One Lucky Gal...

That's me!  I was going through the massive amount of pictures Jimmy and I have saved to our computer this evening and I came across our Engagement Picture proofs.  I loved looking back through them!  We had the most incredible photographer and the session was so much fun.  We spent the whole time laughing.  Which, if you know Jimmy and I shouldn't come as much of a shock.  It brought me back to a time when I thought my world was ending because I couldn't decide on a color for my bridesmaids dresses :)

I know I've said it before and I usually tell anyone that will listen...But, I'm going to say it again...

I have the MOST amazing husband! 

He is my everything.  I love him more and more with each passing day!  Sure, we have our days where we get on each others nerves and it seems like we argue over every little thing.  But, he makes me so happy and my heart smile.  He gave me the most wonderful gift in the world...my precious little boy!

AND, might I add, Jimmy is pretty darn lucky himself to have ended up with a gal like me.  :)

 Here are some of my favorites!

A Visit From Aunt Net!

My sister-in-law, Annette, came to visit us this past week.  We had so much fun!  It was great just to relax and spend some time with her.  Evan had such a fun time with his Aunt Net!  One of the highlights of her trip...Aunt Net offered to babysit Evan for an evening while Jimmy and I had a "Date Night!"  What an awesome treat!  We already miss her!  Here are some pictures of our time together :)



Evan was super excited about getting to walk with Aun Net!  He bounced around the whole time!

 Exhausted after their walk :)

Evan loves his Aunt Net!


We Love and Miss You Aunt Net!

Five Months!

Evan turned 5 months old this week!  I know I say this with every passing month...But, I cannot believe it has already been 5 months since my sweet baby boy came into this world!  He is so happy and so much fun!  You should see him - He now reaches for things with both hands and immediately tries to put everything in his mouth.  He laughs more and more each day!  He is still working on sitting up.  He tries SO hard!  I love his determination!  He slept COMPLETELY through the night for the first time this past week.  I put him to bed at 8:30 and he slept until 7:30 the next morning!  Ah, that was an awesome night for Mommy.  So far he seems to like his rice cereal.  He gets distracted very easily, so feeding him takes a while, but he is getting really good at taking everything in.  I am amazed by him and everything he does everyday.  He is such a sweet heart!

Evan had an appointment last week to check his weight.  His pediatrician wanted Jimmy and I to bring him in again at 5 months instead of waiting until 6 months because he had dropped from the 50th to the 20th percentile in his weight measurement at 4 months.  Everything checked out beautifully and he is back up in the 50th percentile! 

(It seems every picture I have of him right now he has his hands in his mouth!)

5 Month Statistics

Weight:  15 pounds 10 ounces

Length:  25.5 inches

You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. 

 And if you treat them like sons,

they'll turn out to be heroes,

even if it's just in your own eyes. 

~Walter M. Schirra, Sr.

 

I Will Hold Him Closer at Night and Take More Pictures...

Jimmy came home with this yesterday.  It is his deployment bag - filled with uniforms, boots, and various other supplies. 

Yes, I know he is deploying.  I've known this for a while.  I should have been prepared for this, right? 

We've been going down the required "Check List."  Squaring away finances, updating wills, getting a Power of Attorney.  All the required busy work has been done or is in the process of being completed.  I am as prepared as I can be. 

Or, at least I thought I was. 

Then he walked through the door carrying this camoflagued duffle bag.  And, all the "preparedness" walked right out behind him.  I will admit it - I had a little breakdown.  It wasn't a full blown, ugly-cry, breakdown.  Just the silent, kept-to-myself, kind.  How can I prepare enough for my husband, the father of my son, to be gone for six months?

Yes, I know this is what I "signed up for" when I married him.  I know it could be "a lot" worse.  I know that he could be leaving for a year instead of six months.  I know that he is not the first or last soldier to deploy somewhere.  I am aware of all this.  But, I have to say, knowing all that stuff does not make it easier. 

What does make it easier is the fact that I love Jimmy more than life itself and I am so proud of him and the work that he does.  He is an amazing husband, loving father, and devoted soldier.  And, even though he has not left yet, I already cannot wait to celebrate his return! 

So, as we make our final preperations and count down the next few weeks, I will hold him closer at night, take more pictures of him and Evan together, and enjoy our time together a little more.  To me, that sounds like the best preparing we can do.   

There is a First Time For Everything...

Jimmy, Evan, and I have had a fun and interesting past weekend!  Jimmy's cousin Pam was in San Antonio for a business meeting and we were able to spend Friday night with her.  We had a delicious dinner at an amazing sushi restaurant downtown called Sushi Zushi.  If you are a fan of sushi and live in the San Antonio area, I HIGHLY recomend this restaurant.  What an amazing selection of sushi!  They had sushi rolls I had never heard of.  Lets put it this way - I had a strawberry roll for the first time.  It was our first time going there but definitely will not be our last.  It was delicious!! 

