Hendricks Happenings

First Hair Cut

2012-01-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

Right before the holidays we took Blythe to get her first haircut! We went to a place called Sweet-N-Sassy in The Woodlands. They have spa parties for little girls and also do haircuts. The place was precious! Each station had a tv with Beauty and the Beast playing and the salon was full of goodies for little girls! Blythe and I had practiced for a few weeks of what would happen when she got a haircut, so on the day we went she knew just what to do. They put her in the chair and she was super happy with watching the movie. When it came to cutting the back or her hair they had her look at a flower hair clip that she was holding in her hands. When it was all finished they blew dry, styled her hair, and topped it off with the flower hair pin. The hairspray had glitter in it!!!!! They also sprayed her hair to smell like strawberries! Blythe was in beauty shop heaven. When they were all finished she got a powder/glitter stamp on her cheek and a lollipop! Of course Abby went and got her first haircut as well, these are the type of adventures best friends do together.

Ready for the first snip!

Watching the movie

Holding her flower hair pin

All finished!

Lollipop with Abby

Taking a pic in front of the salon's pink limousine!

She Wore an Itsy Bitsy.....

2011-11-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

Halloween was so much fun this year! Abby joined us for some trick or treating and the girls had a blast together... it's so much more fun to do things with your friends. We started by going to Jake's mom's house. We visited 3 of her neighbors as well. Then we came home and walked our street. By then the girls had plenty of candy. Last we came home and let the two girls answer our door and give out candy.

Notice that Abby has both baskets :)

First Big Ouch!

2011-10-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

The first Friday of October we had playgroup at our church gym. I thought the kids would love to run around and play. About an hour into playing Blythe dove for a ball and hit the gym's wood floor! She came up screaming and was bleeding. This momma's heart dropped!! We rushed to find a dentist, which I had no idea dentist didn't work on Friday's, and thankfully found a super sweet dentist. They took an x-ray, said the tooth's root was fractured, and they scheduled the surgery the following Thursday. Unfortunately this dentist was out of network, so the following week I made an appointment to go see the dentist our pediatrician recommended.

Blythe and I went and saw the new dentist this week on Monday. He said her tooth was pretty much dead. If he pulls it, he will have to pull both front teeth because the other tooth is loose as well. He does do false teeth for children, that way they don't have any problems with speech development and that the other teeth don't shift. He advised that we wait and watch to see what the tooth does and to just monitor it for now. We don't want to have to put Blythe through that procedure if we don't have to. Children heal so amazingly that the tooth might heal. Worse case scenario is that we have to pull it in 6 months. So thankfully we are not going to pull her teeth for now! Blythe is behaving normal and eating great, this is definitely not hindering her. I do have to monitor it closely and make sure she does not get an infection or an abscess (which would be horrible!).I am so grateful that this accident happened while I was with her and not when she was at school. I am grateful that she was laughing when she fell and her mouth was open and that she didn't bite through her tongue or lip. I am grateful that she was back to her normal self in 2 days! She never ceases to amaze me!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-25T19:44:00.001-07:00

For Labor Day weekend we joined my family at the lake. The girls favorite part of the trip was riding on the boat :) Blythe asks me most days if we can go to the lake again!

Heading out to sandy beach

At sandy beach swimming

After our swimming and playing the girls needed a Capri Sun break

Dancing to the music on our way back

Sisters :) Hannah & Hailee

Blythe and Hannah, they adore each other and have a lot of fun together

Hannah on the porch

First day back to school

Lists

2011-08-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

I am a girl who loves lists! I only function when I have a list going. Typically I have a daily list, weekly list, and long term list, but this morning I was inspired by http://jonesdesigncompany.com/ to make a "What's left of the Summer To Do List". There is only the rest of this month to complete all that I aspired to do this summer and hopefully having a list up on the wall will help me accomplish :)

(jones design company)

Diaper Free

2011-07-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

I finally got to potty train this last week, although it felt like Blythe pretty much trained herself. I have wanted to do it since she was about 22 months, but I haven't been able to until recently. I needed to wait until I had a good 4 days at home with no commitments in order to give training my full attention and that just wasn't falling into place. Then we had a few trips at the beginning of summer and I decided I really didn't want to have to carry a potty onto the plane. I also have to say that a sweet girlfriend told me to not worry and just wait until Blythe really showed interest. I am so glad I listened to her, even though at the time I pouted at the advice :)

