Adding to our "Team" in May

Yes, it’s true! Baby #2 will be here before we know it! We’ve known since late August we were expecting again but we just found out last month WHAT we will be having… another BOY!! I’m ecstatic for Jude b/c they will be so close in age! I honestly couldn’t tell you what I hoped we would have, Boy or Girl, but when we found out the news, I couldn’t have been more thrilled!! Joel Phillip Howerton is due May 6th 2011!!

Jude's first Pumpkin Patch Adventure

With Halloween less than 3 weeks away…It’s that time of year again....yay for Fall! Though the temperatures have kept us from our sweaters we decided we were ready to celebrate the season by visiting The Flowermound Pumpkin Patch with some of our family this past Friday.

http://www.flowermoundpumpkinpatch.com/




They did not disappoint! So many cool varieties of pumpkins! I loved all of the character cut-outs and picture opportunities! The kiddos loved the tractors, hay barrel mazes, bounce houses, teepee, and haystacks they got to play in.

All in all, plenty of fun activities, without being crazy and admission was free! I also liked that they were collecting cans to donate - http://www.flowermoundpumpkinpatch.com/cca.html

Jude enjoyed teething on the mini pumpkins while Kathryn, our 5 year old niece, picked out a couple she looks forward to festively painting! The larger pumpkins get quite pricey (up t0 a steep $58 that I saw) but there are several different ranges to choose from should you opt to support the “patch.”




It was hotter than we expected, but nothing a snow cone couldn’t cure! ;-) Jude and Kathryn had a blast and the adults enjoyed watching their smiles! Jude was so worn out he fell asleep on the car ride home and stayed asleep for near 3 hours!! We’ll be going back again next year! ;-)


*Happy Fall*

Promised Pergola Pictures…

It’s not completely finished yet but only small finishing touches left! Doesn’t it look awesome?! Thanks to the many that helped us, especially to our bro-in-law, John Todd, who spent days and nights and offered many needed tools! Seriously, we’re blessed w/great friends and family…we couldn’t have done it w/out you all!
POSTS ARE UP!

LAYING THE FRAMEWORK!



ALL WOOD UP!!

I have a vision of a little swing for Jude hanging from one side…patio furniture and lots of social BBQs! :) Anyone know of good outdoor furniture clearances going on?! ;-) It's got to be that time of year!

Already October...Can you believe it?!

Is it just me or is this year totally FLYING by?! I hear that feeling is a sign I’m getting older…I will be the big 3-0 in a month! EEK! It seems I can’t find a spare 20 minutes lately to blog! That being said, I wouldn’t change a thing! Here’s what’s been going on…

“Jude bug” Update:
Jude will be 10 months old the 14th of this month (the same day Jon will be 31!). He gains more independence and personality with each passing week. I just adore the kiddo! As much as I would selfishly love to say he’s a momma’s boy… that would be a total false statement. Honestly, he seems to be awkwardly balanced in his affections so to speak, LOL. One week he wants me 24/7 but the very next, it’s all about what daddy is doing. He’s given a “momma” and “dada” several times now but we can’t know for sure if it’s directed at us w/intent or if his language just so happened to collide with ours at the exact right time. It’s totally satisfying and adorable either way! :)
Walking is coming soon!! He’s climbing up on everything…from our legs to furniture to poor Bentley (our dog) who gives a courtesy grunt before moving as far away from baby J as possible which ofcourse results in a tumble.
Eating is a favorite activity for our lil’ chunky monkey. :) Having 4 teeth now, he can eat most things we do as long as we prepare “bites.” 2 of his favorites: (1) Weekday morning Cheerios with daddy before work/school. Jon sits on the couch and Jude stands in b/t his legs and they share a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. It’s seriously so cute! (2) Yoplait Go-Gurt. Discovered during a weekend stay at Grandaddy and Grammy’s (my parents) house. So easy and Jude LOVES it! If I don’t have much time, this is a perfect treat! I swear he’d eat 5 packages if I’d let him!
Sunday we went searching for pants! We woke up for church with plenty of time but found ourselves running late b/c it took FOREVER to find pants that fit Jude! He’s in a weird stage. He can still wear most 6-9 mos onesies but pants/shorts are definitely too small. This happened over night I swear! The poor kid had to almost freeze in a short sleeved onesie and socks til’ we could get to a store! He has a dresser and closet FULL of clothes…apparently not pants, LOL. After church we headed to Old Navy where we stocked up on 6-12 mos pants. :)
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a flirt! It doesn’t matter if you’re old, young, female, male…really even if you’re human. Jude likes to ham it up! He’ll clap for you, share his food with you (messy situation most times), give a big toothy grin after a performance on his VTech Walker(pictured)… I am so happy he’s such a happy boy! :)
Those are most of the main updates on Jude. I can’t describe the feeling motherhood has given me…it’s an amazing blessing to say the least! I keep saying “this is my favorite stage so far” but…it is!! Once again! :)

