Adventures in Austin

A springy winter...

2012-01-30T21:27:00.000-06:00

It has been a mild winter so far in Austin and Kyle & I have been trying to enjoy it before it gets to be scorching again! We like to have our Sundays be a day of rest. We typically go to church and then come home and take a family nap and then spend the rest of the day trying to be as relaxed as possible. This sounds nice, unless you also have a 14 month old in your life and then you will realize that "relaxing" is a thing of the past. We used to enjoy our lazy Sundays to rest and recover for the week ahead. Now we just try to keep Knox occupied and happy while resting as much as possible. All that to say that we decided to forgoe staying home and listening a bored toddler whine. Post family nap, we headed out to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to enjoy the free January admission. After our trip I would like to note that it is probably free in January because there are absolutely no wildflowers to be found. Just a side note. But we still got out of the house and enjoyed the warm, sunny weather.

I know I am biased, but seriously this kid is photogenic and cute to boot!

He found a hidden door and was HIZYPED!!!

One of our pre-baby purchases that we have utilized the most is a carrier backpack. Knox loves riding around in the backpack and we use it almost daily for walks. I got some good pics of Kyle & Knox enjoying some backpack time together!

We taught Knox to give head scratches...

Giving Dad a kiss

The boys puckering up for their kiss

Like father like son- these two are total hams!

Two happy guys!

It was a fun Sunday! It is supposed to be rainy and cold this weekend so good thing we got out while we could!

-Stacie

Roomie Weekend

2012-01-27T12:39:00.001-06:00

Every year since I graduated college (I am afraid to admit how many that is now- yikes!) my two roomies & I have gotten together for a reunion weekend. We've met in Seattle, San Antonio, Houston and Austin. Now that we all live in the same state again, we've been able to get together more than once a year and it has been so fun for all of our kiddos to get to know each other. Between the three of us there are 5 children- 2 under the age of one. Becca brought her little man Hunter (7 months) and Meredith brought her newbie Presley (4 months).

Knox supervising his little buddies playing on his mat

Here we are with the youngest of the kiddos

I was able to get some pictures of sweet little Hunter while he was here as well. What a doll he is! Just so happy and sweet.

Who doesn't love a baby butt?

It was fun to get to hang out and have the little guys all together. It was a bit of chaos with three nap schedules and three feeding schedules but still a really fun time. We spent hours talking, ate ice cream, too many cookies and watched a movie. All and all a perfect roomie weekend.

-Stacie

Beasley

2012-01-17T14:14:00.000-06:00

It hasn't been until recently that I started to notice that I no longer have a baby, but a toddler. Not someone who only needs me to provide them with the basics of food, milk and love to help them survive. Now I have someone who still needs those things but he also has an opinion and his personality is starting to show through. Before he would just sit in a corner and coo and now he is running around the house and using words to tell me what he wants! These things have happened quickly, almost before I even realized it.

All that to say that my little man has a best-friend. He has known Blythe since he was born, but now he is old enough to voice his opinion and his opinion is that he likes her. Most other babies that he comes in contact with he kind of just plays "around" but not "with". But Blythe is different. When they are together that get into mischief together and actually interact with each other. It is so cute to watch his first real friendship form.

It's not a date without a meal!

This little girl is hyped about life!

The Mickey Truck is top of the toy list over here...

Knox & Blythe exploring some toys

Buddies

We joke that one day maybe they will get married. Probably they will grow up to think of each other as brother and sister. But then one day they will realize that they were meant to be together and then "bang" true love! I am totally sure that is how these things work...

-Stacie

He's Back!!

2012-01-09T09:46:00.000-06:00

Felipe is back! You may or may not remember Felipe from 2010. But he met an unfortunate end one evening when someone stole him from our front yard. While in his Santa costume no less! After much searching he is finally back home where he belongs (thanks to my sweet husband this was my b'day gift last week). Safe in our backyard. Welcome back to the family Felipe!

13 months and lovin' it

2012-01-03T22:04:00.000-06:00

Yes he is! Go get it buddy!

Our Christmas

2012-01-02T14:49:00.002-06:00

This Christmas was a fun one with Knox. Last year he was only a few weeks old, so even though it was sweet, it wasn't very memorable for him. This year was a different story. Knox loved opening gifts and playing with the boxes and wrapping paper. We traveled to Spokane to be with Kyle's family for Christmas and once we got there (I will tell that story in a minute) we had a really great week. Knox adjusted well to the time zone and proceeded to sleep in every day last week (Merry Christmas to us!). So it truly felt like a vacation. We spent a lot of time just relaxing at Kyle's sister's house with her two kiddos and all of their new and exciting toys. It was a low-key, relaxing week and we were sad to leave on Friday. But Sally, Heather, Marek and McKenna will all be here for Spring Break- so we'll be together again before we know it!

Now for our travel saga. We left for Spokane on Thursday evening, Dec. 22nd. Our flight flew out of Austin at 7pm and we were scheduled to have a 45 minute lay-over in Denver and then on to Spokane. Well, that afternoon Denver got a snow storm, so our flight out of Austin was delayed going into Denver. We were scheduled to land at the same time our next flight was scheduled to leave. We were told that the airlines would hold our flight because there were plenty of other people in the same predicament. We arrived in Denver at 9:28 pm and our flight left as scheduled at 9:20 pm- without us. Once we landed it was apparent that there were hundreds of other people who had missed their various connections as well and we were instructed to stand in the customer service line to get help. After waiting in the line for 45 minutes without moving an inch, I went to find help. With Knox as my sympathy points we headed off to the nearest ticket counter. I was informed that we had missed to last flight out to Spokane and the next available flight was on Sunday afternoon (ie- Christmas Day). That was 2 days away! What about back to Austin? I asked. Monday- they could get us back to Austin on Monday. Here is where I started to get a little upset. Long-story short- we were put on stand-by for a 1am flight to Seattle which we found out at 12:50 that we were 2 of only 3 people off of standby who got on. We arrived in Seattle at 3am with no flights going to Spokane in the next 24 hours. Then, we met a group of strangers in the same predicament. And together 10 strangers all rented a 12 passenger van at 3 am and drove 5 hours across a mountain pass to Spokane. We arrived in Spokane at 8am on Friday morning and Kyle's mom picked us up at the airport! It was an insane trip to make alone let alone with a 13 month old, but we did it and Knox was a trooper! Whew- we learned our lesson though. No more Denver airport in the winter. Next time we are flying through Phoenix no matter how much more it costs!

Here is our Christmas photo montage!

The whole family!

Fun in Spokane

Christmas Day Action

Knox's new Llama Rocking Horse! Best gift ever!!

Knox loved ripping all the paper off the packages

Miss McKenna

Knox's first look at snow!

Christmas Eve reindeers

Cousins! Only 13 months apart, they are buddies already!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas too!

-Stacie

Christmas & Santa

2011-12-20T21:38:00.000-06:00

The verdict is still out on how much Santa will be a part of Knox's childhood. I never believed in Santa and Kyle did- so we have a house divided. But, I am not opposed to the idea of Santa and am willing to play along for the sake of the child :)

Today, I took Knox to see his first Santa. It would be a lie if I said that I did this for him, I did not. I was pretty certain how it would go, but I figured there was no harm in trying to get a Santa photo for histories sake. Knox may not agree one day when he looks back at this photo. Part of me laughs when I see it and part of me cringes because poor guy was seriously sad.

It almost seems like child abuse, but I promise that he only sat there for about 10 seconds and immediately stopped crying when I picked him up. I tried to do some Christmas shopping after this but I think Knox was still ticked at me and he refused to cooperate. However, some very nice person stopped and asked if I wanted a picture with Knox since I was taking pictures of him. So thoughtful and I was excited to get a picture of the two of us! We don't have too many of these...

Here's to hoping next year's visit will go better!!

-Stacie

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-20T12:33:00.000-06:00

Once you have a child, I think you really start thinking about what traditions you'll have in your own family. I have mine from growing up and Kyle has his, but now we definitely need "ours" to give to Knox. We have some- we always open our stockings and gifts together (just the two of us) before we fly out to Spokane. We also make our "christmas nachos" and watch Jim Carrey's "The Grinch". We also read a daily advent book together each night in the weeks leading up to Christmas. So, this year we have started a new tradition. Heading down to 37th street to look at the lights. We stopped by last year, while Knox thankfully slept in the back. But this year, we got Knox all ready in his PJs with his bedtime milk and walked around and looked at all the lights as a family. It was sweet (and also kind of weird- there was a stuffed animal petting zoo- SO Austin...) and one of the many traditions that I am sure we will have as a family.

