Jason's 31

Jason is another year older. He and I went out and got a hotel to stay in Austin for his birthday. We had a really good time. Mom on the other hand did not. She watched Zander for us and he kept her up all night. Saturday was his actual birthday and everyone came over for cake and presents. I've put some pictures together for you to look at.

Happy Birthday, Jason!!

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Christmas Morning

We had a great Christmas morning here at the Woolverton household. Zander was excited to see all the stuff that Santa had left for him. He of course was most excited about all the candy he found in his stocking. Santa brought him some coloring books and crayons, a new soccer and basketball, a Mickey Mouse airplane, and a Radio Flyer tricycle. After seeing what Santa had left, Mimi, Aunt Taylor and Uncle Steve came over for breakfast and to open presents. Zander enjoyed opening the packages. He was not very excited with any of the clothes that were in the boxes. He did get really excited to see the new basketball goal and ball his Daddy bought for him. He just kept yelling Ball, Ball, Ball. It was fun to watch him open all his gifts. Everyone else had fun as well. We sure hope your morning was as enjoyable as ours. Please take a look at the pictures from our Christmas morning. I created a slideshow with my new Adope Photoshop that Jason got me. You can view the slideshow by clicking HERE.

Sunday Best

G G came to town for my graduation and brought Christmas presents with her. The boys got matching outfits that they wore to church yesterday. They looked so cute, we had to take their picture. Neither one of them would smile, but they look cute anyway!

Steve is also in town for the holidays. Since we were all at Mom's last night, we decided to take a family picture. Taylor was not there because she was spending time with her Dad. So, we'll have to get another one when she is around. I thought the picture was good, so I wanted to share it with you.


A good friend from church dresses up like Santa every year. Last year, we were able to get some really cute pictures of the boys with him, so we thought we would try again this year. The boys didn't want to sit on his lap. They both cried when they got near him. So, Sarah and I had to sit next to him with the boys to get a picture.

Short Hair

I cut me hair off! It's a lot shorter, but I really like it. I've seen a lot of girls with the wedge cut where their hair is short in the back and gets longer towards the front. I really liked the style and thought I would try it. It's not very dramatic. It's a little longer in the front, but not very much. Anyway, what do you think?

Frosting Time

I asked Mom to make some cookies so Zander and I could come over to decorate them. He loves going to Mimi's house. Every time we pull up to the driveway, he says, "MEE, Yeah!" with his arms in the air. It's really cute. We all had a good time frosting the cookies. Zander really liked tasting the frosting and dumping out the sprinkles. Mom had an apron for him to wear. He didn't want it on at first, but he was distracted easily and forgot about it until we were done. Enjoy the photos.

Graduation

My family made last night very special for me. My brothers and sister-in-law cooked dinner for me before I headed to my graduation. We had fajitas and they were YUMMY! They are great cooks. I'm sure I left a mess because I didn't have much time to help clean up. Sorry for that, guys :)! After they cleaned up, they all come to watch and cheer me on as I walked across the stage. After the graduation, we headed back to my house to open presents and have cake. Thank you to those who sent gifts. I loved everything! & Thanks, Mom, for the very delicious Italian Cream Cake. I love you!

I want to give a big thanks to all my family and friends who have supported me throughout my college days. It was a lot of stress and hard work and I'm sure that I passed that on to you at some point. I really appreciate all the help, love, and support you have given me. I am grateful to have such a great support system. I would like to express a special thank you to my husband. He is always a BIG help at home and supports everything I decide to do. I am lucky to have such a wonderful man to share my life with. I love you, Baby!!

Our Family Pictures

On Wednsday, Jason, Zander and I went to get our yearly family photo done. Zander was feeling ok that night, so I didn't cancel them. He didn't really want to take his picture, though. The pictures didn't turn out as nice as I would've liked, but they were ok. I guess I can let you be the judge. Here they are:

Christmas Time

I'm posting a few pictures from this past month of things we've been up to. I haven't been posting very much because I've been busy with a sick baby, finishing my final paper, and Christmas shopping. But, that doesn't mean I haven't been taking pictures! You all know how I love my camera and taking pictures. Before I show them to you, though, here's a little explanation of what the pictures are of........

Jason and I traditionally put Christmas decorations up on the day after Thanksgiving. We were able to do so this year, with a little help from my Mom. It's hard to get all the outside decor up with Zander running around, so he went to play at her house while we put up decorations. He did help a little before and after his visit to Mimi's, as you can see in the pictures.

The city had a Christmas Festival. I wanted to take Zander because Santa was flying in on a helicopter. Zander loves helicopters, so I thought he would like it. Unfortunately, we couldn't really see the helicopter because he landed too far away. So, that was not too much fun. You can see us looking at the helicopter in the sky.

