We made it to a Half Birthday! January 28, 2010

Last Friday marked a big milestone for us…Brooks’ Half Birthday!!  We now have a 6 month old baby which is so hard to believe!  As every parent of babies says, “He’s growing SOO fast.”  It’s cliché but crazy how true it is.  Brooks is now sitting up on his own and enjoying this new vantage point.  He will entertain himself really well if he is surrounded by enough interesting toys or burp rags or socks…these are his favorite things to put in his mouth.  And though you can’t tell by looking at this picture, there is new hair beginning to fill his little bald spot that he’s rubbed from laying down all these months!

Brooks now has two budding bottom teeth that he shows off with a good smile.  He is eating an ever-expanding repertoire of veggies and fruits and he has yet to meet one that he isn’t a fan of.  He continues to love eating as you can tell by looking at his cheeks.  He has tripled his birth weight at 6 months (18lbs, 4oz).  All the books say he should have doubled it by now, so we think he’s doing okay!           

We also found out this week that Brooks has been holding his own bottle at daycare for several weeks now.  It’s funny because he’s never given us any indication here at home that he was capable of this so we were surprised to walk in and find him doing this one day! 

Matt and I both have Fridays off and these have become cherished days at our house.  There is usually some work to be done either at Matt’s office or around the house, but we do get to be a little more lazy than normal and spend some time together as a family.  Matt and Brooks have even had some good male bonding moments such as this one…

As you can tell by the ridiculous amount of pictures we have of this little dude, we are very much in love with him and wouldn’t trade the last 6 months for anything.  Happy half-birthday Brooks Matthew!!!

An Eventful Christmas! January 11, 2010

Brooks’s first Christmas turned out to be a very extended celebration.  It began on the weekend before Christmas with  a trip to Kenedy to celebrate Christmas with the Homeyer clan.  Unfortunately, Maw-maw (my grandmother) fell and broke her hip earlier in the week and was in a rehab facility the entire time.  Brooks and I were able to visit her and we still were able to have a great time with the family.

Brooks got to meet his little cousin, Samantha, as did Kelley and I.  We were able to see the whole family, I got to hunt and play a little bit at the ranch, and Kelley, my mom, Mallory, Amy, and Kayce got to go see The Lion King at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio. 

It was a great beginning to a memorable Christmas. 

Below is my mom with Brooks as we opened presents and one with Brooks with Aunt Mallory all tuckered out after opening presents.                                                                                                                                                                                                          

As you can see Brooks is surrounded by loot, and this was the first of several celebrations!

On the Sunday before Christmas we headed to Georgetown to see Terry sing in their church’s Christmas Cantata.  Their church just built a new sanctuary and both the building and the music were beautiful. 

That night we had Christmas with Kelley’s parents and siblings.  Brooks, again, made out like a bandit.  He got his first football, his first laptop, and a reindeer that he loved!

Aunt Amy got him some very creative books we are excited about as well!

On Christmas Eve we packed up the car with the mancub and all his assorted gear, the pup, lots of presents, and ourselves and headed to Vernon to spend Christmas with the Grafs and Hardcastles.  We left knowing full well that it was snowing in Vernon.  It started snowing as we bought kolaches at the Czech Stop in West, TX.  The snow continued as we drove north towards Ft. Worth.  Just as we were getting into Ft. Worth, Kelley’s parents (who were about 100 miles ahead of us) called to say that the snow and ice were getting so bad they were turning around and that we should get a hotel room in Ft. Worth. 

So, a bit disappointed, we stopped at the Hilton Garden Inn in north Ft. Worth. 

As Kelley’s parents were trying to turn around, a mile or so ahead of them two big rigs jack-knifed and shut down HWY 287.  They ended up sitting in their car waiting for the wreck to be cleared for 7 hours!  It got down to 8 degrees and they ended up spending the night in a shelter in Bellevue, TX. 

As disappointed as we were about not being in Vernon, we were very thankful to be in a hotel room with the little one and not with Terry and Melinda!

We woke up Christmas morning and had Christmas in the hotel room and got Brooks out in the snow for the first time. 

