Happy Boy!

Forgive me for the million pictures below... he was just too happy not to keep snapping : ) This was after eating some yummy sweet potatoes this evening! 

PIctures of Grandpa

At the memorial service today we had several memory boards with pictures. This is my favorite board.

Grandpa was 17 when he entered the Navy and was enlisted 1 or 2 years before he was honorably discharged. He served his time in California as a nurse. At 20, he married my Granny (bottom left) and soon after they had my uncle and my dad (top right).

I love the pictures of what he was like at my age (and younger)...it's so easy to forget that grandparents were once young too!

My Grandpa

This morning my family gathered together and laid my grandpa to rest. He passed away Monday, February 13th. I don't know what the report says, but we all know he died of old age. His body just plain gave out after years and years of hard work. 

I've sat down to write this post many times over the past two weeks and my hands always hover over the keyboard. Honestly, nothing I type can really do justice to the memory of this man. 

I am lucky that I'm old enough to have "grown up" memories of my grandpa. I will always cherish the time I've had with him and will never feel like it was enough. I loved him dearly. I could write for hours on why he was an amazing man, but I'll just end with this: Grandpa, I love you, and I can't wait to see you in heaven some day. I know you're no longer in pain and holding a spot for Granny right by your side. You are greatly missed. 

Below is a beautiful obituary in the Gonzales paper. Grandpa was an amazing man and this gives a hint into how he bettered the world while he was here.  

James Eldred "Blackie" Mullinnix

Posted: Sunday, February 19, 2012 7:16 pm | Updated: 7:24 pm, Sun Feb 19, 2012. Gonzales Inquirer

James Eldred "Blackie" Mullinnix, 83, of the Delhi community, passed away Monday, Feb. 13, 2012.

Eldred was born June 6, 1928, in Hearne, to Luther Arthur Mullinnix and Leona Eugenia Pritchett Mullinnix. He married Sarah Junell Walker on Dec. 4, 1948, in McGregor. Eldred was a member of the Waelder United Methodist Church, he had served on the Caldwell County Historical Commission and the Caldwell County Historical Society, he had been a long time member of the Woodmen of the World, he had taught Sunday school for many years and had served as a Scout Master where he lead 19 young men in achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank of scouting.

Eldred had served his country honorably as a medic in the U.S. Navy during WWII. After being discharged he worked as a sheet metal worker. In 1975, he went to work at Lockhart High School in vocational educational. As a vocational instructor he taught many young people various trades in construction that would put them on course for productive careers in this industry. Today, many will attest that their successes in life are due to his leadership, his vast knowledge of construction, his passion to help young men and women succeed in life and most importantly his love for people.

Blackie, as he was known by many, had been a member of the Delhi Volunteer Fire Department, and was personally responsible for the department obtaining grants that funded the acquisition of a defibulator, jaws of life tool, a pump truck, protective gear and clothing and a new fire house building to name a few. He had worked diligently with departments from the U.S. Forestry Service, the Texas Forestry Service, Homeland Security, GVEC and Bluebonnet Electric Co-op to obtain the grant monies for these acquisitions.

James Eldred Mullinnix was a man of integrity; his word was surely his bond. He radiated a kindness and love that commanded respect and admiration from those that knew him. He was a magnificent husband and best friend to his wife of 63 years, and a loving father and grandfather to his sons and grandchildren. Though he was actively involved in so many community, fraternal, church and other projects through the years, he did on occasion find time to fish, and as a younger man he enjoyed hunting in the desert. He enjoyed working in his garden, tending his cattle, raising goats, pheasants and ducks, but he thoroughly enjoyed working faithfully alongside his wife studying and researching family genealogy, where they accumulated enough family history to complete seven heavy books documenting years of family history.

Eldred Mullinnix is survived by his loving wife, Sarah Junell Mullinnix of Delhi; sons and daughters-in-law Eldred Eugene and Sharon Mullinnix of Austin, and Paul Weston and Deborah Mullinnix of League City; grandchildren Jennifer Mullinnix, Ethan Eldred Mullinnix, Thomas Eldred Mullinnix, Melissa Lutz, Katherine Mullinnix and Sarah A. Mullinnix; great-grandchildren Taylor Matthews, Sophie Mullinnix, Walker Eldred Mullinnix, Eli Eldred Mullinnix, Caleb Lutz, Aaron Lutz and Hannah Joy Mullinnix; and his favorite dog Duafus.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Thelma Heedick and brother Luther Arthur Mullinnix Jr.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, in the Delhi Baptist Church with Rev. Jim Hickman officiating. Memorials may be made to the Delhi Volunteer Fire Department. Services are under the care and direction of Seydler-Hill Funeral Home.

One Day

It's amazing the differences in children from one day to the next...

Thursday:


Friday:


Yep, that would be a mobile Aaron! He's still figuring things out, but is already quicker than this video.

Let the craziness begin!

