Nate Moments

Melissa has been keeping a journal of "Nate moments" that are especially memorable. Maybe it was something funny or cute that Nate did, or maybe something really special that we don't want to forget. We were reading through a few of them last night and it brought us a lot of joy. I thought it might be nice to spread that joy. Hope this brightens your day...(thank you Melissa for taking the time to write this stuff down. It's priceless!)

1/20/07
Daddy gave you his cell phone to play with tonight. He pressed "key lock" on the phone so that you couldn't hit the numbers and accidentally call someone. Somehow you were able to call 911!!! Daddy had to get on the phone and tell them you called by mistake.

5/24/07
You discovered the moon tonight. You kept looking at it, smiling and saying "moo".

7/20/07
Today you threw daddy's I-Pod in the toilet.

May 2008
I cannot believe how much you've changed in the past couple of months! You are talking so much. You started the "mine" phase. The other day it was raining outside. Daddy took you out to watch it and you said "my rain".

June 2008
I love how when you want me to pick you up, you say "my hold you".

07/21/2008
Today you pointed to the sky and said Jesus. I asked you where he lives and you said Heaven.

September 2008
Well, it seems that you have an imaginary friend! His name is "giant" and he mostly stays outside. When you hear him, you say "Shh....what's that noise?" You also like to look around the house for him. You told me his favorite food is spaghetti!

October 2008
You were a cowboy for Halloween. Whenever I'd ask you what a cowboy says, (expecting you to say "yeehaw, stick em up, etc) you would say "moo".

11/24/08
Mommy, daddy, and mimi took you outside to look at Venus and Jupiter shining brightly in the sky. You wanted daddy to "lift me higher so I can touch them". Then mommy asked you to say Jupiter and you did! Then, mommy asked you to say Venus and you proudly and loudly said "penis". We all had a good laugh!

January 2009
Don't ever, ever, ever, ever bite the tiger.

06/30/2009
You are so clever and witty. You were singing, "A pirate says aargh. A pirate says aargh." A la The Backyardigans (a kid's tv show). Then you sang, "A pirate says are...we going swimming?" You wanted to go swimming really bad that day.

Never A Dull Moment

Well, our house is busy as usual. Anna is now baptized. We had a little party at my parents house after the church service. Most of my family was there, and Melissa's dad, aunt, cousin, and grandparents made a special trip to Texas to be there for the event. Here's a recap of the last month...

Welcome Anna to our Savior's family!!!

Some of Melissa's family were able to make the trip down to Texas for the event.

The reception was held at my parent's house. Thank you mom and dad for provding the facilities and grub. Just about all of my family was able to attend. I'm very blessed to live close to most of my family. Some had to make a significant effort to be there, and we sincerely appreciate that they took the time. We love you guys!!!

It didn't rain a drop here in June. Seriously, I don't think we had one drop of rain. But we did celebrate Father's day. Either I'm doing something right, or I received a very BIG hint...

Melissa and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on Monday the 29th. Thanks to Kristina and Milchy for giving us a night out!

That's all for now! Pray for rain.

I hate to always start my posts with, "It's been a while..." but here we go again. It's been a very busy month. Melissa, Nana, Nate, and I took Anna to her first Astros game.

Aunt Nana bought Nate a new bike. We slapped some training wheels on that puppy and away he went. We rode all the way down to the park without incident, but on the way back he fell. He now refuses to get back on. We finally got him to ride down the street tonight, so there's still hope.

Anna is starting to smile...

Nate's learning how to use a camera...

And cruises the lake often with his girlfriend Sophie.

Yes, it's been a full, fun month indeed. To top it off, Grandpa Smith arrived in town today. Anna's baptism is next Sunday, so he's staying the week with us. Anna met her grandpa for the first time in her life today. As you can see, she was very happy.

Nate is happy to see his grandpa, too!

We'll have many more pics and stories coming soon, as Anna's baptism is next Sunday and our families will be coming together to celebrate. Until then, have a great week!