-Stacie

Photoshoot with the McClures

2011-12-15T09:50:00.001-06:00

Thanks to our friends the McClure's for letting me take their pictures! As always it was really fun to get the chance to try and capture a family moment. Their two sweet kiddos did great and didn't mind having their pictures taken at all! We have known Mike & Michelle since we lived in Virginia, so they are long-time friends of ours. After the mini-photoshoot we got to catch up, watch the kiddos play (or in Knox's case- destroy) and enjoy some "adult" time after all the little ones went to bed. It was a great evening!

-Stacie

He's a sneaky little bugger...

2011-12-09T14:54:00.000-06:00

Knox figured out how to open the freezer door. He also figured out how to get the frozen chocolate out of the wrapper...

We should probably buy stock in child safety products because we now own a refrigerator lock, dishwasher lock, oven lock and toilet seat lock. All I have to say is thank goodness he's cute :)

Head Scratcher

2011-12-06T21:33:00.002-06:00

Photography thoughts and a photoshoot

2011-12-06T13:30:00.000-06:00

For awhile now I have been working on my photography. As I shared in an earlier post, I took photography for a few years in high school and absolutely LOVED it. But then I went off to college and got on with my life and didn't really give it much thought. I spent most of my 20's trying to decide what type of "career" I wouldn't hate and never did manage to figure that one. But thankfully, the Lord blessed us with our sweet Knox and I was able to stay home and take care of him. Since then, I have started to work on my photography again and have been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy it and the positive response I have received from others. My ultimate goal would be to someday become a professional photography. I am not really sure how to reach that goal but one thing I do know that I need is lots and lots of practice! So, I am taking another class at ACC this semester and have been getting lots of opportunities to take pictures of friends. Many thanks to the Lee family for letting me take their pictures last week. It isn't even remotely difficult to get good pics of such a beautiful family! Here are some of my favorites:

What a doll baby

This little lady can work the camera

See what I mean, just gorgeous!

-Stacie

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-29T17:18:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday in my family growing up and (except for last year when Knox was too small to travel and the year Kyle & I were in Edinburgh) I have never missed a Thanksgiving with my family.

Knox & I headed out early to Virginia to get some quality time in before the holiday. It was so nice to get to see all of family and I got to spend lots of time with both of my brothers so that was awesome too! The first weekend we were in town, we took Knox to one of my favorite childhood places in Richmond- 'Maymont Park'. The park has a petting zoo and lots of walking trails. I have many fond memories of visiting here as a child and was excited to get to take Knox.

I was excited to see some changing leaves!

Knoxie & Me

My parents & Grandmother with Knox

Knox loved the goats!

It is so nice to have Grandma there to watch out for Knox! He is a busy little bee.

Just lovin life!

One day while I was in town, I had to take my dad to his doctor's appointment. So, my mom enlisted her good friend Amy to come over and babysit. I was a little nervous, because Knox is going through a "stranger danger" phase, but he LOVED her! It was like they were long lost buds!

Knox & his buddy Amy

Knox was the center of attention from all of his family that doesn't get to see him all that often. Unfortunately, he is in the "stranger danger" phase that I mentioned, so when people tried to pick him up he usually melted into tears. But I did learn that if you gave him something to play with he forgot that he was upset. So that worked like a charm and my brother and grandparents were all able to hold him. Phew!

Knox & Jonathan

Cookie decorating party

If you keep up with our blog, you will know that we are the proud owners of not one, but two "vintage" volkswagens. A beetle and a camper bus. So, my very thoughtful sister-in-law found cookie cutters in the shape of a beetle and a camper bus for Kyle. She made the cookies and we all decorated them together as a surprise for him before he arrived on Monday night.

The finished products- not too shabby!

Aside from our trip to Maymont, we mostly hung out at the house and just enjoyed being with family. It was a relaxing week and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

Knox lounging with my parent's dog Maggie

Knox with his Great-Grandma Charlotte

Knox got to try his first Thanksgiving dinner. He was fairly okay with the sweet potato casserole (mostly the marshmallows, I think) and the mashed potatoes. The stuffing and turkey were a no go. However, the real show-stopper was the jello salad. Knox discovered that there in not much better in his world than jello salad. To each his own, I guess.

Knox & Dad swinging in the yard

He loves being tossed in the air- the higher the better

We had a great time and were sad to leave. Now that we are back, I can't believe that it is already time for Christmas stuff! We'll be heading off to Spokane before we know it!

-Stacie

Knox's Birthday Bash

2011-11-14T12:36:00.003-06:00

To celebrate our little man turning one, we had a small birthday party at the house with friends and Knox's Nana (Kyle's mom Sally flew in from Spokane). It was really fun to have people over who also love Knox and celebrate that he is already a year old! We did a cookies and milk theme and it turned out really well! Knox had his first cookie (which he loved) and his first piece of cake (which he did not love). You win some you lose some! Overall it was a success! Although we both decided that when he turns 2 we're just going to invite a bunch of kids to the park and buy cupcakes- that will be much easier! But your first birthday is special and we wanted to do something special for Knox.

the b'day wreath I made- thank you Pinterest!

the kiddie table

the party favors

Knox's first cake- not a big hit...

family shot

is this all mine? what is it??

I will just have this cookie- thanks...

Knox LOVED the ballons!

Just so you know- this video is long and fairly uneventful so unless you are family, you may want to skip it. Just warning you!

It has been a fun b'day week, but I am glad it's over and we can get on with normal life. This week Knox & I head out to Virginia to spend some time with my family before Thanksgiving. We're very excited!

-Stacie

A photo shoot with the Assuntos...

2011-11-11T13:14:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I had the privilege of getting to take some family photos for our good friends Ryan & Allison and their sweet daughter Blythe. I am always excited for the opportunity to take pictures of those who are willing to volunteer! It took some coaxing and corralling of Blythe, but in the end we got some good ones of everyone. I can't lie though, it is easy to get good pictures of such a beautiful family!

One year ago today...

2011-11-09T13:12:00.000-06:00

One year ago today, after lots of effort on my part, our sweet little Knox was born. In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday and then in others it seems like it's been forever. Either way, he is one year old today. Crazy!!

last year on Nov. 9th

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months- with an old man hairdo

7 months with a bow- whoopsies (mom may or may not have dreamed of a girl...)

8 months

9 months

10 months- old man belly

11 months

Today, Nov. 9th

Happy Birthday Knox, we love you!

Knox's first Boo

2011-11-02T13:09:00.000-05:00

If you are familiar with me in the least, you may be aware of how much I love Halloween. I mean LOVE. Not the creepy, scary decorations. But the cute pumpkins, costumes and an entire holiday that centers around candy. This is what I lie in bed and dream about at night. Talking animals and free candy (we can discuss the talking animals later). So, needless to say I was very excited for Knox to have his first Halloween. Last year this time I was on my knees everyday praying that he would be born on Halloween. Of course we all know how that turned out. Not only could he not arrive 2 days early (2 days kid!) but he also arrived 7 days late! Oh well, I had high hopes that this meant he would be super chill and love to sleep- ha!

We decided that we would take our little lion cub out with his friend Blythe for their first trick-or-treat together and then once the kids were in bed the parents would sit in the driveway and prevent everyone from ringing the doorbell a hundred times and waking the babies up! It was a successful plan and fun to get to see the TONS of kiddos that come to our neighborhood to trick-or-treat.

Blythe as a cowgirl

Eating some candy in the wagon

Knox's first piece of candy- he LOVED it!

the caravan

This is one happy lion

Trick-or-Treat!!

Babies in costumes- super cute...Getting babies in their costume- super difficult

the adult table- in the driveway...how do you spell classy?

the mascot- Bella the bumblebee

Knox's first Halloween was a success! Next up- 1st B'day!!

Seattle Visitors

2011-10-28T21:32:00.001-05:00

This past weekend some of our good friends from Seattle came to visit. The four of us were in a Bible Study together for most of the time that we lived in Seattle. We got to see their son Blake when he was 1 day old and flew out to Seattle last year to meet their daughter Claire. So, to get a break from the chilly west coast and to get to meet our little doodle they came to Austin.

We mostly laid low at the house (venturing out with 3 small children is not really a relaxing experience). But we did manage to get to the Children's Museum and out to Chuy's for some TexMex. Monday afternoon, the Dobbins headed to New Braunfels for a few nights at a condo they found there. We joined them on Wednesday afternoon and had fun seeing the town of New Braunfels and Greune.

