It’s the little things about being a parent that make each day such a blessing.
Little things like feet.
The cutest feet in the world.

Ones with pink toenails.

Feet that you hear padding down the hall followed by a cascade of giggles.
Feet that wrap around your hip as you hold your baby girl.
Feet that are connected to a mouth that begs for “gatch” (scratches) on their soles and in between their toes.
Feet that climb onto the sofa to snuggle.

And ones with little converse socks.

Feet that you see peeking out from under your nursing cover.
Feet that are so tiny, yet so perfect, and growing far too quickly.
Feet that kick around in the air as the mouth above them smiles a gummy grin.

So thankful for each day with these little feet.

Edison is here! Hooray! Technically, he has been here for about three weeks, but life has been a bit busy to blog!

March 24, we went into the hospital at 6:30 am for an induction (the doctor was worried that my placenta was aging too quickly and wouldn’t make it to my due date–thus the induction). We were sleepy, but very excited to meet our little man! At 8:00, the nurse put a pitocin iv in me, and at 3:13 pm, after pushing through two contractions, Edison Josiah Horton entered the world! He weighed 5 pounds 15 ounces and was 18 inches long. He is a healthy, chill little boy who loves to snuggle and nurses like a champ.

Chloe LOVES him–loves to “hol” him, loves to kiss him, and loves to point out all of his body parts. Overall, we feel like God has been so gracious to us as we adjust to life as a family of four. We are running a little low on sleep, but the transition has been much easier than we anticipated! Thank you for all of your prayers and support; we are excited to share this journey with you!

Our little man!

First photo as a family of four!

Boys…

Chloe loving on Eddy the day we came home!

It feels like so many things are doing this in our life right now…it is a little crazy! We are at the point that Edison could come at any time and that is such a bizarre and exciting feeling. We are absolutely looking forward to meeting our sweet little boy, but I am also trying to cherish every minute as our little family of three.

Chloe is such an entertaining force right now. She is definitely a spirited child in so many ways. Her new favorite past time is spinning as fast as she can and then trying to walk. The result is always hilarious and often ends in a collision (thus an array of new bruises on her little forehead). Here’s a peek into a typical night at our house!

Chloe Spinning! from Jeremy Horton on Vimeo.

We were blessed to spend this Christmas with my family in Borger, Texas…my hometown. For those of you who are unaware, I grew up in a small town. Small. Very small. So, when we go home, our days are filled with a lot of family time, open spaces, and small town living. Our trip was a short one, but good!

Christmas day we traveled all over the panhandle to spend time with all of my family–it was busy, and a little crazy because Chloe didn’t nap, but also good to see everyone. One of the highlights of Christmas day was Chloe’s first interaction with full grown cattle…no fences, no chains, just large cattle. My uncle has some property a little south of Clarendon, Texas (another small town), and as a hobby, he decided to get some cows, a bull, and some baby longhorns. He hand feeds them often, so they love people because people bring food. So, knowing Chloe’s love for animals, we jumped in gator and took off to find us some cows. We didn’t have to look long, because as soon as we got in earshot of the cattle, they came trotting our way (looking for food). For your viewing pleasure, here is how our cattle visit went down:

Helping dad start the gator! (we are so into “driving” these days)

Checking out the cows…not quite sure about it. (neither was mom when the bull came up…he was HUGE)

“Mom! Make the cow stop licking me!” (she thought Chloe had food)

“Oh yeah, I have a tongue too!” (can you see her little tongue sticking out at the cow? so ridiculous!)

“Hey, you are just my size! Let’s be friends!” (this is a baby longhorn)

“I’m out of here! These guys are too big and slobbery for me!”

Thank you family for a wonderful Christmas! We love you all!

Okay friends,

I am sorry to subject you to a not so exciting post (I will put a cute one tonight), but shutterfly is running a fantastic deal!  If you post your card with them on your blog, you get a free $25 gift card!  I love free.  And I love pictures.  So win win right?  But, get excited about a cute video coming later today!  And Christmas cards coming sometime next week!  Have a great one!

