Tidwell Family

Weekend in Mulberry

2009-03-08T06:16:00.001-07:00

We spent this weekend in Mulberry to attend Erin McCain's wedding shower. It was so nice on Saturday we went outside and swang in Gran's swing. Here are some great pictures of it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

The week of Valentine's Day, I snuck Jonas over to The Picture People to take advantage of their Valentine card special. (Jason was unaware of this plan). We got some pretty good shots that night even though it was pouring rain and Jonas fell asleep before we got there. These are my favorites.

Big Boy Toys!

2009-02-01T13:38:00.001-08:00

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In the last month we have had to say goodbye to some of our favorite baby things like the bouncy seat and the Bumbo seat. Although putting those things away made us sad, we realized that Jonas is now probably ready for some of his "big boy" toys. So, last week during the ice storm, Jonas began really using his Johnny Jump-up. He used to just sit in it and chew on the straps, but now he really jumps in it and loves it. We also just started putting him on his baseball rocking chair that Aunt Holly gave him. At first he liked to be rocked, but after a couple of times on it, he rocks himself and just grins and grins. These are some of the better pictures. He has figured out the camera thing, and he usually refuses to smile if you have a camera in front of his face, but we got a couple of good shots!

"Ice Storm 2009"

2009-01-29T15:32:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering, I was able to post so many times today because we have been out of school since Tuesday for "ice storm '09." It actually wasn't a bad thing for me because Jonas was sick with "the crupe" (sp?), so Jason or I would have had to stay home with him anyway. But, as you can tell from these pictures, it could have been a lot worse. We only lost power for one night; some of our friends weren't so fortunate.

I Have Teeth--I promise!

2009-01-29T15:26:00.001-08:00

Jonas cut his first two teeth right at 7 months. He cut the two on the bottom within days of each other, and he was a cranky mess. But, he was adorable after they came in because all he wanted to do was suck his lips in to feel them out. Here he is doing just that!

Now for Christmas Pictures!

2009-01-29T15:09:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Christmas even though we were all sick with the stomach flu through the first half of the break. Jason had it the worst, but Jonas also had a cold, so he was in a sour mood most of the time. However, I do have a few cute pictures. We spent Christmas eve with the Tony & Suzan and Levi & Kasey. Then, we drove down to Mulberry Christmas morning to have breakfast with Gran (Laura's mom), Mamaw & Mimie(Laura's grandmothers), & Holly & Mallory (Laura's sister and niece).

Then, we drove back to Fort Smith to have lunch with the Evans side of the family (Suzan's family). Jonas wore his cute Christmas sweater. Here he is with Nana and Grandpa Evans.

Finally, we drove back to Mulberry on Christmas night to have dinner with Gran, Holly, Mallory, Mamaw, Dana & Mark (Laura's aunt and cousin), and, of course, the Moody's--John, Peggy, Jenna, & Spencer (Gran/Jan's neighbors/almost relatives from down the street). It was a busy two days, but it was fun.

I Know It's Almost February But...

2009-01-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, so January is almost over and I still haven't posted holiday pictures. I'm so ashamed of myself. But, since Jonas is down for a nap at the moment, allow me to share my favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas pictures.

We shared Thanksgiving lunch with Grandma & Grandpa Tidwell (Jason's Grandparents) in Fort Smith. Here is one of Neysa (Jason's first cousin) holding Jonas

And here are Neeysa and Devon (her husband) out picking up pecans for Grandma Tidwell. Most of the family spent an hour more of our afternoon doing that chore.

Meanwhile, Nana (Suzan--Jason's mom) and I were inside feeding Jonas his Thanksgiving meal (I think it was sweet potatoes).

Then, Devon and Neysa taught us how to play "sequence" and we absolutely loved it! We played boys versus girls, and of course the girls won! :) It was a nice time.

Family Pictures

2009-01-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

Most of you received our Christmas cards with our family pictures on them, but I wanted to publish them on the blog also. Sarah Bartmier did them, and she does an amazing job every time!

More Unpublished Pictures...

2008-12-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

We had Jonas's picture made at The Picture People in November. I wanted a professional picture of him in his suit. Our appointment was at 8:00 at night, and usually that would not be a good idea, but as you can see, Jonas did great. (Well, he did great for a while anway--I also wanted some in his Halloween outfit, but the one here was the only usable one. He screamed the rest of the time he had the outfit on.) Jason was pretty proud of me because although I was tempted, I did not go overboard in buying these pictures!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2008-12-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

We went caroling on Thursday night, and Jonas wore his Santa outfit. I remembered that we hadn't published any pictures of Jonas as Santa, so here they are!

