Daddy's Girl

So it has been way too long since we have posted.  We were without a camera for a bit, and what is a blog without pics, right? But we have since gotten it repaired, so we are back in action.  And although we don't have the pictures to show for it, much has happened in the past few weeks.  So where to begin???

We now have a full fledged walking monster on our hands.  Perfecting the walk, and even the run, this chunky monkey loves to discover everything that is within her purview.

From her new swing set to the bubble machine, she loves discovering her new talents.  She gave crawling a valiant effort for about 3 weeks, but was persistent in attempting the walk.  Many shiners later, she is more and more stable every day.And what do I mean by chunky monkey, this girl can eat! Her belly sticks out like her dads....and she is not shy about showing it off.  Pictured here with her cousin Preston, these two had a lot of fun in one of Tulsa's splash parks.

Now capable of feeding herself complete from her own plate and all, she is really good about eating all her dinner.
However, she still has to be supervised during her meals, if not she will attempt to put all the food in her mouth without swallowing. Give her one cookie, it goes in the mouth.  Give her three cookies, all three attempt to be placed in the mouth at the same time!

We also had a fun trip to Branson with the Sher family, and survived the heat.  It was hilarious to take in all that Branson has to offer: a show, Silver Dollar City, Andy's custard, and of course some golf.  Aunt Kristen, may have enjoyed it the most!  My brother drew actually had to remind her at one point during the show that the audience did not pay to hear her sing (as she was belting it out to some Beach Boys!)

Never in my wildest dream did I think I would have so much fun with a someone so small.  Even with a vocabulary of just a few words (although she certainly tries to say more; and does have full conversations in jibberish) her personality is bigger than this world. Whether it be holding my finger as we walk into school or patting her back when she goes down for the night, I cherish every minute.  Some of my favorites include bath time, bubbles in the back yard, riding in the car, swinging or dancing to music.  However, what I probably love the most, and certainly cannot get enough of, are those kisses.  Now able to fulfill the request by simply asking, I usually get about 10 kisses in the morning as we walk from the car to the school; simply love it.  So thankful that our Creator gave us such a fun, loving, spirited and beautiful little girl!

It's My Wife's Fault

Sorry it has been so long since our last post.  And really, it IS Heather's fault.  As many of you know, Heather is not the most careful person when it comes to handling electronics (like her iPhone or the camera).  In fact, she has managed to break both of them.  Well her iPhone has been replaced, but I am working on trying to persuade Sony that the Camera should be under warranty....some 18 mos after purchase.  Thus, we have no camera...therefore no pics, and what is a blog without pics, right? (Now an admission on my part, I was the one that ruined the camera previous to this one. We like to wait about 2 months after the manufacturer's warranty to test the limits)

So here are at least a few of the phone pics we have managed to salvage.

Let's start with the 4th of July.  It was so darn hot, yet we fired up the grill (and by we, I mean the Waltons, and by grill I mean the Hasty Bake).  In fact, we have been a bit hasty bake crazy over the past few weeks succumbing to the pressure of Trey Cooper.  But when you see what this thing is able to cook up, it makes a good case for itself.

And the grill was not the only thing smokin that day.  Check out this little chickie babe:

We also lucked out that one of my best friends, Ryan Fulda, loves to take pics with his high tech camera.   So while at his baby shower, he took some great pics of our little princess.  Thanks Ryan, and can't wait for Kinley's arrival any day now.


We also made it to the lakehouse to see the entire family. However, we are at the mercy of the family to send us some pics since the camera was already in it's handicapped state. Hopefully we can show some of those images soon, as we had a great time spending time relaxing and playing with all the kiddos.

Sher Sweet Shoppe

For those of you who know my wife, also know that she was not raised to throw a simple party.  Whether we have folks over to watch an OU Football game or friends over for dinner, it always turns into an "event."  So why then was I surprised when the decorations, props and candy started rolling into the Sher home about 10 days prior to Ellison's birthday party?

Let me tell you, on this first birthday party, Heather outdid herself.  The theme was the 'Sher Sweet Shoppe' so everybody had their pickings of candy, cookies, cupcakes, candy-bars, gum-balls, and cookie mix.  It was quite the spread.  The weather cooperated (if 90 degree heat with 90% humidity is cooperation...but it did not rain) and the moon bounce was a hit.  Really the whole thing was quite the spectacle.

To be honest, many a times, it will drive me crazy the efforts my wife will go when hosting friends.  Never is it simple, never is it easy.  However, I also love the pride she takes in entertaining.  And in this case, she put countless hours in researching, planning, shopping (under budget) and ultimately pulling off one spectacular birthday party.

