Braids and Bulldozers: Catching up

WOW! So it has been almost a month since my last post. My how time flies when you're havin' fun! So many things have been going on since I last wrote, so I will give you all the "Cliffs Notes" version.

My little man is coming into his own. During the time since I last wrote he has really started smiling and "talking" a lot. This is one of the reasons I have not gotten on here - he's just so fun to talk to and to watch as he smiles and coo's at us! He is still having some tummy issues, but as we near the end of the third month his colic is diminishing as promised, but the the reflux still persists. Fewer fussy moments in our day has certainly made for more fun around our house. He is still suffering with the persistent congestion that has plagued him since he was 3 weeks old, but we manage our way through it with mental bath, eucalyptus "Boogie Wipes," baby Vapor Rub, and my new favorite snot sucker.
He is growing so much and gains more and more personality every day. He has started going to daycare all day now, although he would really rather stay home. He hasn't quite gotten used to all the noise that goes along with being around the daycare, and therefore his sleep is interrupted regularly. This sleep deprivation during the day has caused him to start taking extremely hard, long naps in the evening and so he has been waking around 4:30 in the morning ready to start the day - his Momma on the other hand, is NOT! I had gotten way too used to him sleeping until I had to wake him around 7:00 to get ready to go to daycare - yes, I have been very spoiled by my little angel.
He has also done his first art projects this month and was kind enough to not only do them for his Momma, but also wanted to share them with some special members of his family. He is now officially wearing 0-3 month onsies, but still fits more into the newborn shorts. However, his newest pair of tennis shoes and sandals are both 3-6 month. Tall, thin, and with big feet and hands!
We were so lucky to get to see just about everyone in our family during April. Tyler and I headed North mid-month to spend the weekend with Grandpa and Memo (my dad and step-mom), and we were able to have the opportunity to make several pit stops along the 1-35 corridor. First we had a quick visit with Nana (my mom), then stopped in at Uncle Slade and Aunt Nicole's (Chad's brother) where we saw them, 3 cousins (Iris, Cody, and Brooklyn), and Mawmaw Butchie and Pawpaw Charles (Chad's mom and step-dad). Then after a wonderful weekend with 2 of our favorite people we stopped in at Pawpaw Bert's (Chad's dad) and then another quick stop at Nana and Papa's house. Whew, whata weekend whirlwind!
We, of course, celebrated Daddy's birthday over the course of about a week. Nana just had to come see Tyler baby the week before Chad's birthday so he got his gift from her, patio furniture, then the kids and I got him a new grill that he also got that weekend. Needless to say, on his actual birthday the kids and I just took him to eat and gave him our cards (well, minus the one from me that I STILL haven't located). Unfortunately we made it short and sweet since he had to work late that day and then work all day the following day. :-(
We also went to my sister's house for a double birthday party - my nephew turned 1 and my mom turned 60. We had a wonderful fiesta for Clay's party at lunch and then we toned things down for a relaxing afternoon filled with long lost family time before our evening celebration. Chad and I, along with all our clan, stayed the night and were able to enjoy a few more precious moments with some of our favorite people.
Somewhere in the midst of the month of April I took the girls and Tyler up to the High School for "Seniorpaloosa" (a fund raiser put on by the Navarro Seniors. There was face painting, a dunking booth, a Cars train ride, and several other activities for the kids to participate in. The girls had lots of fun - mostly at the face painting booth - and it was a fun way to spend a few hours on our Saturday.
Finally, as most of you know, Tyler and I started working/schooling at daycare in April. We started off part-time, and then after a couple of weeks we moved to full days. Tyler has done okay, but would rather spend his time as the complete center of his Momma's attention with both of us relaxing at home. I will admit that starting at the daycare has been the number one reason I have not stayed on top of my blog. I am hoping to get more settled into a routine and be able to go back to updating all of you on the families happenings more often. This will hopefully prevent me from having to overload this thing once a month.
On that note, sorry for the lengthy reading and even more lengthy picture trail, but thanks for reading and looking, and mostly for caring! Love to all!!!