Updates...

2008-12-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

I never dreamed how hard it would be to keep up with this blog. It's impossible to find time when we're at home! But, here are some pictures that we haven't posted from the last 2 months.

Jason's brother, Levi, got married to Kasey Holland on October 19th. Here are a few pictures from that weekend (rehersal dinner, ceremony, reception). Jonas wore a suit!Here are pictures of Jonas and Kasey, Kasey & Levi, Jonas & Suzan (Jason's mom), Jason & Suzan, and Jonas & Grandma Evans (Suzan's mom).

The Greatest Sound Ever

2008-11-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

Be sure to turn your speakers up. It's great to hear him laugh.

Jonas Update

2008-11-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since we have last updated the blog. So, I thought I would at least give some kind of synopsis of what is going on in our lives. Jonas is starting to finally turn over from stomach to back. He has had the back to stomach turn for quite a while now. So, it is a huge blessing for him to turn from stomach to back, because he becomes so mad when he is on his stomach too long. Last night, he was just rolling across the floor. It was funny because he would get so mad on his stomach that he would hollar and then turn over. Then, he would just go right back on his stomach and get mad again. It was funny, but I felt bad because he was getting so mad.

Also, Jonas got a walker but for now it's a sitter. :) His legs can't touch the floor so we have to put a pillow beneath so he can at least stand up sometimes. He loves to play with the toys on it. I will have pictures of him in it sometime.

I have had friends and family tell me that kids grow up so fast. I would hear it, and that's about it. It is amazing how fast they grow up. Just the other day, Jonas was in the hospital about this big < >. He was so tiny. Now, I am struggling to carry him around in the carrier. It won't be long before we don't use it to carry him around in. Also, it is really amazing all the new things that he does every day. Just the other day, he found his feet. It's really funny because he is always holding them now. Now's he's rolling over, and it won't be long before he sits up and crawls. Amazing. Also, his facial expressions are awesome. He is a very smiley kid. Everyone we talk to always talks about how he smiles and how great it is. What they don't know is the other side. :) But that's ok. He's getting better.

Well, that's about it. Hopefully, I will be able to get on and post some more pictures.

Laura Big 10 year Reunion

2008-10-16T20:00:00.001-07:00

Here are some great photo's from the reunion.

Beautiful Day at Nanna's

2008-10-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

We went to Nanna's last weekend to visit while we were in town for Laura's big 10 year school reunion. 10 YEARS!!!! That's a long time. But she still gets mistaken for a student every now and then. :) Well, not much went on, but we did get some great pictures outside. I am so glad that fall is finally here, and Jonas loves it. He's a big outdoorsy kind of kid as you can see with these pictures.

I Did It!!

2008-10-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

It finally happened! Jonas rolled over today for the first time, and we were lucky enough to get to see the whole thing happen. He has been so close to doing it for a week now, but today he went competely on his stomach. He didn't even start whining to be turned over immediately when he did it. We got the whole process on film too!

Here he is before

During....

And after the big roll! We're so proud!

Wooo.... Pig Sooie!

2008-09-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Even though the Razorbacks were pounded by Alabama today, Jonas still watched the game and rooted them on. We dressed him up in his razorback outfit, and Jason tried out his new flash for his camera. (The flash was his birthday present, and we love the way it makes the pictures turn out!)

No "Spoon Full of Sugar" Needed

2008-09-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Jonas's antibiotics are pink and bubblegum flavored. Jonas likes them, so getting him to eat them is not a problem. However, he does like to roll the liquid all over his mouth, so it usually ends up looking like pink lipstick. I know he's taking medicine, but he is so cute, we had to take pictures of it.

What's New in September...

2008-09-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Jonas will be 4 months old next week. I can't believe how fast it went by. Laura's mom came up on Labor Day to see him, and Jason's parents have been up the last two weekends (on the 12th for Jason's birthday, and on the 6th to watch that disastrous Razorback/LA Monroe football game). On Saturday the 13th we took Jonas over to Ali and Tobey Schaffer's beautiful new home in Bella Vista for a game night with the Schaffers and the Lovells. (We loved their home; it is so spacious with walk-in closets and a real laundry room. We're envious almost to the point of coveting! :) Jonas did so well over there; he just played and talked and smiled! Below is a picture of Jonas with Maddie Lovell and Sulli Schaffer. It's "two girls for every boy," just like the song!