There were many friends that helped us pull off the event, allowing us to borrow party decorations, ideas, and even a moon bounce, however none more so than Alissa Adams.  Alissa's ability to be creative never ceases to amaze.  She created the beautiful invitations as well as took so many great pictures.  Alissa thank you for all of your hard work! Also, Mary Catherine Ward- we couldn't have pulled it off without your generosity and creativity!

It was a packed house, and it was fun to see all the kids that came to celebrate.  We truly are so blessed to have so many great friends here in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Norman.  It was great to see so many of you!

Shiner

Just in case you thought that helmet comment on the last post was said in sarcasm, check out the shiner that was on Ellison's noggin when I picked her up from school yesterday.

You may be thinking, "Dang, that looks like it hurts."  I, on the other hand, was left thinking, "Dang, we are definitely paying too much for her school, if she is coming home looking like this."

Needless to say, I was unimpressed.

Crawling...Finally Crawling

So there has been a debate in our house regarding our nearly one year old and her refusal to crawl.  Rather than the expected, "is our baby girl a bit on the slow side?", the debate was on our desire for her to crawl.

Heather has been in "training mode" for about 3 months, trying to get Ellie to crawl.  I, on the other hand, have been content being able to sit in the recliner and watch Ellie, without having to chase her around the house, without having to baby proof every room and every outlet, without having to worry about what trouble she would get into when she was mobile.  Well, as of this week, she is crawling.

Although, it appears this won't be the case for very long.  She definitely prefers the full out walk...one problem...balance.  How important is balance you ask; well, only important for those kids that don't want to look abused.  Ellison has a tendency to attempt the walk and end up crashing on the ground.  Her forehead has become a routine stop for bruises and marks.  As a result of this lack of stability, I am always fearful, based on my previous experiences, that I will run into a DHS or District Attorney, and get prosecuted for the bruises that are consistently on her head.  I am tempted to find a helmet for her to wear on a consistent basis.

Prior to the disabling heat that we are now experiencing, Ellie and I got to spend some time in the back yard.  After school, we would take off our shoes and examine the grass in the back yard.  One immediate lesson learned was that the grass was more forgiving than the patio when it came to our falls.  Not to mention that the grass tasted better too!

So back to the crawl.  It appears that she is capable, although not terribly interested. Rather, she wants to stand up, walk, and demonstrate her independence.

As a result, she is pulling up on everything.  And as long as she has something to hold on to she can walk pretty well.  She definitely prefers, if available, mommy or daddy's hands, as they make the best crutches.

In fact, we have recently walked into her room, when she was "taking a nap" and we discovered that she was standing full out, jumping up and down, giggling, and loving the rail that allows her to walk the entire length of the crib.  So much for our baby girl being much of a baby anymore.

Cousin Marshall's Birthday

Last week we had the chance to go to San Antonio to celebrate Ellison's cousin, Marshall's, first birthday. So we jumped on the plane at 7:00 AM on Friday, which for the Shers (including Ellie) is very early.

Fighting her sleep all the way to San Antonio, once we finally got her into the car (at noon) she was asleep before we were off airport property.  By Saturday, the rest of the family had arrived.  Together with all 5 of the cousins, we were able to see the amazing relationship already beginning to develop.  Ellison looking up to Addie, Addie adoring Bella.  Though separated by years and miles, it is amazing to see the love they have for each other, even at such a young age.

Whether it was playing in the sandbox, taking baths, or sharing spaghetti, it was really fun seeing these kiddos interacting.  Of course, Barrett, the oldest, had more fun schooling Uncle Rob on the Wii then anything else.

Besides watching Marshall take his first bites of cake, the funniest story developed from bath time.  Knowing that Marshall and Ellie would't always be able to share bath time, we thought it would be fun to get them splashing around together.  Towards the end of the bath, it was more than smile and giggles being deposited.  With a very serious and determined impression on his face, Marshall inadvertently cut bath time short with a couple of pushes.  Out from underneath his body came a "floatie" that caused tears of laughter.

It is always so much fun to have the cousins all together. So glad we were able to be apart of such a fun weekend.  I can not believe Marshall is already one, and likewise, that we are already planning a first birthday party for our own little princess.    We also want to wish Happy First Birthdays to Preston Clark and Griffin Garrett!

holly and darren's wedding weekend!