After enjoying all of our sushi, we enjoyed a walk through downtown San Antonio.  We made a stop by one of my favorite San Antonio landmarks, the Alamo.  I love going by there at night.  There is something really special about seeing it light up at night.  It was even more beautiful with the "Perigee Moon" or "Super Moon" shining down on it.  I couldn't think of a better way for Pam to see the Alamo for the first time. 

  Jimmy, Evan and the Alamo on a Beautiful Evening in San Antonio

After walking to the Alamo, the four of us then got in the car and took a trip to a restaurant here that has become quiet famous because of the show Man vs Food.  Lulu's Cafe and Bakery is home to the "Three Pound Cinnamon Roll."  Yep, you read that right...3 pounds!!  Jimmy and I have heard people talk about their cinnamon rolls and we've had many people who have come to visit ask about them.  But, until now, we had never tried one.  Pam had wanted to stop by and pick one up for her daughters, so we figured it would be a great time to try out these world famous cinnamon rolls and see what all the fuss was about.  They are HUGE and delicious!  I know what you are thinking.  NO, we did not eat it in one sitting!  It lasted a while.  Here are Jimmy and I with our Lulu's Cinnamon Roll.

 

And now for the biggest "First" of the weekend...Evan ate cereal for the first time!!  He did really good.  Most of it ended up on him.  But he really seemed to enjoy it.  I took a ton of pictures and he just looked at me like, "Mom, what is the big deal!"

 "What is that!"

 Trying to decide if he likes it...

"Yummy"

 Towards the end he was more interested in playing with the bowl and spoon.

   "All Done!"

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This year was a quiet St. Patrick's Day in the Bowers' House.  I made Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner and for dessert we had my Great-Grandmother Nennie's (whom I am named after) Irish Soda Bread.  Everything was delicious and I probably ate way too much!  St. Patrick's Day is and always has been a big deal in my family.  With a large Irish-Catholic family and names like Connolly and McEnery, how could we not celebrate?!?  It is definitely one of my favorite days of the year! 

 

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

~an Irish Blessing

All Dressed Up for St Patrick's Day

Who needs Corned Beef and Cabbage when you can just suck on your fingers!

 My Little Leprechaun

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

What a Weekend!

It has been a crazy few days here in the Bower's house!  Saturday afternoon Jimmy came down with some sort of evil stomach virus that landed us in the emergency room at 2:00 Sunday morning.  I felt so bad for him.  He was so sick and weak.  It got to the point where he was just laying on the bathroom floor, unable to walk.  That's when I knew we would be making a trip to the ER.  The last thing I wanted was a weak husband that I could not lift off the floor!  (I had visions of having to call friends to help me pick him up)  He got doses of pain and nausea medications, fluids, and then the doctors observed him for a while to make sure he wasn't getting any worse. 

My poor hubby recovering in the ER

I have to say, Jimmy and I have become very efficient and good at living the "Air Force Life."  In fact, we love being a military family and I am so proud of my husband and his career.  We have adapted to living far from our families.  Now, don't get me wrong.  We miss our families so much and wish we could see them more often.  But, out of necessity, we have built our lives around being able to take care of things that others might rely on family members for.  But, all that went out the window at 2:00 Sunday morning.  As I was bundling up my 4 month old and loading him and a very sick husband into the car all I wanted was for a family member to live close by.  I would have given anything to have been able to just call a family member to come over and stay with Evan while I took Jimmy to the ER.  It would have been so much easier!  But, we got through it and were back home and in bed by 6:00am.

Jimmy is now feeling much better.  After a few days of clear liquids, Matzo Ball Soup and lots of TLC he seems to be getting back to his old self!

Four Months and Counting!

Dear Evan,

You celebrated your 4 month birthday on February 23.  Yes, I realize I'm a little late on this post.  But, as you will come to learn, your Mommy is one of the world's best procrastinators.  You have made the past four months the best 4 months of my life.  You are the most wonderful addition to our little family.  It is amazing how much Daddy and I love you and how our love for you grows more and more each day.  Here are some things you can do now that you are four months old:

• You can roll over from your back to your belly very well.  As soon as we lay you down on your back, you roll right over.  However, you still have not mastered rolling from your belly to your back and get frustrated very easily by this.
• You smile at just about everything and everybody.  You are such a happy baby!
• Your are laughing!  Your laugh is my favorite sound in the whole world.  It doesn't come with every smile and you really only laugh in reaction to something Daddy and I have done but, it is the most adorable little sound.
• You are still fascinated by your hands and fists.  They are always in your mouth.  I love driving down the road and hearing slurping sounds from the back seat because you are busy sucking on your hands!
• You discovered your feet a few weeks ago.  You love to kick them around (you have a very strong little kick!).  Especially when you are on your play mat.  You like to kick the hanging toys and watch them move around.  It is like you are trying to tell me, "Look what I can do!"
• You "talk" all the time now.  It seems like every day you have a new sound you are making. 
• You are your happiest when you first wake up for the day.  You are so talkative and expressive at that time.  Usually when I go into your room first thing in the morning I am greeted with a huge smile.  It is the best way for Mommy to start her day!
• You love bath time!  You love to splash around in your little tub and you get the biggest smile on your face when Daddy washes your hair and dribbles water down your face.
• You are so good at holding up your head now.  You are tired of laying down all the time and I can tell that you want to sit up on your own so bad.  You are so close!  Because of that, one of your favorite toys is your exersaucer.  I can put you in it and you spend all your time looking around at everything - you are so observant and try to take everything in!

4 Month Statistics

Weight:  14 pounds 5 ounces

Length:  25 inches

Head Circumference:  41 cm

Daddy gives you a bath at 8:30 and then you go to bed.  You usually sleep until 5:00am (which I love!) and I feed you and then you sleep until 8:00am.  

You eat about every 2-3 hours.  You get very distracted when you eat so I usually have to come up with clever ways to keep you feeding. 

You have grown up so much in the past 4 months and I cannot wait to find out and see everything else you are going to do!  You are an amazing little boy and Mommy and Daddy love you so much!  Here's a look at how much you have grown!

Love You With All My Heart,

Mommy

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent  I read the following in the article "Reflections on Ash Wednesday" and made me sit and think about the true meaning of this time of year. 

"We are reminded that we are all sinners and Lent is a season to repent, get our lives centered, our priorities straight, and our hearts clean.  Lent is a season of hope and with ashes on our foreheads and hope in our hearts, we go forth to love and serve." 

I brought Evan to his first Ash Wednesday Mass today.  He was so well behaved.  I am very blessed and thankful to have such a precious little boy.  He, himself, has centered my life, straightened out my priorities and cleaned my heart.  He makes me want to be a better person and strive to be the best mom I can be.

Evan and Me with our ashes.
He rubbed mosts of his off the moment he recived them.  He looked at me like, "Who is that strange man and what is he putting on my forehead?"

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

~Psalm 51:10

Here's to 40 days of no needless snacking!

Alex's Hat

When I was home on Long Island I made a cute hat for my cousin Kristen's precious little girl Alex.  I used a pattern for a simple kid's beenie hat and added my own little touches like the trim and flowers.  I love this little girl so mcuh and I'm so happy she likes her hat!  I'm calling this hat my "Alex Hat."

She is so adorable!

I miss Alex, her mom and my whole family for that matter so much and cannot wait to see them again soon!

Zoology

Jimmy and I took Evan to the zoo for the first time today.  We had so much fun!  I have to say, the San Antonio Zoo is an amazing place.  I have been to many different zoos and this one ranks up there as one of my favorites.  It has so many different species of animals and is so interactive.  It was such a fun way to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  It is so big we actually weren't able to finish walking the whole zoo.  But, that is okay - it just gives us an excuse to go back soon!  While we were there, Jimmy found out that they have a "Komodo Dragon Feeding" exhibit on Wednesdays.  I have a feeling Jimmy will be taking leave on a Wednesday in the near future and we will be making another trip!  Here are some pictures of our adventures.

 The pinkest flamingos I have ever seen.  They were making the funniest sounds which Evan loved!  He was imitating their sounds and "talking" back to them.  It was hilarious!

 Daddy and Evan watching the Flamingos

 The Spectacle Bear.  He gets his name from the white coloring around it's eyes which resembles eyeglasses.

 

A "baby" Komodo Dragon.  It was very big and scary looking for being a baby.  My baby is much cuter and cuddly!

 Evan watching the sharks in the Aquarium.  He enjoyed the Aquarium so much.  Jimmy carried him in the Baby Bjorn and he jumped up and down the whole time!

 Evan and me with a Rosemary plant in honor of our Aunt Rosemary :)

 Evan as a Butterfly.  This is my favorite picture!

Sorry Jimmy.  Your wingspan pales in comparison to that of a Condor. 

My favorite animal I saw today - a Capabara (aka HUGE Guinea Pig).

 Evan riding the Elephant!

 Sleepy Time

 Kangaroo lounging around

And of course, an outing isn't complete unless Jimmy gets a frozen beverage.

 

Exhausted after a full day at the Zoo!