When Jake and I got back last Sunday from our trip to Baltimore Blythe asked me to use the potty before I put her in the bath... and she did it!!! The very next day on Monday she told me she needed to go #2 on the potty... and she did it!!! Then on Tuesday when I picked her up from the gym childcare her teachers told me that she asked them to use the potty and that she was successful. I had previously marked the calendar that Wednesday was going to be the day that we threw away all diapers and I was so encouraged and excited to start. Blythe and I started off the morning by going to gymnastics and when we returned home the training began. She got it immediately! The book I read was 3 Day Potty Training and it advised telling the child that big kids keep their underwear dry. I checked her frequently for dry underwear and if she was dry she got a reward (chocolate chip). I was so relieved that she had such a successful day, only 4 accidents (and only 6 accidents total in 5 days). Night time has been awesome as well. The book says no pull ups, just get it over with, and I stuck to it. I take away her drink about 2 hours before bed time and I think that is what helps her wake up dry.

Potty training was something that I feared and was getting myself mentally ready to clean up messes and replace sheets and be stuck at home, but instead, it was a breeze. I came across a verse that made me look at the whole situation, "but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well" Matt 6:33. It reminded me that all I need to do is keep my eyes focused on the Lord and doing the things He has called me to do and everything else will fall into place. Thankfully He uses friends, Amy Hilton, or small situations like potty training to train us and to keep us on track and He then takes care of the rest. I thank the Lord for using such a small thing as potty training to remind me to keep my eyes on Him.

Summer... So Far

2011-07-12T19:02:00.001-07:00

This summer has been hot and dry, as most of you are experiencing as well! The hard part of summer is being cooped up indoors. You can't go to the park in this weather, you can't even play in your own backyard. Blythe and I try to head outside every morning to water the yard and flower beds and she hangs with me for about 5-10 minutes and then disappears. I find her in her playroom and she refuses to go back out. I can't blame her. We have escaped the heat at the lake house... my grandmother, mom, sister, 2 nieces, Blythe and I took a girls trip at the beginning of June. Thankfully we were able to spend a little more than a week with my in-laws in Colorado Springs mid June. Jake was with us for half of the time and he was not happy about having to go back to work while we got to stay.We thought we would be getting out of the heat this past week when we headed to Baltimore for a family wedding, but Maryland was as hot and humid as Texas! The rest of the summer is going to be pretty calm and the plan is to start potty training tomorrow!! I wanted to train a few months ago, but the thought of traveling on a plane didn't sound fun at all. I am as mentally prepared as I think I can be, but still a little nervous of night time and when we run errands. I just need to dive in and get it over with! We hope everyone else is staying cool :)

The last day of school, her teachers Mrs. Stacy & Mrs. Mindy

First night in new room & new big girl bed
(still working on room)

First swim of the summer

Splash pad with Abby

Girls Lake Trip

First Day of Gymnastics

2011-06-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Blythe started gymnastics this week with Abby! I took B a little early so that she could watch and get comfortable with the gym. She did great on her first day! Here is some video from the parents section. The parents watch from upstairs through a glass window.

Easter 2011

2011-05-03T19:53:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Easter at Grandma Weber's, Easter at the neighborhood clubhouse, and Easter playgroup!

The hunt begins and the girls go straight for the flower pots on the patio.

Off in the yard finding eggs.

Family

Great Grandchildren

Blythe and Hailee

Blythe, Hailee, & Hannah

New bubbles from Aunt Ashley

Neighborhood egg hunt

Easter Playgroup, all the kiddos having lunch

Abby, Blythe, and Addie

The boo-boo bunnies that we made while some of the mommies hid the eggs

Blythe begging to start the egg hunt, lol!

Hunting!

Giddings

2011-03-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went on a quick trip to visit Aunt Emily and Uncle John. We were double blessed because Aunt Laurie, Uncle Don, and Grandma came to visit also. We had a great time together talking, helping Emily decorate and move furniture, and Blythe loved playing with everyone {It was nice to have some one else color, play farm, and feed baby with her}. Blythe was also so excited to go see the cows, pigs, and sheep. On the way there she talked on her phone telling the imaginary listener all about how Daddy stayed home to do school work, Gabby stayed with him, and how she was going to see the animals. Then on her way home she kept calling Uncle Don on her phone and asking if he would come color again. While Blythe was taking turns playing with everyone I got to spend time with family catching up on their lives and going through picture books and wonderful memories. To me, being with my family feels like going outside and laying in the sun on a spring day, soaking up all the rays and being filled with warmth. I am truly blessed! Thank you Schimank family for having us come stay!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day my sweet family and friends! Blythe and I started our day out by going to the church gym where Blythe got to spend some time with Mrs. Faye and I got to go work out. As we were leaving Blythe got a cookie from the sweet ladies that work there, it completely blends in with her shirt, but you can see the evidence of it on her face. We came home and EdLee and Abby came over for lunch and to play. We hope you all are having a great day as well and know that you are loved!