Knox & Claire enjoying some pool time

Blake swimming

the men & babies

We all went out to icecream on Wednesday night. Claire was a big fan :)

Knox couldn't make it to the party

Kyle & Blake tearin' it up at the arcade

I took advantage of having willing subjects and got to do a photoshoot with the Dobbins on Wednesday evening. It is much harder taking pictures of four people instead of one very slow walking 11 month old, but practice is the only way to improve! Here are the best of the shoot:

11 month photo shoot

2011-10-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe that Knox is already 11 months. I know that is what every parent probably says, but man is it true! I am having a hard time with his first b'day being next month. I think once it has come and gone I will feel fine, but it feels like it is just looming out there and I just hate to think of him getting older. But of course that is the way she goes. In honor of his 11th month, I took him to the park for an early morning photo shoot. I don't really have any photos that show him standing or walking so that was my inspiration. That and the fact that it has actually been a tiny bit chilly in the morning so we got to break out the winter attire :)

Our growing family...

2011-10-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

More later, but we added a member to our little family today. In case it isn't clear- he is a Volkswagen Camper Van. And the only good news (from my end) is that we didn't pay a dime for him...Only my husband would find a running camper van and convince me to let him get it because it is FREE... *sigh*

first steps...

2011-10-11T19:56:00.000-05:00

Knox just turned 11 months on Sunday and also started taking his first steps. He's a little wobbly but he's getting better everyday.

Our First Annual Fall Extravaganza!!

2011-10-10T20:20:00.000-05:00

This weekend Kyle & I hosted our 1st (hopefully annual) Fall Extravaganza. I sort of love Halloween so having a full day of Fall / Halloween activities is definitely my idea of a good time! To start off the festivities, we headed out to a local pumpkin patch for a hayride, petting zoo and lots of good photo ops!

Here are the kiddos being tortured with photos- Knox had that face for most of the pictures we took...

our little farmer knox

Saturday was probably the first day that it actually felt like fall here- it was overcast and really rained for the first time since May! I like that I can finally say with confidence that it will not be near 100 degrees until May or so- praise the Lord. I think I had reached my saturation point a few months ago. Growing up, my mom (an excellent seamstress) always made our halloween costumes. So, thankfully she was willing to continue the tradition with Knox. We picked out a lion pattern from the fabric store and it turned out amazing! Of course I had to make Knox wear his costume at the pumpkin patch for no less than 1000 pictures- considering what he was put through he was really quite the trooper.

Poor kid- we couldn't be stopped after the lion photos. We also made him endure a family photo and some pumpkin shots. He just needs to be less cute if he wants the picture parades to stop.

a rare family shot

I love the stink face in this one

I was pretty excited to introduce Knox to his first llama! He has a stuffed llama and the full 'Llama, Llama ' book series (including' Llama Llama Red Pajama, Llama Llama Mad at Mama, Llama Llama....I think you get the point)

not a great pic, but we get so few of the two of us I had to post it anyway

After we completely exhausted all the pumpkin patch had to offer, we headed back to our house for our family tradition of chili and watching 'Charlie Brown & the Great Pumpkin'. I know that chili may seem like a strange Halloween tradition, but it started when I was growing up. My mom would always put a pot of chili in the crockpot and we could all have a bowl before heading out to trick or treat. So, strange or not I always think of chili and Halloween. We had a great time hanging out with friends and enjoying the start of fall here in Texas! Hopefully, this will be the start of a new tradition.

-Stacie

A weekend away...

2011-10-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Kyle & I got to spend a weekend away. Away from diapers, laundry, dishes, cooking, vacuuming, walking dogs, feeding dogs- do I really need to go on. My mom flew in from Virginia to watch Knox and Kyle & I flew out to Chicago to enjoy a few days away. I had high expectations of what four days of sleeping in and doing nothing for anyone would be like and it did not disappoint. I missed Knox A LOT, but I LOVED sleeping in until 9 am everyday (he is usually up by 6:30 on a late morning) and doing what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mother. But I didn't mind spending a few days just thinking about me. Getting to just sit and read a book or shop in a store without having to wonder about how Knox was doing or what he would need was absolutely glorious. It was like the angels were singing down on me and I soaked in every glorious moment of it. Okay, I will stop- I think you get the picture.

So, we decided to go to Chicago because Kyle was going there anyway for work and luckily I had always wanted to go and never been. Perfect! We left on Friday morning and after a quick flight were in Chicago Friday before lunch. After we checked into our hotel we spent the afternoon in search of a good chicago-style hotdog and seeing the sights. Chicago was definitely cooler than I imagined (temperature and fun wise). Friday night we went to a comedy show at 'Second City' were some of the greats like Chris Farley and Jim Belushi have gotten there starts. We ate some amazing deep dish pizza as well- more than once. And really that was all I wanted to accomplish. I have a soft spot in my heart (and stomach) for hotdogs and pizza so I really was in heaven.

Part of the Chicago skyline

Kyle & I love taking tours when we visit different cities, so we boarded the 'Hop-on-Hop-off' Chicago bus tour on Saturday morning and spent the day seeing the sights of the city from our bus seat.

The Chicago River

Since Kyle was a little kid he has been a Chicago Bears fan. He grew up watching them on TV and has always dreamed of going to Soldier Field where they play. As our luck would have it, the Bears had a home game this Sunday so we made the trek out to the stadium. We didn't' get to go to the game but we did get to see the stadium and walk there with all the crazy bears fans! Also, our hotel was close to the stadium so we went down to the hotel bar after the game and had a few drinks with some Bears fans that Kyle made friends with. He was like a kid in a candy shop- as happy as a little clam! (could I possibly use another cliche here! geesh!)

Kyle at Soldier Field

Us posing in Chicago

I think this trip was a much needed break for both of us. We spent a lot of time traveling and vacationing with our families this summer. But we haven't gotten to go on a trip with just the two of us since Knox was born. It was so fun and refreshing for it to be "just the two of us" again.

Chicago was an awesome city and we will definitely be making the trip back sometime in the future!

Galveston Trip

2011-09-27T15:00:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago, we made the trek to Galveston to stay with friends at their family beach house. Talk about hitting the jackpot. The Beach and hanging out with our favorite people: this family is hard to top on our list. We love hanging out with them and little Knox & little Blythe are sweet baby buddies. The weekend was a lot of fun. We hung out on the beach and also did a little sightseeing around Galveston. Here is a slew of pics for your enjoyment:

Miss Blythe at the candy shop

A kiddie table- we couldn't resist. If you can tell, Knox just wanted to bang on the table.

Knox at the candy shop

Stroller buddies

We carted the babes down to the beach in a red wagon

I love it- it looks like Knox is rubbing sunscreen on Blythe's shoulders. Who knows what he is actually doing :)

Knox loves the shoulder rides

The Assunto Clan

Our sandy mess

Sandy baby butts

Yes, we buried them in the sand. They didn't seem to mind either...

Kyle demonstrating our parental slacking...he is drinking a "wine cooler", which really raises more concerns that just the obvious...

-Stacie

All quiet on the Texas front...

2011-09-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I feel like I should explain the month of silence. No- I have not been a lazy blogger. Yes- I did lose my computer for a few weeks.

Here's the story: We were having some issues with our mac, so I was going to take it to the apple store to have them look at it. I had the computer, my purse and Knox all in my arms when I went out to the car. To keep from dropping the computer, I put it on top of the car and then got Knox safely buckled into his seat. Tiny little detail- I forgot to put the computer in the car. So, I drove to the apple store with the computer on top of my car. Needless to say, it fell off sometime before I arrived at the apple store. It was a crappy situation and I was a little bit embarrassed by the whole scenario. But, after three weeks we had considered it gone and moved on with our lives. Then, I got an email last week from a guy telling me that he found our computer on the side of the road. I met up with him and sure enough, he had our computer and miraculously it was completely unharmed. To tell you the truth, I am still a little bit in shock that it was returned to us and it is fine.

A few weeks before all of this happened, we had our garden hose stolen out of our front yard. I mean, who steals a garden hose? So, I will say that this whole situation has restored my faith in people again. Yes, someone may drive by your house and steal your garden hose. But someone may also find your computer and go to great lengths to get it back to you unharmed. Funny how the world works.

Diaper Rash Escapades

2011-08-30T17:25:00.000-05:00

Knox had a visit with the pediatrician today for a serious case of diaper rash. Unfortunately, she recommended he remain diaperless "as much as possible". Knox is enjoying this naked parade much more than I am though. The cuteness makes up only so much for having to clean up behind his messes...

The dogs are very interested in his backside...there has been a lot of sniffing.

I took all the rugs up in the house to make things easier for me...I guess it's a good thing that it is 100 degrees outside- he's certainly not cold with no clothes on!

Adventures in eating...

2011-08-28T22:03:00.001-05:00

Eating time at our house has become quite the event. I have decided to try and be relaxed about how messy mealtime gets, so I have been letting Knox feed himself (the best he can) and it has been quite amusing. So far, his favorites are bananas and spaghetti- not at the same time of course but both equally messy :)

Knox is 9 months!