We still had hope for making it to Vernon on Christmas morning, but no wreckers and no snow plows were going to be running along most of the road we had to take to get there, so we, along with Terry and Melinda, were forced to head south back to Georgetown and Marble Falls. 

It was very disappointing, but we ended up having a nice time spending Christmas with Terry and Melinda in Georgetown. 

Unfortunately, we forgot our camera and didn’t get any pictures of the snow or of Brooks in his insulated coveralls in the snow.  The highlight of the trip, for me, was waking up in the middle of the night in the hotel room and seeing that Max, whom we had snuck into the hotel room, had commandeered half of Brooks’s pallet and was snuggled up back-to-back with Brooks.  It was adorable…and we had no camera. 

 

 

 

After Church on the Sunday after Christmas, we decided to make  a second attempt at Vernon!  This time we made it and had a great time celebrating with everyone up north.  Amy and Aaron decided to stay since we were going to be coming.  We made it to Vernon just in time for Brooks to watch the Cowboys with Ma Genie. 

It was a fast and furious trip, but we got to visit with everyone while we were there.  Brooks got to see his cousin Kirby again.  They had a little face-off, but I don’t think Brooks is quite ready for Kirby’s enthusiasm!

            

We got to see Donna and Randal and Brooks got to meet his cousin Chase for the first time.  When we packed up the car to head back home, we had to rearrange to make room for even more presents for Brooks.  He made out really well on his first Christmas.  We left Vernon at 10 and it was already snowing there by 12 and snowed all day so we made it out just in time!  It was a crazy week and not quite how we had envisioned Brooks’ first Christmas, but it was memorable!    

Thanksgiving January 2, 2010

It’s hard to even know where to begin after not posting for so long!  Going all the way back to Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful time with my mom’s side of the family at Camp Buckner, between Burnet and Kingsland.  This was wonderful for us since we both didn’t have to drive far AND didn’t anyone staying with us!  Ha. 

Inexplicably, we didn’t take our camera and captured zero pictures.  Thanks to cousin Kevin for sending a few pictures of all the kids together. 

Here are Brooks’s second (or is it 3^rd?) cousins.  Cooper, Connor, Elliott, and Alli Grace. 

The weather was perfect for the weekend and I really can’t imagine how Thanksgiving could have been any better.  We ate way to much, visited a lot, played a family kickball game, and got to hike and explore the beautiful hill country. 

A small stream runs right behind the cafeteria at Camp Buckner.  It provided great fun for all! 

It was the first time for my cousin Kayce, Kevin, and their families to meet Brooks, which was awesome.  Kayce’s daughter, Elliott, is 3 and is unbelievably cute and was quite enamored with Brooks.  On the first night she kept staring at him while he slept in his car seat, and after a while asked her mom, “Can I pet him?”  IT was hilarious.

The next day she strode over to Kelley and confidently asserted, “I think Brooks loves me.” 

 

Here are Tessa and I playing with Brooks while everyone plays outside. 

And here the whole gang is gathered for lunch on Thanksgiving Day!  It was quite a spread!

It was a great Thanksgiving and the first time the whole Hall side of the family has been together in a couple of years!

Advent Conspiracy December 1, 2009

I wrote this for Fellowship’s newsletter this week.  Thought some of you might enjoy it.  If any of you friends who read this would like to receive our newsletter and keep up with what’s going on, email me and I’ll get you on the email list.

The most impacting sermon I’ve ever heard was given by Tony Campolo on a Tuesday morning during Chapel while I was in seminary.  During the sermon, while talking about materialism, Campolo posited that the greatest challenge most of us face around Christmas time is this:  What do you get the person who has everything?

                Campolo asserted that, obviously, the answer is, “Nothing!”  Why spend time and energy buying a person something they don’t need, won’t use, and will soon forget about? 

                That year Kelley and I decided we would stop stressing about what to get each other for Christmas.  We realized we were spending large amounts of energy and resources buying each other gifts we really didn’t need.  Instead, each year, over and above our tithe, over and above what we give for missions, over and above what we give for Angel Tree gifts or Operation Christmas Child gifts, we each would pray over and choose a worthy cause to donate to in lieu of buying each other presents. 

