Crazy Christmas

Christmas has been super crazy in the Hawk house.

Starting with...Decorating our tree twice. I tried to trim up some limbs and cut a wire too! Here is the finished product, but I have to say I thought the first time around was prettier.Here are some more decorations. It does my heart good to see 3 stockings...what a blessing adding Ellis to our family has been. I prayed for a long time to get to have three stockings. Now I am praying for 4!!! Oh and I can explain the black angels, just ask!

Then I lost my wallet....boooo! I have been replacing everything slowly, but surely. I got a new camera and got right to work, I had been missing shots like these...

Then my best friend had her baby at 26 weeks....Meet the very tiny and very amazing Mckinley Faith Jones...and don't just meet her; pray for her too! Steaks came in the mail for a Christmas gift. Believe it or not the dry ice was the boys favorite part!


Then we went to Fantasy In Lights...it blew Ellis away! Ellis was in a mini heaven...it was cold outside, but he loved hanging out the window (and he didn't see the value in keeping on his hat and gloves....shame on him and shame on his momma)!
Last but not least, we visited Santa....he was a big fan....until we made him sit in his lap!
Overall, we have a lot to be thankful for despite the craziness...
Merry Christmas---Love~~~ The Hawks

Fall Has Been Wonderful!

William and Ellis riding on the Four Wheeler...that's right were Parents' of the Year:)

Karan Anne and Ellis watching for fish!

The Boys and their big catch of the night.

At the Pumpkin Patch in October. Ellis was looking at the tractor, he is all boy already!

The Big 10 Months!

Ahhh Ellis is already 10 months old!

Some highlights...

cruising from one piece of furniture to the next
rolling out and occasionally eating toilet paper
baby proofing
eating regular food 98% of the time
deciding that vacuum cleaners are scary
baths everyday now...sometimes twice
playing catch with dad
discovering the toilet
clapping, banging, and dancing
learning what no means
sharing food with dad or mom
watching to see if the parents will say no
crawling fast, really fast
enjoying books more, though occasionally still trying to eat them
going up stairs
drinking out of sippy cups
and of course saying hey...over and over again!

We LOVE every minute!

Moral of the Story

Yesterday Ellis had two baths. The first bath was for his photo shoot. We wanted him to look picture perfect! The second was for fun....baths are a great way to kill some time in a baby's world. I have a great tub that I take to the grandparents' houses when they babysit, not because I want them to bath Ellis, but because it is fun for him.

Today Ellis had another bath...this was not needed, nor was it for fun...this bath was an emergency! Ellis was playing and having a great time while I was checking my email. As most of his independent play times end, he started his normal fusing. I waited a bit longer until the partial whining became crying and then picked him up and took him to the changing table. He had that certain smell so I knew that I was changing a dirty diaper...it is just that normally when you change a dirty diaper you expect to just wipe a butt. When I saw poop up to his shoulders I switched from the changing table to the sink....we needed an emergency bath!

Moral of the Story: Try not to let your baby poop in a jumper...with each jump comes new heights!

Gardening Gone GOOD

William and I are still gardening...well mainly just Will. He does all the hard stuff I just pick the vegetables when I need a side dish for dinner.

We have had some bug problems, but not too bad. Will just recently installed a sprinkler so he doesn't have to stand there and water everyday. He has enjoyed working hard and then getting results. We have some left over plants if anyone would like some.

Even though it takes up a lot of his free time, this is one hobby his wife supports!

Things I Have Learned After Having A Baby===A.K.A. I need to vent!

These are some things that have been on my mind lately...after having Ellis for over 6 months now! Wow I have a 6 month old!

~People should not tell women your going to be loosing your baby weight...Example...when I was ring shopping the lady suggested I not get a bigger size because I am going to lose weight....I had already lost it. Another example...your clothes are going to be fitting better....again I had already lost the baby weight. Instead, just say...wow you look great....no matter where on the scale you think the lady falls.