2011-08-20T09:08:00.000-05:00

Nine Month Stats

Weight: 22 lbs. 5 oz. (80th percentile)

Height: 29.00 inches (80th percentile)
Head: still really big (90th percentile) - Knox's pediatrician said it could be a family trait and then proceeded to measure both mine & Kyle's heads. I won't say whose was bigger- but the conclusion was that 'yes' Knox got his big head from his parents :)

Knox is doing great and is thankfully in excellent health! He is crawling, pulling up and cruising. He is getting into EVERYTHING and is go-go-go all day long. He takes two good naps of about 1 1/2 each and sleeps from 7pm-6:30ish am. Not bad!! He is starting to be able to stand on his own for a few seconds, but I think we are still a ways away from walking.

I get this face a lot :)

Our Spokane visit...

2011-08-17T13:57:00.000-05:00

Well, our summer of vistors and travel has almost come to an end. Last week we flew to Spokane to spend some time with Kyle's family and meet the newest addition- McKenna Grace.

This little angel sleeps all the time!

McKenna was born on July 28th

We got to meet McKenna when she was only a week old. It was so fun to just be in Spokane and hang out with the fam. Our nephew Marek loved having his cousin Knox around to play with and Knox LOVES being around people so it was a win-win!

Marek & Knox are almost exactly 13 months apart, so hopefully they will be great buddies in the future. We went swimming and spent a lot of time playing in the cool 80 degree temperatures while we were there. It was such a treat to be able to be outside during the day again. The sweltering heat of Austin has made us housebound for the past few months so even getting to go outside is awesome!

It has been our tradition for the past four summers to go to the Oregon Coast every August with Kyle's family. We are really looking forward to getting to share this tradition with Knox- he will be such a lucky kid to get to spend a week on each coast every summer with different sides of his family. The Oregon Coast is dramatically different from the North Carolina Coast, but both are wonderful in their own way. We weren't able to go to Oregon this year, because of sweet little McKenna, but we did make a day trip to Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho. It is about an hour drive from North Spokane where Kyle's family lives.

The water was pretty chilly, so no one really did any swimming, but it was fun to just enjoy the scenery. Kyle spent his summers in Idaho growing up, so he was excited to be able to take Knox to Idaho during our trip. We also got to spend a little time with Kyle's grandparents, which is always special for the great-grandparents to see their great-grandchildren. Knox & Marek are both favorites with Kyle's grandparents!

Kyle's mom with her 3 grandkids in less than 2 years!!

It was a great week but we are happy to be back at home now and getting back into the groove of things. My parents are coming to visit this weekend and that will bring our crazy summer to an end!

-Stacie

8 month photoshoot

2011-08-01T22:42:00.000-05:00

Knox is on the go now! He is crawling everywhere and fast! I haven't taken many pictures of him lately because it is hard to get him to stay still. I was able to get these few right after his nap, so he was still a little bit groggy.

East Coast and back again...

2011-07-31T21:47:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been about a month since I last posted. To say we have been busy is putting it lightly. After my mom's visit, Kyle's mom came to stay with us and then we left for the East Coast for two weeks. Knox & I spent a week in Virginia hanging out with my family and then Kyle joined us and we all went to the North Carolina coast for week at the beach. It was fun to spend a whole week with my brothers and parents and to get to take Knox to the beach for his first time.

A "vacation" with a baby is not always a "vacation" but that is the beauty of vacationing with family. We had lots of extra hands to help out with Knox- so Kyle & I got to spend lots of time relaxing on the beach with a book. It was glorious! Knox was quite a trooper with all of our travels, but he did start a liking for waking up at 4:30 each morning to start his day. So, Kyle & I got to take turns going for early morning walks on the beach with him. Although it was not our wake up time of choice, I will definitely look back on those mornings we had together as special. But, thank goodness that he is sleeping later now that we are back in Texas!

Knox & his Uncle Kibbo

Knox & Dad hangin on the beach

Grandma & Grandpa

Toes in the sand

The entire family

a little family time

a rare family shot of all of us! (I am ususally behind the camera)

our little sand monster

Knox loved the ocean!

we were watching him :)

the beach bottle

Grandpa & Knox on the beach

Going to the beach with my family will be an annual family tradition and we are excited that this is something that we will get to share with Knox each summer. The week Knox & I spent in Virginia before the beach was really special too. Knox got to spend time with his great-grandparents who loved getting a chance to see him again.

Knox & Great-Grandma Charlotte

I also got to spend some extended time with my younger brother Justin. He is going to be a junior at JMU this year and it is always fun to get to hang out with him. He's an awesome brother and a great uncle to Knox!

Fro-yo with Justin

Possibly the most special part of my trip though was getting to spend some uninterupted time with my best-friend Katie. I always see her when I am in town, but usually it is just for a few hours and she is the mother to two young boys- so it is always a crazy time. But, this time she was in Richmond for a work conference so I got to see her for two whole days sans children! It was amazing! We went out for drinks (like adults) and were able to have complete conversations! We drove around all of our old haunts together and reminisced about our middle school and high school memories.

Me, Knox & Katie

We truly had an amazing visit but we are happy to be back in Texas and back in our routine again. I'm learning that with a baby routine is key!

Our summer excitment is not quite over just yet though. Kyle's sister, Heather, had a baby girl last week and we are leaving on Saturday to head to Spokane to get to meet our new little neice! We are very excited about the trip! I'll post again when we get back.

-Stacie

The Summer begins

2011-07-01T07:40:00.001-05:00

Summer has officially started for the Sale family. My mom finished her last day of school (she is an elementary special ed teacher) and hopped on a plane to come and visit us last week. This is the start of our summer of visitors and travel. We have both grandmothers coming to stay and then we are also traveling to Virginia, North Carolina and Washington State to visit them as well- it's going to be a crazy summer!

We had a lot of fun with my mom in town. Knox is starting to get to the age where he has friends with birthday parties. So, we went to a really cute birthday party for his friend Avery while she was here. We also did some exploring around town and spent a lot of time at the neighborhood pool. It was a good mixture of relaxing and entertaining.

I had heard about 'Mayfield Park' before but had never gone. So one morning we loaded up and headed down there. It was a really beautiful park that has roaming peacocks- they are amazingly beautiful and surprising loud. It was an interesting experience!

-Stacie

Beautiful Beau...

2011-06-27T22:41:00.002-05:00

This weekend we celebrated Avery Lee's first birthday with friends. While I was mingling and enjoying the food and libations my wife was wondering what having a little girl would be like. Knox was unfortunately all too eager to volunteer...

Oh no...what have they done to me?

Well, it doesn't feel too bad...

...you can't hide beauty!

Six Month Photoshoot

2011-05-28T21:55:00.000-05:00

Rainy City visitors

2011-05-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had our first non-family visitors! Our good friends, Dan & Jodi, decided they needed a break from the rain in Seattle and made a break for sunny Texas. The weather was perfect for their visit too- sunny and mid-80's every day. Kyle, Dan & Jodi all worked together at Philips when we lived in Seattle and we've missed hanging out with them since we moved away! We got to see them last May right after their little boy Landon was born. It was really good to get to spend some time with them again and get to hang out with cute little Landon.

Jodi, Landon & Dan

On Sunday we headed down to Town Lake for a leisurely stroll. Jodi & Kyle ran a 5 mile loop, while Dan & I strolled with the babies. It was a beautiful day and there was some stellar people & dog watching opportunities.

Family Pic

We had a very relaxing visit. We went to the pool multiple times and just spent a lot of time relaxing around the house while the babies napped. On Tuesday, we took a trip to Mt. Bonnell. I had never been there but it was worth the trip. It is basically a lookout point that you can walk to and get an amazing view of the Colorado River and some of the massive homes on the shoreline.

View from Mt. Bonnell

The boys & the babies at the top of Mt. Bonnell

Knox trying to eat Kyle's hat- I mean we literally put EVERYTHING in our mouth...

The whole group

It was a fun trip and we were so glad that they came to visit!

-Stacie

Knox is 6 months!

2011-05-12T11:24:00.000-05:00

6 Month stats:

Weight- 19 lbs. 10 oz (75%)

Height- 27 inches (75%)

Head- 45 inches (80%)

Knox went to the doctor yesterday for his 6 month check up and is doing great! He's still a big, happy boy. He is sleeping through the night, usually waking up once to eat between 5-6 am and then goes back to sleep until about 7:30- which is awesome! He's taking two naps and has started eating solid foods. So far he loves carrots and apples, but will pretty much eat anything you give him (I think that might be a family trait). He's sitting up on his own and is trying to crawl. He can get up on all four and rock back and forth, but doesn't end up going anywhere. I bet it won't be long before we have to start baby-proofing the house!

