Quite the day...

Someone was very brave at the doctor today. It wasn't me... I closed my eyes and held her hand.....it was Little Miss Newton. She got 3 shots and I think the only reason she cried at all was because she was tired and didn't want to lay on that paper-covered doctor bed. Poor thing.
I was traumatized by the whole event so we came home, changed into our jammies and napped and snuggled for the rest of the day. Then snuggled some more with Daddy when he got home. At just 1 week shy of her two month mark, Mary Alice is 12.3 pounds and 22.5 inches. 75th percentile in weight and 50th for height.... and 100th for cuteness! (am I the first mom to say something so cheesy? I think not!)

Living with an angel!

Mary Alice is such a little sweetie and I love spending all day with such an angel! Here are a few updated pictures of her. She is getting so chubby and cute! It's fun to actually have something to pick up now! We go to the pediatrician tomorrow so we will see how much she weights then. She is changing so much and has grown up so much in the last week. She is now taking naps by herself which is good for her and for mommy. I can set her in her swing or bouncer and she will fall asleep. However, she only sleeps about 15-30 minutes when she sleeps in her swing/bouncer, and 2 hours when I hold her. She woke up from a nap the other day with this awesome hair-do! Her hair isn't this light in real life but I wanted to lighten it so you could see it better. I try to take pictures every day and this is about the only state she was in yesterday. She woke up maybe twice from 9 am to 5 pm to eat and other than that she just slept! We bathed her and I tried to feed her around 7 but all she wanted to do was go back to bed. So I put her down and she slept until 2 am! I guess they just do that sometimes- it ain't easy growing those rolls and being so cute!This little cutie sat on the chair while we listened to Christmas music and decorated the tree.

Our Lil' Gobbler

We are thankful to have spent Thanksgiving with family- Andrea and fam, Adam and of course, our Lil' Gobbler!

1 month

Our pretty little girl is already 1 month old! In some ways it has been the quickest 1 month and in other ways it seemed like the days AND NIGHTS would never end. We have learned a lot and yet still know less than when she was born. How is that possible? It has been fun being with her and getting to know this sweet little one that has joined our family. We love her giggles and big smiles. We love how she sometimes puts her little pouty lip out when she's sleeping. She loves music, bath time, cuddling and being read to. Her favorite place to nap during the day is in the Bjorn. We love you, Mary Alice, and we are so grateful to be your parents! You couldn't be any sweeter!

4 weeks old!

How is it that this little girl has been alive for 4 weeks already! And it's official, she is the boss! No one eats, sits, or sleeps unless she says so! Something she loves is going on walks! Lucky for us we have a beautiful place to walk around- and finally beautiful weather to match! The Baby Bjorn saved my life today!!! (Thanks Aunt Ruth!) She is so darling- I love dressing her up and putting bows on her everyday! Hehehe! Poor little thing!

Mary Alice's Fist Halloween!

We just laid low this year, but Mary Alice had no shortage of Halloween accessories and outfits!

Home with Baby and loving it!

(Cute sign made by Mom, Andrea and Melissa.)

We came home from the hospital on Saturday afternoon. It was so exciting and scary! It was nice being in the hospital and having all that help, we were a little nervous to leave. We were also nervous to make the 1 hour drive home from the hospital with her. I think Jimmy drove 15 miles under the speed limit the whole way- and that still may have been a little fast. But even more than the nervousness, we felt so excited and blessed to be on our way home with our sweet little baby!It was nice having help at home when we got there! My mom and 3 of my siblings were there to help for the weekend.(We missed you Dad and Cory!!!!!)
It was such a blessing at 12 am when I was able to call in 2 expert mothers with my questions about nursing! I don't know what I would have done without them! My Mom and younger sister are here for the rest of the week and it has been such a HUGE help! A new mom could always use an extra set of hands for burping and changing!

Cutest cry in the world!

Mary Alice and her little lamb that she got from Daddy.

First bath!

Welcome Mary Alice!

Mary Alice Newton was born at 12:13 am on Thursday, October 21st. She is 8 lb. 3 oz. 19 1/2 inches long. She is SO perfect and beautiful! We CANNOT get enough of her! It is such a miracle that she is here and we feel so blessed to be her parents! I still can't believe that she's coming home with us and we get to take care of her!

We're alive!

We have been quiet on our family blog because, as often happens, our lives have been consumed by Little Miss Newton! But we have done a few things here and there. Summer is hibernation time in Texas but we finally hit the 80s this week and are LOVING it! Here are a few photos from the past months.

Decorating and preparing for Halloween!

Camping out at REI for sweet deals.

Battling creatures in the wild.

Spending time with darling little people!

And mostly, waiting for Baby! She'll be here soon! We're so happy!

Nice Vacation!

Last week we had the great opportunity to attend the company retreat at Bass Lake. I highly recommend a trip to this beautiful place! So beautiful and relaxing! And we got to hang out with some of the greatest people.We also got to eat at my FAVORITE restaurant on the planet- Colima!!! I have gone there ever since I was in high school and I ALWAYS order the same thing- a bean and cheese burrito. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but IT IS! I can't begin to explain how much I love this burrito. We visited the most beautiful trees- the giant sequoias. And you can't go to the Sequoias without stopping at Reimers in Three Rivers. It's been there forever and they make delicious chocolates and ice cream right there in the cute little shop.It was so nice to go there and get out of the Houston heat. The people in Visalia thought we were crazy but they don't realize that 100 degrees in Visalia is not the same as 100 degrees in Houston.
Another highlight was getting to see one of my best friends, Esther. She picked us up in LA and we had some lunch during our layover there. Esther and I served together in the magical Olomouc, Czech Republic. Besides my awesome trainer, she was my FAVORITE companion and continues to be a fantastic friend!

I love fall!!!

It seems strange to say you love fall in the middle of the summer... unless of course you live in an eternity of summer like it seems we do in Houston. And it's not that I don't love summer too. But we don't even have that season here. I feel like I'm going through Hell-training. No, I'm not cursing. I'm talking about the actual place- Hell.

Anyway, we don't really get to experience seasons which is so sad because I live for fall! So on a day like today, I pretend. It's cloudy and rainy outside so I am pretending today that it's fall.I'm staying inside (because if you go outside you realize that although it's cloudy and rainy, it's still 400 degrees with 400% humidity) and making pumpkin chocolate chip bread- yum! Pathetic? I know. But I have to take advantage of these days because when everyone in Utah is crunching through the leaves, donning their cute autumn jackets and scarfs, I'll be sitting in front of a fan drinking lemonade with frizzy hair. Ok- so the weather won't be too bad by then... that last part describes what I do now. hehehe!

Life is good!

Airman Hrncirik

What an awesome week/weekend! We've been hanging out at the Lackland Air Force Base since Wednesday attending the graduation events for Adam. It is such a new experience for all of us as Adam is the first in our family to enter the military. He has worked SO hard these past 8 weeks and it shows. He was recognized as 1 of 65 honor graduates out of a group of 650 Airman. He received certificates for scoring the highest in his flight on the physical and written tests. We found out that he would stay up after everyone else went to bed and work out in the latrine. That's what it takes to be great! And it doesn't hurt that he looks absolutely handsome in his uniform! We are so proud of you, Adam! -for your dedication to excellence and desire to serve your country!