~As a pregnant woman I did a lot of assuming...
-I thought I would never let my baby hang out in just a diaper, I do!
-I thought I would never let my baby in bed with me, I do every night. It is easy to nurse laying down going in and out of sleep.
-My goal was to wait a month before giving my breastfed baby a paci, I lasted four days.
-I thought it was gross when babies had crusty stuff on their face, my baby can frequently be found with dried rice cereal or sweet potatoes on his face. Maybe even a little booger.
- I thought I wouldn't talk baby talk and look like a fool, but I am a sucker for his smile and will do whatever it takes to see it.

~Earlier on in Ellis' life I told my sister-in-law that I would never give bibs to an expecting lady. This was because I had an insane amount, I should not have spoken so soon...you see at that point Ellis did not really need bibs. Now I get it-bibs are great...lots of bibs are great...unless you do laundry all the time.
-Other things I said in that conversation I would not recommend giving a pregnant lady are blankets, outfits for early on (3 months or younger), little shoes (they fall off), and of course things that are not on the registry!
-My favorite gift was practical things you know I will use...although it does not look pretty when you open it, not having to buy diapers has saved me a lot of money. I have enough shampoo to last Ellis until he is a toddler.

~People should not give new moms advice if they do not have children or have not had a baby in a while. Even if a non parent gives great advice...it is just annoying. If they have children but it has been a while then my advice would be to hold off on sharing advice, simply because times change...research is constantly taking place!

~Two Hours goes by so fast...I had no idea babies eat that often...this makes movies or TV shows, like Lost, very unrealistic.

~I lived in Mexico for a while I was pregnant, then I came home to register for baby items...lets just say seeing how babies survive in Mexico greatly affected what I thought I needed. I also talked to a lot of new moms and asked what could they live without. I have not regretted my decision to skip on some "must have" baby items.
-Things like: wipe warmers, playpens, sanitizers, food warmers,diaper genies (Wal-mart bags and an on top of it husband are cheaper), teething gels (I read it doesn't work), expensive paci clips, smock outfits, bottle warmers, and lots of other gizmos in Babies R Us.

~Ear thermometers do not work...just take the babies temperature the good ol' fashioned way...under the armpit. Sad fact to learn because someone gave me one, I used it, it didn't work, and then the doctor said yeah...they don't work.

~EVERY PARENT IS DIFFERENT AND EVERY BABY IS DIFFERENT...therefore no advice or comment is valid...even what I have just said might change or won't apply for someone else.

Trendy Hawks are Going Green

Will's latest hobby has been gardening. He has been working for a couple months on preparing the land and starting the seeds. He has spent most of his free time outside enjoying the Spring weather and putting energy in to his new little area. First he started beds inside and then he has been slowly moving the plants outside. Hopefully sometime soon we will have lots of fruits and veggies to eat!

Ahhh Solid Foods

Last night we added one more thing to our nightly routine..."solid foods".

It was a fun experience, Ellis was a trip...he had to warm up to it lets just say.

Enjoy the pics!

Almost A Big 4 Months!

I was walking with my mother in law today and she asked me about professional pictures...I told her I was going to wait until 4 months...she pointed out that 4 months is next week!

Four months next week-wow!

This month has flown by. Ellis is now a supported sitter and I have been reading about adding rice cereal to his diet. He smiles and laughs all the time. Everyone makes making Ellis smile a goal when they are near him. We enjoy reading and playing with new toys everyday. He is still a little guy as far as weight goes...pray that he gains weight and that all is well in his little body. He sleeps for five or six hours at night and we all love every minute of that trend. I had a proud mom moment when I framed several pictures of Ellis and displayed them around our house.

Today we had a big "Praise God" moment... I tripped and fell with Ellis in my hands on tile floor. It was horrible but Ellis was ok. I have bruised knees, but I can live with that. We are so thankful Ellis is alright.

Three Months with Ellis

Well Ellis is three months old now.
We have loved all three months.
He can now smile and has even laughed!
He sleeps until about 4 or 6 o'clock in the morning, which is lovely.
The doctor wants him to gain more weight, so he is taking some medicine everyday and we go in to check on the 26th of February...well see how much weight he has gained over the past month.
Life is much richer with a baby!