The Human Petri Dish

The Shulers are sick. And not like perverse crazy (although sometimes it fits). We are all ill with fun fall sicknesses. Yuck. James was sick last week and still has a lingering cough, Cullen is harboring ear infections with other fun activities, and I think I died earlier this week, but I've forgotten to stop doing things. Alas, Cullen and I are having some super fun Mommy & Me days while James goes out and mingles with the world. Lucky guy.

Tomorrow night is the annual Gobblerfest at a friends house, so tonight I will be utilizing my germs to test out a new recipe. Pumpkin creme pies. Let's hope those that try my goods have built up their immune system. More importantly, let's hope I can build up mine before everyone arrives for Thanksgiving next week. Both sets of parents, a grandparent, and our little family for Thanksgiving dinner. Let's just hope I can find a place for us all to sit since I don't have a dining room table!

xoxo Ashley

When A Baby Becomes A Toddler

 Cullen's first birthday was on Saturday. He is now a toddling toddler. He goes everywhere quickly, with no regard for safety or my heart rate. I love that he's walking already, and it makes me so incredibly proud. I just wish he didn't have to grow up! Sometimes I think about Cullen growing up and my heart breaks a little bit. There is so much ahead of him, and I won't be able to protect him from everything. Ah!

All that rambling to say that Cullen's birthday and party were on Saturday. We had so many great friends and family members share the day with us, and I was happy with the big picture. I spent most of Sunday recovering, and now we're just enjoying our precious little toddler.

The gift/favor table. Just moments before the party, we assembled the wagon, car, basketball goal, and workbench. Luckily, we got everything done just in time!

I wanted so much to be responsible for the food, so I made fun little cupcakes in ice cream cones for all the kids, a beautiful cheese tray, and some precious gingerbread bears. Next year, I will be ordering take out.

 Although I didn't make Cullen's birthday cake, I did design it, so that's good, right? The little bear on top was almond cake. He was so yummy!

 We have a full 15 minutes of video while Cullen stared everyone in the room down. He wouldn't touch the cake for the longest time. I gave him a spoon, and all bets were off. It got so much worse after this.

 Cullen loved the little car we got him. We took him for a long walk on Sunday morning, and he really seemed to enjoy honking the horn and propping his feet up on the dash.

Cullen's first birthday was overwhelming on so many levels. I'm disappointed that the moment has passed us, but I'm so glad to be done with the stress. This weekend, Tera comes to visit so I can have a shopping buddy at the Nutcracker Market. We can't wait!

xoxo Ashley 

Chaos Is Good, Right?

Cullen's birthday and his party are only three days away. I cannot believe my baby will be one year old in just a few days! I am in complete and total denial. As the party draws near, we are doing everything we can to be prepared. I still have a laundry list of things to do, but it is slowly getting smaller. I'll be taking Thursday and Friday off this week to make sure Saturday is an easy day.

As is to be expected, we've had a couple of guests here and there let us know that they won't be able to make it. Sadly, James' parents are a part of that group. James' mom was assigned a case at work that absolutely requires her to attend on Friday. Since they wouldn't be able to arrive until Saturday morning, we decided Thanksgiving would be a better visit. Now we have more family time to look forward to later this month! The crummy part is that I was counting on the extra help with Cullen on Friday, and I just can't bear to send him to school when I could have him at home. So I'm taking an extra day off work. Bummer. Two days at home with my favorite little guy. :) The good news is that we can have a fabulous Thanksgiving at home with just a few people. I love quiet family time!

Last night, James and I stayed up until midnight making little bear-shaped gingerbread cookies as part of the party favors. Tonight's project is assembling the favors and cupcake toppers and completing Cullen's scrapbook. Wish me luck! Hopefully, I'll have party pictures to post by this time next week!

Cullen's first Halloween was a fabulous success. He looked great, he was completely happy with his costume, and we had so much fun! I can't wait to do it again next year!

xoxo Ashley

Sometimes Change Is A Good Thing

We haven't had much change this week. My mom is still in the hospital, we're all exhausted, and we're working on Cullen's birthday party. In just over a week, my baby will be 1!

