Two Polls...

Okay guys and gals...over to the left side I put two polls. The first is for you to vote on what gender the babies will be. If they cooperate, we should find out on Monday. However, feel free to post a comment or email me if you think we should wait to find out. :) I'm trying to convince Daddy that it would be cool. We don't really have to know what we are having since the babies can wear little white, yellow, green, cream, etc t-shirts and onesies for a while and I'm not big on decorating a gender specific nursery anyway.

The second poll has to do with our blog address. Since iamfender.blogspot won't really be as applicable anymore after November I plan to switch after Fender turns 3 in October. I found two currently available choices and know which one I will probably go with (either will still be .blogspot.com), but it is a VERY difficult decision since both are great! So please, please vote for your choice. :)

Memorial Day...

In the morning we watched Obama lay the wreath at the tomb of the unknowns, listened to taps, and to Obama's speech honoring the men and women who have given their lives serving our country.

After that, we spent some time, as most do, outdoors with family. Fender ran through the sprinkler a bit, then grabbed an onion and carrot fresh from Memaw and Papa's garden (second picture down...it is one of my favorites!!). He always asks Memaw to wash off the dirt, roots, and carrot tops and then our boy of such refined palate proceeds to eat them raw as he always does. I've honestly never seen anyone pull an onion out of the ground and eat it whole...the thought is just mind boggling. I guess I'm glad he likes his veggies and at least he knows they come from the ground and don't magically appear in the store. But onion breath is not one of my favorite things. ;)
 
 
 
 

Hanging around...

 
 
 

Mississippi...

This past weekend we traveled to Mississippi for Grandmother Powell's funeral. Fender did great on the trip as usual. He asked to be held a couple of times, but didn't fuss when we told him he had to stay put. All the family was there, even the Florida crew braved that insane drive to be there. It was wonderful to see everyone again.

 

Fender, Drew, and Aunt Ruth. Ruth is an identical twin and they are Grandmother's younger sisters. Grandmother was the oldest of six. Her brother and twin sisters are still living and were all at the funeral.
 

Fender, his Godmother Manassa, and cousin Cameron.
 

Photo opp...by coincidence...or maybe it is genetic...the Boswell boys all dressed the same for the funeral. I didn't get the memo to dress Fender in blue. :)
 

Playtime with Daddy and Riley.

Rock pile...

Out at his Great Uncle Clay's, Fender likes to pile up rocks in his shirt and walk them down to the tank and throw them into the water.
 
 
 

Aunt LaLa, Fender, Cousin Carli and friend hanging out on the deck.
 

Cousin Claudia visited...

In case you don't recognize it...Fender is eating a raw onion whole. Claudia tried to be like Fender, but she just held it to her mouth (smart girl!)...while Fender enjoyed nice onion breath all night long! Claudia lives in OKC and they were only down for a day so our visit was brief. She is only about 3 months younger so it is nice to have her around. She matches his energy level perfectly!

Rest in peace...

Great-Grandmother Powell and YiaYia, both now gone within two weeks of each other.

Fender's Great-Grandmother Powell (Daddy's maternal grandmother) passed on this morning. She was 96 1/2 years old and quite a woman! Very active...I remember a lot of time in the kitchen always cooking and baking THE BEST homemade rolls from scratch. Hands down THE BEST in the world! She was the kind of grandmother that made sure you had something to eat every visit, even if you had just eaten something. She enjoyed flowers in the garden, playing games with the grandkids, being active in church all her life, and much more.

She and Fender got along very well in the brief time he had with her. When he was a baby she would hold him and he would just smile right into her eyes. And she was the first one to tell me that Fender's eyes were going to be Brown. This was when his eyes were still quite blue, only two months after he was born. Such an observant, independent, loving spirit who graces the halls of heaven now. We'll remember her fondly and miss her presence until we can see her again. Rest in eternal peace, Grandmother.

Chia pet...

 

I made a chia pet for Fender during this past Arbor Day. It was just grass seeds into a silk stocking followed by a big scoop of dirt...tie up the bottom and stick a face on it. Well, the nose and mouth fell off, but the eyes stayed on. Fender was diligent about making sure Chia had plenty of water and sun and about the 4th day we saw the start of hair. By the end of that day it was even longer. The hair has grown so fast that you could probably see it growing if you stopped to stare at it closely. So here's an early picture and a couple of later picture. We actually trimmed the hair out of his eyes today. :)

 

 

April review...

We've been in a bit of a whirlwind around here for the past month and as a result I have quite a few photos to catch up on. Here are a few from the end of April.

Hiking trails in South Dallas one afternoon with LaLa and her dog, Polly. Parts of the path were steep and it was a riot to watch Fender use his walking stick appropriately when he needed help on the steep bits going down.
 
 
 
 

And here are a few of the things my daredevil is up to...
"Oh no he didn't"...yep...he sure did...again and again.

This is one of those things where if anyone besides me was there, he wouldn't get to climb anymore and I would be scolded for letting him, but as it is I do my best to let the boy be a boy and try new things...but am quick to be at the top because I'm not brave enough to let him try to step across by himself for probably another couple or five years. The hardest part of this to watch is him turning around to face me at the top. I hold my breath every time. But it is so awesome to see how proud he is of his accomplishment when he reaches the top every time too. :)

Good old fashion and fairly safe climbing up the wrong way on the slide. :)


Enjoying a bit of relaxation.


And slumbering with Optimus Prime. :)

Happy Mother's Day...

...to all moms out there...especially my fantastic four: Mom, DeLynda, June, and Susan! Love you all. Fender is so blessed to have so much Grandmother love. :)

And what a wonderful Mother's Day I have had. Well, as a mom I take it when I can get it, so yesterday was my day. First thing in the morning I asked Fender to come sit in my lap in bed and when he got there he looked up at me and said, "Momma, you're the best girl ever!" And then he lightly pet my face and gave me a kiss. It was THE SWEETEST!!! How super awesome is my baby boy! Unprompted and all on his own. Straight from his bed to me. Aww...makes my heart melt. :) Next my cousin baby sat while Drew, Uncle Bill, and I got to go see the new Star Trek movie. It was awesome. The actors nailed the parts to perfection. So enjoyable and I'm ready to see it again.

Next we picked Fender up and my cousin had helped him plant me flowers in a pot. He said..."They're for you, Momma." Aw...he said he put the rocks in, and the dirt, and dug the holes and put the flowers in. So fun. And on top of all of that, my mom and sister have been here through the weekend and we got to enjoy Mother's Day together.

And since it is Mother's Day, I guess it is a good time to let you all know that, God willing, I'm going to be mom again. I'm just over 3 months pregnant. Due in November...with TWINS! Here's the latest sono pic.

Rest in peace, YiaYia...

Early Monday morning, Fender's maternal Great-grandmother (YiaYia) passed away. She had been battling a form of ovarian cancer for just over a year. She had a very lively 81 years on earth and now heaven is blessed with a truly vibrant new spirit. YiaYia was quite healthy up until the end. She celebrated her 80th birthday in Vegas and you may recall, colored her hair all sorts of pink, blue, and purple as it was growing back after chemo treatments. She was so much fun. A truly Great-YiaYia who thought no less than the world of her little Fender boy. She will certainly be missed and her life will certainly be celebrated.

A memorial service is set for Friday at 3:30PM at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Terrell and although she is being cremated, a visitation will be held (complete with a video of pictures) at Anderson Clayton Funeral Home (also in Terrell) on Thursday.

Rest in peace, YiaYia! We love you.