Holly and Darren's wedding will take quite a few posts because it was a full weekend of celebrating this exciting time for our family. To kick off the weekend, we enjoyed one last evening together with Holly's closest girlfriends over a delicious dinner at Blu in Norman. Thank you to all of Holly's sweet friends who made not only this evening but the entire weekend so memorable. Holly has been given such sweet friends that I have grown to love and adore over the years! We had such fun reminiscing of all the great memories these friends have shared together and I know there are many more to come. 

easter

So we are a little late in posting our fun Easter weekend but we had some super sweet pictures of Ellison and her cousin Addison that we had to share. We had a fun Easter weekend in Tulsa and were so thankful our family came up to share it with us. Uncle Drew, Aunt Jill, and cousin Addie came up on Friday followed by KK, Aunt Holly, and her fiance Darren. Following a wonderful service at church and an Easter celebration in community, we enjoyed lunch together at home. Rob fired up the grill and the weather was gorgeous! And no Easter is complete without the annual scavenger hunt. My mom (and the Easter bunny) has always made Easter so special by leading us on a super fun and creative scavenger hunt. It has always been one of Holly and I's favorite memories from growing up and was just as fun this year as all the years before.

Praise Baby

If you have never heard of the Praise Baby video collection, and you have an infant-toddler, then let me let you in on a little secret...these are one of God's very special gifts to parents.  Heather and I don't let Ellison watch much TV yet; although I have caught a few episodes of Sesame Street and find myself entertained, as well as educated...I digress...

However, we have relied on Praise Baby for many months now.  It was a very thoughtful gift from our dear friends the Hartsock's and Marilene Long, which happens to be the mother of Ellison's godmother, Emily (confused yet)? I will admit, when we received the gift I did give a very dramatic roll of the eyes, but I soon became a believer and as you will soon see, a promoter of the video. The PB videos show bright colors, animals, numbers and shapes all set the to tune of praise music.  What a great way to teach Ellie the songs of worship; and equally important, she is enthralled by it.  

She literally can be fussy, exhausted, hungry, and even a few times, screaming (traits that I suggest she gets from the maternal side), but when the music starts she is mesmerized, stoic, and content (of course, traits that come from her paternal side).  To increase the fun, Ellie recently received a microphone from Grandmommy and Granddad and has flawlessly incorporated her own singing along with the video.  
She is so hooked to this video, referred to as the "hymnal" by Granddad, that we loaded one of the videos on to heather's iphone and on to my blackberry, so we always have mobile praise baby in case of a melt down.  I highly recommend you check it out.  Once you are convinced, and you will be convinced, that this is the best thing since white bread, you can send your referral fees in care of "Ellison's Tuition Fund."  


More to come soon, as we had a wonderful visit with cousin Addie, Uncle Drew and Aunt Jill, Aunt Holly, KK, and "soon-to-be-Uncle Darren."  

Happy Easter

This past weekend we began our celebration of Easter a bit early.  With Easter Egg "Hunts" on both Friday and Saturday, it was fun getting together with friends to share these memories.  I use the word "hunt" lightly, as Ellison is still too young to comprehend why we are sitting her on the ground with a bunch of colorful, plastic, round, noise makers, typically filled with things she is not allowed to put in her mouth.  Needless to say, this year's hunts were still probably more for Heather and I than they were for Ellie!

With the first hunt taking place at our church, Asbury United Methodist, we gathered with about oh maybe 1,000 or so folks, and partook in the madness.  Saturday was a bit less occupied, but just as much of an event.  Located inside and out of the beautiful home of our friends, the Hulvers, this is one "hunt" that I look forward to each year.  It was fun to see the four or five other families who were pregnant last year, along with us, who now were in attendance with the new babies.

So as Lent draws to an end, and we enter into Holy Week, I hope each of you will celebrate the Sacrifice and the Resurrection that laid the foundation for this upcoming Easter Sunday.  We are thankful for our friends, family, and church that have continued to encourage our Spirits and challenge our Faith.  I pray you have those in your lives that do the same for you.

Margin

The past two weeks I led a discussion in our Community group about how most of us live Margin-Less lives.  For this discussion, margin is the amount available beyond that which is necessary.  I remember listening to this message live about a year back when Craig Groeschel spoke on the subject at Life Church.  Simply put, the normal approach to life is not working.  Society teaches us that being busy is productive.  Society defines happiness as "having more than you have." And as a result we find ourselves stretched to max, financially and with our time.  Normal is living in debt, having monthly payments, living beyond our means.  Normal is filling up our schedules, being on the go, and sacrificing our relationships to make our schedules work. We need to start living differently, because normal is not working.  