Today I had to take off work because he is sick. He has his first (and we hope the last) ear infection. He was running a 102.2 temperature, and Dr. Faddis gave him some antibiotics. (For those of you who always ask, Jonas now weighs 12 lbs 12 oz.) Now with the medicine in him, he is sleeping away. This Friday is homecoming, so Jason's mom, Susan, is coming up to watch Jonas Friday night while Jason plays softball and I direct the festivities. All in all, everything is going well. We're just still looking forward to the day that he will start sleeping through the night!

Swimming at Gran's

2008-08-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

We took Jonas to Mulberry and Fort Smith last weekend to see all of his grandparents and attend Levi and Kasey's (Jason's brother and future sister-in-law) wedding shower. While we were at Gran's house (Laura's mom), we decided to take Jonas swimming. Those are his 0-3 month swim shorts in the pictures. (They fall off of him, but they were so cute that we put them on him to swim anyway.) We swam around 10 o'clock in the morning, but the swim only lasted around 5-10 minutes. (We didn't plan on it raining the morning of our swim, and the water was very chilly). However, we think these pictures made the experience worthwhile.

3 Month Professional Pictures

2008-08-30T11:25:00.001-07:00

Well, we went to JCPenney to get our pictures made on August 15th. I scheduled it in the morning because Jonas is usually wide awake and in a good mood in the mornings. And, my plan would have worked too. Unfortunately, we had to wait almost 30 minutes to get started. So, although Jonas was in a a great mood when we arrived at the store, he was screaming by the time we took the pictures. The photographer was great though. She worked and worked with him until he at least looked like he was happy, and then she would snap the picture. (This usually involved giving him his paci until the last second, which is why he has pursed lips in most of the pictures.) Anyway, these three were the favorites of the day.

The Latest

2008-08-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, we haven't updated for a couple of weeks, so let me give you the latest. Jonas spent last weekend with his Nana and Grandpa in Fort Smith because Laura went shopping in Branson and Jason had his Blessings national conference. We were told it went well and that he was a good boy all weekend. We know that he had LOTS of visitors! Laura started back to work on Wednesday of this week, so Jonas spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with Michelle Langford who will be keeping him during the day. She reports that it is going well. We took Jonas to the Tontitown Grape Festival last night. He was so good (and we had to wait in line an hour to get our spaghetti dinners)! Jonas is getting bigger and more active by the day, and now he likes to sit in his Bumbo seat. These pictures are of him playing in his Bumbo seat last week.

From Screams of Agony to Squeals of Delight

2008-07-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

When we first got Jonas home from the NICU, he absolutely hated if we "messed" with him. This included changing diapers and changing clothes, but he especially hated his bath. We were giving sponge baths, and he would scream as if we were torturing him. We finally had to work out a system where every part of his body was covered with a towel or blanket except the part we were washing. However, a couple of weeks ago, all of that changed. He seemed to not mind his bath anymore, so we decided to try to put him in his tub. (We had tried before, but he threw such a fit that we got him out immediately.) Now, as you can see, he loves his bath. His favorite part is to float around on his back in the water as if he were doing the backstroke. He kicks his legs and looks like he wants to swim. Needless to say, bath times are much less stressful!

Here is Jonas enjoying his "froggy" bathtub!

Thank God for Mobiles!

2008-07-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Jonas has many times during the day when he just wants to lie down and stare at his mobile. This is especially wonderful during the afternoon when everything else makes him cranky. The unfortunate thing about our baseball mobile is that although it matches the rest of the room, it toppples over easily. But, we all love that mobile even if we get tired of Braums Lullaby playing in our heads constantly. In other news, Jonas went to the doctor on Wednesday, July 23rd for his 2 month check-up. He weighed 10 lbs 3 oz and was 22 3/4 inches long. He got two shots that day. He screamed, but I think it might have been harder on me. He did sleep excessively and run a fever afterwards though. He even slept right through the first half of his Nana's visit on Thursday. On Friday, Gran, Aunt Holly, Mallory, and Jenna Moody came up for Centerton Days. Jonas was cranky throughout most of the visit, but Mallory did great. She even competed in the Centerton Tiny Tots contest on Saturday. She waved and blew kisses to the audience. It was adorable! We finally got Jonas's birth annoucements out this week. It took so long, maybe I should already start working on Christmas cards!