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. " -1 John 4:12

January

2011-01-04T11:27:00.001-08:00

Welcome January, I am glad you are here! I am ready to organize, clean, de-clutter, and get my house back to normal. It is amazing how much one can accumulate in a year, especially with a one year old. It is even more amazing how quickly Blythe can destroy the drawers in our house. I gave up trying to put everything back in order because she would pull everything out again that same day. At the end of December my magazines started coming in and they all had the same theme: get organized! It made me want to start right away. December 26th came as did horrible allergies for Blythe and myself. Blythe also got her first ear infection ever. It was in both ears. She and I both had no energy and I was so sad to walk around my house with Christmas everywhere. I so badly wanted that burst of energy and excitement that comes with organizing and cleaning out closets, rooms, etc. Finally today was the day! Blythe is back at mother's day out and I had 5 hours to dig into the man cave (our in-law suite over the garage). At the moment I am knee deep in a happy mess. Christmas is almost completely back in the closet, the Goodwill pile is growing, and I am beginning to see this turn back into a guest suite. My day is going by too fast, it is already time to go get B. I will post pictures soon.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Sad, sad, sad.... I forgot my camera and I don't have any pictures from Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful weekend here in Houston this year with Jake's sweet family. Blythe had her first Thanksgiving meal, she only ate a very small amount but she loved it. We have all of our Christmas decorations up and we are ready for December. To start off the holidays we had Breakfast with Santa this past Saturday. I will be putting up the pictures in the next few days.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

Blythe was a fairy this year and we started off the Halloween weekend with playgroup. All the kiddos looked so cute! We attempted to take a group picture, but it didn't go well at all :) This was only a few of the kids, we were still rounding them up during this photo!

On Saturday we went over to Mimi's house (Jake's mom) and helped her get ready for her costume party.

Blythe is playing in her Cleopatra make-up! It was her first time to play in make-up, I had to take pictures of it!

Ready to go to church on Sunday!

Then on Sunday evening we went to a few neighbors and friends homes to trick or treat. Lastly we headed to church and went trick or treating with Abby at the church's fall festival! Abby was a butterfly!

Dancing Blythe!

2010-10-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Blythe and Abby Playing

2010-09-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Picking

2010-09-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

This summer Blythe and I went blueberry picking with EdLee and Abby. The girls rode/chilled in the wagon and they held my bucket while I dropped my berries into it. They aren't big enough to do the picking, but they were definitely big enough to do the eating. I wasn't able to collect any berries... every time I dropped a handful in, my last handful was already gone, lol! Those two little girls LOVED the berries. Thankfully EdLee shared her picked berries with me. I look forward to picking more fruit in the future.

August

2010-09-13T18:24:00.001-07:00

Here is a few pictures of Blythe from August. She is growing so quickly and her hair got long over night. I am so excited that it is September and we are headed to cooler weather. We are also back into a routine which is much better on me. Blythe started her second year of Mothers Day Out on Tuesday. She has two very sweet teachers and she is learning to sleep on a nap mat already!!! I took the camera to school but forgot to take it out of my handbag, naturally. I was more worried about filling the teachers in on B's information, routine, etc. than I was about getting my camera out. The good news is she did wonderfully and did not shed a single tear, unlike last year.

B found a purse that was a gift with an outfit and I had put it away until she got bigger. It now carries her cell phone and a wallet filled with cards, etc. Could she look any more excited about it? LOL.

Avery Rathweg and her Mommy, Michelle, came over and spent the night while Jake was up in Lubbock attending grad school classes. The girls had a blast swimming and playing.

Avery introduced us to Fisher Price's online games and B loves playing the alphabet game. She is so serious when she is on her computer.

Uncle Matt and Aunt Kiki (Courtney) came in town and visited with us one afternoon. B loves her Uncle Mmmmmmaat and KIki!!! She is going to be the flower girl in their wedding this February!

Playgroup met at Bouncing Bears one week. It is a place filled with bouncy houses and Blythe had a blast!!! Of course her favorite was the one with the biggest slide that she had me carry her up and ride down with her at least twenty times. We both had a great nap that afternoon, lol!