As for Jon & Me...
Jon will be 31 next week! Hard to believe! For those of you that know Jon…or “JoNate” you know he’s a giver not a taker. He’s the last person to suggest a party in his honor…too bad! How could we not atleast meet up w/friends and family to celebrate the day my husband and best friend ever was born?! I promise I’ll keep it small babe. ;-)
Current project: The pergola is almost done! Praise the Lord! :) What started out as a great thought has turned into a reality thanks to my wonderful husband (& friends)! I mentioned what I wanted and Jon went straight to work designing! Once plans were finalized and HOA approved he was ready to go! A concrete truck, 5 wheel barrows, a garage full of cedar, 6 gallons of stain, 100+ man power hours & tons of HUGE nuts and bolts has turned what was our 10x10 rinky dink back patio slab into a beautiful 10x30 slab with a massively awesome cedar Pergola cover! (Pictures to come) The base is up and it’s coming along so nice! I’m optimistic that this weekend will be the last of the construction. It’s been a HUGE project! Jon said last week “ya know, it’s definitely more of a job all of a sudden rather than a hobby.” :) We’re both excited to have a “Pergola Party” soon to show off the craftsmanship to our fam & friends! I know we’ll enjoy it for years to come! Thanks so much babe!!
Shopping, Shopping and more shopping was my agenda this past weekend with Junior League’s “Christmas in Cowtown” followed up by Canton Trade Days. I loved every second of it! The company, the yummy food and the purchases made! :) I was able to knock some Christmas presents out and am definitely now in the holiday spirit!
This is our third year meeting with our small group from Northwood Church (every other Wed) & we still enjoy it so much! Even though we’ve decided to try some new churches, we’ve discussed with the other group members and we’re stickin’ with them as long as they’ll have us. :) I’m also doing a women’s bible study with some girlfriends ~ Beth Moore’s Breaking Free.
Such a wonderful study!! If you have an opportunity, I highly recommend! We meet every Tuesday evening after work and I think it’s been an amazing experience for all of us! We’ve definitely grown closer in our friendships and it’s been a nice support system for the day to day challenges women face.
Let’s see…what else…family comes in frequently and other than that, we try to see friends and keep in touch with everyone as much as possible. Some upcoming things we’re looking forward to are: (1) Howerton Birthdays… all 3 siblings are in October! (2) State Fair (3) Pumpkin Patch (4) Halloween – Jude’s first! He’s going as a giraffe :) We’ll be trick or treating with our niece, Kathryn, & hanging out at Jon’s sisters’ house before and after. (5) Boo at the Zoo! (6)Football!! (7) Rangers winning!!

Sorry for the blogging hiatus! :) I think you are now pretty much up to date on Team Howerton…Thanks for reading! Love to all! -Brooke

EAST COAST TRIP! 9/1 - 9/7/10

We spent Sept 1-7th exploring the east coast. We took Jude along as well as Jon’s mom, Judy (Jude’s Grandma). Jude experienced his first airplane rides and did great both ways! It was such a great trip…we couldn’t have asked for better weather!!




We started in Portland Maine where the favorite activity was a lobster catching cruise on a boat named “The Lucky Catch.” We helped the pros fetch lobsters from their traps then enjoyed eating what we caught for lunch :-) at a nearby restaurant right on the pier.

Salem, MA was possibly my favorite! It was such a cute neat town! I have always heard how much history comes from Salem but seriously, A LOT does! ;-) We learned all about the witch trials, visited the House of Seven Gables, walked the cobble streets looking at the architecture of all the old homes & shopping in stores…there’s so much to do! It’s a very walkable city which I loved! We planned on stopping for a couple hours but ended up spending the majority of the day exploring and it flew by!



One of my dear friends, Jenn Richey, lives in New Hampshire so we got to meet up with her, her husband, Scott, and daughter, Bella, for lunch in NH to catch up! Jude and Bella were instant friends! :-) SUCH an added bonus to the trip!

