BoydThings

Big Fat Update

2010-05-01T19:09:00.005-05:00

Considering it's been four months since my last entry, you have probably assumed we're either dead, too busy, or just bad bloggers. Well two out of three ain't bad. Soooo much has happened in our lives in the past few months. As you may remember, we sold our home in OKC in September and moved to a house on my boss's land in the country. Other than a couple ticks and a 58" snake, we've managed to avoid run-ins with the critters.

In mid February I decided to leave my job after 5 1/2 years with nothing but God's peace ahead of me. My last day with Aduddell was February 28 and I spent the next two weeks polishing up my resume and meeting with anyone who would give me a few minutes. After a couple weeks we found a house we both loved and it hit us, "No job... no house." But God had a plan. After seeing the house for the first time we went to Panera for lunch. As we ate and talked about how to buy the house, I got a text message from a guy wanting to talk to me about coming to work for him... cool part is, he had no idea I had quit my job.

So we bought the house!!! We closed April 23 and have had workers in it for a week. We are so excited and plan to start moving our stuff by Tuesday. We'll post before and after pics once we move in.

God certainly made a way for us where there seemed to be no way. But all of that pails in comparison to our excitement for our little girl coming a 3 weeks! We are so blessed to have Crew and have no words for the thrill it will be to add another part to our family. God has a plan, and it is good.

Christmas Beard

2010-01-04T13:03:00.008-06:00

I know I'm not alone when it comes to being lazy around the holidays. I eat whatever I want, don't exercise... or more accurately, continue to not exercise, and I don't shave for a couple weeks. When the new year rolls around I feel like a tub of goo and look like a fat Jesus.
This year I went to my stylist (of course I have a stylist) and after looking through her magazine of styles, I asked her to give me The American Chopper:

Me with an American Chopper look is only gonna get me beat up. So I asked her to give me the 1970s Frat Guy.
I wasn't convinced I could pull it off so I asked her to give me The Father In Law.
And then just for fun, I asked her to give The Beastie Boys Sabotage Video Guy.
OK, I really don't have a stylist. And if you thought I did, you might get your tail whipped by American Chopper Dagen. I shaved it all of and grew my beard back so look for more fun with facial hair later this month.

Sunset Beach

2009-11-25T09:32:00.018-06:00

I can't remember such great weather in November. We're trying to make the most of it by getting outside in the evenings and weekends. Across the pond from our house is a large pavilion with a small man-made beach. Crew's new favorite activity is playing in the sand and destroying all the sand castles I build. His preferred methods of destruction are to either shave off sections with a plastic shovel or stomp across them a la Godzilla.

The pavilion is a great place to spend a mild November evening enjoying the laughter of a child, the tranquility of the water, and every once in a while, running in terror from the spider that lives there. That thing is huge! It's multi-colored and the size of my face! I've been told they are great to have on your home cause they eat a lot of bugs. Whatever, they're creepy.

This is a picture of our house across the pond from the pavilion.

Life on the Farm

2009-11-09T13:43:00.002-06:00

Click here for some pics of our place.

There are a few pictures of Crew's first fishing experience courtesy of Jerry McCurry (another ranch resident and all around good guy). Jerry caught a perch and offered it to Crew to touch. He poked it with his finger and, in a way eerily similar to his mother, ran off in disgust. He loved watching it though.

Crew is also up for riding anything with an engine. The first time I mowed he rode along for half an hour and when I tried to take him inside he freaked out. So I kept him with me... for another hour and a half! He loves riding the Kubota and the little kiddo 4 wheelers with me. He really has no fear when it comes to loud things.

Others pics are from this past weekend when Deren and his family came out to visit and sleep over. We had a great time with them as always.

Long Overdue Post

2009-10-29T08:14:00.003-06:00

Well we've been on the ranch for a little over a month now and have learned lots about the country and have a new appreciation for life in the city. The fact that we refer to going to Edmond as making "a trip to town" is funny to us. I feel I have to say it with an accent. "Well sweetheart, I's gonna make a trip to town to buy supplies... you need sump'n?"

The drive to and from town is starting to wear on us, though once we're home it's cozy and feels like it fits. Crew has mothers-day-out Mondays and Wednesdays so Michelle comes into town to pick him up and then we usually are in town Saturdays for errands and Sundays for church.

The house is great, the land is quiet and relaxing... but we're ready to move back to town. We originally planned to live on the ranch for up to a year but know now God designed us to live in town. I mean, can you imagine living in the country with a 2-year-old and a new baby? Oh wait, did I mention we're pregnant? WOO HOO!!!

So Long Edgemere

2009-09-21T08:59:00.002-05:00

We officially sold our house in Edgemere this past Thursday. We were so ready to move until the last week when it really hit us that we were selling our first home and it would no longer be ours. It was a great house and over the 3 1/2 years we lived there it became more a part of our family than a place we lived.

As for the new place, we've moved to a 220 acre ranch 20 minutes east of Edmond on Route 66. The house is awesome and we're learning a lot about life in the country. We'll post some pictures this week and the stories are already racking up.

The Lawn Crew

2009-08-31T14:40:00.007-05:00

Crew loves mowing the lawn... with his bubble mower. So funny how kids pick up stuff from watching their parents. Crew loves following me as I mow the yard and mimics anything I do. He even pretends to adjust the blade height at each wheel when I go from the front to back yard.

Generic Update

2009-08-14T08:57:00.007-05:00

The Boyd's are trying to find a house. We've spent countless hours online and walking through stranger's homes searching for our next place. Michelle found one I didn't like, and I found one she didn't like, and then we found about 20 or so we both didn't like. As our Sept. 17 closing approaches, we are considering making a temporary move to my boss' horse ranch northeast of Edmond. There is a great house overlooking the property we may rent until we find something we like. That said, we will count on our friends to visit us in the country for some BBQs and horseback riding to help it feel like home. We will keep you posted.

On another front, Crew has turned from baby to little boy seemingly overnight. He has such a great personality and is a typical friendly little Boyd grand kid. Crew follows me around with his Bubble Mower when I mow the yard. I love this picture of him, he looks like a guy who takes lawncare seriously. Can't wait til he's pushing the real thing around while I'm inside taking a nap.

He loves all his cousins but Brody pays the most attention to him so he really likes following him around.

Yadda, yadda, yadda, we sold our house!

2009-07-07T21:43:00.005-05:00

Yes, it's true... we sold our house... and we're not quite sure how it happened. I'll try to explain Ferris Bueller style: A girl Michelle knows Facebooked her about a friend of hers looking for a house in our neighborhood and had their realtor contact us about whether we would or would not be interested in showing our house. The Facebook friend's friends and their realtor saw our house a couple days later and we accepted their offer a couple days after that. Still with me?

Anyway, we close mid-September and have no idea where we're moving to. Michelle found a house she liked but I didn't, and I found a house I liked but she didn't. And that's where we are.

We already miss our house. It is our first home and we have a ton of great memories in it. Moving will be difficult, but we're excited about finding a new place. We'll keep you posted.

Busted

2009-06-09T16:07:00.004-05:00

Crew loves to get books and games off the shelf. He usually flips through the books and opens the games to peak inside the box but rarely takes stuff out. Michelle busted him trying to play Taboo in the living room. Guess he got bored after emptying the contents of his toy basket. Rufus even got in the action and gnawed on one of Crew's toys.