On days that it is not raining and before it gets too hot Blythe goes and plays out in the back. She loves to be outside. Her new outside entertainment is the dirt!?! She moves the little pebble rocks from the dirt to the concrete to an empty flower pot and back to the dirt again. Occasionally she likes to taste the dirt, yuck!

You can see that she has moved most of the pebbles that are around her. She normally doesn't venture off the patio right there.

Wow, she was so proud of the size of this one :)

2010-07-19T19:32:00.001-07:00

Blythe and her baby dolls!

2010-07-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Blythe and I took a trip to San Antonio and stayed with my sister and her family for a week. We had a wonderful time and Blythe was in love with baby Hannah. She would check on her, test out her toys for her to make sure they were working and that Hannah was enjoying them, and see if she needed a pacifier. Even if she didn't need a pacifier Blythe felt the need to shove one in her mouth. She was a great little helper. When we came home Blythe got out all of her baby dolls and started to feed them bottles, take them on walks, and put them to "night-night". Here are some pics :)

Bottle time

Making sure her baby is ok!

Yep, she's ok

Strollin'

Little Lady

2010-06-20T18:44:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago playgroup met at the Woodlands waterway fountains. I was so excited to finally take Blythe, but I was nervous at the same time wondering if she was going to like it or not. I had nothing to worry about! She just ran right in and had a blast. She was so funny trying to lick the water and catch it in her hands. She was in absolute amazement of the fountains. I heard so many squeals of delight from her little voice. Here are a few of the pictures.

Blythe's First Birthday!

2010-04-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

Blythe is One!

We had a breakfast celebration in San Antonio

These were all the pictures I got in SA because my camera died

We also celebrated in Houston

As you can see Blythe did not like cupcakes!

Update

2010-03-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

I have a new niece! Hannah Avery Hill was born on February 11th! She is wonderful and perfect and sleeps all the time. Ash is a great mom and is balancing two daughters, 14 months apart, amazingly. Hannah looks almost identical to Hailee, but with a little less hair.

Hailee is 14 months old and is a hoot. She has so much personality and she is so funny. I had so much fun playing with her when I was visiting. She laughs more than any child I have ever seen. She has been practicing being a big sister by carrying around her baby dolls every where she goes. I don't think she has noticed that Hannah has arrived since Hannah sleeps all the time, but when she does I know she will be great.

Blythe is now 11 months old and she is getting funnier and funnier. She started walking right before Valentines day :) and she looks like Frankenstein! Yesterday she went down the stairs on her tummy, yay! We have been working on that for over a month. Then today she put a circle block through the circle hole on her shape toy! I was so excited because it is the first time she put it in the toy versus taking the shapes out, throwing them on the floor, and then moving on to the next toy. I see picking up toys and putting them back in the basket in the near future.

Jake and I are doing good. We are trying to survive teething and Croup at the moment, but we know B will be back on her normal cycle again soon. Jake is loving his job, which makes any wife happy :) and I am loving my job. That is about it for us!

All Dogs Go to Heaven

2009-12-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

18 years.... that's a pretty awesome run for a dog.

Chrissy was one of those sweetheart dogs that was hard not to love. A half-Beagle half-White-Tailed Terrier, she was always content to just "chill out" at the house while you were gone, and was always happy with a wagging tail when you got home.

We adopted her right around Christmas time, which is where her name came from. Her first night at home she was scared and not too sure what was going on, but she quickly became acclimated to the life any dog would envy.

We soon found out that Chrissy had a knack for being an escape artist. Anytime the front door or the back gate was opened she was quickly off and running down the street on another adventure. There were many occasions where we didn't realize that she'd actually gotten out. Instead we'd receive a call from a neighbor or the local elementary school saying she was playing with the kids and was having a great time but if we could come and pick her up it'd be great.

The Beagle in Chrissy made her a natural hunter, and her favorite thing to chase was squirrels. There would be many walks where she would see a squirrel and just TAKE OFF dragging whoever happened to be holding onto the leash. Most of the time (when she was young) she would chase a squirrel up a tree and actually attempt to climb up the tree after it. There was more than one time she got 4-5 feet off the ground trying to reach those squirrels. A typical day in the life of Chrissy was:

Wake up, go outside to the bathroom, come back in for a bit of food, take a nap, go outside and stare up into trees looking for squirrels. EVERY DAY she did this. Needless to say our house (and the neighbor's) were squirrel-free the majority of the time.