                The first year I looked through Buckner International’s gift catalogue (http://donate.bucknerfoundation.org/Page.aspx?pid=1074) and gave to support orphans I had worked with in Russia.  Kelley gave through Heifer International (www.heifer.org) and gave a goat to a family in Africa that would provide milk and some income for them.  Each year it has become a way for Kelley and I to worship and be reminded of what Christmas is truly about. 

                Over the past few years there is a movement called Advent Conspiracy (www.adventconspiracy.org) which challenges people to give one less present for Christmas each year and instead, use that money to give to someone who truly needs it. 

                These words are on Advent Conspiracy’s webpage,

“The story of Christ’s birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

 So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. 

And when it’s all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of miss.  Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.”

                Their aim is to lead people to worship more, spend less, give more, and love all during the season of Advent leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth.  I think it is a worthy aim for all of us to shoot for. 

                There is great joy in the giving and receiving of presents.  It is a beautiful tradition that promotes generosity, service, and love.  But for those gifts we give out of obligation, for the gifts intended for the people who have everything, for the gifts that cause more stress than joy, consider giving in a different fashion this year. 

Spend the time and energy it takes buying some of these present praying and visiting with your spouse or other loved one about your passions and where you might give.  Make it a tradition for you and your children or grandchildren, to discuss, research, pray about, and decide together to give to some worthy organization or people.  Give in honor of the person who has everything and can’t be bought for, give in memory of a loved one who we truly miss during this time of year. 

Extend the blessing of all of the giving and receiving during this Christmas season beyond a closed circle of family and friends. 

                May we all strive to Worship More, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All this Christmas season. 

To stimulate the thinking and praying of those who join me in this challenge, below are a few websites of organizations that are close to my heart. 

 

Buckner Gift Catalogue – http://donate.bucknerfoundation.org/Page.aspx?pid=1074

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – http://www.imb.org/main/give/ (this offering is being taken up at Fellowship each Sunday of December)

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship World Mission Offering – http://www.thefellowship.info/OGM

Living Water International – http://www.water.cc/

Compassion International – http://www.compassion.com/

Heifer International – www.heifer.org

Whirlwind Weekend November 18, 2009

Last weekend was a nonstop, fun-filled few days.  It all started when we made plans to meet up with our good friends Melissa and John in Waco so they could meet Brooks.  Since we love Waco so much, we decided that we needed to make more than a day trip out of it.  We got there Friday around lunchtime and began our weekend hitting up a few of our favorite spots to eat (Vitek’s gutpack for Matt and Food for Thought for me.)  We headed over to eat at Mallory’s so she could get some quality time with Brooks.  He loved all the fun things there were to see at her house. 

When we left Mal’s we headed over to Truett Seminary and showed Brooks where we got married.  Then we headed upstairs and introduced Brooks to Teresa Muirhead, a good friend from Hubbard, and to Dr. Cook(who is Matt’s best friend Graham’s dad as well as an incredible mentor to Matt.)  He was a big hit for everyone at Truett!  After that we headed on over to Graham and Storey’s for the night.  Brooks and Cambell got to bond a little better than last time they met.  Cambell was even saying Brooks’ name before we left on Saturday morning!  The two even had a little pajama party. 

We always enjoy getting to spend time with the Cooks!  Here are the kiddos with their daddies!  Brooks and Cambell were much more interested in the Backyardigan’s on the TV than they were smiling for the camera. 

When we left the Cook casa it was time to head to our designated meeting spot with Melissa and John….NINFA’S!!!  If you’re not familiar with Waco, Ninfa’s is a fantastic Mexican food place downtown.  It was a favorite during our Baylor years!  We didn’t have our camera when we were in Ninfa’s, but Brooks LOVED it.  There are neon lights everywhere that were fascinating to him, not to mention his newfound love for the Vittas’s.  After stuffing ourselves, we headed over to Baylor’s campus to show Brooks (and John) around our old stomping grounds.  It was a special time as Brooks and John got to meet the Baylor Bear for this first time together!

We loved showing off Baylor to Brooks.  We like to think that he’s fallen in love with it already even though this is what he was doing during most of the tour:

We were really excited to show Brooks the swing where Matt and I got engaged in front of Waco Hall, but sadly when we got to the spot, the swing was gone.  We’re not really sure why it wasn’t there.  All the other swings were still in their spots.  All that was left were the chains that used to hold our swing.  We were pretty disappointed.