Mrs. Fix-It

2009-06-03T11:34:00.002-05:00

I should preface this story by saying I do not have Michelle's permission to share it... although that has never seemed to stop me before. I consider the phrase "don't tell anyone" to sometimes mean "wait a week, then tell everyone."
I was at work when I received a text from Michelle saying the toilet in the guest bath would not flush. I called her back and asked her to check to see if the chain had come loose. She removed the lid and saw the chain. "Oh, I see it. It fell down to the bottom of the tank," she said.
I told her to reach in the tank, grab the chain, and reattach it to the handle. She seemed hesitant and so I reassured her the water in the tank was clean and she responded, "Well, I'm not going to just stick my hand in there."
"Why not," I asked.
"Cause I'll get electrocuted."
There was a brief pause at that point as I thought I had misunderstood.
"How?" I asked.
Michelle was instantly frustrated, "I don't know, okay? I'm not a plumber! I don't know about how toilets work!"
I'm happy to report that after a brief explanation of the physics behind the modern toilet, Michelle overcame her fear of toilet bowls and reattached the chain. I'm so proud.

Crew Gives Mommy The Bird

2009-05-26T15:48:00.005-05:00

Michelle and Crew house sat for Griz and Gramz in Bartlesville a couples weekends ago while they visited Derek in Hawaii. She took Rufus along cause he loves playing with Maggie and Gabby, the family basset hounds. The bassets, like most pets, have their quirks, and Maggie's is bringing random things indoors that most definitely should stay outside.
Crew loves the bassets. More specifically, Crew loves when the bassets bark and fight. He'll poke at them and when they nip, he laughs... hysterically. He's getting pretty quick and can be next to you one second and in the other room interrupting the dog's naps the next.
Sunday evening Michelle was in the living room and Crew ran into the kitchen around the corner to play with/torment the dogs. Michelle heard growling followed by laughter indicating at least Crew was not getting into anything. He came walking around the corner and Michelle noticed something in his hands. She assumed it was a toy he had snatched from one of the dogs and started to walk toward him to make sure he didn't put it in his mouth.
As she approached him, Crew dropped a bloody, half living bird to the ground. To put it mildly, freaked out... remember, she's alone and 2 hours away from her bug killing, poop cleaning, dead bird handling husband.
Michelle called me in a panic asking what she should do. I told her to get the bird out of the house so the dogs wouldn't mess with it and take Crew to the emergency room. I realize at this point in the story some of you more seasoned parents are laughing since one of your kids as recently as yesterday probably ingested a couple pounds of dirt and crickets and followed it up with a half bottle of Windex from under the sink and you're thinking a dead bird is no big deal, but this is our first kid and I thought a trip to the ER couldn't hurt... so stop the judging.
Using a magazine and a dust pan, Michelle scooped the bird up and tossed it out front. As she was heading to the Jane Phillips ER, I called my dad (aka Griz) in Hawaii. "You sent her where? She'll be there all night. Tell her to go to minor emergency over by the house."
I call Michelle back, "Leave the hospital and got to the minor emergency."
She replies, "The nurse already came out and told me to just go home and brush his teeth real well and give him a bath with a real good soap. What the heck is good soap?
I answer, "I don't know, we can mix all the soap in the house together and try to make some kind of super soap."
Dad rings in, "Tell Michelle to just go home and give him a good bath and brush his teeth."
I answer, "Where was that answer 15 mins ago?"

It all ended up fine. Crew's feathers are coming in nicely and my parent's now have 4.5 gallons of 'good soap' if anyone needs it.

Festival Arts

2009-04-24T13:28:00.004-05:00

We had so much fun at the festival Wednesday that we went back Thursday with Meredith and Kayt. Kayt is just about the cutest little girl ever and she and Crew get along swimmingly. The food at Festival Arts is AWESOME! Wednesday we had hot dogs and a cinnamon roll. Michelle ate a couple bites of the roll which obligated me to finish it. I felt like a tub of goo the rest of the night. Thursday we got crazy and split a chicken sandwich, empanada, and sweet potato fries. Oh yeah, the art was cool too.

Crew loved playing around the Ribbon Monster. It was basically some tubes sticking out of the ground that kids tied ribbons to. It really was cool.

Vocabulary Update

2009-04-12T13:43:00.002-05:00

Crew has been an active baby talker for several months. He always has something to say though we don't always know what it is. Over the past couple weeks he has started using real words. He gets real excited when he learns a new word and we hear it over and over until he learns a new one. Here is a list of all words he knows:

Hi
Bye
Mommy
Daddy
Dog
Duck
Book
Mooo
Me
Ball
Thank You
No no
That
There

Grover

2009-03-31T15:03:00.005-06:00

Crew got a Grover from Gramz and they have become best buds. Crew drags him by his foot and tosses him around. He'll see Grover from across the room and charge toward him with open arms and give him a giant hug. It's pretty awesome.

New Favorite Video

2009-03-17T08:55:00.006-06:00

We can't stop watching this video.

We visited Grandpa Wally in Arkansas last weekend and then got to play with Harper Hammack in OKC when we got back.

Great Wolf Lodge

2009-02-25T13:29:00.011-06:00

This past weekend my family spent the weekend at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX. It was AWESOME! It is a huge hotel with restaurants, games, a huge indoor waterpark, and themed rooms. It is designed for kids, but the adults had just as much fun. We got to visit Tom and Cindy Clark for a couple nights before checking in, and Cindy earned a 5 Star babysitter rating for watching Crew.

Crew had a blast in the beach pool. He's been walking for over a week and wasn't phased when walking through the water.

CREW IS WALKING!!!

2009-02-16T13:32:00.003-06:00

Last night Crew took his first steps! Then he took his second steps! Then he walked all over the house! It was very exciting and we did get most of it on video. I'll post some clips as soon as I get time.

Crew's 1st Birthday

2009-02-16T12:53:00.009-06:00

We celebrated Crew's birthday at Gymboree. We had a great time hanging out with friends and watching all the kiddos play. Crew dug into his cake like a champ and made us pay for it later by staying up an hour later than usual.

Christmas '08

2009-02-16T12:27:00.007-06:00

We spent this past Christmas in Bartlesville at Griz & Gramz' house. Kylee's family stayed in San Antonio so we had 4 of the 8 Boyd grandchildren at the house. Traditionally, we open all the presents under the tree on Christmas Eve and then "Santa" comes in the night and leaves you more stuff. Crew loved tearing into the presents, but not so much playing with the gift inside. He was happier playing with the pile of wrapping paper (aka trash) that accumulated in the center of the room.

Next year we're going to wrap up this year's wrapping paper trash for his gifts. Why waste money on Dancing Elmo when you all your kid wants is garbage?

Crewsin'

2009-01-06T10:36:00.004-06:00

I realize we haven't posted any pics from Christmas, but last night's events are worth seeing. Crew got an activity table for Christmas and was playing with it after dinner last night. He pushed it a little and took a few steps toward it. He did it again, laughed, again, laughed, and soon had pushed and walked out his bedroom door. We had bought a toy walker for his birthday over the weekend and decided to give it to him last night since he was obviously ready for it. IT WAS AWESOME! He was all over the place and laughed the whole time. NFL scouts are calling us like crazy.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-22T14:05:00.005-06:00

What an awesome year we've had. It's only been 10 1/2 months since Crew was born, but we don't know how we lived without him.We hope you get to spend some quality time with family. Or, if your family drives you crazy, spend as little time with them as possible. Here are some pics of our holiday photo session with the Bottomlys. The bottom right looks like Crew is doing a George W. impression.