One year when I was in college I had the treat of taking care of Chrissy for a semester. I have no idea how she did it... but one day I came outside to Chrissy having actually caught a squirrel. The squirrel was on the ground and seemed to not be able to move, and Chrissy was just dancing and barking in circles around it. I could tell it was one of her proudest moments ever.

The other thing that drove her nuts were geckos. When it would get dark we would have geckos crawling on the outside of our windows and BOY did she do her darndest to get them through the window. There were some times she would hit a window so hard we were sure it was going to break (thankfully it never did).

Chrissy was also a remarkably good dog to go on a run with! She LOVED to go running when she was younger. She had the bad habit of taking it out waaay too fast and then having to slow down towards the end, but eventually she learned to pace herself (a little bit).

As I got older, my mom or dad would occasionally go out of town and I would have... shall we say "gatherings" at my respective parent's house. Chrissy was always the one I could count on to keep the party in order. We would be hanging out outside on the back patio and she would chill out with us for awhile and then "go on patrol" where she would walk around the perimeter of the backyard and then sit by the back gate. If anyone happened to be walking up she would immediately alert us to their presence. Her favorite party items were the bit of peppermint schnapps we would sometimes put in her water bowl, and pizza crusts where she knew you were almost finished eating a slice and would just look at you with those puppy-dog eyes saying "hey you gonna eat that?"

Later on in life as we were adding to the family, Chrissy was the perfect mother-hen to our two pomeranians Gabby and Bella. Even though she was getting a little older, she definitely had that spring in her step whenever they were all together and still loved to play with the little-er puppies. There were many times we'd catch either puppy trying to catch Chrissy's tail or running back and forth "buzzing" Chrissy, antagonizing her into playing with them. Chrissy was also very generous with her food, and was more than happy to share her bowl when the puppies were visiting. The one trick especially that the pups learned from Chrissy was that every time (omg srsly?) you came inside from going to the bathroom you got a treat. To this day Gabby and Bella expect a snacky-type of something whenever they come inside... even if they've just been hanging out (expect is different than actually getting btw).

As Chrissy got on in the years, you could begin to tell that the age was catching up to her. Slowly going blind and deaf (as dogs typically do) her sense of smell remained remarkably acute, and she could seem to navigate around the house just by using her nose. Never shy in letting you know she wanted to be loved and petted she really was the ultimate family dog. Chrissy was honestly one of the sweetest pooches a person would have the privilege of meeting. Everyone loved her... kids, adults, other dogs, everyone.

Today Chrissy went to heaven, as all dogs do. As a true companion dog, Chrissy was the epitome of "Man's Best Friend." Always happy to see you in the morning, always happy to see you in the evening. Never mean, never judgmental, never held a grudge, always kept a secret, and a dog you could never stay mad at for more than 5 minutes... even after she'd eaten an entire loaf of bread.

Chrissy... you will truly be missed. We love you and hope you're catching squirrels in puppy heaven.

Posted by Jake Hendricks

ixeos.1up.com

Bella's New Playmate

2009-11-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

Blythe has learned how to play Bella's favorite game, tug-of-war! She gets a kick out of the dogs and loves watching them and trying to play with them! Listen to Blythe calling Bella's name towards the end of the video!

2009-10-03T21:05:00.001-07:00

Just the beginning...

2009-09-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

Blythe's first tooth broke through on Saturday, Sept. 12!! Of course we were on vacation! She did pretty well and was not fussier than normal, except for Friday night. She woke up almost every hour. We ended up putting her in bed with us and she slept peacefully after that. At breakfast she was trying to chew on the table. In my attempt to stop her she grabbed my hand and stuck it in her mouth. That is when I felt the sharp little tooth!

2009-09-14T20:04:00.001-07:00

I found out today that my sister is expecting another girl! I have another niece on the way!!!! Yeah!

Approaching a new Season

2009-08-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I love this time of the year. All the back to school displays in stores and commercials on TV. It makes me miss being a kid. I loved getting a new backpack, fresh new notebooks, brand new pencils! I think it is the organizer in me that loved it so much. Also, the new school year had endless possibilities, a new beginning. It was a chance to change anything. Unfortunately New Years doesn't do the trick for me like starting a new school year.

I love being a teacher, it gives me that opportunity to start fresh. I organize , label, and clean everything! I am going to miss not teaching this year terribly. I love getting the classroom ready, meet the teacher day, reading books to the kids, teaching them... Then I look at Blythe. I am so excited that I am going to be with her for the next year! I love playing with her on the floor, watching her from around the corner while she is having independent time, listening to her talk, laughing together, and I am glad that I get to continue to do this all day long. I know I won't do this forever so I plan on making the most of every moment with her!