Zander is fascinated with the ornaments on the tree. Mimi gave him one and that's the only one he is allowed to take off the tree. That doesn't mean he obeys the rule, but most of the time that is the only one he will take off. There are some cute pictures of him looking and touching the ornaments. He calls them pretty because I always say, "Look, they are PRETTY, Don't Touch." He'll walk up to the tree, point and say, "pitty." It's cute.

Winter Illness

It seems like Zander has been sick forever, poor little guy. He was sick on Thanksgiving, as mentioned in an earlier post about the ER. He got better, but about a week and half ago, he started having a high fever again. We've been back to the doctor twice since then. The doctor said he still has bronchitis and an ear infection. The poor little man has been on antibiotics for about 4 weeks and now he has a nebulizer and ear drops. Some days he acts like he feels fine and others he just lays around looking miserable. I feel so bad for him, but there isn't much I can do. Jason seems to have caught the virus as well, so our house isn't too exciting right now. I sure hope this all ends soon! Here's a picture of Zander on a sick day laying around watching TV.

Wreaths for the Veterans

I was able to attend a ceremony at the Veterans Cemetery to put out wreaths for the veterans. A local realtor decide to start a program to make it possible for all the graves at the Veterans Cemetery to have a wreath placed by the headstone. The program actually began last year when the Wreaths Across America organization sent six wreaths to the Central Texas Veterans Cemetery and every other veterans cemetery in the United States to be laid in honor of each military service branch and POW/MIA. This lady believed that there should be a wreath laid at each grave and within three days, she had gathered enough wreaths and volunteers to make it happen. The program was very nice. There were many people there in support of our veterans. The cemetary looks beautiful with all the holiday wreaths laid out. If you would like to read more or help by donating to this event, click here.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Yesterday, I took Zander to my school to the holiday festival so that I could get his picture taken with Santa. There wasn't really much else there for kids. They had some tables set up with vendors selling their crafts. And some people handing out candy to the kids. He loved the chocolate and he enjoyed being in a new place. But, when I took him over to see Santa, he wasn't very happy. He did not want to sit on his lap. I put him up on Santa's knee and he just put his head down and stuck his lip out. I guess Santa's a little scary. So Santa said you can sit down on my knee and hold him for a picture. I did, but he didn't like that either. He was trying to get away from me. We ended up sitting next to Santa on the couch. He was ok with that. He liked the toy and the jingle bell Santa gave him, but he didn't want to sit on his lap. So, here's our Santa picture for this year. I don't know if we'll get to see another Santa. Last year we had a family friend dress up for us and got pictures of Zander and Paul with him. They turned out really cute. Anyway, I hope you enjoy our picture. Happy Holidays!

Absense

Sorry I've been kinda' absent lately. I've been really busy with my school work. But, I have great news! On Thursday, I'm completely done!! I am finally gonna' graduate! I'm VERRRRY excited. For those of you who didn't get an announcement, sorry. I only got a few and I had to send them to my family. But, that does not mean you are not invited, cause you certainly are. The graduation is on Tuesday, Decemeber 18th at 7 pm at the Killeen Convention Center. I will be excited to see all my family and friends there to celebrate with me!

In addition to all my school work, Zander was really sick. He was having a fever of 104, 105 the weekend after Thanksgiving. Jason and I took him to the ER Saturday night and they ran all kinds of test. They took his blood, urine, some mucus from his nose and an x-ray of his chest. He was not making very many friends that night. After all the tests and an IV, they told us that he may have mono and sent us home to fight the temperature spikes. We were exhausted!! His fever went back up Monday morning and we made an appointment to see his pediatrician. He told us he didn't have mono that he had an ear infection and bronchitis. So, he gave us an antibiotic and sent us home. He has not had a fever since and is back to his old self again. Thank Goodness!! I officially hate the ER!!!!

Cowboys & Indians

Jason and I went to the Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday, Novemeber 18th. They played the Washington Redskins. It's a rivalry game each year, and this year was a great game. It was hard to watch, we were never sure who was going to win until the very end. It was back and forth, but the Cowboys came out on top with a 28 to 23 victory. You can read about it here if you'd like. We had a great time and were very excited to see them win. That makes 9-1. GO COWBOYS!!!

Happy 1 & 1/2!

Zander is 18 months old! Can you believe it?? It has gone by sooo fast.

