opinions

i'm the first one to admit that i am opinionated. and i should say before anyone reads this, i promise i'm not directing it at any one person in particular. i just need to get this off my chest.

in my adult life, i have had eras of presidents i voted for and did not vote for in office. i've even shared my own thoughts both aloud and sometimes here on my blog. BUT...

that said, i can't believe, can't even FATHOM some of the things i have heard come out of my friends mouths lately and opinions i see represented on some of my actual friends facebook pages, status updates and blogs (for one example, click here). at times it has been so mean, so hateful, so incredibly disrespectful, i just can hardly stand it to keep my mouth shut (but i do...at least until now!). i think it is great to share our opinions on whatever it is we are passionate about. it's a part of what makes us americans and makes our country great. but my goodness, there is no reason to share hate with the world. didn't our mamas teach us - "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?!"

i definitely want to do my best to present a world for my son in which he is able to explore different ideas, views of politics, religion and other issues. having been on both sides of the coin (agreeing and disagreeing with issues, ideas, philosophy, politicians), i want to instill an old-school, patriotic sense of pride in our country for our son. put your hand over your heart when saying the pledge. tear up when you see the flag being raised, take a moment to be thankful for our military...

and respect and pray for your president.

even if you didn't vote for him.

lucky number seven

i feel like every time i turn around i am making another +1 month post. today lands us on lucky number seven!!!!!! beautiful weather, a happy baby and a VERY busy spring and summer ahead. it's literally "good day, sunshine" around here.

2031 NFL draft

practice....

then hydrate...

study your plays...

and with the first pic in the 2031 NFL draft, the dallas cowboys select...LINK PRITCHARD!!!!!!

WEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

here is photo documentation of link's first ride in a swing yesterday afternoon. :) ah, the joy. the squeals, shrieks and giggles all made me remember the happiness that is a swing set to a child. heck, i still LOVE to swing. i remember my dad used to push me so high that he could run under the swing. wow, i thought that was cool. anyway, we had a lot of fun yesterday at the park. swinging, going down the slides (yes, i went with him!) and then watching owen climb the stairs and go down the slide. yes, our golden retriever. what can i say, he wanted in on all the fun!!! hilarious. i give you photos of a fantastic first trip to the park (well, first trip to the playground at the park, at least!).

did i mention i love spring?

this spring and summer link is going to have a LOT of new friends joining us (congrats to brittany and lindsey for bringing jack and lauren home! they were the first of MANY between now and july)...and i can't wait! talking with some of the girls that are about to have their first babies is already so sweet for me. it's completely impossible to explain, but i just tell them the truth. i have had a very, very blessed and happy life thus far. but the last six months have been the best. the best ever.

some pics of life lately...

every night before bath (bed) time, we have play time in the front yard with dad and pups

decided to stop and see the bears at lakeside park on the way home from mi cocina the other night

lowered the crib last weekend. from this pic, you can see why it was definitely time!

bought this for him today. can you believe he's already driving??!! haha - he stayed up an hour late tonight playing. "walking" and letting neighborhood kids take him up and down the sidewalk. adorable. lots of giggles. he fell asleep in about six seconds. he LOVES his car. VROOOOOM!

i can't believe all the changes that have taken place in the last month. our little guy went from a little-ball-of-a-baby to a mover-and-a-shaker. first he started sitting up, then he started crawling, and he constantly wants to "stand" and when we hold him up, all he wants to do is move his little feet to walk! he is suddenly into everything. he tries to grab our food, drink, hair, glasses, everything in his reach...so i guess the days of taking a shower while he plays quietly on his little mat are over. this boy is on the move!! and he "talks" constantly. once these become actual words, i have a feeling he is never going to stop talking. :)

it's so bittersweet. i just can't fathom that six months ago he was this quiet little newborn bundle and that six months from now - he will be even bigger and MORE into everything. unreal.

**(oh and the above pic seriously captures the truth. linkers is in LOVE with owen. everything big O does makes him smile and laugh. such joy!!)**

opening day - way to go rangers!!!!!

OPENING DAY! i heart you oh-so-much. i love it all, the anticipation, the first time out to the ballpark for the new season, the crowd, the opening ceremony, the game, it's so much fun!

link's first opening day was an extra-special day for me. i do everything within my power never to miss an opening day and have missed zero in my adult life, so it was very important to start that tradition with my boy. i was a little concerned that some of the overwhelming-ness of it all would be too much for him, but boy was i wrong. he soaked in every moment of the opening events with a BIG smile on his face, even the loud planes flying overhead. he couldn't take his eyes off that field during the game, either. and every time the crowd cheered, his eyes got huge and he looked all around him, then back at me, as if to say, "do you hear that?!?" hilarious.

the game was a little slow for the first seven innings, but it was all worth it in the last few. the rangers pulled off a bottom-of-the-ninth win in the end and it was oh-so-exciting!!!!! go rangers!!!

just after seeing his first home run

he is reaching for his bottle. we interrupted a feeding for a photo op. whoops!

celebrating the big win

very, very tired boy post-game

easter, tarrant county style

wwwwoooow. that was a fun weekend. we left town friday late morning for fort worth to stay with jay's parents. we headed out to love shack (YUM) for some tasty burgers and a quick trip to the duck pond (for purposes of this blog post, i feel i should note that i decided ahead of time to throw the diet out the window, just for this weekend, and enjoy tasty treats!). that evening the g-parents babysat and jay and i met ten of our friends for a big dinner at joe t's. gotta love that place. especially in the spring.

saturday late morning we headed to arlington to stay with my parents. we did some shopping and ate at dave's bbq (an a-town institution that jay has a BIG appreciation for!) with hunny and papa. that night we had yet another set of free babysitters :), so we took advantage and went to fort worth to meet some friends for dinner and then back to a-town to meet up with some high school friends of mine.

sunday morning we went to my dad's church for easter and then off to colonial to meet up with the rest of the crew for easter brunch. it was a WONDERFUL weekend. lots of time with family, lots of time for jay and i to enjoy evenings out, and of course, the most important reason - to celebrate easter. HE IS RISEN!

future colonial cc junior champion, just like dad!

with hunny and papa at church

papa is so silly

hunting easter eggs

home again, home again!

pre-brunch with mom and dad

hole in one

he loves to "walk" while i hold his hands. so cute.

loved. easter. bunny. couldn't take his eyes off him!