So before we start off a new school year here is some of the things we did this summer!

Great Grandma Weber came to visit

Father's Day

Jake found his first gray hair

Celebrated the 4th with the Lee Family

Swimming with Ashley

Shopping with Mrs. Michelle and Avery

Stacy Hall's baby shower

Celebrated Grahams birthday with Aunt Ashley and cousin Hailee

Sang A LOT with Mommy

Visited my best friend Lindsey and her husband Michael

Went to the lake

Getting Ready for Mommy's birthday dinner

Grahams surprised Mommy by coming to visit for her birthday!

Fall

2009-08-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else out there ready for fall? Blythe and I are tired of being cooped up in the house. We are ready to go on walks again and we miss the park! We will enjoy the end of summer, but we will be counting down until Fall!

Growing, growing, growing!

2009-06-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

Out shopping with Grahams, Hailee, and Aunt Ashley

Some days I won't let Mommy put me down, but her day must go on, so this is how she gets the laundry downstairs!

I LOVE books!!!! I know I make Mrs. Katie proud!

Mommy makes me laugh...

She makes me laugh really hard!

First time in the bumbo chair

This is Abigail, she is two days older than me! We do a lot of things together!

Walking at the Park

2009-05-22T19:49:00.001-07:00

Two Months

2009-05-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

I am amazed at how fast time is going by. I can hardly believe that Blythe is six weeks old. I am even more amazed at how much I have not done over the last six weeks. I feel like the only thing that I have done is fed my daughter, lol. I did manage to mop the floors last week, which was followed by a huge celebration for being able to get something accomplished that isn't related to Blythe. Today I cleaned my oven!!! One day at a time and one chore a day, slowly we are getting there. Maybe in the next week or so I can get two chores done a day.

I started this blog on week six and was interrupted. Now we are two days away from being 8 weeks! We have done a lot and she has grown so much. On week seven Blythe slept through the night! After three nights of sleeping 8 hours I moved her to her room!! I am amazed at how I feel like a whole new person with sleeping seven hours at night now! Life is good and I can not get enough of her coos, smiles, and laughs. We are having sooooo much fun!!

Here are picture of Blythe weeks 5-8!

Go Texas Tech!
Mommy is TIRED!

Sunday naps with Daddy and Bella

Daddy, Mommy, me, Rusty (Buddy), Jill (Grahams), Aunt Ashley, Uncle Scott, and Hailee

I love my Graham

Trying to capture her smile, I always get it at the end!

Out to dinner with friends

Cousins: Blythe and Hailee

Aunt Laurie and Grahams

Play time!

Laughing at silly mommy

Gasping at silly mommy

Week 3 & 4

2009-04-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

A recap on the last two weeks... first I got mastitis, then Blythe was diagnosed with acid reflux, and lastly she has a little bit of thrush. It has been a difficult two weeks and it is going to continue through this week until her acid reflux medicine kicks in. Hopefully by Friday she will be feeling better. It just breaks my heart to see her hurting. It has been fun finding new ways of consoling her. Jake is the best at it... he puts her in his jacket and zips it up and all you see is her head, then we got the Baby Bjorn and it has been fabulous. Jake puts it on and goes up and down the stairs until she stops crying. Through all this there has still been good moments like her squealing and cooing for the first time!!!

Crying also known as acid reflux

More crying...

And still crying, but not for long, she loved being wrapped up in Jake's jacket

Finally asleep, and she sleeps just like daddy!

Our first outing, a birthday party for Queenie... it took us two hours to get out the door, we were 45 minutes late, and I didn't get to dry my hair!

We love bows! This one is from Grandpa and Queenie!

Trying to get the bow in her mouth!

Bath time

Passed out on daddy

Blythe Week 2

2009-04-13T06:31:00.001-07:00

Play time!

Blythe and Lauralyn

Proud dads

Blythe & Avery

Easter with Grandpa

Blythe Jillian Hendricks

2009-04-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Blythe's first couple of days! I will post more, but I am out of time... time to go wake the sleeping baby!

Waiting for labor to get going, which it never does!

It is a girl!!!!!!!!!

Mommy, Daddy, and Blythe

Going Home

Kisses from daddy

Aunt Ashley and Blythe

Nesting

2009-03-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

Nesting has affected everyone in the house. Not only have I cleaned every closet, thrown away more than half my shoes, but the dogs also had to get their summer haircut as well! I look at the poor pups and just laugh. They don't look like themselves at all! They are probably ready for this baby to come as well!