Judy has some good friends that now live in CT, The Espinoles, which came into Boston to sight see with us one day…another great time!! The parents were close to Jon and my age and their kiddos were 9 & 10 making them prime age to happily help with Jude. :-) Judy was so happy she got to see them and we were just as happy to meet them…a VERY sweet & fun family!
Boston is where we spent the majority of our time on the East Coast…some of the highlights…


Fenway Park! There’s a spirit in this ballpark not to be missed!


The fans are fun to listen to, the food is yummy, the field is gorgeous green and the pride for the Red Sox is high! Jude lasted thru the whole game smiling & clapping enjoying all the lights and people…I had just as much fun watching him as I did the game itself.



CHEERS: We stopped in and ate at the Original and also saw the replica (at the Quincy Market). Original was the best ofcourse!

Boston Common: Much like NYC’s Central Park…you come to a breaking point in b/t all these tall bldgs and BAM! You’re in a huge park! BEAUTIFUL! We let Jude crawl around in the grass while we enjoyed a much needed break from walking. :-)

Freedom Trail: Boston has a red line drawn along its public sidewalks that you can follow along to see the sights of the “Freedom Trail”…Paul Revere’s House, USS Constitution, Oldest Restaurant in the US (Union Oyster House), Quincy Market

Quincy Market: Great Shopping, food & street performers! I got shoes :-)

Mike’s Pastry: I kept seeing all these people walking around Boston carrying little white boxes that said “Mike’s Pastry” on the side in blue that were tied with twill like a cute little gift. I had to know! We were walking back to our hotel and I see the bakery! We decide we have to try so we get in the LONG line that wraps the block! It goes fast and we purchase our dessert cannelloni’s, pistachio cookies and 2 cupcakes to share. SO GOOD!! Wish I could have brought some home w/me! I’d love to share the love! ;-)


New England Aquarium: Jude’s favorite….I could’ve been fine w/out. Definitely a great idea for those looking for entertainment for the kiddos. :-)

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza! On every corner and all delicious! The clam chowder is good but I vote the pizza is better. ;-) we ate it atleast 3 times at different places.


I told Jon “I think I can live in Boston!” and then he reminded me the weather we were enjoying only lasted about a month or so…then lots of snow.” Nevermind.” :-) Glad we went when we did! I fell in love! I seriously do think had I visited in high school I would have gone to college in Boston…I could have picked from seriously 15 different colleges! They were everywhere and all gorgeous!

Cedar Creek Lake w/family and friends :-)

We have had a busy and wonderful summer visiting with family and friends! I can't believe it's already the end of August. My lack of blogging is definitely a result of the "go-go-go" but here's a recap (mostly in pictures) of our Cedar Creek Lake trip! :-)

Cedar Creek Lake (Kevin's 13th bday/Poppy and Nana's wedding Anniv):

Jude loved all the attention! From bathtime with mom, matching clothes with Uncle Mike to shoulder rides from Uncle Kevin & fun times with his cousins...never a dull moment for lil' man! ;-)

Marc and Mom rented the lakehouse for 2 full weeks! Lots of happy memories made, including Marc daddy's yummy margaritas, adults in the kiddy pool and sleepy mornings waking up outside in the hammock! It was so good seeing everyone and catching up! Thanks to Mom and Marc for making it happen!! ;-) We love you!
AND ofcourse...THE BOAT & LAKE! Marc was so sweet to drive everyone around and entertain! I did get to take the wheel for a bit ;-) Staci & I and Mom & her forever BFF, Gaynelle, tubed together! SO MUCH FUN! Can't wait to go back next year!

Jude's first Texas Rangers Game

We took Jude to his first Texas Rangers game July 23rd and were prepared for anything, even leaving early if Jude got too tired/fussy. No need...He did so great!! Ladies & Gentlemen, we have a Texas Rangers fan! :-) He loved every minute of the game and even more so, the fireworks after! He tried his first peanut, sported a fo hawk created with texas sweat, drank out of mommy's souveneir cup...



Definitely a night I'll remember. The Rangers won and Jude was given a keepsake certificate for his first game that we'll put in his baby book. I'm so excited for more games with my boys!! We had a blast! :-) GO RANGERS! Life doesn't get much better!! :-)

How freakin' cute?! Love my little boy (and my big boy) SO much!! ;-)