Oh, and funny story. Earlier in the day on Friday, Caleb and Aaron were playing together in the playroom. Every time I went to check on them, Aaron was in a different place. I figured Caleb was helping him move around...now I know he was army crawling on his own and I had no idea! Crazy!

Finally eating...and some cute videos : )

Aaron is finally eating food! He's still not really happy about it and is only eating a few teaspoons a day, but it's better than the screaming fights we've been having with food. So far he's had rice cereal, sugar-free apple sauce and some well mashed banana. I'll keep up with those and hopefully add another option or two after this weekend. I guess it's time to start whipping up some baby food : )

On Saturday, Jonathan stayed home with the boys while Katy and I went to visit Granny. He took some cute videos of the boys being crazy!

Then this evening we got a good video of Aaron's fun noises. This is what we pretty much hear ALL day in our house! Yes, I'm afraid of how loud our house will be as our boys get older! And, yes, we have both boys camped out in front of the tv...don't judge, it was a long day and gave us a few minutes of calm (clearly not quiet). 

Aaron: 7 months old

Aaron turned 7 months old a little over a week ago! How crazy is that?!?

On Wednesday he had a follow up appointment from his 6 month appt just to see if he was gaining weight after switching to formula. In 4 weeks he gained 1/2 a pound! He's now 6 lbs 8.5 ounces. I don't know where that falls on the percentiles chart, but the doctor was very pleased with his growth.

We're still working on getting him to eat solids. I'm trying again tonight...wish me luck! So far he just gets really mad when we try any food.

I have a feeling we're only a few weeks away from crawling. Aaron is getting on all four and wiggling back and forth now. I've also seen him go from sitting to the crawling position and then back to sitting.

I'm surprised that he's still taking 4 naps a day. A few weeks ago he did stop taking the last nap of the day, but he still can't seem to combine those two morning naps. By now I'm pretty sure Caleb was down to three, but I'll just keep letting Aaron take the lead. I'm hoping when he starts crawling he'll want to drop one of the morning naps and have 3 slightly longer naps. I'm not too worried about it though. He sleeps 12 hours at night, starting between 7 and 7:30, so I really can't complain.

Sorry I don't have any pictures to share for this month! It's been a rough week around here and I haven't been in picture taking mode. We are looking forward to Jonathan's day off tomorrow and spending some time together. Nothing big planned so far, but I'm hoping for a nice day so we can go outside and run/play for a while...maybe even have a picnic!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Jonathan and I went out to dinner on Friday night to celebrate early and then spent a few hours at the Houston Home and Garden show on Saturday afternoon. We knew we wouldn't get to do much today since it's the middle of the week. 

We did both get to enjoy Caleb's Valentine party at school. It was fun to watch the kids decorate cookies and pass out Valentines. Jonathan came home early from work and surprised me with a plant for the back patio and a bottle of wine. (I plan on enjoying a glass as soon as Caleb goes to bed!) Rather than go to a lot of trouble for dinner, I stuck to the classic breakfast for dinner while we watched Gnomeo and Juliet. I've enjoyed the relaxed evening and loved just spending time with my three guys!

Jonathan and Aaron before the party

Caleb, Mommy and part of Aaron's head : )

Putting Valentines in his friends' mailboxes

Decorating his cookie with brother sitting next to him!

The four of us 

My silly monkey!

Early February

Well - there hasn't been much to report on here in the last few weeks. We've had some rainy, cool weather which is mostly keeping us inside. 

Aaron had his first big ouchy last week. I sat him down to clean up a mess and didn't realize how close he was to the coffee table. The poor guy leaned forward and as he lunged to get me, hit the edge of the table right by his eye. He bled a little and had a nasty mark above and on the side of his eye. I felt HORRIBLE about it, but after a few minutes he was just fine. I'm sure it's the first of many cuts this little man will have!

Caleb has been getting a lot better with his alphabet lately. One day he brought me the play tub of margarine from his kitchen and said, "M...Milk!" and decided the tub of margarine was his milk simply because he knew the letter Mm!

Over the weekend, Jonathan and I took the boys to the park. We had been at home way too much and needed to get out. It was pretty chilly, but they both still had fun! (Ignore the kid in the background in shorts and a sleeveless shirt....everyone else was in at least long sleeves and pants, if not bundled up in jackets!)

Determined + Loud = Aaron!

Aaron is quickly moving from the early, quiet, sweet baby stage into the crazy, loud, determined older baby stage...





If this is any indication of what the future is, watch out world! This kid is determined to get anything he wants, when he starts crawling we're in serious trouble!

January: Weight Loss Update

Just a little celebration! I lost 5 pounds in January! WAHHOOO!!

No, I didn't do some big New Year's resolution...I just wanted to start making some basic healthy choices. Of course, two cases of food poisoning may have helped that process ; )

Starting this past Sunday, I stepped up my attempts to become healthier. So far I'm doing well, but won't weigh myself until the end of the month. Stepping on the scale too often will just be frustrating!

So anyways, I'm celebrating my 5 pounds, it's a step in the direction I'm trying to go!