Finally!

2009-03-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

I am finally posting pictures of the nursery. It is mostly done, but I am having a very hard time with wall art. So, please excuse the bare walls! Hopefully I will find the perfect wall pieces soon. Oh, and I added a ninth month picture!!!!

2009-03-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am nine months, 37 weeks, pregnant! I can not believe this is about to come to an end and a whole other chapter is about to begin! It has been a joy, but I am ready to have my body and my brain back!

Here are some pictures that Ashley took! She is so talented!

Hendricks Happenings

2009-01-20T17:30:00.001-08:00

Baby Hendricks 1st Picture!!!

2008-11-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

Here we are at 20 weeks!

Overdue Update

2008-10-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

I can not believe I have not updated my blog since August!!! I blame Ike :)! Things are finally running smoothly. I am no longer sick, Ike is all cleaned up, and school is finally in full swing (this school year so far has been insane, first with a new partner, classroom move, and then the hurricane interruption.)

Here are some pictures of my growing belly. I am 10 weeks in the first picture. I thought I was so big... lol! I am 18 weeks in the second picture!

Jake's Scavenger Hunt... Things to do while off for the summer!

2008-08-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Full Redemption

2008-07-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

I read something great today that I want to share. It comes from Beth Moore and she was talking about sin from our past. I hope I am not the only one that has been driving in the car and had a memory of a poor choice from my past and cringed in disgust. I am then an awe of God's forgiveness and love even when I don't think He should have shown me grace.

I loved reading this: "God can restore our identity, our purity, our ability, and our sanity! He not only diffuses our past of all power to harm and haunt us but He infuses it with power to help others."

We need to truly let go and know that we are forgiven!

Hendricks Happenings

2008-07-20T21:31:00.001-07:00

Lindsey's Wedding

2008-07-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Jake and I attended a wedding in Austin this summer! The bride was one of my best friends from high school and is still one of my closest friends today. Our friendship was formed in the later years of high school and my favorite part was that we lived on the same street! We would get together all the time and for some reason we always ate a dessert at my house (sitting on the kitchen floor at ten o'clock at night whispering so that we didn't wake my parents)! College came and Lindsey was off to UT and you know where I went! The distance didn't stand a chance for our friendship. Now we have lived in different cities longer than we have lived in the same and we still say that one day we will live next door to each other! Lindsey, thank you for your friendship and your love. I wish you and Michael many blessings!

The Reason Why Nothing Gets Done

2008-06-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -

Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway,

I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,

I notice mail on the porch table that

I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table,

put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,

and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back

on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think,

since I'm going to be near the mailbox

when I take out the garbage anyway,

I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table,

and see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study,

so I go inside the house to my desk where

I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks,

but first I need to push the Coke aside

so that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Coke is getting warm,

and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,

a vase of flowers on the counter

catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Coke on the counter and

discover my reading glasses that

I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk,

but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter,

fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.

Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,

I'll be looking for the remote,

but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,

so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,

but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers,

but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table,

get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to

remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

the car isn't washed

the bills aren't paid

there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter

the flowers don't have enough water,

there is still only 1 check in my check book,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,

I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day,

and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem,

and I'll try to get some help for it,

but first I'll check my e-mail....

Color Finally Selected... One room down!

2008-06-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the color that we went with. We decided to not paint the kitchen and I finally found a compliment color! Thank you Margaret!!!

More Paint Samples

2008-06-06T06:48:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures. Notice the oil painting, that is the color palette I am trying to work with. Also, the flower arrangement and pillow on the mantel has all the colors as well. That gives you an idea of what I am going for. This whole thing started because of that black tile around the fireplace!! I am wondering if I should leave my kitchen or paint it green, khaki / sage green.

Jake's 30th Birthday

2008-06-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

The theme was red and black, for Texas Tech of course.

Decorations:
I forgot to get a picture of the kitchen where most of the decorations were. I also forgot to take a picture of all the wonderful apps :(

Party:

Summer Time

2008-06-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

I survived my first year of teaching and managed to not cry all year! I think that that is a huge accomplishment, especially from the first year warnings / stories that I heard. Now, my summer has begun and I am loving my career choice at this moment.

So what are my plans this summer? PAINTING! Painting the whole house! I will also be maintaining the yard, decorating, cleaning... Here is my first challenge, paint colors. What is your opinion?

Only 6 More Days!

