Disney World!!!!

We are going to Disney World!!! I think I am the one that is the most excited. Carter gets excited when we talk about it but I'm like a 5 year old excited. I am so not a planner by anymeans and love to just go wiht the flow. However, things are so different with this trip. I want to plan out every minute of it. I want to see it all and I want my kids to have the best vacation. We aren't going until February so we have a very long time to get even more excited and plan. I think we are going to go to Disney World on Tuesday and spend 2 days in a park...thinking Magic Kingdom and Epcot and rest for another day. Then on Saturday we are going to Port Canaveral and head out to sea on a Disney Cruise!!! This will be me and the kids first cruise and first time for the kids to go out of the country. We are going with John's sister, her family and John's mom and dad and we are all in rooms right next to each other. They are actually in connecting rooms and we are directly across the hall. We have the cruise booked and deposit has been paid, however, Disney hasn't released their rates for WDW for next year yet so we haven't booked that part. I have to get back to working but had to let a little bit of my excitement out!!!!

Saying Goodbye

There has always been one man in my life that I have looked up to more than anyone on this earth and that is my PaPa. He has a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone. When I think of him I think of the way he is constantly sucking to get things out of his teeth...sounds gross but it isn't. lol I think of the way he laughs. I think about how he loves to play card games. I can even remember the way he smelled when he worked driving an oil truck. I remember playing in his garden. I remember how I would sit in his lap while he drove and he would let me "drive." I have so many memories of him and love him beyond words. I love the fact that Carter is going to remember him. Carter had so much fun sitting on his lap while PaPa would drive him around his house in his scooter. He would let Carter honk the horn. I have the stool that he made me when I moved into my own apartment. He knew I would be needing it to help me reach the tall stuff and I still use it. I smile every time I think of him.

I received a phone call from my mom today saying PaPa isn't doing too well. He has stopped eating and drinking. The doctors said they are going to stop all treatments in the next few days and are going to just keep him comfortable. As much as I didn't want to hear that I knew it was coming. His life the past few years haven't been what he would have wanted. He has always been a very active person and he had to hate the fact that his legs wouldn't let him do the things he liked to do. He fell and broke his hip on Father's Day this year and it has been down hill from there. I don't understand how something as simple as that can cause a person's body to deteriorate like this. I know he is going on to see MaMa and my Aunt Janice and they are going to be so happy to see him but it makes me so sad to see him go. PaPa was the man that was going to live forever.

So, on Sunday, on our way to San Diego, we are going to stop in Abilene. We are going to meet my mom for breakfast and I'm going to go see PaPa for what I hope isn't the last time. I don't want the boys to see him. I want Carter's memories to be what they are and I don't want that to change. However, if it is the last time I see him at least I can tell him one last time how much I love him and how much he has meant to me for thirty years.

Pumpkin Carving

John and the boys carved this years pumpkin last night. We used the biggest pumpkin of the three we got at the pumpkin patch last week. But the biggest pumpkin was still a pretty small pumpkin. Carter and Preston both had fun. Carter doesn't like to get dirty but Preston dove right in. We had to watch Preston carefully because he tried to eat it. We included Liam in on the fun but he slept the whole time in the bouncy seat.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Bill Bates Ranch Pumpkin Patch on Sunday. We have been every year for the past 3 years. It is about an hour away from our house but it is worth the drive out there. They have sheep, goats, chickens and a long horn. You are given a cup of food that you can feed to the animals. The problem is there are so many people out there that the animals are very full and don't really eat. Carter loves looking at all of the animals though. They also have a hay ride which we did last year but chose not to do it this year. We let Preston out of the stroller and let him run around. He had so much fun and loved picking up the small pumpkins. We tried to get a picture of all three boys but that is proving to be very difficult. We did manage to get someone to take a picture of the 5 of us and it turned out pretty well!

Big Day for my Dear Husband!

John and I had have a very similar upbringing in church and have grown up with those values that our parents worked hard to instill in us. That is part of what makes our relationship such a strong and happy marriage. We have the basis of Christianity as the backbone of our relationship with each other and with our children. We have been going to church together as a family with our children for a while now. We placed membership at Waterview (the church I grew up at and the church we were married in) last January. We have found a bible class that we enjoy and have learned a lot and made some great friends. We always leave church discussing what was preached and taught that morning. Carter even talks about God and what he learned. It is very exciting to be raising my family in this church environment.