We had a busy weekend last week full of zoo and Baylor. It was a lot to squeeze in, but we had so much fun! After only 93 seconds of playing time in the Baylor game, there was a lightning delay. James and I have encountered some pretty crummy weather at Floyd Casey, but this was the first time they actually recommended that we leave our seats. After a 1 hour, 47 minute delay, the game resumed, and the bears earned their sixth win of the season. That means we are bowl eligible and should be going to our first bowl game since 1994! It was a stressful day, but it was so worth it!

This weekend, we'll be headed back to the zoo with other friends, and we'll be taking Cullen's one year pictures on Saturday. After pictures, we're going to watch the Baylor-UT game. On Sunday, I'm planning on sleeping. Or going shopping for skinny jeans. I haven't bought anything for myself in a few months, and I think it's time. I would love to come home with something that isn't for someone else for once. We'll see how that goes! Maybe next week, I'll have some cute photos from Picture People to post! Until then, enjoy this one of Cullen being cute during dinner. He now has seven teeth!

xoxo Ashley

When It Rains, It Pours

Isn't that the Morton Salt tag line? I'm borrowing it today. It just fits.

James and I have been keeping busy with our day to day life, a family virus, and my mom being in the hospital. We aren't really sure which one of us caught the virus first, but it knocked all three of us to our knees within a twelve hour span. It amazes me how well children can handle it. I know Cullen wasn't doing well, but it didn't slow him down as he made laps around the living room. He is really on the move now, and it amazes me everyday. He is slowly taking a few more steps consecutively each day, and he is so proud.

Our most entertaining development this week is when we sing "If You're Happy and You Know It." He laughs and claps his hands just when he's supposed to. It seems to put a smile on his face no matter what he's doing!

My mom has been in the hospital for a little over a week now. A routine surgery went poorly, and she is now in ICU for observation. It has been really hard to get to see her, because Cullen isn't allowed in ICU, and he never sits still. Today, I'm going to visit her at lunch just to keep Cullen out of there. We're hoping for some good health soon, and she should be going home by the end of next week.

Tomorrow morning, I'm taking Cullen to Zoo Boo to spend time with our friends Noah and Dana. Hopefully, I'll have some precious pumpkin and costume pictures before next week's post.

This weekend, we're loading up the car and taking a day trip to Waco. It is Homecoming, and it will be Cullen's first home football game. If things go the way we'd like, we'll also be celebrating our sixth win for the season. That means we go bowling!

We're praying for health and wellness in our home and our family. God is taking care of us; we just have to be patient!

xoxo Ashley

Feels Like Home

At 11 months old, Cullen finally got to see Austin. We made a quick day trip to Round Rock when he was teeny tiny, but this was the first time he made it to Austin. James and I made it into town for a wedding with friends. It was a short trip, and we packed it with every single thing we could. We didn't get to see very many people, but we had a few amazing meals and soaked up what we could. Cullen really enjoyed his meals at Plucker's, Moonshine, and Taco Deli. We didn't make it to the capitol, but I'm hoping for many more trips in our future! Of course, I took zero pictures. Oh well...

Upon our return to Houston, James and I got to partake in a health review at my office. Blue Cross is offering a discount on our health insurance for participating in the review, and it's always nice to get a free checkup and flu shot. We should know in about 2 weeks how healthy or unhealthy we are, and we'll be seeing that discount on my paycheck in January. It will be like a mini raise!

Cullen's birthday is just over three weeks away, and I'm in total disbelief. How could my baby be almost one year old? I'm not okay with it, but I'm trying to make the adjustment.

In other exciting news, Cullen got a new cousin yesterday. Congrats to Jon and Erica on their beautiful little girl!

xoxo Ashley

Eleven Months Already?

It's hard to believe my little guy is already eleven months old. He is a big-stepping, chattering, wild, little thing. Goodness! He talks non-stop, and I love every moment of it. He has a few things that he says that we actually understand, but most of it is gibberish. He says mama and dada, but I don't really believe he knows which of us is which yet. The most entertaining is when he yells at Scout when she tries to take his food. So precious!

He is also becoming slightly more proficient with the whole walking thing. Last night, we got to see him take four pretty solid steps. Of course, he refused to do anything other than crawl when we got out the video camera. Stubborn little guy.

Each day is more fun than the last, and we're soaking up every moment. Now if only I could get more than five hours of sleep per night... Maybe in another twenty years or so. :)

Here's a picture of Cullen enjoying his oatmeal breakfast.

xoxo Ashley