2008-05-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that there are only 6 more days of school left with the kids! I can hardly believe my first year is coming to an end. It feels like a month ago was the first day of school. I have loved my first year and have loved the career change. At times I miss merchandising and the great workout that came along with it, but I knew that God was calling me on to the next mission and chapter in my career life. Now I get three months of recovery from the hardest job I have ever done... and it is only 10 sweet days away!!!!!!

2008-05-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

OK, I know I am a terrible blogger. What can I say, it is the end of the school year! Only 12 more days left with the students and Friday I finished 4 weeks of testing, yea!! Hopefully soon I will post Jake's 30th birthday party pictures and all pictures of the house changing from spring bunnies to red and black Texas Tech theme for the party.

Thank you all for your love and patience... lol!

Spring Break

2008-03-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
-Ephesians 1:3

As some know, Jake has been coming to Aspen / Snowmass since before he was born. His grandparents bought a condo in 1974 to get away from the Houston heat. It has become a cherished family tradition for Jake's Dad, brother Matt, and Jake to come up for Spring Break. They called it the boys trip. Even after college the boys have managed to still come every March. Every year they get a family photo that goes up on a special wall. These pictures are precious as you see the boys grow year after year, from short hair to long and back to short again. THEN *I* JOINED THE PICTURES (and the boys on their beloved trip). The boys have had to tone down their behaviors and I have "learned to love the gas" (Family Guy). Not only do I get a great workout from skiing, but my stomach muscles get a workout from all the laughing.
This year was a sad year though. Unfortunately Jake was not allowed to ski, doctor's orders, due to his surgery. So he had to recover in the condo all week long. Poor thing wouldn't even go walking outside because all the skiers made him even more bummed. Instead, he brought two laptops, one for work and one for video games. Even though he couldn't ski, the view he had while doing work beats any day in the office.

It reminded both Jake and I how blessed we are to have these memories and to have our health. One can not explain the bonding, the laughter, and the inside jokes that are made here in Colorado.

I probably should have looked at least a little sad that Jake was stuck in the condo (I really was), but my smile reflects the best snow that we have had in twenty years!!!

“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sick Jake!

2008-03-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

I found some time to post.... while sitting up all night in the hospital. Poor Jake got a stomach ache on Sunday evening, but I thought nothing of it since we ate crawfish for lunch. On Monday morning he was still hurting and decided to search the web for answers to the unfamiliar pain he was feeling. His research led him to appendicitis. To be safe, he left work and took himself to the ER. Four hours later it was confirmed, and six hours later he was in surgery.

The good news is that Jake caught it at the early stage and it was removed without any problems. He had a successful night and ate four popcicles (telling me what flavor he wanted every time). At this moment, he is testing out breakfast. Once we know it has settled we will be on our way home!

I will say that Willowbrook Methodist has the most wonderful, kind staff. I have not met one grouchy nurse! Everyone has been extremely patient and understanding. Even in the ER, they were as quick as possible and pulled together a surgical team for Jake within an hour... WOW!

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts during his surgery and recovery! Everyday God reveals His blessings to me and I am so grateful for my family, friends, and my wonderful husband. I am truelly blessed.

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
-Lamentations 3:22-23

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-27T05:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I envisioned myself having more time to blog, but then school break was over and so was my blogging time. Here is the pictures from New Years that say, "Don't you wish you were here?".

Holiday Break

2008-01-02T19:59:00.001-08:00

The holiday break has been wonderful! I think it is the breaks that keep teachers going! My holiday started with a whirlwind trip. We started on the 23rd in downtown Houston celebrating with Jake's dad. On the 24th we went to San Antonio to be with my family. Then on the 25th we went to Kingwood to be with Jake's mom. Then we came home... and it is a lot of fun to come home to our house. This was the first time I couldn't wait to come home.

For the next couple of days I got the house ready for our New Years Party!!!! On Sunday I decided to get the rake and shears and do a little yard work... haha! Notice the holes in the pore bushes. I wasn't doing much better either, thank goodness it all grows back. I was really proud of my flower bed cleaning. It was one of those times when you get in over your head and there seems to be no end. We ended up filling up 10 garbage bags of debris. After I finished I called my mom to tell her of my accomplishments and she informed me that flower beds need pine needles as a blanket to keep them warm during the winter... THANKS! :)

Reasons to Blog

2007-12-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

I have enjoyed reading my friends blogs so much that I have decided to blog. At first I wondered what in the world I could blog about, then I remembered I have two precious dogs, I am a new homeowner to a thirteen year old house that I get to redo, and I have wonderful stories of being a first year second grade teacher.