John and I had talked several times over the past few months about him getting baptized. It is a very personal decision that noone else can make for you. I have known he wanted to do and I couldn't have been happier than the day he decided he was going to do it. Robert and Vickie came over a couple of weeks ago and Robert and John spoke and decided to do it within the next couple weeks. John choose tonight, August 27, 2009. We had most of our family here - Bill & Beckie (John's parents), Miles & Mary (my dad and step-mom), Grandad, Brenda (my mom) and Uncle Robert & Aunt Vickie and my cousin Brittany. And of course Preston and Carter. Robert performed the baptizm.

I am just so proud of John. I konw this will help build us up as a stronger family and lead an even better example for our boys that we are raising into men. They will look up to John for the rest of their lives and will always know that their father is a strong Christian man.

John, I love you more than words and so excited to walk this path together. I am so happy to have such a strong husband that will lead our family in the right direction for years to come. You are the best husband, father, and friend anyone could ask for! I love you!!

John's Birthday Dinner - Round Two

We celebrated John's birthday with his parents last night. John picked the restaurant Nick & Sam's. It is in Uptown and had the coolest atmosphere. Evidently it is Restaurant Week and all of the nice restaurants in Dallas booked up pretty fast so we had early reservations at 5 pm. Bill and Beckie met us at our house and we all drove into Dallas together.

We started dinner with drinks and John had his favorite vodka martini. I had the bartender make me a fruity non-alcoholic concoction that was delicous! John and Bill ordered deviled eggs for an appetizer but these weren't your typical deviled eggs. There was tuna, avacado and lobster mixed into them. I tried the one with avacado and it was very yummy. We had probably the best salad I have had in a very long time. Then is was meal time. I had a 10 oz filet and John had a 16 oz bone-in filet. We also had sauteed mushrooms and sweet potatoe fries. We finished dinner with creme broule topped with berries.

We all came back to our house and Bill and Beckie had brought over these lemon cookies that were more like cake from Nordstrom's. It was the perfect ending to a great evening!

Such a Long Weekend

My weekend started on Friday. John took the day off to stay at home with the boys. My mom was having surgery and I wanted to be there with her. I got to the hospital around 8 in the morning and she was taken back to the operating room around 9. The surgery went very smoothly. She was taken upstairs and was to be discharged the next day. I stayed at the hospital until around 7:30 that night and then went home for the evening. Who knew sitting at a hospital could be so exhausting??

On my way back to the hospital on Saturday morning, she called to tell me she was being discharged. So, I got there just in time to walk with her down to the car. :) She went home and was doing great!

John, Carter and I had haircuts that afternoon. We ate lunch and then headed to Colleyville. We spent about an hour at John's parents' house. We showed them the 3d sono and the kids played. Preston stayed at their house while we went and got haircuts. I'm sure he enjoys the one on one time with Grandma and PaPa! After haircuts, we met them at Buca di Beppo's. It was yummy!!! I could live off of Italian food! We had a great dinner but it was time to head back to Wylie and get the kids in bed.

We decided not to go to church yesterday - Preston is still on antibiotics and Carter's tummy was acting a little weird and he had a runny nose. It was so nice to sleep in!! When we did get up, we got dressed and went to Two Rows for breakfast. They had the best breakfast buffet!

Preston then had his one year old portraits that afternoon. He did such a good job!! Such a cutie! He surprised me and didn't really care that much about the cake that he was supposed to dig into. He painted his legs with the icing but he didn't want to eat it. He ended up screaming. lol So, I hope Sharon got some good shots...I can't wait to see them!

My Dad and Mary came over last night. They brought over their pictures of their vacation to Mexico along with presents for the boys. Carter got a wooden turtle and Preston got a turtle piggy bank. Carter was very excited!! We then went to Chili's and had some more good food. They have the promotion going on to get an appetizer, 2 entrees and a dessert for $20! So much yummy food!! We did a lot of eating this weekend! :)

It was such a busy weekend but a good one. This week is looking to be just as busy as I am finishing up planning Preston's First Birthday Party. My good friend Courtney and her family are coming in town Wednesday night and I can't wait to see them!! These busy weeks are making September come that much faster!!

July 4th

We celebrated July 4th over the span of a couple of days. Wylie's city fireworks show was on Thursday, July 2nd and this was our second year to go. Carter has been talking about it since we went last year, even though he hid and didn't even watch the show. Every time we drive pass the high school he mentions, EVERY TIME! He was super excited to go again and I bought him ear plugs so it wasn't too loud for him. He seems to have super sensitive hearing and the loudness is what scares him. One of Carter's friends, Hannah and her mom, met us there. We have continued on with one of John's traditions in that we brought popcorn with us. Carter and Hannah shared popcorn and had a great time! Preston seemed to like the show too. There were a couple of booms that scared him but he had a good time.