John and Mel had some good bonding time with the little one.

 

It was a good first visit to Baylor, probably the first of many for the little man.  Maybe next time he’ll show a little more enthusiasm in all the pictures we take of him! 

Saturday also happened to be my Dad’s 60th birthday so we headed to Round Rock to have dinner at the Salt Lick with my family to celebrate.  Pop really wanted to take Brooks on a Ferris Wheel that was near the restaurant, but we had to decline.  We really needed to head home after our long two days. 

This was a pretty busy weekend for us, but it wasn’t over yet!  Sunday morning Brooks and I hopped in the car to head to Kenedy for a shower to celebrate Brooks’ new cousin, Samantha Lynn.  We had a great time seeing all the Homeyer family and Brooks and I did pretty well on our first solo trip.  He was a trooper and slept really well MOST of the time we were in the car.  He even got an early Christmas present from GJ and Bebob…a new exersaucer!  I put it together Monday and it’s awesome!!! Brooks loves it! 

It was a fantastic weekend, but we’re not too sad that we have no big plans this weekend!  We’re going to do a lot of relaxing at HOME!

Giggling Rollover November 12, 2009

WARNING!!!  Only watch these videos if you find babies incredibly cute. 

Here are a couple videos we’ve captured over the past week or so.

One thing Brooks consistently loves is bathtime each night.  When you start peeling off his clothes he begins to coo and giggle and smile.  It has become one of our favorite times of the day as a family.  Perhaps our bathtime ritual is fodder for another post! 

In the meantime, enjoy this video of Kelley making Brooks laugh before bathtime. 

Brooks is almost rolling over!  He rolls onto his side constantly but just can’t figure out what to do with his bottom arm.  Here is a video of him really trying to roll over and me encouraging him in an inexplicably, consistently high voice. 

A Good week to be a Bear November 11, 2009

It’s a good week to be a Baylor Bear.

First, BU football upset Missouri on Saturday to the shock and surprise of even Baylor’s most faithful supporters.  Sic Em.

Second, our women’s basketball team kicked off play this weekend.  Some may scoff at BU’s excitement, but when the highlight of the fall thus far is a “shocking upset” over a very mediocre Missourri football team, the sight of a signature Kim Mulkey pants suit is absolutely thrilling, as is our high ranking, as is our no 1 recruiting class coming in, AS IS the presence of All world recruit Brittany Griner who threw down a nifty dunk while posting up a girl (that’s right, no fast break cheap dunk like Candace Parker and a few others are able to do) in the Lady Bears first game. 

Girls play Tennessee on Nov 15th which should be a fun test. 

Three, BU men’s basketball is right around the corner (Saturday).  With the loss of a lot of experience talent and the gain of even more young talent mixed in with a good amount of experienced talent, it is hard to know what to expect.  Lots of talent, but lots of questions. 

Still, BU used up a year’s worth of injuries during football season, so they should be able to play fearlessly. 

Four, today it was announced that the Lady Bears signed the No 2 overall recruit in the nation and the Bears signed the No 3 overall recruit in the country for the 2010-11 season.   

It’s a good week to be a Bear.

Wonderful Weekend November 10, 2009

This weekend was a very busy but very wonderful weekend.  Sunday was Brooks’s baby dedication (pics and full description in subsequent post).  Both sets of grandparents, four of the six great-grandparents, all the aunts and uncles, and many friends were able to worship at Fellowship Sunday as we dedicated Brooks and his buddy Reed to God and dedicated ourselves to raise them to be passionate followers of Christ.  It was a most excellent morning. 

On Saturday those who were able gathered at the Homeyer household to go on our bi-annual excursion to one of our absolute favorite places, Sweetberry Farm.   Our good friends Dan and Gretchen Copeland own and run Sweetberry Farm.  In the spring they have acres of strawberries and blackberries to pick.  They have horserides, a cornfield maze, incredible homemade ice cream, hayrides, petting zoo, and the list goes on…It is a fun place just to go people watch as it is packed hundreds of families on their busy days, all having a wonderful time. 