Happy 6 months little guy!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T19:57:00.000-05:00

Today was my first Mother's Day and it was a special one. I feel so blessed to be the mother of such a sweet little boy. Knox made me a card today (with the help of his father) and he gave me a mother's greatest gift- a Mother's Day nap. Two long hours of blissful sleep and I appreciated every moment of it. I never realized how precious sleep was until I became a mother, so it seems appropriate that extra sleep was the gift I received on the day honoring mothers. Happy Mother's Day to all of you fellow mothers, I hope you enjoyed your day!

-Stacie

Happy B'day Big Guy!!!!

2011-05-07T21:23:00.001-05:00

The 'Big Guy' aka Deacon, turned 6 years old today! This little sweet ball of fur has been with us for six years and we still love him to bits! We set him up with little Knoxy today to celebrate his birthday.

Hey little dude, you smell good

I want to touch your face...

Take the picture Dad!

Happy Birthday Deac-dog, we love you! Here's to 6 great years and counting.

Spokanistan

2011-05-05T19:52:00.000-05:00

Kyle & I just got back from our visit to Spokane, WA. It had been a year and a half since Kyle had been there to visit his family, so it was high time that we made the trip! I went a few days early with Knox to hang out with Kyle's family and then Kyle joined us on Saturday. It was really fun to all be back in Spokane again and to hang out with our sweet little nephew Marek. He is 18 months old now and such a doll. He absolutely loved Knox and would constantly try to give him kisses and share his toys, what a sweetie! I hope Knox is that good with his cousins when he gets older! Kyle's sister, Heather, is due at the end of July with a baby girl so we'll see if Knox is as sweet to McKenna as Marek was sweet to him.

Knox with Nana (I would like to believe that it is the angle of the photo that makes Knox look so cubby, but that might be a lie)

Aunt Heather & Cousin Marek with Knox

Marek & Me

Knox got to spend some more time with his great-grandparents which is always special. Aside from hanging out with family, Kyle & I also rekindled one of our annual traditions- running Bloomsday. Bloomsday is a 12k fun run that has been going in Spokane for 35 years now. Kyle has been running since his childhood and this was our 4th time to run it together. The race is massive with 50,000 participants and is really festive and fun!

An aerial view of the runners

We didn't have a killer time, but we met our goal of running the entire 7 miles and change without walking! We only did some mild training, so we were pretty pleased with ourselves!

On Monday, Kyle got to experience his first airplane flight with Knox. This was Knox's third trip, but first time that Kyle got to join us. Knox did fine, but it was exhausting trying to entertain him for both of our 2 hour flights. But I will not complain because on the way there I sat in front of a mom traveling by herself with her six kids- and no that is not a typo. Six? What? So, that makes traveling with one seem like kind of a joke. It was tiring though, so I am glad that we're not flying again until July. I have a few months to gear up for it!

Family photo! (please note the father-son flannel)

The siblings and cousins

Kyle & I had a great time visiting with his family. We are planning on going back in early August to meet our little niece, McKenna, after she arrives!

-Stacie

Giggles

2011-04-26T19:18:00.000-05:00

This, my friends, is one happy baby. He's laughing at the sound the straw makes in my cup- who knew?

Another Spring Break visitor!

2011-04-25T08:25:00.000-05:00

This past week we had my mom come and visit for her spring break. She hadn't seen Knox since February, so she was excited to get to spend the week with him & us! She arrived on Friday evening and then on Saturday Kyle & I set off for the Hyatt Hilcountry Resort in San Antonio while Mana & Knox stayed home. It was our first night away from him together- a little bit daunting, I won't lie and say that I didn't shed a tear- but it was really fun to get away and relax without having to take care of a baby!

Who doesn't love a baby in pjs and slippers?!

Kyle & I got back on Sunday afternoon. Mom & I had a relaxing week just hanging out with Knox and enjoying each other's company. Here are a few pictures from our week together...

Knox has gotten really good at sitting up

I love the naked baby pics!

Knox & Mana too cool in their shades!

Photoshoot with Knox & Mana

It was such a fun week, we were sad to see my mom go! But she'll be back in June. This week we are off to Spokane to visit with Kyle's family. Fingers crossed the Knox continues to be a great traveler!

-Stacie

Pool Party

2011-04-10T12:30:00.001-05:00

Kyle & I have been anxious to take Knox to our neighborhood pool, we've just been waiting for the weather to warm up. Well, yesterday it was 95 here in Austin so we figured it was the perfect opportunity to take our little man to the water. He loves bath time so he will love the pool, right? So, so wrong...

Here is his reaction when we first put his little toes in the water:

He didn't just fuss, he seriously cried. The pouty lip came out and everything. It was so sad. So, lesson learned. Even though it was hot outside, the water was still too cold for baby! It was a slight parent fail on our part.

This is after we got him dried off and happy again.

And of course, we had to pose the babies in the lounge chair. Blythe is seriously relaxing here.

Here is Knox and his girlfriend Blythe. Check out the spare tire on Knox- he's our jolly little fat man!

-Stacie

Our first Spring Break visitor

2011-04-08T17:14:00.002-05:00

This past week Kyle's mom came and visited for her spring break. She hadn't seen Knox in 3 months, so she was excited to visit and hang out for the week. Although most people who live in Texas would not agree, I think Waco is a fun little town. So, we took Sally there on Saturday to show her around Baylor's campus and let her experience Waco for the first time!

Our little family at Common Grounds

Perhaps my favorite thing in Waco is a little coffee shop called Common Grounds. I frequented this establishment during my four years in Waco and am always looking for an excuse to return! It was fun to take Knox there for the first time.

Kyle, Knox & Sally on Baylor's campus

Knox was a trooper and did well walking around campus (he mostly slept in the stroller). Afterwards, we went to Cameron Park and had a picnic lunch by the river.

Knox's gotta wear shades and protect those baby blues! (side note: the doctor told us there is zero pigment in his eyes, so they will stay blue just like his daddy's!)

Hanging out on daddy

Waco Hall is where I spent countless hours receiving piano lessons, teaching piano lessons and also gave my senior recital- thank goodness that is all over!

Ready for a walk

Knox with his Nana

On Sunday, Knox had his first outing in the high chair. I can't believe that he is already big enough to sit in a high chair! I know everyone says that they grow up so fast, but seriously this is too fast!

Knox with his girl Blythe

Speaking of growing up, Knox is also reaching for everything he can get his hands on, practically sitting up on his own and eating rice cereal! I feel like we have hit a bunch of milestones all at once so hopefully he'll slow down again soon. Mom is not ready for all of this growing up just yet.

Knox's shirt says it all!

Nana feeding Knox his rice cereal

We had a great visit with Kyle's mom and thankfully we'll be seeing her again soon! We're traveling to Spokane in three short weeks!

-Stacie

Always & Forever

2011-03-29T16:06:00.000-05:00

7 years ago we pledged to love each other 'till death do us part and I can honestly say that I thank the good Lord each day for having made that vow. I am blessed to be one half of a whole and thankful for our little family that now is three. I believe that happiness is a fleeting emotion and not a goal that we should build our life around. But that doesn't mean that I won't revel in it when I can. And as we embark on year 8 together, I am the happiest that I have ever been. Scarily happy... So, here's to however many years the Lord blesses us with in our always & forever and to being so happy it hurts...

Babies on sofas...

2011-03-24T18:08:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why, but babies propped up on sofas just makes me laugh. Maybe because it makes them look like mini grown-ups? Who knows? Needless to say we take a lot of photos of Knox and his buddies propped up on the sofa...

Knox & Blythe

Watch that hand boy

Knox making a move, Blythe looking for rescue

Fat kids are always jolly

Playing hard to get...

...worked like a charm!

Don't mind my stretched out collar

Or my spare tire

I'm a mess

Knox & Ridley

I promise I won't eat you

Who messed their diaper?

Should we be watching TV?

I'm skeptical, is he wearing tights?

Knox is 4 months!

2011-03-10T19:43:00.000-06:00

Four Month Stats
Weight: 16 lbs. 10 oz. (85th percentile)
Height: 26.25 inches (88th percentile)
Head: still big (88th percentile)

Knox is doing great! He's still super happy and giggly. We're almost sleeping through the night (just waking up once around 4 or 5 am) and taking around 3 naps a day.

Some more cute pics of the doodle:

What belly?

So happy!

Fun time with dad!

Kyle & I are loving taking care of this sweet, happy little guy!