2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2  

15 Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise,16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Ephesians 5:15-17   

Instead of living lives at full speed, it is important that we create our schedules to allow for us to (1) spend time seeking God's will, and (2) spend time resting in God's presence.   

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33   

Similarly, we have to stop living beyond our means. Instead of chasing what the world teaches us is success, we need to strive to be content with that which God has already blessed us with.   

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  1 Timothy 6:6-10   

The truth is, we may not have time for the things we "say" are important, but we make time for the things we believe are important AND we may "say" we wish we had more money to give, but in reality we spend our money on the things that give value.  Where our time and money are spent, there our heart is also. By requiring ourselves to realign our desires with God's will for our lives, then our time and our money will also be realigned.  

Margin is better, because with Margin we have the ability and flexibility to respond to the call of the Kingdom.  We are in tune with the Father to know whether something is a distraction of the world or an interruption from Heaven.  In Asbury's current sermon series, Be Generous, we learn that we cannot be generous if we have already fully committed all of our time and all of our money. But with Margin, we can pray about where to give, where to serve, and how to make a difference.

Margin is hard for me, especially with time.  But even more difficult is contentment.  Contentment has to be one of my fatal flaws. I continually struggle with how much is enough and always striving for more.  Considering all the blessings that have been poured out unto me and my family, I know I have acted ungrateful, selfish, and greedy.  I truly need to be reminded, daily, not to conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but to rather live carefully and wisely, so that I may seek first His Kingdom and find contentment with His blessings.

valentines day surprise

This was probably one of the most special and memorable Valentines Day yet! And surprisingly enough, it was not spent with Rob and I having a nice dinner just the two of us. We decided on this day of celebrating love, we would surprise mom in Norman for lunch. With the help from our favorites, Lori and Steve Lindsey, we were able to pull it off! Mom was planning on joining them for lunch after church and when they all arrived, there we were. It was such a blessing for us to be able to do this for mom and hopefully she was blessed in return! A special thanks to Lori and Steve for their help, a delicious lunch, and Ellison's sweet bear. 


That same weekend we also got to see JoePa and MeMaw on Friday night as they watched Ellison for us so we could attend our Covenant Valentines Dinner. Then Sunday night, Grandmommy and Grandad came up to watch El on Monday for President's day. We are so thankful for fabulous grandparents who spoil us with their presence in Ellison's life. 

Rob and I attended our annual Valentines Chickfila dinner the night before. If you remember from last year, Chickfila hosts an evening complete with a waiter, table linens, live music, three course meal, and of course, the cow! We had such fun last year, we decided to attend again with Ellison. Unfortuately, I forgot my camera so no pictures to document Ellie's first Valentines day dinner. Such a terrible mom! 

So Charitable

So a couple of weekends back we attended the Junior League of Tulsa's fundraiser, Decadence.  The event and auction benefit local community service projects here in the Tulsa Area.  Through the event last year we met some really fun friends, and have since made this an annual tradition.  This year the event was held at the Summit Club in downtown Tulsa, which provides a spectacular view of the city.



Adding to the fun this year were our good friends Brad and Ashley Cunningham.  We are so stoked that the Cunninghams moved from Dallas to Tulsa, and have been so excited to introduce them to many of our friends here.  With no exception, we enjoyed introducing them to our very fun friends we met through Junior League.  In fact, many a time I wonder what real benefit Heather being apart of Junior League really has (both for her and the community); but if nothing else, we have formed some tremendous friendships.




Now, being the very considerate and generous persons that we are, we, along with three other couples (Cains, Buchans, and Hulvers) decided to bid on the main event...and to our surprise, we won.  Now you would have thought that between the 5 attorneys in the group we could have figured out some loop-hole that allowed us an out; but none of us were up for too much quick thinking that night.








So, as a result, the four couples will be traveling to Manzanillo Mexico where we will reside in one of the La Punta Villas.  For seven nights we will be pampered by the house staff of 5, enjoying both the beach front views and a private pool.  Now clearly, never in my right mind did I expect that we would win this item; but as Heather says, it is for a good cause.  So I guess, if it makes someone else's life better, then I can rough it in Mexico.  La Punta, meet Roberto Jose!

fun with friends

we had a wonderful weekend including a fun saturday with my dear friends from college and their little ones. it has been such fun experiencing "firsts" with my friends and their babies as there has been 5 babies born in less than a year within this group! we greatly appreciated lauren, emily, cari, traci, and kinsey making the road trip up here and jamie opening her new, beautiful home to host our get together. it will be such fun as the babies grow older together and can really play! as always, we try and get a quick photo of the group. this is always such a task but emily was able to capture one. unfortunately, campbell snuck away from the photo shoot and took a nasty fall into workout equipment leading to a trip to the ER. we are so thankful she is okay- had to include the pic of this tough little girl. looking forward to being all back together again!

snowed in

As most of our other Oklahoma friends, this weekend was spent in doors after the "Blizzard of 2010."  Part of me was glad to see the snow, as we missed the "Christmas Blizzard of 2009," and I was also glad that we got less ice than expected, but more snow than predicted.  Tulsa ended up with over 6 inches of snow!