Two new ones from Today

2008-07-19T20:39:00.001-07:00

Future ball player! That's what I am talking about. He's my retirement fund.

As you can see, I'm really mad cause dad kept putting this hat on me.

:) The real reason he was mad b/c the hat weighed way to much for his wobbly head.

More pictues!

2008-07-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Update!

2008-07-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

A friend of our's does photography on the side, and we had her shoot Jonas. We thought they were wonderful. Here are a few. And YES FINALLY LAURA IS IN SOME PICTURES!!!

4th of July!

2008-07-04T21:02:00.001-07:00

Our first 4th of July!! Woohhoo.....

I meant to take my camera out to the church 4th of July Celebration, but I forgot it. It wouldn't have mattered, because Jonas slept through the entire thing in his car seat. I'm talking choir performance, people messing with hm, and the FIREWORKS!! As soon as this kid hits his car seat, he is out. But, we did get some photos of him in his 4th of July outfit provided by Gran, Laura's mom.

He was very cute as you can see below. I was really afraid that we were going to have an ugly baby. We have so many friends with pretty babies and we figured our clan was due for an ugly baby. I just knew it was going to be us. Well, were we wrong!

This is him saying, look Gran, look at my shirt.

As you can see, he has his daddy's receding hairline. I keep telling him it's a blessing, but one day he won't like it.

This is a you better get that camera out of my face look.

He's posing here with his new shirt on. He thinks he always has to put on a camera face.

Actually, he can spit fire and he was about to unleash a fireball into my face. He loves the camera.

Jonas and Nanna

2008-06-29T20:21:00.001-07:00

We ventured on down to Nanna and Grandpa's house this weekend. Laura's niece had a b-day part at McDonald's, so we had to let the grandparents see Jonas. I took quite a few photo's, but these were my favorite by far.

He's actually happy! We are having a little bit of trouble with formula's. We think he has acid reflux. We are currently on soy and rice cereal. He seems to be doing a little better. If this doesn't work, we may have to go to nutramigin. We really don't want to do that because it is so expensive. Also, we hear that it stinks to high heaven.

One thing that was great on Saturday, due to him being happy, he smiled at me twice for the first time. Yep, just melted my heart.

2008-06-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this kid????

We are having a ton of fun with him. The hospital really has him on a 3 hour schedule. It has been nice.

You can not keep this kids arms in the swaddle blanket. He is very strong.

Seriously....it doesn't get much cuter than this...

This is probably my favorite picture. Showing off my photoshop skills. :)

Jonas has arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-23T10:14:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pics. I'll have more once I get some. Hopefully I will get some of mom and Jonas. We are still waiting for those. :)

Nursery Update

2008-04-19T19:09:00.001-07:00

How about those blinds? They were a chore to put in, but well worth it!

Nursery Update

2008-04-17T19:15:00.001-07:00

We had our first baby shower. It was great!! We received tons and tons of stuff. One of which was our wonderful bedding for the crib. It looks awesome, as you can see below. The room is really starting to come together. Laura only has another 5 weeks to be full term, 37 weeks! I can't believe it is getting so close. These last 8 months have really flown by. To tell you the truth though, we are both ready for Jonas to get here.

In case you guys were wondering, my mother made this bedding. It is amazing.

Also, my mother-in-law, Laura's mom, bought us the crib and changing table. We couldn't be happier with both. Thank you moms!!! We love you both!!

New Nursery Update

2008-03-25T22:03:00.001-07:00

Well...We received word that the crib and changing table were in. I drove right on over to JC Penney's and picked it up. I dove into what I thought was going to be the easiest piece, the changing table. WRONG!!! It took me nearly 3 hours, but that might be because I was watching the biggest loser at the same time. The crib didn't take me nearly as long. I surprised Laura with putting the crib together, because she thought I was only going to do the changing table.

Nursery Update

2008-03-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Well, we are coming along on the nursery. My parents come up for the day to help me paint. They are the best!! It won't be long before there is some actual furniture, and a BABY!!!

You see that folks?? Doing trim work WITHOUT TAPE!!! That is why she is my mom. Only the best!!

Koda really didn't do anything except get paint on him. This is what he looked like after I yelled at him a few times.

And just for you naysayers out there....YES I DID HELP!!!

new site up and going!!

2008-02-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

Woohooo!!!!