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!

Talkative Brooks October 26, 2009

Brooks is becoming more and more talkative recently.  We are becoming increasingly certain that he has inherited the Homeyer loud voice.  Whether in the nursery or at daycare he seems to easily outcry and out squeel other babies. 

Here’s a good video of Brooks expressing himself during tummy time.  Enjoy!

It’s been a while… October 21, 2009

 

So it has been a good while since our last post!  Lots has been happening.  Brooks went for his 2 month check up a few weeks ago and got a great report.  He weighed 13 lbs 12 oz and was 22 5/8 inches long.  That put him in the 90 percentile for his weight and 50 percentile for his height.  He is a growing boy! 

Last week I had to take him back to the doctor for an eye infection and in one week he gained 9 oz and was 14 lbs 5 oz. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems like every few days brings something new with Brooks.  A new little sound, better head control, more responsive smiles, and continually trying to roll over.

Now that he is a bit older we are really enjoying getting to take him out, show him off, and begin exposing him to new experiences.  One of my favorite parts of my week has become taking him to church with me before Sunday school and holding Brooks while I greet everyone as they arrive at Fellowship on Sunday mornings.

Not only does this score me MAJOR points, it really is a lot of fun to start forming his relationships with those that will be his family of faith. 

This past weekend we went to Rockport with my parents, but that is fodder for another post.  The weekend before last we ventured to Krause Springs, one of our favorite spots in the area, with Kelley’s parents and her sister Amy. 

We were about 2 months too late in the year to properly enjoy Krause Springs, but it was a lot of fun seeing the beautiful springs and pool and cooking some hotdogs.  Below are some pictures of the outing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brooks goes to school October 4, 2009

We have entered a new phase of life now as my maternity leave officially came to an end last week.  It was a wonderful time spent at home with Brooks, but we must learn to function as I go back to work part-time for Marble Falls ISD.  About two weeks before I was to return to work I got a call from the First Baptist Church Christian School letting me know that they had an opening in their infant room.  I was so excited!  We got on the waiting list there soon after we found out I was pregnant, but they told us they probably wouldn’t have a spot until Brooks turned two…so we made other arrangements.  I felt okay about what we had worked out, but was not super excited about it.  So, I feel that it was definitely an answer to prayer that a spot opened up for him at First Baptist when it did.

Brooks' first day of school!

I will only be working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays, but I took Brooks for the morning on Monday so I could get my initial tears over with before I actually had to function at work.  It was pretty hard to leave him, but I knew it was only until lunchtime.  I kept myself busy by giving my house a good cleaning for the first time since Brooks arrived(It’s already pretty dirty again   )  About 11:45 Matt and I went to pick Brooks up together.  He, of course, had had a great time and done really well.  He has two teachers in his class, Ms. Lajuana and Ms. Elizabeth.  They are both wonderful and have worked in the baby room for a LONG time so they will definitely have a thing or two to teach Matt and me about baby care! 

The rest of the week was not too bad.  In some ways it was nice to be back at work, but I did miss my little man terribly.  I kept this picture as my screen saver and visited it frequently. 

One of the hardest moments of the week was when I was unpacking and organizing my desk.  I found a ruler that I had kept out on my desk last year while I was pregnant so that each week I could see and show my students how big Brooks was.  When we first learned of his presence he was only 1.7 centimeters!  It was crazy to think how far we’ve come since that first week of December when we first heard his little heart beating. 

I think that Brooks will really enjoy his class.  There are a total of 9 babies and most of them are a lot older and much more mobile than him.  Four will actually be moving up to the next class in the next month, so he’ll get to make even more new friends when those spots are filled with new babies.  But for now these babies think that Brooks is a new form of entertainment.  They love to walk/crawl over to him and check him out.   He loves to watch them play and smile back at them. 

I had been having trouble getting Brooks to nap in his crib.  He seemed to prefer his bouncer or something more upright than the bed.  It didn’t take Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Lajuana long to figure out the secret to crib sleeping.  The third day when I picked him up, they had him swaddled up so snuggly and had put a little vibrator machine in the crib and he had gone to sleep instantly.  They have since used this as their nap tactic for Brooks when he’s not in a swing.  Anyway, that night I tried swaddling him when he went to bed.  He had been sleeping pretty well in the crib at night but still woke up every few hours.  BUT, the next two nights he slept for six and five hours in a row!  Last night he slept from 12 until 6 (with only one pacifier intervention around 3).  This is progress for us!  I told you they would teach us a thing or two about babies! 

I am so greatful that I get to work part-time this year, and after knowing what it’s like to be away from Brooks, I have not slighted him on the number of hugs and kisses I’ve given him the past few days.  When I picked him up on Thursday afternoon, there was a sign on the door informing me that there had been a confirmed case of swine flu in his class.  Since Friday afternoon he has had a very runny nose with lots of sneezes and coughs.  So, this paranoid mom is keeping him quarantined for a while to make sure it doesn’t turn into anything more serious.  Hopefully he’ll be doing better when he has to go back on Tuesday.  In the meantime, Matt and I are spending lots of quality time with our little man. 

Mam-maw and Aunt Linda Visit! September 30, 2009

 We’re a bit behind on our blog posts.  Life tends to get a little busy with a little one around.  This week Kelley started back to work and Brooks subsequently started daycare at FBC.  Elizabeth and Lajuana take great care of him and he seems to enjoy watching the other kids that are a few months older than him and are crawling around. 

It is very odd to think of him having all these experiences during the day without us around.  Although it is a common experience for parents and it shouldn’t surprise us, there is a sadness to it.  More on that in another post.

Last week Aunt Linda brought my Mam-maw fom Longview to meet Brooks.  Neither Mam-maw or Aunt Linda have had a chance to meet Brooks yet, so it was a great time for all of us. 

Brooks did NOT take to Mam-maw at first.  Truthfully, they arrived on an afternoon where he was fussy, but the next day brought lots of quality time with Aunt Linda, Mam-maw and Brooks.  I was able to take the day off and my mom was able to take the day off and come up and join the festivities as well. 

Here are some pictures from the visit.

 

                    

 

 

Above are some good ones of Mam-maw and Brooks.  Now Brooks has met all of his great-grandparents!

 

 

                                                                                                                              

 

Here is Aunt Linda and Brooks.  I should note at this point, that Uncle Ken also made the trip and got to spend a good time with Brooks before Linda and Mam-maw arrived.  He had an administrative retreat at Camp Buckner and wasn’t able to hang out on Wednesday.  We don’t get to see them nearly enough, so it was great to have a full day to hang out. 

 

 

Here is one of Mam-maw with her kiddos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one of Brooks with the ladies.  We will be gathering back in Marble Falls for Thanksgiving the Mom, Mam-maw, Aunt Linda, Uncle Ken, and the rest of the Hall Clan.  It promises to be a good time!