-Stacie

to Virginia and back again

2011-03-02T14:27:00.000-06:00

This past week Knox & I set out for his inaugural trip to Virginia to meet the rest of his family! I was nervous, again, about getting on a plane alone with a small child- but, Knox was a champ and traveled beautifully! I just have this fear of being trapped on a plane with a screaming child that I am responsible for trying to calm down. I'm sure one of these trips it will happen, but thankfully it hasn't happened yet. One of my flying fears was realized though when Knox had a blowout on the plane that required not only a diaper but also a wardrobe change in the airplane bathroom. But as with most things, it was not as bad as I had anticipated.

We arrived in Richmond on Friday afternoon and spent the next 10 days visiting with my parents, grandparents and brothers. Knox also got to meet all the teachers at my mom's school and everyone at my dad's work- he was quite the little social butterfly on this trip. He did great though! He managed to sleep pretty well at night and take his naps on top of that, so you can't ask for much more than that.

Here are a few pics from our visit:

Laughing it up with Uncle Kibbo

Playtime with Grandpa

My brothers & Me

Storytime with Mana & Uncle Jonathan

I love this look- slightly skeptical about what is going on...

The night before we left, the whole family got together to celebrate my Grandmother's birthday (my dad is taking the photo)

Knox with his Great-Grandma Charlotte

Knox with his Great-Grandma Kibiloski

It was so special for me to have Knox meet his great-grandparents and his Uncle Jonathan. It's so fun to have other people dote over your baby and realize that you are not the only one who loves him so much that it hurts. Families that love each other are a wonderful thing and we are so thankful that Knox has so many people that love him!

-Stacie

How do I love thee...

2011-02-14T15:29:00.000-06:00

Dear Kyle,
There are a million reasons why I love you, but on Valentine's Day this year I thought I would share a few...

you love all things history even though I find it incredibly boring...

you do things like make Mercedes cover her bits in a photo...

you make me laugh...

you drink beer while floating in the lake...class, class, class....

you are silly...

you enjoy anything deep fried...

you love your mama (and as a mother of a boy, I now know what this is worth)...

you're adventurous...

you're enthusiastic about life...

you love boxers..

you make me smile...

you look good in pink...

you do things like pretend you are puking up pumpkin at the pumpkin patch...

you do things like when we go all the way to Egypt you pretend to pick the Sphinx's nose...really?...

you are an amazing father to our sweet little boy...

You are my favorite person in the whole world and I love you for all these reasons and a million more.

Love,

the woman who is very thankful to be your wife

Photography practice

2011-01-27T11:19:00.000-06:00

Now that Knox is sleeping a little longer at night and I am feeling more like a normal person again, I have decided to start back up with practicing my photography. And who better to photograph than a little person that can't move! I figure I should take advantage of this while it lasts!

This is my favorite

Chubs!

We love eating our hands

We're so happy!

Who doesn't love baby feet?

And baby butt?

I see this face a lot before he starts talking...he's extremely chatty.

I did a little editing in Photoshop, but one of my very knowledgeable friends is going to give me a few Photoshop lessons soon so hopefully that will help in the future!

-Stacie

Knox visits Spokane

2011-01-24T13:35:00.000-06:00

Last week I made my first solo trip with Knox on an airplane. I was a little nervous to say the least, but Knox proved to be an excellent traveler. We left early Friday morning for Spokane and after two 3 hour flights and a 2 hour lay-over we arrived in Spokane safe and sound! Monday was President's day and Kyle's mom had the day off, so I took the opportunity to visit and let Knox's first set of great-grandparents meet him. He charmed them by smiling and cooing at them for an hour, it was an impressive performance. Makes me worried about the little entertainer he may turn into, you can honestly tell that he LOVES having all the attention and will just coo and coo when he knows people are looking at him. Silly baby.

Knox with Kyle's grandparents- Bob & Babe

Kyle's sister Heather stays at home with her little boy Marek, so we got to spend the whole week hanging out together! Marek ( who is 15 months) was very interested in Baby Knox and it was fun to see them together.

Aunt Heather & Cousin Marek

Knox & Me

Knox talking Nana's ear off

Knox talking to the star- seriously he will talk to anything....should I be worried?

Knox has turned into a very happy baby. He's even started giggling and laughing. I'm hoping this is a sign of what his little personality will be like!

-Stacie

Knox is 2 months!

2011-01-13T08:53:00.000-06:00

Two Month Stats
Weight: 13 lbs. (80th percentile)
Height: 24.5 inches (90th percentile)
Head: big ( but I already knew that- 85th percentile)

We are a very smiley, happy baby. We don't sleep completely through the night, we usually wake up around 2 am and then again around 5 or 6 am, but other than that we're practically perfect in every way!

Thirty is the new black...

2011-01-10T20:52:00.000-06:00

Last week I crossed the threshold and joined Kyle in what our friend Hilary calls the "Jesus years". To be honest it didn't feel like that much of a milestone when you compare it to becoming a mother. That one kind of wins. But we didn't want to let it pass by without some celebration. For those of you who know us well, we have a few birthday traditions that did not go unappreciated this year (ie- 'The Hangover' -it's a movie, not how I was feeling the next day, just fyi- and a few rum and cokes). But to make this one special, we also went out on a date to a fancy restaurant. It was our first real date since Knox arrived so I was very excited.

We ate at a place called the 'Driskoll Grill' and it was amazing!

Fancy Schmancy

Salad (yes we took pictures of everything we ate- don't judge. If each course is going to cost as much as a pair of shoes, it deserves a photo)

Kyle's salmon

My filet

They called these s'mores- I beg to differ, but they were still good

The happy couple

While we were drinking martinis and eating too much food, our little Knox was hanging out with his girl Blythe. Blythe's parents, Ryan & Allison, are good friends that we've made here in Austin and they graciously agreed to babysit for us. Thankfully, Knox did well and even got a photo shoot out of the deal.

Knox & Blythe chillin in the chair- things are good

Things have started to go downhill- but Blythe is reaching out to comfort Knox

The binky saved the day- and Blythe's soothing touch as well I am sure

-Stacie

The Blingle Bell Ball

2011-01-04T09:29:00.000-06:00

To celebrate Christmas, our Community Group held an event we called the "Blingle Bell Ball". Basically, it was an excuse to have a 90's themed dance party, get dressed up and re-live our middle school / high school dance days. All in all it was glorious (and I don't even dance).

The Sale family appreciates their alcohol, especially 90's themed alcohol! Here is Kyle mixing up the 'gin 'n juice'. Which was surprisingly tasty. Maybe Snoop & Dr. Dre were really onto something here...

Justin was in town, so we recruited him to attend the party. Here we are all blinged out!

The tattoo sleeves gave us the ganster flare we were looking for...

Our friends Ryan & Allison

The bro & me- we are terribly white and it shows

Kyle & Ryan enjoying their gin 'n juice

The dance moves

were hot

here's the 'tootsie roll' for those of you who remember that classic....

Allison dancing a solo

The girls of the group

It was a pretty epic dance party. Let's just say our community group rocks!

-Stacie

Our first family Christmas

2011-01-01T15:46:00.000-06:00

Knox was only 6 weeks old on Christmas, so we were not able to travel and be with either of our families. So, our first Christmas together was just the three of us! It was pretty low-key. Christmas morning we woke up and opened our stockings together.

Knox could practically fit in his stocking!

Then we headed over to our friends the McClure's house to enjoy a Christmas dinner with friends!
Knox was a trooper and even took a few Christmas naps for us.

It was a wonderful first Christmas together as a family.

Baby Faces

2010-12-22T13:32:00.000-06:00

Just last week Knox has started to up his game. It used to be that he would just eat, cry and poop. But now, we've added smiling to the mix. It looks good on him- I think we'll keep him.

-Stacie

Knox's photoshoot

2010-12-19T17:52:00.000-06:00

Knox had his first professional photo shoot a few weeks ago thanks to our very talented friend Jamie. Here are some of our favorite pics!

Bah, Humbug!

2010-12-10T09:56:00.001-06:00

MISSING

Name: Felipe the Flamingo
Nickname: Felipe
Date of Birth: January 5, 2009
Date Missing: December 7, 2010
From: Austin, Texas
Age at time of disappearance: 11 months
Gender: Male
Genus: Phoenicopteridae
Circumstances of disappearance: Busy spreading holiday lawn cheer to all of Scofield Farms' residents when he was abducted.

Knox's visitors

2010-12-07T20:11:00.000-06:00

Knox and his grandpa

Knox and his Mana

Knox's cousin Marek

Knox with Aunt Heather

Knox with his Nana Cat

The little guy has had quite the array of visitors in his first month of life! It's tough not having either of our families even remotely close to us, but we're so thankful that they all have already come and visited! We miss you all already- Knox is one lucky little guy!

-Stacie

Be still my heart...

2010-11-29T11:21:00.000-06:00

the Sale boys relaxin'

Knox's first few days...

