Christmas

Eric and I just returned from a seven night cruise in the Carribean with his parents. We traveled down to Houston the day before to spend the evening with Grandpa Hamby, Ms. Mary, and the Boedeker clan. We left the day before my birthday from Galveston and traveled to Cozumel, the Grand Cayman Islands, and Jamaica.

The first day and a half at sea was extremely rough, but eventually the conditions evened out. It was definitely a unique way to spend Christmas! We ate, and we ate, and then we ate some more. It sort of reminded me of the first few days of living at the dorms in college when students figure out that they are able to eat ice cream for breakfast and there are no limits to the amount of desserts they can consume. Obviously, we did not have ice cream for breakfast, but that did not stop some of the passengers from using cereal bowls for frozen yogurt.

You will notice there are no excursion pictures of me since pregnant women are prohibited from taking part in the more intensive activities. Eric, being the wonderful husband that he is, took a waterproof camera to take exciting pictures of snorkling in Cozumel, swimming with the sting rays in Grand Cayman, and tubing down the river in Jamaica. He planned to take pictures and then reinact his adventures in interpretative dance. Alas, our waterproof camera from Walgreens was NOT waterproof and the case was soon filled with salt water.

Here are some fun pictures of our travels.

Galveston from our stateroom. The city is still extremely torn up from Hurricane Ike.

Ron, Eric and Becky, sharing some refreshments before dinner.

Picture from the deck of our ship of Cozumel.

Jamaica from the deck.

One of our MANY amazing desserts. Believe it or not, this is cheesecake.

Sunset on the deck.

Merry Christmas to all and a very blessed New Year!

IT'S A....

On Friday Eric and I went for our 5 month sonogram and found out we are having a baby BOY! The five month sonogram is where the doctor is able to determine if the baby is developing normally. Thank God he is exactly as he should be at this stage in the development. Eric and I would have been happy with a boy or girl, but now that we know what we are having, it all seems so much more real! The baby is about 6 1/2 inches from crown to rump and getting bigger every day. We look forward to planning our lives with this little one. I can just see the trouble he is going to get into with his daddy.

Baby Boy!

Baby crossing his legs

Profile picture of our little man

5 month belly picture

Thanksgiving in Houston

Four Months

I am about a week behind in posting my four month belly pic. If you think I look tired, you are not alone! Among the flattering remarks I hear these days, "Wow, you look exhausted," is definitely among the top. I have never craved sleep the way I do these days.

For those of you who are curious, Eric and I thought that we were going to have the opportunity to find out the sex of the baby at my four month appointment. Alas, we will have to wait until the five month appointment - just in time for the holidays. For now Baby Pate, shall remain...Baby Pate!

Albuquerque Trip

We just came back from an AMAZING weekend in our hometown. I should really have called this blog posting “Eating our way through Albuquerque.” For any of you who are living in a different city than where you grew up, you know that whenever you return home, you tend to eat at all your favorite foods. I ran out of time to take my four month picture before we left town, but I should really have done a before and after of my Albuquerque trip! I am sure the results would be astonishing.


Saturday I attended the lingerie shower of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Stephanie. Steph has found herself a wonderful man, Gabe, and I know that she will be very happy with him. Steph and I met in middle school and through the years we have made some very special memories. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be one of her bridesmaids on her special day. She bought the baby its first gift, an adorable classic plush Winnie the Pooh. I can already imagine our little one dragging it around everywhere!

Steph and her bridal party

I have a really remarkable family. The older I get, the more I realize that family is the most important thing in life. Friday we had the opportunity to spend some time with my mother-in-law over breakfast at our all time favorite breakfast place, Dos Hermanos. And Saturday night my large, wonderful, hilarious, talented family had a potluck for me and Eric since we won’t be there for the holidays. What was so fantastic about the night, in addition, to seeing nearly 20 of our favorite people, was the fact that everybody contributed in a special way by bringing their own dish. From the green chile chicken enchiladas loving prepared by my sister-in-law, Gina (and taste tested by my brother, David), to the mouth watering pecan pie, a signature dessert made by my cousin, Rachel, the night was filled with love and a billion calories. Hopefully I don’t forget anyone, but I should also mention that my cousins Debbie and Jacob, the masterminds behind such great get-togethers made awesome fajitas, Aunt Vangie sent her special Spanish rice, Jon made some yummy guacamole, Jason made some salsa that I am still fanaticizing about, Jeff and Melissa made scrumptious pasole, Aunt Lydia brought the delicious queso, and Mom and Dad brought the fixings’ for the fajitas. So sorry if I forget anyone, but with a family as large as ours it can be hard to keep track of all the great food! Thanks to everyone who contributed to making it such an amazing night. We love you!

Corrales Pates

This past weekend, Eric's parents came for a visit from Albuquerque. Friday we went to Ikea and later handed out candy to neighborhood trick-or-treaters. We eventually turned off the lights when only high school kids were making the rounds.

Saturday we went to an event for Mr. Johnson at Sammy Walker's BBQ (yum yum). That evening we watched in great anticipation as our alma mater, Texas Tech beat UT to gain the #2 BCS position. Let the record show that we have not called our UT acquaintances to brag.

Sunday we had an amazing outdoor brunch at Bread Winners and went to see the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. In all, it was a great weekend with unseasonably warm weather! Here are some pictures of us at the DMA.

Ron and Becky

Me and Eric

Here we are waiting for our ticket time for King Tut.

We are so bored we are taking a picture of ourselves being bored.

Wordless Wednesday