In the fall Dan imports tons of different types of pumpkins and it is a wonderful fall atmosphere.  We took Brooks (along with Aunt Amy, GJ and BeBob) to experience Sweetberry Farm for the first time and to take some sweet pictues with some pumpkins.  Here are the fruits of our efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During our trip we discovered one thing:  Brooks hates pumpkins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He cried. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kid ignored the kids. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And he pouted much of the time…but was very cute doing it all! 

 

It was a great weekend.  More to come soon.

Happy Halloween! November 1, 2009

Brooks had an eventful first Halloween (as did his parents!)  He was the cutest monkey you ever saw!

Despite the fact that he is only 3 months old and cannot eat candy, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to dress him up!  Sassy and Pop came over after lunch to see him and witness his monkey debut.  Unfortunately he was not his most charming self while they were here, but we did put the costume on him for a few minutes before they left so they could see it.  Brooks then took a nap so he would be in a better mood.  Once he was up, we had to rush to get him dressed again so we could get to the First Baptist Fall Fest in time.  Here he is in the car seat ready to go.

We strolled through the Fall Fest and got lots of compliments on our monkey.  We then proceeded to do some Trick-or-Treating.  Our Trick-or-Treating was a little different, as we did not want candy from anyone but simply a picture of Brooks with those that we visited…this was an effort to help protect mine and Matt’s waistline as well!  We tried  to visit Jerry and Carolyn Edwards, but they were not home, so we went ahead and took a picture in their driveway anyway!  We then went down the street to Mrs. Euda Raley’s.  She had her house locked up and was not planning on taking visitors, but who could resist this monkey at their door?  She was also not thrilled about us taking her picture, but we had to!  We tried to visit a few others who weren’t home before we made it over to the Gurganus’s to get some pictures of Brooks with baby Deegan who was also a monkey!

We then headed over to Meadowlakes where we showed Brooks off to several of our friends including the Stanleys!

By this time Brooks was getting a little tired of how much we were enjoying ourselves and he was ready to go home. He crashed pretty soon after we got him in the car.

Matt and I swung by Sonic to get some 50 cent Halloween corndogs (since we hadn’t had any candy all night!) and by the time we got home, Brooks was ready for a little monkey business!

It was a great first Halloween.  We were a litte disappointed we didn’t get any of Brooks’ really good smiles while he was in his costume, so I guess we’ll just have to put it on him again another time for a photo shoot!  Happy Halloween!!!

Rockport October 27, 2009

Weekend before last we spent the weekend with my parents in Rockport.  The Homeyer Clan has been going to Rockport since well before I was born.  Growing up my family, my grandparents (sometimes both sets), my Aunt Robbin and my cousins all would go to the Sandollar Motel for a few days and fish and swim and have a great time. 

Mom and Dad rented a Condo at Kontiki Condo’s, where the family has stayed the past few years and we jumped at the opportunity to join them and introduce Brooks to this time honored Homeyer tradition.  The cousins weren’t able to make it (thanks Gina!) and Mallory wasn’t either (thanks Jouleen!), but Maw-maw and Paw-paw were able to join us on Saturday for the day. 

Here are a few pictures and a video from the weekend. 

 

Dad and I attempted to fish…and I emphasize “attempted.”  Still, it was beautiful out on the bay Saturday morning and we had a good time.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were so happy Maw-maw and Paw-paw could join us on Saturday.  Although we missed the rest of the family, it has been a long time since we got to spend a whole day with just them.  As soon as Maw-maw arrived she took Brooks and he promptly napped in her arms for almost 2 hours!  She must have arms of steel!

As you can tell from the above picture on the right, Brooks was the centerpiece of the weekend’s entertainment!  Surprise, surprise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brooks was in a particularly smiley mood throughout the weekend.  It made the weekend that much more fun.  He seemed to like his first experience of sand between his toes…although admittedly, his range of reactions is rather narrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we are relaxing on the patio.  I love getting the 4 generation pictures whenever we can.  Very special. 

It was a great weekend away relaxing on the coast and spending time with mom and dad.  Here’s a video captured on the patio.  Take special note all the way until the end and you will catch my dad enacting his famous “cast net dance”

It is a hoot!