News from the Baby Front! (updated)

2008-11-24T09:25:00.001-06:00

No, we are not having a baby. But our dear friends Gerod and Kerri Grigor are. NOW STOP CALLING US!!!

Bumble Bee Tuna

2008-11-03T16:21:00.012-06:00

I'm just gonna say it... our kid is cuter than your kid.

Michelle and I were invited to the Hartsock's Halloween party a week ago and when I went to the attic to peruse the contents of our skit box, I found an adult size bumble bee costume... and had no idea where it came from. I put it on and walked into the kitchen to show Michelle who was in hysterical disbelief we had it. So, Crew and I went as bees, and Michelle hot glued some Honeycomb cereal on a t-shirt and went as the beehive. When we got to the party, Brian Ray looked me over and said, "Hey, I think that's Jay Bratton's costume. His grandmother made it for him." So Jay, either your bee costume ended up in my attic by some fluke, or I'm gonna kick your butt for storing your crap in my attic.

My parents were in town for the OU/Nebraska game and we all went trick-or-treating with Deren's family in Norman on Friday. We had a great time.

Baby With An Attitude

2008-10-20T08:55:00.005-05:00

Crew is the easiest kid to get to smile. Make a funny noise, get a big fat grin. But every once in a while we get a sneak peak at some faces we'll probably get to enjoy a little more when he's a teenager. God help us all.

This just the beginning!!!

2008-10-17T09:01:00.002-05:00

The previous post includes some pictures of Crew in a pumpkin patch in Bartlesville. Michelle sent several of the pictures to CVS to print and when she went to pick them up was told the manager wanted to speak with her. The manager told her everyone in the store loved the above picture and he sent it the CVS corporate office and they loved it too. He asked Michelle if CVS could use it on posters and displays in their stores.
Michelle agreed and that will be the story Crew tells Matt Lauer in 30 years when he is asked, "You're the most famous actor/musician/ athlete in the world. You've won 12 Oscars, 4 Grammys, a Super Bowl, and next week you're being sworn in as President. How did it all start?"

The Great Pumpkin

2008-10-14T09:12:00.006-05:00

We spent this past weekend in Bartlesville relaxing. I'm just getting over a wicked case of walking pneumonia and going to Dallas for OU/TX didn't sound very restful. Deren's family went too and we all went to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday evening for a hay ride and to look for the Great Pumpkin. We got some great shots of the kids. Pictures are of Crew and his cousins, Breyden, Brody, and Behr.

Blogger Buildup

2008-09-15T11:13:00.008-05:00

When you're a "here and there" blogger like we are, you end up with a lot of stuff you should have posted, but then time went by and it's no longer blogworthy. Well, here are some things that I forgot to mention. Enjoy.

Crew and his happy time bottle.

Crew & Crew - My friend Jade had a Crew born in April.

Crew with great grandma who is being spotted by Michelle off camera.

Crew enjoying his new high chair.

Our friends Brooke and Jimmy had a baby a couple weeks ago. His name is Pearce.

My brother Danen married Michele this summer.

Crew swimming with Griz. He loves it!

Michelle's Mac n Cheese, which was awesome!

Michelle's chocolate chip cookies, which were not.

Mother's Day Out

2008-09-03T11:39:00.002-05:00

Crew started Mother's Day Out last week. He goes a few hours twice a week to socialize and give Michelle some time to get stuff done. I never thought Michelle would be able to actually walk out of the church without him, be she was a brave little mommy and did it.
When she went to pick him up, his teacher said he was a happy baby and he had a great time doing his art project. That's right, 7-month-olds do art projects. They put paint on his feet and stamped them to paper to make ears on a bunny and wings on a butterfly. He's already a better artist than I am.

Crew & Cole

2008-08-26T10:18:00.005-05:00

We got to hook up with the Preglers this past weekend in Bartlesville. Cole was born a week before Crew, which may be why they look so different.

Maverick & Goose

2008-08-19T12:37:00.002-05:00

Well Crew has a wingman, and his name is Gunner. He lives two doors down and belongs to Todd and Jennifer Gipson. To give you an idea how big Crew is getting, he is 6 1/2 months and is as big as Gunner who is 10 months. They make a pretty good pair.

Aloha to Howdy

2008-08-08T09:35:00.003-05:00

The Colaws are moving to the mainland!!! My sister and her family are leaving Honolulu and heading to San Antonio. We are so excited cause we'll get to see them more often and have a supplier for Mexican apple soda.

Best Post Yet!!!

2008-08-06T11:50:00.003-05:00

Fat Guy in Little Coat

2008-08-05T11:49:00.005-05:00

Crew is getting BIGGER!!! He had his 6 month check up yesterday and is in the 95% for weight and 97% for height. His head is a ‘proportionate’ 75%. He is sitting up, rolling over, rolling back, scooting, jumping, laughing, grabbing, babbling, and learning more stuff every day. It is amazing how fast babies pick up on things.

Here is an updated picture of Crew and Adley. For those of you who don’t know, Adley belongs to Zak & Jessica Bottomly and was born on the same day as Crew. It has been so fun to watch them grow and see all the ways they are alike and different... for instance, Crew likes carrots but Adley is a Pakistani albino... weird. This picture gives a fun illusion of Crew having a giant head and Adley having a tiny one. They're not freaks I promise, at least not yet.

Auntie Mariam and Rug Burn

2008-07-22T14:52:00.002-05:00

We had a great weekend in Little Rock visiting Michelle's dad and sister, Mariam, who was in from South Carolina. She earned her Aunt badge by feeding Crew, changing a few diapers, and getting puked on. We really had a fun time.

We got back late Sunday and started some chores. Michelle put Crew in his play mat and went into the kitchen to get some string cheese (mmm, string cheese) and when she returned, found Crew halfway to the fireplace. He evidently has learned to scoot. I'm thinking of implementing the following Boyd house credo, "If you can scoot, you can work. Now get out there and get a job."

Our Little Overachiever

2008-07-16T11:14:00.008-05:00

When we first put Crew in his Johnny Jumper he looked at us with a "you mean you don't want to hold me" look. Then, after several motionless stints in the jumper, Michelle sends me this video from her phone. NFL scouts have begun contacting us.

Then, while we were getting ready for church last Sunday, Crew SAT on the bed all by himself!!! It was hilarious. Our laughter made Crew laugh and lose his focus and fall back... which made him laugh harder. So we'd sit him up and he'd laugh, pause, then fall back. Guess we better not sit him up on the hardwood just yet.

We get to see Aunt Mariam this weekend... she hasn't seen Crew since he was about a month old. Should be fun.

4th of July, a shower, and a hole in one.

2008-07-09T21:44:00.010-05:00

We visited Tom & Cindy Clark in Flower Mound, TX for the 4th of July. The Clarks are Michelle's sister's husband's parents... and while they are no legal relation to us, we love them like family and had a great time hanging out with them. Tom and I played in a golf tournament at Tour 18 and our team finished 2nd.