Anyway, today he went in for his check-up. He was not very cooperative. He didn't want to get weighed or measured and he wasn't sure he wanted to let the Doctor take a look at him. The Doctor was able to convince him it would be ok and he behaved while he looked him over. Then it was time for shots. Oh what JOY! He was not a happy camper. He SCREAMED!! as soon as the nurse stuck him with the first shot. Oh, did I mention there were 3 to give him. He would not sit still for the other two. So we were holding him down for the other two. He stiffened up, making it worse I'm sure. The second one came out before she got the meds in because he was moving to much. I picked him up after his third one, and he was just going NUTS! He wouldn't let her but the band-aids on, but she insisted. She got them on finally, and as soon as she left the room, he tore them off. I calmed him down, and we left.

Here are the 18 month stats. He weighed 29 lbs and was 32.5'' long. That puts him in the 75 percentile for weight and 50 percentile for height.

Oh, I almost forgot the good news, no more shots until he's 4! YEAH!

Autumn Leaves

In autumn when the trees are brown

The little leaves come tumbling down

They do not make the slightest sound

But lie so quietly on the ground

Until the wind comes puffing by

And blows them off towards the sky.

National Veterans Awareness Week

Did you know there was a National Veterans Awareness Week? There is and this is what it's all about:

National Veterans Awareness Week encourages schools to develop educational programs regarding the contributions of veterans to the country, and urges all Americans to observe the week with appropriate activities. In 2007, National Veterans Awareness Week is from November 11 through 17.
The President of the United States encourages all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of veterans through ceremonies and prayers. He also calls upon federal, state and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to support and participate in patriotic activities in their communities, and invite civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, businesses, unions, and the media to support the national observance with commemorative expressions and programs.

The proclamation that the president made this year can be read here. For those of us with kids, here is a website with some craft ideas to celebrate the week.

So, I think everyone should do their part and learn more about veterans and say thank you to those who serve for our freedom! Thank you Veterans!!

Both my Grandfathers and my Dad are Veterans.I'm so glad we have a Veterans Cemetary here in our town where my father was able to be laid to rest. I visited his gravesite yesterday and left some flowers. It looked beautiful out there with all the flags. Because I think it looks so beautiful, I thought I would share a picture of it with you.

Veterans Day Parade

Today was our city's Veterans Day Parade. Zander seemed to have a great time. He was waving his flags and saying hi to everyone that passed. We are luck to live by many of our brave soldiers. It's nice to be able to see the veterans and our military in the parade each year. Happy Veterans Day and Thank you to all our Troops!!

Halloween Night

Well, the Halloween Carnival was no where near as good as it sounded. We went hoping to see some animals and get to explore the fire trucks. When we got there, we found out there was no petting zoo as advertised and the kids weren't allowed to explore the trucks either. There was a fire truck there, but it was all locked up and we couldn't look inside. I was disappointed. Zander liked to see all the people and watching the drummers. The Killeen High School Drumline was there, playing some of thier songs. Outside, they had a balloon booth where you could throw darts and pop the balloons, that was the highlight. Zander loves balloons and was excited to see so many up on the wall. When the girl gave him his own balloon, he was super happy!! We didn't get many pictures, cause we didn't stay long. But here are a couple:

Daddy & his little Zebra walking up to the carnival.

Sitting on the fire truck, checking out the jack-o-lantern.

Sharing a lollipop with Grandpa

At the Balloon Booth with Mommy

Trunk or Treat

Saturday, we had our annual Trunk or Treat at the church. It was fun, as always. We ate chili and pie, then went outside to trunk or treat. Everyone dressed up except Jason, cause he doesn't believe in Halloween, JK :). I took lots of pictures, but they were all kinda' blurry. There were some really good photos, but you have to kinda' look past the blurriness. Hope you don't mind. Sean, Sarah, and Paul were characters from the Wizard of Oz, Jason was a Dallas Cowboys fan LOL, I was a Smiley Icon, Zander was a Zebra, Mom was Raggedy Ann, and Taylor was a vampire girl. Our friend Alex dressed her daughter, Noel, as a zebra like Zander. There is a picture of the two of them. Zander was loving on her, it was really cute!!

Wednesday, we are gonna' dress Zander up again and take him to the city Halloween Festival. I'm hoping it will be fun. They are supposed to have animals to pet, firetrucks to look at, and other events. So, we're going to go check that out Halloween night. So, check back for pictures from that event.

Wishing you a Safe & Happy Halloween!!

PS Don't forget to click of the picture below to see the pictures. The smaller pictures on the scrapbook that say click here will enlarge when you click on them.

Make your own slide shows and scrapbooks

Jack-O-Lantern

I carved my pumpkin we got at the pumpkin patch yesterday. I think it turned out pretty good, but it was very hard to carve and I don't think it will last long. What do you think??..............

