class last Thursday, and I am so thankful it is over. As always I enjoy the teaching part of the job, but the paperwork and lecture writing I could do without. I have picked up my scrapbooking hobby again now that class is over and I am catching up. William's 1st year album has been done for a few months, but I am working on our family album, his 2nd year album, and of course some gifts. All are going strong!
Now what you all have been waiting for...William updates. After a little health scare earlier last week (another terrible virus) we took William for his 15 month visit. He is a very healthy 15 month old. He is over the 90th percentile in height and in the less than 10th percentile in weight. He is 32.75 inches long and weighs 21 pounds, 7 ounces. At least he has tripled his birth weight! He is just tall and skinny like his parents at that age. The pediatrician says his weight and height are just fine. Will says about 7-10 words daily. Mom, Dad, Cat, Dog, Outside, Milk, and some others. He can also tell you what the cow says..."Moo." Although his sounds more like MMMMMMM, but it's really cute. He is running around even more now, climbing anything and everything...including Mommy and Daddy. Will and Boko (the cat) have a wonderful relationship. Will gets to sit on the cat or hug the cat without any trouble. Every now and then Boko will go up to Will for some rubs. Very cute.
We are almost 100% off of the bottle. Just night time bottles. William is really becoming more and more of a toddler and less of a baby every day. It is really bittersweet, but we are truly blessed to have such a wonderful child. One of Will's favorite activities is watering the plants with Daddy. He has to hold the hose or he gets really upset. William has also begun the temper tantrum stage of life. He has a really great one where he runs in a circle and then gingerly throws himself to the ground before screaming some more. Although we feel terrible that he is that frustrated it is sometimes funny to watch.
We had a wonderful 4th of July. We went to the parade that Schertz (a neighboring town) has and had a great time. Later in the afternoon we went to a friend's house for BBQ and fun. They have a 3 year old who is a doll and is very sweet to William. They like to play trucks together. Although we didn't see fireworks this year, we had a great Independence Day.
William really enjoys the outdoors and we are very much looking forward to our beach adventure this weekend with Nana, Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Jolie. I promise to update when we get back.
In the meantime enjoy some recent pics of the family.
Hope everyone is doing well in your neck of the woods!
Hugs,
The Tates
Thursday, June 12, 2008
What A Week!
I realize it is only Thursday, but what a week we have had in the Tate household. Saturday, we had some friends over for a BBQ and noticed that William was running a fever. 102.5 to be exact. His teeth seem to be bothering him so we assumed it was that. When the fever hadn't gone away by Monday we called the pediatrician. Because Monday was my first day teaching and Colby's first day on second shift, he had to take Will to the doctor. Turns out it was just a virus, but if the fever wasn't gone by Wednesday we were to call back. So Wednesday Will woke up, no fever. Mommy went to work and when she came home he had a rash all over his collar line. Hmmm....I had just switched laundry detergents. By late afternoon it had spread to his chest and a little on the face/groin area. Since it was too late to call the pediatrician and he hadn't tried any new foods we were certain it wasn't any type of food allergy. This morning we call the doctor and after another office visit we were told it is still the virus working its way out. Poor William. The virus can last up to 2 weeks so it looks like we have little over one week to go. He has been pretty uncomfortable and grumpy all week, but who can blame him?! Lots of snuggle time. :-)
Colby and I are getting use to our new work schedules and are not enjoying seeing each other less. However, we only have 4 more weeks to go and I think we have done a great job so far working together on our new "parenting" shifts. It's been a tough week, but it will get easier. Next week Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit, Aunt Jolie might be coming on Thursday, and then Nana will be here on the weekend. Hooray!
Hope everyone is doing well.
Colby and I are getting use to our new work schedules and are not enjoying seeing each other less. However, we only have 4 more weeks to go and I think we have done a great job so far working together on our new "parenting" shifts. It's been a tough week, but it will get easier. Next week Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit, Aunt Jolie might be coming on Thursday, and then Nana will be here on the weekend. Hooray!
Hope everyone is doing well.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Some pictures from April and May
Here is a little slide show of some cute pictures of the family from mid-April through May.
To catch you up on what we have been up to....
After William's big b-day party in April we have been spending quite a bit of time outdoors with all of his great outdoor toys. There are some great pictures of him playing with the frog pool that Nana got him.
We have also been a traveling family lately. We took 3 trips in the last month as a family. In mid April we drove up to Lone Camp to celebrate Dani's 2nd birthday. Oh what fun those little 2nd cousins had together!!! Then in late April we drove to Houston to watch Sara play in one of her last soccer games of the season. The cousins had a great time playing together, and Sara played GREAT!
Our last big trip was to Kentucky earlier this month to visit Nonno and to watch Sara's cousin Erin graduate from Purdue University. It was William's first plane ride and he did AWESOME! We had such a nice time seeing family. We were able to see all of the Stefanutti's, and it was much needed. Unfortunately Samantha's family couldn't be with us, so we will just have to plan another get together. :-) The trips are always too short, and we wish we could see everyone more often.
And lastly, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary this past weekend and were lucky enough to go spend the night in Fredricksburg. Colby's parents, sister, and brother-in-law watched William so we could spend some quality time together. We had a fabulous time and toured 3 different wineries in the hill country.
For now...we are off to the zoo!
To catch you up on what we have been up to....
After William's big b-day party in April we have been spending quite a bit of time outdoors with all of his great outdoor toys. There are some great pictures of him playing with the frog pool that Nana got him.
We have also been a traveling family lately. We took 3 trips in the last month as a family. In mid April we drove up to Lone Camp to celebrate Dani's 2nd birthday. Oh what fun those little 2nd cousins had together!!! Then in late April we drove to Houston to watch Sara play in one of her last soccer games of the season. The cousins had a great time playing together, and Sara played GREAT!
Our last big trip was to Kentucky earlier this month to visit Nonno and to watch Sara's cousin Erin graduate from Purdue University. It was William's first plane ride and he did AWESOME! We had such a nice time seeing family. We were able to see all of the Stefanutti's, and it was much needed. Unfortunately Samantha's family couldn't be with us, so we will just have to plan another get together. :-) The trips are always too short, and we wish we could see everyone more often.
And lastly, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary this past weekend and were lucky enough to go spend the night in Fredricksburg. Colby's parents, sister, and brother-in-law watched William so we could spend some quality time together. We had a fabulous time and toured 3 different wineries in the hill country.
For now...we are off to the zoo!
Welcome to our new webpage!
Because we have family and friends all over the world, we have been trying to make an effort to keep everyone up to date on what is happening in our neck of the woods.
We are new to blogger, but are really excited about using this as our new family website.
We hope you enjoy it as much as we are!
We are new to blogger, but are really excited about using this as our new family website.
We hope you enjoy it as much as we are!
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