We also got to see Adam & Sara Hammack. Their baby is due in 8
weeks so Adam got in a little experience by feeding Crew.

We hosted a shower for Ashley Banister at our place and the girls decided to light up some candy cigarettes and pose for a picture. FUN FACT: Brooke Brann isn't the only pregnant girl in this picture.

My older brother, Deren, hit a hole in one at Flint Hills in Wichita last weekend. Way to go bro!

Unfortunately, Exercise is Funny

2008-06-26T10:09:00.008-05:00

Baby laughter is more contagious than pink eye. Any time Crew starts laughing we gather around him and join in, which makes him laugh more (probably at us, not with us). As we've discovered, and found true with other parents, the changing table is somehow a happy place for babies. It is definitely Crew's happy place. I was changing Crew's diaper one night and dropped something. I disappeared from his sight when I bent down to get it, and when I stood up, I got a big laugh from him. So... I did it again, getting another big chuckle. I proceeded to squat and stand for him repeatedly, even calling Michelle into the room to watch this amazing discovery. Each time I'd pop up, Crew would laugh. After about a kagillion squats, I felt like I was back in 8th grade doing squat thrusts for Coach Gonzalez. Man was I wrong when I disagreed with him that I would ever use squat thrusts after 8th grade.

Unfortunately for me, the thing that makes my kid laugh the most involves exercise. Why couldn't he think eating ice cream was funny? Or watching me watch tv? But, if it's squats that make him laugh, you can call me the King of Squat... and eventually the most fit guy in the neighborhood.

Here is a video of Crew laughing at exercise. It's 34 seconds long, cause that's the longest amount of time I can do non-stop squats without passing out.

My Grandmother the Comic

2008-06-25T14:47:00.003-05:00

I bet you didn't know my Grandma Billee was the inspiration for a famous comic character.

Chip Off Wally's Block.

2008-06-23T15:37:00.010-05:00

One thing is for sure, Crew does not look a lot like me. People have said he looks just like Michelle, others say he looks like my dad (aka Griz), and still others say he looks like his Grandpa Wally. One of the nephews has a toy Spy Kit that has a mustache in it so we put it on Crew to see how much Wally our little guy has in him.

(Hint: Crew is on the right)

Boyd Family Takes Omaha

2008-06-20T20:18:00.007-05:00

Danen, the youngest Boyd, got hitched to Michele (who is affectionately referred to as Michele One L) in Omaha last weekend. Derek, the oldest, and the Colaws flew in from Hawaii which meant all the Boyds were together for the first time in 2 years. We spent Friday afternoon at the Henry Doorly Zoo which is by far the best zoo we've ever been to. To give you an idea of what we experienced, the OKC zoo has 1800 animals and the Omaha zoo has over 17,000!!! We had a blast and got some great pics of the fam.

Busy Weekends Abound

2008-06-11T13:37:00.012-05:00

May 3 was the last Saturday we didn't have anything to do. Since then, every weekend has us either out of town or with house guests. We love it all, but fatigue has started to set in. This past weekend we had Grandpa Wally (aka The Walrus), Ashley Hunziker (in from Azerbaijan on his way to Iraq), and Chris Pregler (in from Bartlesville to see Ashley) at our house. We also got a visit from Michelle's friends, Caroline and Kathryn. It was way fun!

Walrus hadn't seen Crew in almost 2 months so he was surprised to see how big he is and the change in his personality. Ashley and Kathryn met Crew for the first time and no doubt were impressed by his awesomeness.

We're heading to Omaha for Danen & Michele's wedding and we'll get to see Kylee's family and Derek for the first time in a long time. We're all excited for them to meet Crew and for us to meet our new niece Kaeden.

Bumbo Pics

2008-05-12T14:33:00.010-05:00

Crew loves to sit in his Bumbo. He'll sit there and look around and wonder why we're laughing at him. Again, this is another baby item that should be available in adult sizes. You could sell them to bars so when people drink too much they don't fall out of their seat. Or rent them out at long weddings so guys can fall asleep and not tip over. You could make millions! Enjoy the pictures of Crew sitting in his Bumbo and and making his crazy face as Michelle feeds him cereal. We love crazy face!

Rice Cereal Love

2008-05-06T21:37:00.004-05:00

Crew is growing fast. Stupid fast. He turned 3 months old last Friday and is tipping the scales at 17 lbs. At his current rate, he's gonna weigh more than his dad by Christmas. We've been putting down at night with 7-8 oz of formula which, for those of you who don't study up on baby meal portions, is a lot. So Michelle called the doctor today and was told to start him on cereal. He LOVES IT! He just smiled as I fed him and then, on top of that, polished off 6 oz of formula before bed. We are currently accepting donations for the "Feed Our Freak Giant Foundation" so we can afford to feed him.

In the video, Michelle is on the phone with my mom, aka Gramz, getting advice on how to feed him cereal.

Michelle is doing awesome and was excited to wear her new jeans... which she bought 3 days before we found out she was pregnant and never got to wear until now. She is definitely the hottest mom in the neighborhood.

Welcome Kaeden Kai Colaw

2008-05-02T10:35:00.005-05:00

Our newest niece, and 8th Boyd grandchild, was born this week in Honolulu. For those of you who don't know, Rick, my brother-in-law, is an Air Force JAG and had been in Baghdad since last November. He was scheduled to come home in May, 3 weeks after Kaeden was due, but surprised us all by coming home last week! Rick and Kylee welcomed Kaeden into the world Monday morning. She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 20 inches long.

Like A Frat Guy

2008-04-25T09:26:00.003-05:00

Crew has begun sleeping through the night! The past 5 nights he has gone down around 9pm and slept til after 8am. He instantly went from waking up in the middle of the night to sleeping like a frat guy after a hall party. The first time he did it, Michelle made a couple trips to the nursery to check on him. She then came back into the bedroom to wake me up and let me know the baby is still asleep. The next few nights we slept soundly throughout the night for the first time since January 31 when Michelle went into labor.
We feel like new people! I think Michelle was reaching her limit on sleep deprivation and Crew's new stage is a real answer to prayer.

Crew and Phil Mickelson

2008-04-18T09:06:00.003-05:00

Crew is a chunk! For babies his age, he's in the 95th percentile in weight, 80th in length, and 60th in head size. Our doctor said those make for a pretty proportionate baby. I say, it makes for baby with bigger man-boobs than Phil Mickelson. I mean he is really getting chubby. You can't really appreciate it until he's down to just a diaper, then you're like, "Whoa, dude! You're fatter than John Daly!" It is so awesome.

Crew surprised us last Sunday with his first attempt at a laugh. He's been smiling for a while but when a laugh would start to grow inside him he would just hold it in and look like he was about to poop. Sunday he was lying on our bed while we got ready for church and all the sudden we heard a happy sounding sigh. We both went to him which prompted several more. He's not giggling by any stretch, but he is definitely starting a laugh.

He's sleeping for about 6 hours at night now which is great. Although this morning I got up around 5am to feed him. 5am is limbo for me cause it's too early to stay up but too late for me to get back to sleep very well. So I usually stay up and iron, or fold laundry, or pace around the house, or sit in the corner and cry cause I'm so tired. But it's all worth it cause there isn't anything better than hanging out with your kid.

Crew had his baby pictures taken a couple weeks ago. When our order comes in I'll post a gallery.