2010-11-19T17:46:00.000-06:00

So long hospital, hello world

2010-11-12T16:46:00.000-06:00

Stacie and I spent all week in good hands at the Texas Women Center inside St. David's Hospital. After 13 hours of labor, the final three of which was pushing, we hunkered down in our post-delivery recovery suite. The outside world seemed to fade away and time became irrelevant as we acquainted ourselves with Knox and the nursing staff tended to Stacie and Knox's medical needs.

Yesterday afternoon, after mom and son satisfied all discharge requirements, we stumbled out into the daylight and prepped Knox for his maiden car ride. Fortunately we live within 1/2 of a mile from the hospital so his first journey was more like a jaunt. The first night at home was LONG but we are loving every minute of our new way of life. Here are a few more pictures for all of you who keep e-mailing and asking. Thanks for all the well wishes, support and prayers!

Resting in the hospital room

Already a little thinker!

Skyping with Grandparents on his Macbook

First car ride

Cannon has been waiting for Knox to arrive


Arranged married in the works...Knox, meet Blythe


Trying out the Moby wrap at home

-Kyle, Stacie and Knox

11/09/2010 - Knox's Day

2010-11-09T18:32:00.001-06:00

We've been blessed with a happy, healthy baby boy! Knox Anderson Sale arrived at 8:37AM, weighed 9lbs 2 ounces and measured 22 inches long.

First Picture!

90th Percentile birth weight

First bath, getting clean

New dad and son

New mom and son

Picture of the week

2010-11-06T18:32:00.000-05:00

Texas State Cemetery, Austin, TX

The Evolution of the Belly

2010-11-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

Kyle & I wanted to document the growth of our baby during my pregnancy, so he took a picture each week starting at week 12. I put them all into a video so you can see how our little guy has grown over the weeks. We're now at 40 weeks and just waiting for him to arrive. If all is well, our doctor will let us go to 42 weeks so it may be awhile yet, but no matter what we'll meet him sometime in the next two weeks!

Sic'em don't Hook'em!

2010-10-31T17:04:00.001-05:00

This weekend brought a series of firsts for the Sales (no, not our first child...yet). Stacie and I haven't made it to a Texas football game since moving to Austin but that all changed yesterday. Baylor was in town and Stacie was eager to cheer on the Bears. For the first time in a VERY long time Baylor was ranked higher the the 'Horns.

We made our way downtown an hour or so before the game hoping to take in the tailgate scene and soak-up the atmosphere. We also brought some cash looking to scalp a couple tickets. At first it didn't look like we would succeed as scalpers were looking to make a very healthy margin on their tickets. I inadvertently witnessed a scalper purchase tickets and therefore knew his buy-in price which I used against him to get the price I was looking for. This was my first time scalping tickets and I'll be humbly honest, I'm built to thrive on the black market! Fortunately we witnessed Baylor defeat Texas in Austin which hasn't happened in an equally VERY long time!

Pregame Band Action

Just in case anyone questioned what state we're in.

Go Bears!

Post game celebration

All in all we had a great day. We got to meet-up with our good friends Drew and Donna in the season ticket holder section which was much closer to the action than our tickets. Texas fans were very hospitable to us in our Baylor gear (Stacie's 10 month pregnant status certainly helped our cause). Now if the little guy would just arrive we could tell him all about his first college football game!

-Kyle

Picture of the week

2010-10-22T19:05:00.001-05:00

Innocent until proven guilty

2010-10-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

This week I had noticed a blue highlighter that was sitting on the floor under the kitchen table. I noticed it, but choose to do nothing about it because bending over and picking things up is becoming increasingly difficult and this would have required getting underneath the table and bending over, so that definitely wasn't happening. All that to say that when Kyle & I got home from Bible Study tonight we found said highlighter chewed up on our bedroom carpet. It can be hard to tell which dog is the perpetrator sometimes but there are advantages to having a dog who is unable to hide their guilt.

Exhibit A:

Notice the blue coloring on Mercedes' paw (it was also all over her face, but you may not be able to tell from the photo).

Exhibit B:

I tried to be stern and discipline her but it was kind of too funny to even be mad.

-Stacie

First Photo Session

2010-10-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I had my very first photo session. As a gift for his wife, one of our friends asked me to take pictures of their family for them. I was of course very flattered and also a teensy bit nervous that I would be able to squeak out any good pictures for them. Their sweet little boy was not very excited about having his picture taken, so we didn't get to many of him smiling for the camera. But, all in all I think it was a successful first photo session. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

Thanks to Mike, Michelle & Finley for being such great subjects!

-Stacie

Full-term!

2010-10-12T17:18:00.000-05:00

This week our little boy is officially full-term! We're 3 weeks away from his predicted due date and since he is now considered 'full-term' he could be born at any time and be a perfectly healthy little guy. So now all we do is wait! We're about as ready as you can be and are VERY excited for his arrival!

-Stacie

Picture of the Week

2010-10-01T16:58:00.000-05:00

Surprising discovery

2010-09-30T10:05:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Kyle & I decided to take advantage of our soon to end 'foot loose and fancy free' status and have a date night. We're super classy, so one of our favorite things of course is nachos. We are always in search of the perfect nachos. We actually found them in Seattle- it was glorious. But now we are on the search again. We had the restaurant 'The Oasis' recommended to us, so we figured we would go and check it out. Not only did they have delicious nachos (score) but they also had an amazing view of Lake Travis. Kyle & I had never been to Lake Travis so we were excited to check it out.

The view from the deck of 'The Oasis'

Some of the homes on Lake Travis

To be honest, neither one of us knew that Austin had such a hidden jem. We'd heard of Lake Travis but just figured it was some little dried up lake out in West Austin- boy were we wrong. One of the things that we both miss the most about the PacNW is all the beautiful lakes, so seeing this this past weekend made us both all the more excited to call Austin our new home. Who knew that Texas was such a beautiful place?! (answer: everyone who was born in Texas and thinks that the idea of moving to any other state is borderline insanity- of course this is utter craziness, but we have to be careful now because we're about to be the parents of a true 'Texan'- scary!!).

-Stacie

Picture of the Week

2010-09-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

Nursery Tour, All Aboard

2010-09-19T20:27:00.001-05:00

Stacie snapped a few pictures of our nursery and I threw them together in a quick Prezi (that's hip blogger slang for full motion presentation). Take the tour of our nursery and enjoy!

Nursery Tour on Prezi

Wait a second for the Prezi to load and just click the forward arrow to work your way around the nursery.

-Kyle

Picture of the Week

2010-09-16T15:45:00.000-05:00

Walnut Creek

Austin, TX

A brother & a son

2010-09-10T09:59:00.006-05:00

Yesterday my little brother turned 20 years old. This may not seem like a momentous occasion, but being almost ten years older than him it is momentous for me. Because- I remember when he was born. I remember riding home with him from the hospital. I remember teaching him how to walk and changing his diapers. I remember visiting him in the hospital when he was two years old after he had surgery. I remember when he started playing t-ball and going to his first cross-country race. I remember that the last time we lived in the same house as children he was going into the third grade. I remember when he was a gangley middle-schooler and then when he all of the sudden started caring about fashion in high school.

But when I look back over the past twenty years that I have known him what I think about most is how when I first heard we were having a boy I was a little disapointed. I had dreamed about little dresses and bows for our baby girl. But now, I am more excited than I ever could have imagined. I am having a little boy- just like my little brother. And I will get to bring him home from the hospital and change his diapers and teach him how to walk just like I did Justin. I will get to watch him play t-ball and go through a gangley stage in middle school. And I know, that just like my brother, he will some day turn twenty years old and I will proud to have gotten to go through those twenty years by his side and hopefully the Lord will bless me with twenty more.

Here he is with the "old people" (aka our parents)

Happy Birthday to a brother who has made me excited to be the mother of a little boy and who I know will be the best Uncle Kibbo ever!

-Stacie

Picture of the Week

2010-09-03T09:46:00.000-05:00

Jackson Square, New Orleans

Belly Pics

2010-09-01T10:11:00.000-05:00

Here are the latest belly pics! This week marks week 31 and all is going well with the pregnancy and we have had nothing but good reports from our doctor! I'm starting to get tired more easily and am trying to force myself to slow down a little bit. I've also been a tad bit more emotional than normal ("tad" may be a bit of an understatement-Kyle can verify this) but I think that is to be expected. All in all, things are great and we're getting really excited!

-Stacie

Our Virginia weekend

2010-08-30T13:33:00.002-05:00

A few weekends ago, Kyle & I made the trek to Virginia to visit my family and the weekend was full of festivities! There was an amazing baby shower as well as a 60th anniversary wedding celebration for my grandparents. Almost all of my extended family were in town for the weekend as well, so it was really fun to see everyone that we hadn't seen in a few years!