Then on Saturday, July 4th, we had our 3rd Annual 4th of July BBQ and Homemade Ice cream party. We had a house full! Bill and Beckie, my mom and Ken, Robert and Vickie, Grandad, and Paul and Brittany. John grilled hot dogs and we had pasta salad and watermelon. Then we made homemade vanilla ice cream. Bill and Beckie bring over their ice cream maker and everyone takes turns cranking it. Sure, we have an electric one but it is a lot more fun when everyone cranks. This has been my second year in a row to be exempt from cranking due to pregnancy. We did do it inside this year which was a huge plus! The ice cream was so good and is my favorite part of the day!!

- Carter sitting on top to hold it down while others cranked

- Carter cranking

- Papa getting Carter his ice cream

Cayden's 8th Birthday

Our nephew, Cayden, turned 8 last month. I can't believe he is already 8 years old!!! Carter looks up to him so much and loves when get to see him. Cayden treats Carter just like one of his friend's and plays with him. We met everyone at On the Border, which is pretty common when it comes to the McCord family. But, that is where Cayden wanted to eat. He had a great birthday and his Nana got him an Ipod Touch!

Blowing out his candle!

Cayden and Carter

Cayden showing Carter his Ipod.

Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day at our house this year. This is John's 4th Father's Day!! John's Mom and Dad came over as well as Grandad. John grilled hotdogs and sausages, Beckie made her yummy egg salad and I made a cheesecake with strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream. It was a great lunch!

I didn't know what to get John for Father's Day so I thought long and hard. John has always talked about his greatest memory as a kid was going fishing with his Dad. So, since John already has his own fishing pole, I took Carter to Walmart and let him pick out a fishing pole for himself. It was a gift for John so that he can now create memories of taking his own boys fishing. He seemed to really like it, although Carter couldn't keep it a surprise.

My cheesecake with berries. I kinda screwed up on the whipped cream and it almost turned into butter! :)

Pictures from Oregon

It has taken me so long to actually have a moment to sit down and go through all of our pictures from our trip to Oregon. Here are the best of the best! :)

Five Manning Men, Four Generations

Grandpa's and Carter's hands. It is so neat to see the difference!

The men working hard on Grandpa's computer.

Grandpa and Preston

Carter loved to go outside and sit on the porch.

The train ride was so much fun!! What a cool train!

Preston fell right asleep despite the cold and the train whistle.

Carter and Preston before the train left the station.

A REALLY big snail outside Grandpa's house.

Mount St. Helen's

Mount Hood

Preston is such a happy baby!

Preston not so happy at Tillamook Cheese Factory. I probably shouldn't post this for everyone to see but I just simply couldn't resist. He is hardly ever upset so I had to capture the moment! :)

The four of us after eating lunch at Mo's.

Colonial Golf Tournament

Every year my Father-in-law gets passes to the Colonial Golf Tournament in Ft Worth. I, personally, do not really care for golf, which is surprising considering my families involvement in golf. However, with the passes we have, we get treated to an air conditioned suite with free food and an open bar. I could care less about the open bar but bring on the free food! :) The food yesterday was sooo good. And it's nice to not have to pay $4 for a bottle of water. The waitresses just swooned over my boys. I had to tell John that he wasn't allowed to stroll through the place alone with either of the boys. They are instant chic magnets! Even when I had Preston in the restroom changing his poopy diaper, there were girls oogling over him. But who can blame them?? I mean I do have some pretty cute boys!

After we were all tired and ready to leave, we were heading to the entrance to catch the bus back to our car. Carter got to see Kenny Perry and he stopped and gave him one of his golf balls. Carter was so excited!! We will have to put it in a little box for him to keep. Unfortunately, they do not allow cameras in there otherwise I would have gotten a picture.

We ended the day with pizza at Amore's. It was such a fun filled afternoon that we hope we can continue for years to come.

Trip to Oregon

We had a great time visiting John's Grandpa in Oregon. It is neat to see four generations of Manning's under one roof!! We flew into Portland on Thursday, the 21st. The boys did such a great job!! I knew Carter would do great but was a little worried about Preston. Since he has learned to crawl the last thing he wants to do is sit in some one's lap for 4 hours. He did such a good job, though. He ate a bottle on take off and actually fell asleep on me during the flight. I haven't had him sleep on me since he was a newborn so it was a nice treat. Carter watched Scooby Do and Barney and ate chicken nuggets. There was a little girl about the same age as him sitting right in front of him so they played quite a bit between the seats.