Baby Makes Smiley

2008-03-27T15:10:00.004-06:00

Crew has been getting his smile on for a week or so. His happiest time is from about 8 - 10 in the morning. For some reason, he thinks laying on his changing table and looking at the pictures on the wall next to him is the funniest thing in life.

Easter & Cheeseburgers

2008-03-25T08:33:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed a relaxing weekend in OKC for Easter. Crew got dressed in his Sunday best, which was very similar to an outfit you'd see on Caddyshack. We went to the Bottomly's for dinner and started what will hopefully be a new tradition of eating the largest cheeseburgers possible to celebrate our Lord's resurrection. Nothing says Happy Easter like a Chili's burger with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, jalapeno, and jalapeno ranch. Check out pictures of Easter.

Cutest Baby Ever!

2008-03-20T08:52:00.009-06:00

Thank God Crew looks like his mom! He has his Grandma Najiba's skin and always looks like he just back from Cabo. He weighs about 12 lbs now and is starting to get the chubby cheeks and pot belly that make babies so cute.

Make My Day

2008-03-18T13:18:00.007-06:00

We spent the weekend in Bartlesville with Griz and Gramz. Mom was a champ and took care of Crew each night giving us a break from waking up. It was awesome!

When she has time, Michelle snaps a picture of Crew on her phone and sends it to me at work. The pictures totally make my day. They are like a Red Bull w/ a coffee chaser in the middle of the afternoon. I get all excited to get my work done and get home to see them.

Crew has been suffering from colic lately and has spent many evenings crying his little lungs out. Yesterday I found the magical way to hold him that keeps him happy, so last night was the first in a while in which he didn't cry all night. It was great! We fed him and put him down around 10:30pm. He then slept for 6.5 and 4.5 hours. I guess he was pretty happy this morning cause Michelle sent me a picture of him with an ear to ear grin. (Sorry, it's blurry)

We hope we've found the magic that makes him sleep and be happy. What more can we ask for? Oh yeah, does anyone know how to keep poop from smelling?

More Visitors

2008-03-12T15:09:00.008-06:00

We love it when people stop by to visit. We've tried to remember to get pictures of our visitors with Crew but lack of sleep and shell shock from poopie diapers overcome us.

Sleep where you can, when you can!

2008-03-12T07:29:00.004-06:00

When Michelle was pregnant we were told by just about everyone to catch up on our sleep. At the time, we thought everyone was being dramatic. But now we know better. You were all right. We are exhausted. We are getting use to our new schedule, however, and I now look forward to sitting with Crew in the wee hours of the morning to feed him.

Be My Valentine

2008-02-28T09:05:00.002-06:00

Crew and Adley make some pretty sweet Valentines.

Thanks For Stopping By

2008-02-19T11:10:00.008-06:00

We did our best to take pictures of people who visited us in the hospital for Crew's birth, but we didn't get everyone. So, if you visited us and don't see your picture below, don't think it's because we don't like you or are embarrassed to have people know we know you. Enjoy the pics.

Crew meets Adley.

2008-02-11T15:49:00.001-06:00

Week Old Crew

2008-02-09T12:52:00.001-06:00

Crew is only a week old but has become the coolest person we know. We're getting familiar with his likes and dislikes and are getting adjusted to our new schedule. Michelle is doing great and is natural mom. My mom, "Gramz", has been with us this week and we can't say enough about how grateful we are to her. She has taught us a lot about getting adjusted and some tricks on how to keep little Crew happy. Crew is her 7th grandchild and obviously her favorite!

Zak & Jessica Bottomly brought Adley over on Monday. It was 75 degrees and sunny so we all sat outside and shared our birth stories that happened a short 3 days earlier.

AND BABY MAKES THREE!!!

2008-02-03T21:13:00.003-06:00

David Crew Boyd was born at 3:11pm on Friday, February 1st. He weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 19 in. long. Michelle was amazing and she and Crew are doing splendid. The whole process is truly a miracle and I have never appreciated my wife more... she is simply wonderful.

Zak and Jessica Bottomly, pregnant and due Feb. 3, are some of our best friends and Michelle and Jessica have been friends since they were little. They were over Thursday night for chili and Lost. The events that followed would change both couples' lives forever.

11pm: Michelle and I go to bed
12am: Zak calls to tell us Jessica's water broke.
1:30am: Zak calls to say they are their way to Mercy Hospital
2:30am: Michelle wakes me up and says she's having contractions
3:30am: Michelle says her contractions are getting stronger.
4am: We call Lakeside hospital and continue to time contractions.
5am: Arrive at Lakeside and are put on a monitor.
6am: I call Zak to check on Jessica and tell him we are in labor.
7am: We're admitted w/ contractions 4 mins apart and dilated to a 4.
9am: Michelle gets an epidural. Jessica is dilated to an 8.
11am: Jessica starts pushing. Michelle is dilated to a 6.
12:30pm: Jessica stops pushing, takes a nap. Michelle dilated to an 8.
1:21pm: Adley Elizabeth Bottomly is born.
2:55pm: Michelle starts pushing.
3:11pm: David Crew Boyd is born.

God is so awesome! We are so excited to share this experience with them and look forward to all the fun times ahead. More pictures and info about Crew to come.

Enjoy The Wait.

2008-01-30T11:17:00.000-06:00

It's been 6 days since our last doctors appointment when we were told the baby will be coming any day. That makes 6 days of waking up wondering "Is this the day?" 6 days of phone calls from Michelle that don't result in me racing to the hospital. 6 days of Michelle growing increasingly ready to have this baby. 6 days of us focusing on what may happen rather than what is happening.

During some prayer time this morning I really felt that God was saying, "Enjoy the wait." Like I was being challenged to take advantage of these last few days with Michelle and focus on making the wait more about us than the baby. I think if we focus on what is coming rather than the moment we're in, we can go crazy with anticipation and miss out on things happening around us. The "wait" is all about trusting God's timing and having faith that things will happen when they are meant to... and not a moment before.

So 6 days can turn into 7 that turns into 8 and, before you know it, Crew is here and our lives are forever changed for the better. But we're going to do our best to enjoy the wait.

ANY DAY NOW!

2008-01-25T10:15:00.000-06:00

We had a great appointment yesterday with Dr. Huff. She told Michelle to stop taking the Rx that has been holding back her contractions and that we are in the safe zone to have a healthy baby. Michelle is 90% effaced and is dilated to 1 cm. AWESOME!!! Dr. Huff told us to really pay attention to the contractions when they start again because it will probably be GO TIME! From here on out we have weekly appointments and can expect Crew any day.

Michelle Has Problems

2008-01-24T13:32:00.002-06:00

Michelle has an eating disorder. She can't seem to keep food off her clothing. You can always tell what she has eaten by checking out the stains on her baby bump. We were enjoying some tomato basil soup from Lottinvilles in my office when I pointed out a spot of soup on her shirt. As she reached for a napkin, she knocked the whole bowl down her leg and on the floor. Since she can no longer bend over, I had the pleasure of cleaning soup off her pants and the floor. Funny how tomato basil soup in a bowl smells delicious, but tomato basil soup all over the floor smells like vomit.