Sea World

It's been a while since we checked in. Sorry about that, but just in case you didn't know, we have been blessed with a second child, and no extra seconds, if you get my drift. This branch of the Eickenhorst tree has been quite busy, lately. Fishin trips, Confirmations, Easter egg hunts, and a journey to Sea World have filled our calendar recently. Coming soon: Astros games, concerts, birthday parties, and baptisms...all in May alone. Somewhere in there we have to fit work, food, a hot shower, and sleep. We're loving life and staying occupied in many ways.

This past week, we took our first vacation as a foursome. I had the opportunity to take off from work for a couple of days, and Melissa had mentioned taking Nate to Sea World, so we decided to go for it. I called my cousin Sandy, and she hooked us up with a sweet hotel room. We borrowed my parents suburban that has a sun roof and a DVD player, (we like to travel in style). My plan was to leave at 2:00 PM. We pulled out of the driveway at 2:41. Not too shabby.

We stopped several times due to the fact that we are in the middle of potty training Nate. But, we made the trip in about 3 1/2 hours. We had a blast. Nate was beside himself with joy. Sea World San Antonio wore him out! Take a look at the pictures below.

Nate feeding the Dolphins

Melissa and Nate checking out the Otters.

Proof that Anna was there.Nate's done.
Not yet!
Taking a picture with the flippin dolphin.
Happy family walking back to The Woodlands, I mean the car.

Okay, now he's done. It's a tough life...

Anna Has Arrived!

Melissa and Anna are home and doing great! Anna is perfect and precious in every way! I will be updating the blog later with the full story. For now, please enjoy a new video all about Anna. You can find it under Family Videos. It's the first one listed and includes a lot of great pictures of our sweet baby girl.

January's gone.

I can't believe February is already here, and with less than two months to go before Anna arrives, I have a feeling things will not be slowing down any time soon. In fact, time will probably fly by even faster!

January was a fun, busy month, mainly because the 26th was Nate's 3rd birthday. We had a great time celebrating. Our families came over Monday the 26th after work and gave Nate his presents. We got him a little cake and some ice cream, and a few of his neighborhood friends came over, played, and ate cake and ice cream with him.

We had the big birthday blowout bash on Super Bowl Sunday. Right after church we headed to Pump It Up, a big place full of moonwalks, inflatable slides, obstacle courses, etc. Many friends and family came to celebrate with Nate on his special day. We had some folks come from out of town and make a special trip just for the occasion. We feel very blessed to have so many friends in our lives that love and support us and our child.

Unfortunately, the party was pretty hectic, and the pictures we took didn't turn out all that great. So, instead of posting a bunch of random pictures, I've decided to show some recent photos of Nate in the last month. He's getting so big! Happy birthday, Nate! We love you!

Nate Eating Birthday Cake

Nate and Papa at Pump It Up

White Boys CAN Jump (a little...)

Rise and shine! Breakfast with a smile.

He loves his new robe.

The next two months are going to be a whirlwind. We are busy preparing for Anna's arrival, but we'll do our best to keep everyone updated. Please keep Melissa and Anna in your prayers these next few weeks. We want to bring home a healthy mommy and baby in March. Nate and I just need our sanity and strength. (I'll probably get hit for that.) Till next time...take care.

The Eickenhorsts

And the winner is...

In case you didn't notice...and apparently many of you didn't because we only received 7 votes...the poll for our daughter's name ended in a tie. So, we decided to let Nate break the tie. He originally chose Jesus which appropriately received 0 votes. (There is and always will be only one Jesus.) But given the choice between Sacagawea and Anna Marie, he chose Sacagawea. So, we decided to pretend like he said Anna Marie. He's too young to remember anyway, right?

This was all for fun. In all seriousness, we have chosen to give our daughter the name Anna Marie. We chose Marie in honor of Melissa's sister, Kristina. Come to find out, Marie is a very popular middle name in both mine and Melissa's family. Also, my cousin Sandy informed me that Anna was my great grandmother's name on my dad's side. Pretty cool.

Now we just need to finish little Anna's nursery. Less than 3 months...Melissa is getting that wild "I've got WAY too much to do!" look in her eyes. You might want to keep your distance till the end of March.