Sunday was the day for all the festivities, which started with the baby shower. My mom and her good friend Amy hosted the shower and they did an amazing job- complete with icecream sundae station (which is a pregnant girl's dream, let me just say)!

The icecream sundae station- oh happy day!

Some of the adorable decorations!

The Hostess with the mostess- Amy!

I felt very loved and appreciated at the shower. There were so many wonderful people there that I have known since my childhood- it was a truly special afternoon that I will always cherish. Of course, I can't forget all the wonderful gifts I got too! People were amazingly generous and Kyle & I were truly blessed with all the gifts that we recieved. Some of the gifts were particularly meaningful though. We had a few handmade blankets given to us and my grandmother crocheted our little guy an outfit and blanket that is the cutest thing ever! Plus- my brother & sister-in-law gave us a llama themed gift basket that was awesome! Here are a few of the llama goodies:

Llama bib

Llama apron

We also got a few llama onesies, a llama bag, llama bumper sticker and llama mug. Too much llama you ask? Never!

Kyle & me with all our goodies!

My best-friend since forever, Katie

Three generations- my mom, Grandma Charlotte & me

After all the shower wonderfulness, we moved on to celebrating my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. It pays to have family member who work in the right places- so, we were able to have their anniversary dinner at the restaurant my older brother manages, TJ's. It is an amazing restaurant inside the Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond. The restaurant is currently closed for dinner, so we got the entire place to ourselves!

Enjoying appetizers- don't ask me why I'm the only one looking at the camera...

The brother's toast

The guests of honor

It was a great evening filled with family and wonderful food. Can't get much better than that! Our busy weekend was amazing, but exhausting. We're glad to be back home now and we're not going anywhere else in 2010! Now, we've just got to get ourselves ready for this baby- 9 weeks to go!

-Stacie

Photoshoot

2010-08-27T10:38:00.001-05:00

About 2 weeks ago Kyle & I had a photoshoot with, our friend and photograher, Jamie. She is SO talented and we were really happy with all the pictures she took of us and our growing little guy!

It's only about 9 weeks until we'll go from two to three and we couldn't be more excited!

-Stacie & Kyle

Picture of the Week

2010-08-19T09:32:00.002-05:00

Rockaway Beach, Oregon

Pacific Coast Highway 101

2010-08-16T21:24:00.000-05:00

First, I have to confess that I've really let the blog down. Fortunately my wonderful wife has carried the blog posting load that I've neglected but I bear a heavy dose of guilt for not doing my part. This is my attempt to shake off my slovenly ways and contribute to our digital life.

Last week we jumped on a plane (if you can call it that, regional jet...seriously!?) and headed to Portland, Oregon. My mom picked us up at the airport and we headed to the Oregon Coast for our annual Coast-cation. We met up with my sister, her husband and 10 month old son in Rockaway Beach where we've stayed for the last four summers. Having lived in Texas for almost a year we were in dire need of some cool Pacific Northwest air, mountains and forest and we were not disappointed.

View From Our Deck

Beach Behind Our House

I mentioned that our 10 month old nephew Marek made the trip and it was fun to spend a whole week with him. He's old enough to be crawling, responds to his name and knows how to give a pretty strong glare. It's tough being 1500 miles away from the cute little guy but we took advantage of our time with him.

Look at them thighs...super cute!

I'm sure we've blogged about it after prior Oregon trips but there is a 50's style bumper car arena in Seaside that brings out the child in everyone I've ever seen pony up the $2 to ride. Something about a license to ram into people at full speed guarantees fun!

Heather & Brandon prepare to smash Sally

We always enjoy our time in Tillamook for several reasons. First, Tillamook is home to Tillamook Dairy and anyone who has even glanced at our blog knows my wife would be hard pressed to choose between ice cream and oxygen if given an ultimatum. Fortunately it's a no brainer (which is why we enjoyed at least three double scoop waffle cones in six days!). Another appeal of Tillamook is a restaurant/country store called The Blue Heron. The food is good and they sell a variety of fun home made country goods. The highlight for Stacie is that they have some farm animals, not least of which are two llamas which she loves.

Llama Lovin'

This year our trip coincided with the Tillamook County Fair which proved to be lucrative. The fair hosts horse races throughout the week so we all picked a horse and threw in a few bucks. I hedged my bet and put equal money on the favorite and long-shot. What I didn't realize is that the odds constantly change depending on who's betting on which horse. Suddenly my strategy was inverted which proved my hedging logic to be a smart play. My mother had no such strategy. She only overheard me place my bet on the favorite and decided to copy me, which meant her bet ended-up running as a 10:1 long-shot. Silly Sally, should have hedged. Not so fast, the long-shot won and since she didn't split her bet like I did she won twice as much. On the bright side her winnings paid for a great crab dinner!

Cha-Ching!

Stacie and I enjoyed the chance to get out of the Texas heat (65 degrees and partly cloudy...yes please!). It's alway fun to visit family and the Oregon Coast provides and picturesque backdrop for enjoying a vacation. It's crazy to think that our little guy will be 9 months old and crawling around next year when we come back!

28 Weeks and Looking Real Good

Garibaldi Harbor

Cheers to another relaxing, refreshing and fun filled trip to the Pacific Northwest. Good bye for now old friend, until we breathe your cool mountain and ocean air again.

-Kyle

Picture of the Week

2010-08-06T10:02:00.000-05:00

Audobon Park, New Orleans

P.S.- we are off to the Oregon Coast tomorrow for a week! We'll post all about it when we get back!

Picture of the Week

2010-07-30T12:06:00.000-05:00

French Quarter, New Orleans

Babymoon

2010-07-27T14:42:00.003-05:00

Kyle & I decided to take advantage of a little thing we've heard called a 'babymoon'. Basically it is just an excuse for parents-to-be to take one last vacation before the baby arrives and things are changed forever....gulp. Which I might add that I just noticed our countdown says is in a mere 98 days. Fourteen weeks seems so much longer than 98 days...Anyway. We decided to go to New Orleans for a long weekend and celebrate the upcoming birth of our little guy and the ending of a two person family era.

I had been to New Orleans before, but Kyle had never been and I was excited for the chance to take him. We set out early Thursday morning and arrived in New Orleans a short 8.5 hour drive later. The Sale family loves a good roadtrip so we actually enjoyed the drive. We stayed in the guest house of a woman that we found through a property search website and the place worked out great! It was about a block off the French Quarter in an area of town called Faubourg Marigny.

House in the French Quarter

Our main goal of the weekend was to experience the New Orleans food and basically just explore the city for a few days. Of course, we accomplished both! On Thursday night we walked around the Quarter and then enjoyed some delicious grilled oysters and hush puppies for dinner. Divine. I don't even really like oysters, but anything cooked in that much butter has to be from God, so I went with it.

Friday we booked a tour (in an air-conditioned bus) and got the full view of New Orleans. We explored some of the famous cemetaries and even got to see some of the damage from Katrina. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and it was nice to ride around in the cool car for a few hours. My pregnant feet were very thankful! It was hot and humid all weekend, but surprisingly not as terrible as I had imagined. Friday we managed to consume beignets, a giant muffaletta, jambalya, gumbo and crawfish etoufee. It was glorious.

Here are a few random New Orleans pics:

Saturday was our last day so we decided to explore the Garden District and see some of the beautiful houses there. We also walked around Audobon Park and enjoyed the live oaks with spanish moss everywhere.

Spanish moss on a live oak

The only picture I got with me & baby!

The childhood home of Eli & Peyton Manning

One exciting thing about New Orleans (at least for the non-pregnant members of the Sale family) is that you can drink alcohol while walking down the street. And a can of beer is cheaper than a soda, $0.75 to be exact. Needless to say, my husband was pretty excited to carry his can of beer in a brown paper bag down the street. "Class, class, class"...name that movie!

Luckily for Kyle our camera does not have a time stamp, but I can tell you that it was barely noon. And that this wasn't the only time this happened, just the only time I took a picture of it. If you think I should be embarassed, think again- I am so proud. He's such a well-rounded guy. He reads the weekly 'Economist' and drinks beer from a paper bag- what more could a girl dream of. Hopefully these are things we'll pass along to our little boy.

We had an excellend dinner recommendation for Saturday night and ate some famous 'Barbequed Shrimp'. I had never even heard of these and don't even really like shrimp, but again the butter sold me. Barbequed shrimp is basically these huge shrimp served in a bowl in a sauce that is essentially 90% butter with a little bit of pepper and worchestershire sauce thrown on for good measure. It was absolutely delicious. They even make you wear a bib! The waiter was sure that the baby would be kicking me later, but like a true Sale our little guy can handle his butter! He wasn't bothered in the least.

All in all it was a great weekend!

-Stacie