Also, Michelle is going deaf. There has to be some kind of link between pregnancy and loss of hearing because she can't hear jack! I am constantly asked to repeat myself... repeat myself... and she speaks louder than necessary. She took a phone call the other day in the car and my ears almost started bleeding cause she was so loud. Either she is going deaf, or she is just really passionate about sharing Babies R Us' return policy with people. If you've tried to call her in the last couple of days and she hasn't answered, don't feel bad... she's deaf.

Belly Update

2008-01-07T20:02:00.000-06:00

Michelle's belly is growing as the seasons change behind her. She is very thankful we are only a few weeks from her due date. I'm still waiting for her belly button to pop out like one of those red timers on turkey.Our nursery is complete and all Crew's laundry has been washed.
I've got my route to the hospital mapped out and a cheesy shirt to wear on the big day. We're more excited every day to welcome little Crew into the world. What an awesome time in our lives!!!

Baby Update & Total Idiot

2008-01-07T13:42:00.000-06:00

Our last ultrasound (December) concerned our doctor and she called us in for some tests. Of course hearing this sent both of us into a panic. "Is the baby OK?", "Is she gonna tell us we're having twins?", "Are we having the baby today?!?" We went to the hospital Friday afternoon and Michelle got strapped up with wires and tubes. We sat in a room and watched some awful daytime TV as a the nurse monitored Michelle and the baby. Turns out that Michelle has started having contractions and needs to take a Rx to stop them. The baby is doing great and responded to Michelle's contractions just as he should.
We have another appointment tomorrow where we will repeat the stress test and have an immediate follow up with our doctor. We have no idea whether this changes the delivery date or not but have been told to expect the baby early...which prompted us to get cracking on the nursery.
We are glad to have such a great doctor who assures us that God is in control of every moment and His plan for our little boy will unfold perfectly.

Another note, I asked for an external hard drive for Christmas so I could backup my music and photos. On December 20 my hard drive crashed and Apple told me that I probably lost all my info. Music, photos, everything... and just 5 days before I was to get an external hard drive for Christmas. When i got it back, it was all gone. The only stuff I had was from a backup I had done in June on the server at work. So basically I lost everything since June...including our pictures of our Europe trip and all the photos of Michelle pregnant.
When I told Michelle, she said to just download them from the camera again. That would have been great if I wasn't a total idiot and erased them all to make room for Grandma Billee's 90th birthday pics. I was in the doghouse big time!
Well last week I discovered a program on the Apple website. It is called CardRaider and is designed to retrieve deleted pictures off memory cards. I downloaded the trail version and plugged in my computer...almost instantly, a window opened up and started to fill with pictures of Paris and Rome! I recovered over 500 pictures that my camera said were no longer there. The software cost $19 and I highly recommend it for anyone who is, or is married to, a total idiot.
I have since backed up all important files on an external hard drive...another useful tool for idiots.

Power to the People!

2007-12-14T12:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was kinda nuts. Our pastor, Mark Aduddell, had a generator and an idea: hardwire the garage to the generator so we could get a car out. We loaded up the generator and some curious church staff and headed to the house. With the staff standing a safe 30 feet away and me nervously handling tools to Mark as he knelt by our breaker panel, we made a connection and started the generator. I pushed the opener and up came the door. We then ran an extension cord down the basement steps to the furnace and plugged it in. Nothing. Our furnace would fire up and then shut right back off. We made several more attempts before giving up and heading out.

Two hours later, my neighbor calls and tells me the power is on. I'm thinking what does it matter if I have power but my furnace is busted? I rush home after work to check on the house. Sure enough, power is on. Praise the Lord!!! I figure it's worth a shot to check the furnace again while I'm there. I plug it in and it works! I leave for the Christmas party and we return home to our warm and cozy house and sleep in our own bed for the first time since Sunday. It was awesome!

Power Out: Day 4

2007-12-13T11:08:00.000-06:00

Well I didn't sleep at the house last night. We ended up back at the Bottomly's for lasagna, pie, the finale of America's Next Top Model, and a little Tiger Woods on Nintendo Wii. We did drive through our neighborhood after work to check on the house. The trees are starting to assume their usual shapes and the house is a chilly 47 degrees. The neighborhood did have some random street lights on and I heard power was restored to Mesta Park, the neighborhood to the west. I'm praying for power tonight so we can return home... although we will miss the Wii.

Power Out: Day 3

2007-12-12T11:46:00.000-06:00

Michelle and I loaded the dog in the Bottomly's Civic and met my folks in Tulsa to hand him over and pick up a car. It is one thing to have the power go out at your house, but the inconvenience is kicked up a notch (Bam!) when you also lose transportation. Having a car and a dogsitter makes it way easier to be flexible and makes us appreciate our home more than ever.

The Bottomly's are great to have us stay with them. Michelle and I tiptoed and whispered around the house this morning trying not to wake them but think we made more noise trying to be quiet than we would have just walking around normal. I might wake up tomorrow and strap a couple pots to my feet and drag their Christmas tree around with me from room to room to create some white noise.

Pics are of other trees in our yard. NBC News and the Today Show were live from our neighbor yesterday morning. That's not a good sign. We were told by OG&E that the historic districts will most likely be the last neighborhoods to get power restored. An optimistic estimate is next Tuesday. That's 8 days without power.

I'm loading up a friend's generator today and plan on sleeping at the house tonight. Wish me luck.

Winter Mourning

2007-12-10T14:29:00.000-06:00

When it comes to predicting storms, weathermen are typically more dramatic than necessary. They get everyone worked up to think the world will be shut down for weeks, sending frantic old ladies to the store for 9 loaves of bread and all the water they can grab. However, we found out this weekend that weathermen are sometimes right on.

We woke up at 5am this morning with no power and no heat. I got up to assess the situation when I heard what sound like an iceberg breaking apart outside. I looked out the front window to find our beautiful tree split into 3 and laying in the yard.

Our cars are in great shape, though, due to them being in the garage... which is detached from the house and has no way in except the garage doors... which don't open without electricity. So the Bottomly's came to our rescue and we are hold up in The Village.

Big Baby

2007-12-06T08:45:00.001-06:00

Time is flying and we can't believe a baby will here in 10 weeks. February seemed to be so far away...now it's right around the corner. Our nursery is awaiting delivery of the changing table tomorrow afternoon to be complete. Paint is on and approved. Drapes are hung. Baby clothes and accessories are organized. Diapers are stocked. All that remains after the changing table are pictures for the wall. That is dad's department.

Brooke (Watkins) Brann told us about a cool OU calendar she saw at one of those mall kiosks. It is pretty sweet. Each month has a vintage OU program cover from the 1920's and 30's. They are 11"x14" and pre-perforated for framing. The perfect compromise between Michelle's cutesy decor and my desire to start the Sooner brainwashing early.

Michelle's appointment went well last week, but for the second appointment in a row she is measuring 3 cm larger than normal. Dr. Huff said it could be the way she is carrying him, or he could be big. We have an ultrasound scheduled in a couple weeks so pics of the baby will follow. If the baby is big, we'll track his growth and maybe move the due date up as many as 14 days.

February is going to be wild. We'll get to see those of you who need an excuse like a birth or emergency surgery to visit us. And for others who are apparently no longer with us (i.e. Hartsocks, Grigors) we will remember you as we celebrate. We invite all friends and family to visit us any time and share in our new joy... and the changing of some diapers.

And His Name Shall Be Called...