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday, Jason, Mom, Taylor, Zander and I took a little trip to Sweet Berry Farms in Salado to see the Fall Pumpkin Patch. It was lots of fun! They had a Big maze the shape of Texas made out of some sort of tall grass. In the maze were little posts with the names of towns in Texas. While going through the maze, you were supposed to find all the cities. It took us about 30 minutes to find all 12, I think there were. It was pretty neat. The pumpkin patch also had some horses and goats to pet. Zander thought they were dogs. He loved the pumpkins. He tried to pick them up, but they were a bit to heavy, so he rolled them. He loves to play ball, as I've mentioned before, so he had a grand time with all the huge "orange balls!" There were many pictures set up with holes to pose in. So we got a few pictures of us lookin' silly. When we were done, Zander picked out a pumpkin and we headed home.

Halloween Party

Today, I had a Halloween Party for Zander and his little friends. He had lots of friends show up and there was a lot of food. Most of the kids didn't keep their costumes on very long. They are all at that age where they don't really want to wear them, and they were getting hot in them. I got a few good pictures. Zander left his costume on for a little while. When we put all the kids together to get a group picture, it didn't work out very good. I didn't get any good ones. But, I put them on the slide for ya' anyway. Zander didn't want to sit with everyone, so I had to hold him to get him in the picture. Anyway, thanks to everyone that came and Happy Halloween!!

B.Y.O.B.

Because today, October 15 is Blog Action Day, and the theme this year is the environment, here is my contribution. If you have a blog and want to join in, all you have to do is use today to post something related to the environment, in whatever way, shape, or form you prefer.

I recently read in my Parents magazine that there are 100 billion plastic bags thrown away every year (and that's just in the U.S.). Did you know that these bags can last up to 1,000 years! Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest. To read more on the subject, click here http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php.

There is a great solution that I think we should all try. I know it may not be easy or cheap, and possible you cold look silly to others, but you will be helping the environment and our childrens future. So, what can you do? It's simple, buy resuable bags and bring them along with you when you go shopping. Hence the title, BYOB. Get it? There are many websites that sell these types of bags. My favorite was envirosax.com. Take a look: http://usa.envirosax.com/. This is not the only one though, you can also buy some at the website I listed above or givegreener.com and yansny.com.

I showed this to Jason and he was like, "Are you going to do that?" I thought: well, probably not, but since I've made this post, I'm gonna do it! So, please join me and maybe I won't look so out of place at the stores. If you don't want to buy bags, you can use ones you already have or make your own. You could also ask for paper bags instead of using the plastic ones. They are more environmentally freindly.

Think Green, and be a "Bag Lady!"

Finally!!

It has only taken 17 months, but Zander finally says "Mama." I'm really excited if you can't tell. When I picked him up from the babysitter this week, he ran up to me and said, "Mama!" I can't believe it's taken him so long to say my name. He's been saying "Dada" for about 7 or 8 months. He now says "Daddy." This morning when he woke up he stated yelling, "Mama, Mama, MAMA!" So, I know he means Mommy,. cause he usually calls for Daddy. (even though he is rarely here when he wakes up) Zander has built up a pretty big vocabulary lately. He can say keys, juice, ball, dog, Mama :), Daddy, shoe, and many others. (It's hard to think of them all when you're sitting here writing them down.) He also know what a helicopter is, every time he hears one, he looks for it and makes the sign for it. He loves them. He also likes to make car noises. He says "Brromm, Vroom, RRRR." It's pretty cute. He was walking down the hall the other day with one of his stacker rings spinning it like a steering wheel. Jason and I both laughed. It was pretty cleaver, I thought. Anyway, I just had to tell everyone, Zander can say MAMA!!

Our Future Home

Jason's Dad has decided to sign over a portion of his land to us. So, Jason has been going out to the property on the weekends to clear the land. We are hoping to be able to build a house out there in the next few years. I went out there this Saturday with Zander to bring lunch to Jason & Dad. When I got there, I found out that the tractor had lost it's tire. That was quite a sight! But, they got it fixed, thank goodness. While I was there, I took some pictures of the progress he's made and a few of Zander playing. Zander only played for a little while. After about ten minutes, he went and picked up his toys and headed for the car. I guess he thought it was boring. Anyway, here's a look at our future home.

Vanessa's Haircut

So, yesterday after class I went to get my haircut. It's been about 8 months, I think, since I last got it cut. It doesn't really look a whole lot different, just shorter. Having it shorter makes it easier for me to style in the morning. I really wanted the layers to be a little shorter, but I think it looks good. The funny thing is that Jason didn't even notice last night. I will say he didn't get home tell late, and we went to bed just a couple of hours after he saw me. But I was amazed that he didn't notice, it's quite a bit shorter. I guess I'll wait to see if he notices tonight. I'll let you know ;)

10/6/07-Jason never noticed. My sister said something to him, cause she noticed as soon as she saw me. He said he probably would have never noticed. Oh well.