Red Glee Christmas

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BOY!!!!  He was difficult at first and didn’t want to participate in the ultrasound (as evidenced by him refusing to hold still and dancing all around the entire time), but once he figured out that we were trying to see his parts, like any good boy, he proudly displayed them for us to see!  So excited about our newest little addition!

(Sorry we don’t have any cute pictures to share–our sweet baby boy really refused to hold still for even small milliseconds during the exam.  The only decent shot that is decipherable to the untrained eye is the picture of his parts.  Didn’t so much think that was appropriate all by itself…guess we’ll just have to wait and see him in all his glory in late March!)

Guess what our sweet little pumpkin is going to be this Halloween…

So excited to see her all dressed up!

This past weekend, our sweet little baby turned 1! It is crazy; she now has a year under her belt and her age can be told in increments larger than a month! To celebrate, we had 2 days of fun–one with just Jeremy, Chloe and I, and one with us plus the grandparents.

Friday was her actual birthday and our family play day, so we went to the pumpkin patch to celebrate fall and our little girl! We had a blast! When we first got there, we went on a hay ride; she loved it (mostly because there were lots of hay “sticks” to play with)!

After the hay ride, we visited the farm animals–a huge hit as well!

The cows were fun to look at but a little shy. (this is her “Mommy these cows won’t play with me” face.)

The pigs were oh so friendly, and she quickly pulled out of my arms, toddled toward them, and stuck her sweet little hand on the pig’s very snotty snout. Brown pig snot. Gross. She thought it was hilarious though and spent a solid five minutes laughing and playing with them…I think she thought they were just really smelly dogs. (If you look closely at her left hand in the picture you can see the snot.)

After the pigs, we visited the goats and she liked them as well. She kept trying to feed the goat her fingers which scared me a little, but finally I convinced her that grass was a better meal for everyone involved.

While we were playing with animals, Jeremy spotted the John Deere tricycles and decided to give them a whirl.

Chloe insisted on going too, so daddy gave her a lift…

And then she rode around by herself (with the help of her strong dad).

Then, we grabbed a wagon and picked out a couple of pumpkins. She liked riding in the wagon but was most intrigued by the dirt and sticks inside of it (are you seeing a pattern here?)!

We look forward to many more years of picking out pumpkins with our little pumpkin!

*Disclaimer: This idea is stolen, and I love it. The end.*

Starting this month, on the 11th of every month, I am going to share 11 pictures (1 for Chloe’s every waking hour) of our day. It is nothing too special, but I love the idea of just reflecting on our simple life together. So, without further adieu, September 11, 2010!

8:00–Just finished with her morning bottle. Watching the dogs outside (one of Chloe’s most favorite activities) while mommy fixes herself some breakfast.

9:00–Getting ready to go on a morning walk. She generally sings the whole time and smiles and claps for all of our elderly neighbors.

10:00–No picture! So sorry! I had just put her down for a nap and didn’t want to risk waking her up with the camera! I’ll make up for it! Promise!

11:00–Awake from her nap and ready to get out. And how cute is she here! When she wakes up now, she sits or stands up in her blanket and yells until we come get her. Silly!
*Notice she STILL has bruises on her head! Chloe is no longer trying to move things with her head, but when she gets angry, she now slams her head into the ground. It is strange…and painful…where do kids get these ideas?! She is getting smarter though, and starting yesterday, she has begun to hurl her head toward the ground, stop right before it hits the ground, and then gently tap it on the floor!*

12:00–Eating a yummy lunch of watermelon, macaroni and cheese, and butternut squash with peas.

1:00–Hanging out at the College Life tailgate. She has no OU garb…we need to remedy this, I know!

*1:30–Make up picture: Cuteness. Loves of my life.*

2:00–Headed home to take a nap!

3:00–Awake from her nap and waking up daddy from his!

4:00–Playing outside with the dogs.

5:00–Hanging out with friends at Arash’s and watching OU beat FSU. She was playing with Anna’s toes here.

6:00–Playing with Mommy’s phone and trying to get Daddy’s french fries (she thinks all food is hers now days).

7:00–All clean and ready for bed!

And there you have it friends. A day in the life of Chloe Horton and entourage.

soft avacados
turning my hair bright lime green
i am beautiful