2007-11-13T21:08:00.000-06:00

Who knew naming a human being was so darn hard. Michelle and I have considered just about every name in Christendom. We've even made some up. Seen street signs and added Boyd after it (I was really pulling for 2nd Street Boyd). Michelle was ready to name our little guy a couple weeks ago but the finality of the moment hit me. I mean , it's a person's name. His identity. The word little punk kids at his school will make rhyme with some other word to form an insult (instantly takes Tucker off the list). But, after much thought, we've decided. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the next great quarterback of the University of Nebraska, David Crew Boyd.

Belly Update and a Shower!

2007-11-06T11:22:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since our last post but we've made a new commitment to keep it more up-to-date.

Michelle is doing great and the little guy (yet to be named) has taken control over her stomach. Evening seems to be his busy time when he moves around the most. It is so much fun to feel him jab and poke from under her skin and cool when you can actually see it, although at this point you have to be watching pretty close.

Still no major cravings or discomfort. Although last week was the first time Michelle said she wasn't as free to roll over during sleep as she had been. She woke up to roll over but felt like her belly was sewn to the bed. She literally had to reach her arm under her belly and pull it with her as she rolled. Last night her stomach was lopsided cause the baby was positioned so that his head or butt or something was sticking way out to one side.... that, or one of Michelle's kidneys is about to explode. I sure hope it's the baby.

We hosted a shower for the Zak & Jessica Bottomly at our house last weekend. It was a lot of fun and great to see friends bring gifts to help them get started. What would any of us do without friends or family? The Bottomly's are due 10 days ahead of us but I'm not sure Michelle will make it to her due date. Her sister, Mariam, was early and Michelle was 2 months early. It would be way awesome to have the babies on the same day!

Tonight we bid farewell to Canary Grass green and welcome paint color #4 to the nursery walls, Macadamia. Please God, make this be the one.

Toile is OUT!

2007-10-20T08:56:00.000-05:00

We are trying to get our house in order and get ready for the arrival our new miniature roommate. The nursery is currently clothed in its third color of paint awaiting a fourth whenever Michelle decides what new color will go best with the baby bedding... which, as of yet, we do not have. A set was ordered from Pottery Barn kids and returned a week later. Our neighbors (parents as of Thursday) picked materials and had a lady make the bedding custom. Michelle decided that was a great idea and came home with some material swatches. I was on board with the whole "pick-your-material-and-find-a-nice-old-lady-to-sew" thing... until Michelle pulled out the blue toile swatch. Toile? Boy? Just knowing how to spell toile knocks me down a peg in Man-dom. Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't think we need to rub the walls in dirt and clothe the baby in animal hide... but toile is out. If you are at the store to get us a gift, and you've seen the most precious little thing you think would be perfect for our baby, and it's toile... keep walking. Please. You can return to buy it when we're pregnant with a girl.

We did get our crib put together yesterday. So much fun to walk in the room and see something for a baby. Though we now realize how much we have left to do since the crib is the only baby thing we have. Michelle has a great plan for the room and our baby boy will love it... but no toile.

Getting ready for baby.

2007-10-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

Things to do:
1) Name baby
2) Paint nursery green
3) Assemble crib we got from Griz & Gramz (you guys rock!)
4) Register for stuff
5) Repaint nursery after Michelle decides green is out, beige is in
6) Have shower
7) Rename baby
8) Return stuff we shouldn't have registered for and get stuff we didn't know to register for
9) Repaint nursery, beige is out, chocolate brown is in
10) Have baby
11) Rename baby when it doesn't "look" like name we picked
12) Return stuff we thought would fit for stuff that actually fits the baby
13) Have baby help tape off nursery so we can paint it green.
14) Teach baby to make our decisions for us

IT"S A BOY!!!

2007-09-13T16:30:00.000-05:00

And here are the pictures to prove it! Our incredible 7 oz. baby boy! 10 fingers, 10 toes, 1 face. Everything looks good. Such an incredible experience. The day was every bit as exciting as we thought it would be.

Our nurse told us she could tell the sex so we studied the screen to find a clue. I saw what I thought were girl parts and said, "Wow, it's a girl!" Michelle replied, "Are you crazy, can you not see his thingy?" I moved my eyes to the other side of the screen and saw it immediately...his thingy. Boyd grand kids: 6 boys, 1 girl, 1 fetus.

Rick asked me how we are celebrating...I told him probably by spending the evening arguing about names. I'm holding out for Krog.

Belly Update

2007-09-12T11:31:00.001-05:00

Michelle's belly is growing. She's been worried that people will think she was developing a gut because it wasn't completely obvious she was pregnant. She is more comfortable now...and looks pretty amazing.

THURSDAY! THURSDAY! THURSDAY!

2007-09-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

Well, this is it! The week we've been looking forward to for months. The week the name game starts. The week the nursery gets planned. The week we find out if we're having a boy or a girl! Thursday @ 3PM is our ultrasound. We are so excited to see our baby and find out what it is. We have no gut feeling either way, although everyone we talk to seems to know and give us some crazy reason why we're having it. Things like, "Ooh, you crave salty? It's a boy." or "Hmm, you don't feel nauseous? It's a girl." Michelle mentioned that she was hungry and someone replied, "You're hungry? It's a boy. I was always hungry when I was pregnant with so-in-so." Like a pregnant woman isn't hungry all the time anyway.

Michelle is doing great and has had no significant discomfort so far. Some husbands I know complain about how crazy their pregnant wife has become...I'm very lucky...other than the previously posted Gatorade fiasco, Michelle has been her peaceful ol' self.

Check back for pictures and the big announcement on Thursday.

European Vacation

2007-09-04T10:48:00.000-05:00

Our trip to Europe was awesome but we discovered that 2 weeks is probably a week longer than our limit. Michelle did great with all the walking but craved food we couldn't always find.

We hit Paris first and really loved it. Tons to do, easy transportation, very clean, and nice people. The food in France is not great. Though we loved our ham & cheese baguettes the first day, we loathed them the fifth. Can someone please tell the French about MEAT!!! I will hand it them, crepes + Nutella + bananas = Happy Dagen. The crepes were so good we bought a crepe maker...yeah, we're those people.

We hit all the major attractions, including a day trip to Versailles. The gardens were great, the castle was crowded, and the Queen's Hamlet was a trip favorite. Marie Antoinette built a replica peasant village in the back of the grounds. Almost looks like Disney designed it. Paris rocks and gets 2 enthusiastic thumbs up from the Boyds.

We were pretty tired when we got to Rome but were ready for some pasta and hopefully some MEAT!!! We arrived to warmer weather than we enjoyed in France and a crazy shuttle driver. Michelle leaned over to me on the ride to the hotel and said, "Dagen, he's going 140!" I reminded her that he was going 140 Km/hour...even still, that's almost 90mph! We loved our hotel and enjoyed some good ravioli the first night. We hit all the major sights in two days and had some down time the last 2. We saw Disturbia at an English theater and enjoyed McDonalds 4 or 5 times. I got the McChicken since it had MEAT! Fries were awesome! The best part about Rome... GELLATO!!!

Man Law: Part 2

2007-08-01T11:56:00.000-05:00

Assembly Without Instruction

Houston...we have a belly!

