A new season

Fall is in the air...

Yay....

I am so in love. Cool weather has swept onto our heat cracked ground and brought with it the promise of mercy. I can see it everywhere. The corners of craft stores are covered in rich warm golden and maroon hues. Coffee shops and bakeries tingle senses with pumpkin spices and cinnamon apples. Fuzzy hooded jackets and soft cozy accessories from the depths of the closet slowly begin to make their journey to the front. Welcome, sweet Autumn. You've been long anticipated.

We greeted this season with a trip to the apple orchard to see the fall harvest in motion. We needed to be outdoors to truly soak in what the weather has to offer. I've never seen a child love the great outdoor as much as Hayden does. He has been this way since he was born. He becomes bright eyed when he crosses the thresh hold of our house into the great beyond. The apple orchard provided a whole playground of activity for the senses. I caught him on several occasions sitting in the sunny cool breeze feeling the fuzzy strands of his hair blow all around him. Just smiling. There's a way to steal a momma's heart. He's my little fall sponge soaking it all in. And while we didn't actually pick any apples, we did enjoy the cool air and good company of other mommies and the comforts of a new season.

And let me tell you, this kid loves an apple. We didn't part from our apple for a long while.

Autumn shall be a pleasant time for us as we prepare for travel. The next few weeks of our life shall be wild as we brace outselves for a wedding, a baby shower, another wedding, and a trip. All of life's joyous celebrations. In 4 short weeks. Fortunately for us, fall showed her comforting presence just in time. So we are ready to adventure into it, and pack along all the warm cheer it brings.

It's easy to do, when you have a traveling companion like this one.

Bring it on, October. We're ready.

I am not often good at following through with what I set out to do. My ambitious daily list of "to-do's" starts out with more than I can bite off for one day. But every morning, with the helpful companion of my moose coffee mug filled to it's brim with false promises of caffeination, I list them out in my head:

Today,

I am going to go work out

I am going to cook a good meal

I am going to pay this bill and "inquire" about the sudden increase in that one

I am going to get out of the house

I am going to attend play group

I am going to organize my cabinets and clean out the clutter

I am going to make and/or return four day old voice mails and text messages

I am going to update my blog

I am going to run these errands

I am going to... I am going to... I am going to.... And I'll go do it here soon.

Just as soon as the coffee wakes me up...

I tend to feel disappointed at the end of the day when I realize that the coffee never actually did do it's job and out of the list of 20, I accomplished....none. But it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to me. After all, I still have 4 boxes yet to be unpacked in the corner of our bedroom from our move...back in April.

Truth be told, I'm not really sure that my to-do list ideas actually matter. After all, the Lean Cuisine chicken enchilada suiza I had for dinner was surprisingly delicious. And I ran a mile and a half running around after Hayden all day. And I did leave the house today when I walked out into the backyard to water the browning leaves on the ivy plant I've neglected for a week. And well, they haven't shut off the electricity just yet... Quiet honestly, I am super woman.

All this is to say, when I forget to blog for a month, it's pretty much because my life is going no stop. But it's all with good reasoning...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reasons like...

Family time

With two of the greatest guys in the world....

And family travel...to Houston via College Station. With a little history lesson in the form of presidential libraries.

And teaching life lessons with our birthday money...

And going to "big boy" doctor visits...Now that we are one and all.

And well, just loving on each other. Alot. Because that's how we roll.

So take that productivity. I didn't need you anyway.

Promise!!

I promise promise promise promise....there will be an update by Thursday. Just you wait Haybaby fans. There's a lot of picture loving from this little guy...

1 Year and 1 Day...

The first birthday came and it went just as swiftly as it rode in. And we survived. There were no mommy tears, no grand moment of change, just a happy-lovely-kiss-the-cuteness-out-of-your-cheeks day.

Hayden had his first pancake with blueberries, because what's a birthday breakfast without a pancake? Every morsel of that pancake was pure bliss to this kid. As a matter of fact, there was a small birthday pout when it was gone. But hey, it's his birthday and he could cry if he wanted to.

And when pancakes were said and done, we had a Mommy-Daddy-baby play date on the floor. I had no idea I could have that much fun with a one year old until I watched my baby log roll all around the room for an hour straight. Laughing. Squealing. Loving being one. All I could think was "I'm so so lucky."

It wasn't a big celebration like we had at his party, but it was our little family enjoying each other and a day of pure joy.

So here we are at 1 year and 1 day. And life as I know it continues. With a one year old. It may seems mundane, but it's a good day. One year behind us.

So even on the most routine of days remember...Enjoy your cake in life. And eat it too.

About a birthday...

My big boy got his first birthday card in the mail.



And even though we've been counting down to the day, anticipating it, and waiting on it, it hasn't really hit me yet that he's turning one. We even celebrated early with cake and presents, but "the big day" was still 2 weeks off. I couldn't officially call him "ONE" just yet. He was still 11 months. But today on our daily mid-afternoon journey to the mail box, we opened it up to find a piece of mail address to Mr. Hayden Davenport. Inside that envelope we were greeted with the smiling faces of Pooh Bear, Eeyore, and Tigger all sending their birthday love to Hayden. And suddenly he seemed so big to me. He's almost one. When did this happen?? I wish time would slow down.

But we will take our "one year" and we will celebrate the heck out of it. And we will cherish our memories of the first year while we march on towards our second. We will love stronger, laugh harder, and live life fuller because everyday with Hayden has been so much more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined.

Happy almost birthday sweet boy.

Thank you Jason and Gina for the card.

(Birthday party pictures to come on Monday...)

About the rest of it...

In the mean time, as we anxiously await the arrival of Daddy coming home from work travels and the impending "birthday", Hayden and I travel. We take journeys from the playmat to the depths of the hallway and around the the kitchen. We jet abroad on the Fisher Price Airways where it's always smiling faces and friendly places. Hayden's playtime passport is full.

Of course, Hayden is the Captain while Flight Attendant Mommy delivers sippy cups and snacks. Because let's face it, being the captain is hard work. Someone has to make sure our playtime travel lands safely...

Of course, there's always some turbulence...

And a few rough landings...

But we love our playtime together. It's the most incredible journey to watch him grow and learn everyday.

Happy Tuesday.

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,

May your hands always be busy

May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation

When the winds of changes shift.

May your heart always be joyful

May your song always be sung

May you stay forever young.

I love my kid. He fills my whole heart.

Places I didn't even know that love could exist, he finds those spots and fills them as well.

And he does it all without even trying. Hayden, you are so precious to me.



Oh yea, kid. You've got it alright.

I also love Adam. Or better yet, I *lurve* him. He puts that tingly feeling in my heart.

And just when I get caught up in reality, a busy day, a tired moment, he brings that rush of love right back to me.

Thank you for loving our boy so unconditionally.

You guys are my whole world. I love you both.