Heather had planned on being in Dallas this weekend for the baby shower of our good friends the Cavazos, but I had to lay down the law, after my normal 15 minute commute downtown took over an hour on Friday.  I was amazed at all the snow.  So as soon as I got back home, I got Ellie all bundled up and took her out to see the snow for herself.  She was impressed for about 1 minute, then ready to return to the warmth of the indoors.

We also always laugh at how much of a priss our little Petie is.  He tends to be very cautious in the snow.  He makes multiple attempts to avoid the snow, and then, only after careful examination of the area, he prances in the snow, not know exactly how to behave.

So being snowed in is cool for about half a day, but then cabin fever sets in.

great wolf lodge

Since we didn't get to celebrate Christmas with the Sher/Kerr clan, we met up in Grapevine, Texas at the Great Wolf Lodge to ring in the New Year! Grapevine was the perfect location for us to meet up and of course, the kids LOVED all that Great Wolf had to offer. We look forward to going back someday when Ellison is more entertained by water slides and MagiQuest but until then, Rob and I enjoy stepping into our aunt and uncle role and taking our nieces and nephew around the water park. Ellison has become quite the little water baby and had fun splashing in the wave pool with her Aunt Sarah, Tanya, and Jill. We also packed into one of the suites for our Christmas gift exchange....15 people + tons of gifts = a fun and memorable time! We cherish anytime we are able to get the whole family together and look forward to seeing everyone again soon. Thanks Grandmommy and Granddad for an exciting weekend!

a tulsa christmas

Prior to our vacation in Naples, we hosted our first family Christmas in Tulsa with KK and Holly! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Trula while our dear friends, the Walton's, watched Ellison. After dinner, we headed back to the house to open gifts. Ellison was very entertained by the sparkly ribbon and even participated in unwrapping her presents! We enjoyed lots of laughs- especially with mom's "silly gift" she always surprises Rob with and even some tears as we each received a letter from mom and dad. It was by far the most special gift we could have received!

our "white christmas" in naples!

This year we were blessed with a wonderful Christmas in Naples, Florida! While everyone was snowed in in Oklahoma, we were enjoying our "white Christmas" on the white sandy beaches of Florida in the 70 degree weather. It was wonderful! We went with my family and thoroughly enjoyed our time with KK, Holly, and her fiance, Darren. We stayed in a beautiful home allowing us some much needed R&R and time away.

our home away from home

While we were away we enjoyed fine dining, shopping, exploring Naples, a bay cruise, and time at the beach. Ellison got to experience many firsts while we were away like flying on an airplane, playing at the beach, sleeping with mom and dad, splashing in the hot tub, bathtime with mom, and celebrating Christmas!

a few of my favorites (okay, a lot of my favorites!)

Ellison wasn't quite sure about what to think of the beach but that didn't stop me from trying to get some pictures. It was pretty cold in the ocean and the wind was blowing so it was a quick photo session!

white christmas

We will forever cherish the memories we made on this trip. And although it was a challenging Christmas without dad's presence, we were comforted knowing that he was celebrating Christmas with Jesus himself! Thank you KK for a wonderful and much needed vacation!

Sooner Bred

My Christmas gift from Heather and our little princess this year was this picture (along with another) that I could put in both my office and the study at the house. I love this picture! It captures Ellison's inquisitive nature, as well as her "no smile, all business" expression that she so commonly reverts to when in front of the camera. I also love the fact that it incorporates not only the Sooners, but the autographed football. For those that don't know, this is the football I got for Heather's dad our first Christmas we were dating. Up until that point, Mr. Hill (as I called him), had chosen not to acknowledge my existence; but nothing softens the heart like a football signed by both Bob Stoops and Barry Switzer. What a perfect gift! Thanks girls!

New Design...New Content to Come

So it only took all my energy to overhaul the design of the blog. I know there are a few things still missing, but the general idea has been accomplished. Now that we are actually home for more than just a few days in a row, we will soon update the blog with our pictures and stories from our Christmas in Naples, Florida and our New Years from the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. Check back soon, as more is coming in the very near future!