2007-07-31T14:11:00.000-05:00

We were just sitting around after work Monday...minding our own business...when suddenly Michelle looked down and said, "Holy cow! I have a belly!" (I've always imagined those words coming from my mouth a few years from now) I grabbed the camera and took this picture. Doesn't she look great? Michelle says this picture makes her look bigger than she really is. I played it smart and told her I would take the camera in and get it fixed.

Dallas & Business Time

2007-07-23T19:54:00.001-05:00

A great trip to Dallas to check in on the Hammacks and Shipleys. Blake's car was towed from Chuy's but he handled it gracefully and was a great example to all of us. We also hooked up with David Penuel and his wife, Alli. They are expecting their first baby in September. We also watched this video like 10 times...cause it's funny.

Yard of the Month: The Article

2007-07-11T11:34:00.000-05:00

In a previous post, I announced we had been selected as the Edgemere Park Yard of the Month. Well, to make it official, we now have a sign in the yard and an article in the newsletter. Don't call us for gardening tips, we have no clue what we're doing. Click below to read the newsletter.

Incinta!!!

2007-07-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

Telling people we are pregnant has almost been as exciting as finding out we are pregnant. I called one of my best friends, Chris Pregler, to let him know we are expecting only to find out he and Jennifer are also expecting and due a week after us. Michelle had told all of her friends except for Jessica Bottomly who had been in Rome with her husband, Zak, for 6 weeks. They are the friends we hang out with the most and the girls have been friends since they were very young. We met them at Chili's the day after they got back from Rome and played a game to tell them we are having a baby. I tested their Italian vocabulary by asking the English translation of several Italian words. The last word was "Incinta" and Zak said..."Pregnant? You guys are pregnant?" We tried our hardest to convince them to hop on the baby train too...they did a good job skirting the issue. In the parking lot they gave us a gift from Italy...a bottle of wine from the Chianti region. The bottle had the above picture attached. Kudos to the Bottomlys for playing it cool in the restaurant. The only thing better than having a baby, is sharing the same experience with some of your closest friends.

Baby Bottomly - Feb 3
Baby Boyd - Feb 13

Baby Pregler - March 1

DUE DATE UPDATE

2007-07-11T09:29:00.000-05:00

It could be a very Happy Valentine's Day! Our due date has been moved to February 13.

Too Much Gatorade!

2007-07-05T08:39:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: this is Dagen's account (the actual account) of the Gatorade fiasco.

Michelle and I were watching TV in our pajamas one evening when a craving hit. "Would you like to go to OnCue and get yourself a drink and get me some Gatorade?" I didn't want a drink but I did want to be a good husband so I grabbed the keys and headed off to get Gatorade. I headed to Wal-Mart so I could maximize my Gatorade dollar and stock up. I grabbed 3 gallons: 1 Lemon-lime and 2 Orange...nothing more. I proceeded to the checkout where I stood...and stood...for more than 25 minutes I stood. There were 2 cashiers for over 15 people. I returned home frustrated at Sam Walton. I put the Gatorade on the kitchen counter and headed to living room. Michelle pops her head over the couch and says, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!? You've been gone like 40 minutes." I said I had been standing in the checkout line. "Did you get Gatorade?" I told her it was in the kitchen. "Well, can I have some," she asked. I went back to the kitchen, grabbed a glass, filled it with Gatorade and brought it to her. One sip..."It's warm!!!" She jumps up from the couch and heads to the kitchen. She turns the corner and sees the 3 gallons on the counter. "That's TOO MUCH Gatorade! I just wanted small bottle of it." I tried to explain the economy of purchasing in bulk but she wasn't up for it. "I asked for a bottle of Gatorade from OnCue, why did you buy so much? This will go bad before I can drink it all." I didn't argue with her that Gatorade doesn't go bad, I just wondered where she had found my bottle of crazy pills. We woke up the next morning and Michelle said, "I'm sorry I went crazy last night. I knew I was being crazy during the conversation but I just couldn't stop." Great...8 more months of crazy. Imagine how bad it would have been if I had told her I was considering buying a case of Gatorade powder.

WE"RE HAVING A BABY!!!

2007-07-02T09:13:00.000-05:00

That's right...we are pregnant! We are so excited. Our baby is due Feb. 20, 2008. Michelle is doing very well but is tired a lot. When we used to ask people if they wanted a boy or a girl and their reply would be, "We don't care as long as it is healthy." I'd be like, yeah right, that's what you're supposed to say. But now that we're pregnant, that's all we want...a healthy baby. The picture is of our June 27 sonogram where we saw the heartbeat. Such an awesome thng.

Dagen turns 30.

2007-06-22T08:57:00.000-05:00

The Dagen is old. Michelle threw me a surprise party in my own backyard...which explains the inordinate amount of yard work I did that week. She pulled off the best birthday party I've ever had. Special thanks to Cullins and the Preglers for coming in from out of town, and to Deren for helping get the sweet t-shirts.

Rufus and Induced Vomitting

2007-06-14T09:17:00.000-05:00

We eat lunch at home most days. One afternoon Michelle was rolling solo for lunch and when she got home discovered our dog, Rufus, had eaten a bottle of vitamins off the counter. And when I say a bottle of vitamins, I mean the vitamins and the bottle. Michelle called our vet in a panic to see what she should do. He suggested bringing Rufus in which meant a 20 minute trip to Norman. Michelle throws the dog in the car and hits the highway. The vet offers two options: 1. Pump his stomach, which is not good, or 2. Induce vomitting with a pill. Michelle chose option 2 with the vet's advice. The pill takes effect in a few minutes and vomitting can last a couple hours...so the vet suggested Michelle take Rufus home to give him the pill. After she pays and starts to head out, the vet pokes his head out from seeing his next patient and says, "Oh, you need to put the pill under his lower eyelid. Thanks." and ducks back into the room. WHAT? DID HE SAY UNDER THE EYELID?!? WHAT?!? So Michelle calls on her way home to fill me in on the details. Since I did not expect Rufus to enjoy the procedure, and use every bit of his 100 lbs to fight it, i thought I'd better go home to help. About 10 minutes later, as I'm packing up to head home, Michelle calls. She's balling. "I got it! I just saw an opening and I went for it! He's throwing up everywhere! It's awful!" As she explains more about Rufus' experience I can picture him looking at her between hurls with a weak, lowered head as if to say, "Why?" bluuh "My God, why? bluuh. When I got home I found Michelle sitting on the floor, Rufus lay next to her with his head in her lap. Of all the things I could say...I blurt out..."Why were vitamins on the counter?" Looks like another year gone without a Husband of the Year Award.

Yard of the Month!!!

2007-06-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

After a significant amount of mockery aimed at previous recipients of our neighborhood's "Yard of the Month" award...we have been selected as the July 2007 winner. Our house/yard will be featured in the July newsletter and a large sign announcing the honor will be installed in the yard. I was excited at first... then it hit me, when you have sign in your yard that says "Yard of the Month" on it, people expect to see a perfectly kept lawn. I guess I'll be mowing every other day and picking weeds and watering when I get home from work. Basically, the honor will only increase yardwork and make me part of a group I made fun of out of envy. So much for being a winner. Look for pictures in July.

Man Law

2007-06-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

Churches have WAY TOO much time for the absurd. These are two of several spoofs filmed for Journey Church's "Red Hot" series on relationships.

Loofahs

All Dates Day