John's parents picked us up from the airport as they flew in two days before us. Beckie picked up some baby food which was a life saver! One less thing to pack when you are traveling with a family of four is always better! They also took our Pack n' Play with them for Preston. I've always wondered why families travel with so much luggage and I now know why. I remember the days of just having one suit case! :)

Thursday night we stayed in and got settled. The kids had a hard time going to sleep that night but eventually fell asleep. The adults stayed up and played Hand and Foot.

The kids woke up bright and early at 5:45 Friday morning. I was not ready to get up as I was still trying to put Preston to sleep at 11:30 the night before. But it did allow us to get an early start. We all got dressed and headed into Portland. We ate lunch at The Original Pancake House. This was actually the ORIGINAL restaurant and it really does look like a house. After a delicious breakfast we rode the Portland Aerial Tram. It was such a clear day and could see Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. We got some great pictures of both mountains. It was fun to use our new camera!!

Saturday was the day I was looking forward to the most! We went to Tillamook Cheese Factory. We ate grilled cheese sandwiches and had Tillamook ice cream. It was so yummy!!! From there, we drove a little bit and went to a coastal town called Garibaldi. We took a train ride from Garibaldi to Rockaway Beach. The train ride is called the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. The train was pulled by a steam engine and it was so much fun! We went right along the coast the whole way. It was cold since we were right on the coast but it didn't stop Preston from going to sleep. I couldn't believe he slept the whole way there and they whole way back. He is normally such a light sleeper but he slept through all of the rumble of the train and even the whistle of the train. It was a very fun and exhausting day!

We got a much later start on Sunday. I think the kids were finally used to the time change and sleeping in an unfamiliar place. We headed out to Lincoln City which is another coastal town. We ate lunch at Mo's. There was such a long line when we got there around 1 and it was still there when we were leaving between 3 and 4. I don't think the line ever ended. Carter had four butterflied fried shrimp and ate every last one of them. It's crazy how much he loves seafood! Preston ate saltine crackers for the first time while we were there. He loved them!! I think he will really like anything we put in front of him.

After Mo's, Grandpa wanted to show us where he goes for fun...The Casino!! John's parents took care of the kids and Grandpa, John and I went in to play some slots. I was surprised at how fast you can lose money while playing penny slots. It was fun though and neat to see what Grandpa does for fun.

After only three short fun filled days, it was time for us to pack and head back home. We left Grandpa's house at 9 on Monday morning and flew back to Dallas. It is nice to be home but we definitely will miss Grandpa. The kids are still trying to adjust with all of the travel. Carter has been unusually fussy with multiple tantrums and we haven't even been home for 24 hours. Preston is excited to finally get to crawl where ever he wants. You don't really realize how baby proof your own house is until you go somewhere that isn't baby proof with a crawler! :)

I am still going through pictures and will post those as soon as I get them all downloaded.

Mother's Day 2009

Every year John plans Mother's Day for his mom, my mom and myself. He manages to keep all of the details a surprise until the day of. This year we went to the Warick Melrose Hotel in Dallas. It was beautiful. The hotel was absolutely beautiful and the brunch was amazing. They had a kids buffet with pasta, peanut butter and jelly and chicken fingers. However, Carter would rather eat shrimp and crab! I don't think he even touched the kids food.

Carter was such a big boy. He was so good the whole time! In his words he is "the best Carter in the world!" I couldn't agree more!



We are very fortunate to have both John's parents live here as well as my parents. It is so enjoyable to spend such a special day with both of our moms.



It is so nice to get to spend Mother's Day with my mom every year! She is my best friend!

The Grandmothers loved the presents that Carter made for them. I let Carter pick what he wanted to get them this year. We were driving and I asked him what he wanted to get for his Grandma and his MiMi and he thought for a minute and said "a horse puzzle." It actually took me a little bit to figure out what he was saying because it was so random. However, I obliged and I drew a horse on a piece of foam craft paper and let him paint. I let him choose the colors and everything. I then cut the horse into a puzzle. He was so proud and the Grandmothers loved it. We also made a flower with hand prints of both boys which turned out great too.

Playing at the Park

We have had the best weather this week. I wish it could be like this all year long!! After dinner on Wednesday evening we went for a walk to our neighborhood park.



He doesn't go anywhere without his shades!! When we got back home he asked to put his sunglasses back in the car so they were there when he left the house next time.